Chapter 16

[Information: Let’s Find Out Silia’s Mercenary Rank]

You’ve just started playing Silia Online, the legendary MMORPG. You find yourself in a quiet village and receive the title of Wood rank mercenary. Naturally, one might wonder, just how high is the Wood rank?

First, mercenaries in Silia Online are divided into six ranks:

WoodBronzeSilverGoldPlatinumLord

If you’ve read any fantasy novels or played competitive games, these ranks should feel familiar. The Wood rank, which you receive at the start of the game, is the lowest rank in the mercenary guild. It’s essentially the rank you get just for registering with the guild. Unlike other ranks, it doesn’t even come with an official mercenary badge to prove your status.

In the game, most Wood rank NPCs you encounter are on par with small-town thugs, hardly a force to be reckoned with.

Now, here’s an interesting tidbit. If you’re quick to notice details, you might wonder, why is there one rank that isn’t based on a mineral? The Lord rank is distinct because it stands apart from the other ranks—something we’ll explain later.

Currently, the player with the highest level is Level 59 and holds a Gold rank badge. So, how strong is a Gold rank mercenary in the world of Silia?

At this point, another set of ranks comes into play:

NoviceBeginnerExpertMasterDemigod

It’s starting to get a bit complicated, so let me simplify things:

—Novice: A regular person who cannot use mana.

—Beginner: Just starting to handle mana. Sёarch* The NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

—Expert: Proficient in using mana.

—Master: Has fully mastered both mana and weapons.

—Demigod: A level beyond humans, transcending their limits.

A Gold rank mercenary corresponds to the Expert level. While it may seem unimpressive, most inhabitants of Silia never surpass the Master rank, so Expert is still quite formidable.

Interestingly, certain professions like mages start at the Beginner level because you need to be able to control mana to begin your path as a mage.

Even within the same rank, strength can vary greatly, depending on skill proficiency, experience, and physical abilities. So, even if you manage to defeat an Expert NPC, don’t underestimate your next opponent—approach with caution.

As for the Lord and Demigod ranks I mentioned earlier, they are essentially one and the same. However, most people have never heard of these ranks because they exist only in legends. There’s even a rumor that Arca, the first emperor who founded the Lo Arka Empire, was at this rank.

(…skipping a bit…)

That wraps up today’s overview of combat ranks. Due to the nature of RPGs, leveling up becomes increasingly difficult as you progress, so the Expert stage can feel quite drawn-out. But remember, not all Experts are the same, so keep honing your skills and striving to grow stronger.

In the next post, we’ll explore the monsters of the world of Silia.

If you found this helpful, feel free to drop a like!

[Comments]

—Thanks for the info!

—It was so serious, then got surprisingly funny at the end, haha!

—There are so many Expert NPCs—how strong must a Master be?

***

“Joanie!”

While Joanie was still trying to figure things out, someone burst into the tent with urgency.

It was a woman dressed in typical cleric attire.

She pushed open the tent flap, hesitated upon seeing Joanie, and then introduced herself, a bit startled.

“Hello, I’m Lemony… I’m in Pine’s raid team.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Joanie, the streamer.”

“What’s going on, Lemony?”

“Oh!”

Lemony, who had been awkwardly greeting Joanie, suddenly remembered the reason she rushed in.

“The Wanderer Guild has requested a meeting!”

“Huh? The Wanderer Guild joined too?”

Joanie was taken aback.

The Wanderer Guild isn’t a guild with a clear purpose. They’re not out to gain power by becoming stronger, nor are they a group just gathering to forge tools or hammer anvils together. People join the guild because they need a guild affiliation, but find that the requirements for joining other guilds are too stringent. That’s why the Wanderer Guild has a large number of members, but they’ve never acted as a unified group before.

“They didn’t join officially as a guild. But maybe because so many of their members are participating in the war, the guild master decided to step in.”

“It’s still amazing though… Seeing someone obsessed with leveling up come to a place like this means the situation must be pretty serious.”

“Are you going to accept?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Pine nodded.

“Why not? We can at least hear them out. Besides, with Joanie here, there’s no way they’d pull a sneak attack, right?”

“Huh? Why me?”

“You’re with the big leagues. There are even rumors that just one word from you can change the whole dynamic of Silia Online. Word is, more than a few streamers have quit broadcasting after getting on your bad side…”

“Wait, why am I suddenly being slandered here?!”

— dudududududu (shocked expressions)

— No wonder the number of streamers has been dropping lately…

— The real power behind Silia Online, whoa.

— Please, spare the streamers I watch!

“Oh no, that was a secret, wasn’t it? Could you please just let this one slide…?”

“I said it’s not true!”

Joanie shouted, her face flushed with embarrassment, though she quickly calmed down, knowing Pine was just teasing.

“So, Pine, are you really the leader of the Kana faction?”

“Our guild was the first to fight, so we sort of ended up taking that position. It did bring some notoriety with it.”

“I honestly thought you’d side with them…”

“As I said before, they were the ones who came after us first. Not much we could do about that. Besides, even if they hadn’t, I still wouldn’t have joined them.”

Because I was rooting for Joanie.

Pine smiled softly.

“You were rooting for me?”

“The way you and the Gravekeeper bicker… It kind of reminded me of taming a wild cat. I got really invested in watching.”

