For the general players of Sword Kingdom, the demon war was an opportunity. For those in alliances, it was an opportunity to strengthen their bonds. For those who were enemies of the state, it was an opportunity to gain pardons and fresh starts. For those who were independent, it was an opportunity to get rich quickly. For those who were in guilds, it was an opportunity to become powerful.
Kyl, the leader of Crimson Phoenix, smiled as he cut down a demon as if he were strolling through the woods. Kyl had a secondary warrior class at the epic rank of ‘sword expert.’ With this, no sword skill was beyond his abilities; in particular, he was an expert fencer. Favoring quick, penetrating strikes and combos over overwhelming power, it was said his sword could penetrate a dragon4dragonspecies’s scales even if he did not care to aim for the nearly impossible gaps. He was smiling because his guild’s country had just had its leadership killed by demons, which was why he had chosen it. It was a small country like Eastguard. When the guild got settled, it would not be hard to take over.
There was a major difference between professional gamers that played solo or in small groups to those that played in large groups. The solo players rarely relied on other players when buying or selling goods. These people normally occupied a niche and were usually streamer2streamerstory mechanics or account sellers. The small pro-groups normally functioned as gold-farming companies and were usually part of a larger guild. As for the larger guilds, they pooled great wealth and royalties for large-scale boss raids. They has immense manufacturing and combat capabilities from day one of a game. They dominated the leaderboards, titles, and markets. It was rare for a front-line player like KMega6KMegacharacter to not be in a super guild, as they were frequently called. Normally, the majority of these guilds would sent members to different regions and gobble up all the wealth and titles and other bonuses, including companions, in order to bring those treats back to a designated central region within the first few months of a game. While they were out and about, these members would also recruit talent. It was an unspoken rule that guilds could not force people to join them, but there were always cases of coercion and strong-arm tactics forcing players to join outright or quit.
After some light demon hunting, Kyl returned to his guild where several players took his drops and immediately researched gear improvements. As demons were unholy beings, they would usually have ‘tainted’ or ‘cursed’ drops. The R&D department’s job was to turn these items into useful gear for the clan, just as the Markwell empire did; however, the people in Eastguard purified everything, instead earning tons of contributions with the church. Next, he entered the war room, which not even an ant could sneak into without the guildmaster’s permission. Large guilds always assured that they owned the most secure places in a game for their secret talks and personal storages. “Update on the takeover.” (Kyl)
A business-looking man in a fancy suit handed over a document. “Well, Kyl, it was as we predicted. Thirty percent of the area was suppressed, and our hour-late arrival went as planned. We now control the capital, and even those proud nobles grovel at our feet.” (Attendant)
Kyl smirked. “ Good, good. Make sure the heir is quietly dealt with this time—privately. Let’s not allow what happened in Spirit Saga again. So, what about the others?” (Kyl)
The others Kyl asked about referred to the others of the big four: the four competitive super guilds of Green Corporation games. Each had at least a thousand public members and conducted large-scale gold farming operations for IRL money. However, there was another goal besides money for the four guilds: becoming renowned. Thus, each of the four competed to conquer the games they played.
