And Nyx Blade and her team, despite being somewhat famous in virtual games, were no exception. In reality, they were also the part of the majority who had never bothered with martial arts. Whether because of lack of interest or lack of money, the result was the same. They had never seriously stepped onto the martial path.
But Glory was different.
After playing for so long, they began to realize that martial arts were no longer just some background option. Martial arts now directly affected their strength in the game, and that strength could be turned into profit. The revelation forced them to reconsider. They began looking for ways to practice martial arts, only to immediately run into the same bottleneck that ordinary citizens had faced for years. Resources were scarce, and opportunities limited.
So it was no surprise that when they looked into joining guilds or organizations, none of them offered martial arts techniques or resources right away. It simply wasn't possible. These resources had always been valuable and restricted. Ordinary citizens never had easy access to them.
After receiving responses from all the guilds and organizations that had extended invitations, Nyx Blade's team sat down to discuss. They knew they had to make a decision. Continuing to play Glory as an independent team was no longer realistic. If they wanted to survive and grow stronger, joining a guild or an organization was in their best interest.
Their conclusion was clear. They needed to join someone, sooner or later.
Glory had already shown them its potential. The profits they had earned so far had already surpassed what they had ever made in any other games. The opportunities were much greater than anything they had experienced before. If they joined the right guild now, they might gain the chance to receive martial arts techniques or resources within one or two years. With their confidence in their own skills, they believed that within that time, they could prove themselves and earn what they needed.
But then, Nyx Blade spoke up. She had always been a fan of Raen, and she insisted that if they were hearing out every guild and organization, they should at least hear what Genesis could offer.
Up until that point, they had not even considered Genesis. To them, Genesis was just a new guild, a new name that had never been heard of in other virtual games or even in reality. Out of curiosity, they had checked it on the virtual net, only to find that Genesis was listed as an unranked power based in Silvercrest City. After that, they had dismissed the idea. There was no way such a small and unknown group could offer what they needed.
But Nyx Blade did not give up. She persuaded her team repeatedly until they finally agreed to at least ask.
So Nyx Blade contacted Mei Rin. Mei Rin had been the contact that Kaito had given her earlier when he had asked her to consider joining Genesis. At that time, Mei Rin had already given her team by Kaito's Fourth Aunt and was preparing with others to raid the King-level difficulty of the Misty Palace Dungeon.
When Mei Rin received the message from Nyx Blade, she already knew who it was. After all, her brother Kaito had spoken about Nyx Blade before. Without hesitation, Mei Rin connected Nyx Blade to Kaito's second uncle, who was in charge of recruitment for Genesis.
From him, Nyx Blade's team received the conditions that Genesis was offering for new members. At first, they dismissed it outright. They thought they were only being offered "basic membership." In most guilds, basic membership meant being treated like a disposable extra. So when they heard that term, they assumed Genesis was no different.
But when they actually read the conditions for Genesis's basic membership, they were shocked.
The resources being offered to basic members of Genesis were things that even bronze-ranked guilds would hesitate to give to their elites. Rank A nutrient potions were included. Each new member was also provided with a custom martial arts technique, one that was already above the basic grade technique the Federation offered to its citizens.
On top of that, members were provided with other martial arts techniques for combat, as well as martial arts resources based on their contributions. It was a structured system, but the baseline was already higher than anything they had seen elsewhere.
When Nyx Blade and her teammates saw this, their hesitation vanished. Without wasting any time, they made their decision and joined Genesis. They contacted Kaito's second uncle and were accepted.
And because their levels were not too low, they were immediately dispatched to the Misty Palace Dungeon. Kaito's second uncle personally handed them over to Kaito's fourth aunt, who was responsible for leading Genesis teams in raiding the King-level difficulty of the dungeon.
When Nyx Blade and her team joined the Genesis raiding teams, they were stunned. Even though they considered themselves as experts, they were still shocked at the configuration of Genesis's teams.
The surprise grew even more when they were provided with their equipments. These were not ordinary items. To an independent player, such equipment would have been cherished like priceless treasure. Yet here, Genesis handed them out freely, even to new members.
Nyx Blade joined Mei Rin's team and received her share as well. Though she also considered herself as an expert player, she kept a low profile. She wasn't arrogant enough to challenge Mei Rin's leadership just because she had experience. Genesis treated her as an ordinary member, and she accepted it without complaint. Her decision to stay humble proved wise.
After fighting alongside Mei Rin and the others for so long, she came to realize the gap between them. Mei Rin, though not very famous outside, was clearly capable. Nyx Blade could see it clearly if Mei Rin were in a unranked or even a bronze-ranked guild, she would already hold the position of an elder. Yet here, in Genesis, she was simply a team leader.
As time passed, Nyx Blade learned more. She eventually discovered that Mei Rin was engaged to none other than her idol, Raen. At first, the news hit her with disappointment. But that feeling quickly changed.
The more she saw, the more she realized the truth. Not only was Raen far stronger than her, even Mei Rin was stronger. So Instead of wasting time on jealousy or regret, she knew she needed to focus on her own growth. In fact, after fighting alongside Mei Rin, she even began to admire her deeply.
Mei Rin was not only strong, but also treated her teammates with genuine respect. Even though she was Raen's fiancée, she did not act arrogant or look down on anyone. She treated everyone in her team as equals.
Because of that, Nyx Blade began to see Mei Rin as more than just a leader. She began to see her as a sister. And over time, the bond between them grew, built on trust, battles, and shared victories.
So this was how Nyx Blade had come to join Mei Rin's team. And this was why, after the battle with the Mist Queen, she was able to approach Mei Rin so frankly. Their bond had already grown strong enough that Nyx Blade could speak to her without hesitation.
So at this time, after hearing what Nyx Blade said, Mei Rin showed no dissatisfaction. instead, she smiled slightly and replied, "You already know your brother Raen. Even if others don't understand, we know how powerful and insightful he is. So, him reaching the city first might be surprising to others, but for us, it's something we can accept."
Nyx Blade couldn't help but laugh at her words, and even the other Genesis players nearby also joined in with cheerful laughter.
Mei Rin then turned to the group and said firmly, "Alright, no resting yet. Clean up first, then we'll leave. After an hour's break, we'll raid this King-level difficulty again. We need to reach level 20 as soon as possible, so that we can head to the Astralis City as well."