Child of Destiny

Green Marbly Kingdom, Sandspine Waste.

Unlike the Ultra Guilds Illusion Dream and Mirage Soul, which were backed by Dream Entertainment, the Desert Sun Coalition was a Hyper Guild composed of multiple guilds.

As a result, their overall structure was considerably more complex, particularly when it came to the ruling councils that oversaw their operations in different regions.

Within the base they had established in the Sandspine Waste, two First-rate Guilds and several Second- and Third-rate Guilds were stationed to monitor the region, much like the two Ultra Guilds.

Their players might not have been as individually powerful as most of the experts exploring the region, but when it came to sheer numbers, the forces they had stationed here were still quite overwhelming.

At this moment, the leading figures of these guilds were gathered together, discussing the situation that had suddenly developed in the Sandspine Waste.

”Has Khavin finally lost his mind? How dare he provoke us?” asked a Dire Naga who appeared to possess a knight-type class, judging from the heavy armor covering his body, the shield hanging from his back, and the sword sheathed at his waist.

This player was the current Vice Guild Leader of the White Stone Guild, one of the leading First-rate Guilds under the banner of the Desert Sun Coalition—Silver Steve.

He was a well-known Titled Ranker who bore the title Hand of Desert.

He had once been one of the most famous Rankers during his peak, particularly when he was still playing «White Oasis» Online, one of the most popular virtual games before the rise of «Destiny’s Fate» Online.

It was a desert-themed game centered around warfare and the conquest of territory.

Silver Steve had once been one of the leading figures of that game, which was where he had earned his current Hand of Desert title.

Unfortunately, despite still being relatively young in his late twenties, his fame and prestige had declined significantly after he joined «Destiny’s Fate» Online, which had since become the center of the virtual world.

He had yet to accomplish any particularly noteworthy feats, turning him into little more than a backdrop character despite his achievements in his previous game.

At present, he worked under the Guild Leader of the White Stone Guild, the former number-one player of «White Oasis» Online—the Divine Sand King, Tarek.

Tarek had since become a Godlike Player.

Together, Tarek and Silver Steve had gathered many of the former experts from «White Oasis» Online and established the White Stone Guild, which had since grown into one of the leading First-rate Guilds in the Green Marbly Kingdom.

”We should crush them as soon as possible and remind them just how pitiful that little mercenary company is,” Silver Steve said in a heavy tone.

Sitting across from Silver Steve was another well-known Titled Ranker.

He was the expert sent by the Bronze Flame Guild, the other First-rate Guild stationed in the Sandspine Waste by the Desert Sun Coalition, in this area.

”But the Big Bosses warned us not to make any move that could expose our backs to Illusion Dream and Mirage Soul,” said the man, who appeared to be from the Human Race—a Conqueror, a Tier 3 Epic Human.

Judging from his appearance, he looked like a desert nomad wearing a set of equipment expertly designed for survival.

Unlike the usual armor, this player wore a combination of loose and breathable fabrics intended to protect him from the harsh sun, wind, and sand.

His equipment made him look more like a cloth-type class user than a typical warrior, which contrasted sharply with the massive saber hanging from his back.

This person was Marlon, widely known throughout the region as the Phantom of the Desert.

If Silver Steve was once a bright star who had failed to achieve any major accomplishments after joining this game, then Marlon was the rising star of the Bronze Flame Guild.

He had earned his current title from the previous ranking tournament hosted by the game’s official event organizers.

Even though that tournament lacked the prestige of the larger Ranking and Tournament Events, it was still a legitimate ranking competition that many Rankers wanted to participate in to improve their rankings or even earn themselves a Title.

Marlon had emerged as the champion, establishing himself as one of the rising stars of the Green Marbly Kingdom.

However, despite winning the tournament, Marlon did not let such a small success go to his head.

He fully understood that he was still a frog at the bottom of the well.

He had seen just how terrifying the true monsters of the virtual world were after witnessing their battles during the recently concluded United Cup.

Because of that, he wasn’t foolish enough to become overconfident simply because he had won a relatively minor ranking tournament.

