CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 66: THE GUILD’S REWARDS

The warmth of Tala’s body and the scent of sex and sweat enveloped me, a sweet and salty mixture that made me feel hot again. We were lying down, our bodies intertwined as I hugged her from behind, caressing her buttocks, but the peace I felt at that moment was the best reward of all. Calm reigned, and only the soft crackling of the wood in the forge broke the silence, creating an intimate and romantic atmosphere.

Suddenly, a shrill voice broke the stillness.

"Tala! Tala! Can I come in?" It was Seraph, and her voice sounded desperate.

Tala, with a growl, sat up a little and yelled at her. "I’m busy, Seraph! What the hell do you need?"

"They’re all awake!" Seraph replied. "The matriarch too! They’re all at the obelisk!"

That sentence woke me up completely. The peace vanished, replaced by a sense of responsibility. I got up with a start, grabbing my clothes from the floor and dressing in a hurry, almost tripping over my pants. Tala looked at me, confused, but said nothing. My mind was already at the obelisk.

"See you later," I said, and ran out of the hut.

As I left, I saw Seraph looking at me, still confused. I gave her a kind smile and, nervously, blurted out: "Um... we were just reviewing some matters for the next battle."

Seraph’s look told me she clearly didn’t believe me, although it might have been better if my clothes weren’t a mess and my hair wasn’t tangled from the pulls Tala gave me in bed yesterday.

I gave a nervous laugh before running off again.

When I arrived at the obelisk, the place was full of people. The warriors, now out of their combat armor, were standing with radiant smiles on their faces, their bodies looking healthy and more vital than before the war. The matriarch was also there, looking just as animated. The other village women, who had not participated in the GRB, were surrounding them, their eyes filled with questions and anticipation.

They all turned when they saw me. They greeted me with salutes and smiles, their voices resonating with palpable relief. The village women looked at me with the same curiosity.

I approached Manaia, gave her a nod, and said, "Take care of the explanation. Explain everything that happened."

She nodded with a smile on her face, since she had not dared to speak about the GRB without my permission, as the secrets of the high command were a taboo. Now, without that pressure, they all started talking about what had happened, and you could feel how they had been holding back from telling the details of the battle.

While she began to speak, I approached the obelisk and placed my hand on its cold surface. I wanted to see the rewards and the guild’s status.

The notification panels opened before my eyes, and the first line filled me with joy and relief.

[Hero´s Guild Ranking #1]

My heart swelled. We had done it. We had reached the top, despite everything. I felt a wave of satisfaction. But at the same time, a little voice in my head reminded me that our victory was largely a fluke. The enemies were demons, a race weak to my [Sanctuary of Life] ability. If they had been any other race, it’s possible we would not have been able to survive this challenge.

I lowered my gaze, and below the ranking, the rewards were listed:

[100,000 GRB Points]

[Guild Up to Lvl 9 Privilege]

[All guild functions unlocked]

[Guild Hall Unlocked]

I analyzed each point. The Level 9 privilege was a huge advantage, exclusive to the GRB winner. It would only last for 15 days, until the next GRB, but in that time we could use all the guild’s functions, something we had not yet fully explored.

What caught my attention the most was the [Guild Hall Unlocked]. When I opened the description, the requirements appeared on the screen:

[Cores 0/100,000]

[Gold 0/1,000,000]

[Wood 0/1 Ton]

[Stone 0/5 Tons]

According to the description, once the total amount of materials was collected, I could create the guild hall in a location I chose.

My eyes moved from the screen to the village that stretched out below my feet. The houses were huts, the beds were straw, and the children played in the dirt. I remembered the lizard-woman’s village, its stone houses and comforts, and I felt ashamed. The difference was enormous. A new feeling grew in my chest: the desire to give them something better.

Tears of joy welled up in my eyes. It wasn’t just victory; it wasn’t just revenge. It was the opportunity to give all these women and their children a real home, a safe and comfortable place they deserved. A place we could build with our own hands.

Jax finished reviewing the rewards and, with the same gesture, slid his hand over the obelisk’s surface to see the status of the guild members.

[Jax Hero Lvl 75]

[Manaia Healer Lvl 72]

[Lira Archer Lvl 70]

[Anya Mage Lvl 71]

...

...

The list went on, and most of the warriors ranged between level 70 and 71. The result was amazing. Jax was overwhelmed with joy and relief. He no longer needed to be afraid of them getting hurt; they were now strong enough to sweep away the monsters around the village. For him, the GRB was a gold mine, a paradise of EXP, rewards, and guild upgrades.

What Jax didn’t know was that for the rest of the world, the GRB had been hell on earth. Unlike the Hero’s Guild, which achieved first place by a gigantic margin, the other guilds had not opted for such a radical strategy as a frontal battle against the demonic horde.

All the other guilds, hoping to resist, closed their gates and used the water ditches to attack enemies from a distance. However, as the hours passed, their mages and archers grew tired. The relentless demons kept advancing further and further until they reached the castle gate. Knowing it was impossible to stop them, most of the guilds abandoned their position and scattered in search of individual rewards.

When the demons finally broke through the gates, all the remaining guilds tried to hold the line but were brutally besieged. The carnage was total. Guild casualties exceeded 90%, and the few survivors were left with deep mental scars. The GRB was a massacre for them, an experience that shattered their souls and left them with the trauma of a hell they only escaped by a hair’s breadth.

Only someone as powerful as the Hero could consider the GRB a gold mine and not a slaughter. Unlike the Hero’s Guild, which had killed 100% of its enemies, the other guilds had barely managed to eliminate an average of 16.45%. Furthermore, casualties were 0% for the Hero’s Guild and 93.5% for the other guilds.

Groups like the Soaring Dragon Kingdom fled without hesitation, without even bothering to fight the demons once their mages ran out of energy. They opted for guerrilla warfare and still only managed to get 15th place.

Second place went to the Undead Realm Guild, which used a forbidden technique to wipe out their enemies. The leader of the Undead Realm was a Lich-type demon king who found a legal loophole in the GRB. The rule stated that he could bring 14 companions, but it said nothing about summons. His kingdom had developed a kind of amalgam monster: thousands of skeletons united into a single being. Upon entering the GRB, the monster would split, and instead of being 14 monsters, they became more than 100,000 skeletons. And each skeleton used a forbidden ability to summon 2 ghouls who, in turn, each summoned 1 zombie, for a total of 500,000 warriors ready for combat. Despite this overwhelming advantage, the Undead Realm was only able to take out 60% of its enemies before being forced to flee the battle, thus earning second place.

The powerful Undead Realm Guild, which had dominated the GRB for several years, had lost for the first time, which enraged the demon king. Jax still didn’t know it, but this had caused the Lords of Death to unite for the first time in millennia to talk about Jax and his extermination.

In another area of the world, the Demonic Lords of War and Torture were also uniting, even proposing an alliance with the Lords of Death, whom they despised with all their souls.

Despite all this hatred, the massacre of the demons filled them with terror because even though they didn’t know how he did it, if the hero could kill those demons, they wouldn’t be able to face him.

With a single appearance, the Hero had caused chaos throughout the world at levels never before seen. Alliances were suddenly destroyed, new alliances appeared, the world entered a new era, and everyone was preparing as best they could to face what was coming. The world had changed, but the one who caused it all had no idea what he had done.