Chapter 169 The Most Awesome Red-Named Player

In the vast fountain square of Willowbrook Town, thousands of players were gathered.

The recent flood of new players into Divine Realms: Legends had ballooned Willowbrook Town's population to nearly twenty thousand. The Martial Alliance's aggressive clearing of the square naturally grabbed everyone's attention, sparking a wave of gossip and intrigue.

Word spread like wildfire, pulling in not just curious onlookers but also reps from rival guilds, eager to see the show and maybe even take advantage of the chaos.

However, when all these players arrived at the fountain square, they discovered that the Martial Alliance was seeking revenge, and it was to be carried out right there in Willowbrook Town. Everyone knew about the town's strict player protection rules. Any violence would be met with swift and decisive action. The guards wouldn't hesitate to step in, arresting those involved and executing any player with a red name, followed by imprisonment. Fighting within the town limits was a fool's errand, a recipe for mutual destruction.

No matter how big the crowd, no one dared to challenge the guards' authority.

All players knew just how tough these guards were.

Even the lowest-ranked guard was level 60, and their captain was a towering level 80 elite. Against such overwhelming force, resistance was pointless. The guards would crush any uprising with ease.

Yet, against all logic, a fight had broken out, started by a lone, unaffiliated player.

The crowd had written him off as good as dead.

But what happened next was mind-blowing. This lone player, this unknown entity, had single-handedly cut through the Martial Alliance ranks, leaving dozens in his wake, their surviving members paralyzed by fear. It was a display of skill and power that defied belief.

But surely, even he couldn't stand against the guards. His victory, however impressive, would be short-lived.

As expected, the guards, alerted to the disturbance, had already surrounded the fountain square, beginning to suppress and arrest all the unruly players.

"Eric, I… I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," FlameDancer stammered, her voice filled with regret.

Eric's name, displayed above his head, blazed with an infernal red, almost black, a testament to the carnage he had unleashed. 

Over a hundred players, including her former comrades, lay dead by his hand. The sin value accrued from such a massacre was staggering. If he died now, he would lose at least seven levels, his progress set back significantly. And with the guards closing in, his fate seemed sealed. There was no escape.

But the punishment didn't end there. Death at the hands of the guards meant imprisonment, the duration determined by the severity of his crimes. With his current sin value, he could expect to be locked away for five, maybe six days, his only companions the cold, unforgiving walls of his virtual cell.

The surviving Martial Alliance members watched with undisguised glee, their faces twisted in malicious satisfaction. Sure, they'd face some punishment, but it would be a slap on the wrist compared to what was coming for Eric.

"Don't worry," Eric said, a calm smile on his lips.

Cola and the others echoed his sentiment, their expressions serene, almost amused. Violet Mistflow, in particular, seemed to find the situation almost nostalgic. She'd been in a similar mess before, and guess who had been the cause? None other than the Martial Alliance. History, it seemed, had a way of repeating itself.

FlameDancer and AquaBison exchanged confused glances.

'Why aren't they worried? Don't they get how serious this is?' they thought.

"FlameDancer, relax. Eric isn't just anyone," Violet Mistflow said, her voice tinged with amusement.

As if on cue, a figure of authority approached, his silver-gray armor gleaming under the midday sun. It was the guard captain.

"Lord Demonbane, a pleasure to see you again. What can I do for you today?" the captain asked, a respectful smile on his face.

Eric's reputation, it seemed, had preceded him. His exploits had reached even the ears of the town guard, and they were clearly impressed.

Eric and Cola took the captain's deference in stride, but the others, especially the Martial Alliance members, were stunned. Their eyes widened in disbelief. This... this ruthless killer, this bringer of chaos, was being treated with respect? What in the world was going on?

"Isn't that... Kai Blackthorn?"

"I remember him! He's the one who slaughtered those Martial Alliance players right in front of the guards and got away with a measly fine. I was shocked back then. Turns out, if you're a noble, you get special privileges. You can kill other players in town without facing serious consequences. Just a small fine, that's all."

"Why haven't Martial Alliance learned their lesson? Messing with Kai Blackthorn in Willowbrook Town? Don't they know he's practically royalty here? How stupid!"

"You're new here, aren't you? The Martial Alliance in Willowbrook Town is practically unrecognizable. The old guard is gone, replaced by these clowns led by ZephyrStrider. Most of them are from other towns, probably a bunch of newbies who don't know any better."

The more informed players among the crowd shook their heads and chuckled, pitying the Martial Alliance's ignorance. Before taking on Kai Blackthorn, they should at least have understood his background. This was the player who had conquered the Infernal-level Shadowmoon Graveyard, a feat that placed him in a league of his own.

The color drained from the faces of the Martial Alliance members as they listened to the conversations swirling around them. Now they understood the reason for Eric's composure. But it was too late for regrets. All they could do was watch in silent frustration as their carefully crafted plans unraveled.

