Liam stood on the town's main street, watching the guild members slowly disperse. Many of them began to log out as the end of the day was drawing near.
The veteran thought for a moment before deciding to first return to the guild's headquarters. On the way he sorted through his messages.
He received many friend requests coming from people who wanted to ask how to get their hands on a land lease. After some discussion with his friends Liam decided to sell the secret since others would figure it out sooner or later anyways.
After all there were more than one way to get past the barrier evident by the effect of items such as Gabe's fishing rod.
The party would rather make some quick money which would also enable Fortune to add this part to her video, drawing more attention. Naturally they wouldn't sell this secret to Star Gazer though.
Liam negotiated with the different guild leaders, which left him sighing. On one hand he was amazed that these people were willing to spend this much money, on the other he realized the value which his vast amount of knowledge holds.
Naturally the most credits could only be earned if he made use of the information himself. But this realization increased his confidence even more, allowing him to understand that in some form he was probably among the wealthiest people in the federation.
However, while Liam and Dream Avenue were still enjoying the good mood, another message suddenly shook the global chat. Star Gazer announcement the official founding of his guild Galaxy.
Liam's friends immediately began discussing, the disbelief palpable.
[Cyclone: How?! How could this guy be so fast?!]
[Radiant Shield: Could it be one of the guild leaders leaked the information Mirage just sold?]
[Silent Acacia: No. They would still have to clear the dungeon again.]
[Balm: Damn, look at the wages he offers! Aren't his guild members chosen beforehand? Is he doing this only to show off?]
[Quickstep: Can he really offer such benefits? This rivals some of the top clubs!]
[Silver Blade: It's not surprising. Our family rules are pretty fair. Earlier, I could take on the position of CEO despite my uncle's displeasure. But at the same time Star Gazer retains his solid foundation despite making a few mistakes. His financial means won't dry up easily.]
[Bleary Mirage: Then it's not surprising. With so many players there is always someone lucky enough to draw a land lease from treasure chests. Star Gazer only needs to offer a price which could move them.]
After dropping his comment, Liam didn't pay much attention to the chat. He never feared other guilds even if it was Star Gazer's. He had already taken the lead and was confident that he could hold on to it.
Liam even found it funny as the other guild leaders had become more urgent, offering him higher prices. Now the information about the land lease could sell for up to 100.000 credits.
Liam spent some more time sorting through the various messages until Crunaboul gradually fell silent. He was one of the last players to log off today, just short of being kicked out.
With a deep breath Liam returned to the real world, sitting in the dojo's training room. Just as he thought he could relax for a while, a tumultuous noise reached him. It sounded like bodies were colliding, crushing the surroundings.
Liam was instantly on high alert. He left the training room, running towards the building's door and peeking outside. What he saw caused his body to freeze.
A fight was going on at the square outside. Master Baker, enveloped by an awe-inspiring silvery dragon collided with two others. Liam had seen them before. They were the young men Baker had thrown out after they caused trouble in the dojo.
But right now, they didn't look anything like their former selves. Violet energy surrounded them, which made Liam's heart palpitate, his brain freezing from the shock.
He was meet with a familiar feeling, but he didn't dare to believe it. Yet there was no mistaking it. The violet energy was definitely void energy!
It surrounded the two young men, tainting patches of their skin and flowing through their veins.
Wherever the void energy touched it would cause decay. The decorative plants turned dark and twisted, throwing off all their leaves. The stone floor took on a black colour, becoming extremely brittle as if even a child could shatter them in its hands.
Master Baker wore a serious expression as he clashed with the two void-corrupted young men. It didn't cause the world-shaking impact one might expect from a starlight master. Upon closer inspection Liam was able to tell that much of Baker's power was used to contain the void energy as streaks of silver starlight sparkled in the surroundings, protecting it.
The fight attracted other spectators as well. Most of them watched the void energy with fear and terror but a select few didn't seem too surprised.
Liam anxiously followed the battle when C's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Player Liam, receive your next challenge.]
[Suppress the void- corrupted beings until reinforcements arrive.]
[Rewards will be based on degree of completion.]
[Failure will result in punishment!]
Liam received the messages, his face full of shock. He didn't even know what he should first complain about.
C, are you crazy?! You are forcing me to fight them? I can't even get close!
[Player Liam, please start the challenge.]
No way, that's suicide!
[Every console has the ability to shield against the void for three hours at a time. Please proceed.]
Liam remained standing at the door, his thoughts chaotic, the implications going past his horizon. Didn't this imply that the void existed in the real world? And that consoles had the power to combat it?
Seconds ticked by until Liam finally shook his head violently, getting rid of these thoughts. There was no need to be concerned right now.
He took a deep breath as he stepped past the threshold, leaving the building. One step at a time he got closer to the void energy.
"Hey! Are you crazy, don't go there!"
"Young man, you can't help him!"
A few kind spectators tried to warn Liam, even attracting Master Baker's attention.
"Liam! Stay away, kid... ouh!"
The moment of distraction caused Baker to receive an elbow to his ribs. He quickly gathered more starlight energy to prevent the void from reaching his body.
However, this weakened the starlight energy in the surroundings, allowing some of the void to leak. Coincidentally Liam stood right in its path.
The young man trembled as he saw the violet cloud coming his way. His instincts told him to run but he decided to trust C. There was no reason for it to lie.
Coming to this decision helped Liam to calm down. Since he was ready to fight there was nothing to hesitate. He sped up, voluntarily plunging into the area affected by the void energy.
Shocked cries came from all directions but seeing starlight energy suddenly forming a protective layer around Liam's body left everyone staring with gaping mouths. No one expected such a young man to be a starlight master.
Only Master Baker could tell that his disciple was far from reaching that stage. He scrutinized Liam, realising that the starlight energy came from an external source, which only left him more confused.
The void-corrupted young men on the other hand didn't think so far. They only saw an additional enemy.
One of them let go of Master Baker, taking a lot of pressure away, approaching Liam with a shout:
"Baker will pay today! And you as a disciple can follow!"
Liam frowned as the opponent dashed towards him. The man's voice was hoarse and tinged with a certain craziness. A violet colour invaded his eyes. His speed was a bit higher than Liam's without the console.
A fist aimed right for Liam's face. It was without much finesse, relying solely on the power of the void. Liam decided to put C to the test. His own hand shot forward, colliding with the opponent.
Boom!
Wind erupted, tearing on the combatants' clothes. Liam felt the star energy protecting him ripple, constantly colliding with the void. A confident expression formed on his face. With the void energy neutralized he didn't fear the opponent.
The young man showed confusion upon having his attack blocked. Suddenly a wave of light carrying a sacred aura spread from Liam, crashing into the man's chest. It didn't deal much damage but unbalanced the young man.
Liam activated [Holy Wave] and [Holy Tempest] simultaneously. A vague golden light engulfed his body, elevating his being. His knee aimed for the opponent's stomach. The void-corrupted man gritted his teeth and dodged to the side. He reached out with both arms, trying to grapple Liam.
Seeing his opponent's reaction Liam didn't show fear. Instead of retreating he stepped forward, slamming his fist towards the opponent's temple. Not daring to take the blow, the man raised his arm to block.