The morning after the "Guild Link Network" activation felt like waking up inside an overpowered MMO mod — and no one had read the patch notes.
Lina accidentally melted a training boulder with a sneeze.
Jax serenaded a squirrel into submission.
Kira blinked and found herself halfway up a tree, her agility having tripled overnight.
"Oh," MC said, watching sparks dance around his fingertips. "This is fine. Everything's fine."
It wasn't.
The buffs weren't just passive boosts — they were synergistic, unpredictable, and in some cases, utterly ridiculous. When MC stood near both Iris and Ciel, he somehow gained temporary time-slowing armor that made him look like he was constantly posing in slow motion.
He tripped dramatically — in slow motion.
"Why does everything look like a perfume ad around you now?" Kira asked, squinting.
"I don't know!" MC shouted mid-spin, voice trailing off like a movie trailer echo.
Then there was the "Unintentional Aura Fusion" incident.
Standing between Lina and Luna, MC suddenly emitted waves of healing fire — healing fire — which caused everyone nearby to either regenerate or burst into tears of confusion.
"Is this… divine combustion?" Luna asked.
Jax tried using the aura to cure his hangover and passed out smiling.
During combat practice, things only got worse. MC mimicked Iris's time spell and Lina's flame spell at once — and created a time-delayed fireball that hovered in place, ticking like a magical bomb.
"What is that?!" Kira shouted.
"It's… probably fine?" MC guessed.
It wasn't.
The fireball exploded five minutes later, launching half the training camp into the sky — including Jax, who somehow landed in a hot spring three towns over and sent a postcard.
To make matters worse, the Link Network was beginning to cause affection-based anomalies.
Every time someone's affection ticked up, MC gained a temporary passive. From Ciel, he got "Unshakable Poise" — which made him pose like a knightly prince whenever flustered. From Kira, he gained "Tsundere Shield," which blocked damage but insulted him in her voice every time it activated.
"Don't get the wrong idea, baka!" CLANG
"This is the best and worst day of my life," MC muttered as the shield insulted his hair again.
The guild held an emergency meeting.
Lina brought a chart. Luna brought tea. Jax brought fireworks.
"This power surge is turning us into a walking soap opera with nukes," Iris said.
"We're becoming legendary," Kira added.
"We're becoming weird," Ciel grumbled. "Legendary and weird."
MC looked at his interface, which now had glowing pink hearts, exploding swords, and a mysterious "Guild Harmony Level: 69%."
He wasn't sure if he should be proud or terrified.
But one thing was clear — Linked Hearts wasn't just a guild anymore.
They were a glitch in the system… and loving every minute of it.
END OF CHAPTER 71