Chapter 44: Provocation from Laughing Coffin? Guild Recruitment!
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The most efficient way for a guild to function is to maintain a clear distinction between high-tier "Apex" players and general members, supported by management talent. The Fatui structure was perfect for this.
"Next, we deal with Kanade's progression,"
Seito said, turning to the silver-haired girl.
As instructed, Kanade had dumped every single point into Attack. In the Bofuri universe, there was a pair of twin sisters who did the same, but they lacked the "Protagonist Luck" required to trigger hidden achievements as effectively as Maple.
However, Seito had the "script" of two worlds in his head. He knew exactly how to train a glass cannon.
"Kanade, this is going to be exhausting. Are you ready?"
"Tell me what to do, Seito-kun," Kanade replied. Her expression was stoic, but her eyes were focused.
Seito nodded and turned to Ako. "Ako, take Kanade and find a high-defense mob. I want her to swing her blades at it for at least four hours straight."
"Wait... four hours?" Ako blinked, her jaw dropping. "Is that even possible? Won't her arms fall off?"
"You need to provide the support," Seito continued seriously. "Root the monster, heal it if she deals too much damage, and make sure it doesn't kill her. But whatever you do, don't let her stop attacking."
This was the secret to triggering specialized mastery. By performing a single action—attacking—against a superior defense for an extended period at Level 1, the system would recognize the "Obsessive Growth" trait. Given Kanade's natural combat talent, she was the perfect candidate for this grind.
"Understood," Kanade nodded simply. If Seito-kun said it would work, it would work.
Four Hours Later...
Seito stood over the dissipating pixels of a Mini-Boss on Floor 11. A golden notification flared in his vision.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Passive: 'Debuff Immunity'.]
[Debuff Immunity: All negative status effects, crowd control, and stat reductions are now ineffective against you.]
"Finally. Nothing can slow me down now," Seito muttered, closing his status window.
During these four hours, he had focused entirely on stacking his resistances. He had successfully capped his "Debuff Resistance," meaning enemy players could no longer burn, freeze, or stun him out of his god-like speed.
However, he noticed a limitation. Once his Debuff Immunity hit 100%, his elemental resistances stopped growing.
I see... Seito rubbed his chin. The system only allows one 'Absolute' resistance per player. You either choose to be immune to status effects, or you choose a specific element.
It was a fair balance. If a player could be immune to everything, Mages would simply quit the game. For Seito, Debuff Immunity was the highest value—it protected his mobility, which was his greatest weapon.
"Damn, I should have gone for Debuff Immunity too," Sora grumbled, checking his own stats. He had split his focus, and now he was stuck with high—but not absolute—resistances.
"It's fine, Ni-chan," Shiro consoled him, tugging at his sleeve. "We're a team. We cover each other's weaknesses."
"You're right. I'm overthinking it," Sora laughed, patting her head.
Suddenly, Maple's eyes went wide. "Seito-kun! Someone is calling you out in the World Chat!"
"Calling me out?" Seito frowned. "Who has that kind of death wish?"
He flicked open the global interface.
[RadiantKnight: @Sei. SHIT! You were so brave when you were bullying Western players on Floor 1, weren't you? Where are you now? I'm waiting at the entrance of the Floor 11 Boss Labyrinth. Do you have the balls to show up, or are you just a coward?]
The chat was moving at light speed.
[DrillMaster: LMAO, who is this clown? Did he really just @ the God Sei?]
[SisterMilk: He's a Westerner. They're getting bold in our Easter Server, aren't they?]
[ThiefGod: Guys, it's not just one guy. There are over 10,000 Western players at the Labyrinth entrance! They're led by 'Laughing Coffin' and 'The Church of Light'.]
Seito's eyes narrowed when he saw the name Laughing Coffin.
"So, they're still salty about that 'bridge toll' incident," he mused.
Laughing Coffin was a guild known for its ruthlessness and grudges. But for them to issue a public challenge instead of an ambush meant they had a trump card. They were baiting him.
"What's the play, Seito?" Sora asked, his eyes sharpening into his "Gamer" mode.
"What else?" Seito smirked, his fingers dancing across the virtual keyboard. "If they want to bring a crowd to our server, we'll give them a Eastern Country welcome. We're going to need more hands."
He typed his response into the World Chat.
[Sei: A few stray cats think they can bark in my backyard? To all my Eastern Country brothers and sisters—the 'Fatui' is officially recruiting! I, Blank, and Maple are all here. If you want to see how we handle trash, meet us at the Floor 11 Boss Labyrinth. NOW!]
The World Chat froze for a microsecond before detonating into chaos.
[ZhangTheGreat: THE TOP THREE PLAYERS ARE IN THE SAME GUILD?! COUNT ME IN!]
[19Months: Sign me up! President Chen, I'm coming!]
[OneHandDriver: Everyone to Floor 11! Let's show these 'Coffin' bastards whose server this is!!]
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Thank you for reading.