Lord Of The Lost

William and his team emerged from the portal, landing lightly on the rooftop.

But Calcifer was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a petite figure sat perched on the battlements, her big red hat swaying in the wind.

Sophia.

She kicked her slender legs back and forth, staring boredly into the distance.

Sensing the portal's energy fluctuations, she turned her head, eyes widening in surprise—

Only for her expression to sour slightly when she saw William.

---

"What took you so long?"

Sophia pouted.

William chuckled.

"Next time, I'll take you with me."

She huffed but said nothing.

They had gone ahead to scout the maze, but now it was time to discuss their findings.

---

William, the Forum Master, and the others gathered to strategize.

They decided—

The maze should become a public dungeon.

A training ground for players with special talents, giving them a chance to grow and gain experience.

But this wasn't for ordinary players.

Only those who were far above their peers in skill, adaptability, and combat ability would stand a chance of surviving the labyrinth's brutal environment.

Even the Magic Kingdom itself couldn't afford the kind of casualties the maze inflicted.

But players?

They craved risk.

Not because they were fearless—but because what they feared more was stagnation.

The bigger the danger, the bigger the reward.

And for those willing to risk it all—the maze would become their proving ground.

---

The first order of business?

Sell the magical materials to Calcifer.

The second?

Use that money to replenish supplies and buy better gear.

Fight, earn, upgrade.

A cycle of war feeding war, creating a self-sustaining loop of power.

With each battle, they would grow stronger.

---

Hearing their report, Calcifer grinned.

"A giant ruin, huh? And you got advanced combat skills from it? No wonder you've grown so much."

He laughed.

"You covered in two days what would take others two years."

William simply nodded.

Calcifer leaned back, smirking.

"Seems like sending you to the maze was the right call. Look at all the magic coins we've gained. We'll have enough to buy dragon blood soon."

Then he added, almost teasingly—

"Of course, you might not even need to buy it. If you run into any dragon creatures in the maze, you could always just… take their blood yourself."

His grin widened.

"Of course, they're corrupted—but that's nothing purification can't fix."

---

William filed that information away.

Calcifer's knowledge of the maze was extensive, and if he was mentioning purification—it was worth paying attention to.

William had already seen the giants' polluted blood firsthand.

It reeked.

A raw, putrid stench of corruption.

He had mastered the stripping ritual, but not purification.

"How do we purify it?" William asked.

Calcifer's grin didn't fade.

"Ah, purification rituals? That'll be 100 magic gold coins for a full set."

William's eyebrow twitched.

"When the witch taught me the stripping ritual, she did it for free."

Calcifer laughed again.

"Then maybe you should go visit her again. The Misty Forest is right next to us, after all."

His voice turned playful.

"She has the Spirit of the Spring, has been growing medicine for decades, and has a fortune that could rival a royal magician like me."

---

William's expression soured.

His last visit to the Misty Forest had been… eventful.

When he had gone there to change jobs, the witches had nearly chased him out with brooms.

Especially the one he met first.

She had made her stance very clear—

"Whether or not you obtain the Fountain of Life is up to your own will, not fate."

Her words had stuck with him.

And now, it seemed like he was heading back to the witches once more.

The Witch's Indifference & A Narrow Escape

Sophia had ventured into the Misty Forest to find a witch and commission a potion.

Instead, she found an elite werewolf hunting her.

Or rather—it found her.

But when she fled to the witch's domain, seeking sanctuary—

The witch refused to let her in.

This wasn't out of fear.

Far from it.

Back then, Iris was still alive.

And if the witch hadn't feared Wolf Lord Iris, then nothing in the forest could intimidate her.

So why had she helped William by giving him a complete set of stripping rituals?

Simple.

She saw the potential in him.

---

It was like a renowned scientist spotting a young prodigy—

Seeing a grade-schooler with Einstein-level potential and handing them a pair of Type 53 glasses.

A symbolic gift.

But potential was just potential.

Until the child became the next Einstein, the scientist wouldn't look at them again.

And trying to scam a witch?

She'd turn you into a sheep.

End of discussion.

---

The Forum Master had business to handle—issues that couldn't be solved through a forum post.

Coincidentally, William also had something to discuss.

With a flap of wings, he shifted into a black crow and flew alongside the Forum Master back to Border Town.

---

Upon arrival, William saw them for the first time—

The Knights of Despair, the force personally assembled by the Forum Master.

Twenty warriors, clad in full armor.

