Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Fight for Survival

As Ethan traveled through the winding forest paths, he kept asking Skyblade for details.

It turned out that right after they had left the Starter Zone, they encountered members of the Blade Syndicate. Ethan had been offline for days, and his level had stagnated at 15, gradually slipping down the leaderboard.

Blade Syndicate, seeing members of the Renegade Alliance, couldn’t resist mocking them. “Your guild leader’s lost his edge! Without exploiting bugs, he’s just a washed-up nobody!” they jeered, their taunts escalating into direct confrontation.

At first, it was only verbal abuse, but soon enough, Blade Syndicate resorted to sneak attacks. They targeted isolated members of the guild, especially those returning from supply runs. A few unfortunate members were ambushed and taken down.

Skyblade, furious, rallied dozens of guild members to retaliate against Blade Syndicate’s force of over a hundred players. Predictably, their players, relying more on sheer numbers than skill, were no match for the coordinated assault. While Renegade Alliance suffered minor losses, the fight ended in a decisive victory with over a hundred Blade Syndicate members wiped out.

And so, the war began.

Over the past two days, fights of various sizes erupted countless times. The relentless attacks had severely slowed Renegade Alliance’s progress. Many members had not only failed to level up after leaving the Starter Zone but had even dropped back to level 14, forcing them to retreat to the zone for protection.

Although players at level 15 benefitted from the Starter Zone’s protection system, which revived them directly at the graveyard without losing a level, the weakness penalty that followed each death wasted precious time. Worse, if a player died more than ten times, the protection system ceased to function. Some members had already hit that limit.

Being targeted by such persistent harassment was frustrating, significantly hindering the guild’s growth. Ethan’s prolonged absence didn’t help either, prompting some members to quit the guild. While leaving incurred steep penalties losing contribution points and guild-issued gear, players retained their levels and could continue progressing, albeit more slowly, with basic iron-tier equipment.

Hearing Skyblade’s recounting, Ethan frowned. Was Blade Syndicate targeting them because he had drawn too much attention to the guild?

In his memory, Blade Syndicate’s players were obnoxious, but they had never focused on any particular group. Their usual behavior was forming large groups to bully low-level players or ganging up on lone targets. They rarely confronted guilds or organized groups head-on. If met with resistance, they scattered like cowards, looking for easier prey.

This current strategy was completely out of character for them.

Ethan opened the leaderboard, scanning the rankings. Blade Syndicate was now a level-four guild, sitting firmly at the top of the regional leaderboard.

Advancing a guild to level three required obtaining a guild base, something money alone couldn’t buy. It required a guild team to clear dungeons and accumulate points, which could then be exchanged for a basic guild base in the main city.

With Blade Syndicate’s usual incompetence, there was no way they could have achieved this through their own efforts. In his past life, they had always hired professional players to join their guild temporarily and earn the required points for them. Each time their guild base was upgraded, it followed the same pay-to-win formula.

Leveling a guild from two to three also cost 1,000 gold, expanding its capacity to 5,000 members. Reaching level four required 5,000 gold and expanded the capacity to 10,000 members.

In the early stages of the game, 6,000 gold was no small sum. Converted to real-world currency, it equaled a staggering $10.8 million.

Ethan found it hard to believe that Marcus Skeiner, the leader of Blade Syndicate, could afford such an amount on his own.

In his past life, rumors had circulated that while Marcus had some wealth in the real world, he was far from rich enough to casually throw millions into upgrading a guild.

As they approached the outskirts of the battlefield, Skyblade updated Ethan on the situation. Marcus himself had brought over 1,500 members to surround their force of barely 200 players.

Those 200 represented Renegade Alliance’s strongest players, the core group that had managed to reach the main city after days of relentless battles. They were the veterans of Zone 1370 battle and had followed Skyblade, Slashblade, and SeraphWarrior through the treacherous Murky Swamp dungeon, earning gear and experience that set them apart from the average player.

Currently, the typical player level hovered between 13 and 14, but this elite group had leveled up significantly faster.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the 200 Renegade Alliance members had managed to evade a full encirclement thanks to the poor coordination of Blade Syndicate’s players. Under Skyblade’s leadership, they had been weaving through enemy forces, launching counterattacks, and breaking out of traps.

Still, the overwhelming numbers were taking their toll. The day before, the battles raged until the game servers shut down, leaving the Alliance’s forces severely weakened.

If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before they were completely surrounded and wiped out.

Even SeraphWarrior, who had always been a resilient fighter, had died 11 times. He had barely enough experience left to avoid dropping a level after another death. If he fell again, he’d be forced to return to the Starter Zone to grind back to level 15 before he could rejoin the fight.

As they pressed onward, Ethan noticed groups of players from other guilds and some unaffiliated rogues lurking nearby. Their stealth abilities, due to their lower levels, were entirely ineffective against Ethan’s sharp eyes.

Most of them were inching toward the battlefield, recording videos for their own entertainment.

But the oddest sight was a group of players led by a striking woman holding a microphone purchased from the in-game store. She appeared to be live streaming.

“Everyone, look! Past the forest behind me is Larson Basin, where Renegade Alliance’s elite forces are reportedly trapped. This is a battle of overwhelming odds, who will emerge victorious? Rumors suggest that the Renegade Alliance leader, once a dominant figure on the leaderboard, hasn’t logged in for ten days due to a real-life tragedy. Without his leadership, can they achieve the same glory they did during the Zone 1370 battle? Follow me as we witness the action unfold. This is WCC News bringing you live coverage from the world of Ethereal. I’m your host, Trina Starr!”

Ethan couldn’t help but curse under his breath as he passed by. “Real-life tragedy? You wish. Your whole family wishes!”

He nearly burst out laughing when he heard the ridiculous name she used for her channel. WCC? Why not just call it WC? And her name, Trina Starr, sounded so forced it was almost comical.

Still, her broadcast revealed one crucial piece of information: Larson Basin.

Skyblade and the others, clearly disoriented from the constant battles, had no idea where they were. They had been relaying coordinates to Ethan without realizing their exact location. But now that Ethan had heard it, his memory of the terrain came flooding back.

His eyes gleamed with a sudden idea.

Ethan sent a message to Skyblade, urging them to hold their ground and avoid getting fully surrounded. He also forwarded them a set of coordinates, instructing them to make their way toward that location.

“Blade Syndicate,” Ethan muttered, a sharp grin spreading across his face. “You want to play the numbers game? Fine. Let’s see who has more fun.”