Outside the City of Snowflakes.
A group of around thirty blacklisted players gathered in a snowy forest, mostly idle, with some engaging in killing small monsters to pass the time.
"This guild of a thousand people really is acting like turtles, hiding their heads! How can we kill them if they don't come out?" Someone complained.
"Who said no one comes out? There are still squads of over a hundred people. Do you dare to attack them?" Another responded with a grin.
"However, if this continues, we're bound to win. From the numbers I've collected and the remaining bounty amounts, we have a significant advantage! Unless the Seven Wolves continuously kill the guild leader Icebound World, it will be tough for them to turn things around!" A middle-aged assassin with fair skin smiled and said. This bet, if nothing unexpected happens, is definitely in favor of their Madmen guild!
"This guild probably won't last much longer." After the fair-skinned assassin spoke, someone sighed, and everyone nodded in agreement. As assassins, if they feel this way, surely the Frozen Guild must be acutely aware of their predicament!
...
"Is there really no solution?" Icebound World moved his pale and dry lips, looking at the three elders in the guild hall with a mix of helplessness and unwillingness. He had been pondering this question for days and asking it repeatedly.
In response, the three elders shook their heads slowly and lowly. No matter how many times he asked, they had already tried every conceivable solution. Currently, they were hiding in the guild hall and city, avoiding the limelight.
One mistake led to endless regret. Icebound World never imagined that a single misstep could bring his meticulously developed guild to the brink of dissolution!
"Guild Leader, a blacklisted player sent a message for you." Amidst the silence, a member of the Frozen Guild suddenly opened the door and walked in.
"If it's just mocking words, there's no need to repeat them." Icebound World raised his head and said slowly. In this world, there are plenty of people who take advantage of others when they are down, likely ridiculing their guild's facade.
"No...," the player hesitated for a moment and then said, "The blacklisted player said that if you don't want the Frozen Guild to be disbanded, you should go alone to the place he specified."
Huh! Icebound World's eyes twitched!
"Which place?"
"The lumberyard in the snowy forest!"
After delivering the message, the player saw Icebound World fall silent and then retreated. Soon after, Icebound World stood up from his chair.
"Are you really going? I think it's probably a trap set to lure you out," Icebound Little Demon frowned.
"It might be, but worst case, I'll die once. But perhaps it's a chance to save the guild. We'll see the conditions later." Icebound World said helplessly. He regretted provoking the wrong people, but neither in games nor in reality does one get a second chance. All he could do now was try to salvage the situation!
...
In the lumberyard of the snowy forest, Icebound World stood alone among piles of wood, surrounded by no one.
Soon, a masked assassin emerged from the nearby woods.
"Haha, admirable courage, worthy of a guild leader!" The masked assassin chuckled.
"Cut the crap, what are your terms!" Icebound World's face turned cold.
"There are no terms. The fate of the Frozen Guild depends entirely on your decision!"
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"What do you mean?"
"The details of the bounty task: killing ordinary members costs 3,000 gold each, capped at 20 times; killing an elder costs 10,000 gold each, capped at 50 times; killing you costs 50,000 gold each, with no cap! Given your intelligence, you should understand my meaning now," the masked assassin smiled.
Icebound World's face turned pale. "How much bounty money is left?"
Not long after Icebound World met the masked man, among the group of thirty blacklisted players elsewhere, someone suddenly exclaimed, "Damn! That lone figure was Icebound World, and he was killed by the Seven Wolves!"
Once Icebound World left the guild hall, the blacklisted players of the Madmen guild tracked him using the killer badge's tracking function. However, they didn't know it was Icebound World, assuming it was just an ordinary guild member. The badge could track the target's location but not specific names.
Some of their members near the guild hall immediately chased after him. But Icebound World kept running on his mount, and they couldn't catch up. By the time Icebound World stopped, a masked blacklisted assassin had already killed him!
"The Seven Wolves didn't ambush Icebound World; it seems they talked for a while, and then he didn't resist and was killed by the Seven Wolves. The Seven Wolves must have reached some kind of agreement with Icebound World!" The person who tracked him reported in the guild channel.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed, realizing the nature of the agreement!
"Damn! The Seven Wolves broke the game rules! They did something like this!" Someone complained angrily.
As they spoke, the total amount on the bounty task suddenly decreased by another 50,000 gold! Clearly, Icebound World had been killed again in just a few minutes.
"Anyone near the City of Snowflakes, rush over there and intercept Icebound World. Don't let the Seven Wolves succeed!" There was still over 5 million gold in bounty, but killing Icebound World was worth 50,000 gold each time. After more than a hundred kills, the bounty would be depleted, and the bounty money they received would lag far behind that of the Seven Wolves!
Icebound World was a decisive person. Knowing that he would need to die over a hundred times to deplete the bounty, he gritted his teeth and agreed without hesitation.
Over a hundred deaths, with each five deaths resulting in a level drop, meant he would fall back to the lowest level of 20-something!
Nearly half an hour later, the strange occurrence of Icebound World frequently appearing at the respawn point finally caught people's attention, drawing a large crowd. Some admired his resolve, others mocked him, but few pitied him. Everyone understood that cause and effect are intertwined; what goes around comes around. Icebound World was simply paying a higher price for his actions.
Icebound World didn't know how many times he had died, but what chilled him was the silence in the guild—no one came to stop the blacklisted players from killing him! It was as if everyone was waiting for the blacklisted players to finish their job and collect the bounty!
What chilled him even more was a message from Icebound Little Demon as he was about to leave the city again to be killed: the Snowfield Guild had applied to attack their guild hall!
The Snowfield Guild was a major guild ranked around twentieth in the City of Snowflakes, often engaging in territorial battles with mid-tier guilds but never successfully holding onto their territory. What truly chilled Icebound World was the guild leader Chu Li!
When the Snowfield Guild was still small, Icebound World knew Chu Li, and he had repeatedly helped Chu Li overcome difficulties during the guild's growth.
Of course, this support was done secretly, and Chu Li was extremely grateful to Icebound World, always expressing loyalty and thanking him for his help. Chu Li often said that without Icebound World, there would be no Snowfield Guild. Though the favors Icebound World provided were minor, they played a critical role in the development of Chu Li's guild. Chu Li could be said to have been nurtured by Icebound World!
When attacked by blacklisted players, Icebound World had sought Chu Li's help to ambush them, but he discovered that Chu Li had left the City of Snowflakes at a crucial moment, disappearing without a trace! What shocked him more was that Chu Li had returned at this critical juncture and turned against him!
Icebound World knew the strength of the Snowfield Guild and Chu Li's character. If Chu Li decided to betray him, he must have prepared thoroughly. With the current weakened state of the Frozen Guild, there was no chance of resistance!
If Chu Li could do this, the other guilds in the City of Snowflakes, big or small, would certainly follow suit, ready to pounce on the declining Frozen Guild like hungry wolves!
Indeed, once the bounty task ended, the remaining members of the Frozen Guild would discover that wherever they went, potential enemies lay in wait! The end of the bounty task was not the end of hell but the beginning!
Icebound World closed his eyes in despair. His level had dropped to 33, but his guild had not been saved by his sacrifice. Even if the remaining members united, the guild would decline for a long time!
Just one misstep, one enemy, led to this outcome. To blame was himself for provoking the wrong person!
After receiving the message from Icebound Little Demon, Icebound World stood at the exit of the City of Snowflakes, pale-faced and unable to take the final steps out of the city.
Wandering among the crowd, Xiao Hua watched Icebound World standing motionless at the city gate, snowflakes gently landing on his head, and sighed softly before slowly leaving the crowd.