Nie Yan looked over his gear: Darkbright Chestpiece, Skywalker Set, Zennarde's Sword, and Glimpse of Darkness. When he first started out, collecting the chapters from the Book of Order, everything was still at an initial stage of development. But now, the quality of his gear far surpassed that of the vast majority of players, Zennarde's Sword in particular. He doubted any other player at present possessed a weapon with over 600 attack power, Level Ignore +12, and Ignore Armour. Not to mention his stats were already staggering. Even the tankiest of Fighters couldn't avoid being cut down by him!
Nie Yan was curious about how many players were by Faded's side. If he encountered a group of peak elites, he would have to tread carefully.
Nie Yan naturally had no plans of throwing his life away. When outnumbered as a Thief, tactics were of vital importance.
"Be careful. I just received a report that Faded has over a dozen players by his side," Guo Huai warned. But after recalling Nie Yan's past feats, he laughed it off. "I guess I'm just being a worry-wart. Since when has being outnumbered ever mattered to you?"
From the perspective of Guo Huai, Smoke Stub, and the others, Nie Yan was skilled enough to breeze through any obstacle he encountered.
"Hurry back after you take care of those guys and retrieve that chapter or whatever. We still need you to finalize the building plans of the other strongholds. Also, we need you to guide us in the new Level 40 dungeon, Dragon Bell Valley, tomorrow," Bladelight said. With Nie Yan's help, they could avoid a lot of unnecessary suffering and hardship.
"No problem. Just contact me when the time comes," Nie Yan replied. This team was formed from the peak experts of the guild. Even dungeons on Specialist difficulty wouldn't pose a challenge to them.
Apart from those several chapters from the Book of Order, Nie Yan figured it was about time to retrieve the next fragment of Sulgata's Shadow from the Level 30 map, Karon Gorge. It was hidden in a remote location, so he wasn't worried about it being snatched away by someone else. Otherwise, he wouldn't have put it off for so long.
When Yu Rui of the Dragonsoar Financial Group arrived, she was given control of the real-world business district in United City. Thanks to this contribution, the Dragonsoar Financial Group upped their investment and rewarded Asskickers United with an additional 50,000 gold.
Nie Yan immediately put this gold to use by outfiting the members of Asskickers United with high-end auxiliary items such as larger bags. Furthermore, the number of players with mounts increased to 3,000, all of whom were elites nurtured by the guild with the utmost care.
After capturing the strongholds, Asskickers United ascended to Level 5 and was steadily progressing towards Level 6.
Asskickers United rapidly expanded thanks to the financial support of the Dragonsoar Financial Group, causing more and more players in Calore to flock to them.
"I'll be going to take a look around Glory City. All the major guilds are seizing strongholds and developing them. Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame don't pose a threat to us for the time being. The guilds we should be watching out for are Alliance of Mages, Divine Protectors, and especially Bloodlust Blades since they're the closest to us. We have no choice but to be on our toes," Nie Yan reminded.
"Don't worry. Even though we haven't really started construction on the other strongholds yet, their walls have been reinforced and they're guarded by plenty of our guild's members. Even if the enemy tries to mount a sneak attack, we can hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive!" Guo Huai assured. He had long since thought this through. Although the Glory City-based Bloodlust Blades was the closest to Calore, even if they took over one of Asskickers United's strongholds, they lacked the resources and manpower to hold it for long. After all, Calore was Asskickers United's territory!
Nie Yan nodded. Since Guo Huai had already accounted for such a scenario, he felt reassured.
"Bloodlust Blades have been seeking contact with Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return. It seems like they want to join forces to deal with us. They've even tried to woo some of our players over to their side, like Summer Bug and Natural Fiend. Even though the invitations were rejected, it's hard to say a few weren't tempted," Guo Huai added. These matters had left him swamped with work.
"I'm sure the vast majority of our players realize those offers aren't genuine, and are only meant to sow discord. By staying in Asskickers United, they'll definitely grow in the future. But if they turn-coat, no matter how skilled they are, they'll always be looked down on by others," Nie Yan said. In Conviction, if a player betrayed their guild for material gains, they would forever be labeled a traitor in everyone's minds. From then on, who could possibly trust them?
When an outstanding player joined a guild, they would generally be made to sign a contract in exchange for preferential treatment. If they wished to leave, they would be presented a hefty bill. Combine this with the fact that a bad mark would follow them after breaking an agreement, most contracted players rarely withdrew from their guilds. As for ordinary, bottom-ranking members, if they wanted to leave, nothing could stop them.
