The morning after the tournament was different.
Beginner's Rest, once filled with careless chatter and easy laughter, now carried a certain buzz, a tension in the air. Players moved in clusters, whispering and pointing discreetly whenever Akhil passed by. His victory in the tournament wasn't just news, it was wildfire. Stories spread, exaggerated by every mouth they passed through. Some claimed he had defeated every opponent with a single blow. Others swore he had dodged magic spells by blinking like a shadow. Akhil heard none of it. He moved with the same calm as always, stepping through the alleys and side roads that had become his silent home.
The Ironhawk Mercenaries had offered him an official token of recognition, something that allowed easy entry into future tournaments or mercenary missions. He accepted it without fanfare, tucking it away in his inventory. Fame wasn't his goal. Fame was a tool.
As he crossed the merchant square, he noticed players turning to look at him — not mocking now, but assessing. Weighing. Wondering if they should approach or leave him be. For the first time since entering Luminaria Online, Akhil wasn't invisible.
It felt dangerous.
It felt necessary.
He had planned for this. After the survival tournament, attention would come whether he wanted it or not. But attention alone wasn't power. If he wanted to build something lasting, something real, he needed to move quickly before guilds tried to recruit him, control him, or worse — crush him.
He needed to lay the first stone.The stone of a guild that didn't exist yet — Zero Origins.
Akhil turned toward the administrative center of Beginner's Rest, a tall, stone building guarded by two large NPC knights. Inside was the Guild Founding Desk, where adventurers could spend Credits to register their own guilds. It required proof of achievement, enough funds, and approval from the Mercenary Guild's overseers.
Ordinary beginners had no hope of qualifying.
Akhil wasn't ordinary anymore.He pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside, ready to begin.
The interior of the Guild Registration Hall was quiet and formal, filled with polished wooden floors and golden banners. A long stone counter stretched across the back, where several NPC officials handled paperwork and applications. Most players never even entered this place. Founding a guild required vast sums of money or overwhelming reputation, things beginners lacked.
Akhil approached the counter confidently. A stern-looking registrar, an NPC named Galen, looked up and studied him carefully.
"Guild founding requires one thousand Credits and proof of exceptional merit," Galen said without prompting. "What brings you here?"
Akhil placed the Ironhawk Recognition Token on the counter silently. Galen's eyes widened slightly — a genuine reaction, rare from programmed characters.
"I see. Champion of the Ironhawk Beginner's Survival Tournament," the registrar muttered, confirming the record in his ledger. "Very well. You are eligible."
A system window opened before Akhil.
[Guild Founding Requirements Met.][Founding Fee: 1000 Credits.][Please enter the desired Guild Name.]
Akhil typed it without hesitation: Zero Origins.
Another prompt appeared.
[Guild Motto (optional):]
He thought for a moment, then entered a simple phrase:"Born from Nothing. Bound for Everything."
Satisfied, he confirmed the details.
The system opened again.
[Guild 'Zero Origins' successfully registered!][Guild Level: 1][Guild Member Limit: 10][Guild Headquarters: Not Yet Assigned.][Initial Fame: 100 (Rising)][Guild Creation Bonus: +50 Credits.]
The registrar nodded approvingly. "Your guild is recognized. You may recruit members freely, though note that guild wars, territory contests, and political struggles are your responsibility now."
Akhil accepted the information silently.He hadn't founded Zero Origins for fame or power games.He founded it to create a home for players like him — those born at zero, fighting for a future no one believed they could reach.
Pocketing the simple badge representing his guildmaster status, Akhil turned and left the hall.
The sun outside shone brighter somehow, as if recognizing his decision.He had taken the first real step toward something far greater than survival.Now, he had to build it.
The first challenge wasn't recruiting members.It was finding the right ones.
Akhil didn't want anyone who would come chasing fame or easy victories. He wanted the forgotten players, the struggling ones, the outcasts who fought silently every day without recognition.
But where did you find players like that?
Certainly not in the flashy plazas or crowded beginner zones.He thought carefully and turned his steps toward the outer training fields, places where players practiced skills alone, away from laughing crowds. Places where ambition burned quietly, unseen.
