Ch. 351: Chapter 351-360

Chapter 351 Dealing With The Uninvited Guest [Part 1]

"Let's do this!" Cai was so hyped as Lux explained his reason for attacking the World Boss out of the blue. "I'm going to ensure that Heidi will be able to stay with her Daddy!"

The Boar was raring to go and ready to charge at the Rank 5 World Boss that would give it a world of pain. But the reality wasn't that simple. The enemy was an eight-meter-tall dinosaur, and even the four-meter-tall Cai in its Hildivisni form would be easily sent flying with its long and powerful tail that was as hard as steel.

"Calm down and let Bedivere aggro it first," Lux ordered. "We will hit it in its blindspots, so make sure you don't charge in recklessly."

"Got it!" Cai, who was brimming with determination, listened to Lux's orders, which surprised the Half-Elf.

Usually, the Boar didn't follow instructions whenever they entered battle, charging willy-nilly as it liked. But right now, it was willing to listen to Lux's orders for the sake of the little girl who missed her daddy.

"Keane, focus on attacking the Monster's legs, but be careful," Lux ordered the skinny swordsman who was riding beside him. "That thing is a hard hitter."

"Got it," Keane replied.

Bedivere, who had reverted to his Crimson Knight form, was at the front of the formation. He had his crimson sword drawn at the ready.

The plan was simple.

Bedivere would tank the World Boss, while Lux, his Summons, Cai, and Keane would be the damage dealers.

As they drew closer to the loud roars deep in the forest, they felt the ground shaking under their feet. Whatever was happening, the battle was truly an intense one, making Lux wonder just what kind of Monster was able to fight against the Barb-Tailed Tyrannosaurus, which was the World Boss of the Forest.

Finally, the four arrived at the scene of the carnage.

"Sh*t!" Lux cursed when he saw the monster that the Tyrannosaurus Monster was facing against.

Now he finally understood why it was having trouble fighting its opponent, and with valid reason.

"Abyssal Monster!" Cai gasped in shock as it looked at the Shadowy Monster, whose entire body emitted dark mists, marking it as one of the Terrifying Monsters that had come to Elysium from the Void.

During the defense of Whitebridge City in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven, Lux came face to face with the Lesser Demogorgon, which was an Alpha-Ranked Argonaut Monster.

It was incredibly powerful, and it alone could have destroyed the entire city if not for the fact that two Rankers had been there to protect the city. Now that he was faced with a similar monster, Lux could feel the Abyssal Power inside his body stir, as if being awakened by its brethren who had appeared in front of its new Master.

—-----

< Grim Butcher Nightwalker >

– Giant Nightshade from the Abyss

– Wandering Field Boss

– Rank 5 World Boss Monster

Health: 24,258,130 / 25,000,000

Mana: 3,450,180 / 3,500,000

Strength: ?????

Intelligence: ?????

Vitality: ?????

Agility: ????

Dexterity:????

—-----

"Change of plans!" Lux shouted. "We are going to help the World Boss defeat the Abyssal Monster first! Sir Bedivere, I'm counting on you to tank it!"

The Crimson Knight nodded its head before heading towards the battle between the two Behemoths.

Lux gritted his teeth, knowing that their opponent was truly a handful. Not only was its health double that of the Tyrannosaurus World Boss, but its Abyss Touch Attack also bypassed the World Boss' steely body, making it lose one of its advantages in battle.

The moment the Crimson Knight struck the legs of the Giant Nightshade that was as tall as the Tyrannosaurus Monster, several elemental attacks also landed on its body.

Lux didn't hold back and used his Doppelganger skill, which allowed him to summon his two clones, who then summoned their entire Army of Undead and Golems to fight against the Abyssal Monster that threatened the safety of Brookwest Town.

Lux's entire army had finally surpassed the six hundred mark, making him a force to be reckoned with.

"Battle Cry!"

"War Cry!"

"Barbed Bones!"

"Decaying Touch!"

"Improved Jade Body (Mass Buff)"

Lux buffed all of his Summons, making them more powerful than ever before.

Seeing that it was surrounded by monsters, the Grim Butcher Nightwalker roared and went on a rampage. A single swipe of its shadowy arms insta-killed the Skeletons that had come to swarm it from all sides.

Bedivere was also blown away from the attack, and to Lux's surprise, the Living Armor's Health decreased after receiving the Nightwalker's brutal blow. Fortunately, the damage wasn't that high, so the Living Armor was mostly safe.

However, if Bedivere received a dozen more blows of the same intensity, even with his near-invincible state, he would crumble before the power of the Abyss.

'Abyss Touch is really a bug,' Lux complained in his heart. 'Pazuzu! Get its aggro for now!'

The Fortress Defender immediately pointed its mace at the monster before banging his shield with it.

A moment later, the giant Nightwalker shifted its attention to Pazuzu and ran in his direction.

"You're not the only one who has the power of the Abyss!" Lux roared.

"""Dragon's Breath!"""

An otherworldly roar escaped from the Nightwalker's mouth as three Dragon Breaths blasted it away. The Tyrannosaurus Monster didn't miss the opportunity and used its tail to smash the monster's body, while it was down on the ground.

Although the Boss Monster and Lux weren't allies, both sides suddenly had an unspoken agreement that they would first deal with the guest that had come into the world uninvited and unannounced.

Since all of Lux's attacks were empowered with the Abyss Touch, the damage it dealt to Abyssal Monsters was doubled, making them feel a world of pain.

However, the Nightwalker was a very sturdy creature, and Lux's attack only managed to shave off a million of its Health Points.

Even so, Lux wasn't disheartened by the outcome. He already knew how tenacious these monsters were, and he decided to fight it in a battle of attrition.

Although the Half-Elf didn't know if he would be able to defeat the monster before him, he believed that as long as he was able to hold on long enough, an opportunity would present itself, allowing him and his allies to gain the upper hand in the battle.

Chapter 352 Dealing With The Uninvited Guest [Part 2]

'This is bad,' Lux thought.

This was not the first time for his Skeleton Summons to be destroyed from a single hit by a monster.

It had happened a lot back when he was still weak, and when his Summons couldn't even put up a fight against opponents whose ranks were higher than theirs.

However, now was different.

His Skeletons were stronger, and his Named Creatures were all Rank 4 Monsters. But in the face of overwhelming strength, they were no different from the monsters that Diablo had killed after gaining a massive bonus attack from Blood Fervor.

While it was true that Diablo's attack power was rising at a steady pace, it was not enough to overcome the Abyssal Monster, whose ability was out of this world.

"Sh*t!" Lux cursed as Diablo died for the second time.

The Abyssal Monster he was fighting was a very smart creature. It targeted Lux several times, forcing his Summons and Named Creatures to sacrifice their lives in order to save him.

Pazuzu and Orion were his tankiest units, yet in the face of the Monster in front of them whose attack bypassed defenses, they died after only getting hit twice.

Diablo's Blood Fervor also didn't matter to their opponent because no matter how high Diablo's defenses became, it was useless. One direct attack was enough for his first Named Creature to turn into a pile of shattered bones.

"""Dragon's Breath!"""

Lux's attack made the Grim Butcher Nightwalker skid dozens of meters on the ground, but that was all.

During the battle of Whitebridge City, it had been the Rankers who fought against the Abyssal Monsters and defeated them with their strength.

Now that he was fighting against a Rank 5 Abyssal World Boss by himself, he finally understood how different they were from the Boss Monsters that he had faced in the past.

After reaching their current Rank, Lux's Named Creatures needed five minutes before they could be summoned again.

Right now, only Ishtar and Asmodeus remained to assist Lux in holding back the Monster in front of him.

After fighting against the Abyssal Monster for half an hour, they only managed to shave three million of its Health.

The problem they were facing was that it still had over twenty million of its Health left, making Lux clench his fists in frustration.

'This is impossible,' Lux thought as smoke escaped from his lips after unleashing his Dragon's Breath for the third time.

Suddenly, Lux heard a familiar voice in his head. At the same time, Blackfire, Lux's black coffin appeared beside him.

"Should I help?" Vera, who was still inside the coffin asked.

"No. Grandma," Lux replied through telepathy. "If you come out now, you will receive a backlash. You already forced yourself by helping me earlier. We can't risk having your condition deteriorate any further."

Vera didn't reply right away as if she was deep in thought.

The battle continued for ten more minutes, as Lux used the Tyrannosaurus as a meat shield in order to attack the Abyssal Monster on its blindspots.

"I finally found it."

Vera's voice suddenly rang out in Lux's head.

"All Abyssal Monsters have a weak spot. If you attack this place, your damage will be multiplied several times. The weakness of this Abyssal Monster is at the nape of its neck. Look for the faint symbol of a hexagram on its back."

"Nape of its neck?" Lux muttered. "Understood."

A pair of dragon wings sprouted behind Lux's back as he took off towards the sky. His clones did the same because they could use all of his abilities perfectly.

Just as Vera had said earlier, there was really a faint, crimson-colored, hexagram on the back of the Abyssal Monster's neck, which was supposed to be its weakness.

"""Dragon's Breath!"""

A blood curdling scream reverberated inside the forest as the Abyssal Monster writhed in pain after getting its weak spot attacked.

