The Royal Palace of Tyria was no longer a seat of government; it was a loot piñata that had just burst.
Elian stood in the center of the Grand Plaza, watching the aftermath of the raid. It was messy. Groups of players were squabbling over territory. A group of Mages had barricaded themselves in the Royal Library, demanding payment for anyone who wanted to read a Skill Book. A gang of Warriors had taken over the smithy, monopolizing weapon repairs.
"Society is fragmenting," Elian observed. "Without a central authority, they're reverting to tribalism. It's inefficient."
"Analysis," Query chimed in. "Social cohesion has dropped by 45%. PK (Player Killing) incidents have risen by 300% in the last hour. Users are fighting for resources rather than cooperating."
"They need structure," Elian said. "They need payroll, benefits, and middle management."
He raised his hand. The blue circuits on his coat pulsed.
"Query, load [Module: Guild_System_v1.0]. And let's repurpose the old Chancery building. It's boring enough to look like an administrative center."
[The Chancery Building - 10 Minutes Later]
The massive stone building on the edge of the plaza rumbled. Dust fell from the eaves as Elian rewrote its architecture in real-time.
The wooden doors dissolved, replaced by automatic glass sliders (a stylistic choice Elian missed from Earth). A neon blue sign flickered into existence above the entrance:
[THE ADVENTURER'S ASSOCIATION]
Inside, Elian generated a row of reception desks. Behind them, he spawned three NPCs. They weren't complex AI; they were simple constructs with pleasant smiles and dead eyes.
[Receptionist_01 (NPC)]
[Receptionist_02 (NPC)]
[Guild_Registrar (NPC)]
"Global Announcement," Elian commanded.
PING.
Every player in the city—and the surrounding zones—stopped what they were doing as a massive window appeared in the sky.
[SYSTEM UPDATE 1.1: THE GUILD AGE]
1. The Adventurer's Association is now Open.
Register as an official Adventurer to receive Daily Quests.
Sell monster parts for Credits safely.
2. The Guild System is Live.
Form permanent alliances.
Gain access to [Guild Chat], [Guild Bank], and [Guild Buffs].
Capture and hold Territory.
The squabbling in the plaza died down. Eyes turned toward the new building.
"Guilds?" a rogue muttered, reading the patch notes. "Like... clans?"
"Better," Elian's voice projected from the steps of the Association. He stood there, no longer disguised as a scholar, but wearing his Administrator's coat. He needed them to respect the institution.
"A Clan is a group of friends," Elian addressed the gathering crowd. "A Guild is an incorporated entity recognized by the System. You want to survive the next World Boss? You won't do it as a mob. You'll do it as an army."
He held up a glowing, golden geometric object.
[Guild Creation Token]
It was the item that had dropped from the King's chest, which Elian had discreetly snagged with [Admin_Loot_Priority] while everyone was chasing the kid with the crown.
"This is the key," Elian said. "Only a Token can create a Guild. And right now, there is only one."
A hush fell over the crowd. Kaelen, the Vanguard from Riverbend, stepped forward from the throng. His armor was battered, and his unique sword was humming.
"Lord Elian," Kaelen said, bowing slightly. "You hold the Token. Who will you grant it to? The strong? The rich?"
Master Galt, the merchant who had lost his fortune in the currency crash, pushed his way to the front. "I bid 50,000 Gold Coins for it! I will form the Merchant's Union!"
"I bid my axe!" a massive barbarian shouted.
"Give it to the Crimson Slayers! We did the most DPS!"
Elian looked at the crowd. He looked at Galt, whose greed was palpable. He looked at the barbarian, whose eyes promised violence.
Then he looked at Kaelen, who had organized the defense of Riverbend and tanked the King to save the others.
"The System rewards competence, not just stats," Elian said.
He tossed the Token through the air.
It spiraled over Galt's reaching hands. It flew past the barbarian's grasp.
Kaelen caught it.
"Kaelen of Riverbend," Elian announced. "You led the defense when others fled. You established the first Safe Zone. You are now the first Guild Master."
Kaelen stared at the token. A holographic prompt appeared before him.
[Guild Creation Token Detected.]
[Do you wish to establish a Guild?]
[Input Guild Name:]
Kaelen looked at his friends—the survivors of Riverbend, the soldiers of the Royal Guard who had defected.
"We are the shield that protects the weak," Kaelen said firmly. He typed into the air.
