MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player

Chapter 487: Everyone Has an Agenda

Marcus couldn’t help feeling curious. Just who was behind Blaze Fire Guild?

What he didn’t know was that Old Vine, standing beside him, was wrestling with the same question. Ever since the auction, thoughts of that aggressive, impossibly wealthy guild had refused to leave his mind.

’Could it really be them?’ The possibility had occurred to him more than once.

His brows gradually drew together. Blaze Fire. The name itself wasn’t particularly special, yet paired with the outrageous amount of money they had thrown around during the auction, it inevitably reminded him of a certain ancient faction that had been suppressed for nearly a century.

The more he thought about it, the harder it became to ignore the similarities. Such overwhelming financial strength, such confidence, such determination. The connection felt almost too obvious.

"Perhaps..." Old Vine murmured quietly. His thoughts drifted toward Dominion itself.

The game was growing at a frightening pace. The player population was exploding, the economy was flourishing, and the amount of wealth flowing through the game increased every day. At this point, nobody could dismiss Dominion as just another virtual world.

Sooner or later, it might become humanity’s second society.

People from different regions, different countries, and completely different backgrounds could gather in one place and interact freely. The convenience was unprecedented.

If Old Vine could see the opportunity, then surely others could as well. Especially them.

Perhaps the dark factions had already recognized Dominion as the opportunity they had been waiting a hundred years for. A place to rebuild, a place to recruit, a place to gather influence, wealth, and followers without attracting immediate attention.

They could establish their reputation inside the game, slowly spread their teachings among players, and gradually extend that influence into the real world through business, politics, and social connections.

The more Old Vine considered the possibility, the less comfortable he became.

Had the orthodox sects realized this yet? Were the great families still paying attention? Did they understand the danger that might be taking shape right under their noses?

If the auction system hadn’t concealed bidders’ identities, Old Vine would never have allowed Blaze Fire Mercenary Group to obtain the Guild Creation Token. Unfortunately, anonymity had protected them. Without realizing it, he had helped Blaze Fire become Dominion’s tenth guild and handed them a perfect opportunity to establish their name.

Fortunately, the Grand Gathering, held once every sixty years, was approaching. At that meeting, the major orthodox factions could finally discuss the issue openly and prepare for whatever might be coming.

After all, their struggle against the dark sects stretched back more than a thousand years. Neither side had ever truly eliminated the other. They merely took turns rising and falling.

And after a century of silence, Old Vine couldn’t help wondering whether the dark factions were preparing for another rise. How far would this new flame called Blaze Fire spread?

Thinking about the last hundred years only deepened his concern. The orthodox factions had enjoyed too much peace, too much prosperity. Over time, they had become complacent. Internal disputes had weakened them, and old alliances had fractured. They were no longer as united as they had once been.

Adversity forged strength, and comfort bred decline.

If things continued this way, would they still be capable of standing against enemies who had spent a century quietly preparing for their return? Perhaps Blaze Fire would not be so easy to extinguish after all.

Old Vine slowly exhaled. The upcoming gathering had become even more important. The great sects and noble families needed to be warned. They needed to put aside their disputes and stand together again. Only then could the orthodox factions maintain their position.

Lost in thought, Old Vine stared at the newly established Blaze Fire Guild. Then his eyes shifted toward Marcus, and an idea suddenly surfaced.

"Stone," he asked casually, "do you know anything about Blaze Fire Guild?"

"Blaze Fire Guild?" Marcus blinked and shook his head. "Never heard of them. Why?"

"Good." Old Vine immediately nodded. "Then remember this. According to certain sources, the people in Blaze Fire Guild are arrogant, untrustworthy, and fond of stabbing others in the back. If you ever run into them, be careful."

Marcus stared at him. "That’s... surprisingly specific."

For some reason, the smile on Old Vine’s face made Marcus trust the warning less rather than more. The old man looked entirely too pleased with himself.

What Marcus didn’t realize was that he was currently receiving a highly biased explanation of the conflict between the orthodox and dark factions. The orthodox claimed the dark factions were ruthless villains. The dark factions claimed the orthodox were sanctimonious hypocrites.

From Marcus’s perspective, neither side sounded particularly trustworthy. If he were being honest, they all sounded like trouble. The truly innocent people were probably the ordinary citizens caught in the middle while powerful groups fought over influence and resources.

And what Marcus definitely didn’t know was that behind Old Vine’s friendly smile, the old fox was already plotting. Specifically, he was trying to figure out how to create friction between Marcus and Blaze Fire, then somehow persuade Marcus to establish a guild of his own.

