Chapter 126: The Joys of the Game

After establishing the guild, Xiao Xiami began inducting players. After much experimentation and guidance from gmo9, they discovered that joining a guild was not simply a matter of the leader accepting a request; it required the recruit’s consent and the input of the system command "Join Sect" in the chat box. Once joined, the characters of these players were adorned with the title "Alliance of the Past" above their names.

Xiao Xiami and his group, thrilled to possess the first guild in *Legend*, lined up in the safe zone in a grand, triumphant display. Their peculiar behavior quickly drew the attention of other players, who soon realized what made them unique and began to cry out in astonishment:

"Wow! It's the people from the first guild!"
"I’m stunned! A guild already?"
"Big brother, I want to join the guild!"
"Boss! Take me into your guild!"
"What are the requirements to join?"

The safe zone descended into chaos as countless players swarmed the members of the Alliance of the Past. People clamored for gear, gold, or membership, creating a deafening, crowded mess. Xiao Xiami was overwhelmed and flustered, yet he was also ecstatic; the honor of being a guild leader left him dizzy, unsure of how to manage the situation.

Lin Jia, unable to move due to the crush of players, sent a private message to Xiao Xiami: "Leader Xiami! Are we taking all these people or not?"

Xiao Xiami, while frantically explaining the joining process to those around him, replied, "Take them! Isn't more people better?"

"It's too chaotic here! It's not convenient for recruiting. Let's head to the palace, block the entrance, and make them line up. We can let them in one by one—isn't that easier?" Lin Jia suggested. Xiao Xiami, also driven to his wits' end by the enthusiastic crowd, immediately agreed.

Xiao Xiami led his thirty-some brothers to the palace. He instructed them to form two lines at the steps, leaving only enough space for one person to pass at a time, with a small opening beside him to admit new members into the palace courtyard. He then had his men shout in the safe zone: "The Alliance of the Past is recruiting! If you want to join, please go to the Bicheon Palace and line up. You must type 'Join Sect' in the chat box. Once the command is ready, wait in line to enter!"

Soon, a massive influx of players flooded the Bicheon Palace, filing one by one past the human wall formed by Xiao Xiami’s thirty brothers. Though the scene remained somewhat chaotic with people trying to cut in line or struggling with the command, it was far more orderly than the safe zone. The members forming the human wall even took on the duty of explaining the process. Xiao Xiami only needed to focus on accepting members, which greatly increased their efficiency. As time passed, the palace courtyard became packed with players bearing the "Alliance of the Past" title, buzzing with noise and excitement.

Lin Jia and the others were given the title "Guild Elder" by Xiao Xiami to distinguish the founding brothers from the new recruits. In *Legend*, only the leader could access guild functions like recruiting or editing titles. Although Lin Jia and his peers were labeled as Elders, they were still essentially rank-and-file members; the title was purely cosmetic and granted no administrative powers to help with recruitment.

After some research, they discovered that the guild could support two leaders, with no distinction between primary or secondary status. Xiao Xiami promoted the highest-level female Taoist, Balabala Guaiguai, to the position of leader. With two people recruiting, the process accelerated rapidly. Soon, almost every player online in Bicheon who wanted to join had been inducted into the Alliance of the Past, totaling several hundred members.

Seeing that the stream of recruits was slowing, Xiao Xiami handed the task to Balabala and headed to the palace entrance. Using the guild chat, he addressed his members: "Hello everyone! I am Xiao Xiami, leader of the Alliance of the Past! Our guild was just established today. We don't have much gear or gold to share; we must rely on our own efforts. But since we have joined the same guild, we are brothers from now on! We can group up to level, and if anyone bullies us, we will stand united! I hope there will be no internal conflict; anyone found doing so will be expelled immediately! Also, use '1~' to talk in guild chat!"

"Boss, take us to level up!"
"With so many of us, we can go hunt for gear together!"

As soon as Xiao Xiami finished, the guild chat erupted. It was a headache, to be sure. Xiao Xiami likely began to worry about managing such a large group. Since most players in Bicheon were low-level—mostly under level 20—he and Balabala discussed heading to the city of Mongchon to recruit higher-level members. As the only guild on the entire server, they expected a high volume of recruits. The system hadn't announced it yet, but it was rumored that once more guilds were established, the Siege of Sabuk would begin, with the winner claiming the city as their territory.

Though the benefits of owning Sabuk were still unknown, the ability to possess a city in the game was a clear advantage, and a large, well-organized force would surely be more powerful than later guilds.

After settling the plan, Xiao Xiami and Balabala departed for Mongchon, while his thirty brothers remained behind to form squads. Each high-level player took a group of novices to level up in the Skeleton Caves, Zombie Caves, and the Woomah Forest.

They say that a pack of rats can bite a cat. The sheer momentum of a swarm of players under level 20 gathering together terrified surrounding players, who quickly gave way. Since many of the new recruits were under level 7, those below level 11 were sent to the Skeleton Caves, while those between 11 and 19 were sent to the Zombie Caves in Bicheon and the Poison Snake Valley. Once a player hit level 20, Xiao Xiami and his team organized them for training in Mongchon.

Large groups of Alliance of the Past players flooded the leveling spots. With their numbers, they were naturally domineering, often monopolizing monsters. However, every squad was escorted by a player over level 22, acting as a bodyguard. Novices from other guilds were no match, and soon the Alliance of the Past controlled the major leveling spots. This gave all *Legend* players their first real taste of the benefits of guild membership.

As these "bosses" led the newcomers, they inevitably became their protectors. When it came to seizing territory, the responsibility of driving away other players fell to them, making "Red Name" status an inevitable consequence. Although they turned Red, the adoration of the novices for these "bosses" filled them with pride; they wore their Red Names like badges of honor.

A Red-named high-level player was far more intimidating than a white-named one. When a blood-red high-level player arrived at a leveling spot with a group of novices and simply uttered, "Get lost," most lower-level players would scurry away. While this earned them a reputation for being arrogant and barbaric, it was part of the game's allure—a way for players to vent their real-world frustrations through the network.

Regardless of how timid or physically weak one might be in reality, high status in the game garnered respect and worship. The thought that those calling you "Boss" might be corporate executives or tough-looking gangsters in real life provided an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Even more satisfying was the possibility that among those calling you "Boss" were your own real-world superiors, teachers, or employers. While this mindset was perhaps distorted, it was undeniably one of the primary reasons players were drawn to the game.

Although this method of leading novices slowed the leveling speed of the high-level players, the excitement and the sincere joy they felt in helping others kept them fully engaged. This is how the game was meant to be played; joy didn't necessarily come from being stronger than everyone else. Helping newcomers, earning their trust and respect, was another form of happiness. In this game, one could find all sorts of fulfillment—the thrill of slaughtering novices, the intensity of high-stakes PvP against rivals, the challenge of deep-dungeon treasure hunting, or the camaraderie of roaming the land of Mir with brothers.

As long as you could rise above the rest in the game, you could do things impossible in reality and enjoy a level of admiration unattainable in daily life. *Legend* allowed many to realize their dreams. Countless players treated their game avatars as extensions of themselves, fully embracing a second, different life—one created entirely by their own hands.