The glowing blue screen shifted once more before a new category unfolded before the family's eyes. The soft light illuminated the hunting lodge in an eerie way, reflecting across tired faces and exhausted eyes. Even after surviving the trial, everyone still looked worn down, as if the battlefield had followed them into this strange resting place between worlds. Yet despite their exhaustion, curiosity quickly pushed aside their fatigue as the next faction type appeared before them.
CLAN.
A faction with no limitation on total members so long as all members are connected by blood or marriage. Outside individuals may only enter the faction under the status of Guest Elder, with a maximum of thirty permitted. The restricted nature of the faction greatly strengthens internal loyalty and allows breathing techniques to evolve alongside the clan's bloodline and culture. When gathered within a designated headquarters, the clan's cultural energy becomes significantly stronger.
The room immediately erupted into quiet murmurs.
"That…" one of the elders muttered slowly while rereading the description, "is honestly far more tempting than I expected." His eyes lingered especially on the parts discussing loyalty and bloodline development. Several others looked equally interested. After everything they had learned about cultural energy and breathing techniques, no one underestimated the value of faction bonuses anymore.
Lilian crossed her legs while leaning thoughtfully against the armrest of her chair. "He is not wrong," she admitted calmly. "No one said we cannot simply raise our own private army without formally accepting them into the faction." Her eyes narrowed slightly as ideas began forming in her head. "And realistically, soldiers do not need access to our true skills or breathing techniques. They only need to protect our territory and discourage outsiders from stealing our land and knowledge."
A large portion of the room quietly nodded in agreement. The benefits truly were difficult to ignore. Enhanced loyalty alone was already terrifyingly valuable in the unstable world humanity was about to enter. After the trial, everyone understood how fragile organizations could become under pressure. Entire governments had nearly fractured during the war against the goblins. A faction built around blood ties suddenly sounded incredibly appealing.
But Karl shook his head almost immediately.
"No," he declared firmly before anyone could become too excited. "We are establishing a guild." His voice carried enough authority to immediately quiet the room again. "An army sounds useful on paper, but in reality it becomes nothing more than a burden." He crossed his arms while staring at the glowing faction screen with narrowed eyes. "Even if we train loyal soldiers, eventually larger factions, governments, or conglomerates will offer them better pay, better opportunities, and safer conditions."
His expression darkened slightly.
"And do not fool yourselves into thinking those organizations would consider recruiting our people beneath them," Karl continued bluntly. "They absolutely will." He pointed toward the clan description with visible irritation. "Which means we spend years training fighters only for them to leave the moment someone richer waves a contract in front of them. Then we are back at the beginning again, only poorer and weaker."
Several people grimaced at that logic because unfortunately it made perfect sense.
Karl slowly swept his gaze across the room. "And besides," he added dryly, "who here actually wants to manage an army?" The moment those words left his mouth, people suddenly became deeply interested in the fireplace, the ceiling, or literally anything other than Karl's stare. Not a single volunteer appeared.
Karl snorted loudly.
"Exactly what I thought."
Even Arin had to suppress a laugh at how quickly everyone avoided eye contact.
Karl scrolled downward through the faction menu again until another category appeared before them.
GUILD.
A faction dedicated to a singular craft, profession, or discipline. Members must actively pursue or train within the designated craft. Members may not devote themselves primarily to another discipline outside the guild's focus, excluding one hundred guest members. The focused nature of the guild greatly accelerates mastery, learning speed, and the development of breathing techniques specialized toward the guild's discipline.
Karl's eyes immediately lit up.
"Now this," he declared while pointing at the screen, "is much better." His tired expression visibly brightened for the first time in a while. "It directly supports skill growth, breathing techniques, and mastery of our craft." He looked genuinely excited now, almost like a child discovering a new toy. "I honestly wonder what kind of breathing technique could evolve from our ranger traditions."
Arin leaned forward thoughtfully while rereading the description several times. "It definitely sounds superior to the techniques we currently use," he admitted. "I mean, our current breathing method works well enough, but compared to the legendary techniques from cultivation novels?" He shook his head slightly. "Those things sounded absurd."
