Three years ago in Valoria City, a year before the Great Outbreak of Beasts happened…
Klein wandered through the crowded market, surrounded by stalls selling various goods, fruits, and vegetables. As he browsed through the stalls, his attention was caught by a group of people nearby who were discussing the Azure Guild.
"Did you hear about the uprising Azure Dragon Guild?" one of them said in hushed tones. "They said that the guild was not to be messed with."
Another person chimed in, "Yeah, I heard that they took over some lands that were infested with powerful beasts. And they did so with only their meager numbers, which weren't even add up more than 30 people!" he paused for a moment, and continued, "Even the Sovereign Phoenix needs to send at least two of their best divisions to conquer some lands."
"I heard that the Azure Dragon Guild only has a few members to begin with, but each of them has incredible strength!" said a young man with a green hat.
But then, one of the people in the group spoke up again, "But you know what's even crazier? Recently, there was a big organization that tried to take advantage of the Azure Dragon Guild and pick a fight with them. But within a month, that organization was completely annihilated!"
"Rumor has it that one of their members even has a Martial Beast of a Dragon annihilate entire cities under the organization's authority.," chimed in a grizzled old man leaning on his cane. "That's why they changed their guild name in the past from 'Azure' to 'Azure Dragon'."
The others gasped in amazement. They had heard of the Azure Guild before, but they never imagined that the Azure Guild were able to become that powerful.
Another voice then piped up, "B-but that's impossible!! there was only one Mythical-Grade Martial Beast that had been recorded in Martial Evolution, which belonged to the Sovereign Phoenix guild leader, Aviana with her Golden Roc as her Martial Beast."
He paused for a moment and continued to explain, "Dragons are supreme beings that has a strength equal to or even higher than the Golden Rocs, and if a new Mythical-Grade Martial Beast of a dragon appeared, it would most likely create a huge commotion on earth, and anyone would notice it at just a first glance, just like when the guild leader of Sovereign Phoenix, Aviana managed to evolved her Martial Beast into a Golden Roc, a mark of the Golden Roc was applied in the sky a year ago, as a sign of the birth of a Mythical-Grade creature…"
As the group still continued to talk about the Azure Dragon Guild and the rumors surrounding them. Klein decided to leave and continue wandering the markets.
…
Present day.
While fighting the members of Amartha Guild, Klein's heart pounded as he glanced at the group of players who was from the Azure Dragon guild in his previous life.
Klein was lost in thought as he recalled the guild in his previous life. It was the guild where the Strongest Hero of the four Great Heroes came from. It was also known as the guild with the smallest number but having great individual power.
He remembered that each of their individual powers could shake the world with just the mention of their names. And yet, despite their reputation, the Azure Dragon Guild had always kept a low profile
Klein couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety as he watched the Azure Dragon members draw closer. He knew that if any of them decided to attack him, he probably wouldn't stand a chance against their formidable skills.
But as they drew near, he couldn't see that particular 'player' among them. He then couldn't help but glance at their guild tag, which read 'Azure' without the word 'Dragon' attached to it.
`Has she not joined the guild yet?`
Klein remembered that the guild had changed its name to Azure Dragon guild only after her joining the guild.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of these thoughts. He had more pressing matters at hand, like the ongoing fight with the Amartha members. Klein refocused his attention on the fight, pushing aside the memory of the Azure guild for the time being.
*Fwossh* *Fwoshh*
But then, 2 players from the Azure Dragon suddenly leapt into action as they activated their Transformation skill.
But as Klein thought they were coming at him, he saw that the duo had actually started attacking Amartha's players.
"Hey masked man, need a help?" said one of the 2 players.
Klein couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief seeing that they were attacking Amartha's members instead of him.
[Tier 0 Skill: Saltwater Crocodile Transformation]
The first player had his skin turned tough and scaly, his muscles bulged, and his teeth elongated into sharp fangs.
As soon as he activated his Martial Beast Transformation, he charged forward with a powerful tail swipe towards the group of Amartha members.
As the first player engaged in fierce combat with the Amartha Guild members, the second player also stepped forward.
She was a tall and slender woman with long black hair, and as she activated her transformation skill, her skin became covered in shimmering scales, and her fingernails elongated and sharpened. Her eyes took on a reptilian glint as sharp fangs jutted from her mouth
Her scales shimmered in the sunlight as she also lunged towards a group of Amartha guild members.
*Boom*
The man, with his massive and powerful arms, he suddenly snapped shut on one of the Amartha guild members, instantly taking them down. He swung his powerful tail, knocking two more members off their feet.
[Critical -60]
[-22, Critical –42]
As for the lady, with lightning-fast strikes and fluid movements, she dispatched her opponents one by one. Her transformation allowed her to move with incredible speed and agility, dodging attacks and delivering lashing blows with her long tail.
[-34], [-20]
[-24], [-29]
[-33], [-21]…
*Hisss*
Her hissing growls echoed through the battlefield.
The Amartha players, realizing they couldn't win against Klein and the two players who joined the fight, began to make a retreat. "We can't beat them, let's get out of here!" one of the players yelled.
Klein stood there as the last of the Amartha players retreated.
Klein recognized the duo's fighting style was a perfect blend of their Martial Beast transformations and their Martial Arts on earth.
There are many Martial Arts on earth, but most of them are maintained by some powerful families or governments as their foundation of power.
Klein could see that their fighting styles were incredible, and it was clear that they had adapted their techniques to their Martial Beasts even after the game had just been released today.
However, just as Klein turned to face the two players to say his thanks, he saw the two approaching him.
"You're amazing, I can't believe you could handle so many players alone without even transforming into your Martial Beast. You must be a seasoned fighter!" said the man with a crocodile Martial Beast.
"Eh..? Thanks?" Klein was confused as he was suddenly praised.
*Poke!*
"Ehm!" The lady with the python Martial Beast stepped forward as she gave an elbow towards the man, "I'm sorry, let me first introduce you who we are, my name is Lin, and this man is Fang. We're both members of Azure Guild."
`Fang and Lin!! The Leviathan Regalia Duo!!`
Klein already knew this famous duo from his previous life. Their Martial Beasts were known as the strongest reptile-type in crocodile and python types.
Klein couldn't help but widened his eyes and think to himself about their well-known Martial Beast in his previous life as Leviathan. He had heard of them before - a duo of powerful players who had managed to evolve their Martial Beasts into a Leviathan kin, a Legendary-Grade Martial Beast.
Klein then nodded as he spoke, "Ah… I understand, I'm Hermes. Thanks for the help back there"
With the plain-white mask to cover his face, the mask also has another additional effect that can hide the user's identity while wearing it. This was an item that every player obtained when creating a character with the main purpose of helping players who wanted to hide their identity or wanted to customize their faces at will, but in Klein's case, he decided to make it a plain-white mask.
"No problem," Fang replied.
"Hahaha, as I expected…"
Not long after, Klein heard someone laugh from behind,
As Klein turned his head, he was beyond shocked because he had not expected to meet this legend in person.
"Azorth!!?"