Lux's eyes widened in shock when he saw that he had dealt over three million damage to the monster whom he thought was impossible to beat.

"Because of how powerful they are, Abyssal Monsters suffer a penalty when they spawn in Elysium," Vera explained. "A mark will appear on their bodies once they cross over from the void. We, Rankers, always look for these marks because it is the only way we can defeat them in the shortest time possible.

"Fortunately, it is not hidden on the bottom of their feet or on the palms of their hands. As long as you can consistently hit its weak points, you will be able to defeat this monster."

Just as Lux was about to deliver another Dragon's Breath, the Abyssal Monster did something unexpected, which made Lux almost choke on the Dragon's Breath that he was about to unleash.

The Grim Butcher Nightwalker used its left hand to cover the nape of its neck, as it used its right arm to punch the Tyrannosaurus monster, sending it crashing towards the trees behind it.

It then shifted its attention to the flying Half-Elves in the sky and unleashed a breath attack of its own, forcing Lux to evade, while cursing the shameless Monster for not playing fair since it had covered its neck using its left hand, shielding its weak spot from further attacks.

"Oi, Sir Tyrannosaurus, can't you do better?!" Lux shouted at the World Boss who just propped itself up from the ground. "Your enemy is fighting you one-handed. Can't you see it is belittling you?!"

Perhaps angered by Lux's taunt, the Dinosaur Monster roared and once again charged at the Abyssal Monster. However, before its foe could even properly defend itself, theTyrannosaurus swung its tail and slammed it against the legs of the Abyssal Monster, making it fall on the ground.

"""Dragon's Breath!"""

Not wasting the opportunity he was given, three Dragon Breaths' descended at the fallen Abyssal Monster, targeting its weak spot.

This once again shaved a huge chunk of its Health, revitalizing Lux and his comrades.

"I'm Charging!"

Cai, who was known as the most opportunistic of them all, once again charged and slammed its tusks into the back of the Abyssal Monster's head, as it propped itself to stand up. Because of this, its giant body once again crashed to the ground, allowing Bedivere and Keane to deliver their own blows at it.

The Abyssal Monster roared, and tried to stand back up, but it was not given this opportunity.

The Tyrannosaurus Monster stomped on the Nightwalker's head, and pinned it against the ground, preventing it from standing up. It then used its massive jaws to bite its opponent's neck, holding it in place like a vice grip.

Enraged and in pain, the Nightwalker recklessly attacked the Tyrannosaurus Monster with its clawed hands, digging deep in the monster's flesh. However, the World Boss endured the pain and didn't let go.

On the contrary, it dug its razor sharp teeth deeper while using its clawed hands to scratch the Abyssal Monster's body, dealing further damage to it.

Lux was unable to use his Dragon's Breath because he would be a fool to do so. He was afraid that he would hit the Tyrannosaurus Monster, so he descended from the sky and used Dragon Claws to relentlessly attack the Nightwalker, which was currently being besieged from all sides.

Chapter 353 Dealing With The Uninvited Guest [Part 3]

Perhaps, knowing that it wouldn't be able to get away—not until it first killed the Tyrannosaurus Monster, the Grim Butcher Nightwalker decided to take some drastic measures.

It gathered Abyss Energy inside its mouth and fired it at the Dinosaur at point blank range, not caring if it would also get caught in the attack or not.

Blood and flesh scattered from the chest of the Tyrannosaurus Monster, but its jaws remained clamped on its prey, sinking its teeth even deeper as it exerted all of its strength to bite the Nightwalker's head off.

Over and over again, the Nightwalker would unleash a barrage of breath attacks at its captor. But the latter ignored everything and continued to hold firm. Perhaps, the Dinosaur knew that once its grip on the Abyssal Monster weakened, it would not have the opportunity to do it again.

"Diablo! Do it!" Lux roared as he summoned Diablo to join them on the battlefield.

The Death Knight's sword blazed in unholy flames as it swung it at the Night Walker's body repeatedly.

Orion used leg-lock on the legs of the Nightwalker, preventing it from standing up.

Cai, on the other hand, buried its tusk on the side of the Abyssal Monster's body, holding it in place, so that everyone could attack it as much as they wanted.

With its neck, body, and legs pinned in place, the Abyssal Monster was unable to break free and was swarmed by the Skeleton Gang Bangers, who relentlessly stabbed it with their swords.

Lux's buff, Decaying Touch, was the true bread and butter of the Skeleton Army. It allowed them to inflict status effects on their enemies in order to greatly weaken them, as well as deal True Damage to their foes, ignoring their defenses.

—-------

Decaying Touch [EX]

– Has a 20% chance to inflict Decay on your target with every strike.

– Has a 10% chance to inflict Weakness on your target with every strike.

– Has a 10% chance to inflict Disease on your target with every strike.

Decay – Deals 100 True Damage every 3 seconds for 12 seconds.

Weakness - reduce your target's Physical and Magical defense by 20%.

Disease - decrease your target's attack speed, movement speed, mana regeneration, health regeneration, and evasion by 20%

– If Disease skill is active, increase Decay's True Damage by 200 every 3 seconds for 15 seconds.

—-------

Hundreds of skeletons mercilessly assaulted the helpless Nightwalker, causing it to suffer great damage over time.

Lux, his clones, and Diablo, who dealt Abyss and Ethereal damage to their enemies, hacked and slashed like there was no tomorrow.

Bedivere also played an active role by swinging his sword at the Abyssal Monster's head, using the opportunity to kill it once and for all.

Finally after what seemed like eternity, the Abyssal Monster's body turned into black mist, dispersing completely.

The only thing it left behind was a black Beast Core the size of a bowling ball which shone ominously from the reflection of the sunlight.

"We did it!" Cai shouted. "We beat it using the power of Love and Friendship! Isn't that right? Sir Tyrannosaurus?!"

It was at that moment when the Dinosaur's body crashed on the ground. The injuries it received were fatal, and there was no hope of it surviving. The only thing that allowed it to hold on was due to the fact that it wouldn't allow itself to die against a monster that invaded its territory.

This was the pride of a World Boss, and it fought until the bitter end.

Lux approached the World Boss and gazed at its reptilian eyes, who was gazing straight at him.

"I will not lie, we came here to kill you," Lux said, which made Cai, who was standing beside him gasp in shock.

"Oi! You shouldn't say that to Mr. Dinosaur!" Cai nagged. "Can't you see he helped us? How can you be so cruel? Didn't we win because of the power of Love and Friendship?"

The Half-Elf ignored Cai and continued to look at the dying monster, whose eyes continued to stare at him. They had come to the forest to kill it, but in the end, it fought alongside them to defeat the invader that came from another world.

Fate truly had a way of toying with people, and Lux experienced an outcome that was far from what he originally thought.

"Thank you," Lux said. "I will take good care of your Beast Core, as well as your body. Rest in peace."

The Tyrannosaurus gave a low growl before closing its eyes. Half a minute later it breathed its last, making the Boar beside it wail as it hugged the monster, whom Cai originally wanted to kill earlier to help Heidi reunite with her father.

"Master, here is the Beast Core," Asmodeus handed the Abyssal Beast Core to Lux with both of his hands in a respectful gesture.

Lux received it and gazed at the prize that he didn't expect would come to him.

"Asmodeus, what are your thoughts?" Lux asked as he glanced at the Archlich, who seemed to have an amused expression on its bony face.

"Master, you already know the answer to that question, right?" Asmodeus replied.

"Hah… don't answer my question with a question."

"Hahaha. Very well. Since Master doesn't want to say it, I'll do it for you."

The Archlich glanced at the Beast Core in Lux's hands before making his thoughts known.

"Master, I know that the main purpose of the Abyssal Core is to get the skills of an Abyssal Creature," Asmodeus stated. "However, the Abyss Touch is enough. Master doesn't need any more skills from the Abyss."

Lux nodded because this was also what he was thinking.

"Since that is the case, using this Beast Core for Abyssal Skills will be a waste, no?" Asmodeus smirked. "This core should serve a better purpose, yes? I don't know if it's possible, but a Nightwalker is an Undead Creature. Although it is tainted by the Abyss, the fact still remains that it is an Undead. Why not try to see if we can Re-animate it? I'm very curious. Will we be able to have our own Abyssal Creature as well?"

The Archlich could already tell that this was what Lux had thought of doing after receiving the core. What the Half-Elf needed from him is only an assurance that the possibility of having an Abyssal Monster under his command was possible.

"I don't want to disturb your discussion, but the battle we just had will definitely attract some people from the town to investigate," Bedivere said. "How about we move to a different place first?"

To Lux's surprise, the Living Armor was already holding the Beast Core of the Barb-Tailed Tyrannosaurus.

Lux had told him that this might allow him to have a proper reunion with his wife, so it was a very important thing for him.

Seeing Bedivere's resolve, the Half-Elf nodded his head and used his Enchanted Beast Ring to store the body of the Boss Monster. He then ordered the Skeletons to erase their tracks as they moved deeper inside the forest to perform the act of turning the Living Armor into one of the Half-Elf's Undead Legion.

Chapter 354 Even If I Am Defeated, My Loyalty Will Not Fade [Part 1]

Chapter 354 Even If I Am Defeated, My Loyalty Will Not Fade [Part 1]

After heading deep inside the forest, Lux finally had time to settle the matter with Bedivere.

