Chapter 337: Swallowing the Small Fish.

This was hardly an uncommon practice among powerful organizations.

In fact, almost every major Guild had subsidiaries operating under its influence, and the White Comet Guild was no exception. However, unlike organizations that preferred establishing mutually beneficial partnerships, White Comet had developed a considerably more ruthless approach.

Their preferred targets were usually small organizations that had recently developed promising products. And among those, businesses dealing in medicine were particularly attractive.

Potions, pills, healing solutions, and similar products were always in demand. As long as Hunters kept entering Rifts and fighting monsters, there would never be a shortage of people willing to pay for medicines capable of keeping them alive.

More importantly, unlike weapons and equipment that could remain useful for years, medicinal products were consumables. Once used, they needed to be replaced. That made the industry an extremely profitable one, provided an organization possessed a reliable product and the means to produce it in sufficient quantities.

Naturally, Kina Proenza understood this better than most, and over the years, the White Comet Guild had built an extensive network of medicinal businesses under its control.

However, none of all those businesses had joined willingly. In fact, many had been forced into submission through methods that could only be described as cruel.

Whenever White Comet discovered a promising small organization, they would first investigate its background, financial situation, and connections. If the organization possessed something valuable but lacked the strength to protect itself, it immediately became a target. Then the harassment would begin.

Sometimes, suppliers would suddenly refuse to provide essential materials. Other times, merchants who’d long maintained good relationships with the organization would inexplicably terminate their contracts. There were also cases involving hired troublemakers, intimidation, deliberate interference with business operations, and countless other underhanded tactics.

Naturally, White Comet rarely acted openly. Instead, they relied on smaller organizations, intermediaries, and individuals who could be discarded if things became troublesome. This allowed them to maintain a respectable public image while quietly applying pressure to their targets.

As the harassment continued, the unfortunate organization would gradually find itself struggling to survive, and before long, the business would be pushed to the brink of collapse.

That was when White Comet would finally make its appearance, not as the party responsible for the victim’s suffering, of course, but as its savior.

A representative would approach the struggling business with an offer of financing and protection, though the offer came with one condition, they had to become a subsidiary of the White Comet Guild.

By that point, most targets had very little room to negotiate. They could either accept and surrender a significant portion of their business, or keep struggling until they eventually collapsed.

For many, the choice was obvious.

Through this method, White Comet had swallowed numerous smaller organizations over the years.

Some had been completely absorbed into the Guild’s operations, while others continued operating under their original names, with White Comet quietly controlling their finances and major decisions. The results spoke for themselves.

At present, businesses under White Comet’s influence controlled more than half of the medicinal supply throughout the Southern Safe Zone. It was an astonishing level of market dominance, and it generated enormous profits.

Of course, Kina had no intention of stopping there. As far as she was concerned, the medicinal industry still had tremendous room for expansion, so whenever a new product appeared with the potential to revolutionize the market, she naturally wanted a piece of it.

Which was precisely why the Mothlight Guild had caught her attention.

Dun’s Mana Potion. Or more specifically, the potion’s ability to help treat Mana Sickness.

Mana Sickness had long been a troublesome condition for humanity. Although there were methods of managing its symptoms, they only slowed its progression. Naturally, a potion capable of helping treat such a condition possessed enormous commercial potential.

The moment information about the product reached Kina, she’d recognized its value immediately.

If White Comet could obtain the formula and establish large-scale production, the resulting profits would be considerable. More importantly, controlling such a product would further strengthen the Guild’s position within the medicinal industry. It was practically the perfect opportunity.

Unfortunately, there was a problem.

The Mothlight Guild had absolutely no intention of surrendering its formula.

Despite being a relatively new organization, Mothlight had maintained strict control over the production and distribution of the potion. Attempts to obtain the recipe had been unsuccessful, and the Guild had shown little interest in granting outside organizations unrestricted access to its research.

Naturally, Kina hadn’t been pleased. From her perspective, Mothlight was simply another small organization that had stumbled upon something valuable, and if it refused to cooperate willingly, then she would make cooperation its most attractive option.

