Chapter29-Generous Rewards, Establishing a Guild

A lone human appeared in their line of sight, and the Scourge Scouts displayed looks of greed. 

The lead monster, without a moment's hesitation, lunged forward.

Roar—

Suddenly, Breeze darted from the side, clamping its jaws around the monster's right arm, inflicting over a thousand points of damage. 

Concurrently, Sebastian began to chant his skill.

Seeing this, the other Scourge Scouts charged forward in unison. 

However, the ground beneath them softened abruptly. 

Countless vines emerged, entwining around their bodies. 

The Scouts hastily began to shed the encroaching vines.

After tossing a scroll, Sebastian continued to unleash his skills.

-1014

-1258

-1154

...

One skill after another rained down, bolstered by the wand in his hand, inflicting considerable damage. 

In the blink of an eye, the Scourge Scouts had lost a third of their HP. 

And this was just the beginning.

While distracting them and spreading out their strength, Sebastian unhesitatingly threw another object into the fray.

[Soul-devouring Stone]

[Quality: Unique-grade]

[Description: A stone capable of absorbing souls. When thrown, it can inflict a 5-second daze effect on enemies within a certain radius]

[Note: Single-use consumable]

The dark green stone detonated in mid-air, showering shards onto the battlefield. 

All the Scourge Scouts were affected, standing motionless with vacant stares.

Sebastian and Breeze wasted no time in launching their attacks. 

By the time the Scouts recovered, their HP had been halved.

From there, the tides had clearly turned. Sebastian and Breeze rampaged with unrestrained fury, with Sebastian continuously deploying powerful items into the battle.

In less than ten minutes, the group of Scourge Scouts lay defeated and lifeless.

He gathered the rewards from the ground and walked toward the large iron cage.

"I've come to save you," Sebastian said to the villagers.

The once-despairing faces of the villagers immediately lit up with joy and tears, exclaiming in unison:

"You're our savior!"

"Thank you, kind soul!"

"At last, we're saved!"

Soon, Sebastian led the group of villagers out of the mountains.

When he re-emerged onto the plains, the players who hadn't left earlier gazed in astonishment, unable to believe that Sebastian had emerged unscathed from such peril.

...

Inside the village chief's dwelling, Sebastian handed over the record to the chief.

The village chief's face beamed with gratitude, "ShepherdWind, I never imagined you'd not only tell the truth but also complete the quest. You're a hero to Darkstone."

"It was the right thing to do," Sebastian humbly replied.

[Ding! village chief's favorability rating towards you +10]

"A truly humble lad," the village chief said, deeply moved. "You saved our villagers. Please, accept these rewards as a token of our gratitude."

[Ding! Congratulations on completing the special quest "Legion of Cataclysm's Scout". Rewards: Village Chief's Treasure Chest, 100 gold coins, Title of Darkstone Honorable Villager.]

A treasure chest immediately materialized before Sebastian. 

Upon opening it, he found a collection of valuable items, including A-level skill books, Unique-grade equipment, and even epic-grade scrolls. 

The rewards for this quest were indeed impressive. 

Its difficulty had been quite high, and Sebastian was grateful for the hoard of Unique-grade items he'd obtained from his previous journey to the secret realm; otherwise, dealing with the Scourge Scouts would have been much harder. These rewards adequately compensated for his earlier expenditures.

But what particularly caught his eye was the new title. 

He looked at the title's description.

[Darkstone Honorable Villager (Equippable)]

[Description: You've saved the villagers of Darkstone, earning their deep gratitude. Wearing this title grants you their favor. Within the boundaries of newbie village, experience gain +20%, Drop Rate +10%, and all purchased goods receive a 10% discount.]

Reading the details, astonishment painted Sebastian's face.

He hadn't expected the title to confer such generous perks. 

Without hesitation, he proudly adorned himself with it.

At this moment, the village chief continued, "ShepherdWind, regarding Yomu, I can now share some insights with you."

Clearly, the improved favorability rating had warmed the chief's disposition.

But Sebastian no longer had the need for such information.

So, after completing the quest, he promptly departed the village chief's abode. 

As he left, the chief lamented about the audacity of the Legion of Cataclysm, mentioning that the kingdom has been informed and vowed to annihilate them. 

Of course, such national affairs were momentarily outside Sebastian's realm of concern.

Once outside the chief's home, Sebastian promptly fulfilled the three white intelligence tasks he'd drawn earlier. 

By the time he was done, night had fallen. 

Glancing at his in-game funds, he found himself over five hundred gold coins richer, equating to more than half a million dollars. 

He couldn't help but feel as if he had struck gold overnight. 

Additionally, his inventory was laden with an array of Unique-grade items. 

If he were to sell all of these, he might just find himself a millionaire.

[Ding! You have received a private message from friend MelodiousDance]

As Sebastian pondered the disposition of his newfound treasures, Mia sent him a private message. 

The message beckoned him to the guild's base to discuss some matters. 

Upon arriving, he discovered all five members of the team assembled.

As Sebastian entered, everyone rose in unison.

"What's going on?"

Sebastian inquired, taking a seat.

"We're thinking of establishing a guild," Mia declared, locking eyes with Sebastian.

"A guild?" Sebastian echoed, slightly taken aback.

Mia then explained her rationale. 

The North Wind Team had previously followed an elite path, achieving commendable success in their early days. 

However, the recent dungeon expedition made her realize the limitations of a small group. 

Without a sizable player base, conquering the Valley of Death might forever remain an elusive dream. 

Hence, her desire to form a guild, one that could unite the majority of Darkstone's players.

It was indeed a daring decision. 

After all, attempting to snatch a piece from the five major guilds would undoubtedly draw their attention and ire. 

If it were before, Mia might have hesitated. 

But this time, after the setback in the dungeon raid and the significant blow to the major guilds, they were too preoccupied to bother with them, at least for a while. 

Plus, Sebastian's recent display of heavenly fire had firmly established his standing among the Darkstone players, making it easier to lure them in.

After hearing Mia out, Sebastian voiced his support.

"Sebastian, we'd like you to be the guild leader," Jason suddenly interjected.

"Me?" Sebastian exclaimed in surprise.

Mia nodded, "Yes. Don't worry, I'll handle the guild's management. But you must be the face of it. Only with you as the guild leader can we truly attract players."

Sebastian looked at her, grasping her intent. And without resistance, he agreed, "Alright."

"Let's go register then," Mia said with a radiant smile.