Frankly, he didn't know how to proceed with the matter. The easiest way to fix his problem was to get his Beast Core and use Animate Undead on him so that he would be reborn into a different kind of Undead with a new body.

But Lux was reluctant to do this.

An Undead was still an Undead. If he wanted to allow him to return to his family, he should be similar to Sid and Scarlet, who had turned into a Damphir and a Cambion, or like his Grandma Vera, who was still undergoing her transformation.

Since that was the case, using Animate Undead was not an option, so he could only use Blackfire, the Black Coffin, which had the power to transform the dead and near-dead creatures into other creatures.

But before he could even do that, a sudden notification appeared in front of him, which made his eyes widen in shock.

—----

A High-Ranking Undead wishes to swear his allegiance to you.

The Crimson Wanderer Living Armor, Bedivere, wishes to serve you as a Loyal Knight.

Do you wish to accept?

< Yes / No >

—----

Lux casually chose Yes, because Bedivere had already agreed to become his subordinate earlier in order to be together with his family.

However, what showed up in front of him next made the Half-Elf realize that there were still some abilities of the Necromancer Class that he didn't know.

—----

< You have chosen to make the Crimson Wanderer Living Armor, Bedivere, your Knight. >

< Since a High-Ranking Undead chose to serve you on its own accord, a special feature of the Necromancer Job Class is unlocked! >

< Special feature, Necromancer's Covenant, has been unlocked! >

< Necromancer's Covenant >

"Till death do us part."

– As a Necromancer, you hold dominion over the Undead. Because of this, some Undead Creatures will be attracted to you and would wish to serve by your side.

– Up to thirteen creatures can be accepted through the Necromancer's Covenant, but this is not limited to Undead Creatures. Even if it is a living creature, as long as they vow to serve you faithfully till death, it will become part of the Necromancer's Covenant.

– Any creature who joins the Necromancer's Covenant will be forever loyal to the Necromancer.

– The Rank of all creatures joining the Necromancer's Covenant will always be equal to the rank of their Master. It doesn't matter if their Ranks are Higher or Lower than the Necromancer they serve. Once they become part of the Covenant, their Ranks will always match their Master's Rank.

– The creatures under the Covenant cannot have their Ranks upgraded by any means. They will grow as their Master grows and weaken when their Master weakens.

– Each of the thirteen creatures serving the Necromancer will be called Knight of the Covenant, and are allowed to have subordinates of their own. It doesn't matter if these subordinates are living or dead. However, there will be a limit to the number of subordinates they can have.

– Each Knight can make Monsters forcefully submit to them if they wish. Any method is acceptable!

– Once the contract is established, these minions can only be summoned by the Knights that subjugated them. The Necromancer doesn't have the ability to summon the subordinates of his Knights.

– The minimum number of subordinates each Knight can have is twelve. This number will increase as their Rank increases.

Initiate Rank = 30 Subordinates

E-Ranker = 100 Subordinates

D-Ranker = 200 Subordinates

C-Ranker = 500 Subordinates

B-Ranker = 1,000 Subordinates

A-Ranker = 5,000 Subordinates

S-Ranker = 50,000 Subordinates

SS-Ranker = 100,000 Subordinates

Saint = 1,000,000 Subordinates

—------

(A/N: These are the Rankings for the Mortal Practitioners. Monsters have a different ranking. They all start from Common Monsters to Rank 1-5. The next stage after Rank 5 is Deimos (E-Ranker), Argonaut (D-Ranker, and C-Ranker), Dreadnought (B-Ranker, and A-Ranker), Empyrean (S-Ranker and SS-Ranker), Calamity (Saint), Demigod (Supreme).)

—-----

– If a Knight dies, they can be revived by paying an adequate number of Beast Cores.

– You may choose to give your Knight a different form by sacrificing Beast Cores or Monster Parts to get their ideal profession. The rarer the profession is, the greater the sacrifice needed.

– A Knight can undergo transformation more than once. You will be able to customize them according to your desire. It doesn't matter if they have a hundred arms or legs. As long as you are able to provide the necessary materials, anything is possible!

– All materials used in the transformation are non-refundable. Once they are used, they are gone, so choose your Knight's transformation wisely!

—---

< Knight Bedivere has been accepted as part of the Necromancer's Covenant. >

< Would you like to customize Knight Bedivere? >

< Yes / No >

—-----

Lux's body shook in excitement because he never expected that the feature, Necromancer's Covenant, would be unlocked if a High-Ranking Undead chose to serve him with their own free will.

Since it had already come to this, he no longer hesitated. It didn't matter even if Bedivere lost the special abilities of his Living Armor form anymore. Lux would just make up for it using the transformation that was available to him!

'Okay, let's see what options are available in the custom settings,' Lux excitedly checked the Bedivere's Page that had appeared in his Soul Book.

—-----

< Bedivere >

– The percentages that are shown are the compatibility rating of the transformation. If you wish to create or customize a form that is not available in the options, please supply the necessary Beast Cores or Monster Parts.

– If you choose to transform your Knight into a particular form with a low rating, take note that the transformation is highly likely to fail. The materials used to transform the monster will also disappear.

– If you want to increase the chances of the percentage of the profession you fancy, add more Beast Cores or Monster Parts befitting that profession in order to increase its percentage rating!

– Take note that there is a chance that the items you sacrifice could cause a mutation and become part of whatever form your Knight is going to transform into.

– An 80% chance is guaranteed that the Knight's custom transformation will be successful.

– The Knight Bedivere can only gain a mortal body if you don't choose any option belonging to the Living Armor category. But even then, he would still be a Half-Living Armor and Half-Mortal.

—---

Transformation Customization.

Living Armor = 100%

Doom Knight = 1%

Steel-Wing Knight = 1%

XXX…

XXX…

XXX…

—---

"Okay, let's test this," Lux muttered as he added the Rank-5, Barb-Tailed Tyrannosaurus Beast Core, to the material tab.

—---

Spiked Living Armor = 100%

Dino Rider = 40%

Steel-Wing Knight = 25%

Steel Baron = 25%

Steel Lancer = 25%

Dragoon = 20%

XXX…

XXX…

XXX…

Dragon Knight = 1%

—---

"So this is how it works… interesting," Lux muttered as he looked at his options.

The thing that instantly caught his eye was, of course, the Rare Job, Dragon Knight. Lux didn't know if the Barb-Tailed Tyrannosaurus had Dragon's blood in it that allowed the Dragon Knight Profession to appear in the choices.

It was the best one among the options presented to him, but the abysmal chance of succeeding was something that made his teeth itch.

'Okay, how about this?' Lux mused as he added the Body of the Barb-Tailed Tyrannosaurus Monster to the material list.

—----

Spiked Living Armor = 100%

Dino Rider = 100%

Dragoon = 60%

Steel-Wing Knight = 25%

Steel Baron = 25%

Steel Lancer = 25%

XXX…

XXX…

XXX…

Dragon Knight = 10%

—----

'10%... still not enough,' Lux mused as he looked at his inventory for things to add. 'How about I use the Barb-Tailed Tyrannosaurus body to increase the percentage of the Dragon Knight instead of using it as transformation material?'

Lux took the monster's body and added it to the Dragon Rider Job Class as an offering.

—----

Dragon Knight = 20%

—----

The Half-Elf scratched his head. 20% was still too big of a gamble for him to take. After careful consideration, the Half-Elf rummaged through the items he had in possession to see if there was anything he could use to increase the chances of letting Bedivere transform into one of the most formidable Job Classes in Elysium.

"Faunus Battle Regalia… I forgot about you," Lux muttered as he looked at the set of Mythical Armor that he had collected from all the villages that were around the Stronghold of Norria. They were the replica of the Favonius Set, which belonged to Favonius, who was the founder of Leaf Village and the one who bestowed his armor and weapon to Lux, as his way of acknowledging everything he had done for Leaf Village.

—------

"In Leaf Village, a special armor is made, its toughness is as resilient as adamantium.

In Lindow Village, a shield stands proud, waiting for the day its new owner arrives.

In Sunflower Village, where the sun rises in the east, a blade that has slain a dragon is hidden.

Lastly, in Millwood Village, where secrets are kept, a mask with many faces smiles at the ignorant."

Four Villages,

Four Battle Regalias that made up the Mythical Faunus Set.

—-----

Among these items, Lux only used the Mask of the Thousand Faces. He had completely set aside the Faunus Battle Regalia because the armor currently used was way better than the Mythical Set of the Beginner Villages.

"What if…" Lux narrowed his eyes as a daring thought appeared inside his head. He then added the Faunus Armor, Shield, and Sword, to the materials to be used for raising the chances of acquiring the Dragon Knight Job Class and the result was…

Chapter 355 Even If I Am Defeated, My Loyalty Will Not Fade [Part 2]

—-----

Dragon Knight = 50%

—-----

Lux stared long and hard at the percentage bar, but no matter what he did, the percentage didn't move upwards.

He couldn't believe that even after using a Rank 5 World Boss Beast Core, a Rank 5 World Boss Monster Body, and a Mythical Set of Armor, Sword, and Shield, the percentage of the Dragon Knight Job Class only peaked at 50%

"Sir Bedivere, I have a question for you," Lux said softly. "Right now, I am able to give you an opportunity to remodel your body in order to give you a mortal form. But, there is a catch. These are the professions that are available to you. I will let you decide what profession you would like to have."

