What started as a simple nap under a shady tree turned into the greatest accidental discovery of MC's life — or at least the noisiest.
He'd been fiddling with his system interface, poking around in menus no one sane ever touched. Most people respected the clearly labeled [DANGER: DEBUG MENU] prompt. MC? He considered it an invitation.
"Huh. 'Link Matrix Calibration: Beta'? That sounds totally safe," he muttered, tapping it with the confidence of someone who had never read a Terms of Service in his life.
A flash of light burst from his chest, followed by a ripple of energy that swept through the camp like an invisible shockwave. Everyone froze — well, everyone except Jax, who fell out of his hammock and landed face-first in a bucket of soup.
"What the hell did you just do?" Kira demanded, already halfway through drawing her sword.
"I… may have unlocked a secret network?" MC said, squinting as glowing runes swirled through his vision. "Wait—there's a name. It says… 'Guild Link Network Activated.'"
Lina's eyes widened. "That's a myth. A system-based cross-synchronization channel? It's supposed to be impossible!"
"Which is why I pressed it," MC said proudly.
The rest of the guild's System UIs began blinking. New menus popped up. Stats rose across the board. Iris gasped as her mana regeneration rate spiked. Kira tried swinging her sword — and shattered a training dummy with a single swipe.
"Oh gods," she whispered. "I'm… buffed. You buffed me. I hate how much I love this."
Jax blinked, standing up with soup dripping down his front. "I feel like I can sing and not pass out now."
Luna's eyes glowed faintly. "I sense… harmonious resonance. Like a choir of systems singing in sync."
MC blinked. "Wait. You mean… we're linked? Like everyone's passives and powers are being… shared?"
"No," Iris corrected. "Enhanced. It's like we're amplifying each other's strengths."
"Cool," MC said. "So what you're saying is… I just turned us into a super-guild?"
Kira folded her arms. "You also just made us even bigger targets."
"Details," MC said, waving her off.
Lina scrolled through her stats. "This must be based on your Harem King link logic. You've accidentally weaponized friendship."
"Or love," Iris added sweetly, winking. "Which means I should be even stronger than Kira—"
"HA," Kira scoffed. "As if."
"Technically, my affection score is higher," Luna said, reading her screen like a stock ticker.
A quiet ding echoed in MC's head.
[Guild Link Established – Buff Synergy Active]New Effect: "Team Harmony" — All party members gain 5% stat boost for each bonded member nearby.Current Party Buff: +30%
Jax, now shirtless and swirling a bottle like a conductor's baton, declared, "I am invincible!"
He tripped over a rock.
Even Ciel, standing at the edge of the camp with her arms crossed, looked mildly impressed. "I still think systems are for cheaters… but this is impressive cheating."
MC scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.
"So… what now?" Lina asked.
"We train," Kira said. "We push this system to its limit."
"We drink!" Jax added.
"We meditate," Luna offered.
"We do everything, apparently," MC said, looking at his glowing hands.
And for the first time, the guild felt like more than just a bunch of misfits with mismatched powers. They were a force. A family. A gloriously overpowered, system-linked, chaos-prone family.
And MC? He was their confused, overcaffeinated, occasionally brilliant heart.
END OF CHAPTER 70