So she’d employed the same methods White Comet had used countless times, the goal being to gradually weaken Mothlight until its leadership had no choice but to seek outside assistance.

However...

Things weren’t proceeding as expected.

Not only had Mothlight refused to submit, but the Guild appeared to be growing increasingly prosperous. And now, the very organization Kina had been trying to subdue was preparing to hold an auction rumored to contain several extraordinary treasures.

How could she not be interested?

Kina leaned back in her chair, her gaze lingering on the report in front of her. After a moment, she looked toward her assistant.

"Clear my schedule for the rest of the day."

The man blinked. "Guild Master?"

Kina smiled faintly. "I think I’ll attend this auction personally."

The assistant hesitated. "But you have several meetings scheduled for this evening, including the discussion with the representatives from—"

"Postpone them." Her tone remained calm, yet the authority behind her words left little room for argument. "I want to see what the Mothlight Guild is up to."

The man immediately lowered his head.

"Understood, Guild Master. I’ll make the necessary arrangements."

"Good." Kina waved her hand dismissively. The assistant bowed once more, turned, and left the office, the door closing softly behind him.

Silence returned.

Kina remained seated, staring at the documents before her, her fingers slowly tapping against the desk. This development is certainly unexpected.

She’d expected Mothlight to begin showing signs of weakness by now. Instead, the Guild seemed to be attracting more attention than ever. Whether that would ultimately work in her favor remained to be seen, and Kina was rather curious to find out which outcome awaited the Mothlight Guild.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Well then..." She picked up the report once more. "Let’s see what you’re capable of."

---

Meanwhile, within a Rift located somewhere in the Southern Safe Zone, a completely different scene was unfolding.

The air was thick with the unpleasant smell of blood, and across a wide stretch of uneven terrain, dozens of monster corpses lay scattered in various positions.

Some had been torn apart by overwhelming force, others bore deep wounds left by sharp weapons, and a few had been reduced to such a miserable state that identifying their original appearance would have been difficult. Broken trees and damaged rocks surrounded the battlefield, further evidence of the violent confrontation that had recently taken place.

However, despite the carnage, the battle was already over. Standing among the corpses was a group of men.

At first glance, it was easy to tell they didn’t all belong to the same organization.

One group consisted of individuals in practical combat equipment, their armor bearing numerous scratches, their weapons showing signs of heavy use, their movements carrying the calm efficiency of experienced fighters. Even while standing among the monster corpses, they appeared completely at ease. Clearly, this wasn’t their first time dealing with such a situation.

The second group, however, was considerably different.

Although several of them possessed decent equipment, their expressions and behavior made it obvious they weren’t nearly as accustomed to dangerous Rift expeditions.

Some looked exhausted, while others were visibly uncomfortable with the amount of blood surrounding them. The difference between the two groups was unmistakable.

The seasoned warriors belonged to the Dark Angel Mercenary Group.

As for the second group, they were the clients who’d hired Dark Angel for the expedition.

Their original objective had been to locate something within the Rift, and the mercenaries had been commissioned to provide protection and combat support throughout the search. Unfortunately, things weren’t going to proceed quite as smoothly as they’d expected.

"Alright, boys!"

A rough voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

"Chop, chop! Let’s get moving!"

The speaker was a tall, intimidating man standing near the remains of a particularly large monster. He possessed a muscular physique and carried himself with the relaxed confidence of someone long accustomed to dangerous situations. Several scars were visible across his exposed skin, and his eyes had a sharp, almost predatory quality.

His name was Viper. Leader of the Dark Angel Mercenary Group, and the individual primarily responsible for the organization’s rise in reputation.

Viper glanced across the battlefield before gesturing toward the monster corpses.

"Round up everything useful. Cores, materials, anything worth selling." He raised his voice slightly. "And don’t take all damn day doing it!"

"Yes, Boss!"

Several mercenaries responded immediately, and without wasting time, they began moving among the corpses.

Some drew specialized knives and started carving valuable materials from the monsters. Others collected Mana Cores, while a few took up the perimeter, scouting for any possible danger. Their movements were efficient, making it clear they’d performed this task countless times before.