347 Daruun Broadens Their Horizons (1/2)

Daruun continued, ”As for how you all can grow stronger as a guild, you've already gained one way, thanks to the storehouse. With the addition of the beasts from the storehouse, you've got quite a sizable and fearsome force. With so many different beasts with seventh level bloodlines, they'll be more easily enticed to join the cause and face the rival pantheons.”

”But how can we convince them of that?” Vixus asked. ”That's a tall order that we can't handle at the moment. We're not strong enough to entice them or force them to cooperate. They could even overpower us the moment we let them out of the storehouse.”

”True, but that won't be difficult in time. Once the gods start moving, where do you think they'll want to stay after entering Trodar?” questioned Daruun, leading everyone's train of thought.

”That… Oh… Then the gods would like to rule a floor of the dungeon?” reasoned Vixus.

”Correct, Vixus,” Daruun replied. ”But you'll have to alter all of the circles so that they can go to any of the floors for guild members.”

”Oh, so that's how you want to entice people to join the guild? An excellent strategy,” added Tralon.

”As people come to see if the gods are truly gods and seek pledges like ancient times, they'll be forced to join the guild to do so,” Kims reasoned, catching Vixus off guard. ”Will we be allowed to pledge to gods as well?”

”Of course, you should!” Jack answered. ”Everyone needs to if we're up against such powerful hidden forces!”

Still caught up in the stress of facing such powerful foes, Jack's mind was running laps through his memories, trying to imagine how he and his companions could grow stronger faster. Initially, Jack felt great about becoming lv. 49, but now he felt smaller than a peanut compared to what Jack discovered he was truly up against.

”Calm your mind, Jack. It's not quite so bad at the moment.” Daruun walked over to Jack and placed his hand on Jack's chest. ”Cheer up, will you?”

As Daruun chuckled, strange energy left his hand and filled Jack with vitality. The aching internal organs were calmed and the strained muscles became relaxed. A rush of energy left Jack smiling and sitting up with no pain.

”All I did was heal your exhaustion, Jack, nothing else. I can't wait for you to heal naturally as I have other matters to handle in a few days,” laughed Daruun. ”As for your worries about the association and the syndicate, calm them for now. Remember, this war goes three ways. Who said that you had to face both sides head-on?”

Feeling at ease physically and mentally, Jack finally grinned. ”You have a point there… Since you're so calm, does that mean you've got a way for me to get stronger faster? And for the guild members to do the same?”

”So long as there's a chance, I guess I feel better,” sighed Jack.

”Also, hurry up and check your notifications,” Daruun mentioned. ”You'll discover something on your own without needing my help.”

Following Daruun's advice, Jack crossed his legs on the bedroll and opened his notifications tab. Immediately, Jack's jaw almost hit the floor.

[It's all In the eye of the beholder: completed]

[Persuade a beholder, one of the most intelligent beasts, to party with you for a dungeon run. Hidden reward: 500 skill points.]

”Daruun… what's the meaning of this?” Jack asked the god beside him.

Daruun patted Jack on the shoulder. ”What do you think it means, Jack?”

”That…”

Jack kept the rest of his thoughts to himself, as this pertained to ”A Hero's Tale” and would be very difficult to explain to the others. But in the depths of his own mind, Jack dove headfirst into the rabbit hole that Daruun had presented him.

The most jarring thing about that achievement wasn't how many skill points that Jack had earned, nor was it the fact that it was labeled as hidden. What stunned Jack the most was how that was one of the peskiest achievements Jack had ever completed in ”A Hero's Tale”. To complete that achievement, Jack spent more than an entire day feeding beholders until one finally started to follow him around. Then, Jack immediately led it into a low-level dungeon and had the beholder chase him all the way through.

But the fact that Jack had just achieved the same crazy in-game achievement in real life was a lot to take in.

”Jack, I can't tell you what achievements are hidden within the system, but know that all hidden achievements are from there as well,” added Daruun, bring Jack's attention back to the room. ”Also, you forgot to look at the new event.”

”What?” After a quick glance at a new achievement he unlocked, Jack looked back to Daruun. ”Are you serious?”

”Completely.”

Looking back to the new event achievement, Jack took a deep breath.