Chapter 9: Guild Games and Real-World Risks

Guilds are a core feature in many online games, and Breath of Life is no exception, offering unique guild skills and gear.

To unlock these, players must create a guild and raise its level, primarily through daily member contributions.
In short, a guild’s strength lies in its members.
To attract more, a guild needs standout advantages—strong core members and better benefits.

With the game freshly launched, countless guilds vie to dominate the new version.

Blaze Guild is one such contender.
Always stuck at fourth or fifth in the old version, never top three, they’re now all-in.
Their 20 core members, rotating rest, grind mobs, quests, and achievements, keeping their levels in the top tier.

Soon, they hit level 15, ready to compete for dungeon first clears.

But Twin Islands’ restrictions—near-identical gear for all—make it tough.
On day one, someone triggered a hidden plot.
Blaze bought the conditions, lucking out with a unique hidden, but the follow-up was in the main city, offering no immediate edge over rival guilds.

Blaze splits into four teams, each with balanced roles, pioneering while tracking rival progress.

Four hours in, no clears, but neither have the other guilds—a stalemate for those aiming to grow.
Whoever grabs the first clear gains a massive lead.

Then, shockingly, a lone wolf—not a guild elite—clears it.

Clouds and Breezes soloed it.

The news stuns players and guilds alike.
Anyone who’s tried [Bear Island] knows its brutality.

Blaze’s president snaps to action, rallying members: “Buy the guide! Build rapport! Don’t let other guilds snag him!”

Some suspect Clouds and Breezes cheated, but those familiar with Breath of Life’s team know hacking is near-impossible.
Whether he exploited a bug or has real skill, he’s worth recruiting.

Blaze isn’t alone—other guilds think the same.

As Yun Shi exits the dungeon and opens private messages to negotiate with guilds, they’ve been silently bidding while he carried MistInTheView’s team.

A dungeon guide’s value depends on loot worth and market rarity.
After carrying Bo He’s duo, Yun Shi plans to sell for 200 gold.
But guilds have driven prices higher.

Blaze Guild offers the top bid: 300 gold.

No reason to miss extra coin, Yun Shi contacts them.
They’re quick, offering Star Coin trades and upping to 350 if he carries their team through.

Blaze’s motive is twofold: faster guide mastery and time control.
Occupying Yun Shi delays other guilds’ guide purchases or carries.

Twenty minutes for a good price—Yun Shi joins their team.

With two clears under his belt and a full, high-damage team, he finishes in under 20 minutes.

Blaze pays, then invites him to join their guild.
Twin Islands bars guild creation, but the main city’s days away—they’re locking him in early.

Yun Shi doesn’t commit, saying he’ll consider it.

Blaze, aiming to win him over, adds: “Big shot, you don’t know yet, right? Day three has an event.
Join us, we’ll carry you!”

They don’t detail the event, only that it’s team-focused, urging him to think it over before returning to grind.

After Blaze, Yun Shi sells to other guilds—some for Star Coins, some gold.
Converted, he nets 1960 Star Coins.
With his inventory’s gold, he has 2192 Star Coins.

He still holds two purple gear pieces, first/solo-clear gems, and upgrade materials—all sellable.

Today’s haul is solid.

Per his guild deals, Yun Shi won’t carry others for four hours.
Done with the dungeon, he heads to the village to turn in the raid quest.

Elsewhere, a team all named [SamsaraXX] gets a report: “Clouds and Breezes left the dungeon, heading to the village.”

“He’s coming,” their leader, SamsaraEvilWind, says.
“Get ready.
Hit him with control, don’t hold back ultimates.
He’s got blue gear—burst him down fast!”

“No problem!”
“Got it, boss!”
“He soloed by cheesing it.
No way he escapes us!”

SamsaraEvilWind snaps: “Youngest, don’t get cocky!”

The youngest agrees but thinks the boss is overreacting.
Official word says no cheats, but [Bear Island]’s clear screams gimmick, not raw skill.
A support with no heals or damage?
Taking him down will be easy.

The team shares his confidence.

If Clouds hasn’t bound his first-clear chest gear, killing him could drop unbound weapons—a massive score.

Soon, a cyan figure appears on the hill.

The prey’s here.
Samsara’s team is poised.

Higher up, another team passes—GreenwoodOrigin Guild.

“Vice prez, that’s Samsara down there.
Squatting again?”