Hours passed as he wandered the fields, observing silently. Most players training here were too new, still struggling to hold weapons properly. Some were too arrogant, shouting their moves like stage actors.
But a few caught his eye.
A young archer practicing quietly under a dead tree, her arrows flying straighter with every shot despite using a cracked bow. A twin-sword user sparring against dummies longer than necessary, pushing himself past exhaustion. A mage with torn robes, trying over and over to cast a basic shield spell without giving up despite repeated failures.
These were the ones.The forgotten ones.The fighters.
Akhil approached them one by one, speaking simply.
"I'm building something. Not for fame. Not for easy victories. For those who start from nothing and want to reach everything. If you're serious, come to the old west warehouse at sunset."
He didn't beg. He didn't explain more.Either they understood or they didn't.
By the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across Beginner's Rest, Akhil stood inside the abandoned warehouse near the western wall, an old storage building forgotten by players and NPCs alike.
He waited quietly, leaning against a cracked pillar.
One by one, figures began to arrive.The archer with the cracked bow.The tired twin-sword fighter.The stubborn mage.
Two others he hadn't even spoken to , players who had heard rumors and felt the silent call for something real.
Akhil smiled slightly.They were few.But they were real.And from now on, they wouldn't be alone.
The inside of the abandoned warehouse smelled of dust and old wood. Moonlight filtered through the broken roof, casting pale beams across the empty space. Akhil stood before the gathered players — five souls who had chosen to believe in a stranger's quiet promise.
He looked at each of them carefully.
The archer — focused.
The twin-swordsman — determined.
The mage — stubborn beyond logic.
The others — wary but willing.
He spoke without raising his voice.
"This world wasn't built for players like us," he said. "The strong guilds, the rich buyers, the system itself — it favors those who already have. But we start from nothing. No money. No powerful friends. No second chances."
The others listened silently, their eyes reflecting the flickering torchlight Akhil had set earlier.
"We will not play by their rules. We will carve our own path. We will build from zero and rise beyond them all."
He opened the system window and sent the official invitations.
One by one, they accepted.
[Player 'Selina (Archer)' has joined Zero Origins.][Player 'Daxton (Twin-Blades)' has joined Zero Origins.][Player 'Fenn (Mage)' has joined Zero Origins.][Player 'Lira (Rogue)' has joined Zero Origins.][Player 'Torren (Shield-Bearer)' has joined Zero Origins.]
The guild window updated instantly.
[Zero Origins: 6 Members][Guild Level 1][Guild Fame: 120 (Rising)]
Akhil closed the window and looked at his new guildmates.
"No promises of easy victories," he said. "Only the promise that we fight together, rise together, and never forget where we started."
The others nodded, some with tight smiles, others with firm fists.
Zero Origins was no longer an idea.
It was real.
Small,rough,fragile.But alive.
And Akhil knew that one day, when the powerful guilds looked back, when the players of Luminaria whispered of legends, they would remember this moment.
The night when a handful of forgotten players built something that should never have existed.
And changed the world.
TO BE CONTINUED........................
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[Player Status: Akhil]
Class: Glitchborn (Hidden Class)
Level: 9
Health (HP): 410/410
Mana (MP): 130/130
Stamina (SP): 190/190
Strength (STR): 16
Agility (AGI): 13
Intelligence (INT): 3
Vitality (VIT): 11
Dexterity (DEX): 10
Luck (LUK): ??? (Hidden)
Title(s):
- Survivor of Crimson Hollow (+5% Poison Resistance, +2 Agility)
- Silent Predator (+5% Dodge Chance, +3 Agility)
Skills:
- Night Predator (Passive)
- Whisper Sense (Passive)
- Minor Poison Resistance (Passive)
Equipment:
- Weapon: Iron-Edged Dagger
- Armor: Reinforced Leather Armor
- Boots: Scout Boots
- Accessory: Broken Miner's Amulet
Guild:
- Zero Origins (Guildmaster)
- Guild Members: 5
Credits: 705
Quest Active: None
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