Chapter 21: Guild Clash Tournament
Zeke's POV
It's been a week since I last logged in to Enigma Online PH.
I'd been busy with school—final projects, clearance week, graduation rehearsals. All of it. But it was worth it.
Our graduation ceremony was grand. Sponsored by the school, of course, and even graced by high-ranking officials, including the acting Prime Minister himself. It felt more like a national event than a school function.
But what mattered most?
My parents were there.
I rarely get to see them these days since I live on my own. Still, they made time to attend my graduation. Even my younger brother, Levi, came along. I'm four years older than him, and he's about to start his freshman year at the same university.
After the ceremony, they stayed with me for a day. Just one. Dad had to head back to District 1 because of work. He's one of the supervisors in a Zeus Stone mining facility there—something that always sounded dangerous and important.
Levi, though, stayed behind. He's going to live here in Central City with me now.
"Kuya, you play EOPH, right? And you're kind of famous in it too?"
Levi's question pulled me out of my thoughts.
I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why?"
"Nothing." He shrugged, a little too casually.
I tilted my head. "You want to play?"
"Actually, I'm planning to convert my old game account."
My eyes lit up. "For real? That's awesome, bro! We can finally play together. That'll be fun!"
He grinned. "Kuya Kaito says you're already a legend in that game. I've been seeing articles and posts about you lately."
Of course Kaito would say that. That cousin of ours always hypes things up—he still acts like a kid most of the time. I chuckled. "That's a bit of an exaggeration. Don't believe everything that guy says."
Still, I was proud.
"Anyway," I continued, "let me know once your account's been converted. I'll be your personal game guide."
We talked for over an hour. I told him about my in-game wife—yes, I'm married in-game—and that I'm the guild leader of Fallen Halo. I even mentioned a job offer I received from a real-life gaming company. The position? Confidential for now—but the pay is amazing, and it's something I actually want to do.
"All right, bro. I'll catch up with you later. Time to log in."
With a smile and a nod, I left Levi to his own thoughts and slipped back into the world of Enigma Online PH.
---
In-Game – Zaphro's POV
The moment I logged in, I noticed something odd.
The town center was packed. A commotion was brewing, and players had gathered around, murmuring and pointing at something. Curiosity got the better of me, so I approached a group to find out what was going on.
"Hey," I asked, tapping a male player on the shoulder. "What's happening?"
He turned, eyes wide. "Oh—Master Z! Didn't see you there."
Yeah. That nickname stuck. Players in this village always called me that.
"What's everyone so worked up about?" I asked.
He pointed toward a glowing billboard hovering above the plaza.
"Guild Clash Tournament. It's official now. The announcement just dropped. The game starts in three hours!"
I scanned the info.
Guilds would battle per district. Each area would serve as its own arena. The top guilds from each district would go on to represent their sector.
Preliminary Match-Ups:
Frontier → Ronova Sector
Etherion → Nexus Sector
Village of Light → Sierra Sector
Only five guilds from each sector would advance.
Sierra Sector had 10 districts, plus the main city, meaning 11 guilds were set to clash. If multiple guilds were registered in the same district, they'd have to battle each other for the right to represent. Elimination rounds would decide the strongest.
It was the same process across all sectors. In the end, 15 guilds would make it to the finals.
And the prize?
50 million pesos.
That's 50 billion game gold.
Plus—get this—a first-class guild house inside the game.
I whistled under my breath. That kind of pot money… no wonder everyone was losing their minds.
"Master Z, will your guild be joining?" the player asked.
"Of course," I replied without hesitation. "It sounds like a blast. I'm excited already."
"No doubt you'll win!" he said, almost too confidently.
I laughed. "Don't count on it. Tons of strong players have popped up recently—especially those converted from other games."
"That may be true… but you're still the best in my book."
He grinned, clearly a fan.
"I'll just be watching, though. Feels more exciting from the sidelines."
After a few more words, I excused myself and headed toward the place where my guildmates were waiting.
We had agreed to meet at Hyonos Temple, a strange little arena hidden in the middle of Death Woods. I'd stumbled on it once before—back when the GMs appeared in front of me unexpectedly. To this day, I still don't know why it exists there.
---
2:00 PM – Hyonos Temple
By the time I arrived, all the members of Fallen Halo had gathered.
Everyone looked fired up. The energy was palpable. No more casual grinding—this was real preparation. The Guild Clash Tournament would not be a walk in the park.
"We've got about three hours before the preliminaries start," I began, stepping into the middle of the group. "This is it. The biggest event in EOPH so far."
"We've read the rules," Shion_Rio nodded. "We'll need to dominate our district first before we can even think about the finals."
Verillion leaned back against one of the stone pillars. "Who are we up against?"
"Central City Guilds," I answered. "Probably five or six others, including SkyFlare, Dragon Coil, and maybe even Ash Regiment."
"That's no joke…" Aryus muttered, already checking his gear.
Erenir grinned. "Then we'll just have to prove we're better."
Gwydox, floating above the edge of the platform with a grumpy scowl, spoke up. "Tch. If you all die on the first round, I'm going to uninstall myself."
We all laughed. That was his way of saying, Don't screw this up.
"Let's finalize our tactics," I said. "Formations, roles, rotations—no detail too small."
The planning began.
For the next hour, strategies were laid out. Teams were divided by synergy. Healers were briefed, DPS assignments clarified, crowd control timings synchronized.
This wasn't just about being strong—it was about fighting smart.
No one wanted to leave anything to chance.
We were Fallen Halo, and this was our moment.