[Viper Guild Headquarters - Main Hall.]

​Marcus, Lucy, and Turner watched in rigid silence as the assembled guild members looked at one another, hesitating. The air was thick with the scent of cheap disinfectant and old leather, now infused with the overwhelming scent of fear.

​"Don't hesitate!" Lucy snapped, her voice cutting through the tension. Already weighing risk and reward.

​"This is the time to pick without being pressure or coercion! I give you my word! Once you pick a side, nothing will befall you," she vowed, glancing pointedly at Marcus—a subtle threat against his authoritarian leadership.

​"I mean, no one," she added, making her promise absolute.

​Hearing the word of their elder—a trusted voice. They looked at Elara, then at the astonishing piles of gold, and finally at Sunny and Josephine. After a moment of pregnant silence, they started moving.

​Sunny watched impassively as the guild members moved one at a time, calculating the exact moment of betrayal.

​"...?!"

Marcus was stunned, seeing a whole 30 members—nearly two-thirds of the guild—take their place behind Elara.

​"Wow... I am surprised you have this much support," he said, his voice laced with venomous surprise.

​"I guess the vote you made... you heavily influenced or perhaps threatened our members," Elara stated, her confidence growing with every person who chose her side. "Anyway, we are all done with our past lives. We all want to move forward, starting now." She turned her gaze to Lucy and Turner.

​"What do you two say?" she challenged.

​Lucy looked at Turner, the guild's quiet, observant logistics master. After a few seconds, she walked decisively toward Elara, followed quickly by Turner. His movement was the final, devastating blow to Marcus, as they were known friends.

​"Turner? You're following her?!" Marcus demanded in shock, feeling utterly betrayed by his comrade.

​Turner stopped, looking at Marcus over his shoulder, his expression resigned but resolute. "Marcus, we are friends, but that doesn't mean I am stupid. Even if this man were lying about the money, I don't care. But I trust the Boss. She will never do anything that will place us in danger now that she has true power backing her." He walked towards Elara, standing behind her, bringing the total of committed members to 32.

​"Good... Very good," Marcus seethed, shaking with rage. He pointed a trembling finger at the discarded scroll by Elara's feet.

​"This scroll states I am now the legitimate leader of this guild! No matter what you choose, I am still the leader!" he yelled, clinging to the only piece of authority he had left.

​"No one is taking your guild from you," Sunny said, stepping forward, his words stunning everyone, including Elara.

​'Huh? Wasn't that his plan?' Elara thought in confusion, looking at her new Boss.

​"I initially planned to take over your organization, but it seems it would be a waste of time and resources to manage disparate entities," Sunny clarified. He gestured to Precious.

​"Precious is the leader of the Rising Star Mercenaries Group—my existing asset. All of you that followed Elara will now be formally merged into the Rising Star Guild. Both Precious and Elara will share the top leadership position in the unified guild. And they, with all of you, answer only to me." His gaze was fixed coldly on Marcus, establishing the new chain of command.

​"As for the money? Of course, I am not lying." Sunny snapped his fingers, and bags filled with a blinding 50,000 gold coins appeared in front of every person in his new group, including a genuinely stunned Qin Li.

​Elara stared at the bag in front of her, confused, knowing Sunny had already given her her initial payment.

​"Take the initial 10,000 as a gift for your quick loyalty. This is your real payment—a full 50,000 gold coins for your first month," Sunny announced with a triumphant smirk.

​"...?!"

​Everyone, including Marcus and his remaining loyalists, was dumbfounded. They watched as the other side quickly opened their bags, staring at the luminous, shimmering gold in shock.

​"Wow! If I had known, I would have Joined the Boss!"

"I am so stupid!!"

"Why did I make such a bad decision?!"

"Oh my goodness! 50,000 gold coins, that can take me more than two years!"

​The desperate muttering of the group behind Marcus was not lowered, broadcasting their instantaneous regret. Sunny allowed the regret to fester, giving a cunning smirk.

​"Not only that, but all Rising Star members gain a minimum of 10,000 gold coins per month as a base salary!" He looked over his shoulder at Elara. "If you follow me, you will have everything in the whole world. Nothing will be out of your reach. I reward loyalty with obscene wealth."

​Elara blinked, lost for words, the true depth of his power now terrifyingly clear.

​Sunny turned back to Marcus and his dwindling team, nodding once.

​"See you later, Guild Leader Marcus. You don't want to cooperate, so we won't force you. Enjoy your remaining guild members," he said, turning to walk away.

​"Wait!" Marcus stopped Sunny, his desperation overwhelming his pride.

​"I want to join," he said, his voice ragged.

​Sunny scoffed, his gaze hardening. "Your chance is up. We aren't taking any of you. My contracts are for commitment, not cowardice." He walked toward the exit.