The Half-Elf showed his Soul Book to Bedivere and explained to him how the Necromancer's Covenant worked.

The light flickering in the Living Armor's eyes blazed brightly as if he was making a very hard decision. If Bedivere wished to only have a mortal form, choosing the Dino-Rider Transformation was ideal.

However, since his rank was going to regress to match Lux's current Rank, the Living Armor was very tempted to choose the Dragon Knight Job Class.

But the chance of success was only 50%.

Bedivere spent a few minutes in silence as he made a tough decision that would affect his second chance at life.

"In the past… I have always wanted to become… a Dragon Knight," said Bedivere with a hoarse voice. "But… I never got the opportunity. If this is to fail… what would happen… to me?"

"Nothing," Lux replied. "You will stay the way you are. However, we will need to acquire high-level Beast Cores and Monster Parts in order for you to take another shot at your transformation."

Lux still had several Beast Cores in his possession, which he had gotten from winning the Lionheart Tournament. However, he had been saving them to increase Eiko's Rank after she revived, so he couldn't use them to help Bedivere increase the percentage of the Dragon Knight profession.

A few more minutes passed before Bedivere finally clenched his fists as he made his decision.

"Let's take… the chance," Bedivere stated.

Lux nodded his head in understanding.

He then took a deep breath before taking a dagger to give his palm a shallow cut, allowing blood to drip from his hand.

Immediately, a red magic circle formed under his feet, starting the ritual of the Necromancer's Covenant, allowing Bedivere to undertake his baptism and transformation.

"Be it known to all men that I, Lux Von Kaizer, hereby accept Bedivere as one of the Knights of my Covenant," Lux said as a magic circle formed under Bedivere's feet. "Do you swear and acknowledge me to be your true and lawful Liege?"

"I do swear," Bedivere answered.

"Do you also swear to defend, and obey me, until death shall take you?"

"I do swear."

"Make your pledge of Loyalty."

Bedivere knelt down in front of Lux. He had been bestowed knightship in the past, so he already knew what he was going to say. However, as if helping him form his oath, several rows of words appeared before him, which he read faithfully.

"I, Bedivere, Son of Bedwyr, hereby solemnly swear and pledge my sword to Lux Von Kaizer, my Master and Liege, to defend and obey him until his soul departs this world and uphold the honor of knighthood. If I fail, death shall take me."

Suddenly, a sword, as black as night with runic carvings, materialized in front of Lux, which he held as part of the ceremony of the Covenant.

"As for my part, I do swear to defend and honor Sir Bedivere," Lux stated. "As befits a true Knight of my Covenant."

He then lightly tapped Bedivere's left and right shoulder with the black sword in his hand.

"Rise, Sir Bedivere, and may your glory be my glory."

Lux took a few steps back to allow Bedivere to stand up and complete the ceremony.

At that exact moment, Bedivere's body was enveloped by a green tornado.

Several rows of text appeared in front of Lux, notifying him that the transformation was about to start.

—--

< Attempting transformation… >

—--

Lux clenched his fist as the glow of the green tornado in front of him pulsed like the beating of the heart.

He and Bedivere had taken a gamble with a 50% chance of succeeding. It was similar to flipping a coin, and if they got unlucky, then they would get nothing from the sacrifices he had made.

Suddenly, a loud draconic roar spread in the surroundings as two green wings emerged from the tornado, dispersing it completely.

—------

< Congratulations! The transformation was successful! >

—------

< Bedivere >

"Even if I am defeated, My loyalty will not fade."

– Knight of the Covenant

– Dragon Knight

– Rank: Grade A Apostle

Special Ability: Wonder Guard

—------

< Wonder Guard >

– All kinds of damage received by Bedivere and his mount, including Abyssal Damage, will be decreased by 60%

—------

The Half-Elf took a deep breath as he gazed at a three-meter-tall green dragon with a knight riding on its back.

Bedivere was wrapped up in a very familiar armor, which made Lux's eyes widen in shock.

"The Faunus Battle Regalia…," Lux muttered as he gazed at the armor that he had worked hard to collect during his time in the Beginner Villages. Now, it was worn by the first Knight of his Covenant, who had become one of the strongest fighters in Lux's Army.

"Thank you, Master," Bedivere said as he bowed his head, alongside his dragon, who spread its wings and bowed its head respectfully to Lux as a sign of its fealty.

"How are you feeling?" Lux asked after he recovered from his shock. "Do you feel anything strange with your body?"

Bedivere smiled, which was enough to make all the single ladies blush if they had seen his handsome features.

"I feel so alive," Bedivere replied. "Also, I can tell that my body is stronger compared to when I was still alive. Although my Rank has regressed, my friend here will make up for it. Isn't that right, partner?"

Bedivere lightly patted the body of the Green Dragon, who replied with a low growl, agreeing with the Dragon Knight's words.

Lux looked at the handsome knight, who didn't notice that tears were streaming down the sides of his face from happiness. He was quite happy that everything turned out well, and that the materials he used weren't wasted.

Now that he now had a powerful Dragon Knight by his side, and his matters with the Vahan Empire had ended, it was now time to finally move to the next phase of his plan, and go to the one place that would never forsake him.

"Let's go, Sir Bedivere," Lux said with a smile. "Let's take Heidi and Lilia to the place that will become their new home."

Bedivere nodded his head. Right now, he was feeling incredibly grateful to Lux. He had already made an oath to serve his new Liege with everything he had.

Deep inside, Bedivere was feeling excited. It was as if the time that had stopped two years ago finally started moving once again.

He glanced at the Half-Elf, to whom he owed his life, and wondered just how far his new Master would go in the world of Elysium.

But he already understood that no matter where the red-headed teenager went, he would be by his side, fighting whoever dared to hurt the person to whom he owed his second chance at life.

Chapter 356 Oh! My Long Lost Friend! It’s You!

"Daddy, where are we going?" Heidi, who was currently riding on Bedivere's shoulders, asked.

"Actually, I am not sure," Bedivere replied. "But since my Maste– I mean, Lux, said that it is a wonderful place, I trust that it is so."

"Will I have lots of friends there?"

"Of course! My Heidi is so kind and sweet. It's impossible for my daughter to not have any friends."

Heidi giggled after hearing her father's praise. Lilia watched her husband and daughter's interaction with eyes filled with tenderness and love. She couldn't stop herself from tearing up.

She had been waiting for years for Bedivere's return, so their family would be complete once again. Now that he was here, she felt as if all of her suffering and hardships for the past two years were paid in full.

"Is everyone ready?" Lux asked as he sent a party invitation to everyone around him. "We're going now, so I hope that all of you can accept my party invitation."

Several rows of text appeared in front of Cai, Keane, Heidi, and Lilia, asking them if they wanted to join Lux's party.

A Normal Party could only have a maximum number of seven people. Raid parties consisted of anywhere from fifty to a hundred people, but this was only available to people who belonged to a Guild.

But this was enough. The Half-Elf didn't know if his plan was going to work in the first place, and he was just hoping that his theory would work.

"I will tell you in advance. We are going to a place that is very far from Human territories," Lux stated. "Also, the laws there are quite different from our laws. It will take some time getting used to, but I'm sure that all of you will be just fine… maybe."

"Maybe?" Cai asked. "What do you mean, maybe?"

Lux ignored Cai's question and put on the Mask of a Thousand Faces before opening his Soul Book. In the eyes of the dwarves, he was supposed to be dead already. Only the high-ranking members of the Leaf Village, the Stronghold of Norria, as well as the Kingdom of Gweliven, knew that he wasn't really dead.

However, in order to allow Scarlet to become a Slayer Candidate and break through the ranks of a Ranker, he still needed to lie low for a while until things were wrapped up properly.

Also, there was no point in answering the Boar's question because he still wasn't sure if he would be able to take them there by adding them to his party.

In truth, Lux was still debating whether he should bring Cai and Keane with him on his journey. But after everything the three of them had gone through together, he decided to trust that his two companions would be able to keep his secret.

Going to his ability page, Lux took a deep breath as he prepared to activate the skill called…

Eternal Guardian.

This was the skill that would allow Lux to return to Leaf Village anytime he wanted. Since he could no longer create a guild in the Human territories, he decided to take a chance and make a guild in the Kingdom of Gweliven.

"Everyone, get ready," Lux announced. "We will go in 3… 2… 1!"

Lux, as well as Cai, Keane, Bedivere, Heidi, and Lilia, were bathed in white light. A second later, all of them disappeared, leaving the Vahan Empire behind.

—----

Plaza of Leaf Village…

A brilliant flash of light spread in the surroundings, catching the attention of the nearby dwarves in the plaza.

When the light receded, they saw a couple of Humans and a Boar, standing beside the Statue of the Eternal Guardian, which everyone in Leaf Village treated as their main attraction.

"Where are we?" Cai asked.

The Boar could instinctively feel that they were no longer in the Human territories because the scent and feel of the surroundings were a bit different from what it was used to.

"Dwarves?" Bedivere glanced at the people that had gathered around them and instantly recognized that they were Dwarves.