“Bickering…? After all the times I got wrecked by it, that’s what you saw? If it were me, I’d be fuming with rage.”

“Well, tigers are still part of the feline family, right?”

“Is this that Stockholm Syndrome thing people talk about?”

Lemony shook her head fervently, clearly disagreeing with Pine’s reasoning.

“Let’s head out quickly. If we’re any later, we’ll get yelled at for cutting into their leveling time.”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it past them to get angry, actually.”

Joanie agreed with Pine’s remark as she recalled the guild leader of the Wanderer’s Guild, notorious for once streaming an entire day of silent hunting without saying a word.

As they stepped outside the tent, the situation had calmed somewhat from earlier. Fights were still breaking out here and there, but the clashing of weapons wasn’t as intense.

When they reached the center of the battlefield, a woman who had been waiting for them frowned.

“You could’ve come quicker, you know. Don’t you realize time is money?”

“How do you always manage to be so predictable?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The leader of the Wanderer’s Guild was also a streamer, though not as large as Joanie or Pine, but with a loyal following nonetheless. Joanie knew there were quite a few people who had joined the guild because they were fans of her.

“So, what brings our dear Yuki, who usually lives for hunting, to grace us with her presence?”

“PVP and wars are all fun when they’re just for kicks, but things have gotten out of hand. People are PK’ing (Player Killing) innocent bystanders left and right, and the complaints keep piling up. Even I can’t just ignore public sentiment forever.”

“Public sentiment? You’re the one who does 24-hour non-interactive hunting streams!”

“That wasn’t hunting. That was me pushing my limits. I wanted to see how long I could hold out against an endless wave of enemies.”

“…Honestly, are you sure you’re not an NPC?”

“How rude.”

Yuki shrugged.

“Anyway, I didn’t tell anyone to start PK’ing. But people keep bothering me when I’m trying to hunt.”

“That’s so you…”

Unlike Joanie, who had only exchanged a few words with Yuki, Pine had known her longer and kept teasing her. But when Yuki pulled the sword from the ground where she’d stabbed it earlier, Pine finally shut up.

“So, what’s this about, anyway?”

“Let’s make some rules.”

Yuki drew a long line across the ground with her sword.

“Aren’t you tired of this? You die, come back, die again, and come back again….”

Even though people could resurrect indefinitely, their interest wouldn’t last forever, and at some point, it would all end. But until then, it would just be an endless, pointless war of attrition.

“We’ll take a short truce, reorganize, and then fight again. If you die, you’re out for good. In the end, the side with no one left loses.”

“So, you’re proposing a deathmatch. Like a real war.”

“Do you enjoy this kind of fight? A battle without any nerve-wracking tension?”

“You’re seriously….”

Pine shook his head.

“What happens when a side loses?”

“The losing side has to fully cooperate with the winning side. Our group already agreed to that. If anyone from our side doesn’t comply, we’ll help you deal with them. But you have to do the same.”

“If that’s the deal, then fine….”

“Wait a minute. So, if we lose, we’re just supposed to accept that blockade they’ve set up?”

“What’s the problem? If you lose, isn’t it normal to have nothing? Besides, this isn’t like a pay-to-win game where they’re using cash to boost their stats. You lost fair and square.”

“Well, still….”

“And up until now, we’ve been more than lenient with you. Honestly, if things hadn’t gotten so heated, we wouldn’t have bothered stepping in. Is it a crime to do whatever you want in an RPG? There’s no law saying it’s prohibited.”

Yuki’s detailed reasoning left Joanie speechless.

She couldn’t think of any argument to counter her.

“Stopping people from doing whatever they want is also part of doing what you want. But to do that, you need strength. Otherwise, you need to gather so many people on your side that the fight isn’t even worth starting. Complaining that others won’t listen to you without having that kind of power is just like a child throwing a tantrum.”

“Hey, hey. That’s enough….”

“Well, I’m not wrong, am I?”

Yuki was confident, despite knowing Joanie had a large audience watching her stream.

Meanwhile, Pine nervously looked around, sensing the tension.

He lowered his voice, whispering to Joanie.

“This is actually a good outcome, Joanie. If we look at the numbers, we’re ahead. This is better than dragging out a war of attrition.”

“…Fine. I understand.”

Joanie nodded at Pine’s persuasion.

That’s right, after all, this was Silia Online, a world of freedom.

Just because you didn’t like what others were doing didn’t mean getting angry would solve anything.

You either had to persuade them or use criticism to sway public opinion.

Finding something productive to do would be better than wasting time getting angry.

“Alright, we’ll-”

“Who said you get to make decisions on your own?”

Step.

Just then, someone approached, stepping over the line Yuki had drawn.

A man with a creepy smile.

Joanie looked over at Yuki, wondering if she knew him, but Yuki lightly shook her head in denial.

“If you’ve got power, you can do whatever you want. That’s true.”

Clank, clank.

Behind the man’s voice, a heavy sound echoed.

Knights clad in gleaming silver armor marched forward, their ranks shining in the sunlight.

At least a hundred of them.

The battlefield fell silent at the sight of their procession.

On their shoulders, the black sun emblem was painted.

Joanie’s eyes widened as she recognized it.

“The Imperial Army…!”