***
Three weeks later.
Porco City.
The city was lively that night. Many players were relaxing and chatting with their friends. Unlike Nile City and the others, Porco was one of the cities located in the central region.
It was a grand city with impressive architecture, making the players feel as if they were living in the past but with a game system tied to their lives.
What made them different from each other were the guild logos and abbreviations shown above their status panels, at the top right corner.
RDS stood for Redemption Sword. SVG meant Scavenger. LA meant LionArk. There were many others.
Each guild had to use a unique abbreviation—no two guilds could share the same one, to help players tell them apart.
Not only that, but the system also allowed guild leaders to set their own uniforms. It was a free feature that automatically unlocked once a player joined a guild.
That was why most players in the city wore matching uniforms. Only a few chose regular clothes.
For many, the guild uniform was a symbol of pride—an identity they wanted to show off.
"Look! The Red Notice list just got longer," one player said.
"Among all those wanted players, only EthanArk isn’t in any guild," his friend replied.
"Is he stupid? Putting his name on the Red Notice list without a guild to protect him."
"Maybe he’s just some crazy newbie who enjoys killing people. He’s worse than those guild players who kill because of guild rivalry."
"Forget that. Tonight’s supposed to be the guild semester evaluation. I can’t wait to see the results," the player said.
"Then let’s go to the city center. The system will announce it there."
They nodded and walked toward the city square. They weren’t the only ones—many other players left the quest bulletin board to focus on the ranking panels.
It was an important event that happened once every six months, showing each guild’s progress and contribution points.
A man sat quietly on a rooftop, watching the players gather at the city center. Everyone believed the results would be revealed soon.
He was curious too. Jumping from one roof to another, he stayed hidden from anyone on the main streets.
His PK status and username stood out too much—people would recognize him immediately, even if most of them were only around level 30.
When he reached the edge of the city square, Ethan squinted and focused ahead.
Soon after, a bright blue system panel appeared at the center of the city, drawing everyone’s attention.
Ethan saw it clearly—a huge panel displaying the top 50 guilds.
There were ten large panels in total, meaning only the top 500 guilds were shown based on their contribution points.
For smaller guilds, making it into the top 500 was already a huge achievement. Everyone in every city could see the rankings, and many players often joined the top guilds because of it.
But for Ethan, this guild ranking was something else—it was a crucial judgment for LionArk. In the past, LionArk always ranked among the top three guilds.
Now, first place was Redemption Sword, second was Scavenger, and third... was Silver Star.
LionArk fell.
I knew this would happen.
Ethan scrolled down, looking at each guild name in the top ten. LionArk wasn’t there.
He scrolled further, feeling uneasy and anxious. Finally, he found LionArk’s ranking on the list.
[GUILD EVALUATION]
[112. LionArk || Leader: AshleyLeon123 || Contribution Points: 12,540 || Rank: B] [↓]
Ethan clenched his fists, angry and frustrated. If Rick and Gordon hadn’t left LionArk, maybe they could’ve held their position.
I don’t know what their rank was before, but falling to 112th place is the biggest drop in guild history.
Something’s not right. Something must’ve happened.
"HAHA!" a few players laughed.
"Look! LionArk’s a loser guild now," one of them said.
"They were Rank S six months ago, and now they’re Rank B?"
"What a joke! I’m quitting LionArk!"
The city center grew noisy. Many players opened their guild panels and chose to leave, including members of LionArk.
Ethan frowned. He opened his own guild search panel and typed LionArk’s name. The system quickly showed the updated data after the evaluation.
[Search Guild: Lionark]
[Searching Guild!] [Guild Found]
[1. Lionark || 8,450 Members || Rank: B (Elite Guild) || Leader: AshleyLeon123]
The number had dropped drastically—from over 10,000 members to just around 8,000. And it would probably keep falling after their massive rank drop.
"The final member count will be clear in three days. Hopefully, it doesn’t fall below 5,000," Ethan muttered.
He turned his gaze north, toward the city gate. Beyond it was Mavelard City—LionArk’s long-held territory for years, a major city with strong economic potential.
So, what are you planning now, Ashley?
***
Three days later.
Porco City.
Ethan woke up in a small inn room far from the city center. When he opened the window, there were only a few players around—he could count them on one hand.
Luckily, he hadn’t run into anyone these past few days. The innkeeper NPC didn’t seem to care about his PK status either.
Big changes were happening among the top 500 guilds. Some were gaining members, while others were losing them.
Players were being realistic. They couldn’t stay in weak guilds that couldn’t protect them.
Out of concern, Ethan checked LionArk’s member count every day. But each time, things only got worse.
He was worried about LionArk’s situation. He feared Ashley might give up and disband the guild entirely. That would destroy their legacy for good.
Please let the numbers improve.
[Search Guild: Lionark]
[Searching Guild!] [Guild Found]
[1. Lionark || 2,120 Members || Rank: B (Elite Guild) || Leader: AshleyLeon123]
Ethan shook his head, frustrated and disappointed. From over 10,000 members before the evaluation, only 2,120 remained.
So only about two thousand members stayed loyal...
This was dangerous. Ethan couldn’t just sit around while LionArk fell apart.
If he waited too long, LionArk could drop out of the top 500 entirely.
"I can’t stay in Porco City any longer."
"Ashley and LionArk need me, even if my PK status puts them at risk."
"I have to get to Mavelard—fast!"