A brief silence. The countless people gathered around were just watching the time pass by helplessly.

  "Shouldn't someone step up......?"

  Ian, who I normally thought was clueless, whispered worriedly, having judged the situation quite well this time.

  "I know, right...... But even if we step up in front of this many people, it's obvious we'd just get ignored......"

  Just as we were exchanging such worried conversation...

  "Everyone!!! May I say a word!!!"

  A booming voice spreading widely. It was Kangyu.

  'I heard he was coming, but...... what does he plan to do? I hope he doesn't just end up humiliating himself for nothing.'

  He was still the Master of the guild I belonged to, after all. If he ended up embarrassing himself, I might want to immediately rip off the guild name 'White Night' attached next to my name.

  Inside the plaza, there was a slightly raised ledge one could step onto. People's gazes began to gather towards Kangyu, who stood there.

  "There is not much time left!! At the early stages of the server, meaning everyone has roughly equal specs, it is too much of a waste of an opportunity to just charge in recklessly without a commander and risk our lives!!"

  Kangyu's booming voice pierced through the murmurs and spread out.

  "I'm not saying this because I think I'm better than anyone else!! Since we've become allies right now, I'm speaking up because I think we can advance easily and surely if we join forces, so please do not take this the wrong way!"

  From the murmuring crowd, someone shouted at Kangyu.

  "So, what exactly do we need to do?"

  The inner thoughts of the tens of thousands of people gathered there must have all been different. 'Why is that nobody stepping up and showing off?', 'Could he be a hidden named ranker?'

  However, mob mentality is a strange thing. A single 'positive agreement' that broke the silence and burst out first instantly covered the people's cynical doubts.

  "It's simple! Everyone, form up by class immediately!"

  Kangyu's atmosphere changed 180 degrees. He began to pour out uninterrupted orders with a resounding voice.

  "Shield bearers and Tanker classes, establish a defensive line in front of the castle gates immediately!! Mages and Archers, all of you get on the castle walls and prepare to fire! Assassin classes, prepare to head out to the perimeter! For those who came in guild units, I will only see the representatives separately! And anyone with a Legendary-grade pet or higher, please assemble in the center of the plaza!"

  Clear instructions pouring out endlessly.

  Kwanghwi, the Guild Master of the guild within the crowd, listened to Kangyu's instructions. The jealousy that had briefly appeared on his face softened, and he agreed with an accepting tone.

  "Well, what he's saying makes sense for now. Let's do it."

  With those words, the other prideful top-tier players also nodded in unison, as if completely trusting and leaving it to him now.

  The tens of thousands of people who had been murmuring in confusion were now moving in perfect order according to Kangyu's command.

  "U-uh? He says Tankers are this way!"

  "Ranged DPS, hurry and run to the walls!"

  I could only stare blankly at the sight in awe.

  It wasn't virtual commanding given through a microphone behind a computer monitor.

  Even though it was inside a game, it was an overwhelming grip on the situation, exuded face-to-face with countless people.

  'His leadership is incredible...... Just what exactly did this guy do in real life?'

  Actually, there had been something oddly bothering me for a while, so I had been looking around.

  'Come to think of it, I don't see a single hair of those self-proclaimed Cartel [Toxic] guild bastards.'

  Well, considering Liberty's total player count, there's no way they could all fit into this single castle. It seemed they were split into a completely different battlefield (channel) from us during the random matchmaking process.

  'Thank god. If we had ended up on the same side as those bastards, I would've been helplessly thrown in as meat shield number one before it ended.'

  Finishing my short reverie, I wished Ian and Jude good luck and was just about to slip away up to the castle walls with Succubus.

  "Ah! And those who possess Flying pets or Mount pets Epic-grade and above, please gather in the center of the plaza as well!!"

  As if suddenly remembering something he had forgotten, Kangyu shouted once more, loud enough to blow away the plaza.

  Flinch.

  My steps froze in mid-air.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  The memory of bragging to Kangyu in guild chat between hunts one day, 'I pulled a flying pet!', struck my mind.

  'Ah, damn it...... If I just hadn't run my mouth back then, I could have just pretended not to know and passed it by......'

  Originally, my perfect plan was to bury myself in that massive crowd and faithfully execute the role of an extra, something like 'Soldier Shooting Arrows #27'.

  Only by remaining as inconspicuous as possible among those veteran monsters with Legendary-grade pets would my precious and peaceful gold farming life roll along smoothly.

  'Sigh...... my sweet leeching plan that had only just begun is...'

  Of all things, the anonymity protection system of this tournament was scheduled to be activated from the next round, the wild field battles (solo matches), after this damn siege ended.

  As tens of thousands of extras scattered to their respective positions, the chosen few left in the plaza summoned their pets as if promised.

  Executives from various guilds including , , , , and . And the top-tier players possessing Legendary pets, Flying pets, and Mount pets Epic-grade and above.

  'Everyone is so flashy......'

  I saw dozens of monsters who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Tyrant I had seen in the abandoned mine.

  (White Lotus), (Sky Piercer), (Taegeuk), (Sera), (Reaper), etc.

  The plaza, gathered with named players who were big shots in their own right, even had a strange tension lingering in the air.

  Their gazes crossed as if keeping each other in check.

  'What the.. Why didn't he say anything... Kangyu's pet is Legendary-grade too?!'

  Beside Kangyu, a massive beast stood holding its ground like a royal guard.

  The Wind Spirit's White Tiger.

  The thickness of its front legs alone was as large as half an average adult man.

  Four legs coiled with muscles so bulging they looked ready to burst, and white fur growing abundantly on its nape like a lion's mane.

