Chapter 9
Lu Chuan wasted no time. He immediately began gathering information on the Five Great Guilds.
At present, the strongest remained the Resurrection Guild.
Its current guild leader, [Undying], ranked number one on the God-tier list, suppressing players across the entire world with overwhelming power—an undisputed champion.
Although [Undying] hadn’t appeared for a long time, the fact that he still held his rank on the God-tier list proved he wasn’t dead. As long as he lived, no one dared challenge the Resurrection Guild. Moreover, the higher a player’s level, the greater their freedom.
As for Lu Chuan, a newcomer who had only cleared a single beginner dungeon, until he reached B-rank he was required to enter a dungeon at least once every six months. Unless he possessed rare items that allowed him to choose, the dungeon would be assigned by the system. Of course, he could also enter voluntarily—there was no limit then.
Next were the Noah Guild, the Ocean Heart Guild, and the Abyss Guild, which formed the second tier. Their guild leaders also ranked within the top five god-tier players. Noah Guild in particular boasted two of the top five, making them formidable.
Lastly came the Star Guild. Its current leader, [Polaris], was only ranked sixth. Still, Polaris had once been glorious—at his peak, he was ranked third. But now, with age catching up, he had steadily fallen in the rankings, leaving the guild lagging behind. Worse, in cultivating new talent they couldn’t compare to the other guilds. Out of the 100 spots on the Newcomer Potential Ranking, Star Guild held fewer than 20.
“Star Guild… yes, yes. Barring surprises, that’s the one I’ll choose. An old guild leader past his prime, weak newcomers—it fits me perfectly.” Lu Chuan couldn’t help but smile. Looking at Star Guild was like looking at his own future business asset.
[Host, Star Guild’s reputation isn’t very good right now.] System 888 was worried.
“When a guild declines, naturally all sorts of monsters and parasites crawl out. That just makes it easier for me to muddy the waters.” Lu Chuan was a master worker; just a little probing told him the guild’s true state.
To put it simply: the top couldn’t control the middle, the middle squeezed the bottom to line their own pockets, and the bottom desperately endured while dreaming of jumping ship.
A guild teetering on the brink was exactly what he wanted. Only in such a storm could he display his ability to turn the tide, forcing others to admire him.
No problem. Once he became guild leader, he would kick out the incompetent dead weight and reshape everything.
[Then should we reach out to Star Guild? Host, you’re already ranked tenth on the newcomer list. If you show goodwill, they’ll surely send people immediately to bring you to headquarters.] The system fully supported him now, and with its recent upgrade, it could be even more helpful in his next dungeon.
“No rush.” Lu Chuan smiled faintly. “First, let’s spread some word and make all five guilds come to me. Pushing too hard isn’t a good deal. If I look too eager, Star Guild might try to squeeze me. Applying like a job-seeker is nothing compared to being headhunted at a premium.”
Soon, the Five Great Guilds got the news.
[Arrival of the God of Wealth] posted a statement on the players’ exclusive network, declaring his wish to join a guild and inviting interested ones to contact him—along with an address in a remote city.
The recruitment departments of the guilds took this very seriously.
These days, no player was stupid enough to impersonate another’s identity to deceive the Five Great Guilds. Those who had tried that in the past now had weeds growing taller than their graves.
“So [Arrival of the God of Wealth] isn’t a lone wolf, but a clever man.”
“In Evil World, only unity clears dungeons. Anyone who plays long enough learns that.”
“Recruiting such a genius would be a great boon for our guild.”
“Drop what you’re doing—we’re going to meet him ourselves. We’ll see whether he’s truly skilled or just lucky.”
…
The Five Great Guilds moved quickly.
Star Guild in particular placed great importance on this. The vice guild leader even called in his lieutenants, ordering them to confirm [Arrival of the God of Wealth]’s true abilities and bring him back at any cost.
“Vice Leader, newcomers in the top ten are strong, but to become god-tier still takes three to five years of constant dungeon runs, with resources poured in endlessly. Is it worth it? We already have top-ten newcomers.” Some underlings didn’t understand.
“The Guild Leader is old—he can’t hold the reins anymore. If Big Brother hadn’t accidentally died in a high-level dungeon, we wouldn’t be in this mess. [Lucky Star] may be a genius, but with his personality and his limited ability, the odds of him becoming god-tier are low—he only looks good on paper. The rest of the guild is busy fighting for personal gain, ignoring newcomer training.” The vice leader sighed.
He had considered poaching elite players—everyone did that—but the best could all see Star Guild’s decline. Those willing to come demanded sky-high terms. He wanted to cultivate talent himself, but every promising newcomer was locked down by their own guild, and even if poached, their loyalty was doubtful.
But [Arrival of the God of Wealth] was different. He hadn’t been nurtured by any guild, and most likely came from the common rabble.
Today, the game’s resources were well tapped. All proper guilds possessed items or abilities that let them send chosen candidates into dungeons at the right time, becoming players. Of course, the system also recruited ordinary people when player numbers dropped.
But those trained by guilds had huge advantages. Common players had almost no chance.
Yet with such a vast population, sometimes geniuses emerged even among the commoners—many guilds had such stars.
That’s why the vice leader had high hopes for [Arrival of the God of Wealth].
Besides, there weren’t many other choices left.
“Yes, Vice Leader. I’ll personally take men to check him out.”
*
Lu Chuan used a block of gold to rent a single detached house.
He had no choice. The towering skyscrapers required a guild certificate and family pass.
