'It's him…'

The world really was small. Just a few days ago, Ethan had beaten this guy half to death in the real world. And now? He ran into him in-game.

That guy was none other than Trent.

Last time Ethan had seen Celeste, she mentioned Trent was in a coma from a severe concussion. No one knew when he'd wake up.

Ethan had spent seven days grinding mobs in Ashen Gorge since then. That must've been enough time for Trent to wake up and log back in.

Ethan still recognized Trent's in-game avatar, they had teamed up in dungeons before, back in his previous life. Now, watching him walk into the Auction House, Ethan smirked and sent a message to Skyblade:

"Send a few rogues my way. I'm at the Harmony City Auction House."

The reply came almost instantly.

"Got four nearby. They'll be there soon. Need more?"

"That's enough. By the way, the guild's upgraded, we're at Level 4 now. We can hold 10,000 members."

"Yeah, we noticed. Check how many we've got already."

Curious, Ethan opened the Guild System.

[Renegade Alliance]

Guild Level: 4

Members: 3,569 / 10,000

Base Level: 1 (Harmony City)

Fortresses: None

Team Points: 265

Guild Funds: 1,358 gold, 92 silver, 26 copper

Ethan raised an eyebrow. Over 3,500 members already? And still climbing?

He had only walked from the Guild Hall to the Auction House, just a few minutes and the numbers had jumped.

Then again, Renegade Alliance was the hottest guild right now. After the battle Larson basin, plenty of players had been waiting for recruitment to open.

Seeing the guild grow, Ethan let out a small smile. This time around, he would build an empire with his own hands. As for the guild funds, it wasn't much, but every bit had been earned, through grinding, donations, and contribution exchanges.

Once membership hit the cap, daily guild earnings would be substantial.

But Ethan wouldn't touch that money lightly.

Guild raids, wars, fortress sieges, every coin would be needed. In fact, he'd probably have to pour in even more of his own funds down the line.

Building a strong guild took time.

Right now, there was still a ceasefire period, and fortress battles were months away. But once real-money transactions launched, everything would change.

The moment Ethereal's first fortress war ended, in-game currency would be linked to real-world cash. That's when corporations and investors would flood in, throwing money at any guild with control over a fortress or city.

A total power shift.

Many guilds would sell out.

Ethan had no intention of letting Renegade Alliance fall into corporate hands.

He was confident they'd secure at least one fortress, and he wouldn't accept a single outside investor.

As he planned, four rogues approached, each wearing the Renegade Alliance emblem. Ethan raised a hand. They spotted him immediately.

Seeing Ethan lift his hood slightly, their eyes widened.

'It's Guild leader'

Skyblade had only told them to report to the Auction House for a mission. Now, seeing Ethan himself, they knew this wasn't just some routine task.

In Renegade Alliance, completing missions meant earning contribution points. And if they died during a mission? The guild compensated them.

This was going to be worth it.

The moment they received the order, the four rogues sprinted over.

What they hadn't expected? The one waiting for them was none other than the guild leader himself, the infamous Newbie King, NotADruid.

What Ethan didn't know was that he had gained another title among the player base: Druid God.

The God of Druids.

If Ethan knew about this title he had been given, he would have been dumbfounded.

He was well aware that the true Druid God in Ethereal was Elyune, the Lunar Goddess, one of the Firstborn, and the Winter Queen's younger sister.

Hell, she ranked even higher than the Titan Forgers in the game's lore.

That said, in the player world, if anyone deserved to be called the Druid God, it was Ethan.

"Boss! What do you need us to do?" one of the rogues asked eagerly.

"Follow me."

Ethan led them into the Auction House and stopped near the entrance. He motioned toward a player inside, Trent's in-game avatar.

"Memorize his face," Ethan said. "Track him. The moment he leaves the city, kill him. Send him back to the Starter Zone."

The rogues' eyes lit up.

Corpse camping? Their favorite pastime. This was exactly why they chose the rogue class. One of them smirked. "Boss, just send him back once? That's nothing. He'll be out again in no time."

Ethan grinned. These guys spoke his language.

"If you've got nothing better to do," he said, "escort him all the way to Level 1."

The rogues laughed.

"Understood, boss! Leave it to us."

Bounty hunting was one of the best money-making gigs for rogues. Unless the mission required handing over specific loot, whatever the target dropped was theirs to keep.

Plus, they'd earn guild contribution points on top of that. This was exactly the kind of job rogues loved.

With everything arranged, Ethan gave Trent one last merciless glance before turning back to his own business.

He browsed the Auction House for gear but found nothing worthwhile. Probably because the auction house was still new, and most players hadn't listed their items yet.

Instead, he switched to the materials section and checked the Reinforcement Stones listings.

There were already plenty, and the prices were only 1 silver each.

Ethan bought them all.

Right now, only a few players could afford gear enhancements, so prices were still low.

But once players started hitting Level 30, the demand for Reinforcement Stones would explode. Prices would skyrocket from 1 silver to 50 silver per stone.

Before Ethan's rebirth, Reinforcement Stones had peaked at 35 gold each.

By the time he finished, he had spent 200 gold, acquiring around 2,000 stones.

A solid investment.

But now? His inventory was full.

It was only then that Ethan remembered, he was still stuck with a basic 12-slot bag. Even his personal bank storage hadn't been expanded yet.

Everything in this game cost money.

With no choice, he ran to the Bank, paid another 500 gold to expand his storage, and hauled the Reinforcement Stones over in multiple trips.

And that's when he spotted it…

A weapon he had almost forgotten.

[Wraithbinder's Staff].