Chapter 63: The Old Master Is Still the Old Master

At this very moment, a little south of the banyan tree grasslands.

As a mid-level manager for Dark Paradise in the Lava Fortress, Bloodshed Battlefield was usually extremely busy. In addition to the daily grind of running dungeons and leveling up, he also had to prepare for the eventual establishment of the guild’s headquarters—there was a mountain of tasks to handle. Of all times, his younger cousin decided to come to him now, insisting he help out in a PK (player kill) dispute. Bloodshed Battlefield was thoroughly impatient. This cousin had always been pampered by the elders in their family, causing trouble everywhere in real life, and now in the game, who knew what mess he had gotten himself into.

Still, remembering how those elders would nag and defend the boy fiercely in reality, Bloodshed Battlefield couldn’t find a reason to refuse. He could only follow along.

A group of young people trailed behind, watching the situation unfold. Some among them were visibly excited, itching for action: they hadn’t expected him to actually call for backup from Dark Paradise—these were professional players! It was said that even ordinary administrative staff in Dark Paradise earned a guaranteed monthly salary of over 4,000, but the guild’s recruitment standards were notoriously strict. Several people present had failed the entrance interviews themselves.

Noticing the curiosity and envy in his companions’ eyes, the dwarven warrior puffed up his chest even more, growing visibly smug. Getting to show off in front of his classmates—especially the few good-looking female students—made this little outing worthwhile.

“Cousin, over there! The two by the lakeside having a barbecue!”

Prompted by his teammate, the dwarven warrior quickly spotted Lu Kuan and his companion at the water’s edge. As he pointed them out to Bloodshed Battlefield, he gritted his teeth and muttered, “Still in the mood for a barbecue, those bastards!”

Bloodshed Battlefield frowned slightly, gazing into the distance, his tone impatient. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely! It’s them. We were fishing in peace, and they came over to steal our spot and deliberately PK’d us!” The dwarven warrior lied without batting an eye.

“As long as it’s them.”

Bloodshed Battlefield, growing increasingly impatient, motioned to his three fellow Dark Paradise members, and together they headed for the lakeshore, with the dwarven warrior and his friends following behind.

“Captain, if the guild leader finds out we’re out here PK’ing during work hours, we’ll be in for a tongue-lashing,” one teammate said in the party channel.

Bloodshed Battlefield grew annoyed at the reminder. “You think I want to be here? My cousin is the youngest in the family. If he complains to my mom, I’ll have a dozen relatives tearing into me for not looking after him in-game. Would you be able to stand that?”

Hearing this, the team fell silent, their faces softening with sympathy: every family has its troubles—being captain isn’t easy.

But as they drew closer, Bloodshed Battlefield’s expression grew increasingly strange. When his eyes finally landed on the human ranger by the lake, tearing into a crab, his face changed in a dozen ways in the span of a second.

The dwarven warrior, walking behind, couldn’t see Bloodshed Battlefield’s changing expression. He only saw Lu Kuan and his companion up ahead and sneered, shouting, “Well, you’ve got guts, not running away? My cousin is a pro from Dark Paradise—you’re definitely losing a level today—”

Lu Kuan had long since spotted the group and, together with Dai Guang, had already equipped their weapons. Seeing the dwarven warrior’s cocky swagger, Lu Kuan and Dai Guang exchanged a knowing smile, ready to draw their hunting bows.

“Shut up!”

Suddenly, Bloodshed Battlefield spun around and barked with no warning, startling the dwarven warrior out of his skin.

The Dark Paradise members, who had been readying their weapons for a fight—the warrior had unsheathed his greatsword, the monk had his traps set—froze in confusion at their captain’s abrupt command.

“Cousin, you, you…they’re the idiots I told you about…” the dwarven warrior stammered, bewildered.

“I told you to shut up!” Bloodshed Battlefield snapped, veins bulging on his forehead, his face twisted with anger. The dwarven warrior shrank away, too scared to say another word.

Bloodshed Battlefield turned to Lu Kuan, took a deep breath, and forced a genial smile. Stepping forward, he extended his hand. “You must be Old Deer? Hello, I’m Bloodshed Battlefield from Dark Paradise. I met you once with the guild leader.”

The turn of events took Lu Kuan by surprise. Hearing Bloodshed Battlefield’s words, he raised an eyebrow, beginning to understand.

“Hello,”

Lu Kuan shook hands with the human paladin, glanced at the dwarven warrior and said coolly, “So what’s this about?”

“It’s all a misunderstanding,” Bloodshed Battlefield hastily explained, then turned to the dwarven warrior, his face darkening. “Aren’t you going to apologize?”

The dwarven warrior still hadn’t figured out what was going on, but his indignation flared up again at Bloodshed Battlefield’s words. He stiffened his neck and shouted, “Cousin, are you kidding? Why should I apologize to these two idiots—”

Bloodshed Battlefield’s eyes nearly popped from his head. “Shut up, you fool! This is the guild leader’s friend!”

The dwarven warrior opened his mouth to retort but froze at the words—the guild leader? His cousin’s guild leader—that was Eternal Dusk! These two were connected to the guild leader?

No matter how dense he was, he knew who Eternal Dusk was. In the massive Dark Paradise guild, his cousin was at best a mid-level manager, rarely getting the chance to speak to Eternal Dusk.

With that realization, the dwarven warrior’s view of Lu Kuan and Dai Guang changed completely, panic rising in his chest.

Meanwhile, Bloodshed Battlefield was beside himself with regret, wishing he could throttle his cousin on the spot. In the raid roster announced internally yesterday, Bloodshed Battlefield had been lucky enough to make the cut as a holy paladin due to his solid fundamentals, and his salary had risen accordingly—he’d been elated ever since.

Compared to the tedious grind of real life, earning a living while enjoying the game was the ultimate dream for a semi-pro player like him.

But seeing Lu Kuan just now had given him a cold sweat.

Who was Old Deer? He was the star recruit, personally courted by Eternal Dusk to help clear the Black Desert raid as a top-tier mercenary. Eternal Dusk had already made it clear: no one needed to cozy up to Old Deer, but under no circumstances should anyone offend him.

And yet, here he was, leading a group to pick a fight!

Bloodshed Battlefield could almost hear the sound of his own rice bowl shattering.

With that, his smile grew more sincere as he turned to Lu Kuan and Dai Guang. “My cousin is young and foolish. If he’s offended you in any way, I apologize on his behalf. I’m truly sorry.”

Dai Guang scratched his head in confusion, thrown by the sudden turn of events, and instinctively looked to Lu Kuan.

Seeing the other party’s attitude, Lu Kuan didn’t put on airs. He laughed heartily. “So you’re with Eternal Dusk! Clearly, this is all a misunderstanding.”