I Become the Strongest with Infinite Skills Level

***

One week later.

Trident Sea Guild Headquarters.

Ashley sat in the chair at her work desk, signing several documents related to LionArk's assets in other cities. She was trying to sell everything to get money for the guild.

With that money, Ashley hoped to strengthen the abilities of her remaining members so they could participate in the City Authority Challenge against Silver Star.

However, Silver Star had many affiliated guilds, while LionArk was currently being ostracized due to their hostility with Scavenger.

Only Trident Sea was willing to take them in, but judging from the cynical attitude of all the guild elders, it was clear that Ashley and LionArk wouldn't be able to stay long in Seacrest City.

"It's better if we use this money to buy land in another city and start again from there," Jill said, still sitting beside Ashley.

"Hmm."

Ashley felt torn. She felt guilty for her failure that allowed Mavelard to fall into Silver Star's hands. That guilt kept haunting her, driving her to reclaim the city no matter what.

But fighting Silver Star required a massive amount of resources, and right now, LionArk had very limited items, equipment, and manpower.

Hearing Jill's words, Ashley considered it the most realistic option given LionArk's current situation.

"Do you have a city in mind?" Ashley asked.

Jill nodded. She spread the map wide, then marked two cities in the north, far away from the influence of the Big Three Guilds.

In her opinion, those cities were suitable for establishing LionArk's new headquarters.

"Stormborn City and Jackhill are the best choices. The ruling guilds there only serve the Redemption Sword."

"Based on the history of the Big Three's relationships, Redemption Sword and Scavenger aren't that close," Jill added.

"Mr. Gordon and Rick are also in Redemption Sword as senior officers. Considering they grew strong and famous thanks to LionArk, the two of them certainly won't destroy LionArk," Jill added again.

It was a reasonable explanation for Ashley. She had been friends with Gordon and Rick for a long time, and there had never been any hostility between them.

That made her realize those two cities were indeed LionArk's best options.

Ashley nodded several times in response, agreeing with Jill's explanation. She then decided to begin allocating the guild budget to buy empty land in Stormborn and start building their new base there.

"All right. I'll head into the city to start auctioning off our assets. I'll come back once everything is sold," Jill said.

The woman in front of her agreed, handing Jill many documents that each described the details and price of the assets to be sold.

Jill accepted the documents and got ready to leave. But as she reached for the door, it suddenly burst open.

The person who entered Ashley's office without permission was Leon. He didn't come alone; two LionArk members followed behind him.

Jill and Ashley both jolted in surprise. Leon had been assigned to scout Mavelard's condition for the past three months. He and his team were stationed in the nearest city to Mavelard.

However, because they were LionArk members, Leon and his team couldn't enter Mavelard easily.

Now, Leon's first appearance since LionArk's relocation immediately sparked Ashley's curiosity. Jill didn't leave either; she stayed in the room, waiting for Leon's information.

"What is it, Leon?" Ashley asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Mavelard… the city belongs to LionArk again!" Leon declared.

"What?!" Jill gasped.

Ashley shot to her feet the moment she heard what Leon said. Her heart pounded, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She had absolutely no idea what had happened.

"What happened?" Ashley asked, stepping quickly until she stood right in front of Leon, eager to know more.

"After my team and I gathered detailed information… Mavelard was taken back through a City Invasion," Leon replied.

"Hmm, which guild helped us? Did Trident Sea secretly send their members there?" Jill asked, glancing toward Ashley.

Ashley fell silent, rubbing her chin as she thought hard about which guild might have stepped in. But she found no answer.

Given LionArk's condition, it was impossible for any rank A or S guild to help them. None of them would risk provoking Scavenger and Silver Star.

"I don't know, but it's definitely not the Trident Sea. They wouldn't take such a huge risk," Ashley answered.

"It wasn't a guild," Leon said.

"Then who?" Jill asked.

Leon paused for a moment. The two members beside him nodded when he glanced at them, understanding the signal to leave because the issue was too sensitive for ordinary members to hear.

Once the door closed tightly, Jill and Ashley became even more curious after seeing Leon's protective behavior.

"It was… Ethan."

"What?!"

Jill and Ashley were stunned when they heard that Ethan was the one who performed a City Invasion.

Unlike the City Authority Challenge, a City Invasion required overwhelming strength to fight an entire city at once, while the Authority Challenge was only a 5 vs 5.

"Don't joke around, Leon! Even though I know Ethan is incredibly strong, taking over a big city like Mavelard, which is controlled by one of the Big Three, is impossible," Ashley said, refusing to believe it.

"That's what I heard from the people there. They said Ethan fought and killed many people, while his servant destroyed every part of the city," Leon explained.

Ashley kept shaking her head, still rejecting the truth because she believed it was impossible. But she also trusted that Leon wouldn't lie to her, especially regarding Mavelard.

"If Ethan really did a City Invasion, then the casualties must have been massive. That'll make his PK status even harder to clear," Ashley said.

She turned toward Jill. She needed confirmation on whether Leon's information was true. Ashley ordered Jill and Leon to head to Mavelard and meet the city's new leader.

"What if Leon is telling the truth?" Jill asked.

"Then I'll resign from my position as guild leader," Ashley said.

"I already failed to protect Mavelard. And if Ethan is the one who took the city back by himself, then I'm useless."

"Miss Ashley."

Leon raised his hand and gently tapped Jill's shoulder. Jill's eyes glistened, as if she felt Ashley's regret deeply.

But Leon's expression made it clear that Jill needed to obey Ashley's order. No matter what, Ashley's decision depended on their findings.

"All right. We'll go to Mavelard and meet the person in charge," Leon said.

Ashley turned around, nodded, and walked back to her desk. Jill reluctantly followed Leon because of Ashley's order, even though she still wanted to stay with Ashley.

Left alone in the room, Ashley clenched her hands tightly and stared out at the back courtyard of Trident Sea's headquarters.

Her mind was a mess, uncertain how she should act when she met Ethan again.

You carried all that burden alone, Ethan. As your friend, I truly was useless.

I hope that person is you. If so, I can apologize to you face-to-face.

I really am an incompetent guild leader.