Chapter 34: The Birth of the Fatui! Long Live the Tsaritsa!
....
A God....
Seito stared at his updated status window, the word pulsing in his mind. He wasn't there yet, but he was the only one in God's Domain with a map to get there.
But the most immediate perk of his "Divine" status? He could now forge God-Tier equipment. These weren't just the legendary gold or orange items other high-rankers dreamed of—these were Artifacts. Weapons of the Gods.
Ding!
A message notification snapped him out of his reverie.
Maple: "Seito-kun, where are you? The event is over!"
Sei: "Still at the valley. Haven't moved yet."
Maple: "The gate to the Eleventh Floor is open! Everyone is already heading through. Meet us here! [Coordinates.jpg]"
Sei: "On my way."
With a thought, Seito triggered the teleportation. His body dissolved into pillars of light, leaving the scarred wasteland of the Tenth Floor behind.
...
Floor 11: The City of Aetheria.
The safe zone of the Eleventh Floor was a sprawling, gothic metropolis that put the previous hubs to shame. Enormous stone spires reached toward a perpetual twilight sky, and the air hummed with magical resonance.
With the opening of this floor, the level cap had officially been raised to Level 40. To go any higher, the players would eventually need to breach the Twentieth Floor.
Seito materialized in a high-end tavern, the scent of roasted meat and fine ale filling his senses.
"Seito-kun! Over here!"
Seito spotted his team at a large circular table in the corner. He made his way over and slid into the seat next to Maple.
"How were the rewards?" he asked, leaning back.
"Amazing!" Sora grinned, looking revitalized.
"Seito-nii... my reward was a custom Mech-Suit Core," Shiro added, her eyes sparkling with rare excitement.
"I just got a heap of Ancient Red Materials," Maple admitted, sounding a bit dejected. Since she placed in the top ten but not the top three, her reward was purely crafting-focused.
"A Mech-Suit?" Seito rubbed his chin. He remembered how Maple eventually became a walking fortress in her own story. If Shiro was already getting tech-based gear, the potential for a "Machine God" build was terrifyingly high.
"They're all solid prizes," Seito nodded.
"But Seito-kun, what about yours?" Sally leaned in, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What does the First Place winner get?"
"A fragment of 'Divine Breath.' It unlocked a unique evolution path for me," Seito said calmly. "It's essentially the path to Apotheosis—becoming a God."
"Becoming a God?!" Sally's eyes went wide.
"Can we do that too?"
Seito shook his head. "The description said a normal person would be erased from existence just by touching a fragment like that. It's a high-risk, high-reward path. I wouldn't recommend looking for it unless the system offers it to you directly."
The group went quiet. If the "Divine" path was that dangerous, it truly was meant only for the person sitting at the very top.
"So," Maple said, breaking the silence. "The Guild System is officially online. Are we going to start one? We need a name!"
Seito hummed in thought. They were a group of undefeated legends, and he was a man walking the path of a deity. A name like "Maple Tree" was too soft. "Never Lose" was a bit too on the nose.
"How about... The Fatui?" Seito suggested.
"The Fatui?" Sora repeated the name, rolling it around his tongue. "Sounds... ominous. Sophisticated. What's the meaning behind it?"
Seito looked into the distance, a nostalgic smirk playing on his lips. "It's a name for a collection of fools who dare to challenge the world. A group of elites—Executors—who control wealth, politics, and the very power of the gods themselves. We'll have Eleven Seats of Harbingers. It's a title that carries weight."
He thought of the Harbingers back home—the elegance, the absolute power, and the sheer style of their winter coats. If they were going to rule this game, they might as well look the part.
The others exchanged glances. They didn't fully grasp the reference, but they trusted Seito's taste. It sounded far cooler than anything else they had come up with.
"I'm in," Sora said. "As long as I get a cool title."
"Me too," Shiro whispered.
"If it's Seito-kun's choice, I like it!" Maple cheered.
Seito opened the menu and finalized the registration.
[Guild Created: Fatui
Guild Leader: Sei
Harbingers (High-Ranking Members): None
Members: None
Guild Territory: None
Guild Vault: Empty
Ding! Player 'Maple' has joined the Fatui.
Ding! Player 'Sora' has joined the Fatui.
Ding! Player 'Shiro' has joined the Fatui.
Ding! Player 'Sally' has joined the Fatui.]
"The territory can wait," Seito said, looking at the empty vault. "Buying land on the Eleventh Floor is a waste of capital. We'll wait until we hit the higher floors to establish a permanent headquarters. For now... we focus on the grind."
The "Fatuis" had gathered. The game didn't know it yet, but the Eleven Harbingers were about to bring a permanent winter to God's Domain.
.....
Thank you for reading.