Isaac watched him with a faint smile.
Vale’s words carried more weight than anything Isaac could have forced through intimidation.
He knew exactly what this meant, but before he could say anything, Vale looked up and met his gaze.
In that look, Isaac understood Vale knew what he needed to do.
Vale stood again.
He turned to face the gathered members of Titan Edge Guild.
The men and women who had followed him through countless raids and battles now waited, confused, anxious, and a little angry.
"Isaac attacked me due to my words," Vale said clearly. "It was a condition I gave him. I told him that if he could defeat me, I would join his faction."
A ripple of surprise ran through the guild.
"Guild leader, what are you saying...?" Liara, the vice guild leader, finally spoke.
Vale answered her without hesitation. "I’ve joined Isaac’s faction since he completed the condition I gave him. Titan Edge Guild will be serving him from now on. I know some of you might not like this arrangement. Those who cannot accept it are free to leave. There will be no consequences."
The hall buzzed with disbelief.
Murmurs broke out.
Members turned to one another with wide eyes.
The abruptness of Vale’s words left even Isaac surprised.
He had only wanted Vale to calm his guild, and to keep things from spiraling into a larger fight.
But this...
Vale had thrown open a door Isaac hadn’t expected, and what lay on the other side was a massive opportunity for him.
’This will be an unexpected windfall,’ Isaac thought.
Liara stepped forward.
She felt betrayed and angry.
They had nearly died to Alice because of a bet Vale made without informing them?
"What about the Governor?" she demanded
. Her words echoed the unspoken thought hanging in the air.
Everyone here knew Titan Edge Guild’s ties.
They were supposed to be independent, but anyone with sense knew they were tied to the Governor’s faction.
"That was in the past."
He gave no explanation, or details, and clearly had no intention of offering any.
Isaac realized then that if he did not step in now, the moment could sour.
These people had just been attacked, defeated, and now told they would be joining another faction.
Normally, they would have refused outright.
The only reason hesitation lingered was because Vale, their trusted leader, had said the words himself.
’This is my chance,’ Isaac thought.
He stepped forward, his voice carrying through the destroyed guild base.
"I’m a Lord Candidate."
The reaction was immediate.
Gasps, widened eyes, disbelief etched into faces.
All of them had studied at universities, and they knew what that title meant.
A Lord was granted powers by the World System itself.
The authority a Lord could wield was far beyond ordinary factions.
"As long as I can conquer this City, I will be able to activate all of its functions fully. Humanity will finally have a safe haven."
Silence fell as the people listened to him.
Even those who moments ago looked ready to walk out now stared with conflicted eyes.
"With my SSS-rank Farmer Talent, I can ensure food won’t be a problem anymore."
There were mutters among the guild members now.
Some skeptical, others hopeful.
Food had always been one of humanity’s greatest struggles, and they knew Isaac could solve it easily.
Isaac let the weight of that linger before speaking again.
"And I will make sure to treat the people who join me before anyone else fairly."
It was a subtle bait, but it landed.
He gave them something noble—the dream of humanity’s safety and survival—and then a practical, and personal benefit.
That combination was enough to make even hardened men and women hesitate.
The reluctant faces began to shift.
Isaac knew he had their attention, but he needed something more tangible, something that would tip the balance entirely.
He reached into his Soulbind Pendant and pulled out a spatial ring.
Unlike the one he had given to Professor Catherine, this one still had life energy potions.
He tossed it to Liara, who caught it, still unsure.
"What is this?" she asked cautiously.
"That spatial ring contains EXP potions. Distribute them to the guild members who decide to stay in the guild and join my faction."
Her brows furrowed. "EXP potions?"
"They can give experience points and increase one’s level," Isaac explained.
The awakeners froze.
The idea was so absurd that many looked at him as though he had gone mad.
But Isaac stood firm.
"You can test it, and verify it."
Liara pulled out one of the vials, examining the shimmering liquid inside.
Her disbelief was clear, but curiosity got the better of her.
Without another word, she unsealed it and drank.
The silence stretched as everyone watched her, waiting for something to happen.
