--- The lives he changed and The incoming "Reinforcements"

Gilona, North East Continent, Kraken Empire, Capital City.

Inside a crowded pub, two particular people are currently drinking whisky in silence. They're both dressed casually and wearing ball caps to conceal their identities, and they're sitting at a table on the far edge, where no one will notice them.

"How is it, Tony?"

"All of our sponsors pulled out of the guild, and we only have a few thousand or so members left..."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yes, just like that, Mark..."

These particular two are Mark Alguem and Tony Melvar. They are among the millions of people who were killed by Chris in the event named "The Great Annihilation," as the players dubbed it, where two heavenly spells were unleashed for the very first time by a lone player.

*Drip!* *Drip!*

Tears welled up. Mark felt an emptiness and a twisting of his stomach. He finally realized the gravity of his mistake. He became so drunk on fame and power that he lost sight of his own place in the world, believing that everything revolved around him. It isn't true.

The people who approached him with smiles on their faces were actually just wearing fake smiles. It was pure business and nothing else. Now that he is at his lowest, they all turn their backs on him. He didn't realize that until someone showed him his reality, putting him back in his place.

"I'm a loser..."

"I've gotten too carried away."

"I don't know what happened to me back then."

"I... I'm sorry, my friend... I...-"

He started mumbling while his eyes were filled with tears and his snot was also flowing. Until his friend cut him off with a rude remark.

"That's right. You've become a loser, Mark- No, you've been a loser since the beginning. 'WE' were losers from the very start..."

"..."

"So instead of crying like a little bitch, stand up again. We started from nothing before. Why can't we do it once again? But this time, no more villainous acts, no more lies, and no more of those debaucheries."

"..."

*Drip!* *Drip!*

"I seriously missed that old friend of mine. So please come back. Let's start over again..."

"I-"

*Bam!*

But just when the two were in the middle of their soap opera-like drama, the door of the pub was opened loudly, and a person entered with excitement clearly visible in his eyes. All the customers in the bar looked at him in confusion, wondering if the guy was going to do something.

"Hey guys! Look at the HG website! Some players were streaming that legendary player live!"

"Huh? You mean that 'Despair' guy?"

"Yes!"

"Keh! Is he going to be ambushed by some greedy powerhouses again? Tsk! They never learned their lesson, don't they? Yahahahaha!"

"No, no, not like that! He's attacking the world boss right now and dealing a massive amount of damage. There were some wild guesses that it might fall today!"

"W-what!? Do you think that's possible?"

"Just watch the live stream. There should be so many players streaming him live right now!"

"Owner, please..."

"Alright!"

Even though it's just in the afternoon, the bar is surprisingly filled with people, mostly local patrons. All of them are also players, including the owner.

The owner then activated some kind of device, and a huge hologram appeared on top of the counter, allowing everyone to see it, including the particular two who were having their drama earlier.

What appeared was a view of Chris continuously firing his "Power Shot" skill towards the world boss. It was also shown from multiple angles, allowing everyone to see it in its entirety.

"Oh my god! Look at that damage!"

"That must be the "Power Shot" skill of the archer class."

"I thought he was a friggin' mage..."

"Maybe a unique class like a magic archer or something?"

"It's possible. That guy is extremely lucky after all. He might have found a class trainer in some secret place or had a class scroll dropped by bosses he killed."

***Sigh...***

"Look at the freaking attack range too. That's super amazing!"

"Man, even the "Best Tank" in the world will never be able to survive that attack..."

"Does that mean...?"

"Yeah, he's undoubtedly the strongest player in Gaia."

"The fuck!? Is he still considered a player? How come he can wield anything in Gaia and be good at it? This is so unfair!"

"""..."""

"Anyway, let's log in! We might be able to fish in these troubled waters..."

After hearing it, everyone in the bar suddenly had a realization, and now their eyes had a glint in them as they thought about the loot that would be dropped if the world boss ever died.

Although most of them felt some form of hate and jealousy towards Chris, they can't help but recognize him, as his achievement cannot be denied because it was laid bare for the whole world to see.

Meanwhile, the two particular people at the very edge also had eyes with some glint in them.

"Tony. Let's go and start over and get even with that guy!"

"Alright! We owe him after all..."

"We may never be able to surpass him, but at least I wanted to punch that guy in the face."

