They had lunch together and then returned to their respective workspaces inside the LionArk headquarters.
The afternoon atmosphere felt calr compared to the chaos of the previous day’s event. The hallways were no longer crowded with mbers rushing back and forth.
Most of them had resud their regular duties, handling logistics, training schedules, territory patrols, and administrative matters that never seed to end.
Right when Ethan stepped into his office, a notification window flickered in front of him. A direct ssage from Gordon had arrived through a private channel.
Ethan closed the door behind him before focusing on the floating interface. The ssage was concise but carried weight.
In the ssage Gordon sent, he inford Ethan that the majority of Trident Sea mbers had surrendered.
A few officers resisted and attempted to incite rebellion, but LionArk forces managed to suppress them without significant casualties.
A total of 301 Trident Sea mbers surrendered, 12 of them were guild officers.
Ethan exhaled slowly as he read the numbers again. Three hundred and one. That was not a small number. Integrating or dealing with that many forr enemies would not be simple.
He raised his hand and summoned the holographic keyboard. The translucent keys lit up as his fingers moved across them.
He instructed Gordon to find a solution for the surrendered mbers without executing them. He made his stance clear. No death penalty.
After sending the ssage, Ethan remained standing for a mont, staring at the faint reflection of himself in the glass wall beside his desk.
Power ca with responsibility. And responsibility demanded decisions that were rarely clean.
A soft knock echoed from the door.
"Co in," Ethan said.
Sherly stepped inside after finishing her lunch. She paused the mont she saw Ethan already seated at his desk, holographic interface still active in front of him.
"Sir Ethan?"
Ethan turned his chair slightly toward her. "You’re back."
Sherly closed the door gently behind her. "I didn’t expect you to return this quickly. Are you already handling sothing urgent?"
Ethan nodded. "LionArk’s team in Seacrest. Gordon just reported."
Sherly’s expression shifted into focus. She walked closer to the desk. "They succeeded in capturing them? What are we going to do with them?"
Ethan leaned back slightly in his chair. "Most of them surrendered. Three hundred and one mbers. Twelve officers among them."
Sherly’s eyes widened slightly. "That many..."
"They weren’t the ones who made the decision yesterday," Ethan said calmly. "Noah made the choice to betray us during the event. Most of those mbers just followed orders."
Sherly folded her arms. "But they are the Trident Sea."
"Yes," Ethan replied. "And that’s the problem."
He explained that even though many of them were not directly responsible for the betrayal, their continued existence as Trident Sea mbers would create instability.
Many guild mbers in LionArk despised Trident Sea’s actions. Allowing them to simply walk free without consequences would damage morale.
"But killing them would only deepen the cycle," Ethan added.
Sherly nodded slowly. "So Sir Gordon will decide?"
"He has to," Ethan answered. "But I already told him I oppose capital punishnt."
Sherly let out a small breath of relief. "That’s good. If I were in his position, I wouldn’t know what kind of punishnt would be appropriate either."
Ethan stood and walked toward the large window that overlooked the guild’s inner courtyard. mbers were training below, weapons clashing rhythmically.
"Whatever he decides," Ethan said quietly, "it must protect LionArk first."
He returned to his desk and gestured toward the stack of physical docunts waiting for his signature.
"Let’s leave the Trident Sea to Gordon for now. We focus on what’s in front of us."
Sherly gave a firm nod. "Understood, Sir Ethan."
They began working.
Hours passed as Ethan reviewed reports, territorial tax summaries, alliance communications, and infrastructure maintenance requests.
Sherly efficiently organized the completed docunts and delivered them to the administrative staff.
No further ssages ca from Gordon that afternoon.
Ethan assud that ant Gordon was deep in discussion or already implenting a plan.
Ti moved steadily.
By five in the evening, the stack of paperwork had significantly diminished. The once cluttered desk now looked manageable.
Ethan leaned back and stretched his arms overhead. A series of cracking sounds echoed from his joints.
"Finally," he muttered.
Sherly smiled faintly. "You’ve been signing nonstop for three hours."
"There will be fewer tomorrow," Ethan replied. "Hopefully."
He opened his inventory interface and retrieved a bottle of wine. The dark glass shimred as it materialized in his hand.
Sherly blinked. "Wine?"
"After a long day, we deserve sothing," Ethan said.
He poured the wine into two glasses, the deep red liquid catching the evening light.
Before Sherly could respond further, the door opened again.
Ashley entered, followed by Jill.
Ashley raised an eyebrow when she saw the glasses. "Celebrating already?"