Liara’s face shifted.
Her eyes widened as power surged through her body.
She closed her eyes, savoring the rush.
Then she looked back at Isaac, stunned.
"I... went from Level 41 to Level 50," she said.
The awakeners erupted in gasps.
Someone dropped their weapon.
Another cursed under their breath.
Humanity had just gained another Level 50 Champion-ranked awakener.
There were less than three hundred of Champion rank awakeners, and she had become one of the strongest amongst them with a single vial of potion.
She could even fight the other leaders of top four guilds now!
Isaac let the shock ripple through them before he spoke again.
"So?"
Liara looked down at the empty vial in her hand, then at Vale, and finally back at Isaac. Her gaze shifted as she weighed everything she had just seen and felt. Slowly, her expression hardened into resolve.
"I will join your faction," she declared.
"Good choice."
He opened his Lord Profile.
[Request: Add Subject – Name: Liara Falls]
[Subject Slots Available: 8]
[Confirm Y/N?]
A second panel appeared in front of Liara. She read it carefully, then pressed her hand against the confirmation.
[Subject Added Successfully.]
[Subjects (3/10)]
The air seemed to change in that moment.
Doubt was no longer the strongest emotion among the awakeners.
Instead, it was curiosity, temptation, and even a touch of excitement.
"Distribute the EXP potions as I told you. If you need more, come and get them from me tomorrow."
He turned toward Vale. "Come with me. We are leaving."
Before stepping out, Isaac stopped by Professor Catherine, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Can you guard Liara until she distributes all the potions?"
She nodded with a small smile.
Outwardly calm, but inwardly, she was surprised by Isaac’s move.
She had advised him to use the life energy potions either as a means of gathering wealth or slowly growing his influence.
Until now, he hadn’t touched them.
She thought he couldn’t decide how best to use them.
But watching him now, she realized she had underestimated him.
’This timing was perfect,’ she thought.
He hadn’t wasted the potions.
He had waited for the right moment.
With one bold move, he had turned a dangerous confrontation into a declaration of power.
More than that, he had just gained a top guild as his subordinate in a single night with it.
Isaac finally had a force under his command.
Isaac, Alice, and Vale moved out of the ruined guild base while Professor Catherine slipped away without anyone’s notice.
The guild members, still shaken, parted to open a path for them.
Eyes followed Isaac in silence.
No one dared to stop him or raise another objection.
’Let’s leave quickly before they ask me to compensate for their destroyed guild building,’ Isaac thought.
The trio reached their jeep parked outside.
Isaac took the wheel, Alice sat beside him, and Vale settled in the back seat.
The air inside felt tense.
Isaac kept his focus on the road, but half his attention never left Vale.
Vale had technically become his subject, but the binding was not absolute.
Until Isaac became a true Lord and unlocked the [Loyalty] tab, betrayal remained a possibility.
Isaac wasn’t naïve enough to trust him blindly.
Vale could still strike at him or Alice if he decided the risk was worth it.
The jeep rumbled across the uneven streets, heading back toward Isaac’s farmhouse.
Just as Isaac started to ease into the rhythm of driving, his device buzzed. He glanced at the screen, saw the name, and picked it up.
"I heard from Catherine about what happened," Vice Principal Eleanor’s voice came through immediately.
"I see," Isaac answered simply.
"Bring Vale to your house," Eleanor continued. "I’ll be arriving soon with some important people from Horizon Institute and Aeternum University. We need to question him immediately."
"Okay. Got it."
She ended the call without another word. Clearly, she was already drowning in work.
Isaac let out a small breath.
’They must be preparing countermeasures if the Governor really was the one controlling the nagas.’
He didn’t need to explain the content of the call to Alice and Vale.
They had heard everything with their sharpened senses.
Isaac broke the silence. "Vale, was it you who placed the curse on the nagas?"
Vale didn’t answer.
He remained silent.
But it was a silence that spoke plenty.
Isaac’s hands tightened slightly on the wheel.
’The Governor is one crazy bastard.’