[Guild Created: THE VANGUARD]
[Guild Master: Kaelen]
[Tag:
A shockwave of blue light erupted from Kaelen. Above his head, the text
Elian turned to the crowd. "The Vanguard is now the premier organization of Tyria. If you join them, you gain their protection. But you also follow their rules."
He gestured to the Association building. "For the rest of you... find more Tokens. They drop from Dungeon Bosses. If you want power, go earn it."
[Inside the System Interface: Guild Mechanics]
As Kaelen activated the Guild, Elian walked him through the UI, ensuring the crowd could see the projection.
"This is your dashboard," Elian explained, pointing to the massive hologram.
1. The Roster
Shows all members, their Level, Class, and current Location.
Ranks: Guild Master, Officer, Veteran, Member, Initiate.
Permissions: The GM can set who can withdraw from the Guild Bank.
2. The Tech Tree
Guilds earn Guild XP (GXP) by completing quests and killing bosses.
Level 1 Tech:
Swift Foot: +5% Movement Speed for all members.
Bounty Hunter: +5% Gold drop rate.
Level 10 Tech:
Teleport Anchor: Create a permanent warp point for members.
3. The Guild Bank
A shared inventory of 1,000 slots.
"Stop carrying 50 wolf pelts," Elian advised. "Dump them in the bank. Let your Crafters use them to make armor for your Tank."
4. The Tax Rate
"This is the controversial part," Elian grinned.
The Guild Master can set a Tax Rate (0-20%).
Example: If set to 10%, whenever a member picks up 100 Gold, 10 Gold goes directly to the Guild Bank to fund repairs and upgrades.
"Ten percent?" Galt the Merchant scoffed from the crowd. "That is robbery!"
"It's the price of civilization," Kaelen retorted. He set the tax to 5%. "Vanguard members! Deposit your spare gear in the bank. We equip our low-levels first!"
The effect was immediate. Solo players, realizing they couldn't compete with a group that shared loot and buffs, began clamoring to join.
[Request to join
[Request to join
Kaelen looked overwhelmed. "Lord Elian, there are hundreds."
"Delegate," Elian said, walking toward the door. "Pick Officers. Make them do the work. I'm just tech support."
[The Global Chat: Reaction]
[Xx_Slayer_xX]: WTB Guild Token! 500 Credits!
[Merchant_Galt]: Recruiting for
[Lonely_Wizard]: Looking for a Guild that focuses on Magic research. No warriors allowed.
[Troll_42]: lol imagine paying taxes in a video game.
Elian stepped out of the crowd, leaving Kaelen to manage his new empire. He walked to the edge of the plaza where the "Quest Board" had been erected.
Currently, it was auto-generating simple quests: Kill 10 Rats, Collect 5 Herbs.
Elian placed his hand on the board. "Let's spice it up."
[Admin Command: Generate_Quest_Chain]
[Target: Global]
New paper requests materialized on the board, glowing with a menacing purple hue.
[A-Rank Quest: The Whispering Mines]
[Location: Northern Mountains]
[Objective: Investigate the source of the Void Signal.]
[Recommended Level: 10+]
[Reward: Guild Creation Token x1, Rare Weapon Box x1]
"That should keep the power-gamers busy," Elian muttered.
He felt a vibration in his pocket—his communication rune. It wasn't Kaelen. It was a direct ping from the System Core.
"Alert," Query said, its voice dropping an octave. "Anomaly detected. A User has bypassed the Level Cap restrictions."
Elian froze. "Impossible. The cap is hard-coded to Level 10 for the first week."
"User ID: Unknown. Location: The Southern Deserts. Current Level: 15."
Elian's eyes narrowed. "Someone found an exploit. Or..."
He looked at the sky, where the purple Void stars were beginning to twinkle.
"...or someone isn't playing by my rules."
Elian engaged his flight protocol. "I need to go south. Kaelen has the city. I need to handle the hacker."
System Data: Guild Association Rules
1. Founding a Guild:
Requires: [Guild Creation Token] (Drop rate: 0.01% from Raid Bosses).
Fee: 1,000 System Credits.
Minimum Members: 1.
2. Guild Wars:
A Guild can declare war on another.
Duration: 24 Hours.
Rules: PK penalties are disabled between warring guilds. Killing a rival member steals 1% of their current XP.
Purpose: Territory control and resource disputes.
3. The Contribution Point (CP) System:
Members earn CP by donating items, gold, or completing Guild Quests.
CP is used to "buy" items from the Guild Bank (prevents theft).
Example: You want that Blue-rarity Sword in the bank? It costs 500 CP. Go farm herbs for the guild to earn the points.