"What the hell?"
Lucas stared at the flashing guild notification, utterly baffled.
Why was there another vice president?
And not just anyone—Amelia Su, the same girl who used to be cautious about even approaching SS-level guilds, was now… in his guild? And already promoted to vice president?
Wait… did this mean he was being replaced?
Lucas immediately pulled up the guild's management page. His eyes scanned the list of positions—relief washed over him when he saw his title unchanged. He was still vice president. His beloved motorcycle was safe. No one was taking it away from him.
He smirked to himself. Once you'd ridden something like this, there was no going back to walking on your own two feet.
Come to think of it, it actually made sense. A sixth-level, medium-sized guild wouldn't realistically run with only one vice president. Larger guilds typically had five or six vice presidents, and the giants—like the Prosperity Guild—had eight or nine.
Their own guild, the Tower Demolition Team, had been founded by Jade Walker only four years ago. It still had a relatively small roster, hadn't reached peak development, and ran with a pretty basic power structure. In other words, Jade was still doing almost everything herself—from high-level strategy to what probably felt like metaphorical floor-mopping.
It wasn't unusual for her to pull more people into leadership roles. Even Emily Frost, the logistics director, handled plenty of the behind-the-scenes work.
Lucas rubbed his chin, curiosity growing. His own position wasn't threatened—Jade had personally appointed him as her successor. That was as close to a guaranteed spot as you could get. What he couldn't figure out was why Amelia Su—a top-tier SS-level talent—would join their smaller guild instead of the elite offers she was surely getting.
It couldn't be for the perks. Even if Jade offered her the vice president title, major guilds could tempt her with far more—prestige, resources, and even presidential candidacy down the line.
A talent like hers, especially as an SS-level Holy Shield Knight, was someone the Prosperity Guild itself had been eyeing seriously. Lucas knew Logan Barrett, one of Prosperity's executives, had promised her huge opportunities—possibly even grooming her for the guild's top position someday.
So… why choose Tower Demolition?
Lucas's eyebrows rose. "Could it be… because of me?"
It made a strange kind of sense. He'd joined recently, and almost immediately afterward, Amelia followed. That timing was suspiciously perfect.
Maybe Jade had met her right after Lucas left headquarters, and Amelia had agreed on the spot?
He shook his head. Enough guessing—he could just call and ask. If anyone had the authority to promote her instantly, it would be Jade.
Lucas pulled out his phone and dialed Amelia Su.
---
"Brother Lucas?"
Her bright voice answered almost instantly. He could hear background noise—Jade was definitely nearby.
And then Amelia laughed. "See? I told you he'd call."
Lucas blinked. You… bet on me calling? Really?
Her tone was pure sunshine. "Hehe, brother Lucas, you and I are guildmates now!"
Her cheer was infectious as she quickly explained how she'd joined.
"…Well, that's… unexpected." Lucas leaned back against his motorcycle seat. He truly hadn't anticipated that his own decision to join would influence Amelia so strongly. The realization made something in his chest tighten.
He'd been so focused on his own choices, he'd never even asked her where she wanted to go. Yet she'd apparently been considering him the whole time.
Her voice on the other end radiated excitement, and Lucas felt himself smiling. This was, without a doubt, good news.
After all, he'd been… let's say "interested" in Amelia for a while. Of course, only in the most noble, purely professional sense… probably. Regardless, having her in the guild was a massive advantage.
An SS-level Holy Shield Knight like Amelia meant that his future strategy teams would have unshakable defense. It also meant Jade Walker had been thinking ahead—snagging Amelia now was a move that showed serious foresight.
But then… Lucas thought back to Jade's earlier behavior that day. The way she'd suddenly called him in, how well she'd dressed—had this all been part of her plan?
He clicked his tongue. "You really can't underestimate that woman."
They chatted for a while longer, Lucas making plans to meet Amelia in person when he returned. Then they hung up.
---
Before slipping his phone away, Lucas remembered something else—today was the deadline to give Logan Barrett and President Sun of Prosperity Guild his final answer.
He scrolled to Logan's number and hit call.
"Lucas?" Logan's tone wasn't as warm as usual, like he already knew what was coming.
"President Sun, I'm sorry," Lucas said clearly. "I've decided not to join your guild. Thank you for your offer."
"…I see."
There was no surprise in Logan's voice. "You've joined Jade Walker's Tower Demolition Team, haven't you?"
"That's right."
Lucas knew big guilds kept close tabs on each other's recruitment efforts—especially during this season. There was no way his move could have stayed hidden. Still, he made the call out of respect.
"Then congratulations, Mr. Lucas," Logan said politely. "I wish you a bright future and hope to see you reach the top 100 soon."
Lucas chuckled. "Thank you, President Sun. I wish the Prosperity Guild continued success as well."
They ended the call after a brief exchange.
---
Lucas stared at his phone. Top 100?
That kind of thinking was exactly what Jade had warned him about. President Sun already saw level 100 as the ultimate limit—a subconscious ceiling. But Lucas wasn't interested in ceilings.
He had joined Tower Demolition for bigger goals. He would clear the 100th floor of the Mysterious Tower and unlock whatever came next—no matter how high it went.
He slipped his phone into his space backpack, eyes narrowing at the monsters ahead. Time to grind.
First goal: hit level 40 as quickly as possible and qualify for the second round of challenges.
---
What Lucas didn't realize was that Logan Barrett was far less calm after that call than he'd sounded.
He set his phone down, gripping it tightly, jaw clenched. "Jade Walker! You crazy woman, why are you always in my way…"
The frustration boiled over—he nearly slammed the phone into the floor.
A talent like Lucas, with his kind of future, was rare. And Jade had stolen him away. Not just that—she was dragging him into dangerous plans involving the Mysterious Tower.
"Madness… she's going to ruin him," Logan muttered, pacing.
---
Before he could settle down, his phone rang again.
He answered—and the words that came next hit him like a hammer.
"President! Bad news! That SS-level Holy Shield Knight we've been targeting… she's joined the Tower Demolition Team Guild!"
"WHAT?!"
This time, Logan didn't just almost drop his phone—he smashed it to pieces.
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