Guild TEMPLAR's First Battle
In the middle of the Colosseum, Reina kept her eyes fixed on Yukio.
Several Warriors from Guild Executor slowly raised their swords.
Yukio closed his eyes.
He knew he had no talent for combat.
As a Craftman, nearly all of his stats and skills had been devoted to forging, brewing potions, and crafting equipment.
"Finish him."
One Warrior stepped forward.
He raised his sword high.
But—
Whoosh!!
A streak of blue flashed across the arena.
Clang!
Twin daggers intercepted the descending blade just inches from Yukio.
The entire Colosseum fell silent.
Standing before Yukio was a blue-haired Rogue.
XOXO.
Several days had passed since Guild TEMPLAR was founded.
Throughout that time, Reina had hunted relentlessly.
Not to climb the rankings—
But to fulfill the requirements for unlocking Guild Buffs, a feature available only to Guild Masters who reached Level 100.
Now, the title above her head had changed.
XOXO Lv.110
Every player's eyes immediately turned toward her.
Even the other fights taking place throughout the Colosseum came to a halt.
A moment later, the Colosseum's main gate swung open.
A massive Warrior walked inside.
His black armor reflected the arena's light.
The greatsword resting on his shoulder shimmered with the glow of high-level enhancements.
Above his head floated the words:
BlackX Lv.180
Guild Master — Executor
Rumor had it that every piece of his +9 equipment had been obtained by extorting other players inside the Colosseum.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"So..."
"You're the Craftman's Guild Master."
His gaze shifted toward Reina.
"And you..."
"...are just a Rogue."
BlackX raised one hand.
Every Executor member stepped back.
The surrounding players also retreated, leaving an open space between the two Guild Masters.
Reina stared at him coldly.
"Why did you kidnap Yukio?"
BlackX chuckled.
"I didn't kidnap him."
"I merely invited him to join us."
Yukio clenched his fists.
"I refused over and over again!"
BlackX ignored him.
"This world needs someone capable of crafting Revival Water."
His gaze swept across the spectators.
"Almost every Craftman is already dead."
"Some died attempting the Revival Quest."
"The rest abandoned their profession to become combat classes."
"That leaves only one..."
He pointed at Yukio.
"Him."
Reina finally understood.
BlackX continued.
"To obtain the Revival Water recipe..."
"...a Craftman must have Potion Craft Level 5."
"And he's the only one who still qualifies."
"If he refuses..."
"...then he's better off dead."
Those words made Reina's expression darken.
The anger she had been suppressing finally erupted.
"In that case..."
BlackX drew his sword.
"Prove that you can protect him."
"A duel."
"One-on-one."
The arena was cleared.
Only two figures remained.
BlackX Lv.180
VS
XOXO Lv.110
BlackX smiled like a madman.
He was confident.
His level.
His armor.
His weapon.
Everything vastly surpassed his opponent's.
Reina, however, wasn't thinking about herself at all.
Her eyes occasionally drifted toward Yukio.
As long as Yukio remained inside the Colosseum...
He could be attacked again at any moment.
"Begin!"
BlackX charged immediately.
His enormous greatsword split the air.
But...
Reina disappeared.
His first swing missed.
The second cut nothing but empty air.
BlackX frowned.
"That speed..."
Reina never counterattacked.
She simply kept moving.
Watching.
Memorizing.
Reading every pattern in her opponent's attacks.
Until finally...
She found an opening.
STUN!!
Her dagger pierced the weak point beneath BlackX's armor.
His body froze.
Only for a few seconds.
But that was more than enough.
ARMOR BREAK!!
Cracks spread across his black armor.
BlackX's Defense dropped dramatically.
Before the stun wore off—
DEADLY DAGGER!!
A relentless barrage of poisoned daggers struck him.
Critical.
Critical.
Critical.
Critical.
BlackX was hurled several meters backward before crashing into the ground.
His HP immediately fell to half.
But even worse...
The poison continued eating away at his health.
BlackX hastily drank a potion.
His HP rose.
Then dropped again.
Rose again.
Dropped again.
A Cleric from Guild Executor rushed over and cast Heal.
His HP finally stabilized.
Yet...
Every time he attacked again...
