“Would you accept me as a guild member?”
“…Pardon?”
Ian stared blankly at Priya for a moment.
He had never imagined he would receive a request to join his guild here, of all places.
Of course, it was true that Ian needed guild members.
However.
“Um… do you know what purpose my guild has?”
“No. I don’t really know.”
“And yet you want to join?”
“Yes. I can adjust myself to it.”
Ian was deeply conflicted over whether it was right to accept someone who wanted to barge in without even knowing what kind of purpose the guild had.
Just then, Veronica shouted from beside him.
“Ah, no! I already called dibs on being Ian’s first guild member!”
Then she glared at Priya as if she might devour her at any moment.
Their gazes burned like blazing fire.
Priya snorted, refusing to back down.
“Oh my, if you haven’t joined until now, doesn’t that mean you never intended to join in the first place?”
“Wh-what did you say?”
“If you wanted to join that badly, you should have joined as soon as he made it. Isn’t it strange that you still haven’t joined? Ah! Or are you perhaps that type? The kind who thinks it’s a waste to eat it yourself, but also a waste to give it to someone else?”
“Hah! You really don’t know anything. Unlike some people, we’re fri! ends! And no friend wants to make things troublesome for another friend.”
As Ian watched the two of them engage in a brief war of nerves, he recalled one fact.
“But Veronica, aren’t you originally in Emily’s guild…?”
“I’m leaving. No, I left. I’m not in it anymore.”
“……”
Despite being in a warm bath, goosebumps rose all over Ian’s body at her firm, madness-tinged voice.
Then Naira, who had been watching from beside Ian, spoke.
“It’s fine if you leave, but you do know, right? Once you leave a guild, it takes three days before you can join again.”
“Th-there was something like that?”
“Guess you didn’t know~.”
“Th-then even if I leave the guild today…”
“Well, that’s how it is.”
It meant she could not be with Ian in the defense battle being held today.
Veronica’s expression, which had been full of anticipation, gradually froze.
“Now, now. Don’t be like that. Women who cling too much aren’t very popular, you know.”
“N-no… My, my first…”
While Veronica was dragged off into a corner by Naira, Ian, now left alone with Priya, finally let out a breath of relief and asked her a question.
“You’re really saying you want to come to me instead of another guild?”
“Yes. If it’s not here, I won’t join any.”
“I don’t intend to get very involved with the guild.”
“That’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“Even if I just leave it alone?”
“Yes.”
“Even if I truly have no intention of helping at all?”
“Yes.”
Ian looked closely into Priya’s eyes.
But she did not seem to be lying.
‘Yeah, with conditions like this, it’s probably right to accept her.’
After all, it was a guild in name only, merely a means to obtain rewards and buffs.
If she was willing to go along with that, there was no reason to refuse.
In the end, Ian nodded.
“All right. I’ll accept you.”
“Really?!”
“Of course, we’ll only do things like defense battles together, and otherwise we won’t interfere with each other. You understand, right?”
“Yes! That’s enough.”
Ian sent Priya a guild join request, and she immediately accepted it.
The number of guild members increased from one to two, and the name Priya appeared on the guild member list.
‘Level 20, huh. That’s a little lower than the appropriate level.’
The lowest-level monster that appeared in Area 5, Winsley, was the level 21 Lunatic Deer with moonlit fur.
Considering that the average level of the current front-line players was 23, it was a level where she would have to work hard at hunting.
Of course, since it was not something he needed to worry about, he immediately erased it from his mind.
“Then come to the village square later when it’s time for the defense battle.”
Now that he had warmed up enough, Ian signaled to Naira and Veronica in the corner and rose from the bath.
As Ian was about to leave the bathhouse, Priya stopped him.
“Um… by the way, are there only the two of us in the guild?”
“I haven’t really paid attention to recruiting until now, so… Still, I’ll gather some people by the time of the defense battle. Probably.”
“Then can I bring my friends too?”
“Hmm… if they like the conditions of our guild?”
“Got it. Then I’ll bring them with me when the defense battle starts later.”
And this time, just as he was truly about to head outside.
“But Ian.”
“What is it?”
“Why is our guild name like this?”
Avoiding Priya’s gaze, Ian blushed and fled.
“I-I’ll change it later.”
***
I had parted from Naira and Veronica with great confidence and started recruiting guild members, but gathering people was far more difficult than I had expected.
Since there were still many who did not know I had used the flag, most of the players asked me to transfer the flag to them instead.
“They’re pickier than I thought.”
A small number among them did express interest in joining my guild, but once I revealed that the guild was only for rewards and buffs, they were usually hesitant to join.
It was not incomprehensible.
This was one thing if it had been an ordinary RPG, but this place was a death game. To survive, cooperation between players was inevitable.
I was the unusual one for insisting on going solo.
