Chương 256

"Cecilia," Rudra said.

"You're the Chief of Staff. You handle the logistics and the treasury." Cecilia nodded, pulling out a notebook.

"I have a budget meeting with Silas in ten minutes, so this works."

"Haster," Rudra continued, pointing at the vanguard player.

"You're the Vice Guild Master." Haster blinked, "Me?"

"You've been grinding territory quests for months while I was out at sea," Rudra said warmly.

"You put in the work. You earned it. I'm also officially making you a Viscount of Murray Kingdom right now." Haster stood a little taller. A Viscount title was a massive political asset. He looked at the newly formed guild members.

"Alright. Since we're all official now, let's see what you guys can actually do. Who wants a quick spar?" Red grinned. He finished his bowl and tossed it onto the table. He drew his twin rapiers. Haster dropped into a stance, holding his sword and spear. Red didn't wait. He lunged forward. Haster closed his eyes for a fraction of a second. His insane hearing picked up the sound of Red's boots scraping the stone. He knew exactly where the attack was coming from. He moved his spear to block. But his body was old.

His avatar couldn't move as fast as his brain processed the sound. Red noticed the slight lag instantly.

"Breathe through your eyelids, grandpa!" Red yelled, swinging his rapier in a wild flurry.

"Your chi is completely misaligned! Oh, wait... are you tracking the sound of the blade? Is that it? BEEP! BOOP! SWOOSH! Is that messing up your echolocation? BAAAAAM!" Haster gritted his teeth. The stupid sound effects were actually throwing off his concentration. He swung his sword to force Red back. Gold hovered near the edge of the yard, wringing her hands in distress.

"Red, please don't antagonize him! We literally just got here! We need to make a good impression!" Red ducked under the blade and kicked Haster's knee. The older player stumbled. He thrust his spear to recover his balance. The spar got messy fast. They moved with blinding speed, dodging and deflecting. Clang! Haster parried a heavy strike from Red's rapier. The force of the parry sent a sharp shockwave flying off to the side. Silas was walking out of the manor, holding the freshly signed guild headquarter papers.

Vex, the Fox Chieftain, was walking right beside him. The shockwave flew right toward the clerk's head. Before the energy could hit him, a heavy shield slammed into the dirt. Galahad stood in front of Silas. The knight rooted his boots into the cobblestones and took tanked the shot without moving. BANG. The shockwave hit the shield and dispersed harmlessly. Galahad didn't slide an inch and his HP barely even decreased. Galahad smiled slightly behind his visor.

He remembered getting kicked in the shins by Gareth back in Seabreak for failing to dodge. A knight absorbs the blow, he thought proudly.

"Watch your surroundings!" Galahad bellowed at the two sparring players.

"My bad!" Haster called out. But the deflection from Galahad's shield sent a secondary, smaller ripple of energy bouncing back toward the crowd. It clipped Gold right on the shoulder. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Red stopped smiling. Haster lowered his sword, looking a little guilty for hitting a bystander. Gold dropped her wooden bowl. The timid, shy singer stumbled backward. She rubbed her shoulder. She stopped moving.

When she looked up, her eyes were glowing a violent, bright red. The shy demeanor completely shattered. A heavy, terrifying aura exploded from her body. She reached over her back and pulled out a massive, two-handed battleaxe that was almost as big as she was. [The Berserker's Rage has been triggered.] She let out a deafening, feral scream. She lunged forward, swinging the greatsword in a wide, chaotic arc. She wasn't just aiming at Haster. She was aiming at Red, too.

"Whoa!" Red yelled, desperately parrying a heavy strike that nearly took his head off.

"Babe, it was him, not me! Damn you grandpa, why did you play this game if you have dementia and can't even tell who to attack properly."

