Chương 255

Rudra could only be considered moderately handsome but his charm-related stats had skyrocketed past human limits. With his Charm and Dignity sitting in the five thousands, he carried a heavy, undeniably striking presence. He wasn't radiating a hostile aura, but he naturally commanded the space just by standing there. He casually rested his heavy, black lightning staff against his shoulder. Two players in the middle of the group pushed their way to the front. Galahad stepped out.

The tank wore heavy steel plate armor that looked much better maintained than the last time Rudra had seen him. Beside him, Echo—a small woman with a dark scarf covering the lower half of her face—stepped lightly over the cobblestones. They looked at the black trench coat. They recognized the jagged, fiery bone staff. Galahad's eyes went completely wide behind his visor. He planted his gauntlets on his hips and puffed out his chest.

"Halt!" Galahad bellowed in terrible, forced medieval English.

"Do my eyes deceive me?! Is it truly the fabled Training Maniac of the coastline?" Echo just pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly exhausted by the tank's constant roleplay. But her eyes were wide, too. She looked at the giant pets, the massive estate, and the undeniable authority Rudra carried. She wasn't stupid. Neither were the rest of the rankers.

"Wait," a mage in the back whispered.

"The Zenith is forming a guild with the backing of Duke with a Large City."

"Look at the guards," another player muttered.

"They way they were greeting him, makes it clear who the Duke is." The realization washed over the twelve players like a bucket of cold water.

"He is the Duke," Red said, letting out a sharp, breathless laugh.

"Oh, that's beautiful. You are the First Duke that the forums is talking about, the one who took the spot from Grid""I guess that is true, since I became the Duke more than a year ago. And good to see you too, Galahad," Rudra smiled. He looked past the tank.

"Who else did Cecilia drag out here?" The player with the messy red hair stepped forward. He wore a lightweight leather coat and carried twin rapiers at his waist. He had a lazy, highly energetic smile on his face that instantly set off Rudra's internal warning bells.

"Red," the player introduced himself.

"A pleasure to meet you." Rudra's eyes shifted. Red. The Unified Ranking, 5th Place in the game. A top-tier combatant. Red's eyes darted around the group. They landed on Haster, who was standing near Cecilia. The lazy grin stretched into a massive, beaming smile.

"Wait," Red gasped, putting both hands over his heart.

"Haster? The actual Haster? Man, this is incredible. I used to watch your tournament highlight reels when I was in middle school! It's like meeting a dinosaur." Haster crossed his arms. His jaw tightened instantly.

"Watch your mouth, kid."

"Sword and a spear. Wow," Red continued, completely ignoring the warning. He pointed at Haster's weapons.

"You know you're lowering your damage by holding both, right? Let's say the sword does 100 damage and the spear does 50. That averages out to 75 damage. You're literally nerfing your sword just by holding the spear. You'd hit harder if you just kept your left hand in your pocket. Basic math." Before Haster could even completely process the idiotic words, a woman stumbled forward from the back of the group. Her heavy plate armor clanked loudly as she tripped over a loose cobblestone.

She let out a soft yelp and nearly face-planted. Red caught her by the back of her collar just in time. She quickly righted herself. Her face was flushed completely red.

"I am so sorry," she squeaked. Her voice was incredibly soft and timid.

"Please excuse him. He doesn't have an off switch. My name is Gold." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Rudra stared at her. He knew that voice. Back in reality, when he was working out in his bedroom or hitting the local gym, he had a very specific playlist on loop. It had exactly ten songs by a famous Indian singer. He knew the cadence. He knew the soft, breathy tone. No way, Rudra thought. The pop singer is playing Satisfy?

And she's a heavy armor class? He kept his face completely blank. He wasn't going to out her in front of a dozen hardcore gamers, but he mentally upgraded her threat level to the top of the list. A timid, shy pop singer who intentionally chose to play a Berserker class was a complete weirdo. And in his experience, weirdos in this game were usually quite competent.

