Chương 63: Contact

Eugene and Gray cleared the surrounding Astral Rifts. Their sweep had been systematic right up until they encountered another Fractured Rift anomaly. That single instance had drained them, forcing a grueling battle against more than fifty Hydras. Fortunately, Eugene had managed to disintegrate the egg sacs before the hatchlings could emerge, reducing the unborn spawn to ash alongside their mothers.

"Looks like you two made it back in one piece," Andre said as he wiped the grime from Delilah's face with a damp washcloth.

"Nothing to it." Gray waved a casual hand, though the gesture contrasted sharply with his ragged breathing and sweat-soaked clothes.

"But we've still got a long way to go." He opened the system interface. Point Distribution Auto Assign Contribution Points: [Y]/N Contribution Point Percentage Allocation: 0% Remaining Gray Kim [25%]: 6, 460 Delilah Hall [25%]: 6, 460 Andre White [25%]: 6, 460 Eugene Whitaker [25%]: 6, 460 Guild Point Total: 60, 840 Contribution Point Total: 25, 840 They had amassed just over sixty thousand Guild Points so far.

After accounting for the points spent claiming seven Rift cores, their remaining Contribution Point total lined up perfectly with the amount they had earned from kills. Doomed. That was the only word that came to mind. Driven by a sudden, cynical curiosity, he toggled the auto-assign setting to No. He only wanted to know whether the System would actually allow him to redistribute Contribution Points that had already been assigned to his teammates. The interface updated immediately.

Point Distribution Auto Assign Contribution Points: Y/[N] Contribution Point Percentage Allocation: 0% Remaining Gray Kim [100%]: 25, 840 Delilah Hall [0%]: 0 Andre White [0%]: 0 Eugene Whitaker [0%]: 0 Guild Point Total: 60, 840 Contribution Point Total: 25, 840 Gray stared at the numbers. He could funnel every Contribution Point into himself and potentially save his own skin at everyone else's expense. He wasn't vile enough to steal the entire balance just to save himself from failing the level.

This had only been a test of the System's mechanics. Research. Nothing more. Gray quickly restored the equal twenty-five-percent split. He released a heavy sigh and reopened the leaderboard. Guild Rankings 1 — Guild of Xinyi Wang 2 — Guild of Ivan Petrov 3 — Guild of Cecilia Clark 4 — Guild of Hyun Kim … … 63 — Guild of Gray Kim No matter how far Gray scrolled through the rankings, he couldn't find Shota, Gwen, or Nabi anywhere on the list. Concern filled his head, but he forced himself to push it aside.

He didn't have the luxury of worrying about them right now—not while his own guild was buried in the trenches at rank sixty-three. At least his brother was thriving, sitting comfortably within the top five. Eugene's next radar sweep confirmed the worst. The surrounding territory had been picked clean. Not a single active Astral Rift remained within their immediate vicinity.

They could venture deeper into uncharted territory and continue hunting, but slowly grinding their way up the rankings wasn't going to be enough. Not from sixty-third place. Gray stared at the leaderboard for another moment before closing the interface. There was only one viable option left. Under normal circumstances, Gray's pride would have stopped him from begging his older brother for a bailout. But this wasn't about him. He had to do it for the sake of his party. Yeah. That's it. For the party.

Gray turned back to the group, his expression grim but resolute.

"Guys, there might be one way to salvage this level." The residual sparks dancing from the barrels of Eugene's drone finally fizzled out. He set his tools aside, pausing his maintenance to look up at Gray.

"There is?"

"Well, you see…" Gray rubbed the back of his neck and suddenly found the individual blades of grass at his feet fascinating.

"I have an older brother. His guild is currently sitting in fourth place. I could ask him for an alliance and see if he'd be willing to share some of his points with us."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Andre exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet.

"That's great news!"

"I don't… I don't know." Gray averted his gaze.

"We kind of parted ways on bad terms." Andre hooked an arm around Gray's shoulders.

"Oh, come on. He's probably forgotten all about it by now. When siblings fight, it's customary for the older one to forgive first. They're supposed to be the mature one, after all." He raised a finger.

"Easier said than done, though, because the fight is almost always caused by the younger sibling."

"I guess…" Gray muttered. Andre gave his shoulder a firm pat.

"Then it's settled. Hurry up and apologize to your big brother so we actually have a chance of keeping our classes." Gray arched a brow and studied the warrior's face.

"What's with the sudden cheerful attitude? I thought you were fine with losing your class. Why the desperation now?"

"I was," Andre admitted.

"But while you two were gone, my master gave me the full rundown on my future with the Forge Guard. Scrubbing toilets. Cleaning training halls. Polishing equipment." His smile faltered.

"Apparently, they don't put cripples in positions beyond basic maintenance duty." He gestured toward Delilah's unconscious form.

