Chapter 168

A boiling pot of water—this was the most apt description of the Midgard community forums.

The anger towards Ironblood's misdeeds quickly subsided. After all, the target of their anger had disappeared.

Seojin, representing the users, had struck down Ironblood, and suddenly, the once paramount guild of Valaran had quietly sunk into obscurity.

The community responses to Seojin went down in a similar fashion. While many players still showed great interest in him, he was no longer the main focus.

Seojin had already declared that he would not interfere with the kingdom's internal system.

As long as no one controlled hunting grounds or manipulated players like Ironblood did, he wouldn't care.

-Another guild got into the unofficial top 10, Ironblood's spot got filled up quickly

-Heard the Great Red's guild master made a new one?

-Nope, that person said they're not playing. Must be a proxy.

-LOL, guild wars are going to get intense. All the top 10 guilds are going crazy recruiting new members

-The royal family's recruiting adventurers too. As soon as you enter the capital, quests pop up everywhere

Sequential posts typical of an RPG filled the board.

It was back to the normal state of affairs.

Not one guild monopolizing the system abnormally, but various powers continuously competing against one another.

In this process, members steadily grew stronger, and the players' development naturally translated into an increase in Valaran's national strength.

The frequency of repeat quests increased, and even the quests with high entry barriers became achievable through a diverse group of players.

Amidst Valaran returning to its normal trajectory.

"Thank you for coming, Seojin."

"Of course, it's what I should do."

"These must be your comrades. I'm grateful. However, let's save the introductions for later."

The royal funeral was held grandly, yet quietly.

It was a ceremony to bid farewell to the former king. Heinrich Valaran conducted the ceremony with a calm demeanor. Archbishops from various temples expressed their condolences, and leaders of professional guilds also filled the seats.

From all over Valaran, every significant NPC seemed to have gathered.

When an archbishop took the stage, Heinrich Valaran whispered to Seojin.

"Getting acquainted with him might help you later."

"I'll do it later."

"His Former Majesty said, a monarch shouldn't be engulfed in sorrow. I didn't call you just to mourn."

The prince had invited Seojin to offer him an opportunity. For Seojin to familiarize himself with Valaran's key figures and exert influence more easily.

Seojin accepted this gesture.

After mingling and greeting as many as he could, the prince made another offer.

"I wish to grant you a title."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I don't need it. I won't abandon Valaran, but the moment I become a noble of Valaran, it will restrain my actions in foreign lands."

"Even if it's the position of a Grand Duke…?"

"It's all the same, Your Majesty."

Seojin had no intention of being labeled as a noble of Valaran.

What would he even do as a Grand Duke? From that moment on, free adventuring would become impossible.

His words and actions would represent Valaran, and any slip of the tongue could lead to an international conflict.

"I seek delight. With all due disrespect, an adventurer is such a being."

"How about a friend of the king, then?"

"I don't stand on ceremony with friends. It would be easier for you this way."

Heinrich laughed as if amused.

"You want me to see you as a tool? After seeing what happened to those filled with greed?"

"Well… that's a different case, isn't it?"

"If I am the lord of this land, then you are the king of the adventurers who dwell in it."

"That's not the case."

"You don't force them, but with one word from you, thousands of adventurers would willingly lend their strength to you. The founding king said that's what a true king should be."

In front of everyone, Sephiro had said that a true king is one who leads naturally, not by force.

Sephiro was a king with such a natural ability to lead, while Heinrich still lacked it.

"And aren't you that person?"

Heinrich's resolve was strong. Seojin glanced at the archbishop on the dais and then nodded.

"Let's be friends."

"You can speak more comfortably."

"Alright, then."

Heinrich's mouth curved into a bright smile. To others, it might have seemed shocking, but to him, it was simply a joyous occasion.

"I wonder how long has it been since someone spoke to me like that."

He had a few in his childhood, back when he hid his princely status to avoid unpleasant incidents.

Children of royal chamberlains were Heinrich's friends, but once his identity was revealed, an insurmountable line was drawn.

A king is a solitary being. Both his father and Sephiro had said so.

A rightful monarch must endure loneliness until death, with no one to share unguarded moments or form formality-free relationships with.

But now.

"I finally have someone I can call a friend."

Heinrich Valaran had made an adventurer friend.

* * *

The coronation was held with greater pomp and circumstance. Heinrich expanded the guest list to include adventurers as well. The masters of the top 10 guilds filled the seats, getting acquainted with the new king. Unlike when only Ironblood could undertake royal quests, now anyone meeting the minimum qualifications could participate.

Elves from Salevania were also among the guests. Unaccustomed to the city, they took their places in the hall, with Jin representing them.

"It's been a while, adventurer."

"Thanks to you, we survived. No one was hurt, right?"

"It was an easy battle."

Jin updated Seojin on the recent developments. The forest that spread across the continent had reunited their separated kin.

Jin conveyed the journey of the forest's return, and as a result, almost all elves knew of Seojin's name.

"The elves of the forest eagerly await your visit, not just us, but those from other regions as well."

"How is Maya doing?"