Still, there might be someone like Priya who could accept the conditions I set, so I did my best and searched around the village, but there were no results.
Before I knew it, the sky had been dyed in the colors of sunset, and the village was gradually being swept up in tension.
But I could only look up at the sky and sigh.
“Do we have no choice but to do it with just the two of us?”
Priya had said she would bring her friends, but in truth, I did not have high expectations.
Her level was 20. If they were close friends, they were probably around the same level as her.
No matter how high my level was, I could not cover every area.
But with the appointed time approaching, I could not keep running around looking for people forever.
In the end, I had no choice but to head to the square to meet up with Priya.
When I arrived at the crowded square, Priya was already waiting for me there.
“Ian! Over here.”
She waved her hand at me.
And beside her were three unfamiliar women.
“These people are… your party members, Priya?”
“Yes! They’re the friends I travel with. From this side, they’re Gaeun, Claire, and Carmen.”
I nodded as I looked at them.
If they had come all the way here, it likely meant they had the intention of joining the guild.
Still, to prevent any possible issues, I looked them in the eye and asked a question.
“You all know what the purpose of our guild is before coming here, right?”
“Yes. We heard from Priya, so we know.”
“Then…”
“Yes, our party has decided to join your guild, Ian. We don’t really like belonging anywhere.”
Among them, the one named Gaeun extended her hand to me.
“So please take care of us from now on.”
“I’ll make sure to keep the buffs refreshed.”
“That’s enough for us.”
I had been worried inwardly, but if an entire party was joining at once, it was better than I had expected.
Of course, looking at their levels did make me a little concerned…
If I gather them in one place and run around diligently, it should be fine.
“But is this guild name for real?”
“…I’ll definitely change it later.”
But what could I do when buying the right to rename the guild cost five million gold?
Right now, I only had one million gold.
If I had known this would happen, I would have put a little more thought into naming it.
I knew it was too late to regret it, but all I could do was regret it.
As I waited with my newly gained guild members for Mercenary Captain Grace to appear, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
I turned my head.
“Hey, Ian. Can we talk for a moment?”
“Adrian?”
The person there was Adrian, the one who had given me food.
Hadn’t he said he was going to carry out Grace’s quest?
No way…
“Did you clear the quest?”
“Hm? No, not yet.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I have something to say to you.”
Adrian smiled awkwardly and said to me.
“Can our party join your guild too?”
***
Mercenary Captain Grace.
As the leader of Winsley Village, who was in charge of commanding the monster wave defense battle, she checked the faces of those participating in the defense battle.
Hunters, mercenaries, and the newly added players.
Standing before the commanders leading each group, she spoke.
“Thank you all for gathering.”
Grace slightly bowed her head toward the people.
“This will be a long battle. Anyone who wishes to leave may leave now.”
She looked over the people once more.
Everyone was waiting for her next words with solemn expressions.
Nodding in satisfaction, she continued.
“Then we will immediately assign the areas of responsibility.”
As soon as Grace finished speaking, the mercenaries brought over a large map depicting the village.
The village on the map was divided like a pizza.
She pointed at the map with her spear and said,
“There are eight areas we must protect in total. The village hunters will take the north and south.”
North, south, east, and west—each had a gate leading into the village.
Among them, the north and south would be defended by veteran hunters.
“The mercenary corps will take the east and west.”
The east and west, where relatively many monsters would gather, were assigned to the mercenaries.
“And I ask the travelers to stop the monsters between these areas, and support any place that falls into danger.”
The player groups were assigned the role of defending against monsters breaking through the fences in the remaining areas, and supporting either side when they were in danger.
Ian looked closely at the map.
‘We’re in the northwest, huh.’
There were a total of four guilds currently participating in the defense battle.
One was, of course, Emily’s Vanguard, another was Shaura’s, and the remaining one was the guild of the shield warrior Alexandro, one of the moderate clearers like Shaura.
Since he was not someone Ian was acquainted with, he had been a little surprised when he first heard the name.
Of course, right now, he had no time to think about his existence.
‘We have nine people in total. We have fewer people than the other guilds.’
Even Alexandro’s newly formed guild had fifteen people.
Compared to that, Ian’s guild was a small, elite force.
To reduce the damage, he needed the strength of the most powerful woman among his guild members.
Especially.
‘I’m not that worried about Adrian’s side, but…’
Priya’s party worried Ian.
Priya and Claire were level 20, while Gaeun and Carmen were level 19.
For now, Ian decided to pay as much attention to their side as possible.
“That concludes the briefing for the defense battle. Any questions?”
Neither the hunters nor the mercenaries, nor even the players raised their hands.
It was then.
—Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of a bell rang out from the outskirts of the village.
It was the signal from the watchtower announcing the monsters’ approach.
Toward the murmuring people, Grace shouted calmly.
“Everyone, move to your positions!”
The first guild defense battle.
Its opening.