Even in the Western Regions of Elysium, other races such as Elves, Beastkin, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Half-lings could be found.

Bedivere had interacted with some of them in the past, making him familiar with the Dwarven Race, who were notorious for their passion for strong alcoholic drinks and stubbornness that put Humans to shame.

"Wow!" Heidi clapped her hands as she looked at the people around them. "Look! Little People!"

"Heidi, they are not little people. They are Dwarves," Lilia immediately corrected her daughter because she was afraid that the Dwarves would take offense and get a bad impression of them.

Just like Lilia had thought, the Dwarves who heard Heidi call them Little People frowned. In order to correct this, Lilia used her eloquent skills to salvage the situation.

"Heidi, remember this," Lilia said. "Dwarves are very kind and gentle people. They are very hard-working and very dependable people. They say that if you have a Dwarf as your friend, you will have nothing to fear because they will stick with you through thick and thin."

The Dwarves who heard Lilia all nodded their heads in agreement, giving the pretty woman a thumbs up in their hearts for being a woman of culture.

In the past, the local Dwarves of Leaf Village might have panicked after seeing so many Humans in their Village, but after being around Lux for quite some time, their tolerance for seeing other races had increased.

Still, some of them looked at the new arrivals with wary gazes. Even though they had already gotten used to seeing a Half-Elf, Humans were still a different race from the hero that saved their Village.

"Everyone, please step aside."

A voice filled with authority said, and the people parted to allow an old Dwarf to pass through.

"My name is Cedwyn, and I am the Head of Leaf Village," Cedwyn stated. "Please state your names, and how did you arrive here in Leaf Village?"

Several Dwarven Guards, as well as Riders of Norria, also appeared in the plaza. They were the defenders of Leaf Village, so they wanted to know if the people that had suddenly appeared in their village were friends or foes.

Lux immediately recognized Aron, who was the captain of the Guards of Leaf Village, and Boreas, the Captain of the Riders of Norria, which also served as the representatives of the Stronghold of Norria in Leaf Village.

"Village Head, it is me," Lux said as he stepped forward. "There are some matters that I need to discuss with you, and I would appreciate it if we could talk in private."

Cedwyn glanced at the chubby boy that he was seeing for the first time and frowned.

"You seem to know me, but I don't know who you are," Cedwyn replied. "What qualifications do you have to ask me to talk to you in private?"

"Um, I still remember you telling me that when you were young, you sneakily took Grandma Annie's pan…"

"Oh! My long lost friend! It's you!"

The Old Dwarf immediately grabbed hold of the chubby boy's hand and shook it vigorously, preventing Lux from continuing what he was about to say.

"I didn't recognize you right away because you've gained some weight." Cedyn was sweating buckets, especially when he noticed Grandma Annie arriving at the scene with the two little girls, Laura and Livia, who were Sid's little sisters, by her side.

"Come. You must be tired from your journey. Let's go to my house so we can catch up with the old times." Cedwyn didn't even wait for Lux's reply and dragged him away. "Everyone, settle down. This is my friend…"

"Lucien," Lux said in a volume that only Cedwyn would be able to hear.

"Right! This is my friend Lucien," Cedwyn announced. "We go a long way back to when I was still an adventurer. Everything is fine. I can vouch for their identities. Everyone, please step aside. We're coming through."

The village head brute forced his way out of the encirclement, dragging Lux towards his house. Cai, Keane, Bedivere, Heidi, and Lilia followed behind because if they lost sight of Lux, things might get complicated when the other Dwarves start asking them questions.

"Should we follow them?" Aron asked Boreas who was standing beside him. "They look suspicious to me."

"It seems that Cedwyn knows him, but just to be sure, let's follow them," Boreas replied. "Just don't bring too many guards, so it won't cause a commotion."

To the surprise of the two Dwarves, Grandma Annie started to walk towards Cedwyn's house with the twin sisters in tow.

She had already suspected that the one that Cedwyn dragged away was Lux, who was wearing a disguise, so she decided to follow in order to confirm her suspicions.

It was not only her that started to move, Randolph, as well as the Elders of Leaf Village, were also walking towards the Village Head's house.

Just like Grandma Annie, they all had their suspicions as well.

Some of them even felt their blood boiling inside their chest in excitement because they had a feeling that the person that had saved their Village, whom they hadn't seen for several months, had finally returned to visit them.

Randolph, in particular, was more excited than the rest.

His heart was beating wildly inside his chest because, even though he didn't want to admit it, he had missed his one and only Disciple.

Lux had promised him that he would visit Leaf Village from time to time, but after not seeing him for several months, the old blacksmith thought that the Half-Elf had forgotten them.

Now that he was back, he was looking forward to hearing his tales of faraway lands and the adventures that he had taken part in during the time that he was away from the village, which the Half-Elf had already considered to be his second home.

Chapter 357 So You’re Making A Guild? This Sounds Interesting

"Hahaha! Drink up, my boy!" Randolph laughed as he refilled Lux's cup with mead. "You really took your time to visit us. I really thought you forgot your Master."

"How could I possibly forget you, Master?" Lux replied. "There were just many things happening at the same time, and I didn't have the opportunity to visit everyone here in Leaf Village. How are you? And what have you been doing as of late?"

Randolph drank from his own mug and let out a loud burp before answering Lux's question.

"As you can see, I'm doing fine." Randolph smiled. "The kids these days are so motivated to become adventurers that they kept on visiting my shop to have their weapons repaired. Um, by the way, where is Little Eiko? Is she hiding somewhere?"

The smile on Lux's face disappeared, making Randolph, who was in a good mood earlier, feel as if he had stepped on a landmine.

"Eiko died protecting her Mama from someone who wanted to possess her," Lux replied. "But don't worry. She will be revived soon. Actually, I think she will revive in a few days."

Lux took out the Blue Egg from the special storage ring that Iris had given to him to store Monster eggs.

Randolph patted his chest as he looked at the Blue Egg in front of him. Everyone in the Village, especially the young Dwarves, idolized Eiko because she had accompanied Lux on his adventures.

This was the same reason why almost all of the Dwarves, including the Solaians who had arrived in Leaf Village, chose to have a Slime as their first Beast Companion after hearing the story about the Leaf Village's Hero and Guardian.

"Oh dear, can you tell us what happened?" Grandma Annie frowned. She was quite fond of Eiko, and hearing about the little slime's death made her heart ache.

Laura and Livia, who also had slimes of their own, wanted to know what happened. In fact, the two Slimes that belonged to the two girls had already climbed up on Lux's body and were currently looking at the monster egg in his hands with great curiosity.

Both of them could feel that the monster inside the egg had this kind of royal presence, so the two Slimes acted like paying their respect to their Princess, who was still not born.

Lux nodded and told everyone the story of what happened while he was away from Leaf Village. After finishing his tale, a collective sigh reverberated inside the room as everyone gazed at the egg in Lux's hands.

"Eiko is a good child," Grandma Annie said softly. "Even though she's still young, she did her best to protect her Mama, which is very noble of her."

Laura and Livia nodded as they hugged their own Slimes. Both girls felt sad about what happened to Lux. The two girls knew how fragile Slimes could be, so they never allowed their contracted monsters to fight monsters stronger than them.

"Yes, she is." Lux smiled. "But I'll make sure that she gets stronger this time around, and that no one will be able to bully her that easily again."

Randolph chuckled and jokingly told Lux that he would create an armor specially designed for Eiko, which made both of them laugh.

Lux had never heard of a slime wearing armor before, so he didn't know if his Master was joking or not.

A while later, Cedwyn told Lux that he would personally handle the building of the house meant for Heidi and her mother, Lilia. Although they were Humans, he was sure that the Dwarves in the Village would get along well with their two new residents because he trusted that Lux wouldn't bring anyone with a bad character to Leaf Village.

"Sir Cedwyn, about the Recommendation Letters for making a Guild…" Lux broached the real topic of why he returned to Leaf Village. He explained to Cedwyn and the other Elders about his difficulty.

"Guild Creation? Is that all?" Cedwyn laughed. "Don't worry, just head straight to the Stronghold of Norria and register there. Do you need a Guild Token? I think I still have a silver token somewhere in this house."

"Um, what about the Recommendation Letters from the Guildmasters of the Adventurer's Guild?" Lux asked. "After that, I still need to take the Trial of Leadership…"

"Recommendation Letters? You don't need them," Cedwyn replied and brushed off Lux's worries about collecting Recommendation Letters. "As for the Trial of Leadership, you don't need to do that either. Just go to the Stronghold of Norria and find Sir Thoram.

"As the Commander of the Riders of Norria, he can vouch that you don't need to undertake the Trial of Leadership. That is only a test to see if the person applying to create a Guild has the capabilities to lead it. You, my boy, are more than capable of doing that."

Lux blinked as he processed everything that Cedwyn had told him.

"You mean, I don't have to go through all that to create a Guild?" Lux asked just to be sure.

"Nope," Cedwyn answered. "Ah. But there is one thing you should do. In order to create a Guild, you must have at least Twenty Members. You are supposed to be given twenty Member Tokens after you successfully clear your Trial of Leadership.

