The Birth of Wild Grass

Inside a dim room in Decker City, more than a dozen thieves in leather armor glared murderously at Anor, who sat at the head of the table. Their eyes seemed to spit fire.

"Anor, are you saying that you're working for a Pioneer Lord now?

"And you want the Wild Grass Alliance to join that Pioneer Lord's forces, too?"

A middle-aged man sitting to Anor's lower left, whose build resembled a ball of fat, roared at him furiously.

"Have you forgotten the rules of the Wild Grass Alliance?!

"We're not your subordinates, Anor!!

"If you want to join that damned lord, go ahead. Don't even think about dragging us into it."

Before he could finish, a flash of cold light streaked through the room.

Thwack!

A huge head flew high into the air, then thudded heavily onto the table.

Blood gushed from the headless corpse, splattering the ceiling before slowly dripping down.

The horrific scene sent the room into an uproar. Every thief sitting there stared in disbelief at Anor, whose body was wreathed in the bronze glow of Bloodline Power.

The cold look in his eyes as he gripped the dagger sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Anor, you...!"

"You actually awakened Bloodline Power?!"

"Why did you kill him?!"

As they looked at the headless corpse sprawled on the floor and the head on the table, its eyes wide open, the air in the room grew unbearably tense.

No one had expected the usually mild-mannered, slight Anor to suddenly fly into a rage and kill someone without a word.

Anor's cold gaze swept across the crowd.

He said flatly,

"Don't think I don't know. That bastard tipped them off, telling them I was away, which is why the children from the orphanage were abducted that night."

At his explanation, the tension in the room eased.

They remained wary, but they were no longer as tense as before.

A reason was better than no reason.

A thief in a black cloak spoke slowly. "Hyena is dead. Let's put this behind us.

"But I still want to confirm something, Anor. Do you really intend to lead the Wild Grass Alliance into the service of that Pioneer Lord?!

"You should know why the Wild Grass Alliance is named after wild grass. We're lowly and insignificant, and can only huddle together for warmth.

"Can you be sure that noble isn't trying to use you because you've awakened Bloodline Power?

"Can you be sure that Pioneer Lord will survive in the Endless Wasteland?

"And can you be sure that if we join him, we won't become disposable scapegoats?

"Anor, you have to understand: you only get one life.

"Once you're dead, you have nothing."

Everyone in the room fell silent.

Just like their name, the Wild Grass Alliance was made up of weeds that could be found anywhere: humble, unnoticed, and so insignificant that no one would even bury them when they died.

That was why they were especially wary about choosing whom to serve. They had seen far too many comrades used up by so-called nobles and then tossed aside like trash.

Anor smiled at that.

"Use me? You have to be worth using in the first place. If you have no value, how can anyone use you?"

"Besides, did you know that I've not only awakened Bloodline Power, but also taken up a Rare Profession?"

As he spoke, his body blurred and vanished right before their astonished eyes. Several breaths later, he reappeared.

Seeing this, the crowd's eyes burned with excitement.

Awakening Bloodline Power and taking up a Rare Profession were things they'd never even dared dream of in their whole lives.

Yet now, these things—things only noble lords could possess—had appeared in the hands of a comrade who had spent every day at their side.

The impact on them was immense.

The cloaked man's expression shifted. His eyes turned calculating, and his voice took on a hint of excitement.

"Since you've already got what it takes to become strong, why serve that noble?

"If you're willing to use the Rare Profession advancement method on your subordinates, we can strike out on our own and become a major gang!"

The crowd's eyes burned with excitement at his words.

Exactly. Now that Anor had grown stronger, why couldn't they become a major gang on their own? Why should they have to depend on someone else?!

"Anor, we're willing to make you the head of the Wild Grass Alliance. Let's do this ourselves!"

"Awakening Bloodline Power gives you the potential to become a Gold-grade, or even Platinum-grade, powerhouse. We can absolutely build a major gang!"

"That's right!"

The crowd was fired up.

But seeing their excited faces, Anor wasn't moved. Instead, he felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.

He had seen Loren stand against a Gold-grade powerhouse with Silver-grade strength, and had seen him guarded by a Platinum-grade powerhouse.

Looking at these companions, who were excited over a single Rare Profession, Anor could clearly feel just how vast the gap between them was.

In that moment, he even felt that, even if Loren no longer needed his service, he might never be able to go back.

How could an eagle that had seen the vast sky endure a dark, damp cave?

Anor's expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing. The excited crowd gradually quieted.

For a moment, no one spoke.

They all sensed that something about Anor had changed. The timid man they had known now had eyes as sharp as a falcon's.

"Do you know how my Bloodline Power awakened? Do you know who granted me my Rare Profession?"

His calm words made the atmosphere in the room strangely oppressive.

Anor swept his gaze over them and sneered.

"These are gifts from my lord. He granted me the power to awaken my bloodline and bestowed a Rare Profession upon me!"

The revelation sent a wave of shock through the room.

The dozen or so people exchanged stunned looks.

The power Anor had gained had been bestowed upon him?

That lord could bestow such precious things?!!

The cloaked man's expression shifted again. He had thought the noble had recruited Anor simply because he had awakened Bloodline Power and gained a Rare Profession.

He hadn't expected that the noble himself had granted Anor both his awakened Bloodline Power and his Rare Profession!

Anor's voice was cold.

"My lord came here from the royal capital. His background is so powerful and his strength so great that you can't even imagine it.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity—a chance to rise above the rest.

"You should be grateful. My lord appointed me intelligence commander of Decker City, in charge of establishing an intelligence network.

"So now you know why I called you here.

"If you're unwilling to serve my lord, then leave now. I won't say another word to you.

"But there's one thing you must understand: once you walk out that door, you'll lose the chance to serve my lord, and we'll have nothing more to do with one another."

"Make your decision."

After speaking, Anor slowly sat down and closed his eyes.

The atmosphere shifted once more, and everyone's expression grew uncertain.

Hesitation, indecision, fear, unease—all these emotions surfaced in turn within a short time.

Several breaths passed.

Anor opened his eyes. Seeing that not a single person had left, his gaze softened.

"Have you made your decision?"

The middle-aged man in the black cloak was silent for a moment, then stood and looked Anor straight in the eye.

"Anor, I'll ask you just one thing.

"What kind of person is that lord?"

Anor hesitated for a moment, then answered slowly.

"My lord... is a good person."

"Hm?"

The people in the room were taken aback. They hadn't expected Anor to give that answer.

"After the orphanage was attacked, my lord had me move it near a merchant guild under his control. He'll also hire people to teach the children, so when they grow up, they can work for the guild."

The respect in Anor's voice silenced the room.

Everyone's expression turned complicated.

The middle-aged man froze. As if something had occurred to him, his expression softened.

He nodded solemnly.

"Anor, I agree."

The others in the Wild Grass Alliance exchanged glances, then nodded as well.

"We agree, too. We're willing to serve your lord!"

Anor smiled. His eyes shone with determination and hope.

"From today on, the Wild Grass Alliance no longer needs the word 'Alliance.' We'll keep only 'Wild Grass' as our name.

"We're all wild grass growing in Decker City and the Endless Wasteland, small and weak.

"But we accept that life and death are fate. Wild grass may be lowly, but no one can make us disappear!"

"One day, like real wild grass, we'll cover Decker City, the Silver Moon Kingdom, and the whole of Nol Main Plane!"

These Bronze Grade thieves let out the most defiant roar of their lives—a cry of resistance from people who refused to be driven by fate or sink into the mud!

So what if they were wild grass? They would never let anyone trample them to death!!!