Chapter 7

—A small hill shrouded with grassy plains and scattered rocks, littered with several vibrant flowers and trees to surround the grotto. This area was one of many in the elusive Wilds, the riskiest part of The Nexus.

On top of this hill was a giant boulder, with cracks in its side leading to its top surface. These cracks continued in dynamic patterns until they reached their point of impact. A large sword shoved into the rock. It had half of its entire body hidden from the boulder, and not even a third of its blade could be inspected. Its hilt and part of the blade that could be seen had loads of detailed markings and logos on the entire weapon. It was made up of some of the most expensive items players could find in the whole game.

This is the «Apoclyade», one of The Nexus' few ~Legendary Items~.

When the Nexus was first released for the world to experience, hunting down these strange and powerful ~legendary items~ garnered a large amount of the game's player base. Some players wanted to have a legendary item for themselves, others wanted it so they could put it on resell, and others enjoyed the hunt for them in and of itself.

These legendary items, however, are scarce at best. Those who use them are usually pros with big wallets, sniffing out these items of power pretty quickly with their followings. The Apoclyade, however, might be the rarest legendary item of them all. Not a single player owns one, even though lots of players know about it.

This is because it's presumed to have been forgotten by developers. No one can pull it out.

It's a sword-in-the-stone situation, with players across the world taking a crack to wield the Apocylade that's on their server. Some players thought it was a matter of their strength stat, so some went out of their way to master the <Strength> skill in their skill tree. This didn't even change the outcome in their favor by the smallest amount.

That's the reason why people say the Apocylade is lost media because no one can pull the sword out of its resting place. The rumor goes further, saying that the weapon was supposed to be in an event of some sort. But the event was scrapped in the end by developers, so the sword ended up being lodged inside a boulder as an easter egg.

Today, another player was taking a crack at pulling the weapon out of its tomb, with his friends watching idly by.

"Urgh!!" The player grunted.

His strength stat wasn't the highest, but it didn't matter. He kept pulling on the grip of the sword as he extended his bent legs upwards in the hops to dislodge the weapon. His grip starts to slip, and the player falls over, tired from the force he had expended.

"Gha! I could feel it moving out a little bit!" Axel says, looking at the Apocylade.

"You say this every time you try," Ivy says, crisscrossed on the grass.

Jay—sitting on a rock nearby—looked on as Axel picked himself back to try and pull the sword out again. He lost count at how many times Axel attempted it today, but he remembers it was in the double digits.

"Think about it! if I have this, paired with my gauntlets," Axel calls out, pointing to the large blade, "I'll *ace* the tryouts easily!!"

"Maybe, but I think skill is also a factor." Jay comments.

"Hey!! ...uh, well, you're not wrong, I guess." Axel says.

Axel sighs as he jumps off of the boulder onto the ground, next to his friends. Jay inspects his sword and puts it back into his sheath. He sits up straighter than before and pulls up his game menu. Ivy and Axel looked at him as he tried to find his messages with Helmet.

Jay starts to tell them about what he and Helmet had talked about and what happened with them, making sure to disclude anything about Preloading in the process.

"...So he wanted to know about your Aspect?" Axel says, with his hand resting on his chin.

"Essentially. I explained how I can't seem to summon it." Jay responds, "He told me that I was gonna have a hard time, but he still couldn't help me out since that could be considered training."

"That's right. Helmet said something about not training us earlier before me and Axel logged off..." Ivy said.

Jay slouches and rests his right knuckles on his cheek.

"I still don't know why he even offered us a referral in the first place, though. It seemed so sudden..." Jay speculates.

"Maybe it was for good looks in the public eye!" Ivy says, snapping her fingers.

When she does this, an arrow she is holding bursts into flames. She throws it on the ground and quickly tries to stop the fire from spreading.

"Maybe," Axel says, ignoring Ivy's cries for help, "Or it might be our talent!! He said we impressed him, didn't he? or what if he was just saying that..."

