Chapter 249: Counter Offer

Words : 1304 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

"Do you not find my offer acceptable?" Talia asked once she saw the same expressions Vaelira had. "A three-way alliance between Runewoven, Nova Circuit, and Valhalla’s Sinners." Then, Talia’s gaze shifted sideways toward Tessa as she added, "Should Nova Circuit find it acceptable, of course." Without so much as blinking, Tessa replied instantly. "We accept." There was no hesitation. No request for further discussion. Because she didn’t need one. Tessa had already made up her mind long before she stepped into this hall. She knew firsthand how anomalous Kaiden’s group was. Valhalla’s Sinners weren’t just lucky. They weren’t just skilled. They were something else entirely: they were beyond normal comprehension, beyond their current understanding of the mana apocalypse. And most of all, they were rising. Fast. She’d seen it during the desert dungeon clear. That moment had planted the seed, but everything she’d observed since had only confirmed it: Soon, they wouldn’t need protection and other non-military aid. Soon, they would be the ones offering it. Sure, in the beginning, she’d probably have to give a lot. Political cover, resource access, help with logistics, introductions to powerful players. But all of that was an investment. If her instincts were right, this would pay dividends beyond what most guilds could dream of. Next to her, three others reacted very differently. Jack let out a strong breath through his nose. His lips pressed in a line that didn’t hide the disgust written all over his face. So much for meritocracy. Sasha’s expression tightened. Her gaze moved over the women seated near Kaiden, and her jaw clenched. Again. She wasn’t the jealous type. Or so she thought. But there was something about this that made her stomach twist. They were good, sure. But were they this good? Good enough for two guilds to extend open-armed alliances while the rest of them had to sit here as mere underlings? If this deal went through, she and her group would be all but below Kaiden’s in the pecking order. As for Vaelira, she kept her back straight and her fingers folded delicately on her lap. But her insides were a warzone. She didn’t care about the alliance. Not really. What she hated was how effortless it all seemed for them. How convenient. Every time Kaiden’s little harem showed up, it was as if the world bent in their favor. Government protection. Global fame. Special perks. Lucky drop rates. ’Like, come the fuck on! They killed four vampires, and they each dropped an artifact?!!!’ she screamed inwardly. And now this? A three-way guild alliance? Her stomach churned. She wanted to dismiss them as sluts riding Kaiden’s cock to success. Pretty faces and tight asses with a knack for timing and lewd posing. That’s all it should’ve taken to write them off. But then... Her eyes narrowed. That wasn’t it, was it? After all, they weren’t even streaming for male viewers anymore. If your gender were male, you couldn’t open their adult content. It was simply locked, and there was no way to unlock it. Transitioning to a woman by surgery wasn’t recognized by the Awakened Platform as a gender change. This meant that they were no longer the main attraction of their content. They were celebrity personalities, just as she wanted to do with her own stream. And if she considered them as such, as her direct competitors in the awakened content creation world... They were doing so much better than her. Meanwhile, hearing Talia’s response, Kaiden exchanged a glance with his girls. Their unimpressed expressions did not change. Where was their reluctance to take the golden deal offered stemming from? It was related directly to why Tessa was so quick to agree to their inclusion as an equal. An alliance wasn’t just a signature on paper. It was a tether. A leash. And not one but two leashes now threatened to bind them. Tessa might be sharp and well-intentioned, and Talia might have a strong organizational base, but at the end of the day, both Nova Circuit and Runewoven were low-tier guilds. Tessa’s was teetering on collapse while Talia’s fared better, ranking toward the top of the lower tiers, but still lacked the prestige, funding, or power to enter the middle echelons. Kaiden’s group was rising fast. Too fast to find these two desirable long-term partners. Tying themselves to two officially recognized guilds might seem like a good deal now, when the world still labeled them "newbies" and they were lacking many things. The girls had done the math. Luna, Aria, and Nyx hadn’t come to the table with mere passion for total freedom and gut feeling alone. They had prepared. Practiced. Reviewed every angle. Their current dungeon had an entrance level cap of 25. And Tessa’s dungeon before this had capped at 10. If they cleared this one, there was a strong chance they’d emerge near the top of that limit. Or go even past it. If Kaiden hit 25 and the rest followed, they’d no longer be in the "low level" bracket. Because at that point, competition would spike. The 25–50 bracket wasn’t sparse with competent people willing to throw themselves into risky dungeons, as the newbies were in the early levels. It was where things got crowded. Where mercenaries, established, awakened, and well-funded mid-tier guilds started to notice your name and offer real support. So the question was this: Was locking themselves into an alliance now, with guilds that might soon be holding them back rather than pushing them forward, really the best they could do? Because right now, they were being courted because they were rare: low-level combatants with absurd strength, coordination, and a proven willingness to plunge into high-risk, high-reward dungeons. That combination didn’t appear often. And guilds—desperate guilds—were always willing to overpay for wildcards like them. But that wildcard value came with an expiration date. Once their level rose, once they were among the mid-rankers, they’d be one strong party among many. The leverage they had now, born from their outstanding early performance, would vanish. And with it, the chance to make a deal on their terms. The silence that followed was extremely heavy. Every single person’s attention moved toward Kaiden and his team. Talia straightened her back, preparing herself for a rejection that felt all but certain to come her way based on their expression. But the woman could not prepare herself for the kind of rejection she was about to be given. Because at once, all four of them spoke up as if they were on the exact same wavelength. Luna. Aria. Nyx. Kaiden. Perfectly in sync. "We find the offered deal unacceptable." A ripple of pressure washed over the garden. Kaiden’s voice came next, alone this time around. "If Runewoven wishes to secure the help of Valhalla’s Sinners..." Luna followed. "You’ll have to pay a much steeper price." Aria wasn’t one to keep quiet. "We demand twenty percent ownership of your guild." Nyx, last to speak, smiled. The room had become her plaything. "And that’s non-negotiable." That was when Bastet, who had up until now been blissfully munching on a skewer of sashimi in the corner, suddenly felt a shiver traverse down her spine when she heard her allies speak with such a different air to them. "Huh? What?" she blinked, snapping her head toward the group with her ears perked straight up as the half-eaten sashimi stick dangled cutely from her lips. She didn’t even know why, but her instincts roared. That wasn’t normal unity, not simple teammates being on the same page. To the Ra-Blessed Felinid, it felt like a pack was speaking in a single voice. A slow, delighted grin curled on her lips. "Hmmm~" she purred and returned to her meal, seeing that everything was okay. Talia found the situation significantly less amusing.

Chapter 249: Counter Offer

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