Walking into the guild hall, I found that Cosmos and Stardust were still there, sitting at the bar and chatting casually as if they didn't have a care in the world.
Seeing me approach, Stardust raised his hand in greeting. "Yo, boss," he said with that usual grin of his, already reaching under the counter to pour me a drink. The sound of liquid hitting glass was oddly comforting, and when he slid the cup across the counter, the familiar blue glow of the drink brought a faint smile to my face.
"Thanks," I said, taking it from him. "You two can keep talking, I just need to check on something."
They both nodded, going back to their conversation as I took my drink to the round table in the center of the hall. Sitting down, I opened the system interface and navigated straight to my private messages.
The notification counter in the corner mocked me, 351 unread messages.
With a sigh, I opened the first one.
[Sphinx: Boss Nexus, I may not have an A-rank talent, but I'm willing to offer you something else. (Image)]
The attached image loaded, and the moment I saw it, I shut the tab without hesitation.
"Of course," I muttered, taking a sip of my drink. "Of course it's that kind of message."
I didn't even bother replying. There was no point. The number of people willing to offer their bodies instead of their skills to join a guild was staggering, and depressing. And it wasn't even limited to women. Some men had sent similar offers, which honestly just made it worse.
Humanity had truly fallen.
Taking a deep gulp of the glowing liquid, I leaned back and rubbed my temples. "Is it really that hard to find someone with actual talent?"
I continued scrolling through message after message, requests, pleas, flattery, bribes, even poems. After the first hundred, they all blurred together into the same desperate noise. The more I read, the less hope I had that anyone useful would actually show up.
By the time I reached the three hundred and fiftieth message, I was ready to just close the interface entirely. Then, the next message caught my eye.
[Hades: I'm willing to join your guild, but I have conditions.]
I blinked, rereading it.
The name alone made me raise an eyebrow. "Hades? Really?" I muttered to myself. Whoever this was clearly thought highly of themselves, or had a flair for the dramatic. Either way, naming yourself after the Greek god of the underworld was... something.
Still, there was something different about this one. His message wasn't desperate, nor was it groveling. The tone was confident, composed, even a bit commanding. It had the weight of someone who knew they had something worth offering.
For the first time in the last hour, I actually felt intrigued.
[Nexus: And what conditions are these?]
The reply came within seconds.
[Hades: It's to my understanding that there's an item in the guild shop called the Common Blessing Statue. I will join your guild if I can select the blessing granted by that statue.]
I hummed quietly, setting my cup down. The request was interesting, specific, even. Most applicants begged for positions or special treatment, but this one wanted control over an item. Someone who did their homework and actually read the guild inventory. That was already a good sign.
Of course, there was a problem. I had already promised the blessing to Pharmacist, one of our key members. But knowing him, he might be willing to give up that claim if it meant recruiting another strong god into the guild.
I decided to test the waters.
[Nexus: That can be arranged, as long as your talent is strong enough. Are you willing to disclose what your talent is?]
A few seconds passed. Then a minute. Then two.
Just as I was about to assume he wasn't going to answer, a notification appeared.
[Hades: Fine. Give me a sec to take a screenshot.]
A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. "He's cautious," I murmured. "Good. I like cautious."
I typed another message quickly before he could send anything.
[Nexus: Wait a sec, I'm gonna bring you into a group chat with my vice leader. If you really want that blessing, then you'll need to reveal your talent in front of both of us.]
There was a short pause before he replied.
[Hades: Fine.]
I leaned back in my chair, tapping the rim of my glass thoughtfully. For the first time since I opened those endless messages, I felt a flicker of excitement.
Finally, someone who didn't just beg or flirt their way in, someone who might actually deserve a seat at the table.
As Stardust and Cosmos laughed about something at the bar behind me, I couldn't help but smirk faintly. Maybe this "Hades" would turn out to be a pretentious waste of time. Or maybe, just maybe, he'd be the kind of god the guild needed.
Either way, things were about to get interesting.
Reopening the chat function, I quickly searched through the list of gods until I found Pharmacist. Without wasting time, I sent him a message.
[Nexus: I found an interesting god. Can you come to the guild hall? I'll add you to a group chat.]
The reply came faster than I expected, barely a few seconds later.
[Pharmacist: Understood.]
He really did check his messages constantly. Reliable as always.
A minute later, the guild hall doors opened, and the familiar figure of Pharmacist stepped inside. His calm expression never changed as he approached and took the seat beside me at the round table.
"The god I mentioned seems promising," I began, swirling the last of the glowing blue drink in my glass. "But he's asking for the right to choose the blessing granted by the statue once we buy it. What do you think?"
Pharmacist paused, eyes narrowing slightly as he considered my words. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "If his talent is truly worth it, I'd be willing to give up my right to select the blessing." His tone was even, practical, just like him.
A small grin formed on my face. "I thought you'd say that."
With his approval secured, I brought up the system interface once more and created a new group chat between the three of us, Nexus, Pharmacist, and the mysterious Hades.
It was time to see whether this newcomer was truly worth the price.