Being the owner of a newly registered AND the first-ever player-owned official guild within Zenith Online was unprecedented for Kieran.
Though he couldn't compare it to the first guild in the past simply because he wasn't aware of who accomplished it, he was sure that individual received a great reward.
Otherwise, the system's message wouldn't have been so special.
Usually, the system would reveal the identity of the special item that Kieran received, so considering it didn't, Kieran felt it was somewhat strange.
'A special item, eh?' Kieran inwardly mused, staring at the notification that flashed before his eyes.
Under normal circumstances, he would wait to view the item when in the privacy of the Godhand Bazaar, but Kieran didn't follow this habit.
Something told him to view the item as quickly as possible.
After accepting the notification, he received a small box that fit within the palm of his hand.
Based on its appearance, it looked no different from a gift box received on Christmas!
Curious and somewhat underwhelmed by the item, Kieran analyzed it carefully, which soon brought up a brief description of the item.
「Guild Master's Special Gift (Special Item)
Description: A unique item rewarded to a Guild Master of great renown. This item contains valuable and perhaps essential gifts to commemorate the memorable moment. A Guild's greatness doesn't just stem from the strength of its leader; the subjects must also be similarly excellent. 」
The item's description was quite ambiguous, and Kieran had to admit that, but his curiosity vanished once the box dissipated, replaced by a few floating items, each equally valuable to Kieran or the guild itself.
〈System: You have received an entry pass to the large-scale Trial Zone: ?Wartorn Battleground?.〉
〈System: You have received the ability to accept a Guild Quest.〉
〈System: All guild functions have been upgraded by one rank.〉
〈System: All new members will receive a 30-day buff: ?Blessing of the Great?.〉
The gift wasn't what Kieran expected, but it was definitely worth it.
Setting aside the guild functions being raised by one level, meaning it could possess a higher number of upper staff, and things like storage would be upgraded immediately.
Of the rewards, however, Kieran was most surprised by the buff.
Not only did it increase all attributes by 20%, but it also increased all guild members' EXP acquisition rate by 50%.
The buff alone was enough to be a special prize.
But, to make matters even better for Kieran, he was given entry to a Trial Zone!
Trial Zones, unlike normal trials, were usually for the masses, not individuals. The simplest form of these zones involved war tactics, and considering the zone's name, Kieran had a decent idea of what this zone had to offer.
'It'll be perfect for training order, synergy, and charisma amongst the members. However… only a limited number of people may enter. In that case, I think I'll use this opportunity to find out who will become the core of Sanguis Requiem—its unspeakable foundation,' Kieran thought.
After a while, Kieran looked up at the badge, which remained suspended in the air. He could feel the intent he had injected moments ago as he grabbed it.
Dominant and domineering, the badge embodied what Kieran foresaw of the guild.
'The Leviathans won't be the only incredible force to be reckoned with. No… I suppose that's wrong. This is something that has been built from the ground up—blood, sweat, and tears—it'll all be sacrificed for this goal. I shouldn't compare it to the Leviathans.'
Suddenly, Sammy's gentle and cautious voice sounded in his ears. "How is the badge? Did it come out good? Are you happy with it?"
This time, Sammy didn't use Kieran's name.
Due to his Baron-level World Fame, he could no longer be called a Lord; that wasn't fitting.
However, calling him a Baron also felt strange as he wasn't truly a noble. Luckily, this didn't matter as Kieran felt being called these noble names felt strange. Instead, he preferred if they called him by his chosen in-game name. It was chosen for a good reason.
Nevertheless, Kieran didn't stay on this topic for long. He soon shifted to answering Sammy's question with a nod. "It's excellent—perfect, even. I couldn't ask for anything better. I hope the Adventurers' Guild recognizes your stellar service and gives you your deserved rewards. If not… there's always a place for you here in my guild."
Because of the praise and the offer she received, Sammy's cream-colored cheeks adopted a shade of pink, soon becoming a full-blown red color. "T-Thank you for the offer, L-Lord Aatrox!"
"Just Aatrox will do," Kieran replied amicably, keeping a gentle smile.
At that moment, a number of figures walked through the Adventurers' Guild's front door. Many players turned and began to murmur when they did so, especially after seeing the person in the lead.