The result was always the same.
Reina dodged.
Applied Stun.
Armor Break.
Deadly Dagger.
Then retreated.
She never allowed BlackX to fight on his own terms.
Only then did BlackX realize the truth.
He was a gamer.
But he'd always relied on high levels and expensive equipment.
The woman standing before him...
Truly understood every mechanic of MMORPG combat.
"ENOUGH!!"
BlackX roared in fury.
"Kill her!"
Dozens of Executor members charged at once.
The duel was forgotten.
Every sword turned toward Reina.
She immediately retreated.
Facing one player wasn't a problem.
But facing dozens...
Even she couldn't win.
Then...
Magic circles suddenly appeared beneath her feet.
Attack Buff.
Defense Buff.
HP Buff.
Mana Buff.
Extra Damage Buff.
Reina looked back.
Dozens of Guild TEMPLAR members stood behind her.
Lisa.
Jack01.
Tanaka.
Aventura.
Rian.
Mina.
Hana.
And every other guild member.
They had arrived after reading Yukio's emergency message in Guild Chat.
Jack01 lifted his greatsword.
"How rude..."
"...ganging up on our Guild Master."
Lisa grinned.
"I've wanted to beat people like you for a long time."
The first guild war finally erupted.
The Knights of TEMPLAR formed a defensive line.
The Warriors smashed into Executor's front ranks.
The Rogues struck from the flanks.
The Mages bombarded the battlefield with spells.
The Clerics kept everyone alive through an endless stream of Healing and Buffs.
Combined with the effects of Guild Buffs...
Their coordination was far superior to Guild Executor's.
One Executor member after another fell.
Even though their average level was higher.
They fought as individuals.
Guild TEMPLAR fought as one.
Seeing several members preparing to land killing blows, Reina immediately shouted,
"Don't kill them!"
"Just incapacitate them!"
Everyone obeyed instantly.
Not long afterward...
Guild TEMPLAR completely controlled the Colosseum.
Every player who witnessed the battle realized something.
What made Guild TEMPLAR terrifying...
...wasn't their levels.
It was their unity.
Shortly after the battle ended, Reina's screen was flooded with notifications.
Friend Request
Party Invitation
Guild Join Request
The list kept growing.
Lisa and the guild officers immediately began reviewing every applicant.
In the end...
Only ten people were accepted.
Not because they had the highest levels—
But because they genuinely shared the goal of completing the Main Quest.
Guild TEMPLAR's membership grew to 31 players.
BlackX slowly struggled back to his feet.
Hatred burned in his eyes.
"XOXO..."
"I'll make you pay for this!"
Reina said nothing.
She simply watched as Guild Executor left the Colosseum one by one.
From that day onward...
The arena that had once been filled with constant bloodshed gradually grew quieter.
Reina's warning about permanent death spread throughout the player community.
More and more people abandoned the Colosseum.
They had begun to believe that the road home would never be found through killing one another.
That afternoon, every member of Guild TEMPLAR gathered in Salia City's central plaza.
Their numbers had grown too large to fit inside the small tavern that had once served as their headquarters.
During the relaxed conversation, Mina suddenly noticed a tiny figure floating beside Yukio.
"Yukio..."
"Is that a Male Dryad?"
Yukio smiled proudly.
"Yep."
"I traded some of my crafted equipment for a Green Seed that was ready to evolve."
"Then I used Ms. Reina's trick."
"Thankfully, it worked."
The Male Dryad slowly floated around him, radiating a gentle green light.
Reina simply smiled.
Almost every member of Guild TEMPLAR had now reached Level 100.
Only Mina and Yukio were still catching up.
Several parties were immediately organized to help them reach the milestone.
Before everyone departed, Yukio distributed the results of his hard work over the past several days.
Armor.
Weapons.
Accessories.
Every piece had been forged using the manuals gathered by the guild.
Most had even been enhanced to +9.
With the Male Dryad increasing his forging success rate, Yukio's craftsmanship had reached an entirely new level, though several pieces of equipment had still been destroyed during enhancement.
Everything was finally ready.
The moment Mina and Yukio reached Level 100...
Guild TEMPLAR's true journey would finally begin.
Main Quest: Cosmia History.