The vice president glances down, spotting Samsara’s ambush.
He starts to dismiss it as unrelated, but his peripheral catches a figure on the hill.

“Huh? Isn’t that the wind guy who sold us the guide?”
“Vice prez, should we help?
Prez wants him in the guild.”
“Heard he sold to Blaze first and carried them, but not us.
Probably joined Blaze.”

The vice president holds back.
“No rush.
His guide didn’t show his skill depth.
Let’s watch—see if he’s worth recruiting.”

Their plan: if Clouds is mediocre and gets robbed, they’ll let him revive and rob Samsara for his loot.
If he’s skilled and avoids a quick kill, they’ll swoop in to “save” him.

Greenwood’s scheme is clever, but Yun Shi’s already in Samsara’s range.

As he steps forward, his peripheral catches ice-blue mist from the grass—an ice control skill’s telltale sign—and a faint burnt-grass scent.

An ambush.

He retreats, dodging two control skills, firing arrows at their sources.

They hit.

This team’s stronger than the skill-chanting quartet he faced before, with tight coordination.

When two controls miss, tree-hidden members unleash more.

Yun Shi assesses: two in the grass, two in the trees.

He activates his anti-control skill, moves out of the tree duo’s range, and uses line-of-sight to hit the grass with control and AoE skills.
The combo reveals a third, unactivated member.

Eyes narrowing, he uses single-target control, pins the third, and aims for vitals with two single-target skills plus a basic attack, dropping the ice control and wood healer.
Using his ultimate’s lingering speed buff, he closes in, finishing the third with two sub-weapon slashes.

All skills on cooldown, two enemies remain in the trees, searching for him.

With new gear, Yun Shi’s single-target damage is higher, though he can’t set traps in combat.
Dealing with them won’t be hard.

Outside the tree duo’s range, hidden by foliage, they can’t see him.

In seconds, hunter and prey swap roles.

The three corpses roar curses, unable to move or pinpoint Yun Shi.
The tree duo, seeing their teammates’ fate, lose their earlier confidence, wary of where his arrows might fly.

Up the slope, GreenwoodOrigin’s team is stunned.
When their vice president urges them to help, they snap out of it, but before reaching the bottom, two bodies plummet from the trees.

Greenwood’s team: “…Holy sh*t!”

The wind user glances over, voice flat: “You fighting too?”

Greenwood waves frantically: “No, no, big shot, misunderstanding!
We came to help!”

He eyes the five corpses.
“Oh, no need.”
He loots their pouches clean.

Awkward.

Greenwood’s would-be saviors are mortified.
Not too late to help, but too late to even nick an assist.
The vice president’s plan was fine—the problem was this wind user’s blistering speed, nothing like a support!

Since they’re not trouble, Yun Shi ignores them, checking the pouches.
Surprisingly, they hold 125 gold.
This team’s no stranger to robbery—how many players did they fleece to amass this in the starter village?

Yun Shi smiles at the cursing corpses.
“Thanks for the generosity.
I’ll take the 100-plus gold.”

“F*ck you! Just wait!”
Fuming, the five revive.

Clearing the roadblock, Yun Shi heads to the village.
Greenwood’s team lingers, awkwardly tossing out “Big shot, you’re unreal!”

But the quest seems cursed.

An urgent real-world message hits.

Yun Shi logs off, hearing his door pounded like thunder.
A gruff voice bellows: “505 kid! I know you’re in there! Pay the rent!”

“Still not opening?”
The outsider loses patience.
Beep beep—the door’s unlocked from outside.

Yun Shi frowns.
His robot, Big Pillar, says: “It’s the landlord.
Your rent’s due tomorrow, master.”

The landlord, card in hand, enters, immediately covering his nose.
His bravado from outside shrinks as he scans the room warily.

He spots Yun Shi on the bed, pupils contracting, expression bizarre.

“Ha! Knew you were here!”
A scruffy middle-aged man, he eyes Yun Shi with barely hidden shock and doubt.
Realizing his odd behavior, he rushes: “Staring for what? Rent! Pay up, or you’re out tomorrow!”

He adds to wire the money and hurries out.

Once his footsteps fade, Yun Shi leaps from the bed, packing.
To the robot: “Big Pillar, search rentals—1,000 Star Coins or less monthly, small’s fine, but good security.
We’re moving now!”

That landlord came to collect a corpse.
The original tenant’s death wasn’t so simple.

He needs to get out—fast.