The sun crested the horizon, casting long, crimson shadows over the jagged rocks of Blackstone Ravine. Heat shimmered over the terrain, mingling with the acrid scent of burnt stone and monster blood. The echo of past battle still hung in the air.
And into that silence marched over a hundred players—uniformed, armed, and unified under a single banner.
Everhold Dominion had returned.
Rhine walked at the front, eyes sharp and brooding beneath a dark crimson cloak, the same colour etched into the sigil above his health bar. His new recruits, flanked by hardened officers, moved with precision—shielded mages in back, scouts spreading along the sides, bruisers and blade-types forming a forward wedge.
The air crackled with tension and purpose.
They had come for revenge.
But as Rhine crested the ridge overlooking the ravine, his stride slowed.
The battlefield below was… empty.
No sign of Genesis. Only fading scorchmarks already beginning to vanish into system decay.
"Where the hell are they?" Rhine muttered.
Behind him, an officer stepped forward. "Maybe they ran?"
Rhine's lips curled in arrogance "Don't let him come infront of me again or I'll make him drop back to lvl 0."
He stood silent for a long moment, fists clenched.
He could still see the battle in his mind—the humiliation. How Genesis tore through his thirty elites like trained assassins. How Raen stood at the center, commanding like a ghost with a sword. That damned video had gone viral within hours. The South Glade forums were still on fire.
And because of it the higher ups were very dissatisfied with him, If he didn't do something about this, they said they would appoint a new commander for SouthGlade.
"Fine," he said eventually. "We reclaim this zone then. Don't let anyone enter"
He snapped his fingers. "Units A and B, fan out and clear the western ridge. C squad, take the central slope. D squad with me. We're starting with the Scorchgnaw nests."
The Dominion players moved swiftly, their footsteps echoing as they split across the battlefield. Within minutes, their weapons were swinging again—axes clashing with thick hide, magic flaring against gnarled claws, and loot notifications pinging in the air.
But something felt… off.
And then it happened.
A flash of red burst from the cliff wall to his left. One of the front-line vanguards screamed as a blinding snare trap detonated beneath his boots—launching him backward into two others.
[Status Effect: Blind – Duration: 4 sec]
[Status Effect: Cripple – Movement Speed -60%]
"What the hell?!" another shouted.
The moment his voice rang out, two more explosions erupted near the central slope. Colored mist hissed out of small metallic cylinders embedded into the rock—covering the area in a swirling cloud of green gas.
[Trap Effect Triggered – Poison Lure Gas]
[HP -5% per second – 10 seconds]
A chorus of curses filled the guild channel.
"Who placed these?!"
"They're everywhere!"
"My gear's poisoned—someone clear the debuff!"
"I'm stuck in a root net—!"
Rhine's head whipped around. At least seven traps had activated in the span of twenty seconds—and more were going off deeper in the zone. Arrows marked with motion runes were sticking out of tree trunks, some still blinking with active trigger glyphs.
This wasn't bad luck.
This was planned.
Kaito had prepared all of this—before he left.
"Agh—DAMN it!" Rhine slammed his fist into a nearby rock.
Someone shouted from above, "Another snare—north cliff! I can't move!"
[System Notice: Party Member Silenced]
[System Notice: Movement Locked – Trap Duration: 8 sec]
Officers scrambled to regroup. Some players backed off the ravine's center, wary of every stone and bush. Others tried to inch around with trap detection skills—but most of their tools were lower-tier, barely functional against custom-made glyph traps.
The damage wasn't lethal.
It was humiliating.
Every moment they spent disarming traps was a moment wasted. Every shriek or curse that echoed through the canyon added to the sting.
Rhine ground his teeth.
"That bastard—"
He activated the guild-wide channel.
"All squads—pause combat. Form detection rings and begin coordinated sweep. Do not move forward without confirmation. Use cloaked units to mark ground traps. Do NOT rush any exposed mob clusters."
Orders relayed down the line.
But it didn't help.
The morale was dropping fast. Already, whispers were rising on public channels about the footage from last time—and now this? It was as if Raen was always one step ahead.
They had barely settled into a rhythm when another ping lit up Rhine's vision.
[Private Message – From: Lancer (Everhold Dominion – Scout Unit)]
"Boss. You're going to want to see this."
"Raen just showed up in South Glade Town. He's with his full team."
