Chapter 285: Unstoppable Momentum

On the first of February 2029, Enzo shared some great news with Max.

He was finally at A-rank.

He was reportedly the fourth player to reach A-rank after Spencer, Aaron, and, surprisingly, Wang Yuxuan, who had tried to keep it a secret, but the rumor instantly spread.

The class advancement of those leading players was difficult to cover, especially when they were leading a Guild.

For Enzo to reach A-rank was a pleasant surprise not only for Max but for everyone.

At the same time, it filled those players who had started playing Apocalypse Online late with vigor.

Despite being the brother of the leading player, it didn’t change the fact that Enzo had earned it through his own efforts.

If he had simply been overly reliant on his brother, his fate would have been similar to Julian’s.

When Enzo reached A-rank and rumors of his class advancement quickly spread, it was accompanied by speculation about his class.

Everyone knew that Enzo had obtained a Legacy Class, as there was no specific class progression for an Ice Mage.

As he continued to rank up, his passive and active skills remained faithfully aligned with the Ice Element, gaining attention not just from the players but also from the NPCs.

The question was the rank of his Legacy.

They didn’t know that Enzo possessed an SS-Class Legacy—Absolute Frost Deity.

Many NPCs speculated that he was the destined individual to slay the Ice Mythical Dragon.

At the moment, Enzo was now a Glacial Monarch.

Not only was he still at the early level of A-rank, but all his passive and active skills needed to be increased to solidify his foundation at A-rank.

Enzo shared his plans for himself and the Guild, while Max offered some suggestions.

As both brothers became leading players in the game, with the latter’s popularity continuing to grow and the game reaching a billion players by the end of February, both brothers were still trying to convince Auntie Sarah to play as well.

Auntie Sarah already had a headache.

Not only were Max and Enzo trying to convince her, but even her precious daughters wanted her to play the game as well.

Once the semester ended and they visited again, Auntie Sarah could already foresee them pestering her to play the game.

Of course, she fully understood her children.

Knowing that the brothers wanted to make her play the game, it was obvious that she would be spoiled inside the game.

Which, of course, meant she could spoil her children in return.

But Auntie Sarah was adamant.

She did not want to play the game yet.

Until the anniversary of the game finally arrived.

Although the System did not celebrate it as always, instead creating chain quests that led to province-level quests, Aethernova and other gaming organizations led the one-year celebration.

This forced Max to be very busy for the first week of March.

But the plan to explore the Ashen Expanse was already in the preparation stage.

Max had already received the reports about the Demon Hunters who had chosen the different districts.

The total population of the Guild Military District reached 80,000.

It was definitely the most popular district.

The Guild Military District covered the Field Operations Division led by Gareth Ironwood, the Demon Hunter Expeditionary Corps led by Maurice Bullock, and the Arcane Combat Division led by Angelo Ward.

The total population of the Intelligence District reached 50,000.

The Intelligence District covered the Strategic Intelligence Division led by Matilda Harvey and the Scout Division led by Rose Khan.

They both had their own respective A-rankers working under them.

Meanwhile, the Demon Research District, managed by Miriam Vale, managed to attract 10,000 Demon Hunters from the Demon Hunters Academy.

The Demon Research Division was also responsible for maintaining the Demon Archive, as it continued to be updated with information from the last war against the demons.

The Demon Support District managed to attract 15,000 Demon Hunters.

The Demon Support District covered the Demon Support Division led by Cedric and the Purification and Restoration Division led by Seraphina.

The Demon Support Division worked closely with Louie’s Artificer District.

After all, the Demon Support Division operated almost similarly to the Artificer District.

However, their main distinction was that the Demon Support Division developed the magical systems, while the Artificer District turned such systems into equipment.

The Guild Artificer District managed to gain 12,000 Demon Hunters, while the Logistics and Production District, covering the Alchemy Division, Beast Taming Division, and Logistics Division, attracted 10,000 Demon Hunters.

The Guild Administration Division, meanwhile, attracted 7,000 Demon Hunters, managing the Demon Hunters Guild’s administration.

At the moment, there were branches of the Demon Hunters Guild in every province.

Most of them simply functioned as the first phase of training for aspiring Demon Hunters.

Once they showed potential to become one, they were ready to enter the Demon Hunters Academy.

Aside from recruitment, the Demon Hunters Guild’s branches gave tasks to citizens to find specific resources for them as well.

Not only did the Imperial Family contribute to the Demon Hunters Guild’s resources, but even the citizens were willing to provide resources for them.

And they could earn from it, too.

That was why the citizens’ attitude toward the Demon Hunters Guild was the most pleasant compared to other Guilds.

Especially when the Demon Hunters Guild was backed by the Church.

The Demon Hunters Guild’s progress was unstoppable and domineering.

Of course, the other Guilds did not want to be left behind either and kept up with the Demon Hunters Guild, especially the top five Guilds, who received their own Guild Mounts, albeit with only a single species compared to Max’s Demon Hunters Guild’s Legendary Guild Mount with its four species.

The Lewis Guild possessed two different species, enough to cover both the sky and land.

That was why the Demon Hunters Guild’s momentum was incomparable.

Now, the total population of the Demon Hunters Guild had reached a staggering 170,000 members.

The Sun Tzu’s Guild had only just reached 100,000 members despite having the advantage of sharing the same nationality among the players.

However, Max was not satisfied yet.

He wanted the Guild Military District and the other districts that would join the conquest to possess a total population of one hundred and fifty thousand first.