"Join us?"

"But am I not your new member?" Gordon asked.

That fact was true, and Ethan could not deny it. However, Gordon himself was an old member of LionArk in essence.

The username MagisterDao was publicly known through LionArk, even though some people had started recognizing that name after Redemption Sword rose in prominence.

Ethan did not care about that. He needed Gordon to help him handle strategy later on. Gordon smiled, clearly refusing in a polite manner.

"There will be jealousy among the other members. I am preventing that situation from happening," Gordon replied calmly.

"I will stay in Mavelard, protecting the city together with Ashley and the others for you," Gordon continued.

Ethan knew Gordon would always make decisions based on what he believed was right.

In Gordon's view, refusing Ethan's request was the best choice.

He was confident that Ethan could handle the upcoming event properly without his help.

"Alright. I cannot force you either," Ethan said.

"Thank you, Ethan."

"I will stay here with Rick," Gordon added, patting Ethan's shoulder lightly.

"You have to be careful when choosing your allied cities later."

"It will not be a direct invasion that destroys you, but those who might betray you," Gordon said firmly.

Ethan listened carefully to Gordon's advice. He said that he would be cautious in choosing alliance cities, avoid trusting anyone too much, and focus on strengthening the capabilities of his military units.

He deactivated the private panel, returning the atmosphere in his office to normal.

Gordon excused himself. He needed to inform Rick about his decision. He was certain that Rick would agree with him on this matter.

Ethan nodded. He stayed in his office to determine the appropriate officer positions for Gordon and Rick.

Considering Gordon's intelligence, Ethan thought he could create a new officer role that matched the man's abilities.

It would be the Officer of Strategy and Warfare. One of the most important officers in the future, fully operating under the authority of the Vice Chairman of LionArk Guild.

"Officer of Strategy and Warfare. Your arrival makes me ambitious enough to conquer the entire continent."

"I will plan it later, after seeing what kind of results the Guild of Champions Event brings."

***

One week later.

LionArk Headquarters.

Training had been conducted twice. Team members had been informed about their assigned units.

Some agreed, some objected. However, they had no choice but to comply, as Ethan's orders were absolute.

Now, everyone had gathered in the front courtyard. Ashley, Gordon, and Rick were there, followed by all LionArk members.

Today, precisely at noon, the Guild of Champions Event would begin and officially open.

Ethan stood among the LionArk team lineup, with Hanss standing beside him.

Team registration had been completed by Ashley and approved by the system. LionArk firmly chose to remain a single-guild team.

They did not want to form alliances with other guilds in order to maintain integrity and a clear chain of command.

Ashley stepped forward, descended the small set of stairs, and stopped in front of Ethan. She produced a single white rose, symbolizing sincere love and hope.

She placed the white rose into the chest pocket of Ethan's shirt. "Come back safely. Always be careful when making decisions, Ethan."

"I will return," Ethan replied firmly. "Take care of Mavelard and LionArk for me, Ashley."

Other members began doing the same. Sherly said goodbye to Hanss. Wives parted from their husbands, lovers from their partners, and close friends from one another.

It became the most emotional moment for them all, because they knew that if they died in this event, there would be no resurrection.

Death meant death.

That was why the Guild of Champions Event was extremely important and decisive, whether for the guild's future or for the life and death of the team members themselves.

The bodies of Ethan, Hanss, and the other team members glowed blue. The time was approaching noon. It was time for the twenty-five of them to head to the arena.

When the bell rang at midday, they were instantly teleported from LionArk headquarters.

Ashley's eyes filled with tears as Ethan vanished completely, leaving no one behind in the front courtyard.

Ashley lifted her head, her gaze fixed on the sky.

"Take good care of yourself, Ethan."

Teleportation did not occur only at LionArk headquarters. It also happened at the headquarters of other guilds.

Pillars of blue light appeared, sending each participant to the event arena according to their teams.

The system panel displayed a live projection of the event arena. The panel appeared in front of LionArk headquarters, clearly visible to everyone.

Ethan opened his eyes. He, Hanss, and the entire team had been teleported to a random location. It was not green land, but a vast desert of sand.

The location was determined randomly. Ethan checked the arena name displayed.

Continent of Valor, a continent meant for hardened warriors.