Jay—not saying anything—knows that Ivy and Axel are wrong about Helmet using them for reputation. Helmet took him to a private area and gave him tips on progressing in the state he was in. It was a surprise to see Helmet go out of his way to help someone like that, especially since he's always busy as a Guildmaster.

Jay nods half-heartedly at Axel and Ivy as they go on about their theories.

"So next Sunday is the big day! Did Helmet ever tell you what the tryouts are going to be like?" Ivy asks Jay, finally putting out the fire on her split arrow.

"I didn't get a word of information," Jay says, shaking his head,

"But he made it clear that we need to get stronger in preparation," Jay says.

Jay and his friends look at each other, understanding the grind they will have to endure to compete. Each of their playstyles was so dynamic that training together wouldn't be the best focus. They come closer together.

"So this is where we split off for now, huh?" Axel asks Jay and Ivy.

"I was thinking the same thing," Ivy says.

Jay nods his head in agreement with both of their statements and extends a hand forward. Ivy and Axel join in and form a huddle.

"We will get stronger!!" Axel announces,

"And become Slayers!" Ivy announces,

"We will become the top players in the game!" Jay says, "And help each other on the way!"

Ivy and Axel smile at Jay's remarks. All three friends—with their hands over the top of one another—lift them to the sky, and all cheer the same thing:

"*WE'RE GONNA JOIN A GUILD!!!*"

The sky filled with their echoes. Next week was their chance to prove themselves worthy to Helmet and to become Slayers. Jay knew that joining a Guild would be the only way to make some serious cash in the long run, so this was his only go at saving his mom.

They would split off and train in their respective fields for a week.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-

"Roll call." A voice starts.

The person asking this was in full purple and silver armor, wearing an elusive mask that no one could see through. The only visible part of their face was their glowing yellow eyes. The Slayer's Crest proudly shown on their helmet, located in between where their eyebrows would be. There was also another symbol on their chest, signifying a «Raven's» wing.

They were in a room with ten other people, all wearing the Slayer's Crest and other symbols like the wing on their uniforms.

"Helmet of the Wolves?"

"Here." Helmet announces.

"Crash of the Sharks?"

"Here!" A voice boasts.

"Jack of the Dragonborn?"

"Here!" A voice calls out.

"Sabrina of the Jurrasic?"

"Here!" A voice proudly says.

This process continued down the line of the ten clans that make up the Slayer's Pack. Each one of the Guildmasters made themselves present when their name was called.

"—Rayna of the Pythons?"

Instead of a voice, a hand shot out of the group, not saying a word. The knight looks onward to Rayna, a girl with long silver hair covered up by a substantially baggy hoodie. She seemed sheltered a little bit and wasn't making eye contact with anyone. Her hoodie proudly held the crest of the Python.

'Still as shy as ever,' The knight thought.

"Ok, and finally, «Corvus» of the Ravens." The knight says, "Here."

Corvus, Leader of the Slayer's Pack and the Guildmaster of the Ravens. He holds ownership of the most prestigious clan in the Guild.

"I've gathered everyone here today to discuss our plans for the tryouts tomorrow," Corvus says.

The rest of the Guildmasters looked towards Corvus as he spoke. They had no idea how the tryouts were going to work either. Helmet—with the rest of his peers—awaits Corvus' response. After a bit, Corvus opens up his game menu and pulls out three slips of paper from his inventory.

"Did anyone manage to hand out the three referrals I tasked you with?"

Helmet and a few other Guildmasters raise their hands. Corvus takes note of who did and didn't hand out their respective referrals.

"For those who succeeded in handing them out, you will be accompanying me to watch and grade the tryouts." Corvus said, "I've been tired this past week."

All of the Guildmasters gasp. Helmet looked onwards at Corvus, still in awe. It wasn't like the leader to be this outgoing, especially admitting that he's tired. Taking part in the judging process of the tryouts was also a huge honor.