Unfortunately, there was one major obstacle. Old Vine glanced at the women accompanying Marcus and sighed inwardly. What a waste. Such valuable resources, yet completely unusable.

Marcus knew that, aside from Lily and his sister Amber, most of the women around him came from wealthy and influential families. Anya in particular clearly possessed an extraordinary background. However, Marcus had never bothered learning the details.

Old Vine, on the other hand, had learned quite a bit through conversations involving his granddaughters, Ice and Fire, and Marcus’s companions. He had pieced together a rough picture of their family backgrounds, which made Marcus’s situation even more unbelievable.

The young man himself came from a completely ordinary family. No prestigious lineage, no powerful clan, no ancient inheritance. Nothing.

Part of Old Vine found it astonishing that so many exceptional women chose to remain around him despite that. The other part simply felt regret. What a pity. If Marcus had been born into one of the great families, things would have been much simpler. Those clans would gladly accept him.

Through the women around him, he could help unite multiple powerful factions and create a force capable of resisting whatever Blaze Fire might become. And with the resources of a major family behind him, he could gain access to martial arts, hidden techniques, and countless opportunities unavailable to ordinary people. Perhaps he could even become one of the leading figures of the younger generation in the coming struggle.

Instead... he was just Marcus. An ordinary man with extraordinary talent.

Old Vine sighed again. Without a powerful background, Marcus would never receive easy acceptance from those families. If anything, resistance was far more likely.

"Stonehaven..." Old Vine studied him quietly. "You really don’t understand your own situation."

There was admiration in his eyes, but also pity. Without influence, status, or power beyond the game itself, Marcus’s future would be far more difficult than he realized.

And at the same time, Old Vine’s mind continued working. How exactly was he supposed to convince this lazy, carefree knight to create a guild? That was the real challenge.

"Old Vine, we’ve got some things to take care of, so we can’t stay much longer." After settling his business, collecting his earnings, and sharing a few drinks, Marcus finally stood to leave. Honestly, every time he met Old Vine, he got the feeling the old man was plotting something. Maybe he should start visiting less often.

"Of course." Old Vine rose as well and escorted them toward the exit. Then, as though remembering something important, he added, "Stone, don’t forget what I said. Stay away from Blaze Fire."

Marcus almost rolled his eyes. Why was this old man so obsessed with Blaze Fire? Still, he kept the thought to himself.

After returning to the mansion with the women, Marcus sorted through his inventory and began clearing the growing pile of miscellaneous quests he had ignored while racing toward level fifty.

Meanwhile, while Marcus spent the evening relaxing with friends and celebrating his advancement, other top players were having a far less comfortable time.

Deep within a high-level grinding zone, RogueTheory gripped his Divine Artifact, the Nine-Dragon Blazing Sky Blade. Roaring flames erupted from the weapon and coiled around his body. Moments later, his figure split into two identical copies, and both charged simultaneously toward a level fifty Gold-tier boss.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A storm of attacks crashed into the monster. Huge damage numbers exploded across the battlefield. The boss retaliated with both magic and physical attacks, but nearly half of the incoming damage was absorbed by the blazing aura surrounding RogueTheory.

Less than a minute later, the Gold-tier boss collapsed. Its health bar vanished, its body dissolved, and the experience points flowed into RogueTheory.

He checked his status: almost level forty-eight. Then he opened the level rankings. At the top sat the player he had been chasing for weeks. Level 50, Class: Temple Knight.

RogueTheory’s expression darkened. If he hadn’t been forced offline for four days earlier, he would probably be approaching level fifty himself by now. Instead, the gap had only grown larger.

He had genuinely underestimated that knight. Originally, he had believed he would overtake him before level thirty, then before level forty, then before level fifty. Instead, the distance between them kept increasing.

"That coward." RogueTheory clenched his jaw.

More than anything, he wanted a proper fight. But the bastard hid his identity so completely that finding him was practically impossible.

His grip tightened around the Nine-Dragon Blazing Sky Blade. He wanted to know whether the knight’s combat ability was as frightening as his leveling speed. After all, grinding monsters and fighting players were completely different things. Levels, equipment, and skills mattered, but reaction speed, judgment, timing, and technique mattered just as much.

Although the Knight’s achievements had earned his respect, RogueTheory still believed in his own abilities. He was no longer as certain of victory as he had once been, but that only made him more eager. The stronger his opponent appeared, the more he wanted to find him.

And when that day finally came, RogueTheory intended to prove exactly who the better player was.