Kaito's thoughts churned as he continued down the path. He hadn't expected Everhold Dominion to go this far—first sending an expert assassin, and now openly placing a bounty on his head. Did they truly think he'd just sit back and do nothing?
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
If it was war they wanted, then war they would have.
Kaito logged onto the official forums, using his in-game name Raen, and posted a message that would shake the entire Astralis region:
To Everhold Dominion: Since you've declared war, I'll return the favor.
Effective immediately, a bounty has been placed on every one of your members.
Kill a regular Everhold Dominion member: Reward – 100 Credits or 1 Silver Coin
Kill a member of their upper echelon: Reward – 1,000 Credits or 10 Silver Coins
Kill Rhine: Reward – 5,000 Credits or 50 Silver Coins
This bounty will remain in effect until Everhold Dominion is wiped from South Glade Town.
Within moments, the post exploded across the regional forums.
Never before in Glory's history had an independent team player declared an all-out war on an entire guild—and backed it up with real rewards.
Usually, only major guilds issued bounties on individual players. But this time, it was the reverse. A lone player with a 50-man team had just placed a bounty on an entire guild.
Hundreds of players across South Glade Town were stunned.
Was this man insane? Or just absurdly rich?
Either way, his post ignited a storm. And in the eyes of many, it didn't matter whether Raen could truly destroy Everhold Dominion.
Because the war… had already begun.
...…
Shortly after Kaito's post went live, the forums erupted.
"No way! That bounty's insane. I should've picked South Glade Town as my starting point."
"One silver coin just for killing a regular member? That's more than I make grinding all day. If I manage to take down seven or eight of them, that's 700–800 credits. That's better than my real-life salary!"
"If I spend an entire month hunting Dominion dogs, I could earn a small fortune!"
But naturally, not everyone was convinced.
"Could this be a scam? Wasn't that guy, Raen, just some poor solo player? Where'd he get that kind of money?"
"The guy above is right. This stinks. Raen's probably just trying to win pity and trick us into going up against Everhold Dominion."
"Yeah, classic clout-chaser move. Talk big, can't pay up."
Voices clashed across the board. Some players were fired up, thrilled at the idea of hunting Everhold Dominion. Others lashed out, mocking Kaito and accusing him of grandstanding. A large number simply refused to believe he had the wealth to back it up.
After all, placing a bounty on every member of a large guild—even for one kill—would cost a fortune. Multiple kills? That was madness. Even a real-world tycoon wouldn't casually spend that kind of money.
Just as the storm of skepticism reached its peak, a new reply appeared—one that silenced the crowd.
I am Zephyr of the Stormlife Guild. I stand in full support of Brother Raen. I can personally guarantee every word he has said is true. If, for any reason, you're unable to claim your bounty from him, you may collect it from me instead.
A single post. That was all it took.
The forums, already in chaos, were stunned into silence before exploding again. With Zephyr's name backing the bounty, doubt vanished instantly.
Although Raen had made a name for himself, his reputation still paled in comparison to that of a major guild. But Zephyr's endorsement carried an entirely different weight. Stormlife Guild wasn't just any guild—it was a second-rate powerhouse with tens of thousands of members, backed by over a decade of fame from past VR games. Their credibility was beyond doubt.
"Whoa, Zephyr from Stormlife actually showed up! Please let me join Stormlife Guild!"
"Even Zephyr's backing him? Then the bounty must be real."
"South Glade players are about to get rich!"
The moment Zephyr posted his support, the views on Kaito's thread skyrocketed, multiplying by tens of thousands.
Then, yet another reply appeared—one that sent the forums into complete meltdown.
Raen is my friend. I can personally vouch for his integrity. If there's any issue with the bounty, you can come to me. —Velena
It was the goddess herself.
Velena's post instantly shut down the doubters. No one dared to question Raen anymore—not when Velena, one of Glory's most beloved figures, had vouched for him. Those who had insulted him earlier instantly vanished from the thread, afraid of provoking Velena's fanbase. After all, angering her followers was practically asking to be torn apart.
From that point on, the replies went wild:
"Raen, you're my idol! Please accept me as your disciple—I'll do anything!"
"Big Brother Raen, do you have a girlfriend? I'm 18, cute, and curvy. I swear I can give birth to a dozen little monkeys for you!"
Seeing Velena's response, the players were utterly stunned. In that moment, everyone came to the same realization—Raen was no ordinary expert.
Not only had he earned the backing of Zephyr from Stormlife Guild, but also the personal endorsement of Velena, the goddess of Crimson Rose. This level of support wasn't something an average player could dream of. In the current era, with Glory growing more popular by the day, Raen's future was nothing short of limitless.
South Glade Town — Lower District, The Scarlet Tankard Tavern
"Brother Rhine, bad news!"
An assassin burst into the private room, his face pale with anxiety.
Rhine, meanwhile, lounged comfortably at the table, face flushed red from drinking. He didn't think it was possible to get drunk in a virtual world—but this wine had a rich, intoxicating flavor far superior to anything back in reality. No wonder so many of the game's darker factions frequented this tavern. He raised the cup again, savoring the taste.
"What are you yelling for? It's not like the sky's falling," Rhine grumbled, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. "So? Who's the bastard that dared to put a bounty on my head? I'll carve him into pieces."
"It's Raen," the assassin said, hesitating.
Rhine blinked, confused. "What?"
"Raen—the independent player. He just made a post on the official forums. He's placed a bounty on every single member of Everhold Dominion."
A tense silence filled the room.
Rhine scoffed, waving his hand. "Hah! Him? With what money? Who the hell would believe a clown like that?"
"But Boss… it's real," the assassin insisted. "You should see the post yourself. It already has over a million views. He's offering credits and silver coins for each of us. Ten times more for upper members—and fifty silver coins just for killing you."
Rhine froze, the mug halfway to his lips.
For a moment, he still wanted to dismiss it. No lone player had ever dared go this far. Declaring war on an entire guild was suicide. It would be a direct threat to Everhold Dominion's authority. No player or group could be allowed to provoke them like this and walk away.
If they let it slide… their guild's reputation would be shattered.
And that, Rhine could never allow.
However, reality proved otherwise.
Such an unthinkable event had, in fact, come to pass.
Still unwilling to believe his subordinate, Rhine scoffed and pulled up the official forums himself. Yet the moment the post loaded on his interface, his expression stiffened.
He was dumbfounded.
Raen—that Raen—had actually placed a bounty on every single member of Everhold Dominion.
The post was real. Public. Bold.
And it wasn't a bluff. He was serious about dragging the entire guild into a war of annihilation.
For a brief moment, Rhine almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it—but the weight of the situation quickly sank in. He had forgotten… He had been the one who first placed the bounty on Raen. He was the one who had made a public declaration that only one of them would walk away in the end.
As he scrolled through the replies, Rhine's face darkened. The same players who had earlier mocked Raen and called him a scammer were now silent. No one questioned the bounty anymore. In fact, the forums were ablaze with chatter from players discussing how to hunt down Everhold Dominion members like it was some kind of festival event. Posts were springing up like weeds: guides on locating Dominion teams, kill logs, bounty calculators.
It had become a player-wide competition.
When Rhine finally reached the bounty value placed on him, he nearly erupted on the spot.
Fifty silver coins. Five thousand credits. Per kill.
He had spent a million credits to secretly hire Nightshade Vale for a surgical assassination. The public 10,000-credit bounty had been more of a scare tactic, a show of force. He hadn't truly expected someone to take down Raen.
His real objective all along had been to eliminate Raen's Genesis team and slowly crush him through isolation.