Child of Destiny

”WHAT!? A Semi-World Boss has appeared in the Raja Desert!?”

Owen couldn’t help but shout after hearing the news from Crimson Soul, who had just finished settling the arrangements they had agreed upon.

His voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the canyon, startling several people nearby.

Crimson Soul and Heartless Dream exchanged puzzled glances, wondering why Owen was reacting so dramatically.

”Isn’t that why the Battle God left in such a hurry?” Crimson Soul asked, genuinely confused by Owen’s reaction.

He had originally wanted to leave the remaining negotiations to Heartless Dream, as he was still frustrated by his loss to Felicia and had little patience for handling such matters.

Unfortunately, he had no other choice but to take care of the arrangements himself.

Leaving Heartless Dream in charge would most likely have turned the entire negotiation into a disaster. The man was far too hotheaded for such delicate business.

It was better to swallow his pride and handle everything personally than risk jeopardizing their hard-won agreement.

After all, they had already paid a considerable price to establish friendly relations with the Empyrean Talons. Crimson Soul couldn’t afford to let their efforts go to waste before the partnership had even begun.

Unaware of Crimson Soul’s internal struggle, Owen shook his head repeatedly before cursing. ”That bastard! He ran off as soon as he heard about the event, leaving all the troublesome work to us!”

He finally understood why Shin had been in such a hurry to leave. The latter had discovered that something far more interesting was happening in the Raja Desert and had immediately abandoned the cleanup work to pursue it.

”That bastard really did leave us behind!” Owen grumbled, seething with frustration.

Unfortunately, there was little he could do about it.

Someone still had to handle the remaining arrangements, especially since their current agreement involved the Ultra Guilds backed by Dream Entertainment.

This could potentially develop into a significant partnership—not only for the Empyrean Talons, but also for the Hand of Midas.

Owen understood that they might need the influence of these local powers to establish a stable foothold in the Green Marbly Kingdom, particularly now that they had secured a massive fortress that could serve as a potential base of operations.

”Tsk! Tsk! Brother Swordsman sure knows how to make use of every opportunity that comes his way,” Owen muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration.

...

Meanwhile, back in the Raja Desert, the gathering of players was growing larger with every passing moment.

Despite the enormous number of experts present, no one dared to make the first move against the Semi-World Boss.

Everyone understood that whoever initiated the engagement would effectively become the guinea pig for the others, revealing the monster’s abilities and attack patterns for everyone else to study.

Naturally, no one wanted to take that risk.

As a result, the players remained scattered across the surrounding area, observing the Semi-World Boss from a safe distance while waiting for someone else to take the initiative.

Shin, who was sitting atop a massive boulder he had conjured using his Metallic Earth Elemental Mana, watched the situation unfold with considerable interest.

Up until now, he had already spotted more than a dozen peak god-level experts whose auras were powerful enough to make even him take notice.

Almost all the famous Godlike Players and Maverick Gods of the Green Marbly Kingdom seemed to have gathered in this place.

Their numbers extended beyond the local powers operating near the Raja Desert. Experts from Mirage Soul Guild and Illusion Dream Guild were also present, alongside several prominent figures representing the major guilds of the Desert Sun Coalition.

”This is becoming much livelier than I expected,” Shin muttered, raising his brows slightly as he observed the ever-growing crowd.

Clearly, the appearance of this Semi-World Boss had attracted far more attention than he had initially anticipated.

After sweeping his gaze across the gathered players, Shin turned his attention back toward the center of the region, where the Semi-World Boss was located.

Even now, he still couldn’t make out the monster’s true appearance.

All he could see was the enormous silhouette of a colossal figure curled up into a ball, making it resemble a massive hill in the middle of the desert.

He couldn’t even identify where its head was, assuming it had one.

”What exactly is that thing?” he muttered in confusion.

If not for the System panel that had appeared before his eyes after he activated his True Sight Ocular Skill, he might not even have believed that the enormous mass was a monster in the first place.

Unfortunately, aside from confirming that it was indeed a Semi-World Boss, the System panel revealed very little else.

Shin was still trying to figure out what kind of creature he was looking at when a commotion suddenly erupted along the eastern side of the gathering.

He immediately turned his attention toward the disturbance, attempting to determine what was happening.

However, the distance between him and the commotion, coupled with the numerous players blocking his line of sight, made it difficult to see what was going on.

