Chapter 183: The One Week Rule "Let’s wrap it up for today." Rever sighed, exhaling his exhaustion. "I’ve had my fill of dying for one day."
"Agreed. Let’s reconvene here tomorrow, same time as always," Xin suggested.
Victor appeared surprised and gave Xin a curious look. "You’re planning to meet here again tomorrow?"
Xin found Victor’s confusion puzzling. "Why wouldn’t I?"
Victor fixed Xin with a serious gaze. "I thought you were joining the battle alongside your sister."
"Battle?" Xin was even more perplexed.
Victor glanced at Midnight Duchess before leaning in to whisper to Xin, "You might want to check with your sister first."
He then waved casually, grinning. "If you need help, just give me a call."
With Victor’s departure, Rever and Yuzuro were left utterly baffled.
Rever scratched his head in confusion. "What was all that about?"
Yuzuro was quick to catch on, and smiled at Xin. "Keep us in the loop if something comes up, okay?"
Xin nodded, still preoccupied with Victor’s mention of a war. Looked like he needed to talk with Xiaxia when he get home.
Rever and Yuzuro logged out, leaving Xin lost in his thoughts.
When the two of them were left, Midnight Duchess observed Xin, her face hidden behind her cloak. "Seems like you might have a commitment tomorrow?"
Xin wasn’t certain, so he replied, "I need to confirm first. We’ll let you know if there’s any change in plans."
"If you ever need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out," she said before vanishing into particles.
"That won’t be necessary," Xin thought. Although he trusted her in the game, real life demanded caution. His connection with Xiaxia’s guild made him wary. She could link him in real life if he was not cautious enough.
After logging out, Xin intended to confront Xiaxia about Victor’s words.
However, he noticed it was already past midnight. Deciding to wait until tomorrow, he found sleep elusive because he kept thinking about the war that Victor mentioned.
He resorted to searching on his phone for updates on Snow Angels and discovered that Xiaxia’s guild would be at war with Feral Domination later in the evening.
Frustration gnawed at Xin; he had explicitly warned Xiaxia to avoid wars. Why had she disregarded his advice?
The impending conflict weighed heavily on his mind, leaving him restless throughout the night.
The thought consumed him, denying him any rest throughout the night.
By morning, Xin appeared visibly drained, his eyes shadowed by exhaustion.
Upon seeing him, Xiaxia looked puzzled. "Did you even sleep?"
Ignoring her question, Xin asked seriously, "What were you thinking? Why did you accept a war with a guild ranked in the top five hundred?"
Xiaxia blinked, then replied matter-of-factly, "What was I thinking? Don’t you know about the Guildbane’s rule? Guilds in the top five hundred have to engage in wars with each other at least once a week."
Xin was taken aback. Was there really such a rule? He couldn’t recall reading anything like that in the game guide.
Xiaxia let out a sigh. "I figured you wouldn’t know. It’s a newly added rule, not in the guide yet."
Feeling defeated, Xin sighed in response. "What happens if you don’t start a war?"
Casually munching on her breakfast, Xiaxia explained, "The system assigns an opponent to you and whether you like it or not, you have to fight that guild. Trust me, you don’t want the game picking your rival. They usually match you with higher-ranked guilds who issued a challenge to you."
Xin absorbed this information, then asked, "You seem oddly relaxed. Are you confident about winning?"
Lifting her head proudly, Xiaxia stated, "Absolutely! Our guild has seen an influx of members, many at level 80 and above. We’ve cleared dungeons, amassed gil, and collected valuable items these past few weeks. Feral Domination is just ranked in the 500s, so they’re no match to us. I’ve researched them thoroughly; they lack high-level players."
Unease settled in Xin’s stomach. He couldn’t help but think that something wasn’t right. "What are the rules?"
Xiaxia’s grin didn’t ease his worries; it only deepened them.
"No Golem. No Hilda. And no Legend-grade equipment. That means no you and no Hilda. We’re restricted to ten players, and the battle starts later at night in an open field."
". . . No Legend-grade equipment? Does that mean you won’t be able to use the Sun Blade and Spellguard Shield?"
Xiaxia remained unfazed. "Exactly. But don’t worry, I’ve survived without them in the game before. I can win even with ordinary weapons."
"And I’m willing to bet the Sun Blade and Spellguard Shield are among the wager," Xin stated.
"You’re absolutely right. It’s like everyone has their eyes on them," Xiaxia sighed in frustration. "Honestly, I can’t even walk around with those items equipped anymore. I’m afraid someone might snatch them from me.
"At this point, they’ve become relics sitting idle in the bank. What’s the use of having powerful gear if I can’t utilize it?"
Ignoring Xiaxia’s banter, Xin asked, "Aren’t you the one being challenged? How come the advantages seem to be on the other side?"
"We decided on no Beast Tamers on the get go. Feral Domination has a significant number of beastfolk in their ranks, so that condition would give them a huge setback. Most of their high-level players are beast tamers, after all," Xiaxia explained.
"Even so . . . How did they end up with three advantages?" Xin pressed further.
Xiaxia sighed, and looked to the side. "Let’s just leave it at that. I guess luck wasn’t on our side that day."
"You always have shitty luck," Xin deadpanned.
Xiaxia couldn’t retort because that was true.
"There aren’t any level restrictions?" Xin questioned further.
"None."
"What about item restrictions?"
"None at all."
"How about recruitment restrictions?"
Xiaxia continued munching on her food, unfazed. "No, there aren’t any recruitment restrictions."
A sense of foreboding washed over Xin. How could Xiaxia be this Feral Domination?
No. She must have set her own rules to get the upper hand, too, it was only that, she got shitty luck!