Hearing Ashley's request left Ethan a bit disappointed. She chose to discuss it with the other guild leaders rather than immediately decide to accept him.

Ethan fell silent and kept walking, leaving the Mavelard City Hall and heading back to the LionArk headquarters.

Leon tried to talk to him along the way—sometimes about the City Authority Challenge, sometimes about Ashley's reaction.

But Ethan's response stayed the same. He didn't say a word, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Slowly, Leon stopped asking questions after realizing Ethan wasn't answering any of them.

The two of them walked in silence until they arrived at the LionArk base.

"If you want, you can wait in my room," Leon said.

Ethan turned his head, lifted a hand, and patted Leon's shoulder lightly. He clearly didn't want to trouble Leon, who probably needed some rest after the Tower raid.

"I'll wait in the cafeteria," Ethan replied.

Leon stayed quiet for a moment, sighed, and nodded at Ethan's words. He couldn't stop him. Ethan knew exactly what he needed.

The two parted ways right in front of the main building. Leon went left toward the dorm rooms, while Ethan went right, following the path that led to the LionArk cafeteria.

Along the way, Ethan glanced to the side and noticed several LionArk members training hard.

There were three training fields in the LionArk compound, each large enough to hold around thirty to fifty people for efficient practice.

Because the guild had so many members, many of them who couldn't get a spot on the training fields chose to train on their own outside the city area.

From a distance, the LionArk cafeteria was clearly visible. It looked exactly the same as before—a place that sold food and drinks.

Back then, Ethan always bought food from the guild cafeteria to restore HP for him and his team.

That's right—food and drinks used to restore HP, though not as much as HP Potions did.

Now, food and drinks were only there to satisfy player cravings. Hunger and thirst were just part of the system's design, but they no longer restored HP.

When he arrived, the cafeteria had around twelve long tables. Each table had twenty chairs, meaning the place could hold about two hundred forty players at once.

Ethan stepped inside and saw around twenty-five LionArk members eating and drinking.

"Welcome. Do you need something?" the cashier asked.

"I'd like a beer," Ethan said.

The cashier nodded. Ethan paid, received his beer and a glass, and carried them on a tray to an empty table.

"Look at him! Isn't that the Red Notice fugitive?"

"Don't bother him. His strength's equal to Miss Ashley's."

Ethan heard their whispers faintly but didn't care at all. He opened the bottle and poured the beer into his glass.

He took off his black mask and drank in one long gulp. The taste was the same as any other beer—Ethan wasn't surprised.

LionArk members came and went, some leaving, some arriving. Ethan, however, stayed there, waiting for news from Ashley while finishing his drink.

Time passed as Ethan sat in the cafeteria, lost in thought. Ashley's words kept echoing in his mind.

Considering it? Does she think I'm weak?

Ethan poured the last of his beer into the glass and drank it quickly. His face was red, and five empty bottles lay scattered on the table.

Even after drinking so much, there was no sign of him getting drunk. Some LionArk members were surprised—his face was flushed, but he still looked completely in control.

Afternoon faded into night. Ethan was now enjoying his seventh bottle of beer. The cafeteria had become livelier, full of members relaxing after a long day of training.

"You!" a man said sharply, standing beside Ethan.

"Can you move? My party and I want to have dinner here," the man said, pointing at Ethan's table.

"If you want to eat, go ahead. I won't bother you," Ethan replied quietly.

"What about those bottles?"

Ethan grabbed six empty bottles and slammed them to the ground. The glass shattered into pieces, echoing through the cafeteria.

Slowly, the broken glass turned into glowing particles, just like when Ethan killed a Tower monster.

"What bottles?" Ethan asked.

The man froze and shook his head. He and his friends took the empty seats at Ethan's table—seven of them in total.

Ethan lifted his bottle and poured more beer into his glass. Just as he was about to take another drink, someone stopped him.

A hand pressed down gently on the top of his glass. Ethan looked to the side and saw a woman dressed elegantly, her clothes refined and formal.

Around the cafeteria, LionArk members straightened up and spoke in unison—a greeting for their guild leader.

"Greetings, Miss Ashley," they said respectfully.

"I heard from Leon. You've been drinking a lot today," Ashley said.

Ethan gave a small smile, set down his glass, and stood up. He put his black mask back on.

"Greetings from me as well, Miss Ashley," he said, bowing his head.

Ashley had come with Jill beside her. She narrowed her eyes slightly, unsure what Ethan was planning.

"Why did you and Leon return from the Tower raid?" Ashley asked, still standing in front of him.

"The safety of the LionArk Guild matters more than the Tower. The contribution points we earn mean nothing if LionArk falls apart," Ethan said.

"I understand your concern."

Ethan stayed silent, taking another sip from his glass. Ashley signaled everyone to go back to what they were doing, and the cafeteria soon returned to its calm rhythm.

"I've spoken with the supporting guild leaders. I know this is difficult, but they're as important as LionArk itself," Ashley explained. Ethan listened quietly while drinking.

"There are eight supporting guilds for LionArk. Half of them refused to let you join," Ashley continued.

Ethan paused, lowering his glass for a moment. He sighed, then poured the last of his seventh bottle into it.

"There's nothing I can do. I'm sorry, Ethan," Ashley said softly.

Ethan didn't say a word. Honestly, he was disappointed. Everyone knew Ashley had the highest authority—she could have decided what was best for LionArk.

But this time, she couldn't act freely. She was bound by the politics of the supporting guilds.

Because of his PK and Red Notice status, they had started to underestimate him—even though he was far stronger than they were.

Ethan couldn't do much. The decision had already been made by Ashley and the Mavelard Alliance leaders.

"So I'm not needed?" Ethan asked flatly, eyes still on his glass.

"N-No, it's not like that. I just can't ignore them. They're important to both Mavelard and LionArk," Ashley said firmly.

Jill stayed silent, watching the two of them—the leaders who once built LionArk together.

Ashley was trapped by politics. Ethan was driven by confidence that he could defeat Silver Star's challengers on his own.

The situation was complicated. Jill didn't know what to say. Both Ashley and Ethan had their reasons.

But since she was part of LionArk, Jill had no choice but to stand with Ashley.

"We built LionArk together. We brought this guild to greatness. Because of LionArk, the city of Mavelard exists and thrives," Ethan said.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

Ethan took a deep breath and stood straight, finishing his last drink.

"You're a smart and capable woman. I'm sure your decision is the best one," he said.

"I'll stay with LionArk no matter what," Ethan added.

His words caught the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. Curious, they stopped what they were doing to listen.

"I'll return to the Tower alone, earn contribution points, and help the guild in my own way."

"I only ask one thing from you," Ethan said.

"What is it?" Ashley asked, her eyes glistening.

"Take good care of LionArk and the city of Mavelard."

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