A Confrontation with Heaven Guild

Ye Jue and Lin Shenyue walked out of the village. Their destination was Wind Wolf Valley, located south of the village. The goats new players needed to hunt were to the east, and the forest lay to the north. To the west, an impassable mountain range stood.

Wind Wolves were Level 4 monsters, known for their exceptional speed and formidable attack power. However, their health and defense were notably low in comparison.

Moreover, while typically passive, Wind Wolves possessed a unique linked aggression: striking one would provoke all nearby Wind Wolves to attack the player. This characteristic made Wind Wolf Valley a notorious graveyard for many adventurers.

Listening to Ye Jue’s explanation, Lin Shenyue inquired, “Can you handle them right now?”

Ye Jue chuckled. “It’s fine. I know a spot where we can exploit the Wind Wolves’ aggression.”

Lin Shenyue nodded, offering no further words.

As they neared the village exit, an unexpected, albeit minor, problem arose.

“Heaven Guild has reserved this area! All unrelated personnel, withdraw!” two men at the village entrance shouted upon seeing Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue.

Lin Shenyue felt a surge of doubt. Her and Ye Jue’s leveling speed was already impressive; most other players would barely be Level 2 at this point.

Could this guild truly manage to clear a Level 4 monster area so early?

As if sensing Lin Shenyue’s thoughts, Ye Jue calmly explained, “They can’t defeat Level 4 monsters directly. Instead, they’ll use numerous low-level alt accounts to whittle down the monsters’ health, then have their elite members deliver the killing blow.”

“While the experience from the final hit is only 20%, killing many monsters this way still allows for rapid leveling. Of course, this strategy only works if they’re not in the same party; otherwise, the experience would be shared equally.”

Lin Shenyue paused, watching several Level 1 alt accounts sprint past her, heading towards the monster zone.

Ye Jue sighed helplessly. “It seems we’ll have to take a detour.”

While he harbored a deep resentment for Heaven Guild, he couldn’t deny their undeniable strength as one of the oldest guilds across multiple games. For now, he could only bide his time, waiting for an opportunity to slowly divide and conquer them.

The two men at the village entrance inadvertently glanced past Ye Jue to Lin Shenyue behind him. Their eyes immediately lit up.

Discreetly, they sent a message to someone, then loudly called out to the retreating duo, “Hey, kid, stop right there!”

Lin Shenyue observed Ye Jue’s brow furrow, a flicker of cold disdain crossing his features. Nevertheless, he turned back, asking coolly, “Can I help you?”

The two men hurried over, their gaze lingering on the silently standing Lin Shenyue, a flash of lust in their eyes.

“Brother, isn’t this an NPC for a quest?” one of them began. “Why not share it? Our Heaven Guild can help you complete it.”

Ye Jue scoffed inwardly. ‘This is exactly Heaven Guild’s style.’

He replied coldly, “Heaven Guild? What’s that? Never heard of it.”

Although he had no intention of provoking Heaven Guild before he had grown stronger, it didn’t mean he feared them. At worst, he could always align with their rival guilds. Heaven Guild’s aggressive tactics had earned them many enemies; had it not been for their deep connections, they would have been utterly annihilated long ago.

Enraged by Ye Jue’s mockery, the two men bristled. In all their time playing, everyone they met would immediately fawn over Heaven Guild. Such blatant disrespect was unheard of.

“Kid, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!” one snarled. “Share your quest now, or you’ll never leave this newbie village!”

Lin Shenyue frowned slightly, her voice cutting and cold. “Truly worthy of Heaven Guild. Everyone here looks ready to ascend to heaven.”

Initially, the two men mistook Lin Shenyue’s words as praise. It took a moment for them to grasp that she was implying they were all on the verge of death. Their necks flushed crimson.

“Don’t think we won’t kill you just because you’re an NPC… Wait, no, you’re not an NPC. How could an NPC interfere in player affairs?” They finally realized their mistake.

A lecherous gaze swept over Lin Shenyue. “Oh, a minor, are we? Come here, ‘uncle’ will show you something nice.”

Seeing the men’s lewd stares, Ye Jue said coldly, “I never realized Heaven Guild had so many dogs. No wonder they’re called the ‘Dog Guild’.”

Hearing this, the two men were utterly enraged. The epithet “Dog Guild” originated in a previous game.

Heaven Guild’s dominance and its members’ arrogant resource-grabbing had provoked the top guilds, who united to bring Heaven Guild down from its peak. Players across the server had applauded, calling them “drowning dogs,” and their guild became known as the “Dog Guild.”

However, the alliance eventually dissolved. Rumor had it that Heaven Guild’s powerful backer intervened in the real world, suppressing the other guilds until they were forced to terminate their cooperation.

The two men snarled menacingly, “It seems you two are tired of living, daring to provoke our Heaven Guild.”