"She's doing well. Thinking about it now, I have more to thank you for. Maya is most enthusiastic in nurturing the spirits."

The spirits were those that emerged from the remnants left by the corrupted elf, Legia. The elves' care and the vitality-rich forest provided an optimal environment for the spirits to grow. They flourished rapidly, their numbers increasing significantly.

This meant one thing.

'Looks like elementalists will appear in batches'

The hidden class, elementalists, were about to appear more frequently.

Just as the elves remembered Seojin, the spirits also remembered the kindness they had received.

"All the young spirits are eager to meet the spirit that accompanied you. They believe she saved them."

Flappy, after ingesting her gift, the Source of Life, had fallen asleep.

The young elemental spirits, it seemed, were almost willing to swear allegiance to Flappy.

* * *

The coronation concluded, and Heinrich became the new king. He replaced the lords who had sided with Ironblood, filling their positions with nobles whom Seojin had compelled to swear loyalty to him.

"Seojin, can I have a moment…"

"Go on ahead. I'll join after wrapping up some things."

"Very well."

Having casually appeased the king and ushered him into the palace, Seojin headed to a separate annex prepared for him.

"You're here!"

"Man, how long has it been!"

"My goodness… Is that really you man?"

"Long live our guild master!"

An outburst of intense reactions ensued.

Seojin smiled awkwardly .

"You should have contacted us!"

"Where was I supposed to get your contact info? I've been too busy getting by."

"You should have said something! You didn't know that this guy over here is rich, right? He runs a company!"

"You should have mentioned it for me to know."

"Right, the guild master is always raiding, questing, hunting, and too busy when asked…"

"But whenever it's about the game, he answers right away."

"Right. I thought he was crazy."

"Crazy about the game. The Great Red or whatever, no one was a match for our guild master."

"Calling someone crazy after meeting them for the first time in years…"

"Haha! Guild master! Blue Dragon!"

Dozens of players were exuberantly jumping around him.

The noise was so overwhelming that it was hard to carry on a proper conversation.

Their focus was solely on Seojin, and their reaction, it was reminiscent of a family reunion after decades.

"We used to look for you in Midgard. Posted in the community about finding the Blue Dragon, but it was all lies! They said they were you, but they couldn't play the game at all."

"There were more than ten of them, right? Impersonating the guild master."

"That's when we stopped looking. No contact either, we thought you had completely given up on the game."

"To think you'd start again after a year. If you had started earlier, we could have conquered the Empire and then some."

"We would have! If we had all been together… Ironblood wouldn't have stood a chance, right?"

"Ah, Ironblood…"

As soon as that name came up, more than ten people awkwardly averted their gaze. Seojin just laughed.

"Did I ever make a fuss about such things?"

"…Not that I rememeber?"

"See! I knew our guild master would say that!"

"Right. We didn't know, right?"

It was understandable.

Even back in Asgard, many guild members aimed to grow faster than anyone else, but Seojin didn't mind.

As long as they didn't harm others.

As for Robert, even if they were core guild members, he never released any negative information.

'So much so that Hansen, that adjutant, threw himself at me.'

The conversation deepened. It felt like a game, yet not a game. The annex was filled with laughter, as endless food and drinks flowed in.

Then, suddenly.

"You'll make a guild this time too, right? What will you name it?"

The question popped out, and a ghostly silence fell over the group. All the players looked at Seojin with eyes full of expectation, ready to follow whatever he said.

"A guild, you say." Seojin pondered quietly.

Each of these individuals was almost near ranker status in Valaran. Regardless of their affiliation, their inherent talent and will had elevated their abilities to a high level.

Especially considering what Seojin had to do next, their existence could prove to be more helpful than even the elves of Salevania.

'Besides, there's no risk even if they die, except for not being able to log in for a week.'

A group capable of exerting top combat power anywhere, anytime. People who would rush into a clearly deadly situation at Seojin's command were his former guild members.

Seojin glanced at Merhen, who showed no reaction. It wasn't a decision Merhen could interfere with.

Finally, Seojin made a decision. "I won't make one."

"Why not!"

"Oh. Are you planning to operate as a covert organization like in Asgard?"

"That makes sense…."

"No, I won't be doing that either."

The players were taken aback by this unexpected conclusion.

It was an unwelcome decision for them, far from what they had anticipated.

"You already have your own ways of doing things. If you get tangled up with me, you'll have to do as I say. But Midgard is too vast for that."

"Was Asgard any different?"

"That was a PC game. Everything was confined to the monitor screen, but this is virtual reality. It's not fun to follow orders here, is it?"

"It's fun! We were already doing that."

"We already have a guild, bro. Better to follow your orders."

"Besides, if the orders aren't stupid, there's no reason not to follow them."

"Wait. Everyone, quiet for a moment."

Seojin waved his hand in exasperation, and instantly, the players fell silent.

With everyone's eyes on him, Seojin sighed and offered an alternative.

And then.

"That works for me! If our guild master needs us."

"That works for me, more than enough."

"Leave it to us. We'll take good care of it."

His former companions were finally satisfied.