CHAPTER 46: THE GUILD MEETING

The day of the [Guild Meeting] finally arrived.

As sunlight leaked through the curtains in his hotel room, Sam slowly opened his eyes, stretching slightly as he sat up.

Just as he moved, a familiar sound chimed in the air.

Ding!

---

[The Guild Meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. to allow all leaders to make use of the rest of their day.]

[Please use the "Teleportation Stones" provided to travel to the designated location. The meeting site will remain confidential to prevent any unauthorized access.]

---

Sam blinked. "Teleportation stones?"

He turned his head, and sure enough, sitting neatly on the nightstand beside his bed was a small crimson stone, faintly glowing with dormant energy.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

’Did someone enter while I was asleep?’

He thought about it for a moment, but ultimately shrugged.

"Oh well."

As he yawned, his gaze moved back to the system panels in front of him.

"Alright, so the meeting’s at eight..." he mumbled to himself, grabbing his phone to check the time.

The screen lit up.

[8:23 a.m.]

Sam froze.

"...Damn it."

Not only was he late, he was really late. He hadn’t expected such an early start. It seemed most leaders took their roles more seriously than he did.

Probably all the type to wake up at sunrise.

Still, he didn’t waste time sulking. He skipped breakfast, grabbed the small red stone from the table, and examined it briefly.

---

[Teleportation Stone]

[Rank: Common]

[Description: A common-use teleportation item. This one is tuned specifically to transport the user to the "Guild Meeting".]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: You’re late.]

---

Sam rolled his eyes at the added commentary.

"Thanks for the update," he muttered.

Holding the stone between his fingers, he took a deep breath, focused his aura into it, and then crushed it without hesitation.

The moment it broke, the shards lit up, releasing a pulse of light that wrapped around him.

And then, he vanished.

Fwish! Thud!

[You have arrived at your location.]

Sam landed softly on solid ground, his surroundings unfamiliar.

He looked up, then immediately stopped.

Before him stood a massive circular chamber, with an enormous round table at its center.

Around it sat dozens of figures. Each of them had a unique aura, powerful and distinct, with one or two companions seated at their sides, or none at all.

Guild leaders. And Sam was the last to arrive.

He quickly realized every single other leader had been on time.

[It’s their fault for waking up early instead of sleeping.]

Sam nodded to himself. That was fair enough. Besides, the exact time hadn’t been shared in advance.

Still, he could feel every eye in the room on him now.

Powerful gazes locked onto him, a few flaring with curiosity or caution, others with suspicion. He could even sense several people activating [Analysis] to check his stats.

Not that it bothered him.

This was the elite circle, the top 100 guilds of the North Region.

One man narrowed his eyes.

"Huh. Weird. I can see his rank and level... but I can’t see his name or guild?"

Another frowned. "Seriously? Oh wait, you’re right..."

Murmurs spread across the room.

Apparently, something about Sam’s identity was hidden even from high-level analysis skills.

That hadn’t been intentional on his part, but it worked in his favor.

"Still," someone said, "who even is this guy? He looks weak."

"Maybe. But he’s here, so his guild must be in the top 100."

"Which one though?"

Sam didn’t say anything. He just walked forward, scanning the room.

He quickly spotted a few familiar faces.

David Union sat calmly, a wide smile on his face. Alicia was beside him and gave Sam a small wave.

On David’s other side sat a serious-looking man who didn’t acknowledge Sam at all.

Lily Gremoir was seated across the table, her father beside her.

She gave Sam a subtle nod, but her father kept his gaze fixed elsewhere.

The leader of [Arcane Society] was a gruff man holding a crimson staff. He had long blond hair and a resting glare that could cut glass.

’Everyone’s here,’ Sam thought, still moving.

[You have a bad feeling about this.]

He smiled faintly at the prompt. ’Of course I do.’

As he looked around, he also noticed something else.

At the very top of the table, standing above everyone, were three figures.

Large transparent screens hovered around them, casting their presence over the meeting.

They weren’t guild leaders. These were high-ranking members of the [Awakener Association].

And just seeing them triggered something strange in Sam’s chest.

[For some reason, you have a strong desire to kill them.]

"...Do I?" Sam muttered. "Maybe."

The first figure was a tall man with a scepter and crown, regal and perfectly composed.

The second was a woman with deep brown hair and golden eyes. Her gaze met Sam’s, piercing through him like a blade.

The third was an elderly man in a pure white outfit with small, round glasses. He looked like the most harmless one.

But Sam didn’t trust any of them.

The old man spoke, his voice calm but firm.

"Ahem. We were in the middle of addressing the recent events," he said. "Before we continue, may we know your name and guild? Being late is not typically permitted."

Sam stood in silence for a second, debating how much to reveal. He took a step forward, his crimson eyes flicking across the room.

When he looked up, focused and direct, everyone felt it.

Dozens of awakeners flinched in unison. Tension filled the air.

"I’m not saying my name," Sam said simply, "but I’m from the [Primordial] guild."

That alone was enough.

He turned his gaze toward the round table and walked until he found the one empty seat.

He sat down. On the table in front of him, every seat had a guild plate.

His read: [Primordial]

To his left was a plate that read [Crimson Fox]... To his right—[Viper]

Sam blinked. ’Viper...’

He glanced to his right.

There, a green-haired man with piercing eyes stared at him with an unreadable expression. Beside him stood a mature woman with the same shade of hair.

And next to her, was Chloe Vineford.

Sam let out a breath without meaning to. "Oh. It’s you."

Chloe avoided eye contact as her parents were clearly eyeing her closely.

From across the room, Oliver Gremoir suddenly spoke.

"Wait... wasn’t the [Primordial] guild the one that shattered the Union Guild’s record for second layer clear time?"

That got everyone’s attention.

Heads turned back to Sam, then to David Union.

David chuckled. "That’s true. We were defeated. And we likely won’t be able to top it."

Coming from a top 5 guild, that was no small thing.

"I do wonder though..." David continued, "how did your guild manage it?"

Sam scratched his chin.

"Hm. I entered the layer and cleared it as fast as I could. That’s all."

The man beside Sam, from the [Viper] guild, narrowed his eyes like a snake watching its prey.

"You must’ve had a powerful team."

"No," Sam replied casually. "I was alone. I’m the only member of my guild."

Gasps rippled around the table. Mouths opened. Eyes widened.

Before anyone could ask more, the three figures above suddenly released a burst of aura, enough to quiet the entire room.

"Let’s move on," the old man said firmly. "There isn’t much time, and there’s still plenty to cover."

Just like that, the conversation died down.

The meeting resumed.

Sam leaned back in his chair, his eyes scanning the people around him.

He hadn’t planned to draw so much attention—but it was done.

’Oh well. It is what it is.’

And he was curious to see what came next.