Chapter 222: Harsh Reality of Guilds

"The tragedy earned them a four-month grace period, which is a rare occasion. Political strings were pulled, no doubt. But grace doesn’t last forever. Their window of afforded respite is almost up. If they don’t finish the dungeon within the next three weeks, the guild will be disbanded. Legally, forcibly. Assets seized. Personnel reassigned."

"Why does the government treat its own guilds so harshly?" Bastet asked, curious. "Shouldn’t it instead help the struggling ones so they can keep up?"

It was Tessa who responded. "This isn’t cruelty. The government is not a sadistic entity; they are just policy makers whose job is to steer us in the direction they think is best for the nation."

Nyx, already aware of the details, took over. "The U.S. can’t afford dead weight in a mana apocalypse. Every guild that’s allowed to limp along is a drain on scarce awakened talent and a danger to their lives. Mismanaged clears, reckless tactics, lack of discipline... these failures cost more than lives. They cost progress. Global progress."

Luna, having done her due research ever since becoming awakened, could add her own bit to the conversation. "China and India are racing ahead, turning entire provinces into fortified zones and churning out high-tier awakened like a factory line due to their high population and newly introduced favorable childbirth policies.

Aria twirled a lock of her gorgeous silver hair in between her fingers as she looked at Bastet and explained, "Many women there have even become professional birth factories due to the pay they receive from the government in exchange for churning out babies with a 15% potential to awaken... If we don’t keep up, we fall behind. And in this new world, falling behind means extinction. That’s why the government doesn’t coddle underperformers. If you want to keep your badge, then you must prove you’re worth it."

Bastet took in the information with many nods of her head. Despite the felinid not caring one bit for the humans around her, save for a select few, she knew that information was worth its weight in gold. As such, she was eager to soak in all the information she could get her claws on.

Kaiden’s expression hardened. "So they need outsiders."

"Exactly," Tessa confirmed. "They’ve tried scouting for recruits, but no one wants to join a guild that just lost nineteen members in a single operation, especially knowing that another do-or-die mission loomed on the horizon. Even desperate newbloods are avoiding them like the plague."

"That’s more than understandable," Nyx said under her breath.

Tessa nodded once. "They won’t survive without external intervention. That’s where you come in."

Kaiden didn’t answer right away. He sat back in his chair, thoughtful.

Then, after a few seconds of deliberation where he exchanged glances with his lovers and got a nod from each of their heads, his lips parted. "Let’s negotiate."

"Leave that to me. I know their guild leader. She’s a woman I fought alongside on multiple occasions," Tessa said and began fiddling with her tablet. Soon, a call went out.

The line clicked, and a strong whir echoed through the tablet’s speakers.

Tessa adjusted her seat. "Is the line secure? Are you alone?"

A moment passed before the gruff but clearly feminine voice on the other end answered, somewhat muffled by background noise.

"Hold on. I’m leaving the forge."

In the distance, the unmistakable clang of hammer-on-steel rang out, followed by the low rumble of other guild members conversing and the hiss of water cooling metal. Footsteps, brisk and decisive, echoed for a few seconds.

Then silence.

"... Alright. I’m in private now. What’s up?"

"I’m with someone who might be able to help you out of the bind you’ve found yourself in. I know you live in your smelly smithy, but I assume even you’ve heard of Valhalla’s Sinners?"

There was a pause on the line.

"...You don’t mean that handsome Kaiden fella and his group of pretty gals, do you?" the voice asked, tinged with disbelief.

Tessa shook her head with an amused chuckle at her friend’s attitude while responding. "The very one."

"... Isn’t he only level sixteen? The last dungeon didn’t have a level limit for entrance, but this one does. It’s 25, meaning most monsters will be even higher level than that as the group moves in."

Tessa glanced at Kaiden, but before she could reply, Kaiden spoke up himself.

His voice was calm.

"I appreciate your concern, Guildmaster. Truly. And yes, based on what you’ve just said, we’re underleveled. I’m level sixteen. So are my Valkyries. In an ideal situation, you’d have a squad of level 22 to 25 awakened ready to undertake the dungeon."

The woman remained silent.

"But let’s be real here. What’s your alternative? You’ve tried recruiting. Tried reaching out. You’re three weeks away from your promising new guild being erased from the records. I’m guessing the Association won’t be so kind next time."

"You’re not wrong," she admitted.

"So let me ask you this: What’s the worst that could happen if we join the clear? We die and fail? From your perspective, that’s already happening. You don’t have many choices left. But I’m offering one. A wildcard, maybe. But better than nothing."

A pause came.

Then the voice gave a dry, tired, but impressed laugh.

"Alright, Valhalla’s Sinners. You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that."

"Kaiden has already helped my guild out of a bind, and I have nothing but praise to offer for him and his group. For low-level, new mercenaries, they’re as professional as one can get," Tessa spoke up to testify for their trustworthiness.

"I’ll trust your word then, Tessa. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty then."

"Does the dungeon have any other restrictions besides the level limit?" Aria asked.

"It’s a D-tier dungeon with some bloody vampire theme from what my scouts managed to gather, though they only saw the beginning part of it," the guild master replied, but then she added through gritted teeth, frustrated beyond words: "There’s something else, though... As you asked, girl with a pretty voice, yes, there’s a second restriction... It’s a cruel dungeon. It halved the number of admissible people, lowering the maximum capacity to 10 awakened."