"Just decompressing," Ethan replied.
Jill closed the door behind them, and the four of them moved to the sofa area in Ethan’s office.
Sherly spoke first. "After the event and LionArk being crowned champion, many players have applied to join."
Ashley nodded. "Of course they have. We’ve won two major events back to back. Everyone wants to be on the winning side."
Ethan took a slow sip of his wine. "We can’t accept them carelessly."
Ashley crossed her legs. "Agreed. We need stricter qualifications."
"That will create competition among new applicants," Ethan added.
"And pressure among existing mbers," Jill pointed out quietly.
Ethan nodded. "Which is necessary."
Ashley looked at him. "What about current mbers who fall below the new standards?"
Ethan swirled the wine in his glass before answering. "Give them one month to prove themselves. If they fail, they’re out."
Sherly nodded. "I’ll draft the announcent."
Their conversation shifted toward recruitnt systems, training programs, and territorial defense improvents.
Then a knock interrupted them.
A guild mber entered and bowed slightly. "Sir Ethan. The LionArk team from Seacrest has returned."
Ethan placed his glass down. "Tell Gordon to co here."
"Yes, sir."
A few minutes later, Gordon entered alone.
He stopped briefly when he noticed Ashley and the others. "Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all," Ethan replied, standing up and pouring another glass of wine. He handed it to Gordon.
Gordon accepted it and took a asured sip before speaking.
"Trident Sea has been officially dissolved. They are now guildless players."
Ashley’s eyes sharpened.
"I have two proposals," Gordon continued.
"Go on," Ethan said.
"First. We distribute the forr Trident Sea mbers among our allied guilds. Place them according to ability and criteria."
Ethan considered it.
Ashley folded her arms. "That spreads risk."
Gordon nodded. "Exactly."
"And the second?" Ethan asked.
"We recruit them. Form a puppet guild in Seacrest."
"Puppet guild?" Ashley repeated.
Gordon explained that the guild would operate secretly under LionArk’s direction. It would handle operations LionArk could not publicly conduct due to its righteous image.
"Infiltration. Silent strikes. Sabotage," Gordon said calmly. "Everything aligned with LionArk’s goals."
"That’s ruthless," Ashley remarked.
Gordon looked at her directly. "They betrayed us. They are alive only because Ethan showed rcy. If not, thousands of LionArk mbers would have killed them on the spot."
Silence lingered.
Ethan stepped between their tension.
"Both proposals have weaknesses," he said.
He listed them carefully.
"For the first. We gain nothing strategically. And we risk destabilizing allied guilds."
"For the second. If the puppet guild’s identity leaks, LionArk’s reputation collapses."
Gordon smiled faintly. "Regarding secrecy, you don’t need to worry."
He explained how Redemption Sword, Scavenger, and Silver Star had previously ford similar hidden guilds.
One example was Shadow Guild under Scavenger.
"It’s common practice among top guilds," Gordon added.
Ethan listened closely.
He understood sothing fundantal. Power structures in this world were rarely pure.
"Alright," Ethan said finally. "Create the new guild. Choose its na and leader. Once decided, bring the leader to ."
Gordon nodded. "Understood."
He returned the empty glass and left.
Ashley looked unconvinced.
"You’re trusting them?" she asked.
"I’m using them," Ethan corrected calmly.
Ashley’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"They will protect our credibility," Ethan continued. "And create controlled chaos that reinforces our image as stabilizers."
"You sound manipulative," Ashley said.
Ethan walked back to his desk and refilled his glass.
"To build a strong guild, we must appear strong," he replied.
"That’s perception politics," Jill murmured.
"Exactly," Ethan said.
He explained that perception shaped reality. If LionArk was perceived as strong, that belief would spread until it solidified into truth.
When LionArk suppressed rebellion, perception strengthened.
When LionArk stabilized territory, perception deepened.
But alliances alone were insufficient. They needed unseen hands.
"It’s natural for you to oppose this," Ethan said to Ashley. "But in a few months, you’ll understand why it’s necessary."
He turned toward the three won, his gaze steady and unwavering.
"I will do whatever it takes to ensure LionArk stands above the Redemption Sword."
His voice carried conviction, ambition, and sothing colder beneath it.
Not cruelty, but resolve.
Ashley and the others listened. Ethan’s attitude had changed a lot after the event ended. Now, it felt like they were seeing Ethan in a dictator-style leadership mode.
Everything had to run according to his will. If anyone violated it, consequences would follow. Ashley had no choice but to agree with Ethan’s proposal.
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