Chapter 8: The Second-Rate Sky Treader Guild

“About forty people,” 

Ying Ye whispered.

“Attacking now isn’t realistic. We’ll have to wait until the BOSS wears them down before making a move.”

Bai Yue Ling nodded in understanding.

Her Holy Light Orb dealt high damage but was slow and had limited range, making it impossible to take on forty opponents alone.

To play it safe, they decided to wait.

The two lingered on the outskirts of the battlefield.

Everyone was focused on fighting the BOSS, and no one noticed them.

The players’ skill levels varied widely, with the lowest at Level 2 and the highest at Level 6.

Though they were still outmatched by the Level 10 Slime BOSS, their numbers gave them an edge, allowing them to slowly chip away at its health.

The Slime’s attack patterns were simple, and its speed was sluggish, resulting in minimal casualties among the players.

Seeing this, Ying Ye frowned.

If things continued this way, even after defeating the BOSS, these Light-aligned players would likely suffer few losses.

How would they complete their mission then?

Were they really going to charge into a group of forty?

***

As time passed, the Slime BOSS grew weaker, its health dropping to 20%.

But at that moment, half the players on the field suddenly stopped attacking.

“What’s going on?” a priestess asked, confused.

“Why’d you stop?”

“Sorry,” a warrior nearby said, raising her longsword and swinging it at the priestess.

“The achievement for the BOSS’s first kill belongs to our Sky Treader Guild.”

White lights flashed as members of the Sky Treader Guild turned on the unaffiliated players beside them.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen players were killed.

Bai Yue Ling’s eyes widened slightly as she muttered to herself,

“Sky Treader Guild… I remember now.

It seems like in every cycle, this guild always claims the BOSS’s ‘World First Kill.’”

In World of Fate, each beginner village was assigned a BOSS, and the system rewarded the first player or group to kill it with a “World Announcement.”

The Sky Treader Guild was one of the top five guilds in the gaming world, backed by a dedicated capital firm and known for its large membership and scale.

Bai Yue Ling recalled that after World of Fate launched, Sky Treader had claimed the first World Announcement, using it to heavily promote themselves and attract countless players.

Now she understood why Sky Treader always secured the World First Kill: they lured unaffiliated players into doing the grunt work for them.

On top of that, their luck was impeccable.

They’d managed to gather twenty members in a randomly assigned beginner village and encountered a relatively easy Slime BOSS.

“We agreed to split the BOSS fairly, and you dare break your word… ugh!” 

An unaffiliated player started, only to be cut down by a volley of arrows.

“Just a bunch of randoms. So what if we break our word?” 

A red-headbanded archer sneered.

“I’m Sky Treader’s Vice President, Xue Zhongxun Mei. If you’re not happy, come find me for revenge later.”

“I’ll expose your shameful actions and let every player know your true colors!” 

Another unaffiliated player shouted angrily.

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Xue Zhongxun Mei mocked, scratching her ear.

“Go ahead and try. Do you really think our PR company is just for show?”

“PR… company?”

“Our PR team will flood the forums, claiming you attacked first, and we were just defending ourselves,” Xue Zhongxun Mei said, nocking another arrow and killing another player.

“Who cares about you?

People will only remember that we killed the first BOSS.

You won’t even make a ripple.

“Online games have always been about the big guilds.

Random players like you are just meant to be crushed under our feet.

“Get lost now, and I might spare you.

Otherwise, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”

The remaining unaffiliated players fought back, but Sky Treader’s twenty members focused their attacks, wiping them out in seconds.

Amid curses and wails, the randoms were sent back to the beginner village’s respawn point.

A Sky Treader member shouted,

“Vice President, the forums say the Toast and Song Guild has entered a BOSS fight too!”

“No rush.

Their progress can’t be faster than ours,” Xue Zhongxun Mei said, glancing toward Bai Yue Ling’s position.

“Keep attacking the BOSS.

There are two people hiding in the corner—I’ll deal with them.”

An arrow shot out, aimed straight at Bai Yue Ling’s face.