All he could rent was this kind of commoner housing.
While arranging the lease, Lu Chuan also noticed that even among civilians there were two kinds.
Some lived in mere shacks, surviving only on hard labor or subsistence farming, slowly saving enough to move into the residential zone.
One type lived in the civilian districts, where they strengthened their physical fitness and trained in various skills, all striving to become players.
From the shantytowns to the civilian districts, gold could still circulate, and there was hope of upward movement.
But to move from the civilian district into the player cities, one absolutely needed player status—specifically, the ability to clear the newcomer dungeon with a certain evaluation and join a game guild.
If one managed to join one of the Five Great Game Guilds as a full member, then they could purchase property in any player city and even bring their relatives along.
In other words, in this era, the only path of social mobility was already fixed.
Likewise, if a player died and none of their relatives could take up their place, those family members would be relocated back into the civilian district.
And because many relatives of players had gotten used to living in high status within player cities, when they suddenly fell back down, they couldn’t adapt—ending up in shantytowns in the end.
Cases like this had happened countless times.
For example, the house Lu Chuan had rented now—its previous owner had successfully become a C-rank player, bringing honor to his family, and moved his entire clan into the player city to enjoy a life of comfort.
Lu Chuan felt that, though this world looked strange and extreme on the surface, at its core it was no different from his past life’s world.
A small portion of people always controlled the wealth, while the rest struggled desperately.
He waited in the room for the first guild to arrive.
The first to come was the Abyss Guild.
Not only had headquarters sent people, they even brought along [Hunter 081], the one who had joined Lu Chuan in the newcomer dungeon.
Abyss Guild players all wore standardized uniforms. Their uniforms were black, and even their player nicknames followed strict formatting rules—clearly a highly organized type.
“Is it him?” someone from Abyss Guild asked [Hunter 081].
“It’s him.” [Hunter 081]’s feelings were complicated. Just one dungeon’s difference, and the gap between him and Lu Chuan was now heaven and earth apart. No wonder their teachers always said: ‘One dungeon’s difference can block out millions of players.’ It was true after all.
“You’re [Arrival of the God of Wealth], right? Hello, I’m the HR for Abyss Guild. My game nickname is [Little Devil 23], a B-rank player. Just call me Brother Wang.”
The man calling himself Brother Wang looked only in his thirties or forties, his face bright and cheerful, giving off a very friendly vibe.
But B-rank players lived on the edge of life and death countless times. How could such a person really be this sunny?
“A classic smiling tiger. Exactly the kind of leader I hate,” Lu Chuan whispered to System #888 in his mind.
“My name is Lu Chuan. We’re in the real world now, just call me by my name.” He nodded coldly, holding himself with a reserved air.
Brother Wang gave a slight approving nod.
As expected of a top-ten newcomer. His presence was no weaker than those carefully nurtured genius players.
Yes, he was indeed capable.
But the Abyss Guild wasn’t something just anyone could enter. Even geniuses weren’t rare for them—so they still needed to make him see the bigger picture.
“Then I’ll call you Little Lu.” Brother Wang gave a friendly smile. “Let me tell you our recruitment terms.”
“If you agree to join our guild, after passing review, you’ll immediately receive treatment equivalent to a B-rank player—the same as me. That means every month you’ll be able to buy our guild’s items and skill points at a 20% discount.”
“Moreover, during your newcomer protection period, before each dungeon, we’ll loan you a B-rank item to use, helping you achieve a higher evaluation. In addition, you can move into our guild’s Abyss Bunker and have your own villa. Butlers, chefs, and servants will be prepared for you. Of course, there will also be some beauties as part of the perks.”
The conditions weren’t bad. Just by looking at [Hunter 081]’s envious eyes, you could tell.
But they weren’t especially high either.
B-rank treatment sounded good, but Lu Chuan didn’t hear anything particularly impressive.
As a workplace veteran, Lu Chuan could tell from HR’s tone whether the offer was final.
Clearly, Brother Wang’s attitude showed there was still room to negotiate.
“Abyss Guild offers this? Save it for fools.” Just then, another group arrived.
The Ocean Heart Guild.
Their uniforms were all blue, with a drop of water embroidered on the chest. It looked good on female players, but on most male players it looked utterly ridiculous—either dazzlingly flamboyant or painfully awkward. Many guild members had asked to change uniforms, but had never succeeded.
Don’t ask why. The guild leader of Ocean Heart was a genuine beauty, and her aesthetic was absolute.
“I am [Mermaid], an A-rank player of Ocean Heart.”
The speaker was a tall, long-legged woman with flowing aqua-blue curls, carrying herself with heroic confidence. The men and women behind her all gazed at her with admiration and adoration.
At first glance, Lu Chuan thought of fairytale mermaids, and couldn’t help but feel goodwill.
But the next moment, he gathered himself, looking at her with more caution.
“Not bad. Reaching the top ten of the newcomer list proves you have real strength.” [Mermaid] smiled slightly, and Lu Chuan noticed her teeth were a little sharp.
“Once players reach A-rank, they often develop inhuman traits. The stronger we become, the more influence the dungeons exert on us.” She freely revealed secrets normally reserved for higher-ranked players. “This also depends on the profession path chosen. Our Ocean Heart Guild leans toward oceanic god-demon types, giving us overwhelming advantage in water-related dungeons.”
“Lu Chuan, I value you highly. And I believe you’re a smart man. Whatever conditions that Wang fellow offered, I’ll double them if you join Ocean Heart.”