Marlon turned toward the other people present in the room, most of whom were the Guild Leaders of the Second- and Third-rate Guilds working under them to monitor the situation in the Sandspine Waste.

”How’s the situation?” he asked.

Hearing his question, a Guild Leader from one of the Second-rate Guilds immediately responded. ”Sir Marlon, we’ve tried scouting the area to figure out why they’re running rampant, but we failed to find anything.”

Silver Steve frowned deeply upon hearing that reply. ”What do you mean you failed to find anything?”

A heavy pressure suddenly erupted from his body, suffocating the less powerful experts present in the room.

”Don’t tell me you’re so useless that you still failed despite the number of people under your command?” he asked coldly.

”This... we failed to live up to your expectations, Sir Steve!” the Guild Leader stammered as he struggled beneath the immense pressure.

Fortunately, Marlon immediately stepped in to mediate. ”That should be enough, Steve.”

He released his own aura, relieving the pressure on the unfortunate Guild Leader, before gesturing toward the others. ”Continue.”

Another Guild Leader from a Second-rate Guild stepped forward and continued the report. ”From our investigation, we’ve found that the entire Desert Bandits are currently within the Sandspine Waste.”

”They’ve dropped all their other commissions just to gather everyone here, which is why we’re having trouble completely suppressing them.”

Marlon couldn’t help but raise his brows when he heard this. Something clearly wasn’t right. ”For them to go to such lengths... whatever they’re trying to do must be of utmost importance.”

Silver Steve scoffed when he heard this. ”There can only be a few reasons for them to do so.”

”It could be that they’ve discovered an extremely rare resource, such as a newly discovered dungeon or even another deposit of rare minerals.”

”There could also be a powerful treasure or piece of equipment... or even a hidden Legacy.” He listed the possibilities he could think of before turning toward Marlon. ”Should we personally make a trip and take a look?”

Marlon thought for a moment before answering, ”Khavin is currently there, as well as his right-hand man, Serv.”

He paused for a moment and glanced toward the Guild Leader who had just given the report. ”Since everyone from the Desert Bandits has gathered there, their most elite units must be there as well.”

”You must remember how troublesome their five Captains were,” he added, clearly warning his partner.

Silver Steve wore a serious expression upon hearing this, fully understanding what Marlon was trying to say.

Both of them might have been powerful Titled Rankers compared to most players, but they were still far from being strong enough to face all the experts of the Desert Bandits by themselves.

Their forces might have overwhelming numbers, but they weren’t as elite as those of the opposing side.

Silver Steve might hate to admit it, but he was no longer as dominant as he had been when playing «White Oasis» Online.

”Should we ask for more people, then?” he asked, fully acknowledging his current limitations.

Marlon thought for a moment before shaking his head. ”That shouldn’t be necessary.”

He then turned toward the Guild Leaders gathered in the room. ”Did you just say that Khavin and his people have been provoking everyone in the area?”

”Then have they also clashed with the members of Illusion Dream and Mirage Soul?” he asked with a devious smile.

One of the Guild Leaders immediately stepped forward and answered, ”That’s right, Sir Marlon.”

He paused for a moment to clear his throat before continuing. ”Based on our investigations, the Desert Bandits have clashed with those two Ultra Guilds the most, especially since the area where they’re running rampant is mostly under Illusion Dream’s control.”

Hearing this, Marlon’s smile rose ever so slightly before he turned back toward his partner. ”It looks like we don’t have to go through all that trouble. Let’s have our friends from ’Dream and Soul’ handle the situation first while we wait on the side.”

Silver Steve seemed to like the idea and nodded his head. ”Alright. Let’s go with—”

However, before he could finish agreeing, he noticed that someone was calling him through his friend list.

Seeing the name of the caller, he couldn’t help but smile. ”Speak of the Devil~! It seems our ’old friends’ over there are also planning to deal with those bandits.”

Hearing this, Marlon immediately realized that the people from Illusion Dream and Mirage Soul must be contacting Silver Steve to propose some form of cooperation.

He clicked his tongue softly before gesturing toward his partner. ”Then let’s make an arrangement.”

He wanted to see what their ’old friends’ were planning to handle the situation.

......