MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

SoaringSkies1.

Leader of the guild based on his own in-game name.

Having remained in the middle of the pack in all of the VRMMO games he'd played thus far, the man believed that he'd finally be able to break free from the pack the moment Greater Beyond was released to the public.

Specifically, he believed that he'd be able to stand alongside the Five Leviathans of the VRMMO world at some point, becoming the sixth Leviathan thanks to how different Greater Beyond was from all of the other VRMMOs he played in the past.

With that, the man was hellbent on improving himself as much as possible the moment the game released, easily catching the attention of many players in his village after being the first to clear their version of the Cave of Beginnings on his own.

With his strength and reputation slowly becoming renowned thanks to this feat, SoaringSkies1 was gradually able to amass a force that stuck with him through thick and thin, allowing him to realize that things were finally heading in the right direction for him.

Of course, even though that was the case, the man always reminded himself to be grounded, knowing that he was only beginning to set a foundation that would rival and match the Five Leviathans later on.

Nevertheless, having a dedicated group supporting his cause allowed his momentum to snowball as more time passed.

Because of that, he had become the first player to obtain a Rare class in their village, as well as the first player to establish a guild.

Feeling like his horizons had been expanded the moment the guild was established, SoaringSkies1 had a feeling it was only a matter of time before his in-game name would become his reality.

However, just as he thought that he was finally on track to achieving that goal, a certain player had achieved what he wanted to achieve before him, making use of a certain tournament for his name to become recognized throughout most, if not the entire human race.

That player… was none other than Ataraxia.

At first, SoaringSkies1 decided to ignore what Ataraxia had done, reminding himself that the goal he set was to become someone who stood on equal standing with the Five Leviathans.

Though, as more and more news of Ataraxia's feats continued to spread throughout the player forums, the man was left with no choice but to pay attention to it.

By the time he was done reading through it, he was left at a complete loss for words, thinking to himself that he should bury the envy he felt if he did not want to get on the young man's bad side.

But, as he thought about how doing so would hinder him from achieving his own goals, SoaringSkies1 instead made the choice of allowing his envy to grow and fester as much as possible.

At that point, he thought to himself that, as an opportunity was given to him, he would try his best to hinder Ataraxia as much as possible.

Especially if it meant it would allow him to take a step closer to his own goals.

Coincidentally, just as he'd come to a conclusion on that train of thought, Malutar had sent him a message about the world raid, informing him of the various guilds that would be working alongside the two of them.

At first, the man planned on rejecting the offer due to him still pondering over how he could get a hold of Ataraxia's whereabouts.

But when he found out that the same person he was looking for would be participating in the world raid with them, SoaringSkies1 felt that it was a no-brainer for him to accept the offer.

'We'll see who gets the last laugh, Ataraxia,' thought SoaringSkies1 to himself, continuing to look at Valyr with a hint of arrogance.

'Once Malutar agrees on that type of distribution, I'll make sure that your guild will obtain nothing from the final area!'

"Hmm…" Though he'd already taken notice of the way the man looked at Valyr, Malutar decided to feign ignorance towards it for the meantime as he closed his eyes in thought.

Then, looking at the other three, he gave them a slightly wry smile. "As the leader of Big Richard, I don't really mind if the final rewards are distributed according to contribution. After all, we could always attempt the same world raid in the future."

"However, what do you think about the distribution method SoaringSkies1 proposed?"

"I think it's a good idea," replied OneTrueJim, his eyes glistening with excitement. "In fact, I'd even say it's fair!"

"I disagree." ILikeLamps shook his head in response. "We don't know how the contribution system works in the world raid yet. What if it turns out that doing one path or doing one task actually gives more contribution than the others?"

"For the sake of it being truly fair to everyone, I'd suggest we go with equal distribution instead."

"You make a good point." Malutar faintly nodded at his words, only to then shift his gaze towards Valyr. "How about you, Ataraxia? Are you in favor of contribution-based distribution or equal distribution?"

"Well…" Noticing that SoaringSkies1 was still looking at him as if he were beneath the man, the young man eventually shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Up to them, I guess."

Hearing those words, the leaders of the three other guilds went ahead and did rock-paper-scissors to see which method of distribution the entire party would utilize.

Unfortunately for ILikeLamps, OneTrueJim was the one who won in the end, causing the party's distribution system to be based on one's contribution in the world raid.

"Hmph." Seeing that his suggestion had become the party's distribution system, SoaringSkies1 immediately looked at Valyr with a slightly smug expression, thinking that he'd finally one-upped him.

Yet, contrary to his thoughts, the young man did not have anything to say towards the distribution system at all.

If anything, he looked like he wholeheartedly accepted it, instead suggesting that they should head back to their respective groups now that they were done with their discussion.

'You'll regret this, Ataraxia…' Though everyone agreed with his suggestion, SoaringSkies1 continued to look at the young man with envy and anger as they made their way back, staring daggers at the latter's back.

'I'll make you regret antagonizing me!'

Then again, not much happened between him and Valyr after that, especially with the five guilds finally departing for the world raid after making their final set of preparations.