"...You’re telling his Thunderbird instantly wiped out your Tier 9 Genie?!"
Whitestone froze for a mont, then quickly nodded.
"Yes."
Whoosh!
Scarlet Queen raised her hand, and in an instant, a Thunderbird wreathed in golden lightning materialized in the conference room.
"Outside."
Without another word, she turned and walked out.
The others shuddered, their faces shifting dramatically—
As if sothing had just clicked in their minds.
A look of shock and uncertainty spread across the room.
Whitestone, though also sensing that sothing was off, didn’t hesitate and followed imdiately.
As Scarlet Queen stepped outside—
"Summon a Genie."
Standing in the open space outside the conference room, her expression was unreadable.
"Y-Yes..."
Whitestone’s face had gone pale, but he obeyed, summoning a Genie.
SCREECH!
The mont Whitestone’s Genie appeared, Scarlet Queen’s Thunderbird let out a piercing cry, flapped its wings, and launched itself at the Genie.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out as the Genie was blasted hundreds of feet away—
Like a cannonball, it crashed into the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through the area.
The impact was so intense it felt like a small earthquake.
But—
The Genie was still alive.
"...What the hell..."
Everyone’s pupils contracted. Their faces turned ghostly white.
Scarlet Queen’s expression flickered. She stood in silence for a long mont before finally speaking.
"How much HP does it have left?"
Whitestone was frozen in place, his face drained of all color. His entire body trembled.
His lips quivered, but no words ca out.
"How much HP does it have left?"
Scarlet Queen’s voice was cold, cutting through the silence like a blade.
"...A-A third..."
Whitestone stamred, barely able to get the words out.
The mont he spoke—
The entire area fell into a dead silence.
No one made a sound.
Scarlet Queen wasn’t just anyone.
She was the Guild Leader of Scarlet Legion. A top ten player on the Monarch Leaderboard. One of the most powerful figures in all of North Arica.
And yet—
Even her Thunderbird couldn’t instantly kill Whitestone’s Genie.
Which ant...
Whoever that person was—
They were stronger than Scarlet Queen.
The realization hit like a sledgehamr.
The high-ranking mbers of Scarlet Legion—who had been shouting just monts ago about how they couldn’t let this go—
Now had dry mouths, pale faces, trembling legs, and cold sweat running down their backs.
"...Draconic Pact, huh..."
Scarlet Queen was the only one who remained calm.
One thing was certain—
She had never heard that na before.
She had never believed that soone could grow into a powerhouse right under the noses of the top ten guilds—completely unnoticed, as if they were invisible.
And yet, reality had just slapped her in the face.
Just because she didn’t know about them...
Didn’t an they didn’t exist.
After a long silence, Scarlet Queen opened her contacts and tapped on a na—Caesar.
Caesar.
Guild leader of Lich’s Covenant, the undisputed leader among the top ten guilds.
And the number one player on the Monarch Leaderboard.
The strongest player in North Arica—at least, on paper.
Beep...
"Well, well, this is a rare call. Scarlet, what’s up?"
A voice ca through, casual, almost playful.
"I have a question. Have you ever heard the na Draconic Pact?"
Scarlet Queen’s tone was cold.
"Draconic Pact?"
Caesar paused for a mont, then shook his head.
"Nope. Why?"
"...Even you haven’t heard of them?"
Scarlet Queen’s pupils contracted.
She fell silent.
Caesar, sensing sothing was off, frowned. His voice turned serious.
"What’s going on? Don’t give half the story—just spit it out."
Scarlet Queen hesitated for a mont, then gave him a brief rundown of what had happened.
Then—
Caesar went silent too.
A long pause.
Then, his voice ca back, heavy with concern.
"...Strategic Artifact?"
"Mm. At least Tier 2. Otherwise, there’s no way the power gap would be this massive."
Scarlet Queen’s brows furrowed.
Strategic Artifacts.
Most regular players didn’t even know what they were.
But for people like them?
They knew exactly how valuable they were.
To top players, a Strategic Artifact was worth more than even high-tier units.
And in the entire player base, Strategic Artifacts were extrely rare.
Extrely.
Most of them were only Tier 1.
As for Tier 2 Strategic Artifacts?
You could count them on one hand—worldwide.
In all of North Arica, there were only two.
And one of them was in Lich’s Covenant.
Which was why—
Caesar fell silent again.
A Tier 2 Strategic Artifact?
Draconic Pact?
Caesar rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"...I’ll check with the military. If it’s not them..."
He exhaled slowly.
"...Then we need to et in person. Soon."
He paused, then added, his gaze sharp.
"Scarlet, handle this carefully. The cross-region ’Global Battlefield’ is coming up. North Arica can’t afford any unnecessary chaos right now."
"I know."
Scarlet Queen’s voice was calm as she ended the call.
Then, she turned to Whitestone, whose face was already deathly pale.
Expressionless, she said—
"You’re coming with to Icelight City."
Whitestone’s heart clenched.
His face was ashen.
Despair was written all over him.