Rhine froze.
"Confirmed?"
"100%. I saw them walking into the town. No disguise."
"Pull the sweep teams back. Let's go deal with this bastard."
Rhine left with his 100 men, his eyes burned with the promise of vengeance.
While they were leaving they saw many players swarming the Blackstone Ravine.
"Boss?" said a man beside Rhine while throwing a glance towards the crowd.
"Let them be, I'll take it back, once I'm done with Raen."
For him these people were ants which his guild could crush anytime. Not worthy of his attention.
...….
The dusty road curved gently ahead, flanked by low hills and whispering trees. Raven Blade adjusted his grip on the hilt at his side as he jogged down the path, his boots crunching on gravel. The town's marker shimmered faintly in the distance.
He wasn't alone.
Behind him, a group of Genesis recruits—newly accepted, still in basic gear—followed close. They had grouped up two zones ago, responding internal ping exchanges on the road. They had already added each other as friends today when they told to come to South Glade.
"There it is," one of them muttered. "South Glade."
As they crested a hill, the town came into view.
a place buried this deep into the forested regions of the central provinces, South Glade had a strange energy. The wooden watchtowers at its edge gleamed with recent polish, and the cobbled roads leading into the gate bustled with merchant carts, mounted NPCs, and a surprising number of players.
Everything was similar to the towns they had come from as they came under the same city's management.
Raven Blade slowed to a walk.
The others clustered around him as they approached the entrance.
"Feels more alive than it should," someone murmured.
They crossed under the wooden arch of the south gate. A notification appeared.
[System Message: You have entered South Glade Town.]
The town square stretched before them—built around a fountain, with low buildings on either side. Smithies, inns, quest boards, and apothecaries lined the streets. None of it was flashy. But it was… buzzing.
Dozens of players—some lower level, some mid-tier—stood talking, forming temporary parties, or scanning bulletin boards. Trade was brisk. Air felt light.
Then came the voices.
"You see that video?"
"That fight? Genesis wiped them—thirty guys gone like paper dolls."
"It's already got millions of hits. People are calling Raen a mid-game boss tier."
"Everhold's pride got deleted."
Raven Blade and the others paused.
More players gathered near a large noticeboard. A glowing post floated above it, pulsating faintly with gold.
[Top Forum Thread: "Genesis vs Everhold – Blackstone Ravine Battle (Full Uncut Footage)"]
Even from afar, Raven Blade caught glimpses—Kaede's lightning flashes, Hiroto's shield strikes...Every blow. Every dodge. Every finisher.
Frozen in time. Immortalized.
"That's us," someone whispered behind him. "That's our guild."
Because they were concentrating on reaching south glade they had missed it.
Just then, a hush rolled through the square.
"Wait—look!"
Across the plaza, a small party had just entered through the east road.
Raven Blade and others also turned.
He saw them immediately.
Suzune's sleek profile, nearly invisible in the crowd's edges.
Kaede walking casually, staff swinging over one shoulder.
Aika in her robes, golden rings faintly pulsing as she passed.
Meirin, bow across her back, eyes sharp.
Hiroto and Daichi trailing side-by-side like tanks at rest.
And at the center—Raen(Kaito).
He wasn't doing anything special. Just walking. Calm. Hands at his sides, blade sheathed, gaze level.
But players moved.
The square shifted like ripples around a rock. Eyes turned. Whispers spread.
"That's them…"
"It's really them."
"Genesis."
"They beat Dominion…"
Raven Blade and his squad stood frozen. Watching.
Then Kaito's eyes flicked across the plaza—and landed on them.
A subtle smile tugged at his lips.
Without a word, he altered course and walked straight toward them.
"Raven Blade," he said.
Raven Blade straightened.
Kaito's gaze swept over the group. "Glad you made it."
"We linked up just outside town. Recruits from the Astralis ping," Raven Blade explained.
Kaede caught up behind him and gave a two-finger salute. "Good timing."
One of the recruits couldn't help blurting, "You guys really fought thirty Everhold elites?"
Kaede grinned. "Not all at once. We took turns embarrassing them."
Meirin gave him a look. "Mostly."
Raven Blade looked at Kaito. "What now?"
"Rest first," Kaito said. "Then we regroup."
He turned away, motioning for them to follow as Genesis moved toward the far side of town.
"Welcome to South Glade."