Morning arrived with unexpected fanfare. When Sanji descended to the inn's common room, he found it packed with players far more than usual. They turned to stare as he entered, conversations dying mid-sentence.
"That's him," someone whispered. "The scout who cleared the Whispering Depths."
"Level eleven already..."
"Did you see his sword? That's legendary-tier..."
The attention made Sanji uncomfortable. He'd never been one for spotlight, even in the real world. He grabbed a quick breakfast and retreated to a corner table where Yuki and Akane were already waiting.
"We're famous," Akane said with a weak smile. "I don't like it."
"Fame means target," Yuki said quietly. "Every guild will be watching us now. Recruiting us or eliminating us."
She was right. Through the morning crowd, Sanji noticed several players wearing different guild insignias not just Crimson Fangs, but Red Talons, Iron Brotherhood, and others. All watching, all assessing.
"We need to disappear for a while," Sanji said. "Get out of the village, find remote grinding spots where we won't be observed."
"Agreed," Yuki said. "I've been researching. There's an area called the Kurai Wasteland, northeast of here. Level twelve to fifteen monsters. Supposedly cursed, which is why most players avoid it."
"Perfect," Sanji said. "Cursed means empty. We can level in peace."
They were finalizing their plans when Kenji approached their table, looking nervous. "Sanji, can we talk? Privately?"
Through his enhanced perception, Sanji noted Kenji's elevated heart rate, the way his eyes kept darting to the door. Something had him spooked.
"Walk with me," Sanji said, standing.
They stepped outside into the morning air. Kenji led them away from the main street, into a quiet alley.
"The Crimson Fangs came to me last night," Kenji said without preamble. "Ryoga himself. He asked about you your abilities, your party composition, your intentions."
"What did you tell him?"
"Nothing specific. But Sanji, he knows about your Game Master's Eye. I don't know how, but he knows you can see hidden things. He's very interested in recruiting you."
"I'm not joining the Crimson Fangs."
"That's what I figured you'd say." Kenji's expression was grim. "Which is why I'm warning you. Ryoga doesn't take rejection well. If you won't join him, he'll try to eliminate you as a potential rival. You and your entire party."
Sanji felt cold anger building. "Let him try."
"Don't underestimate them," Kenji urged. "The Crimson Fangs have grown to sixty members. Many are level eight or nine. Ryoga himself is level ten now, and he has a legendary weapon too—he got it from some hidden quest. In a direct confrontation, you'd lose."
"Then we won't have a direct confrontation. We'll be smart. Stay mobile, avoid their territory, keep a low profile."
"There's more," Kenji said. "The guilds are forming an alliance. Crimson Fangs, Red Talons, and Iron Brotherhood. They're calling it the Three Fang Coalition. They're planning to control all the major leveling areas, dungeons, and resources. Anyone who doesn't join pays tribute or gets killed."
This was worse than Sanji had thought. Three guilds working together meant potentially two hundred players under unified command. That was a small army.
"What about the Free Blades?" Sanji asked.
"Hana's trying to organize resistance, but it's hard. Independent players are scattered, suspicious of each other. She's got maybe thirty people committed, but that's nothing compared to the coalition."
Sanji's mind raced through scenarios. A war was coming not against monsters, but between players. And his party was caught in the middle.
"Thanks for the warning," Sanji said. "Be careful, Kenji. If they know you're passing information to me..."
"I know the risks." Kenji managed a slight smile. "You saved my life. Least I can do is watch your back."
After Kenji left, Sanji returned to his party and shared the information. Their expressions darkened as they absorbed the implications.
"We need to accelerate our plans," Yuki said. "Get to the World Tree before the coalition can organize fully."
"We're level eleven," Takeshi pointed out. He'd joined them for breakfast and was now a permanent fixture of their planning sessions. "The World Tree is a hundred floors. We'd die on floor ten."
"Not if we're smart about it," Sanji countered. "Dungeons scale. The first floors are always easier than the later ones. We could potentially clear the first twenty or thirty floors now, then come back stronger for the rest."
"Or we could die on floor five because we're underleveled," Mei said quietly. She'd been largely silent since the Whisperer King fight, but she was steadier now, more focused.
"There's no perfect answer," Sanji admitted. "Every choice has risk. But I'd rather risk death fighting for answers than live as someone's subject."
Through the Party Link, he felt their agreement. They were with him, whatever he decided.
"One week," Yuki proposed. "We grind the Kurai Wasteland for one week. Push to level thirteen or fourteen. Then we scout the World Tree entrance. If it looks manageable, we attempt the first floors. If not, we grind more."
It was a reasonable compromise. "Agreed. We leave today."
They spent the morning preparing buying supplies, repairing equipment, studying maps of the wasteland. The NPC merchant who sold them antidotes and potions warned them about the Kurai Wasteland.
"Cursed land," the NPC said, shaking his head. "The dead don't stay dead there. Monsters revive unless properly destroyed. Many adventurers have been lost."
"We'll be careful," Sanji assured him.
By midday, they were ready to depart. But as they approached the north gate, they found their path blocked.
Ryoga stood there with ten Crimson Fang members, all level eight or higher. The guild leader's expression was pleasant, but his eyes were cold.
"Leaving so soon?" Ryoga asked. "We were hoping to speak with you about a partnership opportunity."
"Not interested," Sanji said flatly, hand moving to his sword.
"Don't be hasty. The Crimson Fangs can offer protection, resources, and opportunities you won't find as independents. We're building something here a real civilization in Alkhali World. Don't you want to be part of it?"
"Under your control? No thanks."
Ryoga's smile didn't waver, but something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "That's disappointing. I'd hoped you'd be reasonable. You see, we can't have wildcards running around with legendary equipment and unique abilities. It destabilizes our carefully planned ecosystem."