"And we can't forget about her, either. Her core might be fractured, but if she recovers, she's more than capable of bouncing back." Andre's expression tightened.

"Unless she loses her class permanently." The guilt in his stare landed squarely on Gray. Andre planted both hands firmly on his shoulders.

"So please. Talk to your brother."

"Okay, okay!" Gray stepped back and glanced toward Eugene, only to find the mechanic wearing nearly the same pleading expression. Gray released a steadying breath and opened the System interface, navigating to the digital store. Guild Shop Base Reinforcements — 3, 000 GP You didn't think you'd get a fully outfitted base right off the bat, did you?

"I'm assuming we shouldn't waste any Guild Points on base upgrades right now?" Gray asked. Andre and Eugene grunted their agreement in unison. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Gray scrolled past the defensive options until he found what he was looking for. Guild Communication Device — 10, 000 GP A must-have for forming alliances. Use this device to communicate and ping your location to potential allies.

Transaction Complete Item: Guild Communication Device Cost: 10, 000 GP New Balance: 50, 840 GP The air above Gray's head shimmered. A small portal split open with a soft ripple and dropped the purchased item neatly into his waiting hands before snapping shut. The communicator was palm-sized, its matte-black metal casing fitting snugly inside his grip. A blank square LED dominated the upper half, while an oval mesh speaker sat beneath it. A thick antenna protruded from the top.

Gray ran his thumb along the edge until it found a raised button. He pressed and held it. After a few seconds, the screen flickered to life with a harsh white light. A loading screen appeared. At its center floated the pale, swirling face of a man sporting a pristine bowl cut, hovering directly above a slowly filling progress bar. Tim… The operating system finished booting and settled on a minimalist home screen. A single interactive button dominated the center: List of Device Holders Gray tapped it.

The display refreshed, revealing a page divided neatly down the middle. Alliances Available | Alliances Unavailable The right column— Alliances Unavailable —was packed with entries. Every guild from Rank 1 through Rank 26 appeared in sequential order, each name accompanied by a grayed-out telephone icon. The left column was much shorter. Under Alliances Available, his brother's name sat alone at the very top.

Despite Hyun Kim's guild holding fourth place overall, the telephone icon beside his name glowed bright green. Beneath him, the list resumed at Rank 27 and continued down into the hundreds. Why hasn't anyone allied with him yet? Gray wondered. His thumb hovered over the green call icon beside Hyun's name. He drew in a breath, but just before tapping the screen, he pulled his hand back. His teammates watched in silence, their expectant stares weighing heavily on his conscience.

"Cold feet?" Eugene asked. Gray released a long breath and let his arms fall limply to his sides.

"You know what they say about cold feet," Andre chimed in.

"You stop thinking about them the second you jump in and your whole body goes numb from the freezing water!" Before Gray could react, Andre snatched the communicator from his hand and jabbed the screen.

"Andre!" Gray barked. The warrior grabbed Gray by the wrist, yanked his arm up, and slapped the device firmly back into his palm. Contacting the Guild of Hyun Kim… A yellow triangular icon appeared beneath Hyun's name. PING LOCATION Gray stiffened, his shoulders creeping toward his ears. Relax, he told himself. It's just your brother, not the president. While waiting for the connection to go through, he forced his posture to loosen and cleared his throat into his fist.

A soft click signaled that the line had opened. A digital timer appeared beneath Hyun's name. 0: 00 The numbers began ticking upward. Static crackled through the tiny speaker before a voice finally broke through.

"He said you would call." The signal heavily distorted the audio, but the speaker was unmistakably female.

"What took you so long?" Gray frowned. That definitely wasn't Hyun.

"Uh… is Hyun Kim available to speak, ma'am?" He asked.

"Ma'am? Who are you calling ma'am?" the woman snapped, her words partially swallowed by the static.

"Do you seriously not recognize my voice, Gray?"

"I'm sorry, but the reception in this world is terrible," Gray replied.

"Your temper reminds me of a certain Reaper, but I can already tell you're not her." He tilted the communicator closer to his ear.

"May I ask who I'm speaking with?" A light chuckle came through the speaker.

"My apologies. I completely forgot how awful the audio quality is. It's Ariel. Ariel Miller—the healer from the second level." Gray's mouth rounded in surprise.

"Oh, wow. I didn't think I'd hear from you again." A snarky edge slipped into his voice.

"What happened to that job your charitable mentor so graciously arranged for you?"

"I'll still be working under him," Ariel replied.

"But I'd rather be an asset than a liability. Better to secure my class than end up crippled, right?"

"I bet you were expecting your brother, huh?"

"Yeah…" Gray whispered.

"But honestly, passing the message through you might be better than talking to him directly."

"Nonsense! He should be returning to the base any minute now." Ariel paused.

