Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Only Five People Needed

Larson Basin was a peculiar region. Apart from a small plain at its very center, the rest of it was densely forested, making it a natural labyrinth.

This was precisely why Skyblade and his crew had avoided being completely surrounded all this time.

Ethan could already predict Blade Syndicate’s plan. Their forces were likely scattered across the basin, stationed like a spiderweb, ready to catch any stray members of Renegade Alliance. If any squad or camp was discovered, reinforcements from all directions would rush to that point, creating the illusion of an inescapable siege.

Skyblade and his men were likely darting through the basin in panic, changing direction constantly to evade capture, falling deeper into Blade Syndicate’s trap.

It was a clever tactic, send small teams to stall the Renegades, then overwhelm them as more reinforcements arrived. But the basin was vast, and while Blade Syndicate had over 1,500 players deployed, spreading them out had thinned their defenses.

They underestimated the 200 members of the Renegade Alliance.

Ethan figured Marcus Skeiner, the leader of Blade Syndicate, was already mobilizing additional reinforcements. Once those reinforcements arrived, Skyblade and the others would be in serious trouble.

Ethan had already encountered multiple Blade Syndicate scouts on his way here, undoubtedly part of Marcus’s backup.

The coordinates Ethan sent to Skyblade marked an area near a cliff—a natural dead-end within the basin. The location was perfect; it was deep in the basin, surrounded by sheer rock walls on one side, making it the only truly inescapable spot. Unlike the other directions, which had gradual slopes and forest paths leading out, this place was a deadlock. No sane strategist would station their troops there.

As Ethan made his way toward the cliff, passing several ambush points hidden within the forest, his theory proved accurate. The closer he got to the cliff, the fewer Syndicate players he encountered. Eventually, there were none at all—not even a single scout.

When he finally reached the area, he spotted some sentries hidden among the trees. To his relief, they weren’t Syndicate players, they were Renegades. It seemed Skyblade’s team had made it.

Ethan smirked. Skyblade knew what he was doing after all. Placing sentries here was a smart move, given how dangerous the situation was. Surviving this long against such overwhelming numbers was no small feat.

In his past life, Skyblade had spent years working alongside Ethan, but his potential had been wasted under poor leadership.

Stepping out of the forest, Ethan found himself in a small clearing. In the middle of it, a modest pond shimmered under the dim sunlight, its surface still and reflective. Beyond the pond was the cliff face, imposing and unscalable. Over 200 Renegade members were camped near the water, their presence filling the air with tension.

Ethan exited Stealth Mode, returning to his human form, and stepped into their line of sight.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Weapons were drawn in perfect unison. The sheer intensity of their collective glare hit Ethan like a wave. The air seemed to buzz with an almost tangible killing intent, a focused energy that was overwhelming.

Ethan froze for a moment, genuinely impressed. This group of 200 fighters had managed to form a unified aura, a rare phenomenon in large-scale battles. In the late stages of the game, only the most disciplined warbands could achieve this level of synchronization. And here they were, already showing glimpses of such potential.

This was the foundation of a true battle-hardened force. With their presence, the Renegade Alliance could mold new recruits into disciplined warriors, creating an army capable of holding its own against the world’s strongest guilds.

On any battlefield, a group like this would crush an equally equipped and numbered enemy force lacking such cohesion. The moment the first charge landed, an unorganized squad would collapse like sand under a tidal wave.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ethan smiled and stepped forward.

The tension eased as the group recognized him. Their faces lit up with excitement. Even though Ethan rarely showed up, his leadership was the heart of the Renegade Alliance. His decisive actions during the legendary Battle of Zone 1370 had solidified his reputation. To these players, Ethan was their anchor.

The crowd restrained themselves, but the guild chat was alive with chatter.

“Guild leader is here!”

“Finally! I thought you were never coming back, Boss!”

“Guild leader, we missed you!”

“Now that you’re here, let’s tear Blade Syndicate apart!”

Dozens of excited messages poured in, each one brimming with enthusiasm.

“Quiet down! Let’s see what the boss has planned first,” Skyblade typed in the chat.

