“Aurielle, I’m telling you, this has scam written all over it.”
A young woman slammed her palm against the table, her expression filled with suspicion.
“A random player suddenly messages you, claiming he has exactly what we need. Think about it. How would he even know what we’re looking for?”
Another teammate leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
“Exactly. We’ve spent days raiding dungeons just to get the Guild Order.”
She shook her head.
Aurielle remained calm.
She sat at the center of the table, listening to her teammates argue around her. These were the same people who had fought alongside her from the beginning. They had survived countless difficult battles together, cleared dungeons that had nearly wiped their party, and earned every bit of their current strength through blood and effort.
She trusted them.
And yet, something about this mysterious player bothered her.
Not in a bad way.
It was more like a strange instinct she couldn't explain.
“I know what you’re all thinking,” Aurielle finally said and the room slowly became quiet.
“But I don't think Monarch is lying.”
One of her teammates immediately frowned.
“Aurielle…”
“I’m serious.”
Aurielle rested her chin lightly against her hand.
“I've been thinking about his message ever since I received it. There was something about the way he approached us.”
“What? You mean the fact that he randomly contacted our Guild Leader?”
“No.”
Aurielle shook her head.
“He didn't boast. He didn't threaten us. He didn't even try to negotiate immediately.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“He simply said he had what we needed.”
Lily, the team's Elf Archer, tilted her head.
“That somehow makes him more suspicious.”
A few of the others nodded. Aurielle couldn't help but smile faintly.
“Perhaps. But my instincts are telling me that I should meet him.”
“You trust your instincts more than all of us?”
“Sometimes.”
Aurielle looked toward the window.
“And right now, they're telling me that I need to meet this person.”
One of the girls sighed heavily and leaned against her chair.
“Aurielle, you must be exhausted. We've been dungeon raiding nonstop because of the Guild Order. You've barely rested.”
“She's right,” another teammate added. “Maybe you're just too tired to think clearly.”
Aurielle chuckled.
“Maybe.”
She didn't deny it.
The pressure surrounding the Guild Order had been immense. Their entire team had been searching for one ever since they learned what it could do. Yet despite clearing dungeon after dungeon, they had found nothing.
Then Monarch appeared.
It was too coincidental.
That was exactly why Aurielle wanted to meet him.
“Still,” she said, “I'd rather verify it myself.”
A teammate glanced toward the door.
“But where is he? This Monarch guy is already getting on my nerves.”
“Relax,” Lily said. “He said he'd arrive within thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes?”
She groaned.
“What kind of legendary player makes people wait?”
“Maybe he isn't legendary,” another girl muttered. “Maybe he's just some idiot trying to waste our time.”
Aurielle smiled.
“We'll know soon enough.”
She glanced around the table.
“Besides, we're running low on equipment and potions. We can use this time to rest. After this meeting, we'll replenish our supplies from the market.”
“Now that's something I can agree with.”
Lily immediately nodded.
“I'm almost out of healing potions.”
“You?”
Another teammate stared at her.
“You used half of them shooting arrows into a wall during that last dungeon.”
“That wall looked suspicious!”
The room erupted into laughter. Even Aurielle couldn't help but smile. For a brief moment, the tension disappeared.
Then—
Ding!
Aurielle's expression changed. A system notification appeared before her.
[Private Message — Monarch]
I'm at the Silverleaf Inn.
Aurielle stared at the message for a moment. Then her lips slowly curved upward.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Everyone at the table froze. Lily nearly jumped out of her chair.
“Guild Leader?!”
Aurielle continued laughing.
“Hey! Why did you suddenly burst out laughing?”
Aurielle wiped the corner of her eye.
“He's here.”
The room instantly became serious.
“He's already here?”
Aurielle stood up.
“Now we can finally verify whether this Monarch really has what we need…”
Her smile became sharper.
“…or whether he's just some random hooligan who enjoys wasting people's time.”
She immediately sent a reply.
"Second floor. Private Room 3."
A few seconds later, Monarch responded.
"Understood."
Aurielle put her weapon away and sat back down.
“Everyone, stay calm.”
“Calm?”
Lily whispered.
“You're the one who looks excited.”
Aurielle glanced at her.
“I'm curious.”
“That's even worse.”
Lin Mo walked through the busy streets of Mistveil toward the Silverleaf Inn. His steps were quick, but his attention wasn't on the crowd.
Instead, his eyes were focused on the weapon he had just acquired. Inside his inventory rested the spear forged by Master Bromm.
[Blackroot Sovereign Spear]
Tier: Epic
Weapon Type: Spear
Level Requirement: 10–20
Attack Power: +85
Strength: +12
Attack Speed: +5%
Defense Penetration: +8%
Passive — [Blackroot Resonance]
Attacks have a 10% chance to trigger Blackroot energy, dealing an additional 15% Attack Power as physical damage and reducing the target's Defense by 5% for 5 seconds. This effect can stack up to 3 times.
Description:
Forged by Master Bromm Ironhand using High-Quality Blackroot Ore recovered from the depths of the abandoned Blackroot Mine. The weapon carries the strength of the ancient roots that once burrowed through the mountain itself.
Its dark shaft was perfectly balanced, neither too heavy nor too light, allowing precise thrusts and sweeping strikes with equal ease. Black metallic veins ran along its surface like roots spreading through ancient stone, faintly pulsing whenever the wielder's strength flowed through the weapon.
