"You're the White Lion!"
Regas suddenly exclaimed, staring at the White Lion Daislief in Alan's hand.
"Ah—"
Alan turned around, only to realize that not only Grid and Regas were behind him, but seventeen more players as well.
"I can't believe I'm meeting the White Lion in person!"
"No wonder he took care of Malacus all by himself!"
"It's only natural if it's the White Lion!"
"I thought those were just rumors… but he's really this strong!"
They were members of the Tzedakah Guild, the reinforcements Regas had called for.
A few minutes earlier—
Jishuka arrived with the rest of the guild just in time to see Regas fighting off several Yatan Church believers. Without hesitation, she fired an arrow, striking one of the cultists, and the others quickly joined the fight.
But halfway through—
A terrifying roar echoed through the area.
The guild members were stunned in place as a massive pressure washed over them. At the same time, they saw Regas's presence surge sharply, his combat power visibly increasing.
Alan hadn't recognized them as allies—he didn't even know they were there. So when he unleashed White Lion's Roar, the guild members were briefly disoriented.
By the time they recovered and entered the cave, they were met with an unbelievable sight—
A single player standing alone.
And before him lay the remains of a 300+ raid boss, defeated solo.
Then someone whispered in disbelief,
"Hey… is that the weapon of the White Lion?"
"Wait—that White Lion? The one who defeated down top rankers by himself…?"
Silence fell over the cave as realization dawned on everyone present.
Back to the present—
"Now… what should I do?" Alan muttered to himself.
"Hey, did he have the shield?" Grid asked, completely ignoring everyone else.
"No, but it might still be inside the cave," Alan replied.
Grid nodded immediately and rushed back inside, leaving Alan alone with the members of the Tzedakah Guild.
"Well, my work here is done. I'll be leaving," Alan said, unsure of what else to say as he turned to go.
"Wait!"
Alan stopped and turned around.
"Yes?"
He found Jishuka standing in front of him. His gaze instinctively flickered for a split second before he quickly looked away.
"Are you really the White Lion?" she asked.
"Yes," Alan nodded. There was no point denying it—they had all seen White Lion's Roar.
"Then… would you like to join our guild?" Jishuka asked.
"We can even make a contract," she added.
He's the best player I've ever seen. If our guild wants to rise to the top, we need him, she thought.
"Hm… I'm more of a solo player," Alan replied calmly.
"I understand, but being in a guild has many benefits," Jishuka insisted.
"Then let's make a bet," Alan said suddenly.
Murmurs spread through the group.
"Isn't this the guy who beat top rankers through bets?"
"Maybe he's a gambling addict…"
"What's the bet?" Jishuka asked, curiosity lighting her eyes.
"I'll fight your entire guild alone," Alan said. "If you win, I'll join your guild—and I'll bring along the legendary blacksmith. The other guy who went into the cave. He can craft legendary gear."
The guild members were stunned.
"And if you win?" Jishuka asked, staring directly at him.
"Then I'll become the guild leader," Alan replied calmly. "And all of you will join me."
The atmosphere froze.
"You want to swallow our entire guild?" Jishuka asked carefully.
"No," Alan shook his head. "Like I said, I'm a solo player. But you're right—being in a guild has benefits. So I chose this route."
He continued evenly,
"I'm even giving you an advantage. One full month. You can prepare as much as you want. Talk to Grid—convince him to join your guild. Have him craft powerful gear for you."
Alan's eyes sharpened.
"One month later, we fight. Your entire guild against me alone."
He smiled faintly.
"So… how about it?"
Jishuka looked at him carefully before asking, "That other player—Grid. Can he really make legendary gear?"
"Hm. That idiot doesn't even understand the basics yet," Alan replied honestly. "But help him level up a bit, and his chances of creating legendary gear will rise significantly."
Then he added casually,
"By the way, since we're going to be colleagues anyway, I'll put these up on a private auction just for you guys."
Alan opened the system menu and set up a Private Auction, immediately adding the entire Tzedakah Guild to the whitelist.
One by one, powerful items appeared in the auction window—
Black Magic Orb
Tidal Staff
And several other high-grade pieces of equipment he no longer needed
The guild members stared at the list in stunned silence.
"These are drops from raid bosses I've defeated," Alan said calmly. "They were too good, so I didn't want to auction them publicly."
"Alright. I accept the bet," Jishuka said, shaking his hand.
Alan smiled. "I'm looking forward to working with you."
With that, he turned and left.
"Are you sure about this?" Pon asked quietly.
"Hm. Either way, we'll end up in the same guild," Jishuka replied. "And as you heard him, he's a solo player. Most of the time he'll be away, leaving the guild in our care."
"He only wants to be guild leader because he doesn't like being under someone else," she added.
Faker nodded in agreement.
"Still, we'll prepare properly and win the bet," Jishuka said confidently. Then she looked toward the cave.
"So, let's go and recruit our legendary blacksmith."
They entered the cave—
Only to see Grid already walking out.
And on his back—
A beautiful white-haired woman was being carried effortlessly on someone's back.
"Huh? Where's Alan?" Grid asked.
"He already left," Jishuka replied. Then she looked at him again. "Who is she?"
"It's a quest. I'm escorting her back," Grid answered.
"Wait… isn't that Irene?" Vanter said suddenly, eyes widening.
"Hey, Grid! How can you hold a lady like that so casually? Put her down!" Vanter exclaimed.
Grid glared at him. "What are you talking about? Do you want to steal my quest?" he shouted.
"What quest? I'm saying you're carrying a beautiful lady like that—let me carry her instead!" Vanter retorted.
"...."
Even Grid was left completely speechless seeing someone more shameless than him.