Ying Ye darted in front of her, deflecting the arrow with a flick of her dagger, slicing it in half.

“Not bad for an assassin,” Xue Zhongxun Mei said, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to an assassin beside her.

“Go test her.”

The assassin nodded and charged at Ying Ye like a shadow.

Ying Ye didn’t back down, rushing forward to meet her opponent.

A sharp clink rang out as the two figures crossed paths, instantly appearing behind each other.

Rip!

Ying Ye stood unscathed, calmly shaking the blood off her dagger.

The other assassin let out a scream before dissolving into white light.

Seeing this, Xue Zhongxun Mei narrowed her eyes, a hint of caution rising within her.

It was only a brief moment, but she had seen Ying Ye’s move clearly.

As the enemy assassin raised her dagger to use Thrust, Ying Ye didn’t meet her head-on.

Instead, with absolute confidence, she threw her dagger like a throwing knife, striking the unguarded neck of her opponent, killing her instantly.

Xue Zhongxun Mei narrowed her eyes further and asked,

“That technique… you’re Ying Ye, aren’t you?”

“Mm,” Ying Ye replied, returning to Bai Yue Ling’s side.

“So, it’s the famous assassin goddess herself.

I’ve heard of you,” Xue Zhongxun Mei said, clapping her hands in admiration.

“The girl you just killed was actually a fan of yours.

I admire strong players like you.

Interested in joining Sky Treader Guild?”

“Sorry, I prefer working alone,” Ying Ye said, shaking her head.

“Oh?

You sure?” Xue Zhongxun Mei raised an eyebrow.

“You saw what happened to those randoms.

If you’re not willing to join us… do you really think you can take on all of us?”

“Hey, I’m still here,” Bai Yue Ling said, annoyed.

“You?” Xue Zhongxun Mei scoffed.

“Just a useless priest who can only toss out healing spells.

What else can you do?”

She quickly drew her bow and fired an arrow at Bai Yue Ling.

But Bai Yue Ling didn’t even blink, casually waving her staff to knock the arrow to the ground.

“What?” Xue Zhongxun Mei was stunned.

In all her years of gaming, she’d never seen a priest with such precise prediction, able to effortlessly deflect an arrow in mid-flight.

Could she be some expert playing a different class?

No longer underestimating the two, Xue Zhongxun Mei asked seriously,

“I’ll give you one last chance.

Want to join Sky Treader Guild?”

Bai Yue Ling chuckled.

“Sky Treader?

You mean the second-rate guild that’s inferior to Kneel Before the Queen in top-tier combat power, worse than Toast and Song in guild atmosphere, and weaker than Blood Era in overall strength… a guild that’s only good for its numbers?”

Second-rate guild.

At those words, everyone on the field froze, staring at Bai Yue Ling in shock.

They were used to running roughshod over others, but this was the first time someone dared to describe their guild like that.

This priest… was too bold!

“Second… rate… guild?”

Xue Zhongxun Mei trembled with rage, her face flushing red, lips quivering as if she wanted to unleash a torrent of curses.

Second-rate guild—those four words were an undeniable insult!

“Hahaha… we’re a second-rate guild?

Then what are you randoms?” Xue Zhongxun Mei snapped.

“A bunch of lone wolves who can only fight solo!

Even if you band together, you’re just a rabble with no chance against Sky Treader.

“And you two?

Hahaha, just the two of you think you can wipe us out?

“If you won’t join, then you’ll just be stepping stones for Sky Treader!”

At Xue Zhongxun Mei’s command, all Sky Treader members abandoned the sluggish Slime BOSS and charged furiously at the two.

Facing the overwhelming pressure of the group rushing toward them, Ying Ye couldn’t help but feel nervous.

They were right— no matter how skilled they were, they couldn’t defeat enemies ten times their number.

Ying Ye whispered,

“Little White, should we run?”

“Run?”

Bai Yue Ling laughed softly, slowly raising her staff:

“The ones who should be running are those trash fish.”