[Glazed Pagoda (Common Relic)] - Level 1
Increases EXP gained by all Guild Members by 1%.
[Tower of Valor (Common Relic)] - Level 1
Increases the Strength of all Guild Members by 1%.
[Tower of Everspring (Uncommon Relic)] - Level 1
Increases the Max HP of all Guild Members by 2%.
As soon as she slotted them in, system announcements flooded the Crimson Bloom guild chat.
[System: The Guild has acquired the Glazed Pagoda. All Guild Members receive a 1% bonus to EXP gained.]
[System: The Guild has acquired...]
The chat immediately exploded with cheers from the girls. Lila didn’t have time to join the celebration; she was too busy crunching the numbers on the Relic upgrade requirements.
After comparing the values, she quickly grasped the mechanics. Upgrading a Common Relic from Level 1 to 2 required 10 million Offering Points. An Uncommon Relic took 20 million.
The daily guild quests rewarded 1 Offering Point each, capped at ten completions per member per day. That meant a single player could contribute a maximum of 10 points daily. A Level 2 Guild maxed out at 20,000 members. Even at absolute full capacity, generating 200,000 points a day, it would take fifty days to upgrade a Common Relic and a hundred days for an Uncommon one.
Factoring in realistic player activity rates, the actual time required would easily double.
Clearly, relying solely on dailies wouldn't cut it. There had to be other ways to farm Offerings. Case in point: the boss drops from the Infernal Spire. The Satyr's Head and the two Hound Skulls alone had provided a massive 3 million points instantly. Leveling Relics was going to be a marathon, not a sprint.
Lila moved on to check the other new Level 2 Guild features.
Aside from the member cap doubling from 10,000 to 20,000, they had unlocked the "Allied Guild" system, allowing them to ally with up to ten other guilds. Allied members could enter the host guild's Public Territory and access specific NPCs, buildings, and quests. This included using the Guild Store, receiving 50% of the Relic buffs, and taking on guild quests.
That last part brought a pleasant surprise: Allied Guild members could complete Relic Offering quests! That would drastically accelerate the Relic upgrade process.
The Alliance system wasn't the only addition. The [Raid] option Kael had mentioned previously was now active. The [Conquer] and [Destroy] functions were still absent, likely locked behind even higher guild levels.
Closing the interface, Lila interacted with the Guild Steward. A lengthy list of quest categories appeared: Resource Gathering, Territory Maintenance, Offering Points, Monster Extermination, and more.
As she was browsing the functions, Rena, Hazel, and the others began loading into the territory. The quiet dirt lot instantly buzzed with life. They greeted Lila before scattering to marvel at their new headquarters.
"Wow! So this is our Guild Territory!" Grace and Peppa cheered.
"It's huge!" Hazel spun around. "I feel like I'm gonna get lost."
"It's so barren, though," Starbloom noted. "Just a bald dirt patch and a hall."
"Hehe, I'm going to claim a plot for a vegetable garden!" Grace giggled.
"I want to dig a pond for fishing!" Peppa added.
"Can we build an amusement park? I want a carousel!" Hazel pleaded.
"Carousels are boring. We need a roller coaster," Starbloom corrected her.
Unlike the carefree younger girls, Rena walked straight up to Lila to discuss the Level 2 mechanics. Lila gave her a quick rundown, and the two immediately started mapping out a construction plan.
The building categories were extensive:
· Functional: Apothecary, Blacksmith, General Store.
· Aesthetics & Entertainment: Lawns, Lakes, Amusement Parks.
· Special: Chapel, Research Institute, Academy, Teleport Nexus.
· Player Housing: Various sizes of personal homes.
· Infrastructure: Main Roads, Pathways, Bridges.
Once the Guildmaster or a designated Vice Guildmaster initiated a [Construct] order, the project would appear in the Guild Steward's quest log for members to accept and complete. Beyond constructing, there was also the [Upgrade] option. For example, their single existing building—the Level 1 Guild Hall—could be upgraded to Level 2.
After staring at the menus for an hour, both of their heads throbbed. Lila simply queued up a [Construct: Apothecary] quest, closed the menu, and opened the World Chat to start recruiting.
Meanwhile, inside the Nightmare difficulty of the [Blight Swamp: Toad Cavern] dungeon, a massive golden bell rested in the center of the boss chamber.
Near the bell, a ten-man squad was locked in a brutal fight with Vorlag the Toad Father. This was Serpent’s Coil's main roster, led by Caleb Mordant himself. They were the only team in their guild capable of challenging Nightmare difficulty.
After a bloody, grueling battle, Caleb plunged his [Gilded Greatsword] into Vorlag's gut, finishing the beast off.
IronRoot popped the loot chest and turned to Mordant with a massive grin. "Guildmaster! We finally got a piece of the Level 35 Warrior Ascendant set! Plus a Level 40 Epic piece and two [Queen's Crystals]."
"Good," Caleb grunted, a spark of satisfaction flaring in his chest.
They had been grinding the Toad Cavern for two straight days, and only two pieces of the Ascendant Toad Set had dropped. This was the first one he could actually use. Over in the Lair of the Queen, they had managed to snag three pieces of his Mosquito Queen set—one from his own runs, and two from other guild teams.
If he had to rely solely on his own party, it would take years to farm a full set. Buying them off the market wasn't an option either; Lila had a tight leash on Crimson Bloom and would never allow pieces of the Blight Swamp sets to leak to the public.
Thinking of Lila, Caleb let out a dark chuckle.
You really thought you could lock me out of the dungeons, Lila? You never expected I'd plant a mole in your ranks. You're planning to siege Village 9139 in a few days, right? You'll have to see if my Sunfire Bell allows that! Dawnbreaker, I'm going to make you regret selling this Saint Relic to me. I can't wait to see the look of absolute despair on both your faces. If you drop to your knees and beg, Lila, I might just consider taking you in.
Just then, a system announcement flashed across the top of his HUD.
Caleb ignored it. At worst, it was just Dawnbreaker getting another Ascendant drop. Serpent’s Coil wasn't exactly lacking in Ascendant gear compared to them anyway.
But LunaBloom suddenly shrieked beside him. "Look! Guildmaster! Look at the logs!"
Annoyed at having his fantasy of crushing Lila interrupted, Caleb glared at her. "What is it now? Didn't I tell you to keep your cool under pressure?"
LunaBloom swallowed hard. "Crimson Bloom... they just hit Guild Level 2."
"So what? We're leveling up too—"
Caleb froze. He scrambled to open his system messages, his eyes scanning the golden text. A second later, pure fury contorted his face.
"Fuck! She beat us to it again!"