It started with a notification — not just for MC, but for every player, adventurer, mercenary, noble, and villain across the world.
[World Event Triggered: Unity of the Heart]A new paradigm has emerged. The balance of power is shifting.Origin: Linked Hearts Guild | Status: Unclassified Threat
Panic, confusion, curiosity — the System's message rippled like a psychic tremor across the continent.
MC blinked. "Wait, we did that?"
Lina spit out her tea. Iris dropped her hourglass. Kira kicked a tree and then glared at it like it was MC's fault. Luna whispered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "Oh no, they noticed."
Even Jax paused mid-drunken jig, looked at the message, and mumbled, "Welp. We're famous now. Time to die."
Almost immediately, new System quests began appearing worldwide.
[New World Quest Available: Investigate the Linked Hearts Anomaly][Reward: System Key Fragment, Reputation with Major Factions, and Global Standing][Warning: High Risk — Unknown Guild Affection-Based Power Detected]
MC reread the phrase "affection-based power" five times and died a little inside each time.
Within hours, scouts from elite guilds, bounty boards, and even Kingdom-led task forces began showing up around their territory. Some came under the guise of alliance offers. Others weren't so subtle.
The Crimson Claw Guild sent a formal invitation along with a flaming sword embedded in a messenger golem.
The Noble House of Varell dispatched an envoy with a contract, a bottle of wine, and the warning: "You're either with us, or we step on you."
Even a rogue faction of the System Cult sent an anonymous gift box that contained a live snake and a note: "We are watching. Your fusion is unnatural. Repent."
MC stared at the snake.
The snake stared back, then sighed and exploded into confetti.
"...What the hell is even happening anymore?" he muttered.
Meanwhile, guilds that once ignored "Linked Hearts" now obsessed over them. Spy birds hovered overhead. Gossip networks lit up with theories. Theories ranged from "MC is the Chosen One of Love" to "The Harem King is the Final Boss of this Era."
The guild had no choice but to hunker down and strategize.
"Alright," Lina said, drawing war maps with glitter pens. "We need political leverage."
"I vote we build a floating castle!" Jax shouted, now wearing a monocle and pretending to be a strategist.
"No," Kira snapped. "We need to fake weakness. Trick them into underestimating us."
"I suggest poisoning the envoys," Ciel added calmly while sharpening her sword.
"Let's… not do that," MC said, sweating.
Even Luna, usually quiet, finally voiced concern. "The System never triggered a World Event based on affection. This shouldn't be possible. Something deeper is happening."
They held a vote.
Option A: Go into hiding.Option B: Accept alliances and play politics.Option C: Double down and challenge the world.
They picked Option D: Throw a chaotic tournament inside their guild to "rank affection levels" and pretend it's official business.
A hundred percent serious.
The news that Linked Hearts was hosting a Guild Love Compatibility Trial spread faster than the world event itself.
Twelve rival guilds sent spies to participate. Two nobles disguised themselves as traveling bakers. The System added commentary.
[Linked Hearts Affection Rankings: Updated Daily]
And somewhere in the shadows, the Cult's leaders whispered, "The anomaly has begun. The Harem King is waking."
MC sneezed.
"Who's talking about me?" he mumbled.
The world was watching now.
And "Linked Hearts" had just become the most unpredictable variable in the entire System.
END OF CHAPTER 72