World Online

Jake rubbed his hands together. His smile was wider than ever before as he looked at the panel in front of him.

The guild was no longer considered new by any standards. There were hundreds of members within, and that was because Jake actually rejected many who came through the doors.

In fact, the very second person, the confident man who walked in after Infinite Pines, got rejected. Jake didn't need someone who demanded to be a guild co-leader just because he had a Rare Class.

Jake didn't need Rare and Epic classes that much. He just knew that those who got them on their own had potential.

But one thing that he did know was that he needed those who were hardworking, and knew how to grind.

After all, for the next few weeks, all that he would do was grind. His levels, and the levels of many that he took in, were not that high compared to the average.

If he wanted this guild to stand out, and grow stronger, then he would need to start working on that.

"Is there any else?" Jake asked the guard at the staircase.

"Yes, Baron." the guard nodded.

Jake sighed. Today was a long day. It was one thing if he spent the day on the field, battling monsters and leveling up. But it was another to sit at a desk and look at potential prospects. His mind was about to shut down.

"Forget it. I will have to do this tomorrow as well. The blacksmiths better have a field day when I open the day after." Jake shook his head as he looked at his chats.

He had thousands of friend requests already, and the number of spam messages he got, begging him to accept that person in his guild was just uncountable.

He looked at the messages that did matter though.

"Hmm, some from guild members. I should make a proper hierarchy and let the strong ones take care of the problems. I should make Myriad Arrows a Co-leader then. For now, he is one of the strongest in the game, and he should give the newbies a good jolt." Jake talked to himself as he scrolled down.

"Wait, what?" Jake stopped at a name that he recognized very much.

[Kierch wants to send you a message]

This was a person who was not on his friend's list, but his name was well known throughout World Online. In his previous life, of course.

"Why the hell is this monster messaging me?" Jake hastily clicked on the message to look at what it was about.

[I want to talk to you about your guild. Message me.] Simple words that anyone would ignore brought goosebumps to Jake.

"This must be my lucky day. To think that someone like this was interested in my guild." Jake was overjoyed.

He quickly messaged the man and slumped back on his chair to wait for a response.

As he closed his eyes, he recounted the many stories that he heard of Kierch. Although he never met him, the stories that he heard were legendary.

Kierch the mercenary, someone who did not associate with any guild, but always got the job done. Any guild that wanted to break a record in a siege, and couldn't do it on their own, brought in this mercenary.

He was well coveted, but for some reason, not a single guild was able to bring him in. Not even ones that were backed by major corporations could do it.

Rumors were that he rejected a Million Dollar salary from one of the biggest guilds in the game.

Ping!

[I want to meet you.]

Kierch spoke with simplicity. He didn't mince any words.

[Where?]

[I am at your store.]

Jake's eyebrows raised. His breath uneven, he looked at the guard.

"Call in the man named Kierch. Treat him with respect, but not too much," he said.

The guard bowed and went down the stairs, to the second floor. Looking at the floor that was still full even though so many people had already been denied and accepted, the guard spoke with a loud voice.

"Kierch has been invited upstairs."

The players looked at each other, shuffling with uncertainty. Until now, random people were selected to go upstairs, but now, this guild master was calling someone by name?

"That's me." a rough voice said.

Immediately, all the eyes pointed toward him. Who didn't want to know the person who seemed to have some connection to the guild master of the most promising guild in recent days?

"Follow me." the guard said with a hint of respect, but not too much. The guards were from the empire. They showed respect only to the nobles, and even though Jake told the guard to respect Kierch, they wouldn't treat him the same way that they treated a Baron.

Kierch, a young man in his twenties, with a build that looked like he was a seasoned fighter, nodded and followed the guard.

The crowd immediately split apart giving him a way to go to the stairs. Kierch didn't say anything. Even though everyone was asking him about his connection to the guild master, he was unfazed.

He just walked up the stairs like this was a common occurrence, and soon, the sound dimmed.

"I must really be something, for you to respond to my message and even invite me upstairs." his rough voice took all of Jake's attention.

"It is my job to know what good talent is. Have a seat." Jake calmed himself and put on a cool exterior. He was still the guild leader, and he couldn't lose his composure when he faced a future prospect.

"You have heard of me?" Kierch raised his eyebrows.

Jake smiled but he did not respond to the question. Not responding would be a better response than creating some story.

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