Ethan's heart skipped a beat as his fingers brushed against the circular object, he had found it.

Shifting back into human form, a countdown timer instantly appeared on his screen, warning him of his dwindling oxygen supply. If the timer hit zero, he would drown.

No time to hesitate.

Gripping the ring tightly, he yanked it upward. A chain trailed beneath it, slowly rising from the depths as he pulled.

Click-click-click…

A mechanical grinding echoed through the water. Hearing the sound, Ethan instantly switched back into Seal Form, causing the oxygen timer to vanish.

Now, he could breathe freely again.

On the rocky wall beside him, a hidden door—over two meters tall, began to slide open. A thin beam of light pierced the darkness, cutting through the murky lakebed like a beacon.

Ethan swam toward it, the glow intensifying until—splash!—he broke through the surface.

Wiping water from his face, he took in his surroundings. A small, secluded pool. The landscape around him was familiar.

A breathtaking canyon stretched before him, its crystal-clear springs flowing gently through narrow ravines. Towering trees swayed in the breeze, their thick foliage forming a lush canopy. Vibrant wildflowers dotted the emerald carpet of grass, their delicate fragrance drifting through the air.

Sheer cliffs surrounded the valley on all sides. Even with a flying mount, it was impossible to soar over these towering rock faces. The only way in or out was through the submerged entrance he had just emerged from.

Ethan stepped onto dry land and made his way deeper into the forest. The sky above shimmered an unnatural shade of green, as if the heavens here were separate from the rest of the world.

In reality, this phenomenon was known as an aurora.

The luminous bands of emerald light rippled across the sky, giving the valley an otherworldly glow.

After walking for about ten minutes along a narrow woodland path, Ethan ventured deeper into the dense jungle. The trees here were thicker, their ancient trunks stretching skyward. The further he went, the darker it became.

A thick layer of fallen leaves blanketed the forest floor, stretching endlessly into the distance. As he stepped forward, the ground beneath him felt strangely unsteady, like walking on water.

Then, through the tangled undergrowth, he spotted it.

A pillar of light shot up from the earth, illuminating the gloom with a blinding radiance.

A grin tugged at Ethan's lips.

Floating within the light, suspended in midair, was a Scroll.

His target: [Teleportation (Divine)]

Approaching the glowing beam, he hesitated. The records from his past life only confirmed that a Divine Ability could be found here, but they never detailed the method of obtaining it.

Could it really be this easy?

Ethan highly doubted it.

The valley was sealed off, yes—but that didn't mean the scroll was just lying around for anyone to take. There had to be a guardian.

Something… watching. Something that hadn't been revealed in his past life.

After a brief hesitation, Ethan extended his hand toward the light, moving slowly and cautiously. His entire body was tense, ready to react at a moment's notice.

Just then—

Ding!

[Global Announcement:

The player Blast from China and their guild AngelEmpire have officially become the first Level 6 Guild worldwide.]

With this achievement, a new expansion has been unlocked: Town Conquest.

All Level 4 and above guilds are now eligible to participate in Town Conquest battles.

In any town, once a guild stationed 1,000 or more members, a countdown timer would begin. If the guild held their position for the required duration, they would claim ownership of the town.

Ownership was permanent—with a catch.

For as long as they controlled the town, 5% of all shop revenue would be funneled into the guild's bank. However, after a three-month ceasefire period, other guilds would be free to challenge their claim and launch an attack to seize control.

Ethan's hand froze mid-air.

A Level 6 guild already?

He had more than enough points to upgrade his own guild after securing the world's first major boss kill, but he had deliberately held off. He wanted someone else to take the lead.

The first Level 6 guild reward wasn't bad, actually, it was incredible. The benefits for guild members alone were tempting.

But the cost of upgrading? That was another story.

Advancing from Level 4 to Level 5 required 10,000 gold and increased the guild's member cap to 30,000. Going from Level 5 to Level 6? 20,000 gold—for a 50,000-member cap.

And every level beyond that? 50,000 gold per upgrade, each adding 50,000 more slots.

Ethan only had a little over 4,000 gold right now, not nearly enough. As for the player Blast from China, Ethan knew him well. He had the backing of one of China's largest financial groups, and more importantly, he was ruthlessly ambitious.

In his past life, AngelEmpire had been one of the biggest threats to Dragonspire. They had led multiple Nation Wars, launching full-scale invasions against his homeland.

Ethan opened his chat window and sent a private message to Skyblade.

"Drop everything. Get every member back to the city. Set up in the towns. Take as many as you can. If you see another guild with 1,000+ members in a town, wipe them out."

The final word in his message carried a chilling weight. Skyblade responded immediately.

"Understood. But… we can kill people inside towns?"

Ethan smirked.

"The Town Conquest system is now active.

Once a guild has over 1,000 players in a town, they're automatically placed in war mode against any other guild that meets the same criteria.

Inside those towns? It's a free-for-all."

"Got it. I just got intel—Blade Syndicate is already on the move. One group is heading for Duskridge, while the rest are splitting up to hit other small towns."

Ethan chuckled.

"Greedy bastards. They can't take every town. Scout their numbers in Duskridge, that's our main target. Looks like it's time for another brawl with Blade Syndicate."

"Understood. I'm taking my squad there now," Skyblade replied before going silent.

With those orders handled, Ethan refocused on the scroll floating in the light pillar before him.

Enough waiting.

He snatched the scroll and tossed it into his inventory.

Ding!

[System Message:

You have obtained Ability Scroll: Teleportation (Divine)]

Suddenly—

The ground shuddered violently, deep fractures splitting the earth. Something massive was forcing its way up from below.

Ethan didn't wait to find out what it was.

Spinning on his heel, he shifted into Stag Form and bolted toward the pool where he had entered. His incredible speed had him there in seconds.

But when he arrived, he stopped dead.

The pool was gone. Massive boulders had crashed down, completely sealing the exit.

What the hell?

How had the last guy who obtained the scroll escaped in his past life? Was there… another exit?

Before he could figure it out, a thunderous roar split the air. At the same time, a system notification flashed before his eyes.