Infinite Realm

"Damn it!"

*Bang*

A fist recklessly clashed with the rock wall with a bang. While the wall was unaffected, the fist undoubtedly wasn't as it shivered a bit, seemingly as a result of the impact upon collision. The owner, however, didn't seem to be bothered by the pain as he grit his teeth in anger.

"How is this possible? We left earlier than they did but we ended up behind. How?!"

A middle-aged man spoke with indignation as a bloodthirsty aura suffused from his body, forcing his teammates to remain silent despite his questions. 

This man was the middle-aged man who had led the Howling Wolf Battalion of Battle Wolves guild to Black Grill's Cave. He went by the IGN Silver Wolf, a name that reminded him of his previous days in the military.

Back before he began playing VR games, Silver Wolf was a soldier of the ISJ ground troops. However, due to some behind-the-scenes manipulation, he ended up turning a scapegoat for a crime committed by an influential party in the military. As such, he was stripped of his rank and rusticated from the military. This was the very first time he ever felt discontent about the social pyramid system as well as his position in it. Seeking a new different life but still with the same thrill that he felt in battles, he became a VR gamer. 

VR gaming was a rising industry back when he showed up and since it was a mix of realistic features, one's battle skills proved to be very useful in it. Hence, with his martial arts knowledge and skills from his military days, Silver Wolf was able to make a name for himself and eventually got recruited by the top 1st tier guild, Battle Wolves, which was surprisingly a guild made up of retired soldiers, mercenaries, and a few other skilled gamers.

After having struggled through the ranks for years, he finally made it this far and was elected as one of the high-ranking commanders as well as the leader f one of the guild's trump card squad, Howling Wolf Battalion. This event in Black Grill's Cave was supposed to be his stage, the stepping stone he would use to garner more fame as well as increase his value and authority in the guild.

With his well-timed instructions as well as his clear-cut commands, Silver Wolf was able to bring his team to the 7th floor of Black Grill's Cave Middle region within 2 days, while some of the teams who had left before him were still trying to find their way. Such commanding skills and tactics would be praised and even Silver Wolf would have been pleased with his achievements if this were at another time, but for now, he was currently ashamed of it. 

The middle-aged man, Silver Wolf, was aggrieved and excessively discontented. 

He had led his men with an overbearing momentum and forced their way through every obstacle that stood their way but even at that, they were still overtaken by another team. If anyone as prideful as he was were in his shoes, they would without a doubt, feel the same.

'Are the heavens against me?' 

Silver Wolf lifted his head as he stared at the ceiling. His expression was as if his vision had pierced through the ceiling to glance at the skies above.

Putting on a solemn yet determined face, Silver Wolf then brought his focus to his team. These guys consisted of soldiers like himself, who were forced out of the military for various yet similar reasons as himself, as well as a few youths who had relations to military families but didn't want to enter the military or were too young to do so. They had all gathered in Battle Wolves and had voluntarily come under Silver Wolf's command after knowing who he was. While they were part of the Howling Wolf Battalion, these guys were closer to Silver Wolf and were the guild players directly under his control; in other words, his private guards.

"Old Wolf, you shouldn't be too worried about things. They are just one floor ahead of us and it isn't like they would dare face the BOSS alone. No matter what, we will still catch up to them." The [Guardian] closest to Silver Wolf said. He was a 2.1 metres tall giant with a burly body and his decision of choosing the [Guardian] class looked to be reasonable especially when considering his physique.

The two of them were part of the same platoon back in the military and could be described as brothers in arms. They were both orphans and treated each other like real blood brothers. Back when Silver Wolf was unjustly retired from the army, this middle-aged man had left alongside him and a few others. In IR, he went by the IGN, Iron Bear.

"I understand, Old Bear." Silver Wolf. He then glanced at the 15+ men behind him and said.

"Men, we will speed up now. Regardless of how much blood we have to spill, we have to make it to the 10th floor as fast as possible. Anyone who has any complaints is free to depart now but if you are to follow me from here on and do as I say, we will find glory at the end of the tunnel. Now, are you with me?"

"Yes, captain." The team replied with a unified thunderous sound. It was as if they weren't bothered about revealing their position to the monsters, and honestly, they weren't.

"Good. Now, we move!"

The scene above was just one of many scenes that had occurred in the teams of other top guilds as the news of Emperor's Might's arrival on the 8th floor was spread to many. While it was true that none of these guilds had any intentions of taking the Kobold King on their own, the race to the 10th floor was still a thing as it displayed the difference in strength between the various teams. At the same time, getting a good rank would help them in negotiating for the loot from the Kobold King's death. Hence, every guild, no matter which tier they were, had mobilised their strongest players for this event.

With Emperor's Might currently taking the lead, and Battle Wolves up for second place, the remaining 8 of the top 10 positions were aggressively contested for by the other 1st tier guilds and some of the stronger 2nd tier guilds. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie but they all knew it wouldn't come free. So, no matter the cost, the various teams pulled out the stops to make sure they got a good ranking which would not only help them in the forthcoming negotiations but could also be used to boost the popularity of their guild. After all, making it to the top 10 positions in a race being participated by more than 20 guilds, clubs, and teams, showed the remarkable prowess of their team.

While the entire atmosphere was getting heated up, Sato and the others had already begun making their way towards the target's location. Up front, Emperor's Might took the title of publicly acknowledged 1st place, but Sato and the others had already sneaked their way to the 9th floor with the aid of the teleportation arrays.. If the other players knew of this, they would scream of injustice while the enemies of Emperor's Might would mock them for being so contented with their 'first' place.