But he didn’t dare refuse.
Didn’t even dare to hesitate.
He could only nod stiffly, like a puppet on strings.
And at that very mont—
An unexpected guest had already arrived at Nocturnal Crescent’s headquarters in Icelight City—
Before they could even get there.
...
Icelight City Tavern, in an elegant and finely decorated room on the top floor.
Ethan, Emily, and a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in white—her presence almost angelic—sat around a round table that perfectly matched the fantasy aesthetic of Glory Lords X.
Emily stared at Ethan in utter disbelief, her expression as if she had just seen a ghost. "Wait, bro—was that really you people are talking about online? Did you seriously force PK Whitestone and make him lose levels?!"
If they weren’t in front of a guest, she would’ve already grabbed Ethan, pinched him, maybe even smacked him a few tis just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Ethan sighed, looking exasperated. "Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Can’t you see we have company? How about an introduction first? Who is this?"
"Oh, right... okay..." Emily finally snapped out of her shock and was about to introduce their guest when the woman in white beat her to it.
She looked at Ethan with a complicated expression before speaking in a calm, asured tone. "Hello, I’m Selene Lily, Vice Commander of the Sixth Legion of Scarlet Legion."
Ethan nodded slightly. "Nice to et you. I’m Valkarion from Draconic Pact."
As he spoke, his gaze instinctively swept over Selene, and he couldn’t help but admire her.
"Damn... no wonder she’s one of the top three goddesses of Scarlet Legion. She’s absolutely breathtaking."
It wasn’t that Ethan was being a player—anyone with eyes could appreciate beauty. And Selene? She was the definition of perfection.
Flawless face. Perfect figure. An aura that was both elegant and untouchable. Even her skin was like porcelain—smooth, fair, and without a single blemish.
If he had to compare, to be completely objective... Selene actually scored higher than his girlfriend, Isabella. If Isabella was a solid 95, Selene was at least a 97, maybe even a 98.
"Hey, perv, snap out of it! If you keep staring, I’m telling Isabella!" Emily waved a hand in front of Ethan’s face, teasing him with a mischievous grin.
Smack!
Ethan flicked her forehead without hesitation. "Watch your mouth, brat."
"Ugh!" Emily pouted, rubbing her forehead in mock protest. "You always bully ."
"Go sit sowhere else." Ethan huffed before turning back to Selene. He let out a small sigh. "Sorry about that. This little troublemaker has no filter. She’s used to running wild, but she doesn’t an any harm. I hope you don’t—"
"It’s fine." Selene shook her head gently. "Actually, I think Emmie is adorable. I like her."
"Appreciate it." Ethan chuckled. "So, first ti eting in person—what brings you here?"
Selene fell silent for a mont, her gaze steady as she finally spoke in a quiet voice. "I’m here because of what happened with Whitestone."
She paused briefly before continuing, her tone careful. "I don’t know the full details, but... I believe there’s been so kind of misunderstanding."
"Hold it right there."
Before Selene could finish, Ethan cut her off, his tone calm but distant. "Let ask you sothing—what role are you here in today?"
"A new acquaintance just looking to talk? Or an envoy from Scarlet Legion?"
"Why are you being so harsh? Selene didn’t do anything to you!" Emily imdiately jumped in, pouting in protest.
She had a great relationship with Selene, who had taken care of her a lot recently. If not for that, she wouldn’t have agreed to co along in the first place.
Honestly, she just didn’t want things to get ugly.
On one side was her own brother.
On the other was soone who had always looked out for her.
Both were important to her, and being caught in the middle like this was awful.
More than that, Scarlet Legion wasn’t just any guild—it was one of the top ten. If things really went south, she wasn’t sure even Ethan could handle the consequences.
That was why she had rushed to Icelight City as fast as she could.
But Ethan didn’t seem to care about any of that.
After asking his question, he simply sat there, his expression calm as he waited for Selene’s response.
Seeing this, Emily’s face shifted slightly, but in the end, she backed down and kept quiet.
Still, she couldn’t help but let out a small hmph, clearly unhappy.
anwhile, a flicker of emotion passed through Selene’s eyes before she finally spoke.
"I ca here today as a new acquaintance," she said slowly. "I just wanted to understand what really happened."
"To be honest, though... I don’t actually have the authority to interfere in this matter. Whitestone is the Commander of the Third Legion and a high-ranking officer in Scarlet Legion. Whether it’s status or personal strength, he outranks by far."
"And considering this involves him—especially sothing as serious as a forced PK that made him lose levels—I doubt even Scarlet Queen will just sit back and ignore it."
"Scarlet Queen?"
The mont Selene ntioned that na, Emily’s expression changed. She looked at Ethan, clearly worried. "Bro..."
"Relax. I know what I’m doing."
Ethan remained completely unfazed, even smiling slightly as he turned to Selene. "Since you’re here as a friend, let show you sothing."
With that, he forwarded her a video—one that Nightfall had sent him.
A few monts later, Selene’s expression shifted.
Her face darkened.
...
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