  Those snow-white manes fluttered in the mystical wind currents circling the beast, radiating a breathtaking majesty.

  "Since it seems everyone has roughly gathered, I will tell you immediately. Executives of the massive guilds, the moment my signal drops, you just need to lead your guild members and push relentlessly towards the enemy castle gates."

  'Honey Badger', an executive of the guild, gripped the knuckles on both his hands tightly and grinned, as if telling him to trust him and leave it to him.

  "And those who possess flying pets, as soon as the battle begins, please fly to the midpoint of the map and scout the enemy's movements just once."

  "Yep, understood."

  Short, clear answers filled the plaza.

  'Good...... So it's scouting for now. Good...... Hehe.'

  A wicked laugh leaked out inwardly.

  I thought I had landed a very excellent move that helped the team while minimizing the risk to myself.

  Next, Kangyu lightly hopped onto the back of the white tiger boasting its massive frame.

  He steered the beast towards the castle gates to check the overall formation layout and issued commands in a resounding voice.

  "Main force, please pay the utmost attention to early defense!! When I give a separate signal, Tankers to the front! Archers and Mages to the back! You will maintain this formation firmly and slowly push out of the castle gates!!"

  His gaze turned towards the darkness beyond the castle walls. It was an order for the perimeter units.

  "Perimeter Assassins, move quickly, secure the siege weapons first, and wait for my signal!"

  "Yep!"

  Uncluttered answers echoed heavily across the battlefield.

  And Kangyu added one more secret instruction exclusively to the owners of the aerial and Legendary pets.

  All deployments were finished. Tens of thousands of players swallowed dryly at their respective positions, staring intently at the massive screen floating in the air. It was a suffocating silence.

  [ 00:00:03 ]

  [ 00:00:02 ]

  [ 00:00:01 ]

  [ 00:00:00 ]

  ―Bwooooooooo!!!

  The majestic sound of an advancing war horn, loud enough to tear eardrums, resounded across the battlefield.

  "Let's go!!!!!!!!"

  "Let's do this!!!!!!!!"

  Following the shouts of the war cry, some of the flying pet owners, including myself, leaped towards the sky first.

  SKREEEEEE!!!

  BOOM!!

  "Gasp......!"

  The moment the Griffon kicked off the ground and soared, the immense gravitational acceleration crushing my entire body made me choke naturally.

  Shooting up at a terrifying speed, the moment the altitude reached its peak, the beast spread its massive wings horizontally and began riding the air currents.

  ―Whooooosh!

  The biting high-altitude wind violently slapped my face.

  Due to the fierce wind pressure cutting through the air and the air resistance, my eyelids were mercilessly pushed back.

  "S-Slow down......! A bit!!"

  Every time I opened my mouth, the fierce wind rushed down my throat.

  I screamed with all my might and urgently stroked the Griffon's right nape.

  As if understanding my desperate cry, the beast slightly angled its massive wings upwards, slowly reducing its speed.

  Once my fluttering eyelids barely calmed down, I let out a long breath and looked down at the dizzyingly distant ground below.

  The structure of the enemy faction was exactly identical to the castle we had departed from.

  Atop the massive castle walls surrounded by sturdy stonework. Enemy archers were already densely positioned there like a swarm of ants.

  Directing my gaze a bit further inward, I saw layers of defensive lines forming a circle around the Lord NPC's room, our final objective.

  'Do they have no intention of coming out of the castle at all? Is there no one properly commanding them......'

  It was too different from our situation.

  Our faction had already forward-deployed the Assassin classes to the perimeter to secure the neutral siege weapons first, and was moving in perfect order under the command of a definitive Commander-in-Chief named Kangyu.

  However, the enemies seen below were merely milling about in confusion, holed up within the castle walls.

  [Guild Member] Savior: Kangyu, the enemies aren't taking a single step outside. It looks like there's no one commanding them.

  [Guild Master] Kangyu: That's good. Jude, lead the Assassin classes right now and take the siege weapons!

  [Guild Member] Jude: Yep.

  With Kangyu taking charge of the overall command, major tasks fell to our party members belonging to the same [White Night] guild as well.

  Ian to the Tankers, Succubus to the Ranged DPS, and Jude to the Assassin camp. They were dispatched to their respective sections, excellently fulfilling the roles of vice-commanders who directly relayed Kangyu's orders.

  As soon as Kangyu's order dropped, the assassination squad led by Jude scattered into the darkness.

  They stealthily infiltrated the perimeter and succeeded in occupying the neutral siege weapons in a flash.

  [Guild Member] Jude: Occupation complete.

  [Guild Master] Kangyu: Excellent. We will commence a preemptive strike immediately then.

  It was when everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place.

  "Ugh!!"

  "Keugh!!"

  Desperate screams tearing through the air.

  There was no time to enjoy the joy of occupation.

  The space around the siege weapons, which was thought to be empty, wavered like a heat haze.

  Enemy assassins, who had been holding their breath in transparent stealth, revealed themselves all at once and plunged their daggers into the backs of Jude and his squad.

  "A-Ambush!!"

  Simultaneously with the panicked screams, weapons clashed from all sides, and a bloody melee erupted.

  Witnessing that terrible ambush from the sky, I urgently looked back and forth between the siege weapons and the enemy's castle gates.

  Right at that moment, the massive castle gates of the enemy faction, which had been firmly closed, swung wide open with a roar.

  The sight of them milling about in confusion like a rabble just moments ago was nowhere to be found. A perfectly controlled murderous intent.

  Looking at the pitch-black wave of enemies pouring out of the castle in unison like a burst dam, I broke out in a cold sweat and urgently opened the guild window.

  [Guild] Savior: Kangyu!! The enemy main force has begun advancing!......