Curious, Shin turned toward Khavin, who was standing beside the boulder he was sitting on.

Sensing Shin’s gaze, Khavin immediately understood what he wanted and contacted his subordinates.

He had already ordered his people to spread throughout the region, allowing them to cover a wider area and gather the latest information as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t long before reports began coming in.

Khavin quickly reviewed the information before turning toward Shin to relay what he had learned. ”Sir Battle God, it seems several major figures have arrived.”

”Oh~?” Shin’s interest was immediately piqued. ”Which major figures?”

Khavin glanced at the report once more before answering. ”The Guild Leaders of Mirage Soul and Illusion Dream have both arrived.”

”Oh~! Both of them?” Shin raised his brows in surprise before gesturing for Khavin to continue. ”Give me a brief background on those two.”

Khavin immediately began his explanation. ”The Guild Leader of Mirage Soul is Divine Soul.”

”He was formerly known as Spirito, who earned the title of God of Black Magic during his heyday as a Godlike Player, back when the new ranking systems for professional gamers were first established.”

”Even before that, he was already famous throughout the virtual world as the Shadow Wizard, a title he earned while playing other games.”

Khavin paused briefly, his voice carrying a hint of admiration as he continued.

”He is one of the Old Gods of the virtual world, having established his reputation long before the emergence of the many geniuses and prodigies who rose to prominence during the era dominated by «True Era» Online.”

For a moment, Khavin seemed lost in thought, reflecting on the veteran’s long and illustrious career.

He then collected himself and continued. ”After failing to achieve any notable accomplishments in recent years, he gradually faded from the public eye. Many people even believed that he had retired from the gaming industry altogether.”

Khavin shook his head slightly, as though he still found the situation difficult to believe. ”But who would’ve thought that he had joined Dream Entertainment and become one of their leading players, eventually rising to the position of Guild Leader of one of their Ultra Guilds?”

Hearing this, Shin couldn’t help but raise his brows slightly, growing even more interested in the two Guild Leaders.

He had already received intelligence about Mirage Soul and Illusion Dream through their own information network, so he was somewhat familiar with their leading experts and their respective backgrounds.

Nevertheless, cross-referencing that information with a local expert like Khavin wouldn’t hurt. After all, the latter should have a better understanding of the prominent figures and power structure within the Green Marbly Kingdom.

”An Old God who already established his reputation even before the rise of the Monster-Class Players of «True Era» Online, huh?” Shin muttered, finding Divine Soul increasingly intriguing.

Meanwhile, Khavin continued explaining the background of the other major figure who had arrived alongside Divine Soul.

”As for the Guild Leader of Illusion Dream...” He paused briefly, furrowing his brows. ”He’s quite mysterious.”

”Almost no one knows anything about him beyond the rumors circulating among the members of Illusion Dream.”

Khavin then continued, ”From what I’ve heard, he is one of the exceptionally talented individuals who Dream Entertainment personally selected and groomed to become one of its leading figures. There’s even a rumor that he’s an heir to the corporation’s leadership.”

He shook his head slightly before adding, ”His relatively young age has only fueled those speculations. After all, it’s difficult to imagine someone so young reaching the position of Guild Leader within an Ultra Guild without possessing extraordinary talent or some kind of exceptional backing.”

”What’s more, even the other geniuses recruited through Dream Entertainment’s special training programs are said to be no match for him.”

Khavin paused before adding, ”His in-game name is just as domineering... Emperor Dream.”

He couldn’t help but frown slightly as he mentioned the name. ”He’s even recognized as one of the ten foremost Maverick Gods in the Green Marbly Kingdom.”

Shin nodded slightly after hearing this background.

It seemed that even their intelligence network had uncovered little beyond what Khavin had shared, making it difficult to determine just how much of the rumors surrounding this mysterious Guild Leader were true.

”Since he’s been chosen to lead an Ultra Guild just like Divine Soul, his strength should be no less impressive,” Shin muttered, considering the possibilities.

While he was still lost in thought, more and more notable figures began arriving at the gathering.

Their reputations and strength were no less impressive than those of the two Guild Leaders they had just discussed.

Shin raised his head and swept his gaze across the growing crowd, doing his best to suppress the urge to challenge some of them on the spot.

A wide grin gradually formed beneath his mask. ”This is quite a feast~!”

He glanced in every direction, his anticipation growing with each new arrival.

”This is going to be quite the festival indeed.”

......