Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 715

Chapter 715: Breach of Contract
Logically, a non-combatant crafter who never left the city had no real need for bodyguards. But this guy had still hired four combat-spec players, purely for show.

However, the moment those four drew their weapons and managed to utter a single syllable…

SHIIING—!

A single, unified, and deafening rasp of steel being drawn echoed through the Guild Hall. The sound of hundreds of weapons leaving their sheaths in perfect, hair-trigger unison was enough to set anyone’s teeth on edge.

“FOR THE ALLIANCE!” The roar from hundreds of throats came a split second later, a single word that fused their individual fury into a palpable, crushing wave of intent.

WHOOM.

The collective pressure was so intense it seemed to make the very air shudder.

If the other side so much as twitched, they would be hacked to pieces. Or, they would be if Ethan gave the command. Even though the Guild Hall was a city safe zone, these four would be pulverized. They didn’t know it yet, but you could still be killed in a safe zone. No one had been stupid enough to try. The death just wouldn’t be classified as a ‘player kill.’ It was like the stampede that had once happened in the auction house—in real life, if enough people trample you, you die. While skills were disabled in safe zones, the sheer sharpness of a blade could still do the job. Of course, City Guards would materialize instantly, and the perpetrators would be hauled away.

These four ‘bodyguards’ were just average players. They had never seen a display like this. They stumbled backward three steps in unison, nearly dropping their weapons in sheer terror.

The Regional Director, who had been sitting on the ground with a face twisted in anger, now wore a look of pure shock and horror. He sat there, utterly dumbfounded.

“Let them through.”

A calm, level voice cut through the tension.

SHHHH-CLICK.

In a single, fluid motion, every weapon was returned to its sheath. Under the stunned gaze of the five men, the wall of several hundred warriors parted with military precision, creating a clean path leading directly to the Council Hall. At the end of it stood a man in dark robes.

It was only then that the five of them truly noticed him.

It was, of course, Ethan.

The moment they processed this, their eyes widened. Two words flashed in their minds: Druid God.

When… when did he get back? Rumor was he’d been gone for two weeks. Most people assumed he’d quit, that he’d left Ethereal for good. While the game was booming and older titles were shutting down servers, not everyone was playing. Plenty of people had to leave due to real-world commitments.

As these thoughts raced through the Director’s head, he walked down the path until he stood before Ethan. His eyes swept over the scene: the men still writhing on the ground, and the four… the four Expert-tier crafters being held separately, a boot on each of their backs.

He knew the truth. These four were the only Expert-tier players the Reynolds Trading Company had in all of Harmony City. Two were publicly registered. The other two… had been masquerading as Advanced-tier players. Their salaries weren’t lower for the deception; they were even higher. While everyone at Reynolds knew of their existence, no one dared speak of it. Joining the company required signing Non-Disclosure Agreements both in-game and in the real world—a double-locked security measure.

Seeing those two now, singled out and restrained, his heart plummeted. He knew, with a sickening certainty, that disaster was imminent.

“D-Druid God… Sir. A pleasure,” he stammered, his former arrogance completely evaporating in the presence of the legendary figure. When it came to who was the most formidable person in Ethereal, the man standing before him was the undisputed answer. From securing the world-first kill on the game’s very first day, to his meteoric leveling and monopolization of countless resources… this was him. The former top guild in Harmony City, the Blade Syndicate, had been repeatedly humbled by the Renegade Alliance in clash after clash, eventually forcing them to transfer their entire operation to Springhaven. Now, Renegade Alliance held a dominant position, controlling half of all resources in the region.

Yet, there were never any rumors of the Alliance bullying weaker guilds. They had deliberately left the other half of the city’s resources for smaller guilds to develop, refusing to claim a total monopoly. This approach had earned them both praise and scorn. Those who praised them admired their magnanimity. Those who scorned them—the narrow-minded and the cynical—believed the Renegade Alliance was just biding its time, waiting for the smaller guilds to grow fat before moving in to slaughter them and take everything. It was the classic “fatten the sheep for slaughter” strategy.

The Reynolds Director standing before Ethan was firmly in the latter camp. In his heart, if he had the Renegade Alliance’s power, he wouldn’t hesitate. He’d crush everyone, enslave the other guilds, force them to work for him, make them generate revenue for him, reduce them to servitude…

Seeing the man’s attitude shift so completely from the arrogant strut he’d entered with, Ethan felt a wave of disappointment. The prey had gone soft too quickly. The fun was over. It was time for business.

“Tears of the Fallen, bring me the contract we signed with them,” Ethan said. With so many outsiders present, he used Celia’s in-game name.

“Already have it ready,” Celia replied, stepping to his side and making a swift gesture. A system-generated contract materialized as a glowing holographic projection, visible to the three of them.

“Renegade Alliance Employment Roster: Harmony City Branch, Reynolds Trading Company…” Ethan read the title aloud, his voice slow and deliberate. He continued, scrolling through the text. “Roster: One Expert Blacksmith. Forty-two Advanced Blacksmiths. One Expert Engineer. Thirty-one Advanced Engineers.”

He moved to the addendum. “Confidentiality Annex: Regarding the schematic provided by the Renegade Alliance, identified as Expert-tier, and certified by the system as a unique drop, ‘[Schematic: Blazing Cannon],’ originating solely from the Northern Frontier Region of Dragonspire. Acknowledging that the schematic is Expert-tier, and that an Expert-tier crafter can permanently learn the schematic upon crafting it, Reynolds Trading Company agrees, for the duration of this manufacturing contract, to deploy only two (2) Expert-tier crafters. This annex hereby stipulates:”

“Expert Blacksmith: ‘TwoHammers’ is required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding the schematic’s component designs and must not disseminate them.”

“Expert Engineer: ‘NutsAndBolts’ is required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding the schematic’s assembly process and must not disseminate them.”

“In the event of a breach of confidentiality, Reynolds Trading Company shall pay damages equal to ten (10) times the current market value of the [Schematic: Blazing Cannon]. This annex shall be rendered null and void once the system-wide drop count for the aforementioned schematic reaches twenty (20).”

“Signatory, Renegade Alliance: Tears of the Fallen, Honorary Leader.”

“Signatory, Reynolds Trading Company: ‘GetOutOfMyWay,’ Vice President.”

Ethan finished reading the document verbatim, not missing a single word. He then fixed his gaze on the man standing before him, who was now sweating profusely, a faint, mocking smile playing on Ethan’s lips.