NOVEL NEXT Chapter 116: The Event Begins [1]
[Ding! The Inter-Guild Display Event will officially begin in 48 hours]
This was the message Gabriel woke up to.
"That's just two days from now," he mumbled as he slowly got out of bed. It was already the next day, so he went to the bathroom to freshen up.
As he stood under the shower, a message flashed before his retina.
[Ding! Dark Flame Orb has accumulated enough experience!]
[Ding! Dark Flame Orb has leveled up!]
In Realm of Ascendency, skills could level up with continuous usage. Dark Flame Orb was one of his most frequently used skills, so it made sense that it leveled up.
Without hesitation, he opened the system.
[Dark Flame Orb Lv.2]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Description: Summon up to three condensed orb of dark flame. Upon command or contact, the orb detonates, dealing very high fire-based damage in a moderate radius. Leaves a burning zone for 3 seconds.
Cost: 30 Mp]
Previously, the skill could shoot a single orb of dark fire toward a target. After leveling up, it now splits into three orbiting orbs that can be fired consecutively.
'I need to start making use of more of my skills,' he thought. 'It's the only way for me to level them up as well.'
Fortunately for him, the guild event was just around the corner, and he had enough time to play with his skills.
Some time later, he cleaned up and sat at his desk, his hair still damp from the shower.
Knock! Knock!
"Master, I brought coffee."
Gabriel heard a familiar voice from the other side.
"Come in!" he replied, and Anna entered with a steaming cup.
"Thank you." He nodded, taking the coffee and drinking it.
"Never mention it," Anna replied with a warm smile as she left.
While sipping the delicious coffee, he decided to check the players' situation.
And what better way to do that than to read their chats anonymously?
---
Forum Chat:
WraithFist: YOOOO did y'all see the sky message??? 48 hours LETS GOOOOOO!!
GoblinHunter999: Hahahaha! The best thing about this event is that even those in the beginner village can compete! No level restrictions!
Gabriel paused at this point and thought it made perfect sense for all players to be eligible to participate.
The event was happening in the wilderness, after all, and all 10 cities were surrounded by wilderness — meaning even players at the starting village could participate right outside their cities.
Moments later, he continued reading through the forum chats once more.
WindWielder: Guys, I was just approached by an NPC to join their guild. I think they saw potential in me!
TankLord77: Chill, brother. You're not the only one. I think every player got an invite to join a guild for the duration of the event.
ToxicFrog: True. That Alex dude from the White Flame Guild tried recruiting us too. LOL. Bro was so weak, our squad just ignored him.
QuickArrow: Wait... wait, you met that dude? I got the same offer too but rejected him. I'm holding out for Olympus.
TankLord77: Haha, keep holding on then. No player has come out saying Olympus approached them.
WindWielder: I don't know, man. White Flame is still among the top five guilds at the end of the day. Besides, 2000 Valerian dollars weekly is nothing to sneeze at.
"I doubt anyone would accept the Adventurer Guild," Gabriel mumbled, swirling his coffee.
If even a top-five guild like White Flame was getting this much discrimination, then the Adventurer Guild was cooked.
While the other guilds might have players with Immortal status to help them, the Adventurer Guild would only depend on its members.
It put them in a very disadvantageous situation even before the competition began.
Suddenly, his eyes caught a newer message.
ChaosFan: My guild leader just signed an alliance with the Holy Church! We're hunting Broken Heaven across the battlefield! With the help of the Church, we'll finally get rid of him!
#DeathToBroken #ChaosKnightRisin
SilentBlade99: Fool! That was supposed to be a secret!
ChaosClericX: Tsk. Stop whining. It's not like he can magically read through the forum.
Pause.
Gabriel paused when he read that, his gaze settling on the keyboard.
He had an intense urge to respond, but his self-control won, and he simply leaned back and observed.
He narrowed his eyes. With these recent developments, he was certain the Church would try to feed the ChaosKnight Guild with resources.
'Nothing like this happened in the last timeline.' He frowned, realizing that his interference was starting to change the past.
In his previous life, ChaosKnight was among the top three most powerful guilds, rivaling even that of NPC guilds.
They would have become the top player guild in this timeline too.
But unfortunately for them, in this timeline, that was only possible if he wasn't part of the game.
But now that he was part of the game, he would make it unplayable for ChaosKnight until they eventually chose to give up.
He continued to observe the forum, hoping to find more information about the ChaosKnight ploy, but since there was nothing new, he decided to give up.
---
After dressing up, he went to train with Edgar.
"It's such a shame our training ended in such a short time, but you two were by far the most talented pupils I've taught," Edgar said solemnly.
"Thank you." Both Scarlet and Gabriel made a low, respectful bow.
They had completely mastered the Devil Mirage technique, and there was no need for them to keep coming to training.
"By the way, whenever you need something, always let me know. I'll be happy to help!" Edgar shouted as he watched the two leave the training grounds.
"What a strange duo. You'd think after training for so long, they might bond and start speaking together more." He mumbled to himself.
---
Meanwhile, outside, Scarlet spoke in a slow voice.
"Was killing them really that necessary?"
Gabriel didn't flinch or look shocked when he heard this. "It was necessary. I saved hundreds of adventurers' lives by eliminating them."
Scarlet remained quiet, her expression unreadable for a while before she spoke again. "Still, it seems you're forgetting there are consequences for your actions."
"I knew that before I killed them," Gabriel stated.
Scarlet looked at him, and her eyes flashed strangely. She didn't know if he was being stupid or brave, but her perception of him changed once more.
Some time later, both of them arrived at the guild. Even before they could enter through the doors, Gabriel heard his name.
"Sir Broken!"
He turned around and was pleasantly surprised when he saw the familiar group of players.