[Guild of Champions Event has begun]

[Manage resources. Build cities. Train soldiers. Dominate the continent]

[One City = One Core Crystal]

[The team with the most Core Crystals wins]

The event notification panel appeared in front of Ethan and the others.

They began to understand how to win the event by gathering as many Core Crystals as possible.

"Captain, look!"

One of the team members turned his head and pointed toward a small village with ten NPCs.

It was the starting village that Ethan had to develop from scratch into a major city.

Damn it. I really hate RTS.

Gordon, you are really torturing me.

He and the entire team entered the village. When Ethan arrived, a notification panel appeared for him alone.

[Welcome, Chief]

[Please name your city: ]

Ethan fell silent for a moment. Since they were from LionArk, he immediately chose a similar name.

[Please name your city: Lion City]

[City name approved!]

[Congratulations, you have obtained the First Town Chest]

[Congratulations, you have obtained a Core Crystal]

He immediately opened the chest, examining its contents carefully. Everything inside was a resource he needed to build his city.

Hanss stepped closer. Ethan felt fortunate to have Hanss, who could help manage the city's resources.

"What should we do?" Hanss asked.

Ethan turned and looked at all his members carefully. They had already obtained their city.

What they needed to do now was map the surrounding area.

The term was scouting. Ethan attempted to exploit the event system.

"Activate one of your three soul servants," Ethan ordered firmly.

They all nodded and switched their servants to aggressive mode. Ethan smiled at the sight.

"Spread your soul servants to other areas."

"Inform me if you find any cities."

"Yes, Captain!"

They immediately did exactly as Ethan instructed. Meanwhile, he ordered Hanss to control the NPCs, directing them to work and gather the limited natural resources scattered across the desert.

Before long, one by one, team members reported finding nearby cities. There were a total of three cities close to Lion City.

Ethan reviewed the information. The distances were not too far and could be reached quickly by the team's soul servants.

"That's good," Ethan said calmly, "I will handle the rest."

"What do you mean, Captain?" one member asked.

"They are in the same condition as us," Ethan replied, "But we have the advantage in strength."

"I will launch an early invasion and force them to surrender their Core Crystals and all their resources."

The entire team was shocked, except for Hanss. What Ethan said matched his expectations. Ethan planned to use his overwhelming strength to strike early.

"That's insane! You will fight them alone, Captain?"

"Did you forget? He took Mavelard from Silver Star by himself. His abilities have increased even more. He can do it."

"Let us help you, Captain."

"No," Ethan said firmly.

"You stay here. I cannot bring you along. It is too risky."

"You are only allowed to fight once you have proper troops," Ethan emphasized.

Ethan turned toward Hanss. Hanss nodded in response. He knew Ethan's strength well. There was no trace of worry on Hanss's face.

"For now, obey Hanss and do not rebel," Ethan said sharply.

"Yes, Captain!"

Ethan turned around and summoned Luna to assist him. The servant mode panel appeared, switching Luna from passive to aggressive mode.

Luna's chibi form glowed blue, transforming into the figure of an adult woman wearing a blue dress and wielding a trident staff.

"What kind of place is this? Why is it so dry?" Luna complained.

"Luna, help me defeat the enemy," Ethan said firmly.

"Battle? Fine. I will help you."

"Help me fly, Luna," Ethan requested.

Luna cleared her throat and extended her hand, granting Ethan flight magic. It was not difficult for Ethan to control. The entire team stared in shock.

"C-Captain? You're flying?"

Soon after, Luna and Ethan left Lion City heading south. One of the nearest cities was located there. Ethan planned to start with that city.

After fifteen minutes of flight, Ethan finally arrived at a city named Moonlight. His arrival from the sky shocked the guild team stationed there.

"Who are you?!" one man shouted. He had a crown icon on his username, indicating that he was the city's chief.

"What's the password?" Ethan asked calmly.

"Password? What do you mean?" the man replied, "Oh, I know. It's go to hell!"

Ethan smiled. He extended his hand, summoning Bloodblade Ashura. As he grasped it, his appearance changed. Ashura Mode was activated.

[Ashura Mode Activated]

"That's enough," Ethan said.

"Hand over your resources and Core Crystal, and you can leave without getting hurt."

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