Kieran had briefly touched upon the matter of assigning guild roles in the past, but at that time, there was nothing tangible for them to represent.
After all, Sanguis Requiem didn't exist then. However, it did now, making it the most opportune time to take advantage of the circumstances.
Though Alice still had further inquiries about her recently gained scroll, she decided not to address them at the moment. The announcement that all players received just moments before interested her more than the scroll.
'Sanguis Requiem, was it? Could it be related to the blood and soul of the dead? Hmm… knowing Kieran, it may be more symbolic than that,' Alice thought, her gaze curiously falling upon Kieran.
As she stared at Kieran, Alice noticed Kieran moving his hands about in the air before him, as if tending to some interface that the others couldn't perceive.
Naturally, this was precisely what he was doing.
In front of Kieran was Sanguis Requiem's guild interface, where Kieran could accept official members. With its current level, the guild capacity should easily accommodate up to 5,000 official members.
However, thanks to the special rewards, his guild's functions were actually raised by one level.
Thus, while it was Lv.3 on paper, Sanguis Requiem was comparable to a Lv.4 guild in terms of member capacity and other practical leadership accommodations.
All it lacked to truly be considered a guild at that level was reputation.
Because of the notification sent out to the players and their current environment, most of Kieran's conversation caught the attention of others, prying them away from their own discussions.
"A guild created by that famed player Aatrox? That sounds like something many will want to get in on, especially if they can cement a core position in the guild. After all, that's a ticket to greatness pretty much everyone would welcome with open arms," a stocky figure said.
Beside the figure, a thin, almost emaciated-looking man, based on how feeble his stature seemed, spoke up soon after. "You're only looking at the bright side. You need to consider the negatives."
As soon as this pessimistic person spoke, the stocky figure's expression darkened, clearly considering the words just spoken.
There were countless negatives to being the first, some more menacing than others.
However, the greatest threat of all was the dangers of being the nail that stuck out the most—the light that shone the brightest in an admittedly murky environment.
Was the excitement of potentially becoming a pioneer with a great name worth the elementary risks involved? Risks that existed in the form of voracious and oppressive presences?
Just as Kieran's conversation could be overheard by others, he could hear all the conversations going on around him. Taking into account the numerous murmurs encroaching on all sides, Bastion was the first to break their brief silence.
"Every one of these conversations around us raises a decent point. From this point forward… it could become incredibly hard for us."
"You scared?" Kieran asked, his gaze momentarily shooting in Bastion's direction. Though, despite his flat tone, Kieran's eyes blazed with a strange emotion. It wasn't fear, apprehension, or disappointment.
On the contrary… it was excitement—enthusiasm.
At his core, Kieran's personality could be defined using two words that many others would agree with—risk takers. Kieran was an individual that extracted great excitement from challenges.
Although the transient fears of what if were ever-present, intangibly flickering in and out of existence, the thrill of triumph drove Kieran more than the possibilities held him back.
"Scared? Me? Are you crazy?" Bastion sputtered in response, his face turning a distinct shade of red from Kieran's abrupt and direct callout. He felt exposed and naked, looking for a way out of this conversation.
Luckily, one existed. Partly, at least.
"Oh, he's for sure scared. That boy Bastion is a wimp at his core. I thought we had established that already? That's the reason why this daddy is forced to take charge, after all," Nemean said not long after.
However, unlike Kieran, who made him feel slight embarrassment, Nemean's words only served to ignite a defiant passion in Bastion.
"Hell no! I'm not a wimp, damn you. The problem was the realism setting! The pain of everything was far too real. But I'm stronger now. Somewhat…" Bastion said in response to Nemean's words, only for it to turn into mutters at the end, questioning his growth thus far.
Till now, the number of players that had completed their Advancement probably numbered less than 10. And despite trying his hardest to finish it, Bastion was stumped. Because of this inability, Bastion, like the others before Kieran, relegated themselves to strenuous training.
Surprisingly, this training had a direct effect on their current attributes. There were no amazing changes, but they did experience some improvements in the application of their attributes.
For example, during Kieran's fight with Soulless, he controlled the output of his STR to reduce the impact of his strikes and how much damage could be dealt by retracting it at the right moment.
The others weren't skilled enough to pull this off just yet, but they were already skilled enough to wield their physicality effectively—a result of their X-hancer regimen.
"Enough," Altair said, stepping forward to stand face-to-face with Kieran. "Are you scared, Aatrox? Do you feel any fear toward what's to come?"
