Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 379: That’s brutal

Chapter 379: That’s brutal

"W-Why?!" Emily blurted out, confused. Ethan didn’t answer right away, which only made her more anxious.

Clearly, she hadn’t grasped the deeper meaning behind the conversation between Ethan and Nathaniel. Why was it possible before, but not now?

"You..." Ethan gave a helpless smile. "The White Bear Tsar of the Russian Empire? He’s a minor issue. If I wanted to take him out, it’d be a piece of cake. But the thing is, doing that doesn’t really mean much for the Free Federation right now. Take him down, and someone else will just take his place. Enemies are endless..."

"So what, you’re saying you’ll just come running every time we need help?!"

"I helped them once, twice—sure, that was me being generous, in a good mood. But I’m not obligated to keep bailing them out. You get that, right?"

"I kinda get it... but not really..." Emily rubbed her temples, clearly struggling to keep up.

"The biggest threat to the Free Federation right now... is internal."

"On the surface, everyone looks like allies. But in reality, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Everyone’s got their own agenda. There’s no real unity. Maybe, like you said, Mr. Ethan... maybe the Free Federation was a mistake from the start."

"And honestly, up until now, we still haven’t figured out a clear goal or direction. We don’t even know how to get stronger in the world of Glory Lords X. But the Russian Empire? They’re a whole different story."

"Under the White Bear Tsar’s leadership, they’ve aggressively taken over Asia and a bunch of African nations. Internally, he’s the undisputed core—his word is law. Externally, they’re at least somewhat united. And more importantly..."

"They’ve already figured out how to grow stronger in Glory Lords X. After gaining favor with the Castle faction, their power’s been skyrocketing. They’re about to hit a full-blown power surge..."

"When that happens, whether it’s us—the Free Federation—or even the Pantheon, we won’t be able to stop them."

Nathaniel saw it all with chilling clarity.

"They’re not one of us—and that’s always a problem," Ethan sighed, clearly exasperated. "If you guys had the kind of power the Russian Empire does—enough to crush other nations and rule with an iron fist—then fine, maybe you could pull it off. But from what I see, you’re nowhere near that level."

"Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Argentina... look at the lineup. These are all countries with a history of bad blood with us. You really think they’re gonna be loyal? I sure as hell don’t. This is like inviting wolves into your house and then acting surprised when they bite."

"You’re not wrong..." Nathaniel gave a bitter laugh, clearly frustrated. "The Free Federation hasn’t even been around that long, and it’s already starting to spiral out of control. Honestly, I’m starting to suspect we’ve got Russian Empire spies planted inside."

"Don’t just suspect—be sure of it," Ethan rolled his eyes. "Of course they’ve got spies in there."

"M-Mr. Ethan... then what do you think we should do?" Nathaniel looked at him, almost pleading.

"What should you do? If you’re asking me... well, it’s not gonna be easy. If I were you, I’d go back right now, disband the Free Federation, rally your own forces, and focus entirely on conquering the world of Glory Lords X. Block out all the noise."

"But let’s be real—that’s probably not an option for you guys," Ethan said flatly.

Nathaniel’s face stiffened at that. He gave a strained smile. "Mr. Ethan, to be honest... if I actually had the authority, I’d do exactly that. But I don’t. I don’t have the power to disband the Free Federation. Hell, no one in the Federation does—not even the top brass."

"Unless... I had a Legendary Orange-tier hero backing me up." As he said it, Nathaniel couldn’t help but glance at Ethan, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"Don’t look at me," Ethan shot him down without hesitation, sounding completely uninterested. "I’m not here to play house with you guys."

"If I step in, the world’s getting unified—no question. I’ll be king, ruling everything. And you? You’d just be another nameless cog in my machine. General Grant, is that really what you want?"

"I..." Nathaniel opened his mouth, a storm of thoughts racing through his mind.

But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to answer.

He fell silent.

"Ethan... then is there any other way?" Emily finally spoke up, glancing at Nathaniel, who was too stunned to respond. She couldn’t help but step in.

Nathaniel looked up at Ethan too, his expression tense—but hopeful.

"Another way..." Ethan’s eyes flickered, and he let out a resigned sigh. "Alright, fine. I’ll help you guys one last time. Pick someone from your side—I’ll get them a connection with the Castle faction. Just make sure it’s someone smart, because this is a one-shot deal."

"R-Really?!" Nathaniel jolted, his whole body tensing with excitement. His face lit up like he’d just been handed a lifeline.

"But General Grant," Ethan said, his tone cooling as he gave Nathaniel a sharp look, "I need to warn you—this might seem like a good thing for you right now, but from where I’m standing... it’s basically digging your own grave."

"Digging our own grave?" Nathaniel froze, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. "Why would you say that?!"

"Think about it," Ethan said calmly. "If you join the Castle faction, who do you think your gold, your six core resources, even your soul—who do you think all of that belongs to?"

"I... I mean..."

"Let me spell it out for you," Ethan said, his voice flat. "If you join the Castle faction, you’ll be faced with two options. First, recruitment through employment. And honestly? That’s the best-case scenario. But let’s be real—weaklings don’t get to choose. Especially when it comes to powerful factions. They rarely bother hiring the weak."

"And it’s not just Castle. Every major faction in Glory Lords X plays by the same rules."

"It’s like this—you’ve got the skills of someone earning three bucks an hour, but you’re in a financial crisis and want a cushy, flexible contract. Meanwhile, I’m a multinational corporation with no shortage of talent, and the industry standard is a brutal, ironclad ’slave contract.’ You don’t want to sign it? Fine. I’ve got a hundred others lined up who will."

Nathaniel opened his mouth, but all he could do was let out a bitter sigh. "So... they’ll just replace me?"

"Exactly," Ethan nodded. "They’ve got the power, the resources, and no shortage of people willing to play by their rules. If you won’t, someone else will."

"And that’s exactly what’ll happen here."

"To these factions, sure, weaklings might have some value—but they’re not essential. So what they’ll most likely offer you is a contract-based recruitment. And the worst part of that? It’s a straight-up death sentence."

"Once you’re recruited under a contract, everything—your gold, your six core resources, your special resources, even your soul—gets absorbed into the lord’s Castle Heart. You lose all control."

"And that means, from that moment on, you’re no longer your own person. You’re at their mercy. They can do whatever they want with you."

"In other words, your entire future depends on how your lord feels about you."

"And by that point, it’s not even about whether they care or not. It’s the system itself—it doesn’t allow them to care. It’s not that they’re heartless bastards or backstabbing traitors... it’s just that they literally can’t help it. They’re trapped too."

"So what this really is," Ethan continued, "is one strong player sacrificing their own shot at power, just to give the rest of you a sliver of hope. If some of you manage to seize that chance, claw your way up, and become strong yourselves—then maybe, just maybe, it won’t have been a total waste of their sacrifice."

Nathaniel stood there, stunned into silence.

His chest felt tight. Everything Ethan said hit like a punch to the gut.

"...That’s brutal," he muttered with a bitter smile.

...