The spearhead was forged from exceptionally pure Blackroot Ore. Its edge was so keen that the air around it seemed to distort, as though even space itself recoiled from its sharpness.
At the base of the spearhead, a small blacksmith's mark had been engraved.
— BROMM IRONHAND
Lin Mo silently admired it.
This weapon was more than enough to carry Solus through his journey toward Level 20.
But there was one important problem. The spear belonged to Solus, not Monarch.
He couldn't afford to let anyone connect the two identities. Solus and Monarch had to remain completely separate.
Lin Mo smiled beneath the veil.
'I'll have to keep Monarch's equipment separate from Solus's.'
He stored the spear back into his inventory. There was no reason to reveal it here.
Soon, he arrived at the Silverleaf Inn.
He sent Aurielle another message.
"I'm here."
The reply came almost immediately.
"Second floor. Private Room 3."
Lin Mo climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the designated room. Without hesitation, he opened the door.
Six players were inside.
The atmosphere immediately changed the moment Lin Mo entered.
One woman was sitting near the window.
Two players stood behind her, their positions suggesting that they were protecting her.
The remaining three were spread around the room, casually watching the surroundings.
Lin Mo didn't speak. He simply stood there. His gaze swept across the room.
Level 15.
Every one of them. Aurielle was the exception. She was already approaching Level 16.
'Not bad.'
Lin Mo's eyes narrowed slightly. This was clearly a carefully assembled team. They weren't ordinary players.
Then Lily suddenly stared at him. Her eyes widened.
“Hmm?”
She leaned forward.
“That's strange.”
Everyone looked at her.
“I can't see his level.”
Lily blinked several times.
“His equipment information is hidden too.”
She looked at Aurielle.
“Guild Leader, is that normal?”
Aurielle's expression immediately became stern.
“Lily.”
The Elf Archer froze.
“Yes?”
“Keep your mouth shut.”
“…Yes, Guild Leader.”
Lin Mo almost smiled.
'Interesting.'
So they had already noticed the effects of the Veil of the Nameless. Only his character name was visible.
Monarch.
Aurielle finally spoke.
“Hello, Mr. Monarch.”
She gestured toward the empty chair.
“Why don't you sit down first? Then we can talk business.”
Lin Mo walked over and sat directly across from her. For several seconds, neither side spoke.
The six players quietly observed him. They were expecting him to introduce himself. Explain his intentions.
Perhaps even boast about what he had accomplished.
Instead, Lin Mo raised one hand.
A translucent item window appeared in front of Aurielle.
Aurielle's eyes widened.
The expressions of the other players changed instantly.
“What…”
Lily leaned forward.
“No way.”
The item displayed before them was exactly what they had been searching for.
The Guild Order.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.Aurielle stared at it. Her breathing became slightly heavier.
So it's real.
She had expected a scam.
A fake.
Perhaps even some worthless item designed to waste their time. But the item window was genuine.
And the player sitting across from her had revealed it without hesitation.
He was alone. They were a full team. Yet he had casually displayed the item anyway. Aurielle's eyes sharpened.
'He's confident.'
'More importantly, he's not afraid of us.'
That realization sent a strange chill through her. The player before her wasn't some random merchant. He was the same person who had appeared in World Chat.
The same player who the system announced the solo clear of the Hidden Dungeon. The same player who had obtained the Guild Order.
Monarch.
Aurielle carefully studied him.
'Who exactly is this person?'
Lin Mo waved his hand again. The item window vanished. The Guild Order disappeared back into his inventory.
Lily swallowed.
“He really has it…”
Another teammate whispered.
“Then…”
Aurielle finally broke the silence.
“So, Mr. Monarch…”
Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp.
“You're the legendary player who solo-cleared the Hidden Dungeon.”
Lin Mo remained silent. Aurielle leaned slightly forward.
“Then tell me something.”
Her fingers tapped lightly against the table.
“What exactly do you want?”
Silence.
“Did you come here merely to show us your strength?”
“Or are you mocking us because we're too weak to obtain it ourselves?”
Lin Mo listened quietly. Aurielle continued.
“You could have contacted any major Guild. Instead, you contacted us.”
“You knew we were looking for the Guild Order.”
“How?”
“You clearly know something about us.”
“And yet you came here alone.”
Her voice became increasingly probing.
“So tell me, Monarch…”
She stared directly into the darkness beneath his veil.
“What exactly are you planning?”
The room fell silent.Lin Mo said nothing. Five seconds passed.
Nobody moved.
Even Lily, who had been the most talkative person in the room, remained completely silent. Aurielle's expression slowly changed.
She had expected an answer. Instead, Monarch simply sat there.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Almost indifferent to the pressure of six players surrounding him.
'Is he deliberately testing us?'
Aurielle's fingers stopped tapping. Thirty seconds passed. Finally, Lin Mo raised his head.
His voice was calm and straightforward.
“I'll sell this to your team.”
The entire room went silent. Aurielle blinked.
“…That's it?”
Lin Mo nodded.
“Yes.”
Lily stared at him.
“That’s what all this suspense was about?”
Aurielle shot Lily a warning glance. Lily immediately covered her mouth. Aurielle looked back at Monarch. A faint smile slowly appeared on her face.
“So that's your plan.”
Lin Mo remained silent. Aurielle leaned back in her chair.
“Then, Mr. Monarch…”
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Let's talk about the price.”