"Actually, speaking of the devil. I see him right now!" Gray's entire body went rigid. His grip tightened around the communicator before he abruptly shoved it against Andre's chest. Andre immediately pushed it back. Gray tried Eugene next. Eugene refused just as quickly. Then, in perfect unison, the two men gave him encouraging fist pumps and stern nods. Gray shot them a flat look before drawing several short breaths to steady his racing heart. He brought the receiver back to his mouth and swallowed hard.

The silence that followed seemed to stretch forever. Static crackled through the speaker, followed by the heavy rustle of movement on the other end. A moment later, the interference cleared. A familiar voice came through.

"Gray? Is that you?" Hyun asked.

"Ye… yeah. It's me," Gray murmured. Several long seconds of dead air followed. Neither brother seemed willing to make the first move.

"I'm sorry!"

"I apologize." Their words collided over the open channel. Gray blinked.

"Apologize? For what? I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"Stop it," Hyun cut in.

"As your older brother—and the adult between us—I should've been the bigger man. It's only natural for you to act the way you did at your age."

"Act the way I did? My age?" Gray's brows shot up.

"What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Gray…" Hyun warned, a low rumble entering his voice.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Gray waved dismissively at the communicator, despite Hyun having no way to see the gesture.

"Anyway, I, uh… think you know why I'm calling."

"To apologize, right? I know." Hyun's tone remained irritatingly even.

"Was there anything else you needed before I end the call?" Gray ground his teeth.

"Are you seriously going to make me say it?"

"Is that pride I hear?" Hyun replied. Gray could practically hear the smirk in his voice. Off to the side, Eugene and Andre nodded vehemently. Ask him, Eugene mouthed.

"Fine!" Gray groaned.

"Could you… form an alliance with us? And maybe share some of your Guild Points?"

"Why, I'd be happy to," Hyun answered smoothly. The tension drained from Gray's shoulders, only to be replaced almost immediately by suspicion.

"But what gives? Why hasn't anyone allied with you yet?" Gray asked.

"Did your dull, clinical personality bore them all away?"

"We've actually received quite a few requests," Hyun corrected.

"But you're entirely right. Unfortunately, none of them wanted to team up with someone as boring as me." Gray narrowed his eyes at the communicator.

"Now hurry up and ping your location so I can head your way," Hyun continued.

"No, no. That wouldn't be respectful on my part." Gray waved his free hand through the air.

"I should be the one making the trip to you. Besides, it'd be nice to see Ariel again." A sharp breath hissed through the speaker.

"Okay…" Hyun said carefully.

"But there's something I need to tell you first." Gray's expression tightened.

"What is it?"

"It's about William. The armored guy from the party with the chain user."

"Yeah, I remember the tin can." Gray furrowed his brow.

"What about him?"

"He's in my party."

"What? William?" Gray dropped his voice to a harsh whisper.

"Why the hell is he in your group?"

"It just worked out that way," Hyun said with a weary sigh.

"Are you sure you still want to come here?"

"Of course. How else are we supposed to double-team him?" Gray threw both hands up in a half-shrug.

"Nobody is killing anybody, Gray. Do I make myself clear?" Hyun snapped. He didn't wait for a response.

"Look, if you're dead set on coming here, we need to meet somewhere discreet before forming the alliance. I set up our base inside a gated community. When you arrive, slip into unit number six and wait for me. I'll break away from the others and meet you inside. We can talk there." Gray's stomach tightened at the thought of crossing paths with the man who had trapped and violated him. For a moment, the urge to back out of the deal hit hard. Was there another way to claw his guild out of the leaderboard's trenches?

Probably not. And how could he ask Hyun—the very lifeline keeping them from failure—to abandon his own team and make the entire trip instead? Gray's conscience wouldn't allow it. More importantly, the desperation on his teammates' faces was impossible to ignore. He glanced over and found Andre and Eugene still watching him with wide, guilt-inducing puppy-dog eyes.

"That sounds like a plan," Gray said into the receiver.

"I'll get there as fast as I can." Then a thought struck him.

"Wait. Are you sure William doesn't know who you are?" Gray asked.

"Once he saw you use your abilities, wouldn't he have put two and two together?"

"Everyone's been operating solo for most of the level," Hyun replied.

"I doubt he even knows what my class actually does." Gray gave a thoughtful hum.

"I see. So splitting up really was the optimal strategy for climbing the ladder."

"Have you not been doing that?" Hyun asked.

"Is that why you're so low in the rankings?" A shadow passed over Gray's expression. His gaze drifted toward Delilah's unconscious body resting on the makeshift bed.

"It's been difficult for us," he said quietly.

"To say the least." Gray shook off the dread and forced some brightness back into his voice.

"Hey, but that's exactly why I have a big brother, right?" He managed a grin no one on the other end could see.

"I'll get there as soon as possible."

"Be careful," Hyun warned. Then, more firmly, "And take your time."