​"You!! If I can't join, then I won't let you get out of here!!" Marcus, consumed by rage, lunged forward. He channeled his spiritual energy, confident that his late-stage Third Order speed would allow him to kill Sunny—the perceived commoner—before the others could react.

​"Die!!"

​He appeared in front of Sunny, but before his spirit-infused punch could even brush his clothes, he froze instantly, his blood flow arresting, his body turning into a rigid statue.

​"What... What is happening?" he choked out in disbelief, only his eyes able to move.

​"So bold... thinking of attacking my Love. Did you truly think I would stand by and watch?"

​Marcus blinked, watching in horror as Josephine walked toward them, placing her hand gently on Sunny's shoulder. Sunny remained facing the exit, unconcerned.

​"Let me take care of him, Honey," she suggested with a sweet, dangerous smile.

​"You can kill them if you want," Sunny granted, his voice bored, and he continued walking toward the exit.

​"Oh... I will be wiping out the Viper Guild's stain then," Josephine purred, stopping directly before the frozen Marcus.

​"You should be very excited I'm the one who gets to finish this. If it was some I know, you wouldn't have it this easy!" she said, and lightly tapped Marcus's cheek. Instantly, blood began flowing from his nostrils.

​"You?! What are— AHHHHHHHHH!!" Marcus screamed in agony, feeling every one of his internal organs being crushed simultaneously by an invisible, overwhelming force.

​"...??"

​The small group behind him looked at one another in sheer terror. Before they could move, they all suddenly shattered into blood paste, their bodies disintegrating and falling to the ground in a gruesome, wet mess.

​"....?!!"

​Everyone—the newly recruited Viper members, Precious, and Qin Li—was dumbfounded, their faces a pale mixture of shock and horror at the ruthless display of superior power.

​'What the hell?!' Qin Li thought in pure, horrified shock, staring at Josephine, who had just executed five people with a mere mental command.

______

​[Ten Minutes Later. Biden Town Streets.]

​Sunny, Josephine, Elara, Precious, Qin Li, and the new mercenary contingent moved swiftly through the streets, each on mounts. The commoners stared at them in awe and surprise, many recognizing Elara, but all sensing the new, terrifying power she was now aligned with.

​Sunny stared at Josephine, who walked ahead of him, her body radiating calm strength. He smiled lightly: 'She has gotten so much stronger. She could now effortlessly dismantle First, Second, and even Third Order opponents.'

​'I am so proud.' He thought, his strategic mind already back on the clock.

'But, her body will have to take two weeks, or maybe a month, to fully assimilate the second Order powers before I can risk helping her break through to the next stage. And we only have six months here...'

​He turned his gaze to Qin Li, who was on his Cat Mount, riding silently beside him, still visibly shaken by Josephine's display of violence.

​'Qin Li said the highest rank visible here is the Sixth Order. Meaning, if I want to truly defeat Lester Blood and secure our worlds, I must venture into the Great World and enter the Seventh or Eighth Order. But...'

He lowered his gaze to his chest, where, behind his clothes, the skull tattoo Lilith had left pulsed faintly on his skin.

​'I can't enter the Great World with this mark. I need to upgrade the system, and fast.' He turned his gaze to Precious, who was moving slightly ahead of him.

​"Any news about what I told you to find, Precious?" he asked, abruptly shifting the focus to his core mission.

​"Oh! Sorry, Boss, I forgot in the excitement!" She turned her head around, her expression apologetic.

​"Yes. The Omni Soul Stone can be found in the strongest Soul Secret Realm. But no one knows when it will appear..."

​"---I do!!" Qin Li raised his hand enthusiastically, causing the group to look at him.

​"Ahem, I mean... I do know roughly when it will appear, but you will need a special Key to access it. The Soul Secret Realm is far more different and special than the rest," he explained, feeling important for having vital information.

​"What key? How can I get this key?" Sunny asked, a sharp frown creasing his brow.

​'The system didn't mention anything about any key.' He thought, his plans hitting an unexpected roadblock.

​"There is a major Auction tomorrow, and the Key itself will be auctioned off in this auction." Qin Li continued.

"But, Sir Alex, only the wealthiest and most influential can even gain entry to such a place." He smirked confidently.

​"Don't worry. I kind of have four extra access cards."

​"A whole four?" Sunny asked in surprise.

​"Yep! I have four," Qin Li confirmed.

​"Good. I will trouble you then, Young Master Qin," Sunny said with a nod, already calculating how to use the auction for maximum gain.

___

​[Qin Family Residence. Later.]

​"Sister!!!"

​Qin Wei, who was reviewing complex political documents, frowned and turned to the door, seeing her brother rushing inside, abandoning all aristocratic decorum. He dropped dramatically onto his knees before her desk.

​"Can I please have four extra Access Cards for the auction tomorrow?!" he pleaded, his words filled with a desperate, zealous energy that utterly stunned Qin Wei into silence.

"....?!"

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