I sent invitations to the group chat to both Pharmacist and Hades and waited for them to be accepted. The moment I pressed send, I leaned back slightly, watching the empty text box pulse with anticipation.
A couple of seconds later, both notifications appeared almost simultaneously.
[Pharmacist: Joined the group.]
[Hades: Joined the group.]
[Nexus: Alright, please send the information of your talent, then we'll decide if we'll give you the right to choose the statue's blessing.]
For a moment, the chat was silent. Then, the response came through.
[Hades: OK, here it is.]
And then, a wall of text appeared.
[Talent Name: Heaven and Hell (SS)]
[Talent Effect: When an organism with adequate intelligence dies on your planet, they will be judged to either be sinful or pure. If they are deemed sinful, they will be sent to a separate plane where they will be stored to be used by the god in battle through necromancy. If they are judged pure, they will be sent to a separate plane where they will be trained to either become an apostle, angel, or demi-god.]
[Note 1: Whether an organism becomes an apostle, angel, or demi-god is based on their talent and how much they believe in the god.]
[Note 2: Apostles are reborn on the planet as children. They obtain holy powers from their god, and their objective is to spread their god's name.]
[Note 3: Angels guide the souls of organisms to the two planes. Additionally, they are tasked with fighting alongside the god and demi-gods.]
[Note 4: Demi-gods are beings with divine powers and absolute loyalty. They can never betray their god. Demi-gods can descend onto the mortal plane or remain within the divine realm.]
I stared at the long message, blinking twice as the words sank in.
A slow breath escaped me. "This is insane…" I muttered quietly.
It was the first time I'd seen another SS-ranked talent besides my own. And unlike mine, which focused more on versatility and growth, Hades's ability was pure, terrifying power.
The talent's structure was perfect for both offense and defense, control over life, death, and divinity. A self-sustaining system of resurrection, judgment, and divine reinforcement. The more intelligent life grew on his planet, the more powerful he'd become.
Sure, it wasn't a support-type talent like Pharmacist and I had initially discussed looking for, but that hardly mattered now. If Hades joined, our guild wouldn't just gain strength, it would gain an army.
When I finally tore my gaze from the description, I found Pharmacist already looking at me. Our eyes met, and we both knew exactly what the other was thinking. Without a word, we stood up and walked toward my personal area.
Entering though the door I directly gave Pharmacist temporary access. We both sat down on the floor, facing one another.
"I'll be honest," I said first, breaking the silence. "We need him."
Pharmacist exhaled softly through his nose, his eyes distant. "His talent is monstrous," he said flatly. "Just the ability to create demi-gods automatically… you realize that alone is worth thousands of divinity points?"
"Exactly," I said, leaning forward slightly. "Creating a demi-god artificially from the system shop costs five thousand divinity. Five thousand. And his talent can do it naturally, passively. The potential scaling is absurd."
Pharmacist didn't immediately respond. His gaze was still unfocused, likely scrolling through the details of Hades's ability in his interface. "I agree," he said finally, voice calm but laced with certainty. "I'm willing to give up my right to select the statue's blessing. Feel free to offer it to him."
That was all I needed to hear.
I opened the group chat again and began typing.
[Nexus: Your talent is more than adequate. I'll now send you an invitation to the guild. Please accept.]
The reply came almost immediately.
[Hades: Good.]
A small smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. Confident, direct, and efficient, just like his name suggested.
I navigated to the guild interface and pressed Invite to Guild.
[Invitation Sent]
A faint pulse of light appeared in the air before me, then vanished.
A few seconds later:
[Invitation Accepted]
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest "Recruitment." 5 Guild Points have been awarded.]
The notification faded, replaced by a sense of satisfaction.
"Hades has accepted," I said, standing up. "He'll arrive in the guild hall shortly."
Pharmacist rose as well. "Then let's get ready to welcome him properly."
We made our way back toward the main guild hall. The sound of our footsteps echoed lightly through the corridor, the air thick with a faint golden glow from the torches along the walls.
As we entered the hall, Stardust and Cosmos were still seated at the bar, chatting idly. Both looked up as we approached.
"A new member will be joining us soon," I said, unable to hide the small smile forming on my face.
"Really?" Stardust's eyes lit up. "Nice! That means we can finally buy that statue, right?"
Pharmacist nodded, moving to the counter where a bottle of glowing liquid sat. "Yeah, we can."
He poured three glasses, one for himself, one for me, and one for the new member who would soon arrive. The liquid shimmered faintly with a golden light.
Taking my glass, I gestured for everyone to gather at the round table. Pharmacist took his usual spot on my right, Cosmos on my left, and Stardust sat beside him, excitement shining in his eyes.
Before anyone could speak, the doors creaked open once more.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall.
The man who entered was imposing, tall, easily over two meters, with a physique that looked carved from stone. His dark hair was streaked with faint silver, and a overwhelming aura surrounded him. He looked every bit the name he bore, Hades.
I stood, stepping forward and extending my hand. The moment our palms met, I felt the sheer strength behind his grip, controlled, but powerful enough to crush bone if he wished.
"Welcome," I said, meeting his eyes. "I'm Nexus, leader of Infinite Evolution. And this is Pharmacist, our vice leader."
Pharmacist joined me, offering a polite nod before shaking Hades's hand. "Nice to meet you."
Hades inclined his head slightly, his expression calm but composed. "Likewise."
The others stood to introduce themselves, Cosmos with his usual quiet calm and Stardust with boundless energy. After the brief exchange, we all returned to our seats.
"Alright," I began, pulling up the guild interface again. "We now have enough guild points to purchase the common blessing statue."
A flicker of light filled the room as the system confirmed the purchase.
[Common Blessing Statue: Purchased.]
A divine beam of light descended beside the quest board, illuminating the hall in gold. As it faded, a small statue appeared, about one and a half meters tall, shaped like a miniature planet reminiscent of Earth. Despite its modest size, it radiated a palpable sense of divinity, like the air itself bowed in reverence.
The group fell silent as I approached it.
Reaching out, I placed my hand on the surface. The system prompt appeared before my eyes.
[Please select a common blessing to grant to the guild members' planets.]
[1. Blessing of Fertility]
Effect: Triples the reproduction rate of organisms on your planet.
[2. Blessing of Evolution]
Effect: Doubles the evolution rate of organisms on your planet.
[3. Blessing of Strength]
Effect: Increases the strength of all organisms on your planet by 1.5x.
[4. Blessing of Speed]
Effect: Increases the speed of all organisms on your planet by 1.5x.
[5. Blessing of Intelligence]
Effect: Increases the intelligence of all organisms on your planet by 1.5x.