The majority of the information turned out to be things Alan already knew, like advising players to get the Gifted and Talented abilities if they didn’t begin with them, and an intro about the major factions. Interestingly, it was noted that a sizable number of players, maybe around 30%, actually developed non-combative roles, such as engineers, scientists, merchants or even laborers. Both guides advised that newer players join a guild or faction, with the United World Government stressing that people should join their faction, but Alan refrained from doing so.

Still, the benefits groups provided in-game were astounding. They often had special items, travelling arrangements, skills and training grounds. In addition, most major quests and events could only be attempted with a large group. It was also highly suggested that new players save up and take out a loan or find a sponsor, usually a guild or government, to attend an academy or institute. Like the Chief Administrator had told Alan, these places were basically boot camps that increased players’ capabilities a great deal, streamlining the early leveling process and teaching people how to fight in-game. For someone like Alan who had no previous combat experience, this could be quite helpful, though Alan now had Eve to help him. They could also, once he was accepted, provide a loan, solving his debt issues. He'd ensure there were standard monthly payments this time.

Alan began looking into the guild the Chief Administrator recommended, the Black Rose guild. It was a member of the Mercenary Bloc, a coalition of mercenary guilds that agreed to not take out contracts that opposed each other. When incensed, the Mercenary Bloc could field a force capable of rivaling any major faction’s. That had only happened a few times in history when… Right, Alan shouldn’t get sidetracked.

The guild was relatively small, with only a few thousand members, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up with talent. The Black Rose guild was apparently for elite, specialized players, a guild easily in the top 100 of the Game. It was a special forces guild that concentrated less on fighting all out wars and more on discrete operations like capturing specific targets or fighting in places where ability mattered more than numbers. That sounded pretty cool to Alan.

He quickly searched for the contact the Chief Administrator had given him, a player called PhantomGlitch who went by Phantom. Alan didn’t expect anything to turn up, but to his surprise he got an immediate result. Phantom was apparently an Erudian inventor, who worked as an engineer/tech specialist for the Black Rose guild. A picture of him accepting an award was shown. He looked to be a human in his early 30s, with brown hair and a handsome face.

According to the Hub page, Phantom held a few fairly major patents, mostly having to do with improved weapon scopes. There was additional information listed on the public page about him, but it said you needed to be female to view it. Alan proceeded to message him, with the intentions of trying to join the Black Rose guild. The guides said guild testing and trials could be as arduous as the Tutorial. The Black Rose apparently had as low as a 1% acceptance rate even though they accepted applications from only the best. Alan prepared to send a message to Phantom.