Assassin at Range: The Sniper’s Lethal Power

After finishing up with the auction and the shop, Tristan opened his friends list.

ShieldBreaker still hadn't logged on.

Great, looks like he wouldn't be able to bring him along for the dungeon run this time.

Tristan sent a message in the guild chat: "GemmaS, what's the deal with that dungeon you mentioned?"

A moment later, GemmaS responded, "Ah, Boss, are you done with everything? I've been on the forums, just saw the news."

Forums? What news?

Tristan's interest piqued, and he immediately reopened the forum.

He quickly found out that IFA and Shadow Legion had gotten into a spat.

The auction had been so explosive that the number of active players on the forum had increased several times over. Many guilds were now seizing the opportunity to promote themselves.

Big guilds like IFA, Celestial, and Mystic Realm had players posting recruitment threads. Shadow Legion, of course, was no different.

Despite DarkSaber getting ripped off for the Guild Token, spending 270 million only for Tristan to register the token first, the guild was still up and running.

However, due to the Guild Token's tier limitations, the guild could only hold up to 500 members. DarkSaber had pulled in the core members, leaving 100 spots open for highly talented players.

As players leveled up, they started realizing the importance of talent. It was clear that even a noob with little experience could become a top player just by drawing the right talent.

Considering Shadow Legion was one of only two guilds with an established presence, their recruitment had garnered a lot of attention.

Naturally, IFA couldn't sit idly by and had started throwing jabs.

"ExoGenesis Guilds I'd never join – first on the list: Shadow Legion. If you join, you're a sucker."

DarkSaber wasn't one to take this lying down and had sent out guild members for an all-out keyboard war.

Shadow Legion's confidence stemmed from the fact that they were a real guild, unlike others that were still just words on the forum.

IFA hit back by mocking Shadow Legion for spending 270 million just to be second best.

DarkSaber's response? "How can you talk when you can't even lead your own guild?"

The back and forth escalated, with both sides resorting to dirty tactics and spreading rumors, much to the amusement of the players watching.

GemmaS was so absorbed in the drama that she almost forgot there was a dungeon run to do.

Tristan chuckled as he finished reading the thread. He wasn't surprised; the rivalry was a natural outcome in the game's competitive environment.

The other members of the guild were equally amused, though they quickly remembered their actual task and shut down the forum.

NightStalker asked, "GemmaS, with your strength, is there really a dungeon you can't handle? Sounds pretty tough."

Tristan nodded in agreement. GemmaS wasn't yet at the level she had been in her past life, but she was still formidable.

If she said it was a tough dungeon, then it likely was.

DarkStriker and Manalady, who didn't know GemmaS that well, remained quiet. After a moment, DarkStriker asked, "What's so special about this dungeon?"

GemmaS replied, "It's not that hard, but it's specifically designed to counter mechanical engineers. There's a permanent buff in the dungeon that reduces all ammo damage to the mobs and bosses by 80%."

Tristan understood immediately. With such a huge damage reduction, a mechanical engineer would just be standing around doing nothing.

After a brief pause, Tristan made up his mind. "Let's form a team. Anyone who wants in, sign up now."

GemmaS: "I'm in!"

NightStalker: "+1"

DarkStriker: "+2"

Manalady: "+3"

Tristan grinned. "Alright, I hereby announce the first official team building event of the Pinnacle Guild, starting now!"

GemmaS cheered, "Yay! Applause!"

In high spirits, Tristan gathered the team, and they met up at the city gates.

Of the group, Tristan, GemmaS, and NightStalker were the most familiar with each other. DarkStriker and Manalady knew NightStalker but hadn't met Tristan yet, and GemmaS was a complete stranger to them.

After chatting for a bit and getting to know each other better, the group started discussing the dungeon.

The dungeon was located to the west of Davi City, about thirty kilometers away.

GemmaS seemed a little embarrassed and said, "Sorry to drag you all so far."

Tristan waved it off. "You've got a problem, I'm here to help."

NightStalker added, "We're all in the same guild. Of course, we'll help each other out."

DarkStriker shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't mind. I'll level up in the dungeon, and if I'm lucky, I might pick up some gear."

He added, "Besides, I'm curious to see how strong the legendary Blackshade really is."

Manalady quickly clarified, "He talks like that, don't take it personally."

Tristan smiled. "It's no problem. Our guild doesn't have a lot of rules, just relax."

As they continued walking, Tristan glanced around and said, "This pace is too slow. Let me speed things up."

The others were puzzled, but their eyes widened in shock when Blackshade waved his hand and summoned a giant dragon that was over ten meters long!

GemmaS blurted out, "Holy crap! A dragon!"

NightStalker facepalmed, embarrassed, "GemmaS, keep it together."

DarkStriker, who had been inspecting the dragon, now looked a bit different.

This was no ordinary dragon. It was a Dark Gold Grade dragon!

To be able to tame such a creature, Blackshade's power was clear to see.

Dragons, in the lore of ExoGenesis, were considered haughty creatures. They would rather die than bow their heads.

Yet here was a dragon that had become Blackshade's mount.

DarkStriker, shocked but also excited, now had a target to chase after.

The moment the dragon appeared, it immediately praised Tristan, "Ah, my Lord Shadow, who are we hunting today?"

Manalady's jaw dropped as she stared at the dragon, speechless. After a moment, she gasped, "This dragon can talk!"

The dragon, Seltus, turned its massive head toward her, studying the tiny human in front of it. It could sense a strange aura around her, something that seemed to be linked to My Lord Shadow.

Tristan smiled and introduced, "These are my guildmates."

Though Seltus didn't understand what a guild was, it grasped the meaning behind Tristan's words.

These were all allies.

Seltus quickly donned a friendly smile, though its sharp fangs made the smile seem a little less welcoming.

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Tristan chuckled and called the dragon over. "I've got somewhere to go. Can you take these five up with you?"

Seltus immediately responded, "Of course, my Lord Shadow. Five people is no problem at all."

Tristan nodded and jumped onto the dragon's back. "Alright, everyone, hop on."

One by one, the others climbed aboard, excitement written all over their faces. The dragon flapped its wings and soared into the sky, turning into a streak of black as it streaked across the heavens.