The Fìrma Branch of the Adventurer’s Guild, or the Adventurer’s Guild for short, was a large building second only to the Earl’s villa. However, it was very different in design, and fully embraced the fantasy genre.

The building was a mix of ancient and modern, it had a Gothic feel to it in the way it rose high above the ground, but at the same time it was made with both stone and wood. It was about as far from Renaissance as one could get, there was no hint of symmetry in the building, it was more like chaos incarnate instead, and looking at it, one might even wonder how it could stand.

That did not mean it was ugly though. In its disorganization and mess, the building had its own, unique charm, and would catch the eye of anyone.

The building was well lit too, not with torches, but with blue luminescent crystal replacing those, and which emitted a gentle light that was not harsh to the eyes. It added to the mystical feeling of the place.

It did not feel distant and mysterious like a Mage’s tower however, as the tinted windows let out an orange hue, like a warm fire would be waiting inside, while the boisterous voices of adventurers could be heard even from outside.

The jolly atmosphere inside already getting him in a good mood, Felix pushed open the doors and strode in.

Felix found himself in what could be described as a bar or a tavern. Against the wall opposite the entrance was a large bar, with more bottles in it than Felix had ever seen, with several doors between the shelves holding what Felix didn’t doubt was liquor.

Even at this hour, there was someone manning the bar too, a busty girl in her late twenties, with a light blonde fringe and dressed in a long robe.

"Odin! Over here!"

Turning to look at the side, Felix saw several tables, at one of which sat Drakon. A large mug in hand, he wasn’t drinking alone as he was accompanied by someone Felix knew too.

[Zara, Cryomancer, Level 35]

Felix could see a few other adventurers sitting at other tables, but they looked utterly uninterested in him as they made their fair share of noise.

Walking over to Drakon and Zara, Felix sat down with a smile as he asked, "What are you two doing here at this ungodly hour?"

Zara was about to say something, but Drakon raised his cup to his lips while casually saying, "Speaking of my retirement from Silverfall."

Zara grew immediately flustered as she waved her hands in a hurry, "No, wait! That’s not… well, it is, but we don’t…"

Glancing between the two, Felix noticed the teasing light in Drakon’s eyes. Finding the flustered Zara to be cute, Felix decided to play along as he asked, "Is this how Silverfall deals with their members? One conflict with another Guild and you throw them out? I can’t imagine what you would do with your allies then."

Zara’s face became beat red in what seemed to be a mix of anger and helplessness as she argued, "No, that’s not how it is!"

"So Drakon is staying in Silverfall?"

Zara looked down as she replied, "No…"

Drakon chortled, "And your message came at the right time, she wanted to speak to you about that staff. You've been holding onto it for a while you see."

Placing a hand before his mouth, Felix softly exclaimed, "Oh my!"

Zara was about to continue arguing when she finally noticed there was something amiss. Blushing furiously, she slammed her fist against the table, "That’s not funny!"

Both Felix and Drakon burst out in laughter at the words, clearly disagreeing with the girl.

They drew some gazes from the other tables, but neither cared. Only after several seconds did they stop, and Zara say, "I did want to talk to you, Odin."

Felix leaned back in his seat, and gestured with his hand for her to go on, a smile resting on his lips.

Taking a deep breath, Zara explained, "What you and Drakon did in the Mountain Pass has already made a sensation online, and everyone knows about it. This made an even bigger sensation than the Princess of the Jade Palace disappearing."

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His eyebrows shot up in surprise as Felix heard the last part. The Princess of the Jade Palace was not an NPC in the game, but an individual. The Jade Palace was actually one of the biggest Guilds in the world, one of the Divine Ten, and the Princess was the daughter of the current Guild Leader.

The Guild was Chinese, yet despite being on the other side of the world, the news had been trending for the past two weeks throughout the European servers too.

So for their actions in the Mountain Pass to have reached the same level as these news, even if only domestically, was impressive enough.

Tapping the wooden chair rhythmically, Felix asked, "I guess they made a response?"

Zara nodded, "Guild Dynamics have been drastically shifting recently, and the current rankings are showing to be a mess. Numbers are proving themselves to not be as big of a strength as people expected it to be, and competent individuals are rapidly becoming more and more valuable."

Nodding, Felix sent a look at Drakon, and asked, "I saw you weren’t injured when I arrived, despite having killed their Guild Leader prior to that. Was he that weak?"

Drakon snorted in amusement, "The bastard didn’t even put up a fight. His last words were ‘I have money’."

Chuckling, Felix nodded in understanding, as he had observed the phenomenon himself online.

"Epoch is the first game to rely on actual fighting skills, instead of gaming skills. Before Epoch, a Guild Leader needed leadership skills before anything, followed by good gaming skills. Now though, things have changed. And you, Odin, happen to be at the spear point of this change."

Tilting his head at the revelation, Felix asked, "How so? Drakon was the one who killed Isaiah."

Shaking her head, Zara replied, "While Drakon isn’t that famous to the masses, people still know of him as a member of Silverfall, and he has some fame already in the martial art community."