Ye Jue sneered. “There’s no PvP in the newbie village, so you dogs can’t bite anyone here. I’m not tired of living; I just think your guild is a pack of dogs.”

He then turned to Lin Shenyue. “Come on, let’s see what the ‘Dog Guild’ can do to us.”

As Ye Jue and Lin Shenyue gradually walked away, the two men growled, “Very well. We can’t kill you in the newbie village, but let’s see if you dare to leave it!”

Ye Jue didn’t even bother to reply, simply walking straight out.

Lin Shenyue silently followed him. It was clear Ye Jue hadn’t wanted to confront Heaven Guild, yet because of her, he had been forced into a conflict.

Judging by their tone, Heaven Guild seemed to be a formidable organization. Engaging with them would likely bring considerable trouble.

Sensing Lin Shenyue’s worried gaze, Ye Jue offered a faint smile. “It’s alright. Even without this incident, I would have faced Heaven Guild sooner or later.”

Lin Shenyue sighed. “But confronting them prematurely won’t benefit you much, will it?”

Ye Jue shook his head. “While an early confrontation will make Heaven Guild notice me sooner, it will also draw the attention of other players. That will make it much easier for me to rally support when the time comes.”

Lin Shenyue remained silent. Despite his reasoning, she wondered how many would truly assist Ye Jue if Heaven Guild decided to suppress him.

She clenched her small, pale hands, resolving inwardly, ‘I will definitely help you. After all, this incident began because of me.’

Lin Shenyue kept close behind Ye Jue as they ventured onto a vast grassland.

The grassland stretched immensely, its edges disappearing beyond the horizon. Ankle-high grasses carpeted the ground, punctuated by scattered trees and massive boulders.

Ye Jue glanced to the side, where figures moved rapidly and flashes of white light occasionally appeared. It was clearly Heaven Guild members leveling up.

Even for a guild of Heaven’s size, they occupied only a small section. Given the newbie village’s 1000-player limit, having 100 members here would be quite significant for them.

Ye Jue looked at Lin Shenyue. “Let’s go. While I’m not afraid of Heaven Guild, it’s better to avoid them so we don’t hinder our own leveling efficiency.”

Lin Shenyue nodded, and under Ye Jue’s guidance, they proceeded deeper into the grassland.

Ye Jue traversed the path without attacking any of the wolves. Consequently, the pack merely watched him warily, showing no inclination to attack.

After following Ye Jue for some distance, Lin Shenyue noticed he had stopped and asked in confusion, “Is this the spot?”

Ye Jue nodded. “Do you see those two massive boulders over there? They aren’t fully joined, leaving a man-width gap between them. The other side is blocked by a tree.”

“If I stand at the front and you heal me from behind, we can easily take them down.”

Lin Shenyue walked into the gap and asked, “Shall we begin?”

Ye Jue nodded and struck the nearest wolf, dealing “-14” damage. This immediately drew the aggression of at least a dozen other wolves. He swiftly retreated into the narrow crevice.

The pack crowded before the gap, yet only one wolf could enter at a time, leaving the others to howl frustratedly from behind, unable to pass.

A “-22” appeared above Ye Jue’s head, instantly depleting more than a seventh of his health.

Lin Shenyue cast a healing spell on Ye Jue one second after the attack, then quickly checked the Wind Wolf’s information.

[‘Frenzied Wind Wolf. Level: 4. HP: 286/300. Physical Attack: 25-28. (A Wind Wolf affected by unknown factors. Wolves are pack creatures; exercise caution when attacking them.)’]

Ye Jue easily parried the Wind Wolf’s next attack; he hadn’t been able to block earlier because he was retreating.

As the wolf entered a momentary stun after its attack, Ye Jue seized the chance to counter, dealing another “-15” damage. Despite the Wind Wolf’s high attack, Lin Shenyue’s healing was equally potent, allowing them to safely dispatch the first monster.

[‘You have slain a Wind Wolf and gained 40 experience points.’]

Lin Shenyue checked the system notification, thinking, ‘That’s quite a bit of experience.’

Working in tandem, Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue finally eliminated all the Wind Wolves after nearly eight minutes.

Ye Jue collected the dozens of copper coins and two pieces of equipment that had dropped, then shared the item details in their party chat.

[‘Wind Wolf Bracers (Iron-tier). Required Level: 4. Physical Attack +3-4, Physical Defense +2.’]

[‘Wind Wolf Staff (Common-tier, Main Hand Weapon). Required Level: 4. Magic Attack +5-6.’]

Ye Jue was somewhat speechless. What incredible luck to drop two attack-boosting items after only killing a dozen monsters?

He tossed the staff to Lin Shenyue. “Keep this for now. You can equip it once you reach Level 4.”

Lin Shenyue nodded in acknowledgment. Seeing Ye Jue lead another dozen Wind Wolves back, she quickly rejoined the fray.