"Helmet, Crash, and Rayna. Since you have submitted all of your referrals first, you will not only be allowed to help with judging the array of players at the tryouts but also are allowed to get first say in what players you want on your team if you decide for them to be walk-ons—"

"Each player is a «Prospect» at the tryouts, so I expect you guys to keep fair expectations for those to whom you've given your referrals. We can't allow a biased opinion to shape the Guild's future." As Corvus spoke, he eyes Helmet.

Helmet didn't flinch at the eye contact Corvus gives him but is still afraid of what that means.

"Prepare your squads as well to make your acquaintance at the tryouts. They won't have a say in your decision, but it's important to great greenies with open arms." Corvus states, "Again, it's important to pick up the best players. Next year's «Skirmish Tournament» is a big deal to the Guild.

"Yes, sir!" Crash—Leader of the Sharks—says.

Rayna—Leader of the Pythons—nods her head silently.

"Will do." Helmet—Leader of the Wolves—says.

All of the Guildmasters agree with what Corvus had to say. After a few more discussions on rules and other important matters, the Guildmasters break away and return to their clans. The tryouts this year sounded promising but also nerve-racking for players and Guildmasters alike.

Helmet remembers his interaction with Jay and his friends, and ponders if they have the potential to be a part of any of the clans.

'Let's see if they decided to train first...' He thinks.

As Helmet thinks, a familiar face shows up to greet him outside of the meeting hall where the Guildmasters had just met. The figure was bulky in stature and pretty tall. His most noticeable feature would be his shark-like attributes, having his head look identical to a great white's. He had a vest on that was torn at his shoulders without a shirt underneath and some baggy pants. A colossal hammer swung back and forth on his back as he approached Helmet closer. His shark-like appearance was probably from some sort of shapeshifting potion.

"Good to see you gave away your referrals, Crash." Helmet tells Crash—Leader of the Sharks— as he gets closer.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I just gave them out to random people I saw potential in!" Crash responds.

'What an idiot. But I can't speak either.' Helmet thinks.

"You wanna level up your fishing stat?" Crash asks, holding out a putrid piece of meat, "I got some bait!"

"I'm good. I'd rather die." Helmet responds.

Crash is down in the dumps after that remark, but that's just how he and Helmet roll.

"Who'd you give your referrals to?" Crash asks.

Helmet takes a moment before answering Crash's question. For a second, Helmet second-guesses his decision to give away the referrals so easily. He made it seem like Jay had won them somewhat in the end...

But in reality, he just wanted them off his chest and allowed them to be taken.

"I gave them to a group of bright individuals who have potential." Helmet responds.

Crash looks at Helmet dead in his eyes and crosses his arms.

"You said this last time, and all of your prospects failed the first part of the tryouts." Crash says.

"*Yeah, well, these guys have even more potential!!*" Helmet bites back.

"Look, I always look for the long-con, not a strong player who's already in their prime who can't progress anymore." Helmet adds.

Crash nods in understatement.

"I got you. I try to find people whose Aspects can grow as well." Crash says.

The two Guildmasters look to their left and spot Rayna—Leader of the Pythons—slouched over on a wall. She's still looking at the floor, even after the meeting.

"I wonder who she gave her referrals to." Helmet comments.

"Yeah, no clue." Crash adds, looking over at Rayna with more concentration, "She hasn't been the same since her last Skirmish bracket, huh?"

"Seems like it." Helmet says, "I would also be upset about getting knocked out of a tournament in the first round, especially if I was a Guildmaster."

"To me..." Crash says, subconsciously grabbing the grip of his hammer, "It seems like she's lost the *fire* inside of her."

"Huh?" Helmet questions.

"She's lost her passion to fight, almost..." Crash continues, "Until it's reignited, she's gonna look down like that for a little while."

Helmet and Crash look on at Rayna, and after a bit more chat, they break away to their respective clans. The tryouts were tomorrow, and both were on schedule, so they couldn't waste any more time.

They had to make last-minute preparations before the big day.