"You will then give those Member Tokens to the people who have agreed to join your guild. Once all of them receive the token, they will automatically be registered as your Guild Member candidates, allowing you to use a Guild Token to create your own Guild."

Cedwyn then rummaged through his storage ring and took out twenty Red Tokens, which were similar to Casino Chips.

"Back then, I wished to establish a guild of my own, but a lot of things happened…" Cedwyn explained before glancing at Grandma Annie and Randolph, who pretended to not hear Cedwyn's words and continued to drink the mugs of mead in their hands.

Seeing that the two intended to ignore him until the end, Cedwyn sighed as he handed the Member Tokens to the Half-Elf.

"Lux, inherit our dreams and wishes," Cedwyn said. "Create a guild, and make sure that it will become the best guild in the world. I will not settle for anything less, do you understand?"

"Thank you, Village Head," Lux replied as he gratefully accepted the member tokens.

"So do you have any guild members in mind?" Randolph asked. "You said that you only have a few days before the duration of your quest ends. If you don't hurry, you will not be able to reach the necessary quota."

Lux smiled as he handed one of the Member Tokens to his Master, Randolph.

"Master, please become my guild member," Lux said with a smile. "We will need your expertise as a Blacksmith."

"Excuse me?" Randolph tilted his head in confusion. "You want me to become your Guild Member?"

"Yes."

"Are you serious?"

Lux nodded. "Dead serious."

"Well… I guess you only want to reach the quota as soon as possible." Randolph shrugged as he accepted the Red Token that was handed to him by his Disciple. "Sure, I'll help you out. It's not like I'm doing this because I want to become part of your Guild, okay? Don't get the wrong idea."

Lux chuckled because he knew what Randolph was thinking. He was sure that his Master thought that he would leave as soon as the Guild was created, but Lux didn't want to let his Master go.

After all, expert Blacksmiths who were able to craft Mythical Armors weren't cabbages that could be plucked from just about anywhere. He would love to have Randolph in his Guild, so that the Dwarf could help him create some weapons and armor sets that would benefit his Guild Members.

"Grandma Annie, please join my guild as well," Lux said as he offered a Red Token to the old lady who would always be on the front lines whenever Leaf Village was under attack by Monster Outbreaks.

"I'm too old for this, Lux," Grandma Annie replied. "I will just hold you back."

"Nonsense." Lux shook his head. "Grandma Annie is an alchemist. Having someone like you around to create pills and medicines for the Guild will greatly boost its strength."

"Fine." Grandma Annie smiled as she accepted the Red Token. "I can't believe that at my age, I will be joining a Guild. I'll just babysit the young ones for you, okay? I won't go charging off to the battlefield for your sake."

"That's fine. I don't want Grandma Annie to get hurt either."

"Mmm. At least you know that my old bones can't take a beating."

Laura and Livia glanced at each other before raising their hands together.

"We want to join too!" Laura shouted.

"Me too!" Livia seconded.

"Um… this." Lux scratched his head. "I don't think your Brother will agree if I let both of you join the Guild."

"It's fine!" Laura stated. "Big Brother said that there will come a time when the Village Hero will need our help. We will join the Guild to help you."

"Yes!" Livia nodded. "You are Big Brother's benefactor, so you are also our benefactor. Please, let us repay you for helping our Big Brother, and bringing us to this wonderful Village."

Lux was still on the fence about allowing the two little Dwarves to join his Guild. He didn't know if Sid would agree to this because the Dhampir was overprotective of his little sisters and didn't want them to come to any harm.

The door of the house opened and Sid entered as he said, "Please let them join your Guild, Master. This is my wish as well."

Laura and Livia cheered in happiness when they saw their brother, then they ran toward him to give their Big Brother a hug.

The doting brother hugged his sisters back before patting their heads. Just as Sid was about to ask if they had been good girls while he was away, a shadow fell upon his body.

"So you're making a Guild? This sounds interesting."

From behind the Dhampir, someone whom Lux hadn't seen for a while had appeared.

It was none other than the Draconic Kobold, Cadmus, who was the Half-Elf's enemy when he had just started his journey in the world of Elysium.

Chapter 358 Guild Recruitment

When Lux first arrived in Elysium, there was one creature that was like an insurmountable mountain for him—that was none other than Cadmus.

When he first met the Draconic Kobold, the latter was a Rank 4 Alpha Monster, which was something that he had no hope of defeating at that time.

However, that was all in the past. After checking Cadmus' Rank, the Half-Elf found out that the Draconic Kobold was now a Rank 5 Alpha Monster. He was still stronger than Lux, but that was only if they fought one on one.

Now that he had his Undead Legion, and his first Knight of the Covenant, Bedivere, with him, he was confident that he could defeat Cadmus if the two of them were to fight. Fortunately, the two had gotten over their dispute with each other, and had even become friends after visiting Keoza's dungeon.

"It has been a while, Cadmus," Lux smiled as he fist bumped the Draconic Kobold, who mutually returned the gesture.

"Indeed," Cadmus replied. "And you have grown a lot stronger since we last saw each other."

"Hahaha. A lot of things happened. Almost died a couple of times as well."

"Sounds fun. Sid and I also suffered a few close calls, especially on our last expedition."

In order to reach the rank of a Ranker, Sid went with Cadmus on his exploration beyond the boundaries of the territories under the protection of the Stronghold of Norria.

The Stronghold was located on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Gweliven, and beyond it was a place they called the Savage Lands.

It was a completely uncharted territory, and because of the truce between the Kobolds and the Dwarves, Cadmus was able to undertake Quest Missions as a registered Adventurer in the Adventurer's Guild.

Since everything around the territory of Norria was no longer enough to challenge him, Cadmus decided to talk to Thoram, the Commander of the Stronghold of Norria, and asked the Dwarf to commission him to explore the Savage Lands.

Thoram thought that this was a good idea, and with the backing of the Royal Family, he formally assigned Cadmus as the Exploration Captain in charge of mapping out the Savage Lands.

Naturally, Sid accompanied him, and together, they went on an adventure, alongside a dozen Rank 3 Kobolds, to explore the unknown.

"You came at a good time," Lux smirked. "How about you join my Guild?"

"Joining a Guild…" Cadmus rubbed his chin. "I never considered joining a Guild before."

"Come on. It will be fun. I'll even make you one of my Officers, how about it?"

"Mmm… I'll think about it."

Lux smirked. "Okay, you can think about it while holding this Member Token. Just help me meet the minimum requirement to create my guild first, okay?"

Cadmus snorted as he accepted the red token that was handed to him. "You and your schemes. Fine, I'll help you out with this once."

The token merged with Cadmus' palm, which was a sign that he had accepted to become one of Lux's Guild Members.

The Half-Elf then gave Sid another token.

As one of his strongest subordinates, it was only normal for Sid to be part of his guild. As for Scarlet, it would be best if she stayed with Twilight Rain. That way, she could leech off of their resources, as well as supply him with valuable intel straight from the hornet's nest.

"Sir Lux, me, too!" Laura raised her hands to ask for a token.

"I want one as well, Sir Lux," Livia said.

Sid gave his Master a nod of affirmation, which meant that he didn't find anything wrong with his twin sisters joining Lux's guild.

"Okay," Lux relented and handed two red tokens to the two girls. "The two of you will assist Grandma Annie."

""Yes!"" the two girls happily showed Sid their red tokens, and the latter patted their heads with affection.

"Here is a Token for you, Keane," Lux said. "Thank you for being willing to join my Guild."

Keane shrugged as he replied, "I figured that since I am free, I might as well help you out."

"Oh! Me, too!" Cai also approached Lux. "Hand the token over."

Lux eyed the Boar with a critical gaze. "Aren't you already in the Rowan Tribe Guild? Your Grandpa might get angry if you suddenly leave without asking for permission."

"It's fine!" Cai replied. "I'm just going to Guild Hop for a bit. Consider it as my way of helping you as well."

"... Are you sure we won't get in trouble with your grandpa later?"

"No worries. My Grandpa spoils me, so it's fine! Um. Let me leave my guild first."

Cai opened its Soul Book and went to its Guild Page. It then stated its reason for leaving the Guild, and half a minute later, the Boar successfully left its guild, leaving Lux, as well as Keane, speechless.

—------

Rowan Tribe in Elysium…

While Xander was busy managing the affairs of the guild, several rows of text appeared in front of him.

"Hi Xander! I am leaving the Guild for a while! Relax, I'll be back later. I'll just Hop to My Daddy's Guild for a while then come back at a later time.

P.S - Don't tell my Grandpa! I'll be back soon!"

A moment later, after reading the reason why Cai left the guild, he pinched the bridge of his nose, pondering how he would explain it to their Great Chieftain after returning to Solais.

"I guess I'll tell everyone to keep mum about this for a few days," Xander thought as he scratched his head in helplessness. "High Priestess, you're making things difficult for me."

—------

Back in Leaf VIllage…

"Okay. I left my Guild!" Cai stated. "Give me the token, My Daddy."

Lux sighed before handing the Token to the Boar, which melded with its hoof, proving that Cai had accepted becoming one of the Half-Elf's Guild Member Candidates.

With eight Member Tokens disposed of, Lux only had twelve more to hand out before he could make his guild.

"Well, I guess I'll look for other members now," Lux muttered, which was heard by the Village Head who was patiently waiting to be given a token as well.