"Die!" Gold shrieked, swinging again. Gold didn't answer. She swung the massive axe. The Berserker class ability ignored all defensive scaling in exchange for raw, unadulterated attack power. The axe tore through the air, aimed directly at Red's head. Red barely managed to dive out of the way. The axe smashed into the cobblestones, cracking the stone.

"Stop talking and help me!" Haster shouted. He brought his spear up to block a wild, sweeping strike from Gold. The impact knocked Haster to his knees. Gold laughed, raising the axe to chop down on Haster's head. Red jabbed his rapier at her wrist, trying to stop the swing. Rudra stood by the prep table. He looked at the cracked cobblestones. He looked at the dust kicking up and settling over a plate of leftover Bhel Puri. He set his wooden spoon down. He didn't smile.

"You're making a mess," Rudra said. He didn't draw his staff from his back. He just stepped forward.

"[Pressure Zone]." A heavy, invisible dome of dense moisture slammed down over the courtyard. The gravity inside the 50-meter radius instantly doubled. Red, Haster, and Gold felt their movements drag. Their ultimate attacks slowed by just a fraction of a second, fighting against the heavy air. Rudra's speed went up. The water pressure buffed his stats. He pulled a simple wooden ladle from his inventory.

"[Mumud's Weapon Enchant]." Blue electricity and pure magical energy wrapped around the wood.

"[Legendary Sage's Eyes]." His red eyes glowed faintly. The world immediately became colorful. He looked at the three players. The system broke down their stances in an instant. [Super Sensitivity detects a massive over-extension in the Berserker's swing. Center of gravity is entirely focused on the front foot.] [Super Sensitivity detects a flaw in the Duelist's retreat. The left knee is bearing too much weight.] Rudra didn't use a heavy skill. He didn't need to. He just walked into the middle of the fight.

He stepped past Haster. He swung the butt of his ladle, tapping Red directly behind the left knee.

"Gah!" Red yelled. His leg buckled under the heavy pressure, sending him crashing face-first into the dirt. Rudra didn't stop. He pivoted smoothly, stepping inside Gold's wide, berserk swing. He ignored the massive axe. He reached out with his left hand, grabbing the collar of her armor, and swept his boot sharply against her front foot. He pulled her forward, using her own wild momentum against her. Gold tripped.

Before she could hit the ground, Rudra tapped the side of her neck with two fingers, right on a pressure point highlighted by his [Legendary Sage's Eyes.] The Berserker's eyes rolled back. She slumped into the dirt, completely stunned and unconscious. Finally, Rudra looked at Haster. Haster froze. He lowered his spear immediately and put his hands up.

"I yield. I yield." Rudra canceled the Pressure Zone. The heavy gravity vanished from the courtyard. He deactivated his eyes and let the magic fade from his ladle. He looked down at Red, who was groaning in the dirt.

"Unbelievable," Red whined, spitting out a mouthful of dust.

"Ten seconds of authority and the power has already gone to your head! Wow! The guild has barely been established and the Guild Master is physically assaulting his subordinates! This is a hostile work environment! I'm filing a grievance with Cecilia!" Rudra didn't argue. He just stepped forward and delivered a light, casual bonk to the top of Red's head with the wooden ladle.

"Ow!" Red complained, rubbing his head.

"Clean up the dirt," Rudra said.

"You almost got dust in the food." The rest of the new recruits stood in absolute silence. They stared at the three defeated rankers, then looked at Rudra. He hadn't used a single flashy combat skill. He had just walked into a chaotic, lethal brawl, crippled their speeds, and dismantled them with simple pokes and trips. Galahad looked at Echo. The assassin nodded slowly. The Zenith was playing a completely different game than the rest of them. Rudra slung his staff back onto his shoulder.

He walked back to the prep table, picked up a small wooden bowl of Bhel Puri that had survived the fight, and held it out to Echo.

"You want some?" Rudra asked, completely ignoring the groaning troll on the ground. Echo took the bowl. She gave a single, firm nod. Rudra smiled.

"Welcome to Genesis."