Standing in tight formation on the parade ground, their discipline was undeniable—

Even without magic warhorses.

But a knight was not defined by a mount alone.

True knights could charge on foot, embodying the very essence of unstoppable force.

After all, one of the four core traits of the Knight Path was:

[Charge] – A power exclusive to knights, allowing them to generate immense force while moving.

A warhorse simply enhanced it.

The larger, faster, and stronger the mount—the more devastating the charge.

---

It was clear that after witnessing Helka's Knight Guards, the Knights of Despair had modeled their appearance after them.

The resemblance was uncanny.

But appearances weren't everything.

They lacked one key element—

A true Knight's Aura.

Unlike Helka's men, their energies weren't synchronized—

An issue that could only be resolved through a special secret method.

For now, they were knights in form, but not in spirit.

---

In contrast, the warrior-path apprentices William had recruited looked…

A bit rough around the edges.

He had negotiated ten warrior slots with the Border Town mayor.

So far, only five players had secured spots as warrior apprentices:

[Rage] – Raw, uncontrollable battle fury.

[Weapon Master] – Unmatched proficiency in handling weapons.

[Divine Power] – A strength beyond human limits.

[Fusion] – A talent for merging different combat styles.

[Beast] – Fighting instincts honed to an animalistic degree.

Each of them naturally gravitated toward the Warrior Path.

But the remaining five spots?

Still unfilled.

---

The problem wasn't a lack of candidates.

It was the opposite.

Too many people wanted in.

Somehow, word had spread that the Forum Master still had five open slots for a high-tier profession.

And now—

Players were flooding his inbox, desperately trying to secure a spot.

Some even offered bribes in private messages.

"You need a healer? I can be a warrior-healer!"

"I have a talent for endurance, give me a shot!"

"I'll take any spot, I just don't want to be left behind!"

It was a chaotic scramble, a testament to just how valuable these opportunities were.

But in the end—

Only the most deserving would make the cut.

The Unspoken Power Structure

Some players weren't just after a warrior slot—

They saw it as a shortcut to getting closer to William.

On the surface, there were no factions in the game.

Even [Senluo Wanxiang], the guild founded by the Forum Master, was structured as a free organization—a place for players to gather without strict hierarchy.

But in reality?

Whenever the Forum Master needed it, [Senluo Wanxiang] could become a blade in his hand.

A force to intimidate troublemakers, suppress threats, and eliminate monsters.

And those who became extraordinary through William's connections understood this without needing to be told.

They would naturally acknowledge his influence.

This meant that William could issue commands without resistance, something no ordinary player could do without sparking resentment.

---

William wasn't the type to lead armies or give orders.

He preferred to move alone.

But even he knew—

Building up strong players would benefit him in the long run.

Even if he only gave them small advantages, they would be able to digest and grow from it.

Take something as simple as class advancement.

For most players, getting recognized by Border Town and earning a high-tier job transfer was a grueling process.

But for William?

One word to the mayor, and he could secure ten slots effortlessly.

The Butcher had been right.

The top players had already monopolized the most advanced supernatural paths in Border Town.

Even the mayor himself had to listen to the Forum Master and the elite players.

And if they wanted someone out of the picture—

That player would have nowhere left to stand.

A terrifying but undeniable reality.

---

William's real reason for returning to Border Town with the Forum Master was simple—

He wanted a list.

Through his conquest of the Thieves' Alliance, the Forum Master had gathered intelligence on almost every player in town.

And more importantly—their talents.

William wanted to find players with traits suited for the Giant Path.

---

At William's request, the Forum Master's expression twitched.

He immediately thought of the deformed giants William had slaughtered.

And the Thief's Path characteristics he had once bought for five magic gold coins—

At the time, he had wondered where William's pure traits had come from.

Now?

It was clear—he wasn't just carrying Thief Path traits.

He had the characteristics of the Giant Path as well.

But the Forum Master didn't ask any questions.

Just as William hadn't pried about the thief trait he had purchased.

Silently, he handed over the talent list.

---

This list was restricted.

It wouldn't be shared openly, but within a small circle, it was fair game.

William scanned it quickly and picked out three potential candidates.

[Giant Bones] – A body structure more suited for great size and endurance.

[Enlargement] – The ability to temporarily grow in size and mass.

[Flesh Expansion] – An adaptive trait that reinforced muscle growth.

Different names.

Same essence—

A potential foundation for a small giant.