Slender in stature, half of this man's face was covered with a silver and black scarf that flowed well beyond his waist. White hair swayed back and forth with each step while deep black peered forward, unaffected by the crowd's gaze.
This individual was naturally Altair, leading Alice and the others.
"And so they've finally reached," Kieran remarked to himself, chuckling softly.
Moments later, Altair stood before Kieran, gradually lowering his scarf to reveal the entirety of his face. As soon as that happened, stunned murmurs of disbelief sounded.
"Oh? Is that something you should be doing? I thought the whole point of being the best assassin is to remain hidden, their presences unknown at all times," Kieran said, teasing Altair for his actions.
"Perhaps. But does it really matter? I mean… my face has been revealed before. I couldn't activate my Lightless Shroud without doing so," Altair answered.
Kieran nodded in response, his lips raised in subtle defeat. "Fair point. I guess that's true."
"Besides, it's better for my presence to be known. It'll speak volumes of my skill when, despite my presence having been revealed, I still overwhelm my opponent," Altair replied.
"Look at you. No, look at that confidence," Kieran said, his brow raised with a faint smirk dancing across his face.
It seemed accepting the Shadow Dancer legacy had a small effect on Altair's personality after all. It seemed he spoke his mind more readily.
As far as Kieran knew, these types of thoughts were usually on Altair's mind, but he never voiced them. Now, because of this small change in him, Altair spoke on those matters without restraint.
Under normal circumstances, one would consider Altair's behavior cocky, but Kieran saw it differently.
During their fight with Soulless and the thousands of players, Kieran noticed that Altair's Darkness Excursion Steps had made substantial progress.
However, it didn't feel like something Altair accomplished on his own.
It was likely that his master helped precipitate the improvement. For that, Kieran had to thank Zephyr. The stronger Altair became, the more confident and reassured Kieran grew.
'There will come times when I'll be out of reach and incapable of helping them… that's precisely why each of them must become stronger. I may have vowed to be their protector, but I'm only one man,' Kieran thought, proud of what stood before him.
After giving the matter some thought, Kieran's gaze fell upon Alice and became extremely bright. Thanks to his special eyes, he could tell the nearby Mana was reacting differently with Alice. It didn't reach an unprecedented level, but it was remarkable enough to catch Kieran's eye.
'I was somewhat concerned before, but if her Mana Affinity continues to grow like this, there's no reason for me not to offer this special class to her,' Kieran decided, reaching into his inventory.
A second later, he retrieved the scroll and called out to Alice. "Hey, you~."
Confused and somewhat surprised by Kieran's way of calling out to her, Alice cocked her head and pointed at herself. "Me?"
"Mhm," Kieran confirmed. Extending his hand, he continued to talk. "I seem to recall you promising to be the best Mage, or Elementalist that anyone has ever seen, correct?"
"I did! And because of that promise, most of my time is spent researching Mana and Magic. I must cover all of the basics before I can think about realizing that promise," Alice replied, her expression studious and wanting to return to the library.
"Ah yes, well. I have something for you to help make that aspiration a reality—for you."
"No way! Is that what I think it is?" Nemean shouted, sputtering with a tinge of jealousy in his eyes. Out of the team's main members, his class was admittedly one of the worse.
Of course, it was still better than a normal Intermediate Class like an Elementalist.
"Maybe," Kieran gave a cryptic answer.
However, Alice's exclamation and gasps revealed the truth seconds later. "T-this… it's a Legendary Class, K-… Aatrox!"
Due to her excitement, Alice almost slipped up and revealed Kieran's real name. Thankfully, the excitement wasn't enough to completely overwrite her wits, regaining them instantly.
Kieran grinned when he saw Alice's elation. "Correct. I think it suits you the most, but if you ask me, I believe you'll find a way to improve the class."
"Hey… this class change is kind of… strange," Alice murmured, reading the strange runes that floated in the air before her.
"Strange? In what sense?"
"Uh… well, for starters. My Advancement Quest has been completely overwritten. I need to visit a special sub-realm to continue now. It's so odd. All of my progress thus far has become a consolidated objective," Alice continued to mutter.
"Welp, if it requires any help, we're naturally here to assist you. Who knows, it could be beneficial for all of us. Besides, we need to assign those guild roles we spoke about."
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