"Your ecosystem of extortion and murder?" Yuki said coldly.
"Of order and survival," Ryoga corrected. "This world is brutal. Someone needs to organize it, protect the weak, establish rules. That's what we're doing. If you're not with us, you're against us."
The ten guild members spread out, subtly surrounding Sanji's party. It wasn't an overt attack position yet, but it was close.
Sanji's Game Master's Eye analyzed the situation rapidly. Five of them were warriors, three were mages, two were rangers. Ryoga himself was a duelist high damage, high mobility. In a straight fight, even with legendary gear, Sanji's party would be overwhelmed.
But they didn't have to fight straight.
"We're not your enemies," Sanji said, buying time while his mind worked. "We just want to survive and find a way home. That doesn't threaten your guild."
"Everything threatens us if we don't control it," Ryoga said. "That's the nature of power. So I'll make this simple: join us willingly, or we'll make you join. We have ways of ensuring cooperation."
"Slavery," Akane spat. "You're talking about slavery."
"I'm talking about structure in a world without rules. Don't be naive this was always going to happen. Players with power will dominate those without. The only question is which side you're on."
Sanji saw the attack coming a split-second before it happened. One of the Crimson Fang mages began casting not at them, but at the ground between them. A trap spell, meant to immobilize.
"Move!" Sanji shouted.
His party scattered just as magical chains erupted from the cobblestones. The chains missed, but now the pretense was over. Combat had begun.
"Take them alive if possible!" Ryoga commanded. "We can still convert them!"
The Crimson Fang warriors charged. Sanji activated Reality Slash, his legendary sword cutting through the magical barriers two mages had erected. The barriers shattered, disrupting their casting.
Yuki cast Ice Bolt at the ground, creating a slick surface. Two warriors slipped and fell. Akane fired arrows into the crowd, not aiming to kill but to disrupt and scatter.
"Through the gate!" Sanji commanded. "Get outside the village!"
They ran. The Crimson Fangs gave chase, but Sanji's party had superior coordination through their Party Link. They moved as one organism, anticipating each other's actions.
Outside the village walls, the safe zone ended. PvP was fully enabled.
Ryoga and his guild emerged moments later, weapons drawn and spells ready.
"Last chance," Ryoga called. "Surrender now, and I promise you'll be treated well in the guild."
"Go to hell," Takeshi said, raising his shield.
"So be it." Ryoga drew his own legendary weapon a rapier that crackled with lightning. "Attack."
What followed was chaos.
Three mages cast simultaneously, their spells converging on Sanji's party. He used Reality Slash to cut through two of them, but the third a fire blast connected with Takeshi. -87 HP.
Mei immediately healed him. +60 HP.
The warriors charged. Sanji met them with his legendary sword, parrying three attacks in rapid succession. His enhanced perception let him see their moves before they completed them, turning what should have been overwhelming force into manageable defense.
Yuki cast Absolute Zero, freezing two attackers solid for five seconds. Akane used the opening to land critical hits on a mage. -134 HP, -142 HP. The mage fell back, drinking a potion.
But they were still outnumbered more than two to one.
Ryoga watched from the back, analyzing, learning their capabilities. He was patient, calculating. A dangerous opponent.
Sanji made a decision. They couldn't win this fight, but they could make it too costly for the Crimson Fangs to continue.
"Yuki, Blizzard on my mark!" he called through the Party Link. "Everyone else, retreat north the moment she casts!"
He charged Ryoga directly, drawing the guild leader's attention. Ryoga's eyes widened slightly surprised by the audacity then he engaged.
Their legendary weapons clashed, lightning and truth colliding. Ryoga was good, better than Sanji expected. His rapier moved like a striking snake, forcing Sanji onto the defensive.
"You have potential," Ryoga said conversationally while attacking. "Wasted on independence. I could make you my second-in-command. Together, we could rule Alkhali World."
"I don't want to rule anything," Sanji gasped, blocking a particularly vicious thrust. "I want to go home."
"There is no home anymore. The sooner you accept that, the better."
Ryoga's rapier found a gap in Sanji's defense, scoring a hit on his shoulder. -94 HP. Lightning damage jolted through his system, applying a brief stun.
In that moment of vulnerability, Ryoga could have killed him. But he didn't. He stepped back, proving his point that he could eliminate Sanji whenever he chose.
"Now!" Sanji shouted through the Party Link.
Yuki, who'd been preparing the spell while pretending to be on the defensive, released it. "Blizzard!"
The temperature plummeted. Ice and snow erupted across the battlefield, catching all ten guild members and Ryoga in the area of effect.
-127 HP appeared above each of them repeatedly as the storm raged.
"Go!" Sanji yelled.
His party ran north, into the wilderness, while the Crimson Fangs struggled through the blizzard. By the time the spell ended, they had a two-hundred-yard head start.
"After them!" Ryoga commanded, fury breaking through his calm façade.
But Sanji's party knew the terrain Yuki had studied maps for days. They ducked into a narrow ravine, then through a cave system that emerged miles away. The chase continued for thirty minutes before they finally lost their pursuers.
When they finally stopped to rest, hidden in a dense thicket, they were all breathing hard and nursing wounds.
"That was closer than I'd like," Takeshi said.
"We made an enemy today," Yuki observed. "Ryoga won't forget this."
"Let him remember," Sanji said, his jaw set. "We won't be intimidated. We won't be controlled."
Through the Party Link, he felt their agreement.
They'd burned their bridges now. The Crimson Fangs would hunt them. Other guilds would hear about the confrontation and choose sides.
But they were free. And they would stay that way.
The Kurai Wasteland beckoned dangerous, cursed, and far from guild territories.
To be continued...