Chapter 38: Dangerous Offer

It came as a surprise to Raven that the person everyone referred to as the "old man" was actually a mere teenager, not even fifteen years old. 

The young boy had short dark hair and a fair, slender face, which appeared slightly immature. He happened to be the youngest human Raven had encountered on the island.

"He's the old man?" Raven inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"How old do you think I am?" the dark-haired boy asked, his lips curling into an amused smile.

Raven glanced at Julien, who discreetly rubbed his forehead while raising nine fingers, ensuring he wouldn't be caught by the boy they called the old man.

"Nine?!" Raven exclaimed, disbelief evident in his voice.

The boy laughed and playfully grabbed Julien's ears, causing him to cry out in pain. Although Julien made no attempt to free himself with force.

"How did you expect him to understand your gesture of nine fingers?" the dark-haired boy asked, releasing Julien's ears and turning his attention to Raven. "I am actually ninety years old."

"Ninety? But you look so..." Raven's brow furrowed.

"So young?" the boy interjected, smiling. "It's partially due to my Bloodline. I age in reverse. When I arrived here, I appeared to be twenty. But after five years..."

His smile faded, disappointment clouding his features. Initially, he was elated to regain his youth, thinking he was back in his twenties and could live longer. 

Unfortunately, he soon realized that something wasn't quite right. Despite being younger, his aging process had also reversed. At this rate, he was about to become a child within a decade, eventually vanishing altogether.

The young boy shook his head, dismissing unnecessary thoughts, and shifted his focus to Raven. "Enough about me. I heard that you just came out of the Trial, in which a New King has appeared? A Player who is a human?" 

Raven nodded, wondering why these people were so concerned about his main avatar. Even though he had broken the Bloodline Trial record, he believed that the young boy before him possessed a much higher level.

"Good... Good... So it really was a human. In that case, we must find him. He might be able to free us from this curse!" the boy declared urgently.

Raven became bewildered, hearing the man talk about the curse. 

"What curse? What is happening here? Why are so many high level humans on the Beginner Island? Why are you hiding underground?"

The dark haired boy didn't answer. If anything, he became silent. His eyes turned serious. The immature aura around him disappeared. 

Raven felt a heavy pressure acting up on his body, as if a heavy mountain was placed on his shoulders. 

The boy's eyes turned cold as he locked his gaze with Raven. "You will learn everything, but only if you join us. If not, you are free to leave. However, in that case, I will be compelled to erase your memory to ensure our secrets are protected."

A system screen materialized before Raven.

[You have received an Invitation Offer]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Invitation to the [Blood Oath Guild]

By accepting the Invitation, you pledge to abide by the following Guild Rules:

• Never disclose Guild secrets to non-Guild members.

• Provide support to fellow Guild members when needed, as long as it does not endanger your own life.

• Comply with all commands from the Guild Leader.

• Surrender any surplus items obtained during quests to the Guild in exchange for coin rewards.

• Refrain from harming any other Guild member.

• Never resign from the Guild.

(Warning: Accepting the Invitation renders you bound by the rules. Any violation will result in the loss of all levels, reverting you back to Level 1.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Do you want to accept the Invitation?]

[Y/N]

Staring at the invitation, Raven was taken aback. Joining any guild was not his intention from the beginning, but upon reading through the rules, his shock only intensified. The guild regulations seemed to strip away all his freedoms.

If he had to obediently follow the Guild Leader's every command and couldn't even leave the guild at will, it resembled nothing short of a slave contract disguised in flowery language. 

His gaze involuntarily shifted towards Julien, who was evidently a guild member. The reason he couldn't share any guild secrets before became clear—it was due to these strict rules.

Strangely enough, Julien appeared completely fine even when he was under these rules. It was as if so far, there had been no conflicts in the guild. He also appeared quite close to the dark haired boy. 

Nevertheless, Raven felt uneasy. He had no desire to accept this enslaving contract. However, the boy had also issued a threat—If he didn't accept, he was to be kicked out with his memories erased. 

Raven cherished his memories dearly and had no intention of letting anyone tamper with them. He had no idea what the old man would discover within his mind if given the chance.

Even if he accepted the Invitation, the old man could demand access to his Status Screen, compelling him to reveal his secrets. Raven didn't want anyone to know his secrets, especially not because he was under someone's control. 

That was the last thing he wanted to do. However, if he declined the invitation, the old man was still going to use 'erasing memories' as an excuse to read through his memories. 

It seemed as though he had made a colossal mistake by coming here—he had unwittingly stumbled into a trap.

The dark-haired boy, hands clasped behind his back, confronted Raven. "What are you contemplating? Do you want to join us, and learn the secrets of this world that you would never know otherwise? Or do you want to leave? I'll respect your wishes." 

As the man's penetrating gaze bore into him, it felt as though he could peer into the depths of Raven's soul.

"I'm afraid I can't accept this invitation. At the same time, I can't allow you to mess with my memories... So I'll have to reject both the offers."

Raven took a deep breath. It was clear that he had no choice but to offend these people, even if it meant a fight.