They reached the farmhouse without being chased or ambushed by Titan Edge Guild members.
Isaac wasn’t surprised.
He had explained himself back there, given them bait with the EXP potions, and more importantly, Alice hadn’t killed anyone during the confrontation.
Isaac parked the jeep outside.
His eyes wandered briefly toward the fields.
The grains were nearly ready.
He could see the faint glow on the stalks, the signal that harvest time was near.
’By morning, the new Tier 2 crops should be ready to be harvested,’ he thought.
The three of them entered the house.
"You should take a bath and get changed," Isaac said to Alice, who still carried the scent of battle.
She nodded and left upstairs.
Then he turned to Vale.
"I’ll be bringing Celia to the meeting that you will have with the representatives from the three universities. She needs to know what’s happening, and she needs to hear from you why you pushed her away."
"...What?"
Vale froze.
His composure slipped.
"You want me to tell everything to Celia?"
"Yes."
"No." Vale’s reply was immediate, and sharp.
Isaac didn’t argue.
He simply walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.
He spoke while drinking.
"Are you afraid your sister will hate you if she learns the truth about what you’ve done?"
Vale clenched his fists, but he didn’t speak.
Isaac set the glass down and moved toward the living room.
Vale hesitated but eventually followed.
"Isaac, I’m not going to—"
"You will. Or our deal is off."
Vale glared at him.
But Isaac ignored it.
He knew Vale was cornered.
He might hate it, but in the end, he didn’t have a choice.
A short while later, Alice returned from her bath, dressed in clean clothes.
Isaac held out the Soulbind Pendant to her.
She placed her hand over it, their grips overlapping.
"I’ll be back in a bit," Isaac said, and then his presence vanished as he entered the pendant’s sub-dimension.
Inside, he walked through the quiet corridor and stopped at Celia’s door. He knocked gently.
"Are you awake, Celia?"
It was late into the night.
He didn’t want to disturb her if she was asleep.
If she was, he planned to wait until morning.
The door creaked open. Celia peeked out with her swollen and red eyes.
’She’s been crying this whole time,’ Isaac thought, his chest tightening slightly.
He looked at her and said, "Vale is here."
Her eyes widened, disbelief and hope flooding her expression.
"Y-you really brought him?"
"Yes. So talk to him. Let’s go out."
He teleported them both out of the pendant’s space.
The living room of the house replaced the dim corridor.
Celia froze when she saw her brother sitting there.
For a moment, she didn’t move, just stared at him.
Her gaze dropped to his torn clothes and bruises, and her face twisted with worry.
"W-why are you injured?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Vale didn’t answer.
Celia rushed forward, kneeling in front of him.
She grabbed his hand, looking him over for wounds with frantic movements.
Only when she confirmed that he wasn’t mortally injured did she finally let out a breath of relief.
Vale bit his lip, struggling with emotions he didn’t want to show.
Seeing her worry, her care only made his chest ache more.
He knew what he had done. He knew how she might look at him once she learned the truth.
She turned to Isaac then. Her tears were on the verge of slipping.
"Thank you. For bringing him here, and for giving me a chance to talk to him."
When Isaac had spoken to her earlier in the pendant, she had still carried doubts.
Part of her thought he was just trying to give her hope. But now Vale was here, standing right in front of her.
Isaac had kept his word. Just as he always did.
"...Why are you thanking him?" Vale asked.
"Be-because he promised I would see you," Celia answered, wiping her tears quickly. "He promised you would explain why you sent me away. I thought... I thought I’d never get to ask you that."
The relief in her tone was clear.
If Vale was here, if Isaac had made this possible, then maybe—just maybe—her brother wouldn’t abandon her again.
That hope alone was enough to break her into tears once more.
Vale looked stiffly at Isaac.
He had promised her this.
’This guy...’ Vale thought bitterly.
He had assumed Isaac forced him into submission only to expand his faction.
But now it was clear Isaac had planned everything.
He wasn’t just aiming for one goal.
Every move he made seemed to serve several purposes at once.
It was like everything was happening was just a part of his goal.