"Good… good… very good…" Rhine muttered, his eyes sharpening as if doused in ice water. The alcohol's haze vanished, replaced by a venomous glare that could pierce steel. His fist slammed onto the table.
"So he wants to play games? Fine. Let's see who burns first."
Without waiting, he snapped out orders to the assassin beside him.
"Double the reward on Raen's team members. Two thousand credits a head. I don't care how many of them fall—but I want blood. As for any player daring to touch our guild… anyone who kills them will be compensated as well."
His voice turned colder.
"Make sure our people move in groups. No one levels alone from now on."
"Yes, Boss." The assassin bowed slightly and vanished from the room, his silhouette swallowed by the tavern's shadowy corridor.
Rhine, however, remained still for a moment, his teeth grinding in frustration. Finally, he opened his interface and sent a private message.
To: Nightshade Vale
"Begin the operation. I want Raen erased from this town."
…
Meanwhile, deep inside South Glade Town, Kaito stood within the echoing halls of the Forging Life Guild. His steps brought him into one of the intermediate forging rooms—soundproofed and secured.
There was no time to waste.
He still had a promise to fulfill—delivering a batch of forged gear to Selvera.
Kaito stepped before the blackstone furnace and opened his inventory. A soft hum echoed through the room as he retrieved the Whisper Flame.
With a flick of his hand, the crimson ember hovered above the forge like a floating wisp, its glow casting flickers of orange across the cold metal tools nearby.
He narrowed his eyes.
Shadow fang—a Silver-ranked sword with a Level 10 restriction—was his current focus. He had acquired its blueprint from the black market not long ago.
But Before he could begin crafting the Shadow Fang, Kaito knew he had to address a more immediate concern—his forging rank.
At present, he was still classified as a Basic Forging Apprentice, and forging Silver-tier weapons like Shadow Fang without raising his rank would result in unnecessary failures and wasted materials. Instead, he shifted his focus toward something he had already perfected: Echo Core Ember Plates.
These plates were not only familiar to him from repeated crafting but also served as the most efficient way to build experience and raise his proficiency. Attempting to forge the high-level Bronze-tier and Mysterious Iron-tier equipment he had acquired from dungeon runs and treasure chests would only lead to setbacks at this point.
"If I rush the advanced designs now, I'll just be throwing away precious materials," Kaito muttered as he organized the necessary components for the plates.
His plan was simple. Crafting Ember Plates, hit the threshold for promotion to Intermediate Forging Apprentice, and then start on the premium designs once his success rate had increased. With the Whisper Flame enhancing his fire-based forges, his efficiency was already leagues above standard players. But raising his official rank would allow him to push even further.
As his hammer rose and fell, sparks flew, and the Echo Core Ember Plates piled up one by one.
…
Outside the silent walls of the forging guild, tension stirred in South Glade Town.
The atmosphere across the city was growing restless. The Genesis team's dominance, the bounty war between guilds, and Kaito's earlier stock clearance at the auction house had all combined to cause ripple effects across the entire market.
With a sudden influx of new players logging in—drawn by the fame, rewards, and growing player conflict—the supply of equipment and resources had plummeted. Meanwhile, demand had skyrocketed.
Within just two hours, the prices of standard consumables, low-tier gear, and even basic forging materials had doubled.
Complaints began flooding the public channels.
For most average players, their daily income from grinding and quests was meager at best—and that small sum often went straight into buying essentials. Out in the wild, survival meant carrying supplies: rations, drinks, recovery potions, and mana restoratives. But now, all those necessary items had become nearly unaffordable.
In just a matter of hours, market prices had surged wildly.
Among the items hardest hit by inflation, none spiked higher than equipment. Where one could previously buy a Level 2 common gear for just 20 copper coins, that same piece now went for 40 copper coins or more. And for those dreaming of Bronze-tier equipment and above, the cost increase was even more staggering.
Still, players had no choice.
Without proper gear, hunting monsters efficiently was next to impossible. A sword too dull or armor too brittle could mean the difference between survival and defeat. As a result, a growing number of players were willing to sacrifice their potion budget just to buy better equipment. Their logic was simple: with decent gear, they'd be able to join stronger parties, kill faster, and make back the money in no time.
This demand triggered a chain reaction.
The equipment market was flooded with buyers. And as prices rose, real-world wealthy players began exchanging credits for coins, hoping to buy up equipment while it still held value. The increased demand for coins pushed in-game currency prices even higher, creating a full-blown economic surge within Glory.
The ripple effects reached further.
Now, Raen's public bounty, along with Everhold Dominion's counter-offer, became the talk of the entire town. Players who once chose to stay uninvolved were now reconsidering. Some were drawn by the silver coin rewards, others by the prestige of defeating a top expert or high-profile guild.
As tensions escalated, players began flocking toward the Echoing Deep dungeon entrance—some with their eyes on Genesis, others targeting Everhold Dominion. From lurking assassins to eager glory-seekers, everyone now had a reason to get involved.
"Party forming to take down Genesis members! Only Level 11 and above with full Bronze gear! Meet at my location—let's earn some silver!"
"Looking to farm Everhold Dominion members? Level 10+ only. Easy money—don't miss this shot!"
Across the bustling plaza of South Glade Town, recruitment shouts echoed from all directions. Players no longer called out for dungeon raids or monster grinding parties. Their targets had shifted.
It was no longer about beasts or bosses.
It was about players.
With bounties fueling the fire, the entire atmosphere of South Glade turned tense and opportunistic. Players who once ignored PvP altogether were now picking sides—not out of loyalty, but for profit. What began as a feud between Raen and Everhold Dominion had exploded into a full-blown player hunt that swept across every district of the town.
....
Inside the Shadowpine Forest,
A party of Level 10 players currently surrounded three Level 10 Shadowfur Wolves.
The players coordinated with practiced ease, advancing and retreating in seamless rhythm as they steadily whittled down the three Shadowfur Wolves. In a flash of flame, one of the wolves was engulfed by a blazing fireball, collapsing to the ground with a pained yelp. The remaining two Shadowfur Wolves staggered, their health bars dwindling, each left with only a sliver of HP.
"Leader, we've already hit Level 10. I'm sick of grinding the same old Shadowfur Wolves over and over again. Let's switch it up and head over to the Level 11 zone—those Duskhorn Cubs drop decent loot, and the EXP there's way better too," the shield warrior said with a grunt, bracing his shield against the pouncing wolf.