Not many people knew this but the forty player team in the nether realm was the true Crimson Abyss guild.
Every single one of them had taken the loyalty pledge and all of them had been fighting together and playing together for a while now.
Though within this forty player group, there were a few smaller groups, people from various backgrounds sticking close to each other, overall they shared a good bond.
So when Liam stood up and casually broke the news to everyone… unexpectedly things went down a lot smoother than he had expected.
Derek, Mei Mei, and Shen Yue already knew about it, but this was the first time the rest of the group were hearing this.
At first, they also had questions and doubts but when Liam talked about the gaming capsule related deaths no one could question that unshakeable fact.
Everything else might be a hypothesis or assumption, but this happened in the real world, right in front of everyone.
So if a death inside the game could affect real life, it was not a big leap to assume that other things from inside the game might also affect real life.
Liam did not pressure the group of players and gave them some time to think about things.
Since they were already inside the dungeon and hidden from the outside world, there was no need to rush as well.
Liam calmly sat down on the side and started examining the new herbs from the nether realm they had obtained after looting the carriage.
These were all completely new to him and he had no idea about them. So he took out one stalk after another and started studying their properties, familiarizing himself with them.
Meanwhile, Mei Mei and Shen Yue were busy looking through the pile of loot.
Mei Mei checked if any of the unique items in the pile synergized well with her Emerald Crown while Shen Yue checked for items with additional charm attributes.
Shen Yue discovered that not only items but the way she dressed could also increase her charm attribute.
The saying clothes maketh the man or in this case, the woman was one hundred percent true for her class.
So she searched through the pile as if she was rummaging Macy's Sale section for better outfits.
Other than these two, of course, there was Luna who was lazily lying beside Liam and munching on a meatball, and also there was Derek who stood guard for the whole group.
Though they hadn't technically entered the dungeon, they were still standing within the walls of the dungeon, so he remained alert for any possible incoming danger.
Watching these 5 people casually go about their business, the rest of the group could only bitterly smile.
Here they were trying to come to terms with something insanely impossible, but these people were all somehow okay with it?
The worst part was that this truth was right in front of their eyes for several days now.
Only they did not see it or perhaps they did and subconsciously did not want to think too much about it.
And now that Liam had spelled out the exact words, they could no longer ignore it.
"It's fine. Guys, let's snap out of it." Shin Shoo muttered to his small group.
All five of them were from the Jingnam district in Korea and all five of them also knew each other inside and outside of the game.
"At least we picked a winning side…"
Kang Minah smiled bitterly and nodded. This was indeed true. The day that they had forced Liam to take them as his lackeys was probably the luckiest day of their lives.
Chung Hee and Kin Hyun also looked at each other, thinking about the same thing.
After they recovered from the initial shock, every single one of them felt relieved that they had made the right choice.
"Ummm… what about our parents and siblings?" Chung Hee hesitantly spoke out aloud.
Unexpectedly, Liam answered his question, all the way from the other side of the small cave.
"You should ask all of them to get a game capsule and log into the game. They can join our guild. Start doing quests and become stronger."
"We will make a special guide for our group's families, friends, and siblings. They can access that once they take the loyalty pledge."
Liam paused to see if someone would oppose him but no one seemed to mind it.
After all, the people who were gathered there were from different countries, different cultures, and different religions.
These kinds of rules were necessary to make sure that everyone could peacefully coexist and grow stronger together.
However, for now, Liam decided to stop with just this. Just a few people dying was still not enough proof for the impending apocalypse and these guys were not Derek.
He couldn't simply ask them to uproot their lives and move to his hometown. There would be a time for that and now was not the right time.
Other than Shin Soo's group, the rest of the group members were from Mia's previous guild.
That group silently discussed amongst themselves and was doing a lot better than the Korean group in coming to terms with reality.
Perhaps because they were all well aware of Rey's condition to begin with, they may be already had a hunch about these things.
They as well agreed to Liam's suggestion about bringing in all of their friends and families to the game and also joining the guild.
Liam did not plan to micromanage them and let them deal with the finer details by themselves.
Perhaps their own families would not believe them or their explanation. They might have to lie and ask them to join so that they can receive free cash.
The whole transition would be chaotic. There was simply no way around it but in the end, this situation was still better than completely being unprepared.
Liam gave the group a few more minutes to discuss things amongst themselves, but after the one-hour mark, he promptly stood up.
"Alright, now it's time for the dungeon run. We are not going to gain anything by sitting like this chatting idly."
"The future is uncertain. We need to work hard and make sure that it doesn't stay that way. Sure, this game is definitely frightening but it is also a chance for us."
"Let's use it properly."
Everyone couldn't help but feel goosebumps after hearing his words. They all knew that Liam was correct.
This game was a double-sided coin, a curse, and a boon at the same time.
But unlike a coin toss, which side they were going to get was not going to be determined by luck. It was going to be determined by their blood and sweat!