"Captain, this isn't the first time the Martial Alliance has caused trouble for me within the town limits. Is there any way to prevent this from happening again?" Eric asked, his tone casual.

"Lord Demonbane, given the Martial Alliance's history of disrupting the peace, and considering your noble status, you have the authority to expel this guild from Willowbrook Town. However, exercising this right will cost you some reputation points. What is your decision?" the captain replied.

Eric had asked out of curiosity, never expecting such authority to be within his grasp, not at this stage of the game. He was surprised, to say the least. "How much would it cost?"

"Seeing as the Martial Alliance has no noble members within this town, the cost would be 100 Willowbrook Town reputation points," the captain explained.

"I see," Eric mused, weighing his options. He currently had 130 Willowbrook Town reputation points. Spending 100 to ensure the safety and tranquility of his future endeavors seemed like a worthwhile investment. Besides, with the Demonbane title, he was practically nobility wherever he went. A minor loss in reputation in one town was a small price to pay for peace of mind. "I choose to exercise my right."

System: [You have exercised your noble privilege. Willowbrook Town reputation decreased by 100 points. All members of the Martial Alliance guild will be expelled from Willowbrook Town.]

"As you wish, Lord Demonbane!" the captain acknowledged, relaying the order to his men.

The guards fanned out, their movements swift and efficient. The Martial Alliance members within the fountain square were rounded up, detained for three hours before being escorted out of town. The remaining members, scattered throughout Willowbrook, received an expulsion notice, their presence no longer welcome. Any resistance would be met with lethal force.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching even the recently resurrected ZephyrStrider, who was still reeling from his humiliating defeat. His fury turned to ashes in his mouth as the realization dawned.

He had poured everything into this town, abandoning their fledgling operations in five other locations, sacrificing everything to establish a foothold in Willowbrook. And now, it was all gone, reduced to rubble.

"How… how is this possible? What's going on?" he muttered, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and despair.

All the time, the resources, the manpower, all wasted.

'Who is this Kai Blackthorn?'

'What kind of power does he wield? How can a player, a red-named player no less, have the authority to single-handedly dismantle an entire guild?'

The questions swirled in his mind, but there were no answers, no solutions. He could only watch in numb silence as the guards approached, their expressions implacable, their intentions clear. He was no longer welcome in Willowbrook Town.

The forced exodus from their stronghold hit the Martial Alliance hard. Players, even in a virtual world, formed attachments, developed routines. To be uprooted so abruptly, to be cast out from their familiar haunts, was a blow to their morale. Many, unable to stomach the humiliation, chose to cut their losses and abandon the sinking ship.

The once-mighty guild, its ranks swollen with ambition, crumbled overnight, its numbers dwindling to a mere five hundred, consisting mostly of ZephyrStrider's loyal followers from other towns. They would relocate, of course, but the setback was significant. Their leveling progress would be hampered, their development stunted.

The cost of their vendetta was immeasurable.

The crowd watched in stunned silence as the Martial Alliance, once a force to be reckoned with, was systematically dismantled and driven out of town.

They couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

'Is it possible that this red-named player, this Kai Blackthorn, is the true power behind Willowbrook Town?' they wondered, utterly baffled.

However, compared to the expulsion of the Martial Alliance, members of other guilds were more concerned about another matter.

"Guildmaster, you need to see this! Something incredible just happened!"

"Vice President, I think we've found ourselves a god-level player!"

"Guildmaster, you won't believe what went down in Willowbrook Town! This player, he single-handedly took out hundreds of Martial Alliance members, right in the middle of the square! Even the guards didn't dare to stop him!"

Frantic messages were relayed to guild leaders across the server, painting a picture of unbelievable skill and power. Initially met with skepticism, the reports were soon accompanied by irrefutable evidence: video recordings of the battle, each frame a testament to Eric's overwhelming might.

He had obliterated a level 9 Shield Warrior, a player they knew well, with a single blow. Riven Frostblade, the pride of the Martial Alliance's elite team, decked out in top-tier black iron gear, hadn't even landed a hit.

"Listen carefully. I need eyes on this player at all times. I'm on my way. A player of this caliber, and he's unaffiliated? He needs to be recruited, at any cost. And whatever you do, don't antagonize him. If anything goes wrong, you'll be in serious trouble," Aldric Stormclaw, Vice President of the third-rate guild Crown of Paradise, commanded, his voice laced with a mixture of awe and urgency.

"Guildmaster, don't worry. I'll keep him in sight. He won't be able to sneeze without us knowing."

Across the server, a silent agreement was reached. Eric, the Demonbane, the player who had brought the Martial Alliance to its knees, was now the most sought-after asset in Divine Realms: Legends. He was no longer just a player; he was a game-changer, a tactical nuke capable of single-handedly shifting the balance of power. His presence on any team, in any dungeon, in any large-scale battle, would be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. The race to recruit him had begun.