However, it seemed that the Half-Elf was oblivious of Cedwyn's thoughts. Just as Lux was about to leave the house, Cedwyn cleared his throat, which caught everyone's attention.

"Lux, my Boy, aren't you forgetting something important?" Cedwyn asked.

"Have I?" Lux blinked. "What did I forget?"

Grandma Annie and Randolph, who could tell what Cedwyn wanted, only smirked after seeing Lux's clueless expression.

Clearly, the Head of Leaf Village wanted to join his guild because Grandma Annie, and Randolph had already agreed to join him. Since the three of them had been good friends when they were still Adventurers, he didn't want to be left behind.

"Lux, why don't you give Cedwyn one of those tokens," Randolph said in a teasing manner. "It seems the old coot wants to join, so might as well let him join. He can handle the members who will join later on."

"That's right," Grandma Annie commented. "Cedwyn is good with administrative duties. Make him one of your Vice Guild Masters, so he can actively recruit here in Leaf Village."

After hearing Grandma Annie's words, Lux's body trembled as if he was hit by a lightning bolt.

Making Cedwyn a Vice Guild Master was a brilliant idea!

If he really made the Village Head one of his Guild Members, wouldn't that mean that he would get an endless supply of new recruits from Leaf Village?

It was Capitalism at its finest!

With such a wonderful arrangement presented to him, Lux didn't even bat an eye and handed Cedwyn a Token of Membership, which would make Leaf Village the Centerpoint of the Kingdom of Gweliven several years in the future.

Chapter 359 The Birth Of Lux’s Guild

"Village Head, having you as my future Vice Guild Master is a blessing," Lux said with respect. "Please, take this token as well."

"Mmm. Since you asked so nicely, I guess I can work these old bones of mine a bit," Cedwyn replied as he took the red token, making Randolph snort and Grandma Annie smile.

"Heidi will join as well!" Heidi exclaimed.

"Uh… maybe next time." Lux chuckled as he patted the head of the little girl who was feeling competitive with Laura and Livia, who was around the same age as her.

The other Elders of Leaf Village just exchanged glances with each other and shrugged. They felt like joining a guild at their age wasn't a worthwhile thing to do, so they didn't ask Lux to give them red tokens.

Half an hour later, Lux left the Village Head's house and went around Leaf Village to ask some people to join his guild.

"You want me to join your Guild?!" the Innkeeper, who owned the inn and tavern that Lux used to stay in while in Leaf Village, asked with excitement. "Of course I'll join. But I will just stay here in Leaf Village and look after the new members, okay?"

"That's fine, Mr. Jones," Lux replied. "Thank you for your help."

Mr. Jones was the innkeeper that asked Lux for his signature and treated it like a family heirloom. Of course, the Innkeeper didn't recognize the Half-Elf because he was wearing a disguise, but after a private talk and exposing his true identity, the Innkeeper happily agreed to join Lux's Guild.

"Me? Join your Guild?" Aron, the Captain of the Guards in Leaf Village, played with his beard as if deep in thought.

He was surprised to know that the true identity of the chubby boy was Lux, but after connecting the dots, he realized that the only one that could return to Leaf Village after stepping into the Apostle Grade was none other than their Eternal Guardian.

"Okay, but I won't be going anywhere," Aron replied. "My duty is here in Leaf Village. As long as you are fine with that, I don't see a problem joining."

"There's no problem, thank you, Mr. Aron," Lux smiled as he handed a member token to the Dwarf.

Just like what happened to Cadmus and the others, the token merged with the palm of his hand, signaling that he had now become his temporary Guild Member.

Lux had now gathered eleven guild members, and he just needed nine more to finish the quota needed to make a guild before he traveled to the Stronghold of Norria.

He wasn't just randomly inviting people—everyone he had tried to recruit were people whom he thought would play a crucial role in his guild.

The Innkeeper's role would be to give his guild members good accommodations and discounts whenever they decided to stay inside his inn.

This would give his guild members a feeling of exclusivity, which would entice the factionless Solaians who would appear in Leaf Village as their starting point in Elysium.

Aron was the Head of the Guards, whom people usually ask for help whenever a problem arose. If the Guard Captain was part of their guild, wouldn't that mean that they already knew a big shot from the beginning?

He also wanted to recruit the Captain of the Riders of Norria, Boreas, but they were directly under the management of the Stronghold of Norria, which was under the command of the Royal Family.

Lux thought that it might be taken as something offensive if he tried to recruit any of the Riders of Norria to join his guild, so he didn't look for Boreas while he was searching for guild members.

To his surprise, it was Boreas himself who came to find him and ask to become his Guild Member.

"Don't think too much about it," Boreas stated after taking the red token from Lux. "We will leave after you establish your guild. Think of this as a repayment for helping us deal with the Mutated Thunder Wolf King. If you didn't help us back then, I, as well as my men, might have all been buried six feet under by now, or worse, turned into monster poop. Isn't that right, boys?"

"That's right, Captain!"

"This is but a small matter. Just think of it as returning the favor."

"Compared to our lives, such a simple thing isn't even worth mentioning."

The Riders of Norria laughed as they told Lux of how much more comfortable their life had become since the barrier around Leaf Village appeared.

No more Monster Outbreaks befell the small village with the power of the Guardian Crystal.

This gave the Riders plenty of free time, and since they had nothing to do, they decided to escort Lux to the Stronghold of Norria to create his guild.

The journey towards the Stronghold wasn't long. Using the paths that were only known to the Riders of Norria, they were able to arrive at their destination in less than two hours.

They passed several checkpoints along the way, but since Boreas was escorting Lux and his friends, they were able to pass without too many problems.

After several more checkpoints, they finally made it to the Stronghold of Norria, and the first thing Boreas did was report to Commander Thoram that Lux had returned to Leaf Village, prompting the Commander of the Riders of Norria to come and meet the Half-Elf and even escort him towards the Adventurer's Guild in order to back him up.

"Thoram, you must hold this Human in high regards since you personally tagged along," the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild in the Stronghold of Norria, Keelan, said with a smile.

"Well, Lucien and I go way back," Thoram gave the chubby teenager a side-long glance before shifting his attention back to his acquaintance. "Can you help him complete his guild registration?"

Keelan grinned. "Since you have come to vouch for him, even without recommendation letters and the badge that indicates he has completed the Trial of Leadership, I guess I have no choice but to agree to your request."

"Good. I will forget about the drink you owe me from a month ago."

"What a petty Commander. You're still keeping tabs of such a simple thing?"

Keelan laughed as he guided Lux to the Altar Area where Guilds were created.

"Just place your Guild Token on top of the Altar and register the name of your Guild," Keelan explained. "Depending on the Rank of your Token, the Rank of your Guild will rise accordingly."

Lux nodded his head in understanding. He then took out the Dragon Token, which was also the token that he used to summon Keoza, and placed it on the altar.

The Dragon Token glowed faintly and hovered a meter above the altar, proving that it was a legitimate Token, approved by their organization.

"A Dragon Token?" Keelan rubbed his beard. "This is the first time I've seen a Dragon Token used to register a Guild. Maybe he will jump to a Silver-Ranked Guild from the get go."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised even if it jumps to a Gold-Ranked Guild," Thoram commented. "The design of the token is quite unique. Maybe he found it in some ancient ruins after he left Leaf Village."

—-------

(A/N In case you guys forgot, the known guild rankings in Elysium are Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, Orihalcum, and Adamantite.)

—-------

The Guildmaster and the Commander of Norria made some small talk as Lux started to register his guild.

All he needed to do was write the name of the Guild on the altar, and the registration process would be complete.

As soon as Lux finished writing the name of his guild, a loud tolling of a bell reverberated in the surroundings, which made Keelan and Thoram wonder what was going on.

—-------

Wildgarde Stronghold…

"A bell?" Gerald glanced at the Bell of their Stronghold in the distance. It wasn't moving in the slightest, so he wondered where the sound he was hearing was coming from.

"Is someone casting a spell or something?" Natasha, who was with Gerald, and Rainer, who was performing their routine patrols around the Stronghold, frowned. "This prank isn't funny."

Rainer closed his eyes as he extended his senses throughout the entire stronghold. He was the one who had created the defensive mechanisms protecting their city, so he could easily detect if someone was using any spell that was making the sound of the bell that they were hearing.

"No one is casting a spell," Rainer stated. "This sound is not coming from inside our Stronghold."

The three Guardians were not the only ones who heard the sound. Several people inside the Stronghold were also looking around to see where the sound was coming from. But no matter where they looked, they were unable to see the person responsible for the tolling of the bell that they were hearing.

—----

Barbatos Academy…

"What's that sound?" Alexander asked. "Do you have an event planned for today?"

"No, Headmaster," Alicia replied. "There are no scheduled events for today."

Iris, who was also inside the Headmaster's office, walked toward the balcony to see if someone was playing a prank on them. However, she saw no one in the immediate vicinity, which made her wonder what was happening.

As a Saint, it was very easy for Alexander to detect where the sound was coming from as long as he focused his mind on it, and the result of his investigation made him frown.

'It's coming from the sky?' Alexander thought as he gazed to the heavens. 'Just what is going on?'