"That is because ours is technically an inferior version," Karl replied with surprising honesty.
Arin suddenly froze mid-thought before narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the system screen. "Wait a second…" he muttered slowly. "The system loves hiding information behind technical wording." His expression gradually became more thoughtful. "Didn't it mention earlier that people can technically belong to two factions if both factions allow it?"
Several people immediately looked toward him.
Arin pointed toward the screen with growing excitement. "What if we combine a guild with a clan?" he asked hopefully. "Wouldn't that let us develop two separate breathing techniques at once if members belonged to both factions?"
The entire room went silent for a moment.
Then Karl's eyes widened slightly.
"That…" he admitted while quickly scrolling through the menus again, "is actually not a bad idea."
The others immediately gathered closer as Karl searched through the endless faction options. Entire categories passed by that made several people visibly uncomfortable. Religious organizations, cult structures, faith-based empires, blood contracts, soul pacts—some of the available factions honestly felt horrifying. Even Karl skipped several entries as quickly as possible while muttering that humanity absolutely did not need to know those existed yet.
After several long minutes of scrolling, Karl finally stopped.
"Ah. Here it is."
A smaller subsection appeared beneath the faction rules.Dual faction synchronization available.Additional cost: 20,000 points.
Karl stared at the price with visible pain.
"That is expensive," he admitted quietly while looking genuinely wounded by the number.
An elderly man near the back of the room suddenly spoke up. It was Bennie, Bertho's grandfather, whose calm demeanor rarely changed. "Expensive, yes," he said slowly, "but likely worth every point." He folded his hands together thoughtfully while studying the screen. "If members can develop two compatible breathing techniques simultaneously, the long-term benefits could become extraordinary."
Several people nodded thoughtfully.
Bennie continued calmly. "Especially if the clan technique enhances bloodline compatibility while the guild technique improves practical skill growth." His old eyes gleamed sharply for a moment. "The combination may become far greater than either faction individually."
"I agree," another elder added immediately.
Karl still looked uncertain though. Twenty thousand points was not a small amount. They had fought through hell for those rewards. Spending so much on speculation felt dangerous.
Seeing the hesitation spreading through the room, Annemiek finally spoke up.
"I think some of you are focusing too much on the breathing techniques," she said calmly while adjusting her glasses. "There is another issue you are overlooking." Her voice immediately drew everyone's attention. "Notice how none of these non-government factions mention operational structure."
Several people blinked in realization.
Annemiek nodded once she saw they understood. "Exactly. The system likely allows internal leadership rules to develop naturally." Her expression sharpened slightly. "But if we establish only a guild, then theoretically anyone sufficiently skilled could eventually become the leader of that guild."
The room became noticeably quieter.
"Which means," Annemiek continued smoothly, "a guild by itself becomes a loophole around the restrictions placed on clans." She pointed toward the glowing menus thoughtfully. "The system probably does not want hereditary factions disguising themselves as open organizations."
Arin slowly nodded as understanding spread across his face.
"But if we combine the guild and clan structures," Annemiek said, "then the clan secures hereditary control while the guild handles expansion, training, and external cooperation." A faint smile appeared on her lips. "The loyalty structures reinforce both sides simultaneously."
Now even Karl looked convinced.
"The guild remains functional and open enough to grow," Annemiek concluded, "while the clan ensures the Sonnebergs never lose control over their own traditions." She folded her arms afterward. "So yes. I believe spending the extra twenty thousand points is absolutely worth it."
Silence filled the room briefly.
Then Karl slowly looked around. "Any objections?"
None came.
Even the more cautious elders appeared convinced now.
Karl finally released a long breath before nodding decisively. "Right then," he muttered. "I am buying it."
The glowing menus shifted again as Karl confirmed the purchase. Massive amounts of points vanished instantly, causing several people to visibly wince. Even Karl looked like someone had stabbed him directly in the soul.
Then suddenly his expression changed.
A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face as he looked up from the system window.
"Right," he announced cheerfully. "Now we need a faction name."
The room exploded instantly.
Dozens of suggestions erupted at once, most of them absolutely terrible.