Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 730

Chapter 730: New Vice Leader
[Ding… Guild Alert: Player “Leafshade” has been promoted to: Vice Leader.]

When Ethan first handed command to Leafshade, the raid hadn’t thought much of it. It was a tactical decision for a single fight. But this? This was a system-wide guild announcement. A promotion straight to Vice Leader, putting him on the same official tier as Leo, Victor, and Williams.

“Boss… what’s this about?” Leafshade’s voice was laced with uncertainty. After the hostile takeover of his old guild, he’d been drifting. He’d only joined the Renegade Alliance because the core members had all but begged him, and a guy had to pay his bills. Even operating at half his former capacity, the command he’d shown was enough to make waves.

And what waves they were. The guild’s so-called “A-Team”—the squad with Leo, Victor, and their crew—was feeling the pressure, their progression lead threatened. This was a team stacked with rare-class specialists and players like Meatball, whose undead army could snatch victory from the jaws of a wipe. Then there was Lyla, who, even when she wasn’t always around, put out damage numbers that defied belief. For this monster of a team to be getting caught up… well, that spoke volumes about Leo’s leadership, and not the good kind.

“Don’t,” Ethan cut him off, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Your skills are obvious to everyone here. And Ethereal is about to change. The Fortress Wars are coming. This game won’t just be about PVE raids and pointless open-world skirmishes. I’m putting you in charge of the main raid team. Coordinate with the other three when we’re back in town, and sync up with Xandria. But… don’t expect much hands-on help from Leo and the guys.”

Ethan paused, a low, knowing chuckle escaping him. “They’re going to be… otherwise occupied.”

His words, broadcast to the entire raid, sent a jolt of excitement through them. The boss was planning something. Something big that involved the inner circle. It reminded them of the early days, when Ethan and that same small crew had famously taken on hundreds of Blade Syndicate players alone. That was the fight that put Renegade Alliance on the map, the struggle that eventually forced the Syndicate to pack up and set up shop all the way in Springhaven, leaving Harmony City firmly in the Renegade Alliance’s grasp.

“Boss,” Leafshade said, a wry, almost laughing tone in his voice. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds an awful lot like you’re handing me a dumpster fire to manage. Am I the clean-up crew here?”

“Hey!” Leo’s indignant shout blasted over the comms. “Watch it! My team is not a dumpster fire!”

Victor laughed in the background. The truth was, none of the three original officers had bristled at the decision. Their trust in Ethan was absolute. And the hint that Ethan was pulling them aside for a special operation had their own adrenaline starting to pump. In the real world, their abilities were limited, but here in Ethereal, they could stand beside him. This promised a return to the old days.

Ethan didn’t elaborate further, falling silent. Leafshade, after a moment’s hesitation, slid into his new role with natural ease.

The battle wore on. Over an hour later, the Mana-Forged Colossus let out a strained, faltering hum. Its health bar dwindled to a final sliver—just over 20,000 points.

“Shield Tanks, break off the boss! Form a phalanx at the basin entrance, shields facing in! Weapon Masters, Berserkers… fan out through the basin and pop Blade Storm! Priests, Flares! Judicators, Consecrate the ground! Archers, get Arcane Shot ready—anything that pings on your radar, you burn it down! Boss, Moonbeam… the final push is on you two!”

The entire raid, seeing the Colossus on the brink of death, was poised to unleash everything they had. Leafshade’s commands cut through that instinct like a knife. Without a second’s hesitation, spells meant for the boss were cut off. A wave of anti-stealth abilities—glowing flares and pulses of holy light—washed over the rocky basin.

The melee fighters scattered through the basin, their positioning almost mathematically perfect, and then they began to spin.

Whoosh… Whoosh… WHOOSH!

From his aerial vantage point, Ethan looked down on a breathtaking sight: over two hundred warriors activating Blade Storm simultaneously, a chaotic, beautiful maelstrom of spinning steel and magical energy, their weapons creating a riot of colored light.

“Lyla, you’re up!” Ethan called.

“On it! Double Shot into Rapidfire Barrage… finishing with an Aimed Shot!” Lyla responded, her voice tight with focus.

As the last obstacles at the Colossus’s feet were cleared by Leafshade’s order, the tank line crashed into position, sealing the basin’s mouth with an unbreachable wall of metal. Deprived of its primary targets, the Colossus’s overdrive protocol kicked in. It surged forward, its systems screaming, chasing Ethan and Lyla with renewed, frantic speed.

This time, Ethan didn’t flee the basin. He weaved and dove within the confined space, a deadly dance just out of reach. Lyla, unleashing her full arsenal, sent volley after volley of arrows into the Colossus’s exposed Arcane Core.

-2600!

-1598!

-5942! Critical Hit!

The damage numbers erupted over the mechanized horror’s head.

Its hum became a dying whine, a sound of pure, digitized frustration. It staggered, systems failing, and began its slow, final collapse toward the ground.

“And we’ve got hostiles! In the basin! Kill them!” Leafshade’s voice was sharp.

His earlier command was proven prophetic. The moment the warriors had begun their spinning dance, several had felt their blades connect with unseen, fleshy targets. There was a brief, muffled cry, and the flash of a respawn light—a corpse hitting the dirt before the Colossus even fell. The overlapping Blade Storms had turned the entire basin into a meat grinder. Any stealthy intruder revealed would be hit by at least two storms simultaneously. No rogue, no matter how well-geared, could survive that.

The raid understood instantly. While they were focused on the boss, others had been waiting in the wings, hoping to swoop in at the last second and loot the prize. The thought of losing their hard-won spoils to some vulture made their blood run cold.

Just as they thought the coast was clear, Williams—SeraphWarrior—spoke, his eyes glowing with a faint, golden light, like some paladin’s divine sight.

“Contact. West wall. Halfway up.”

All eyes snapped to the western cliff face. There, clinging to the rock wall with a dagger dug deep into the stone, was a half-transparent, shimmering outline. A rogue who had somehow survived the blender. He was frozen, hoping his high-end stealth would hold.

But he was made.