1059 What? When? How?

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"What do you mean unseen forces? Who is going to attack us this time? When are they going to attack?"

"Is it the divine temple? Is that bitch coming here?"

"Are more vampires coming?"

"Merciful heavens! Please do not tell me that more of those vile insects are descending upon us!"

Kyu?!

The group started bombarding the Oracle with all sorts of questions. Liam watched them for a while, and seeing that the guy was not close to giving any other details, he made the decision to turn back.

"We are leaving."

Without hesitation, the group hurriedly made their way to the nearest magic shop, utilizing a teleportation portal to return to their home base. 

However, the change in location did little to alleviate Caden's frustration. The two tormentors continued their mockery, their words cutting deep.

"Truly, you are nothing but a burden, utterly useless," they jeered.

"By the grace of Amitabha, if you find yourself perplexed about your class or skills, perhaps I can assist you, providing answers and dispelling your doubts. One servant of faith should aid another whenever possible," offered the sympathetic voice, extending a helping hand.

Caden scowled, feeling as though he had reached the nadir of his existence. However, there was one crucial reason he endured the taunting and endured the challenges. Turning to Liam, he pleaded with earnestness.

"Mr. Liam, I implore you to remember one thing above all else. No matter what may come, you must remain steadfast. Do not let the encroaching darkness gain control over you."

Liam looked at the guy and gave him a nod. Normally he would have ignored him, but after the recent events, he understood what Caden had meant. 

Though he was still himself for the most part, he would be lying if he did not admit that he had indeed lost a little control of his emotions. 

Perhaps like Caden mentioned, this would become worse in the future. However, that was a bitter pill he simply had to swallow. There was no other way. Their survival came first. It was not possible to defeat these people by being a saint.

While Liam was contemplating this, with the petty bickering still loud in his background, the group walked from the portal room into the main hall of the magic shop, which was more crowded than usual.

Hmmm? Liam paused as he noticed not one but three parties waiting to see him, two among them being familiar faces, Madan and Abraki! 

Liam had known both of them for a while and had a somewhat friendly relationship with them, so he greeted them with a smile.

"Bro! Hi. Hi. Hi!" Madan ran ahead and gave Liam a big bear hug. He knew that Liam was not fond of it, but he did not care. "Bro, I settled everything as I said. I am here."

"Huh?"

Liam looked confused.

"BroooO! It took me an entire hour to convince you. Please don't tell me that you forgot!"

Liam scratched his head. In all honesty, he was focused on other things at that moment, so he really did forget. Madan also saw that and sighed a little.

"Bro, please let me join the guild. I want to be on your team and fight for you. I owe you everything. I want to repay that by being your loyal soldier."

"Hmmm." Liam was silent. Standing next to him, Alex was also completely taken aback by this sudden development. "Eh? You want to join our guild? Aren't you the guild master of your guild?" 

"Yes, Miss Alex. It's just that…" He paused and sighed again. Madan's gaze fell on Alex, then Liam, and then Caden, his former teammate.

As soon as he saw him, the hunter's face turned serious. "Bro, trust me, this one time. I almost ended up being loyal to the wrong person, but this time I am sure. Even if I am wrong, I have made up my mind, and I will not regret my decision." 

Seeing that Liam was still looking at him silently, Madan clenched his fists, and then with a resolute look on his face, he declared. "Bro, if you don't trust me, then I am ready to do anything. I will sign the slave contract."

Madan said it so loud that even the fairies in the shop looked on with interest. Not many people would be this determined to become a slave willingly. 

Moreover, everyone could see that Madan was also not a normal human being. He was currently at Level 52, which was slightly higher than Alex herself, whose Level was only 50.

In all honesty, Alex's level had taken a hit because of the time she had spent with Liam traveling around the world searching for treasures. 

But the other Crimson Abyss elites were also hovering around 53 or 54, which in itself showed that Madan's hard work was not to be underestimated.

However, would just a high level be enough to join Crimson Abyss?

Madan knew that this was going to be difficult, and he had prepared for a really long monologue. He opened his mouth to deliver it, and surprisingly, Liam stopped him.

"It's fine. You don't have to explain. You can join the guild."

Alex looked shocked, but then she shrugged. She also had many dealings with Madan in the past, and the guy hadn't let them down so far. 

"I am fine with this decision. But you won't be given any special privileges. You would have to work your way from the bottom and get guild contribution points just like everyone else."

"Yes! Yes! Definitely!" Madan was instantly overjoyed. The hunter beamed in delight and nodded his head vigorously. "Of course. I would expect nothing less!"

"Okay." Alex smiled. "Welcome to the guild." She shook hands with the guy.

At this time, Abraki, who was silent all this while, suddenly spoke. "Ahem. Aha ha ha. Would it be too weird if I said I am here for the same reason?"

The group turned their attention to Abraki, surprised by his unexpected remark. Liam's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"You too, Abraki? Are you also here to join the guild?" Liam inquired, a mix of curiosity and skepticism lacing his voice.

Abraki smiled in response though his smile did not touch his eyes. "Our guild is not what it used to be, Liam." 

He did not hide anything and told Liam everything that had happened in the guild, beginning from the tutorial game to the recent events of the grand war.

"This is all my fault. I have thought about doing this a hundred times, but every single time I had one or the other reason to back out. I was not decisive enough, and I have paid the price for that."

Liam nodded.

Abraki sighed and bent his head down in embarrassment. "Please, Liam. I know this is shameful. I did not help you build this guild back up in the real world. We did not stand by you for anything nor help you with anything. But now we are here."

I am well aware that this is not fair. But please consider my request. Just like Madan, I also simply want a chance for me and my guild members to work from the bottom and prove our worth."

"If not… we are also-"

"Stop." Liam intercepted him and then casually replied. "You can join the guild."

Huh? Both Madan and Alex were shocked. Abraki was even more shocked. Liam agreed to his request just like that?

"But… I…" The Middle Eastern guy stammered, and Liam once again interrupted him. "It's fine. This doesn't really surprise me. I thought you would join me a lot sooner." Liam hurriedly spoke. "What I am really interested in is… when did you make this decision?"

  Huh? Once again, everyone was shocked. What was happening here?

Abraki also did not understand why Liam was asking him this question among others, but he answered honestly. 

"As you said, I have been thinking about this for a while now, but I only worked up my courage today or rather a few minutes back. I did not want to be indecisive anymore and decided to make the trip here no matter what the outcome was."

Liam grinned. Just like he expected-

Before he could finish his thought, suddenly, a few guild members rushed inside the magic shop. 

"Guild leader!"

"Vice-guild leader!"

"Something strange is happening! The red pillars of light are becoming bigger!"