Looking straight into Felix’s eyes, she continued with all the seriousness she could muster, "You, however, are a nobody. The only trace of you to have appeared before was a clip that barely gathered a few thousand views, and is mostly unknown. You, a mysterious player who does not belong to any Guild, waltzed into the territory of a First Tier Guild on the cusp of entering the Super Hundred, killed several dozens of their most elite members, spared one of their Division Leaders because he was too weak, and crushed their plans almost on your lonesome."

This was a very clear description of what he had done, which Felix did not doubt was made possible thanks to Thousand Streams’ filming. This meant he had probably put everything online already, and that Yasue’s plan had reached the next phase.

While Felix thought of something else entirely, Zara added, "You have not only turned into a sensation among independent players, you are also the living proof that before a truly skilled individual, numbers are nothing."

Felix immediately disagreed, "I would have died if too many of them had attacked at once."

Shaking her head, Zara replied, "You underestimate how hard it is to properly lead untrained troops. You could have continued strolling around the area for a couple of hours without any large group cornering you. Besides, you are only 27. According to the data we have gathered about NPCs and power levels, Tier 1 is already inhumanly strong, and from Tier 2 on, they became walking war machines. Overlord and higher ranked NPCs also receive a major power boost. By then, numbers would become irrelevant."

Crossing his arms, Felix argued, "Not if properly trained. Numbers can form powerful magical arrays to take down stronger opponents. Magic can do a lot more than spew fire in people’s faces. Or ice."

Rolling her eyes, Zara said, "Yes, you win. Numbers aren’t irrelevant. But still, they are a lot less important than expected. As a result, the ranking between the different Guilds is bound to drastically change. And what you did to Blue Light, it might very well be the killing blow."

Smiling as he knew where she was going, he guessed, "Unless they wipe off the humiliation, and kill me?"

Nodding, Zara replied, "Yes, you and Drakon. There is a bounty of 1000 Gold on each of your heads, and all of Blue Light’s members are being gathered in the Brightsky Kingdom. Word is that they will send their troops to kill you."

Already expecting this to happen, Felix asked, "Why are you telling me this, though? What’s in it for you?"

Her face now veiled with indifference, Zara replied, "As an Officer within Silverfall? Nothing, Drakon has already left the Guild and you aren’t worth starting a war against Blue Light."

Felix remained silent, a smile still gracing his lips despite her words. Quickly, her indifferent mask cracked as she sighed, "But as an individual? I don’t want Uncle Enzo to be ostracized and hunted by the entire European Server, even if he caused it by being reckless." she ended her sentence with a glare aimed at Drakon.

Placing both of her forearms against the wooden table, Zara turned her face back towards Felix and finished, "That is why, I would like to ask a favor out of you. I know he can be annoying at times, but please take him under your protection until this whole thing with Blue Light dies out. In exchange, you may keep that staff for yourself, and we may discuss further payment if that is not enough."

Surprised at the offer, Felix sent a glance at Drakon, or Enzo, but the man looked wholly unbothered by the talk, as if it didn’t concern him. Returning his gaze to Zara, Felix asked curiously, "Why would you want me to take him under me? From what I saw, he seems perfectly capable of handling himself, and I’m not even sure I am any stronger than he is."

Zara’s eyes turned a little calculative as she started, "Several weeks after a bounty was placed on you, in which you did nothing, not even level up once, you, Odin, decided to suddenly assault the territory of Blue Light and kill their commanding officers and destroy their plans. Less than an hour later, videos of the humiliating defeat were spread all over the internet, along with an army of trolls provoking not only the officers of Blue Light, but the executives of the companies behind the Guild."

Pointing at herself, she continued, "It doesn’t take a genius to understand you aren’t acting alone, and while the world thinks that Silverfall is the ones helping you, I think I would know. So while I don’t know which force you belong to or are allied with, I’m sure that if they convinced you to take such risks, protecting Drakon shouldn’t be too much of a burden."

This time, Felix noticed that Drakon was staring at him too, clearly curious about this mysterious power.

Thinking about it for a moment, Felix took out the Staff of Long Winter and said, "I’m not part of any organization, I simply owe someone a favor, and their interests happened to meet with mine, so we are working together. Plus he is a friend. As for your, Drakon," he put the staff down and said, "Personally, I don’t have a problem forming a team with you for a while, but I’m not sure you would even want it."

Putting down his drink, Drakon grunted, "The lass has always been a worrywart…"

"Enzo!"

Rolling his eyes, Drakon added, "...but, my safety isn’t the only reason for this offer."

Surprise clear on his face, Felix looked at Drakon in the eyes as a savage light seemed to shine through the other’s eyes as he revealed, "For many years, I have felt stifled by the world. Even as I played this bloody game, the feeling hasn’t disappeared. But today, as I fought alongside you, I felt something I hadn’t felt for a long time. A thrill most people never encounter in their lives."

Drakon paused, before breathing out, "The thrill of facing something insurmountable, and overcoming it. The thrill of life and death."