Divine Glitch: I Regressed With Endgame Knowledge

After dinner, Ryan went back to grinding monsters for a few more hours before the news hit: the Guardian had been slain.

The guild that brought it down wasn't one of the major names everyone knew. It was a small, almost unheard-of outfit. But according to Nightwalker, who had gone to see the battle in person, at least six or seven large guilds were stationed around the perimeter, making sure no one interfered or tried to snatch the loot.

The guild's name was Crimson Wake.

In the years to come, it would rise to become the largest guild in the world, a gathering place for the strongest players alive, and the very guild that would help propel Ryan toward becoming the world's first Holy Paladin.

They weren't supposed to appear until the game's second version. Yet here they were, suddenly on the stage ahead of schedule.

Ryan wasn't sure how to feel. Fear? Surprise? Or maybe nothing at all? In his previous life, Crimson Wake's powerful backing in the real world had been the reason he could live and play in relative safety. Now, facing them again so early was unsettling in ways he couldn't quite name.

"It's so strange," Moonlight Beauty said thoughtfully. "A tiny guild no one's heard of, and yet the big guilds are standing guard for them, letting them take their time killing the Guardian. Weren't they all fighting each other to the death just a while ago?"

Then her eyes lit up, as if she'd just made a connection. "Wait… I knew something was off. The way Crimson Wake's people move—it's like soldiers. That's it. A military vibe!"

Her remark sparked agreement from others who had watched the fight.

"Yeah, they really do look like it," one said.

"I just got out of the service," Smoking Gun added, "and their movements are exactly like soldiers still in training." That earned him curious looks and murmurs of respect.

In this era of global unification, the military only accepted the exceptional. Even though Smoking Gun had been a conscript who served just a few years, that still put him among the elite.

"What, the military has nothing better to do than play games now?" Evelyn scoffed from the side. "This is the Federal Government's official game, remember?"

Her sarcasm only made things click faster in Ryan's mind.

In his past life, no one had picked up on Crimson Wake's military-like discipline. They must have blended in over time. Looking back, it explained everything: why they ran the guild on merit, promoting only the capable; how they'd recruited so many top players from the start; and why rumors of their real-world connections never came with any proof.

If their roots were in the military, it all made sense.

Truth be told, Ryan was curious about Crimson Wake. He was already thinking about some kind of partnership, similar to the alliances they'd formed with other guilds in his last life.

Teaming up with them wouldn't bring him much direct help in-game—and might even cost him a few of his best players—but the protection they could offer in the real world would be invaluable. For someone with his personal concerns, that was worth more than any raid loot.

The military was the most powerful organization in existence. If they were backing Crimson Wake, then joining hands with them would keep most threats at bay. And with the number of Glorious Achievements Ryan had been racking up, he suspected that even if he didn't approach them first, they'd come looking for him eventually.

They'd have to. His ability to earn Achievements could lead directly to breakthroughs in technology—something no military could ignore.

For now, though, Ryan set those thoughts aside and went back to grinding for experience.

After hitting level 26, Ryan kept grinding until his experience overflow reached a full one million. By then it was already past ten o'clock at night, and word came in that a small strike team from the Ironblood Covenant had claimed the first clear of the new dungeon, Gnoll Temple.

Ryan's opinion of the place was blunt: for him, it was nothing more than an experience farm. The rare-quality gear from its quests at level 26 was no better than what he could pick up from outdoor missions.

The bosses' drops were even less appealing to a Paladin. But for spellcasting damage dealers, Gnoll Temple was a gold mine.

Its final boss dropped a level 25 rare-quality staff that, before level 35, was almost unrivaled. Only the elusive world-drop epic staves could beat it.

Packed with high intellect, heavy spell damage, and the all-important hit and critical strike bonuses that casters lived for, the staff had no wasted stats. Its performance rivaled even a level 30 rare-quality weapon. Countless Mages, Warlocks, and Shadow Priests would end up farming it from level 25 well into the 30s.

So the moment the dungeon opened, Ryan told every caster in his guild to get in there as soon as they hit level 23. A few tried to rope him into their runs, but he declined, staying laser-focused on his own grind.

Mia, being a Mage herself, was so annoyed by his refusal that she came over in person to vent her frustration—physically. Ryan just grinned and went back to killing. When he saw how much his experience bar had filled, the sore shoulder felt worth it.

The melee and healer classes in Flowing Light stayed out of the dungeon, as did the newly joined casters who were still level 22. Those who did qualify had no choice but to find pick-up groups. Some felt awkward under the stares of solo players—it wasn't every day you saw members of a top-tier guild teaming with randoms.

But orders were orders. They ignored the looks and got to work. Their skills spoke for themselves; within minutes, every one of them had been snapped up by dungeon teams.

By now, most players knew Flowing Light's philosophy: few but elite. Any member was worth far more than their level suggested. Grouping with them was a privilege compared to dealing with unpredictable strangers.

While the dungeon teams set off, about a dozen others followed Ryan's coordinates to Cragshore.

The sight that greeted them stopped them cold.

A heap of corpses—so many that "pile" didn't do it justice—covered the ground around Ryan. Thousands of dead monsters crammed into such a small space made for a grotesque, almost surreal sight.

"Holy crap, Guild Leader, you're a beast!" Moonlight Beauty blurted, and the players behind her murmured their agreement. No one had expected the reality to be this extreme.

"These are the ones we're killing next!" Nightwalker said with awe in his voice.

Heavyblade Vina, a Paladin Ryan hadn't seen in some time, just stared at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable, before looking away with a small shrug.

"Alright," Ryan said, stepping forward and pulling another fresh group of monsters toward him. "We'll split into three squads. Each of you will take a grinding spot. Doesn't matter how many you kill—these things will keep spawning."

The group watched as he unleashed Divine Storm, followed instantly by Hammer of Justice. The monsters dropped in seconds. The twitch in everyone's eyes was almost synchronized.