Among the people in the team, was Rhine. His fate had shifted since their repeated clashes with Raen. After those humiliating defeats, Rhine had faced the full wrath of the Dominion elders during the meeting.
Though his brother-in-law, Silent Reign, had stepped forward to protect him, it had not been enough. Silent Reign's intervention saved Rhine from a severe punishment, but he was still harmed. In the end, Rhine was forced to relinquish his position as leader, handing over the authority of South Glade Town to Grave Mind.
To make matters worse, Rhine had been ordered to move out of South Glade Town, the very place he had struggled so hard to build up. He was sent instead to Blue Sky Town along with the other members under the leadership of Grave Mind, far from the base he had once considered his own.
What made it worse was that even most of his loyal lackeys were left behind in South Glade Town. This arrangement was not an accident it was deliberately decided by Grave Mind to weaken Rhine's influence even further.
Rhine was bitter about it, but he had no choice. After the elders' meeting, Silent Reign had scolded him harshly. Even his sister's pleas had not softened Silent Reign's stance. In the end, Silent Reign had given a final verdict, from now on, Rhine would follow Grave Mind's orders without question, until Silent Reign himself said otherwise. That was the end of the matter. And so, Rhine could only bow his head and obey.
Now, he stood there in Blue Sky Town among the elite team of the Everhold Dominion, fighting this level 20 Iron Leather Scorpion.
It had only been three hours since they had arrived here, but luck was already on their side. To encounter such a rare elite monster so quickly was unexpected. Although Blue Sky Town was already under Dominion control, finding an elite level 20 monster here was still rare.
Because of this, Grave Mind wasted no time. He had assembled a twenty-man elite team from the Everhold Dominion specifically to deal with the beast which included Rhine. The plan was not only to kill the monster but also to secure the area around it. Once it was slain, they would guard the spot, waiting for it to respawn. By doing so, they would turn the spawn point into a permanent resource zone for the Dominion, giving them steady access to valuable drops and experience.
The battle was fierce, but Grave Mind was in high spirits. His arrows struck the scorpion's iron-like armor, each shot timed perfectly with the attacks of his team.
Just then, one of his lackeys spoke from behind him.
"Boss Grave Mind, have you heard? The Underworld has decided to move against Raen. They had even interfered with the presidential selection of the Storm Life Guild."
Grave Mind's lips curled into a sneer. "I knew this day would come sooner or later. With his arrogance, Raen was bound to offend someone stronger one day or other and offending the Underworld is the same as suicide."
The name "Underworld" carried weight. It was a gold-ranked power, one of the most feared and influential forces across virtual games. To clash with them was not something ordinary guilds could even think of. Grave Mind's laugh echoed as he fired another arrow. He was genuinely happy to hear the news, though he had already known it even before his lackey mentioned it.
Although the Underworld was a hidden power that rarely appeared in the open, its presence could still be felt across many games. Even lower-ranked guilds like Everhold Dominion, who were also sometimes involved in some shady dealings within the various virtual games, had still managed to gather some superficial information about them by chance.
Still, even that limited knowledge was enough to instill fear. Grave Mind being a higher level member even knew that when the Underworld made a move, it was never half-hearted. They struck with overwhelming force, crushing their enemies completely, and used such moments to display their strength to the world.
Even Silent Reign also knew about the Underworld's existence. And even because of that a thought had crossed his mind, should they abandon their attempt at goodwill with Raen and instead take the chance to strike him down? With the Underworld already moving against him, it might be easier to crush him once and for all. But Silent Reign had quickly dismissed the idea. News was one thing, confirmation was another. Without solid proof of the Underworld's actions, moving rashly would be foolish.
Still, Silent Reign had adjusted his stance. Instead of showing goodwill toward Raen, he decided they would remain neutral. They would neither provoke him nor extend any special kindness. If the Underworld truly moved against Raen, they might even lend a hand. That way, they would avoid unnecessary losses while still positioning themselves to benefit.
This decision had been shared and agreed by most of the elders in Everhold Dominion including Grave Mind. The elders, who had earlier argued for a direct clash with Raen, saw the wisdom in this change. Even they knew that fighting Raen head-on would only bring heavy losses, but now neutrality gave them flexibility. They quickly agreed. Even Grave Mind himself, despite his personal hatred for Raen, had no problem with the plan. In his mind, as long as it hurt Raen, he would support it wholeheartedly.
Now, standing before the elite monster, Grave Mind laughed loudly. "Ha! Don't slack off, all of you. Focus. We need to finish this fight and keep leveling up. Once we kill this beast, most of us should hit level 20. Then we'll head straight to Astralis City. I believe a good show will be waiting for us there."
His words carried both confidence and excitement. Grave Mind understood the stage was shifting. If the Underworld planned to move against Raen, it would definitely not be in a small town. No, it would be on the larger stage of Astralis City, where countless eyes would be watching. The Underworld would use that chance to display its power, to remind every other guild and faction not to cross them. As when they moved, they moved to dominate.
With that thought, he let out another laugh and loosed an arrow. The shaft flew, but just as he released it, a chime echoed across the battlefield.
[Solaris Kingdom Announcement]
Congratulations to player Raen for being the first player to reach a city in Glory. This deed will be recorded in the Hall of Fame. Rewards include: 100 Honor Points and +2 Reputation Level in Astralis City.
The words rang loud and clear in every player's ears.
At that exact moment, Grave Mind's hand froze. The arrow that had been carefully aimed at the Iron Leather Scorpion went wide, flying far off its mark. Instead of striking the monster, it shot into the distance and lodged itself deep into the trunk of a tree.
But At this time, Grave Mind's focus was no longer on the missed arrow. His entire attention was frozen on the system announcement he had just heard. For a moment, it felt as if a shock had run through his entire body, leaving his mind blank.
The lackey who had been speaking to him earlier came closer again. His expression was just as shaken as his leader's. In fact, most of the members of the Everhold Dominion team now wore the same shocked look on their faces. The announcement had shaken all of them to the core.
The lackey, seeing his boss standing stiff with that stunned expression, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. Slowly, he reached out and pressed a hand against Grave Mind's arm, pushing him lightly as if trying to wake him from a dream.
That small push brought Grave Mind back to his senses. He blinked, his eyes focusing again, just in time to hear the lackey speak in a nervous voice.
"Boss… should we really continue being enemies with Raen?"
Grave Mind turned sharply to look at him. What he saw made his frown deepen. The lackey's face carried not just shock but also unease. And when Grave Mind's gaze shifted, he noticed the same bitter expression mirrored on the faces of several other players in the team.