"HAHA! Are you scared of us?!" they shouted —players who weren't part of any guild.

Ethan nodded, agreeing to whatever they said. That simple gesture made laughter echo across the area.

To him, it wasn't laughter of amusement —it was mockery.

Arnold laughed along, and so did Helena. But Michelle stayed silent. She didn't know how to react; she still remembered how powerful Ethan once was.

Now, with more experience, sharper skills, and the Bloodblade Ashura in his hand, his strength had to be far beyond what it used to be.

What are you planning, Ethan?

Their laughter faded when Arnold walked toward Ethan, clearly curious about his challenge.

Without even consulting his team, Arnold immediately accepted it. Michelle overheard and quickly stopped him.

"Don't be stupid. We worked hard to collect all that Star Essence. What if you lose?" Elle asked.

"My level is 54. Sure, my sword isn't as strong as his, but I've got three R-rank soul servants. I'm certain he's weaker than me."

Ethan heard everything Arnold said —and it confirmed one thing: the man was far weaker than him in every way.

Still, Ethan didn't plan to use his trump card, Seraphelis. If Sera joined the fight, Ethan was afraid Arco Village would be completely destroyed.

Elle didn't argue further. Arnold knew his own limits, but she reminded him —if they lost their Star Essence, their guild's chances in this event would crumble.

"I'm betting 10,435 Star Essence from my guild," Arnold said confidently.

His boldness lit a fire among the other guild leaders. One by one, they stepped forward to accept Ethan's challenge, placing their own Star Essence on the line.

In total, seven guild team leaders stood up to fight him. The others stayed back —not out of cowardice, but because they understood the risk.

To Ethan, those who refused were the wise ones. They wouldn't gamble their hard-earned Star Essence just to be part of some dangerous bet.

"That's all?" Ethan asked. No one answered.

"Is there a place good enough for a fight? I need to make this quick. My friend's waiting," he said.

"Don't worry, Ethan. You'll die fast in my hands!" said one of the guild leaders, holding 7,154 Star Essence.

"Alright then."

They all headed to a wide open field far from the village. Many players stopped their hunts just to watch Ethan fight the seven guild leaders.

It looked perfect for an unofficial duel in the Thousand Star Event. The first challenger came from the Lion Palace Guild. Their leader, Norton, was level 53 —a mage.

"I'll be your opponent, Ethan!"

Ethan said nothing. He summoned the Bloodblade Ashura into his right hand. Both of them stood apart, not too close, not too far —the distance between a warrior and a mage.

The fight began. Norton pointed his staff forward and unleashed a spell —a golden lion projection charged straight toward Ethan.

Ethan dashed forward, his sword clashing with the magic beast until it shattered in a flash. The failed spell backfired, wounding Norton himself.

At first, the spectators thought Ethan would lose quickly. But that explosion showed them the opposite —the guild leaders would have to work hard to even hurt him.

"I won't lose!" Norton shouted.

He slammed his staff to the ground, summoning a massive fire golem from the earth. Ethan looked up —impressive magic, but not enough to kill him.

"Attack him!" Norton commanded.

The flaming giant sprinted forward with thunderous steps, aiming to crush Ethan completely. Ethan dodged several times, then jumped back —not taking a single hit.

"Nice spell," he said, "but it's not enough to kill me."

He gripped his sword tight, swinging it in a crimson arc that crackled with lightning.

The crimson slash struck the fire golem —a burst of light and sound followed. In an instant, the giant shattered into pieces.

Norton froze. That golem was his ultimate spell, one that had beaten countless guild teams —yet Ethan destroyed it with a single strike.

"Got anything else?" Ethan asked.

"DON'T GET COCKY, ETHAN!" Norton screamed.

He raised his staff again, casting his second skill —calling down roaring thunder from above. Black clouds gathered as lightning crashed across the battlefield.

Ethan drove his sword into the ground, summoning a defensive barrier around himself.

The lightning struck the shield repeatedly, but Ethan didn't take any damage at all. His DEF was simply too high.

Dozens of blue bolts slammed against the dome. Norton laughed, certain Ethan couldn't hold out —but he was wrong.

When the storm finally faded, Ethan stood unharmed. Not even a scratch marked his clothes.

The entire crowd went silent. Moments ago they had cheered for Norton's victory —now, disbelief filled their eyes.

"Are you done?" Ethan asked calmly.

Arnold narrowed his eyes from the sidelines, watching the fight. He hadn't expected Ethan to be this strong, but he convinced himself that maybe it was just class difference —warrior against mage.

"I can still beat him," Arnold muttered.

"The Lion Palace Guild is doomed. Ethan's getting stronger every second. How can you beat him?" Elle said sharply.

Arnold glared at her —his lover— and answered, "Because I'm stronger than Norton!"

Back on the field, Ethan launched another crimson slash at Norton. The mage quickly cast his strongest barrier spell.

The red slash hit the shield —cracks spread fast, then shattered in a violent explosion. Norton's body was torn apart, his limbs scattered across the dirt.

"Still alive?" Ethan said coldly.

He rushed forward to finish it, but members of the Lion Palace Guild jumped in to block him. They begged him not to kill Norton.

"The match is over! The Lion Palace Guild admits defeat, Ethan," one of them pleaded.

"Alright. Then hand over your Star Essence," Ethan said.

"N–NO!" Norton screamed.

"Don't give it to him! He cheated!"

"If you don't hand it over," Ethan growled, "I'll kill every one of you."

"Stop! We'll give it to you!" the warrior shouted.

Norton lay helpless as his guild's priest tried to heal him. They surrendered their Star Essence to Ethan, witnessed by everyone watching.

He received 7,154 Star Essence, boosting the Sword Liberation team's ranking dramatically.

[Thousand Star Event]

[Team Name: Sword Liberation]

[Rank: 5538]

[Star Essence: 13,840]

After that, the Lion Palace Guild left the field. Ethan turned to the next challenger. But seeing his strength, the remaining guild leaders froze in fear.

They had seen what he could do — defeat Norton without even taking damage.

"What's wrong? Weren't there seven of you who challenged me earlier?"

"If no one comes up here to fight me," Ethan said, his tone turning dark, "I'll kill everyone here and burn this village to the ground."

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