"Hehehe... Okay!"

They actually didn't feel any resentment or hatred towards Chris. Rather, it was gratitude. Especially Tony, who had his friend return to normal, someone with a renewed goal and drive.

Their fates will collide once more in the future, but at that time, they'll become the best of friends and two of his greatest generals with unbreakable loyalty.

*******

Gaia, The Great Human Continent, Sun Empire, Outskirts.

In the outskirts of the Sun Empire, three miles away from the outer wall of the capital, a similar scene is happening, where a sea of players can be seen attacking a massive world boss in the form of a gift box.

*Bam!* -1 *Sooo!* -1 *Shiiing!* -300 *Bzzzt!* -1,-1,-1... *Boom!* -1,-1,-1...

"Keep all those spells flying!"

"""Roger!"""

A handsome blonde-haired man can be seen giving orders while on the front line. He was fully geared from head to toe with a set of plated armor, a large shield on his left hand, and a long sword on his right. mostly epic ranks and some legendaries. He even has a cape with a blue glow on his back, which is quite rare.

Even though it was a futile attempt, as their target wasn't even feeling their attacks, he was still doing it to maintain his image as a great leader and make some quota for damage rankings.

Suddenly, a blonde, middle-aged man garbed in a magician's set approached him.

"Your majesty, please look at this!"

"Hmmm?"

The middle-aged man showed him a video that contained a masked player attacking the world boss from the top of the walls. A frown on his face and a clear sense of jealousy and hatred can be seen in his eyes while watching the livestream.

"Tch! No wonder he took the first place so easily... Is this still not cheating? The whole world is watching now."

"Unfortunately, since the HG didn't say anything about this situation, it should be regarded as not cheating, your majesty."

After hearing what his advisor said, lots of scenarios were already playing in his mind, and a plan seems to be in place. A few seconds later, he closed the live stream and immediately issued a command. There was now a trace of greed that could be seen in his eyes.

"Call off the troops and tell them to return to the capital. We'll go to the Moon Empire. Also, send some scouts to keep an eye on that man. I will be having a word with him later."

"Understood! What about his majesty?"

"I'll be leading them up front to secure the loot once he kills it. I want all of the elites and officers with me. I'm sure there will be a bloodbath..."

He had a confident tone while speaking, as if everything was already in the bag. After all, he will participate this time.

"Does his majesty believe that that man can kill that world boss?"

"Who knows...? But my gut tells me so."

"This..."

In truth, it was not just a gut feeling. He truly believes that the masked player, who was Chris, will be able to kill the world boss. After all, he has already performed lots of miracles one after another, so he has high hopes for this one.

He then suddenly remembered someone in the Moon Empire, which changed his mood.

"Ah, that's right, that silver-haired bitch should be there as well. I guess I should have a word with her too."

"Should I send some scouts to keep an eye on her as well, your majesty?"

"Unnecessary! That blonde whore and their whole gang of elite whores are with her most of the time, so keeping an eye on her is impossible. It's not like she's meeting a man or something, and her family is a traditionalist one, so she won't lose her chastity before marriage."

"Understood!"

'Heh! Bitch, you can't escape your marriage with me forever; it's inevitable. Unless you want a bloodbath in your empire, that is."

The expression on his face became lewd while thinking of the certain silver-haired girl as well as the girls who were always with her. His eyes were now showing a little bit of madness and hatred in them too.

'Just you wait, once you're under me in bed, I'll make sure to mess you up so badly to pay back the public humiliation you did to me!'

His name was Ivan Gale, the eldest imperial prince of the Griffin Empire of the western continent in real life as well as the guild leader of the Golden Talons, which was crowned as the number one guild in Gaia after the fall of the Heaven's Legion. He also had the title of "Best Tank" in the game.

After the arrangements, everyone then directly teleported back to the Sun Empire Capital on their way to the mass teleporter, going towards the Moon Empire. Little did they know that their leader would suffer a tragedy soon due to his arrogance.

It was not just the Golden Talons who teleported back but also the rest of the guilds that were there. All the top guilds all over the human continent in Gaia are now on their way to the Moon Empire as well.

Chris' "reinforcements" are on their way, and the outskirts of the Moon Empire will definitely be flooded with even more players soon.