The ordinary players in Safe Zone 9527 had no idea what was about to happen. Only those who had joined a guild, no matter what they were doing at that moment, received a message.
[Level 7 players, log into Dawnfall Online immediately!]
So, in a short span of time, a large number of Level 7 players who had joined a guild put down whatever they were doing, looking confused, and entered the game.
Inside Safe Zone 9527, at the base of Winter Guild, the second largest guild after Coffin Guild—
A dozen or so Level 7 guild members were staring blankly at their guild leader, [EarlyToBed], and asked:
"Guild Leader, what's going on? Are we about to go to war with another guild?"
"Yeah, I heard the Level 7 players from other guilds also rushed online. Who are we up against this time?"
It was no wonder these Level 7 players were thinking this way, because right in front of them, all sorts of the guild's best weapons, gear, and items had been laid out.
This kind of situation usually only happened when something extremely big and important was going on.
The leader of Winter Guild was a mature woman in her thirties. She was also a well-known businesswoman in Dolren City, owning multiple beauty salons and a chain of hotels.
[EarlyToBed] looked seriously at the group of Level 7 players in front of her. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice:
"Right now is the moment when Winter Guild needs you the most. This is a critical time!"
"Your mission is to go to the junkyard in Safe Zone 9527, pick up the quest, and then enter the sewer map."
"As for the details, that's classified for now. Just remember, this mission is incredibly important to Winter Guild. There's no room for any mistakes!"
"After the mission is done, each of you will get thirty thousand as a reward. If you lose a level because you die, you get an extra ten thousand!"
As soon as they heard this, the Level 7 players widened their eyes. That was a lot of money, especially since their levels weren't that high in the guild.
Most of the time, it was the Level 9 and Level 10 players who helped the guild with various missions.
But for some reason, today the guild needed their group of Level 7s to go into the newbie sewer map. And they still didn't know what the mission was.
Soon, they followed Winter Guild's leader, [EarlyToBed], and hurried to the junkyard at Safe Zone 9527.
Before they could even step inside, they saw that plenty of players from other guilds were already gathered there.
Most of the players had the same look of confusion and curiosity on their faces as they did.
The leader of Coffin Guild, [Overlord], and the player [Daydreamer] were also at the junkyard. They were waiting for their guild members to successfully kill [Windchaser].
But they didn't expect that just as their people took the quest and went into the sewers, a crowd of players from other guilds suddenly showed up outside the junkyard.
[Daydreamer] stood next to [Overlord] and said in a low voice:
"Guild Leader, do you think the other guilds are trying to take advantage of our losses from [Windchaser] and hit us while we're down?"
[Overlord] shot [Daydreamer] a look and said slowly, "This is a safe zone, remember?"
"Could there be a hidden boss in the sewer map?"
[Overlord] could only come up with this possibility. He figured that maybe the other guilds had gotten some big intel. Maybe they found out there was a hidden boss in the sewer map, and that's why they brought their people here.
With that thought, [Overlord] swept his gaze around the crowd.Finally, his eyes locked onto Winter Guild's leader, [EarlyToBed].
He walked over slowly, wearing a gentle smile. Curiously, he asked: "Serena, did your Winter Guild hear about that news too?"
[Overlord] had met [EarlyToBed] a few times in real life. That's why he went up to her so naturally.
He was careful with his question and didn't give away too much. He was hoping [EarlyToBed] would let something slip.
But things didn't go quite as he expected. Winter Guild's leader, [EarlyToBed], looked at him with a strange expression. It was like she was trying not to laugh as she answered:
"Of course Winter Guild knows about it. Actually, every other guild in Safe Zone 9527 knows about the news—except for your Coffin Guild."
[Overlord], the Coffin Guild leader, instantly frowned. He had absolutely no idea what was going on. He also didn't really understand what Serena meant by that.
He could only reply vaguely, "Oh, really? Coffin Guild's intel is actually more reliable than you think."
[EarlyToBed's] smile grew even wider. She laughed and said:
"If you really knew about it, you wouldn't be here wasting time with me."
"Oh, and I noticed you only sent thirty Coffin Guild players into the sewer map. Isn't that a bit too few? If something unexpected happens, that could be bad."
"Why not send in a few more people?"
Hearing this, [Overlord's] brow furrowed even tighter. He stared at [EarlyToBed], completely confused. He just couldn't figure out what was going on.
Why would Winter Guild's leader, [EarlyToBed], remind him to send more people?
Could it be that there really was a powerful hidden boss in the sewer map, and Winter Guild was trying to be friendly by giving him a heads-up?
Thinking of this possibility, [Overlord's] frown eased a little, and the smile returned to his face.
He thought it over carefully.
There were still some level six and level seven players in Coffin Guild, so he could send more people to hunt down [Windchaser].
Even if there wasn't a hidden boss, sending more after [Windchaser] would make things a lot safer.
[Overlord] leaned over and whispered a few words to [Daydreamer] beside him. [Daydreamer] immediately sent out a message using his wristwatch.
After that, [Overlord] flashed what he thought was a charming smile at [EarlyToBed].
He said, "Thanks for the heads-up. I get you can't share more, you probably have your reasons. But that's alright. Next time, dinner's on me—just a little thank you."
[EarlyToBed] tried to tone down her smile a bit. She nodded, then led her Winter Guild members into the junkyard to take the sewer rat cleanup quest.
After today, [Overlord] probably wouldn't be in the mood for dinner anyway.
Assuming nothing unexpected happened, today's losses would be a massive blow to Coffin Guild.
And with [Lucas's] information in play, as soon as another guild got their hands on that purple-tier Guild Hidden Quest Intel, they would seize the chance to grow while Coffin Guild's strength was down.
In a situation like this, it would be hard for Coffin Guild to get resources, let alone develop.
[EarlyToBed] thought back to the message she received, and glanced quietly at [Overlord], who was still wearing that smile.
She whispered, "I never thought the always-dominant Coffin Guild would be on the brink of ruin just for messing with the wrong person."
"[Windchaser]… I have to admit, I'm a bit curious about him. Maybe I'll try to get to know him if I get the chance."
If Coffin Guild only sent thirty players into the sewer map, it would be hard for the other guilds to kill even ten of them.
Fortunately, that self-important [Overlord] decided to send in more people.
Now, taking out ten Coffin Guild players and qualifying for the auction shouldn't be a problem at all.
[EarlyToBed] wasn't the least bit afraid that [Overlord] would blame her after he learned the truth.
Windchaser was truly sharp and had a clear grasp of the situation. He knew that after the Frostspire Tower incident, Coffin Guild's power had taken a serious hit.
The other guilds had been itching to challenge Coffin Guild for a while now; all they needed was the right opportunity.
[EarlyToBed] watched as Coffin Guild's second wave of players entered the sewers, right after her own guild's members.
She immediately sent out a message:
[Attention, everyone! At all costs, take down as many Coffin Guild players as possible, and make sure to keep a record of every kill!]
[I repeat—at all costs!]