Before answering, Kieran's gaze swept aimlessly through the gathering of players by his side. An admittedly ragtag bunch of people which he had brought under his wing, yet for some reason, Kieran could see a future.
No, it was more like he could sense one.
Sadly enough, that future he sensed was veiled, reminding him of that one message he received from the system. 'My understanding of reality's veil has deepened. Does that veil refer to me… or is it the world's reality? From what Nameless disclosed, I am apparently a Grand Truth.'
Following his passing thought, Kieran revealed a confident smile. "Fear isn't a deterrent. It's fuel—a convertible resource. I'm not fearless, but I am foolish. That said, I'll rush head first into danger time and time again."
"You're not fearless? You could have fooled me," Bastion scoffed, his eyes widening in disbelief. At that moment, however, his pupils rattled, a message appearing before his eyes.
Bastion wasn't the only one, though—one by one, Altair and the others looked at the notification with widened eyes.
"Isn't something wrong here? What's up with that guild level? Shouldn't it be at level one?" Cyr asked, his dubious glance browsing the area for answers.
"Dunno," Sithik said in response, shrugging his shoulders, clueless.
"I don't know either. That's an answer we can only acquire from Aatrox," Cygnus commented.
"Don't you know?" Kieran responded, a jocular flavor saturating his tone. "Being first comes with some incredible benefits. Now, accept the roles I have given to you all."
Still nonplussed by Sanguis Requiem's level, the others could only follow the order given, accepting the mass notification distributed to them all.
Instantly, Sanguis Requiem's member count jumped to 9.
As it stood, Aspaira and the others were members of the Godhand Consortium, so they couldn't join as members of the guild despite Kieran having a Zenith Covenant with their contracted allegiance.
Sanguis Requiem was strictly for the combat side of Kieran's endeavors.
For now, at least.
Kieran pulled up the Guild Interface after sending out the accepted guild invitations, situating everyone where they belonged.
┌───────────────────
Guild Name: Sanguis Requiem
Guild Level: 3
Guild Experience: 0/250,000
Guild Reputation: 20,000/100,000
Guild Master: Aatrox
Guild Treasury: N/A
Vice-Guild Master(s): 2
Administrator: 1
Commanders: 1
Captains: 2
Members: 9
Capacity: 9/10,000
Territories: N/A
Properties: N/A
Affiliations: N/A
└───────────────────
Nine members.
Compared to the vast number of players currently tuned into this game, nine people was honestly an insignificant number.
Yet, this didn't bother Kieran at all.
As he closed the menu and looked past his small circle, peering at the individuals comprising the crowd around them, he revealed a faint smirk.
Despite the inevitable moment that loomed over his head, Kieran didn't rush or feel pressured. Instead, he stood there, maintaining his lax expression while monitoring everyone's current progress through the guild screen.
Being a Guild Master was similar to being a Party or Team Leader, except the advantages were accessible at all times unless the user interface itself was deemed inaccessible.
Oddly enough, after perusing the guild screen, Kieran recalled something odd.
"Your level… Altair. Wasn't your level already past Lv.50?" Kieran questioned.
"It was… briefly. Though, all of that was reversed. Even the UAP I used vanished. Apparently, that was the result of a new Trait I gained."
"Is that Trait… Zero Loss of Potential?" Kieran asked, his curiosity so obvious it felt like it could be worn as a garment. That's how hard Kieran stared at Altair, awaiting his answer.
"Correct. Zero Loss of Potential," Altair admitted with a nod.
His admission led to Kieran falling into deep thought, though that was soon interrupted, leading Kieran to send Altair a private message. In that message, Kieran asked more about the process of his mantle succession.
Eventually, Kieran's questions were answered, but they led to open conclusions, ones that shed faint light upon the meaning of the items he obtained. 'Throne of the Deathless Night? Nightly Gloom? These are the names of the source a Shadow Dancer derives power from? Where does the White Goliath derive power then?'
The White Goliath in question referred to Daedric, who gained his moniker from the celestial-looking heavy armor that enveloped his body whenever he acted his Innate Class Ability.
Still, this question wasn't of utmost importance to him. Altair's recount confirmed his suspicions.
All Myths were forbidden from wasting their potential.
'If that's true… would that mean those players that obtained their mantle late would receive some kind of equalizing balance?' Kieran wondered.
After all, Altair did mention that his AGI received an absurd boost.
Left unanswered, a message spread throughout the player populace. The earlier outrage, which showed signs of petering out in one aspect, was instantly reignited.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m