The guild channel fell silent instantly. It was clear Skyblade’s authority within the group was second only to Ethan’s.

Ethan typed a few words of thanks in the guild chat, short and polite, without mentioning any specifics about his battle plans.

He couldn’t assume every guild member was trustworthy. There could easily be spies, either Blade Syndicate operatives or agents from rival guilds. Identifying them was impossible for now.

Instead, he created a private chat group with Skyblade, Slashblade, and SeraphWarrior. The three exchanged glances, quickly realizing the importance of this private conversation.

“Do we have a trustworthy warlock in our ranks?” Ethan asked bluntly.

Slashblade paused for a moment before pointing to a boy among the group, looking no older than fifteen or sixteen.

In the private chat, Slashblade wrote: “His name is Meatball. He joined on the first day we founded the guild. He’s been with us ever since, leveling up, running dungeons, always reliable. I’d trust him.”

First day? Ethan nodded in approval. It was unlikely for a guild mole to have been planted that early, especially a teenager. Such a young recruit wouldn’t normally be chosen for a spie.

“Ask him if he’s learned the Aquatic Breathing skill,” Ethan instructed.

After a moment, Slashblade replied, “He has.”

“Good. Disband your party and have him leave his, too. I’ll invite you all into mine,” Ethan said.

Skyblade and the others gave their orders in the group, then disbanded their party. Ethan quickly sent invitations to Skyblade, Slashblade, SeraphWarrior, and Meatball, forming a five-man team.

“We also need an archer with the Swift Stride skill. Someone reliable,” Ethan added.

SeraphWarrior hesitated before speaking in the private chat: “That’s tough. Swift Stride is a Level 15 skill, and the drop rate for the skill book is ridiculously low. We’ve been getting harassed by those Blade Syndicate idiots nonstop, so we haven’t been able to grind enough monsters for it.”

Ethan frowned but wasn’t surprised. Skills above Level 15 were notoriously rare, and under their current circumstances, finding someone with the ability was a long shot.

Realizing the party would remain one member short, Ethan decided to move forward regardless.

“You’ve been here for over 20 minutes, right? That should mean everyone’s out of combat now. Have the rest of the team use Return Stones to teleport back to the city. Tell them to unequip their guild crests and hide their usernames. Once that’s done, have them regroup at the basin’s outskirts and wait for further instructions,” Ethan ordered Skyblade.

“What? Just like that?” SeraphWarrior blurted out, clearly shocked. “What will the others think?”

Before Ethan could answer, Skyblade had already followed the order, sending a message to the guild chat.

The chat immediately exploded.

“Guild leader, we’ve been holed up here for days, fighting nonstop, and now you want us to retreat?”

“Yeah, let’s just go all in. We’re not afraid of dying. Worst-case scenario, we respawn at the starter zone!”

“What the hell? I thought the Guild Leader was supposed to lead us to victory. Turns out he’s just a coward.”

The notifications came rapidly after that: Ding… Ding… Ding. Several players left the guild in protest.

Ethan stared at the messages silently. After a moment, the guild chat calmed as no more players quit. Then he typed a simple sentence:

“This fight only requires the five of us.”

Silence.

The guild chat fell completely still.

Eight words, yet they carried a weight that stunned everyone.

Some players wondered if they had misread it. Two hundred players had spent days struggling to survive, failing to break free from the Syndicate’s pursuit, and now their Guild Leader claimed that five people would be enough?

Then it hit them.

The combat disengagement timer. In Ethereal, players locked in PvP combat had to avoid any hostile actions for over 20 minutes to be considered out of combat.

The realization dawned on them: the Guild Leader’s plan had worked. By directing them to this coordinate and stalling for time, he’d ensured that everyone was no longer under combat restrictions. They could now safely use their Return Stones.

He hadn’t just said those words to sound cool.

With nothing more than a single coordinate, he had freed them all.

As this sank in, the expressions of the remaining players began to shift. The anger and frustration faded, replaced by awe and admiration. They looked at Ethan with a new fire in their eyes.