Chapter 180: Such Realistic Acting

Willis's face was calm. Even when facing a legendary dragon a hundred times his size, he slowly extended his sword.

Then...

A flash of the sword!

"Roar!!"

The dragon let out a piercing Wail of Anguish as the horn on its forehead was sliced off!

It was a wild creature, and a "dragon" at that, with extremely high base stats and various powerful skills. Yet, it couldn't even withstand a single move from a Hall of Valor's Trial Seeker!

The outcome was decided in one strike!

The dragon howled in pain and quickly fled...

It shot up into the clouds in an instant.

A crisis averted just like that.

The players, who had been suffocating under the dragon's legendary aura, collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat!

They looked at Willis with expressions of extreme gratitude, even worship!

"So strong!"

"Is this the power of a full member of the Hall of Valor?"

"The leader of this Trial Seeker group is too strong. Could he also have an SS-grade talent or SS-grade profession?"

"This is what happens when a peerless talent joins the Hall of Valor? Their strength just skyrockets."

...

Everyone was filled with awe.

They were convinced that this young leader of the Trial Seeker group was definitely a peerless talent!

After all, through their interactions, they had learned that the young leader's name was Willis. He had only joined the Hall of Valor a year ago, yet his strength had grown to such an extent. It was terrifying!

The players present suddenly felt dwarfed by Willis's aura.

Originally, each of them was quite proud, as they were top talents in their respective regions.

But now, they felt that compared to the unparalleled Willis, they were far inferior!

"I don't have the ability to ascend to legendary status and overpower a legendary dragon in just a year."

"Even with the Hall of Valor's help, it's impossible."

Similar thoughts filled the players' minds, their eyes full of reverence.

Seeing the expressions of the many players present, Willis merely smiled calmly, as if it was all just a trivial effort on his part.

"In the wilds of the Hall of Valor, there are often such little creatures eager to interact with you."

"If you lack the strength, I'd advise you to stay in the towns even if you pass the trial."

His words were casual.

In Willis's words, a legendary dragon was just a little creature.

The players' expressions shifted immediately. Such a powerful and domineering person!

Only Sterl frowned slightly, sensing a kindred spirit...

Although Willis appeared calm and collected, his tone and gaze made Sterl feel like this guy was purposely putting on a facade.

Without using any detection skills, Sterl relied solely on his intuition!

But when he quietly activated all his attribute boosts and used Star Insight, the information he received, combined with the attributes of the legendary dragon from earlier, made him show a strange expression.

Sterl came to a strange and absurd conclusion: the dragon's horn was originally broken and somehow reattached. Then, it was conveniently sliced off by Willis at the exact moment it charged...

Coincidentally, the dragon, knowing its Broken Horn status, fled in panic after losing an insignificant horn!

"This... too many coincidences, right?" Sterl muttered.

He felt like he'd uncovered the truth: "The acting was quite realistic."

Sterl felt that the dragon's appearance, getting slashed, and fleeing were all orchestrated by Willis.

"Willis probably staged this whole scene to set the stage for recruiting guild members."

"Why does he want to recruit people? Could it be that sacrificing guild members boosts his power?"

Having experienced the blood sacrifices of the Divine Mountain Empire's old emperor, Sterl was quick to think of such sinister plots...

Meanwhile, Faye, with Felicia being a demigod, also saw through the facade.

Thus...

Sterl and Faye exchanged a knowing glance: "Don't go!"

Though their voices were low, the players present were strong enough to hear them...

But Willis ignored those uninterested in signing the contract. He looked down on the enthusiastic players rushing towards him, dismissively waving his hand: "I'm not taking any trash."

"Let me see..."

"You're no good! Get lost!"

"An A-grade profession and you dare to come? Your talent is mediocre. Get out of my sight!"

"Even if you show up, I won't let you join my guild if you lack talent and strength!"

"I'm founding a guild, not a garbage dump!"

Willis's face was full of arrogance. Only a few players were allowed to sign the contract and join his guild, and they looked extremely grateful and excited.

But Willis himself maintained a look of reluctance, as if he was forced to take them in.

It wasn't until the young man with the SS-grade talent, who had previously explained things to Sterl and the others, hesitantly stepped forward.

Willis gave him a disdainful glance: "SS-grade talent, not bad."

"At least you're someone. Sign it."

"Once you're in the guild, we're on the same team."

He still wouldn't look people in the eye, as if even SS-grade talent barely met his standards.

However, Sterl sharply noticed a fleeting hint of joy in the corner of Willis's eye.

It was so brief, it almost seemed like a mirage.

But... the stronger and more talented one is, the more they can catch these fleeting emotions.

"Osmond, what are you hesitating for?" someone from the Trial Seeker who knew the SS-grade young man called out his name directly.

Osmond, recalling Willis's expression and the firm warning from the man and woman earlier—don't join this guild—felt something was off.

Seeing Osmond hesitate, some other players also paused.

No one here is a fool. All the players present are talented and capable heroes, top-notch individuals from various regions, who have emerged from a crowd of geniuses.

If other players are hesitating, they must have spotted some issues!

Many players looked at each other, and except for those who had signed the contract early on and whose faces were now uncertain, everyone else seemed a bit awkward.

Signing the contract might be a trap, but not signing it could offend this mysterious genius, Willis.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, they found themselves in a real dilemma!