—----

Kingdom of Agartha found near the core of the Earth…

A pink-haired young lady, who was bound by several chains, raised her head to look at the ceiling above her head.

She didn't know where the sound was coming from, but the moment she heard it, she felt as if the power inside her chest was starting to fluctuate.

It was as if something from beyond the darkness of her prison was calling out to her, and it made her feel things that she had long discarded after being locked up for the last few years of her life.

"A change is coming," the pink-haired girl muttered as she slowly stood up to raise her hands towards the ceiling, making her chains give out clinking sounds. "A change that will sweep this world by storm."

—----

Kingdom of Espoir Frieden, the Holy Land of the High-Elves…

A beautiful elf narrowed her eyes to look towards the South. The moment she heard the tolling of the bell, her heart started to beat wildly inside her chest.

She didn't know what was happening, but she knew that whatever it was, it would also have an effect on all the Elven Kingdoms, including the Holy Kingdom of the High Elves.

—----

High Above the Skies of Elysium, the floating Island City of the Draconians, Karshvar Draconis…

The current Dragon King opened its eyes as the loud tolling of a bell reached his ears.

"Keoza…" the Dragon King muttered. "After hundreds of years, you have finally made your choice. Good. I look forward to seeing the person you have acknowledged.

—----

The tolling of the bell could be heard in every part of Solais and Elysium. Every creature under the Heavens raised their heads in confusion as they tried to figure out where the sound they were hearing was coming from.

Seated on top of the highest peak of Elysium was the God of Games, Eriol.

A smile could be seen on his face, as he waited for the announcement to the world to be given.

—-----

< Worldwide Announcement! >

< Let it be known that on the 13th day of the Month of Death, in the year of the Crow, the first ever Mythical Guild in the World was created! >

< Spread the news far and wide, and welcome the coming of the Guild that will be known from this day onwards as… >

< Heaven's Gate! >

Chapter 360 Mythical Guild, Heaven’s Gate [Part 1]

< Spread the news far and wide, and welcome the coming of the Guild that will be known from this day onwards as... >

< Heaven's Gate! >

------

"..."

"..."

"..."

Lux, Thoram, and Keelan stood rooted to their spot when they heard the Worldwide Announcement.

Right in front of the three of them were two words, floating in the air, which spelled out the name of Lux's Guild.

Heaven's Gate.

Boreas, who was standing a few meters away from the three, looked at the name of the Guild that hovered in the air. It turned out that he wasn't just seeing things.

However, just to be sure, he opened his Soul Book and went to the Guild Page to confirm whether everything he had heard and seen was real.

--------

< Heaven's Gate >

"Last Stand At World's End."

Guild Rank: Mythical

Guild Member Name: Boreas...

Profession: Captain of the Riders of Norria

Rank: Grade B Apostle.

< Active Guild Buffs >

300% Health Regeneration

300% Mana Regeneration

300% Stamina Regeneration

100% Chance to learn skills from Beast Cores

100% Immunity to Charm Skill

100% Increase in Experience Points when killing Monsters

25% Chance of getting better Monster Drops

25% Chance of resisting Status Ailments

20% Increase in Physical and Magical Attacks

20% Increase in Physical and Magical Defense

20% Bonus Success Rate in Crafting items

< Guild Facilities >

: Requirements not met. Please build a Guild Headquarters first and install corresponding facilities.

: You can only build your Main Guild Headquarters on the floating island, Karshvar Draconis.

: The Guildmaster may use the Token of Bahamut to go to Karshvar Draconis once every three days.

: Once the Guild Headquarters is built, all Guild Members will be able to teleport to the Guild Base once every three days.

< Guild Bestiary >

: Not installed

Guild Mount: Not Available

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"Hyeok!"

Boreas almost choked on his saliva after reading the guild information in his Soul Book. He didn't expect that the Guild that he casually joined would be the first ever Mythical Guild in the whole world.

Originally, he planned to leave Lux's Guild as soon as it was created. Now, even if Lux were to kick him out of the guild, he would cry and hug the Half-Elf's thighs, begging to let him stay in his guild.

With so many benefits just by being part of Heaven's Gate, Boreas wouldn't leave it even if Lux insisted to get him out.

Leave the only Mythical Guild in the World?

Hah! Only dumb people would do that! I'm not dumb!

Thoram and Keelan, who finally regained their wits, looked up at the Half-Elf beside them in disbelief. If not for the fact that they were inside the Guild Creation room, and had watched Lux register his guild properly, they would still be doubting if they were right in the head or not.

"Lux, my boy, it seems like you made some of my Riders your Guild Members just to reach the quota for guild creation," Thoram cleared his throat. "Do you know what you have done?"

Lux snapped out of his daze and looked at the Commander of the Stronghold with an apologetic expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Sir Thoram," Lux replied. "It was a bit selfish of me to ask your men to join me in order to reach the quota for creating the guild."

"Right." Thoram nodded. "But that is not the problem here. You invited my Riders to your Guild, but you forgot to invite me. Lux, my boy, it seems that you skipped some steps. Shouldn't you have invited me in as well?"

"Yes. I am very sorry that I:Um?" Lux, who was about to apologize again, caught himself right in time after hearing Thoram's words. He thought that the Commander was nagging at him for asking his Riders to join his guild without his permission.

"Sir Thoram, could you please repeat what you said? I think I didn't hear you right the first time."

"You're so young, and you already have trouble hearing? Well, you're in luck, boy. Since I can help you handle some of the guild affairs if you make me one of the officers of your Guild. Relax, I have plenty of experience managing people. My Commander title isn't just for show, you know?"

Keelan, who was just listening to the conversation, also cleared his throat.

"Being the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, I have a keen eye on people. Hey~ the moment I saw you enter my Guild Branch, I knew right away that your future is bright," Keelan commented. "But I can tell that you don't specialize in handling human resources. Fortunately, the Adventurer's Guild is a free organization and doesn't keep their Guildmembers in a tight leash.

"We are able to join or form guilds of our own as we wish as long as it doesn't get in the way of our duties. I also have plenty of connections, so why don't you let me handle information gathering and the other small stuff? Thoram here can handle the rest. What do you say? I'm sure you will need someone like me in your Guild as well."

The two Dwarves flanked the Half-Elf and looked at him as if they were looking at a golden goose that they wouldn't allow to escape.

Thoram even gave Boreas a subtle gesture to make sure that the door was properly secured so that no one could come in or out of the Guild Creation Altar room and discover what was happening inside of it.

Thoram and Keelan were no fools. For the time being, the identity of Lux's Guild must be kept secret for as long as possible.

No one knew what a Mythical Guild was capable of, and even the Highest Ranked Guilds, which were Adamantite-Rank that had millions of members, didn't have the same perks and Guild Buffs that Lux's Guild currently had.

Actually, Adamantite Rank Guild only had the Guild Buffs, 100% Health, Mana, and Stamina Regeneration.

Compared to the special buffs that Lux's Guild possessed, the highest ranking guilds in the world looked like second rate guilds!

"Boy, what are you waiting for?" Thoram patted Lux's arm. "Invite us already."

"Hey~ I might change my mind, you know?" Keelan said while playing with his beard. "It is best to make me a guild member before I turn you down."

The two Dwarves were releasing auras that made Lux feel that they wouldn't accept no as an answer. So in order to get out of this tricky situation, he did what he had to do and added Thoram and Keelan as members of his guild. He immediately promoted them into Guild Elders.

Just like Boreas, Thoram and Keelan were surprised to see the amazing Guild Buffs that were available to the members of Lux's Guild.

Aside from the very high Health, Mana, and Stamina Regeneration, the thing that captured their attention the most was the increased experience points, as well as the 100% Chance to learn Skills from Beast Cores.

In truth, there was only a 30% Chance that you could learn a skill from a Beast Core, so learning High-Level skills from Deimos, Argonaut, Dreadnought, and Empyrean Ranked Beast Cores was a very costly thing to do.

With the Guild Buffs available to them, they no longer had to worry about such a thing.

But it didn't end there. For Manager and Commander Ranked People like Keelan and Thoram, the 100% Immunity to Charm and 20% Bonus Success Rate in Crafting items was something that made them look at their Soul Books in disbelief.

Although rare, there were a few people that had very powerful Charm Skills in the world. Once you were charmed by them, you would be unable to resist their orders, so people seated in high positions were prime targets to be charmed.

The 20% Success Rate was also something that was much coveted by craftsmen like Blacksmiths, Alchemists, and other artisans who relied on luck to create anything with a rank above Mythical Rank.

"Lux, we need to talk about some serious issues concerning our guild," said Thoram, who clearly understood the consequences of such guild buffs. He knew that if word of this got out, Lux would be the target of people's envy and jealousy.

It might even put the young man's life in danger because some would aim for his life in order to erase his existence. His guild members wouldn't be spared either because the enemies' main goal would be to prevent Heaven's Gate from becoming strong.

In order to avoid such situations, Thoram and Keelan wanted to make sure that the Half-Elf fully understood the ups and downs of being the Guildmaster of the only Mythical Rank Guild in the world.

An hour later, Lux once again put on the Mask of Thousand Faces before leaving the Stronghold of Norria, alongside the dumbfounded Cai and Keane, who were looking at their Soul Books in disbelief.