Chapter 181 – Withered Leaf (1/2)

Chapter 181 – Withered Leaf

The guild emblem for Asskickers United had been personally selected by Nie Yan. He was fond of flavourful things that were rich with cultural references.

“I’ve already heard of the bad blood between your guild and Victorious Return. From what I know, it’s only a matter of time before you guys get swallowed up,” Tuoba said. The professional players from Withered Leaf had all been puzzled over something. Granted the recent expansion of Asskickers United was indeed worthy of praise, but it was still a fledgling guild, yet to establish a firm foundation. To dare to confront an esteemed behemoth like a Victorious Return? This was clearly a case of the newborn calf not fearing the tiger.1

Nie Yan felt a slight hint of anger at Tuoba’s words, but he couldn’t deny that his concerns were quite reasonable. Any player would naturally have to consider these things before joining a guild. Siding with his guild meant becoming enemies with Victorious Return, so why would Tuoba willingly enter into such a disadvantageous situation?

But Nie Yan disagreed with Tuoba’s assessment. Just as he was about to refute, Tuoba continued, “However, I’m still willing to join your guild. I just want to let you know, though. My matters don’t reflect the stance of Withered Leaf. Although my family owns the gaming org, I’m still removed from them.” Even though he could get Withered Leaf players to party up with him, he wasn’t a member of the organization. So he had no jurisdiction over anyone there. Withered Leaf’s sole purpose was to generate a profit, whether through in-game businesses, selling merch, or other venues for revenue, while he simply played for leisure.

“You guys are the only ones crazy enough to duke it out with them to the death, but what I admire most is precisely that sort of foolhardy bravery,” said Tuoba with a faint smile.

“Well since Tuoba’s joining, you can count me in as well,” Forthright said. He knew Tuoba’s personality pretty well, but even he was baffled as to why his friend had agreed to join.

Truthfully, Tuoba didn’t much care for the fame of Asskickers United. He’d accepted the invite simply because he found Nie Yan to be a person worth befriending, with a very agreeable temperament. What he treasured most was a person that he could sincerely interact with.

Nie Yan was a little astonished. He didn’t expect the sudden shift in attitude from Tuoba. After a second thought though, he began to understand Tuoba’s intentions.

“It seems I was small-minded,” Nie Yan said with an apologetic smile. “But I still have to disagree with your judgement. Sooner or later, the guild that’s going to be wiped from Calore will be Victorious Return, not mine.”

Tuoba’s expression flickered with a hint of surprise. Just where was this self-confidence coming from?

“Alright, let’s drop the subject. I’m getting a headache listening to you guys. As far as I’m concerned, joining a guild isn’t a bad thing. Hey, do you think I’ll be the top Berserker in the guild?” Forthright interjected. To him, this matter was far more interesting.

“Yeah, I’d say so. As for being the top Warrior though, I think you still fall a little short,” Nie Yan replied. If he had to compare Forthright and Bladelight, he felt the latter was a bit stronger. Bladelight had recently obtained the best armour set from the Sorens Dungeon on Specialist, and although he was slightly behind Forthright in level, he could overcome that difference with skill.

“Damn, there’s actually a Warrior who’s stronger than me? I want to meet him when we get back!” Forthright boiled with competitive spirit.

Tuoba pondered in silence. Maybe Asskickers United really did have quite a few strong players; otherwise, Nie Yan wouldn’t have such confidence.

Tuoba had met the top-ranking players in Victorious Return before. Most of them weren’t that impressive, but he couldn’t help but feel dispirited when he thought of Heaven Breaker. That guy’s precise control was simply too formidable. Even he didn’t feel confident going against him.

There was a commonly held belief among players that an individual’s strength didn’t matter in front of the absolute might of a guild. But in the stronghold sieges not too long from now—which would determine the future prosperity of a guild—any powerful individual could greatly influence the tide of battle.

Victorious Return might be powerful, but Asskickers United was rapidly catching up. Nie Yan felt confident that they would overtake them, sooner or later. He had already tasked Guo Huai with sending out invitations to various players who would become Magisters, Guardians, Shadow Dancers, and so on in the future. Although many of them might disdain joining his guild, there were others who just started playing, so their potential still remained untapped. Since they were still nobodies, once they received a gracious invite from Asskickers United, they would almost certainly wholheartedly devote themselves to the guild.

Taotie2 and Undying Scoundrel, for example—both players with the capacity to become a Guardian and a Magister respectively—though confused as to why Asskickers United would seek them out, they quickly fell to temptation under the lure of superior benefits.

Nie Yan had handed Guo Huai a recruitment list of all of the famous players that he remembered in his past life. Although only a small portion of the people on that list would agree to join, it was still quite impressive. There were already five individuals in the guild that had high chances of becoming Shadow Dancers, Guardians, Magisters, and so on. As for players just a rank lower, there were over several dozen. There were also many players who Guo Huai was still in the midst of negotiations with, hoping to entice them with many favourable conditions. He even spared no effort in trying to headhunt the players who had already joined other guilds.

With the support of Nie Yan’s enormous capital, Asskickers United would eventually become a mecca for godly players.