Silence hung in the main hall of the fossilized tree for a few moments.
"Halon is right about the Elite route, but there’s a time factor we can’t ignore." Dylan began, his voice projecting with confidence. "Astralis Requiem’s popularity and the name ’Halon’ reached their peak with the global announcements of ’First Guild’ and ’First PK’ a few weeks ago. But, to be honest, players’ memories are short and fickle. New records are being set every hour around the world. If we don’t capitalize on this fleeting fame now to make a global announcement in the real world, the Astralis name won’t amount to much."
Dylan looked at Lisa, receiving an imperceptible nod from the fox, and continued, "I’ll coordinate with my network and launch targeted ads on player forums and Syn’s networks. We’ll leverage our unique selling point of absolute equality in this recruitment process. It doesn’t matter if the target is a Rare Elf or an undervalued non-humanoid monster; if the Player has potential, Astralis will give them the value that other guilds denied them. But we need to do this tomorrow, before other guilds saturate the market with their mass recruitment campaigns."
Lohan shifted slightly beside Lisa and spoke as well.
"While Dylan handles our external image, we must also focus on our internal strength," Lohan declared. "We have a goal I want you all to pay close attention to. Next Saturday, Astralis Requiem will make its first official raid into a Level 15 Dungeon. To ensure this is safe and efficient, all of you need to reach at least Level 14 by then."
A murmur of shock and excitement rippled through the group of players led by Alice. Dee, the warrior, gripped the hilt of his shield, while WyrmWood, the druid, narrowed his eyes, mentally calculating the mountain of experience required.
"Level 14? Halon, the experience required doubles with every level," Samantha, the Rogue, reminded him in a worried voice. "We just hit Level 12, and some of us are close to 13. Leveling up twice in a week against Open World monsters is a grind bordering on the impossible without massive support, not to mention that if anyone slips up and dies, an entire level’s worth of experience will be lost."
Lohan agreed with that, but explained. "I know how heavy the burden is. That’s why Lisa and I will help. Over the next few days, we’ll join your groups on rotating schedules. We’ll accelerate everyone’s progress through our attack power and defensive support, ensuring you can hunt Level 13 and 14 creatures with the same risk as hunting Level 11 rabbits. My own leveling might slow down a bit, but Astralis’s safety and the success of the Dungeon raid are the absolute priority."
The gleam in the players’ eyes grew intense. They recalled how Lohan and Lisa had turned the hunts they’d participated in into an extremely lucrative slaughter.
The prospect of receiving power-leveling directly from the guild’s two greatest powers, coupled with the rewards and coins that would come from it, completely renewed everyone’s spirits.
However, in a corner of the hall, two small, fragile figures watched the scene with a mixture of admiration and melancholy.
Elle and Pip exchanged confused glances. Pip, who still bore the psychological scars of essence drainage, approached timidly.
"Lord Halon... Lady Lisa..." Pip murmured, his sweet, childlike voice echoing through the room. "We’ve heard about the Dungeon and the levels... but we’re just gardeners from Mythlorien. We don’t know how to fight like the other members. How can we also grow strong enough to protect this home?"
Lohan observed the two "misfits" of the guild. He recalled that beings from Elysium could also grow stronger by hunting monsters, despite having the disadvantage that death was permanent for them.
Then a plan formed in his mind to deal with that as well.
"Pip, Elle, you won’t be left behind." Lohan spoke with a comforting calm. "Starting tomorrow, you’ll accompany Alice’s group on all expeditions. You don’t need to be on the front lines all the time. Start by observing, learning to read the flow of battle, picking up on signs of monsters in the forest, and helping to detect threats. The passive experience of being in a hunting party will accelerate your base growth. When you feel confident, then you’ll join the battle, helping out at critical moments to gain experience as well."
Elle tilted her head, curious. "But would that alone be enough for Elle and Pip to catch up to the others in strength?"
Lohan formed a small, bluish hand and gestured for them to come closer. "No. In addition to the group experience, I’ll use a special technique on you every day. I’ll inject refined Biomass and Mana directly into your systems, stimulating cell growth and removing the evolutionary bottlenecks of your races. With this two-pronged approach, hunting experience and biomass injections, you will become the most powerful fairies Mythlorien has ever seen, capable of keeping up with even the guild’s vanguard."
Pip’s eyes widened, recalling the sensation of overflowing vitality he’d felt when Lohan had recently strengthened him.
Alice, who already treated the fairies with an almost maternal affection, jumped for joy.
"That’s amazing, Halon! I’ll make sure these two little ones are always safe!" Alice exclaimed, effortlessly lifting Elle into her arms, causing Lisa to snort with laughter at her friend’s playful antics.
With the planning finalized, the meeting came to a close.
The atmosphere of urgency and determination was strong, but not heavy.
The Players, driven by healthy ambition and a desire for glory, began to split into their usual combat pairs, ready to hunt until dawn, despite their accumulated fatigue.
Dylan and Alice exchanged a look of agreement with the leaders. "We’re leaving now, Bella," Alice said. "Dylan and I are going to pull an all-nighter coordinating the advertising agencies and screening the first candidates in the real world. Tomorrow, Astralis Requiem will step into the spotlight!"
Both turned into particles of light, logging off.
The main hall suddenly fell silent, leaving only Lohan and Lisa beneath the mineral dome of the colossal tree.
"Will this be enough?" Lohan asked, unsure just how much attention they would be able to draw from this.
"Honestly? I don’t know. All we can do is give it our best and bring as much fame and glory to Astralis as possible," Lisa replied, looking around.
"Fame and glory... maybe there’s something we can do to help with that?" Lohan asked, a gleam appearing in his eyes.
Hearing the tone in his voice, Lisa also thought along those lines, and she too saw a way forward.
Lohan spoke. "Lots of notifications about guilds and players achieving unique milestones pop up every day. Is there still something we can do to gain even more popularity? Any milestone within our reach that no one has achieved yet?"