Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 73: So this is what it feels like to be at the top

"You’re smart to recognize your situation."

Whitestone gave a cold smile and spoke. "William, knowing your limits is a virtue. Given the scale of this deal, even if you’re getting just forty percent, do you really think your little Nocturnal Crescent guild can handle it? Why not let us, the Sterling Group, ’generously’ lend a hand? Don’t worry, we believe in harmony—peace brings prosperity. And we won’t be too greedy or unreasonable..."

He paused for a moment before continuing in a tone that left no room for negotiation. "How about this, William? We’ll take half of Nocturnal Crescent’s share in the troop trade. That should be fair enough, right?"

The moment those words left his mouth, William’s expression darkened completely.

His face turned pale, then flushed with anger—

A storm of emotions flickered across his features.

But he didn’t dare to argue.

Meanwhile, Whitestone had already ended the call on his own.

"Chairman, we... we..." Nocturnal Crescent’s guild leader, Nightfall, looked at William with a grim expression. Deep in his eyes, there was a trace of helplessness and sorrow.

To put it bluntly, this was nothing more than blatant robbery—

A daylight mugging, right in front of them!

But even knowing that, what could they do?

First, Whitestone had the backing of the Sterling Group.

Second, he had the support of the Scarlet Legion guild.

And third—Whitestone himself was one of the top players in Glory Lords X!

Any one of those reasons alone was enough to crush Nocturnal Crescent’s hopes.

This was the cruel reality of the weak.

"Enough. Leave me alone for a while," William said, shaking his head.

"...Alright." Nightfall stood up, forcing a bitter smile before walking out of the conference room.

Bang!

The moment the door shut, William slammed his fist onto the table, his face twisted with rage.

"This is too much!" he growled.

A few moments later, his clenched fist loosened, and he slumped back into his chair, drained of all strength.

Frustration.

Resignation.

He let out a long sigh.

"Power... It all comes down to power..."

William remained in the conference room for a long time before finally getting up and leaving.

More than a day later, Ethan set out from Emerald Castle, riding his dragon, Cicero, toward Icelight City—

Heading straight for Nocturnal Crescent’s headquarters.

A couple of days passed in the blink of an eye...

BOOM!

In the bustling player plaza of Icelight City, a majestic golden bird descended from the sky. The moment it landed, the entire crowd reacted as if they had just seen a ghost—faces filled with shock, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Holy shit... Is that a 9-Tier Roc from the Stronghold faction?!"

"No... no, wait... It’s not just a 9-Tier unit. That bird is golden! That looks like... a 10-Tier Thunderbird!"

"10... 10-Tier?! No way! That’s impossible!"

"Are you serious?! A 10-Tier Thunderbird?! Who the hell is that guy? He’s gotta be someone big... This is insane! A 10-Tier unit—could he be one of the top guild executives?!"

"Whoever he is, he’s definitely a top-tier player. A real powerhouse. We better stay out of his way—people like that are way out of our league..."

...

Clearly, the presence of a 10-Tier Thunderbird was nothing short of a nuclear-level event.

Every single player in the plaza, staring up at Ethan’s figure in the distance, had the same look in their eyes—

Shock.

Awe.

Fear.

And, of course—

Envy.

Jealousy.

Because everyone knew exactly what a 10-Tier unit represented.

At this stage of the game, the highest-tier unit any player had managed to obtain was 11-Tier. In other words, anyone who possessed a 10-Tier unit was without a doubt among the world’s top elite players.

A true legend.

How could they not be envious? How could they not feel the sting of jealousy?

Ethan, however, remained outwardly calm as he walked toward Icelight City, his expression indifferent and composed.

But deep down—

He was loving this.

"So this is what it feels like to be at the top, huh?"

"No wonder everyone wants to be a big shot. This kind of attention, this kind of admiration... it feels damn good."

Before long, Ethan arrived at the Nocturnal Crescent guild headquarters.

The moment he stepped inside, he was met with a sea of stunned faces—expressions of pure disbelief, eyes filled with shock.

"E... Ethan... That Thunderbird in the plaza just now... was that yours?"

Isabella’s voice trembled as she spoke, her mind struggling to process what she had just witnessed.

At this moment, her entire worldview felt like it had been shattered—

No, completely overturned.

That was a 10-Tier Thunderbird! fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

A unit typically reserved for the top 50 players on the Monarch Leaderboard.

And yet, here it was—under Ethan’s command.

Did that mean... Ethan’s strength was already on par with the top 50 players in the world?!

The thought alone made Isabella’s head spin. She felt like she was about to pass out from sheer shock.

Ethan, however, simply smiled. "Yeah, it’s mine. But it was assigned to me from above. Since this is our first trade, they wanted to make sure our ’guests’ got a good look at our organization’s strength."

He then turned his gaze toward William, who was still frozen in shock, and greeted him with a nod.

"Mr. Carter, good to see you."

William’s entire body tensed as if he had just snapped out of a dream. His expression was complicated as he looked at Ethan, letting out a deep sigh.

"Ethan... you really do know how to surprise me," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "Your organization’s strength... it’s terrifying."

From what William knew, 10-Tier units were considered strategic nuclear assets—something no faction would reveal unless absolutely necessary.

Most groups would hide them, hoard them, keep them a secret for as long as possible.

And yet, Ethan’s faction had casually shown off a 10-Tier Thunderbird just to flex their power.

That level of confidence... that level of dominance...

It was something only the top 10 guilds could pull off.

Ethan chuckled. "Mr. Carter, where’s Scarlet Legion? Or should we just proceed with the trade first?"

The moment those words left his mouth, William’s expression stiffened—

Just for a split second.

But he quickly recovered, forcing a smile as he responded, "I’ve already notified them. If nothing goes wrong, they should be here soon. Ethan, let’s not stand around at the entrance—please, come inside. We can wait in the conference room."

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing the subtle shift in William’s demeanor.

But he didn’t let it show. Instead, he smiled casually and said, "Mr. Carter, since they’re not here yet, I think I’ll take a walk with Isabella. We’ve both been busy lately—haven’t had much time to catch up."

"When Scarlet Legion arrives, just let me know."

William hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "That works too."

"Alright then, Mr. Carter, we’ll be off."

With that, Ethan took Isabella’s hand—who was still in a daze—and led her deeper into the Nocturnal Crescent headquarters.

As the two of them walked away, William’s second-in-command, Nightfall, stood behind him, his expression flickering with hesitation.

His fists clenched and unclenched, as if he were struggling with something—

As if he were debating something.

And then—

He suddenly gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and—

Quietly slipped away, following after Ethan and Isabella.