Everlight Moon Guild, deepest layers of the pocket dimension

A black portal opened and a handsome middle-aged man calmly stepped out onto the ground, the portal closing and vanishing behind him.

The man looked around. A massive moon covered the sky and countless stars decorated the heavens.

Under that sky stood a tree, though it looked unlike any other. Its color was exactly that of the moon, and it even radiated the feeling of the moon itself.

Beneath the tree, an old man sat cross-legged, his entire body wrapped in a shining light that seemed to be healing him.

The middle-aged man quietly walked forward until he reached the tree and then bowed slightly.

"Hello father," his voice came out respectful.

Hearing him, Schnitez slowly opened his eyes. Moonlight flickered within them, his aura turned chaotic, and the space of the dimension began to tremble.

Still, it lasted only a moment before everything returned to normal. He looked at his son and a smile appeared on his face.

"You finally returned."

"Sorry, too many unexpected things happened," Varnos said with an embarrassed smile.

His face resembled Schnitez somewhat but also carried traces similar to Lana. It was obvious he was none other than the father of Lana and Maya and the current leader of Guild Everlight Moon.

One of the strongest rank S Awakened in the country, a true powerhouse standing at the peak of the world, someone counted among the strongest until national rank Awakened began to appear.

"No need to apologize, the fact that you returned alive is enough reason to be thankful." Schnitez shook his head. He wasn't angry—in fact, he was relieved that his son had come back safely.

He knew about that cursed dungeon the Guardian Council had sent his son into along with many other rank S and national rank Awakened. How could anyone not know?

He was constantly worried something unexpected might happen and his son wouldn't return alive. Thankfully, it didn't come to that.

Besides, his son's absence wasn't entirely bad. His granddaughter Lana became more familiar with the responsibilities of a leader, something that would help her future.

"Though it seems while I was gone things didn't go so well for you," Varnos said with a smirk.

"Well, nothing we could do. Who would have thought a rank S could obtain the Apocalypse Ring?" Helplessness and frustration appeared on the old man's face.

If not for that cursed ring, how could a single rank S cause such devastation? Worse, a national rank Awakened died—the Federation's very leader himself.

But unfortunately, that was all in the past. Even if he had known such casualties would happen, he still would have stood in defense of that boy.

"Has a successor been chosen for Lord Logan?" Varnos asked curiously. After all, the Federation couldn't leave its leader's position empty.

But he hadn't heard anything about a new one.

"You think finding a successor is easy? The Federation's leader must at least be at the level of a national rank Awakened. There are only two or three within the Federation with the potential to reach that level. In the meeting we had, it was decided whoever among them reached that level first would become the new leader."

"I see. With no leader, things get easier for us. We can finally start weakening the Federation." As the leader of a guild, he naturally carried plenty of ambition.

How could he not want his guild to become the strongest? Unfortunately, the government and the Federation restricted all guilds, preventing them from surpassing certain limits.

They couldn't ignore the rules either, or else they would be branded as public enemies of the nation and crushed.

But now that the Federation had lost its leader, maybe they could bypass some of those restrictions.

"You think the other guilds don't have the same idea? If you want, go ahead, I'll support you, but be careful and don't make mistakes. We're not in a position yet to turn into the enemy of the entire nation." Schnitez warned him sternly.

"Don't worry father. First I'll focus on swallowing up Guild Sairon Blade. Once we annex them, our chances of advancement will greatly increase." Varnos nodded seriously, showing he understood the importance of the matter.

"Anyway, enough of this talk. How are my granddaughters?"

"Ha, they've both grown up. Naya challenged the Tower, and Lana solidified her position as the next leader in my absence."

"That's good. And the guild hasn't had problems?" Schnitez asked with a smile.

"Guild Goblin caused some trouble, but overall things are fine. Plus Lana has a plan. If it succeeds, we may be able to take first place from Guild Goblin."

"What plan? Be careful since I'm still injured. Right now I have no chance of defeating that old man from Guild Goblin."

"Don't worry father, the plan isn't dangerous. In fact, it revolves entirely around that boy Daniel."

"Daniel? Haven't seen him in a while. You've met him? How's he doing?" Schnitez laughed lightly.

"I met him. He's a good kid and extremely talented—the most talented person I've ever seen. Though I hate to admit it, he's more talented than either of us." Varnos smiled bitterly.

"Seems you were impressed."

"Anyone who sees him would be. Even though he's only at peak rank B, I'm sure finding a rival below rank S for him would be hard. He even killed a False S Rank." The guild leader said, recalling the recording Daniel had made.

"He can kill a False S Rank now? I haven't seen him in just a while and he's already grown that much?" Schnitez felt for a moment he had misheard.

But Varnos only nodded. Back when he first saw the recording, he himself found it unbelievable.

"My god. That young man is truly a monster. I don't know if having such a monster is a blessing or a disaster."

"Look at it positively father. He'll most likely become a demi god. If he truly reaches that level, our guild will rise with him and we'll own this country."

"You're right. That boy is a double-edged sword. Watch over him and don't let him cause huge problems, at least not until I recover. I feel I'll soon be able to take that step." Schnitez said calmly.

But when those words reached Varnos's ears, his worldview seemed to crack and he felt like he misheard.

"Father, are you joking? Really? You mean you can finally reach that level?" His tired face quickly lit up with excitement.

If his father truly took that step, their guild would become the strongest organization after the government itself. In fact, they would stand on the same level as the state.

At that point, they could do whatever they wanted with no worries. No force in the country would dare insult them.

Even better, they might finally become a true regional superpower.

"Yes… I feel I should be able to take that step and reach the level of a Heavenly King." Schnitez said with full confidence.

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