Of course, there would always be a greedy few who didn't care about reputation.
"I fear many of our players will be swayed by their offers," Guo Huai said. Recently, he had seen a slight increase in the number of players withdrawing from the guild.
"What's there to be afraid of? If they're trying to woo away our players with generous offers, why don't we do the same? In fact, we can even offer them better terms! It's not like Asskickers United is lacking money. However, those that do jump ship have to be monitored closely. Give them the best treatment, but insert the most air-tight clauses in their contracts to prevent them from jumping ship again," Nie Yan ordered. The competition between guilds didn't only happen out in the open. There were also constant battles occurring in the shadows.
Asskickers United wasn't afraid of any challenge. Although they didn't hold the numerical advantage, each member received larger benefits, to the extent that they were several times higher than that of other guilds'. Many players wanted to join the guild but would never get the chance no matter how hard they racked their brains. So there were very few guild members who wished to leave.
It was precisely this tactic of prioritizing elites that made the members of Asskickers United stronger than the average player. This also fostered the honour of being a member of Asskickers United. Add this to the fact that the guild members were already a close-knit group, although the poaching tactics of Bloodlust Blades might produce some results, its impact would be minimal and would fail to shake the foundation of the guild.
"I'll get right to it. I want to see just who'll come out on top, us or Bloodlust blades!" Guo Huai said, his eyes brimming with spirit. Giving the enemy a taste of their own medicine, what a clever strategy!
With Guo Huai handling the affairs of the guild, Nie Yan felt reassured. Guo Huai was always earnest with his work. Plus, with him directing everything from the back, as long as no major problems occurred, everything would be fine.
Bladelight and the others had formed their team. They were ready to set out.
"Be careful you guys. Don't let yourselves be surrounded and ambushed," Nie Yan warned. When they were out levelling in ordinary maps, they could easily become targets for the enemy. Even though recently Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame had settled down quite a bit, Asskickers United still had many other enemies, including none other than Bloodlust Blades!
"You don't need to worry about us. We're going to train in a Level 50 map. There's usually no players there," Bladelight replied.
Nie Yan gazed at his guild members: Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Aloof Shadow, Painted Muslin, Undying Scoundrel, Summer Bug, Sunny South… they were the top elites of Asskickers United. If they encountered trouble, with their strength, the players from other guilds would have a hard time taking them down.
While Nie Yan chatted with them, a few of the members repeatedly glanced at his waist.
Smoke Stub finally asked on their behalf, "Some of us are wondering about that sword on your waist. It looks pretty awesome. Where did it drop?"
Zennarde's Sword had a very distinct appearance. With its raging black flames which were impossible to conceal, for it not to attract attention would be a miracle.
Nie Yan chuckled. Did they believe Zennarde's Sword was like Splitting Edge or the Everlasting Set, where if they grinded long enough, it would eventually drop? They couldn't be more wrong!
"This weapon is called Zennarde's Sword," Nie Yan replied with a smile. If he didn't reveal this now, these guys would probably keep pestering him about where it dropped.
At these words, everyone revealed a shocked expression.
"Zennarde? Isn't that the name of the tyrant from the Dark Era?" Smoke Stub gulped. The name of this sword gave him too great of a shock. After all, Dragon King Zennarde wasn't simply an ordinary legendary figure!
"Damn! No wonder it looks so awesome. It's Dragon King Zennarde's weapon!" Bladelight exclaimed. He was eager to find out the weapon's properties.
Zennarde's Sword! Anyone who heard this name would know it referred to a one-of-a-kind weapon!
"A Legendary weapon?" Smoke Stub asked. Items with names were usually Sub Legendary or Legendary-grade, especially one that carried the name of the undisputed tyrant, Dragon King Zennarde! It should at least be Legendary-grade. Its properties were definitely off the charts!
"It's a sealed Godly Legendary. Its properties are roughly on par with a Level 50 Dark Gold weapon," Nie Yan explained. Since everyone was curious, it wasn't necessary for him to hide the properties of Zennarde's Sword. He directly shared its information in chat.
In an instant, the properties of Zennarde's Sword spread among the guild members like wildfire. Seeing its properties, all of them were astounded. This was the weapon used by the boss of Asskickers United, Mad Rogue Nirvana Flame!
Even though Zennarde's Sword was currently only as powerful as a Level 50 Dark Gold Weapon, it was still matchless at the current stage of the game! A weapon with such valiant offensive properties, no one would have any qualms about calling it a powerful tool of slaughter, a god-slaying sword!