Lord of the Karmic Fate

In front of Raven, a total of six individuals stood next to each other, four men and two women, each of them seemingly being in their mid or late twenties.

And out of these six individuals, Raven could recognize three of them.

'These three... Why are they here?'

Before Raven, the three individuals he had immidieatly identified were none other than a young man with ghostly pale skin, a beautiful young woman wearing an elegant crimson qipao, and a young man with a handsome face.

Those three were surprisingly none other than Felix, Min Chen, and Canwin, the latter two being one of the main pillars of top guilds while Felix was the heir of the Vaincor Family, the only family that can rival any of the Realm Families despite not holding the title of Realm Family!

As for the other three individuals, Raven had no idea at all who they were, but considering the aura around their bodies he knew they must be someone pretty strong.

"Okay, everyone. Please come a bit closer. I have an announcement to make." once inside the room Master Ansell clapped twice softly and watched the six individuals step closer to him, their attention on both Raven and Luna.

"Good. Now then, although you may know who they are, please let me introduce them to you." Master Ansell gestured at the two beside him and continued, "Luna and Raven Wright from the Black Moon Guild. They are here to help you six complete your mission."

"Silver Death Luna will help us? Haha! That is some great news!" a man with a long beard, a bald head, and a long cigarette in his mouth laughed.

"At least this way we don't have to fear getting swarmed and killed by hundreds of creatures. With Lady Luna here our strength will definitely skyrocket." a young lady with a rather chubby look nodded, in her hand a box of candy visible.

"Raven Wright... Why does it sound so familiar?" a skinny guy with many tattoos all over his body touched his chin, a small frown seemingly apparent on his face as he stared at Raven.

Then, as if he remembered something he quickly snapped his finger and said, "Oh, I know! He is Lady Luna's older brother, isn't he?"

"The one who had gone missing for three years?" Min Chen raised a brow and examined Raven with curiosity.

"Yep, him!"

Upon hearing this everyone directed their gaze at Raven, who frowned softly before watching as someone stepped before him and extended a hand for a handshake.

Looking at the young man calmly who still looked as if he was suffering from some sort of rare disease, Raven accepted the hand and smiled.

"It's good to see you safe and alive, Raven."

"I should be the one saying that. You look even more ghastly than last time." Raven laughed with a wry smile.

"You two know each other? Since when?" Canwin took a step closer, looking at Raven and Felix with curiosity.

"It was during the start of the Great Change where everyone was forced to play their First Realm Game. He and I had to survive in the same game." Felix explained calmly as he let Raven's hands go.

"Oh? I see." Canwin hummed before he examined Raven and raised a brow, "Rank 43? Can he really help us?"

"He can. In fact, although it has not yet been announced officially for several reasons, his Character Rank had been evaluated as SS." Master Ansell pointed out with a nonchalant look.

"What!?"

Everyone's eyes widened and now looked at Raven in a completely new light.

"Please, wait for a second. Master Ansell, Sir, you really wish to tell us that he is someone who can jump not one, not two, but more than 10 Ranks during fights!?" the skinny guy with tons of tattoos asked with utter disbelief.

"That is right." Master Ansell nodded.

"But wouldn't that mean if this gets out then..."

"The five Realm Families will do anything in their powers to get their hands on him and use him to break the balance." Min Chen mumbled quietly as she finished the chubby woman's sentence.

"Exactly. And that is why I have asked Lia to classify and keep all his data confidential for the time being." Master Ansell said.

Then he quickly added, "So you don't have to worry and just concentrate on your mission for the time being. With him here, I am more than confident in your abilities to overcome that seemingly impossible challenge presented by that Crimson Gate!"

"Wait... Since when did I have agreed on all this?" suddenly Raven asked with a frown.

Although he had shown kindness to the six individuals in front of him and he didn't mind getting introduced to them, after all, they all were powerful individuals with great influence, he never agreed to help them in their mission.

Hell, he didn't even know what the mission was all about!

Master Ansell raised a brow before realization hit him like a train and slapped himself on the forehead.

"Oh, true, I have completely forgotten about it. Lisa, please explain to him."

Lia, standing beside Master Ansell nodded and took a step forward.

"As you may have known this, but depending on your Character Rank you can gain bonus rewards after all of your completed missions."

"For instance, let's say you apply for a mission that gives you 1,000 Novas as a reward. If your Character Rank is "B" then after completing your mission you get 1,200 Novas. However, if your Character Rank is "A" then that goes up to 1,300 Novas."

'A 20% bonus for B Rank and a 30% bonus for A Rank. I guess it is a 40% bonus for those with an A Rank and only a 10% bonus for anyone with a C Rank.' Raven thought as he came to such a conclusion.

"However, you only get to live with this privilege if you fulfill your assigned mission by the Realm Association every month, which difficulty varies depending on your Role, Avatar Rank, True Rank, and Character Rank."

"Oh? So I have to complete this mission if I want to earn that benefit?" Raven asked despite already knowing the answer.

Lia nodded.

"Exactly. That way you will earn the right to gain a 50% bonus after all of your completed missions."

"50%... It's because my Character Rank is SS, right?"

"That is correct." Lia nodded once again.

Raven hummed quietly and after a second or two he asked, "I see, then I guess I have to accept this mission. However, while I can understand why I have to help, what about my little sister?"

"Lady Luna has already completed her monthly mission assigned by the Realm Association last week. She is here because she wants to assist this mission."

"Is that so?" Raven glanced at Luna who just smiled cutely at him.

"Anyways, now that your doubts had been cleared let me explain what your mission will be about." Master Ansell said and after clearing his throat he gestured at Lia who nodded and pressed a button on her device.

In a flash, the room darkened scarcely and in the middle a small hologram appeared, showcasing a massive Realm Gate with a color of deep crimson and 6 golden rings on it.

"As you may already know, your task will be to complete the Realm Game within this Crimson Gate with six Ring Marks."

Everyone stared at the Crimson Gate in the middle of the vast desert with grim faces, each of them knowing just how dangerous it was to enter such a thing.

'Crimson Gate. According to what dad said, if one dies inside they not only lose their Artifacts, Relics, and Rune Marks, but all of their Traits get erased, falling to 0 while their bodies will be permanently crippled in the real world.'

It was no wonder why it was such a huge feat to complete and conquer Crimson Gates. After all, just a single mistake was enough for one to lose everything they have obtained for years through both tears, sweat, and blood!

"Do we know what kind of Realm Game we have to play in there?" Canwin suddenly asked.

Master Ansell glanced at the handsome young man before he sighed and said, "Unfortunately, we don't. Everyone who entered the Crimson Gate is now unable to move, see, and hear."

"What cruelty..." Min Chen sighed, her beautiful face holding both pity and a hint of sorrow.

The rest nodded in agreement with her, their faces as pale as a sheet of paper.

Upon seeing their faces Master Ansell showed a soft smile and said, "I know how you are feeling right now, but you don't have to worry."

And as he said those words, Master Ansell waved his hand, causing something golden to flash and appear before everyone in mid-air and remain there floating.

"This..."

Everyone widened their eyes with utter disbelief the moment they recognized the small item while Raven raised a brow in confusion and decided to read the description instead.