"Nice to meet you," Rudra said normally. He turned to address the whole group.

"So. Fifteen of us. That's the exact number we need to form a guild." He pointed toward the ocean past the city walls.

"I control the trade routes through the Red Sea," Rudra explained.

"Cecilia handles the logistics and the treasury. You guys are the vanguard. You defend the shipments, clear the borders of the Empire's scouts, and in exchange, you get full access to Stormbreak's resources. You guys can join in with any of my Knight Division or in either of my Tower. Including my food." Red crossed his arms, looking entirely unimpressed.

"I don't know, boss. A guild is a big commitment. I need to know the exact effectiveness of the perks we're talking about. Beside I don't think you're bread is enough to convince us that doing Guild works would be better than grinding levels.."

"You haven't had my bread," Rudra said. He dropped his heavy metal cauldron onto the stones. It unfolded into a large Mixing Bowl and a prep table. Rudra pulled out a bag of puffed rice. He grabbed fresh, crisp onions, bright green cilantro, and a jar of thick, dark tamarind paste. Piaro had harvested the vegetables yesterday, and they practically glowed with natural vitality. Rudra immediately chopped the onions with his iron knife. His hands blurred due to his absurd agility and dexterity.

He tossed the ingredients into the large bowl. He added a pinch of rock salt and squeezed a fresh lemon over the top. He poured his focus into the bowl, using his [Breath of the Hearth] and [Empathetic Cuisine] to push the simple street food past its normal limits. He mixed it rapidly, letting the tangy, spicy sauce coat the puffed rice before it could get soggy. A bright light flashed from the bowl as his various titles improved the effectiveness of the food he created.

[You have successfully created 'Zenith's Bhel Puri'!] [Rating: Unique] [A dish made from completely normal ingredients, elevated to a miracle through pure physical mastery. - Increases Attack Power by 70% for 6 hours. - Completely ignores armor weight penalties for 6 hours. - Increases Attack speed by 30% for 6 hours. - Grants an absolute immunity to 'Fear' and 'Confusion' for 6 hours.] [An unique-rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300.] [Class Quest Updated: Create Unique dishes using only basic ingredients (4 / 10)!] Rudra quickly handed out small wooden bowls to the twelve recruits. Kratos trotted over, sniffed the puffed rice, and let out a disappointed huff.

"No meat," Kratos grumbled, sitting back down by the fountain.

"I'm not eating that." Rudra just shrugged, "Your loss." Red walked over. He looked at the bowl and tilted his head.

"Wait," Red said, laughing in disbelief.

"Is that actually bhel puri? Man, I haven't had this since forever. How the hell did you make it in the game?" He grabbed a handful and tossed it into his mouth. Red completely froze. The spicy, tangy crunch exploded on his tongue. But it wasn't the taste that stopped him. A blue system window popped up in front of his face. [You have consumed Zenith's Bhel Puri!] [Attack Power is increased by 70% for 6 hours.] [Weight Limit is removed for 6 hours.] [Attack Speed is increased by 30% for 6 hours.] [An absolute immunity to 'Fear' and 'Confusion' for 6 hours.]"Seventy percent?" a player gasped, checking his status window.

"From puffed rice?!"

"Sign the paperwork," Gold whispered, her eyes wide. She looked at Cecilia.

"Where do I agree?" Cecilia smugly sent out the guild registration window. Everyone agreed immediately. Rudra opened his party interface. He had fifteen people who had all agreed to join the Guild. The requirement was met. So he started the creation of his Guild [You have met the requirements to establish a Guild.] [You are a high-ranking noble! You do not need the permission of the Adventurer Guild to create a Guild!] [Please enter the Guild Name.]"Genesis," Rudra said.

[The 'Genesis Guild' has been established.] [You are the Guild Master.] [Please appoint your executives.] Rudra swiped the window away and turned around to face the group.