Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

The strange old man beside Henry had left remnants of ghost parasites inside Jade's body when he extracted the child from her. These ghost parasites had fused with her spirit, granting her the ability to control them.

More importantly, her remains were likely still buried at that location. Only by recovering her bones could she be fully freed, though for now, there was no way to locate them.

However, Ryan assured them that he would handle the matter.

The teddy bear Jade was currently possessing had been soaked in the hot springs from that area, providing a temporary vessel for her spirit.

By the time Ethan and the others left, Jade had grown so weak inside the teddy bear that she could barely hold on. This was why she had urged Ethan not to speak—she knew her time was running out.

To slow her dissipation, Ryan brought a black jar etched with sigils and sealed her inside. He explained to Ethan that if her spirit faded before her remains were properly laid to rest, she would never reach the Underworld.

For Ryan, this was all new territory. But this was how his master had taught him, and Ethan and the others had no choice but to trust Dr. Aldric's methods.

While Ryan's abilities leaned toward the supernatural and arcane, Evelyn's medical skills were top-notch. Her expertise was a testament to Dr. Aldric's genuine talent.

After returning to the villa, Ethan called Ryan, urging him to expedite the process of resolving Jade's situation. He also informed Ryan that he had transferred five hundred thousand dollars into Evelyn's account, instructing them to leave Ember City as soon as the task was completed and find a safe place to lay low.

Once everything was arranged, Ethan, exhausted, climbed into his VR Capsule. It was already past 3 a.m., and though he had lost valuable time, he needed to log back into the game immediately to continue leveling up.

Lyla was still waiting for him to save her.

"Lyla, hold on. I'll find the Silverwood family's territory," Ethan muttered to himself. "Even if I can't rely on the Ninth Division's guest pass anymore, I'll risk everything to bring you back."

Ding…

[Welcome to the world of Ethereal…]

As soon as he logged in, Ethan instinctively opened the guild chat. Something felt off.

Just as he was about to scroll through the chat history, Celia sent him a message.

Some players from Renegade Alliance wanted to leave the guild and had already submitted their applications.

In Ethereal's guild system, players who wished to leave had to submit a request to the guild's higher-ups. Once approved, they could exit without penalty. Any equipment they had exchanged from the guild vault would be reclaimed by the system, but the contribution points they had spent would be refunded at the current market rate, deducted from the guild's funds.

However, if the guild leadership denied the request and the players forcibly left, there were consequences. All equipment purchased with contribution points would be reclaimed and returned to the guild vault, and the contribution points would not be refunded. This was the punishment for betraying the guild.

Even worse, players who left without approval would be barred from joining any guild for fifteen days.

Normally, exit requests could be approved by vice leaders or Honorary leaders, so Ethan didn't need to get involved. But today, the players wanting to leave were no ordinary members of Renegade Alliance.

They were part of the elite corps. After Celia took over as Honorary Leader, she had formed one hundred elite teams, totaling three thousand players. This was done under Ethan's direction, as he anticipated that large-scale raids requiring thousands of players would become common in the future.

However, given Renegade Alliance's current income, they could only afford to sustain an elite corps of this size. These players were selected from the general membership based on their skills, reaction times, character, and execution abilities. More importantly, they were willing to sign binding contracts with the guild.

Once signed, they enjoyed elite-level benefits, including salaries, bonuses for participating in guild activities, and additional subsidies for leading expeditions. Because of this, their exit requests required Ethan's personal approval.

So, when Celia saw Ethan log in, she immediately sent him a message.

Ethan's heart sank. This was the first time anyone had requested to leave Renegade Alliance. Since its founding in the Starter Zone, the guild had only grown, with members constantly joining and not a single one leaving.

"Who's trying to leave?" Ethan asked.

"First, it was ReaperX, FrozenYears, Cupid's Wrath, VoidKnight, and TheActor—those five submitted their applications. But now it's not just them. Over five hundred members from the elite corps have submitted exit requests, and the number is still growing," Celia explained, her tone heavy with concern.

While these players weren't the absolute top-tier members of the Renegade Alliance, ReaperX, FrozenYears, Cupid's Wrath, VoidKnight, and TheActor were still among the best in the second tier. And with so many players leaving at once, this wasn't just a minor issue—it was a full-blown crisis. The negative impact on the guild's reputation would be immeasurable.

"Where are they now?" Ethan asked, already suspecting what had happened.

These players had likely been bribed. With the regional boundaries still closed, the Steele Consortium was the wealthiest entity in the Northern Frontier Region. These players must have been offered better deals than what Renegade Alliance could provide.

Greedy individuals, tempted by money, had decided to abandon the guild. And it wasn't just about personal gain—someone was orchestrating this to humiliate Renegade Alliance and tarnish its reputation.

If Ethan approved their exit requests, they could leave without penalty, saving the Steele Consortium a significant amount of money. If he denied their requests, they would simply force their way out, and the Steele Consortium would cover any breach-of-contract penalties. These players had nothing to lose, and the Steele Consortium was more than willing to foot the bill.

"They're all in Harmony City, at the guild headquarters," Celia replied.

She was still trying to reason with ReaperX, FrozenYears, Cupid's Wrath, VoidKnight, and TheActor. These five were captains of three-hundred-player teams, each commanding ten squads of thirty players. They had originally been transferred from Leo's team.

Renegade Alliance's first team had been formed by Leo, Victor, and SeraphWarrior back in the Starter Zone. Over time, some members had left, mostly those who felt they weren't pulling their weight and chose to step aside.

When Celia took over as Honorary Leader, she had discussed with Leo and Victor the need to select ten standout players from their teams to form ten three-hundred-player squads.