Chapter 172
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Kingdom ? Lv. 116 Warrior's Nation (2)
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The angel was now in her 55th year, but her actual experience didn't quite match that.
She mostly wanted to settle down.
It was just that her skills as a warrior were a cut above the rest, allowing her to take the lead.
The little mage resented her for it.
"Must be nice having all that talent."
"You've got your own strengths, too."
"Doesn't make me happy about it."
Having played the role of the innocent, demure junior, the little mage had dropped the mask after the Temple of Time.
Hiu wasn't all that surprised. She seemed to have suspected as much.
Girls could read each other like that.
The youngest and the old man tilted their heads, but the little mage's attitude toward them didn't change fundamentally.
She just dropped the annoying pretense and treated them more comfortably.
"That's the talent right there. Not everyone can read and manipulate people's moods and thoughts so easily."
"If it weren't for you, Senior, when would I have ever come to the kingdom? Not exactly something to be thrilled about."
"Fair point. In the labyrinth, power is everything in the end."
"I've felt that plenty."
Even if you were skilled at handling people, it meant nothing without personal strength.
The little mage's all-in on intelligence was fundamentally because she had no aptitude for anything but magic.
She'd just tacked on a bit of a lie for good measure.
"Never thought of myself as clumsy outside of combat until now..."
To stand above others, you needed power.
The little mage had even asked Hiu for help. She wanted to learn basic dagger techniques, and maybe delve deeper if possible.
But she'd turned pale after hearing about the training from the Jeong Family.
"So why'd you call me out alone? And that angel over there, too."
The singled-out angel gave a silly laugh. She never really exuded malice—more like perpetual hardship.
But eight years of freeloading had apparently handed her true happiness on a platter; it was hard to believe she was an exile now.
The little mage seemed to dislike her, including that aspect.
Well, she was ridiculously lucky. Starting with that absurd angel card.
I summed it up simply.
"From now on, you're our guild's guild master."
The little mage's eyes widened.
Her face said she couldn't comprehend it. The angel looked the same.
"I'll be constantly busy with other things. So we need a manager. The Hunter could've done it, but..."
"Phoenix unavailable, chicken it is. Sounds good."
The little mage smiled as if delighted.
She seemed to think that in the moment, but reality was different.
The Hunter was capable, but overly kind. And subtly tainted by fairy thinking, so his competence in the kingdom was questionable.
The little mage was different.
I had no intention of bringing my guild into the light.
Better to rule the back alleys.
She fit that vibe perfectly.
"Use the angel however you like."
"Huh? Me? Meee?"
The angel's face crumpled.
The little mage looked at her with genuine glee, licking her lips.
Seeing that sinister expression, the angel shed a few tears.
Guilds were a kingdom system in the labyrinth, dating back to the start.
Exile parties existed even in the tutorial.
Think of guilds as an expansion of that.
Back in the game days, guilds served as factions after reaching the kingdom.
Other exiles were 100% NPCs with no lively AI.
Just another faction for players to conquer.
Things were different now.
Exiles had built a proper society and managed it.
Each had their own power, goals, and circumstances.
And naturally, exiles were weaker than continental natives but thought more rationally.
After all, most came from more advanced worlds than this medieval fantasy.
And they'd accumulated diverse experiences over long years.
Far more exhausting opponents than the relatively pure locals.
The old man fully agreed.
"Exiles sure aren't ordinary folk. Never imagined a world like this. Even more impressive than the goblin federation."
"That's just because we never visited their cities."
The Warrior's Nation somewhat neglected mages, but couldn't fully escape magic.
Convenience was unavoidable.
Magitech was common across servers, and nothing stopped kingdom exiles from using it.
Unlike labyrinth residents, modern exiles exploited it in highly scientific ways.
So Hardrock, the Warrior's Nation, had a well-organized city even by modern Earth standards.
"Even for me, a kingdom this size is a first. How old is it?"
In my memory, it's over a thousand years. Not sure exactly.
"The Goddess said she came here at founding. What year was that?"
70th year or so? Spent 30 here.
The alley with the angel's mansion—our guild house—felt modern.
Concrete plastering, overall Earth-like vibe.
Red brick houses and all.
The youngest couldn't relate.
His memory of the outside city was far more rundown.
The old man marveled endlessly just strolling the back alleys.
"Federation ships were total mysteries to me. But these houses? One look, and I know it's my world's tech advanced into the future."
The lack of magic might've been more surprising.
Exile magitech replaced fossil fuel power generation, but otherwise mirrored modern Earth.
Exiles remembering that world kept flowing in, gradually shaping and advancing it closer to home.
We peeked into the city proper.
Orcs weren't rare here.
If anything, more orcs than humans.
The old man was stunned that they were all exiles or descendants.
"Should I see them as kin?"
"Up to you, old timer. They're warriors like you, at least."
Few races matched orcs: not too far from human norms, yet innate warriors.
Less affected by tech advances than dwarves, always wielding raw power.
"Streetlights?"
"To prevent night crime. Night walks weren't a thing in your era."
"Sun sets, you sleep. Nothing visible. Kahaha."
Public transport amazed him too.
Even rattling buses.
"Future empire's armored cars might've had these."
"We just never saw."
"Sad not knowing my world's future properly before leaving."
"You'll see it again."
"Thanks. Didn't expect you'd indulge me this much. Leaving was impulsive."
"Let's head back. Might run into old-timers who recognize you."
"Mind-blowing that so many of me existed."
"Told you: the wisest Trdongt."
The old man just smiled.
But it was true. Few Trdongts reached the kingdom following exiles.
Not sure how I factored in.
Maybe not at all.
Every server's Trdongt was different anyway.
The labyrinth was no longer a game.
We spent a few days laying low, gauging the kingdom's pulse.
No flashy incidents on the surface. Even the guild leaders—heads of this coalition—approached cautiously.
We heard plenty from the angel. Eight years here, after all.
The intel gathering I'd tasked her with wasn't deep secrets or rumors.
Just everyday atmosphere.
So she chattered about tasty veggies at some house, shop talk, newspaper trivia—everything trivial.
She seemed to enjoy reliving her happy routine, but her rambling dragged, so I tuned in and out.
"Incredibly stable kingdom. No deep-diving expeditions?"
The little mage, listening intently, looked wistful.
"Jobs inside diversified like crazy. Almost like..."
"The real outside world."
Yet labyrinth traits persisted.
Inter-nation rivalries stemmed mostly from class divides.
Warrior Nation meant Mage Nation, Archer/Assassin lands favoring mages over warriors.
Cleric Nation claimed neutrality at the center, mediating.
"Wish I could meet the God of Nature. Temples scarce here; save it for later."
Time to move.
Angel entering Warrior Nation was chance, but settling here was smart.
Mage lands would've meant constant magical scans.
Warriors' physical searches? Foiled by basic magical disguises.
I picked innocuous titles from many.
[Troll Slayer]
Hiu, coming along, hid her angel traits with simple magic, sporting [Orc Slayer].
Slayer: dozens killed. Slayer: thousands in multi-foe battles.
Titles earning respect anywhere.
Showing them overhead? No suspicions.
Some cops patrolled for someone, but no slips.
We hit checkpoints a few times.
Unregistered exiles were risky, but kingdom mages were pitiful.
"National mages" were warrior-mage hybrids, no match for specialists.
Fooling them was easy.
We roamed the city all day with Hiu.
No rankers spotted.
Dinnertime: decent-looking restaurant.
Hiu seemed mentally drained.
"So many people. Or non-people."
"Kingdom makes race cards accessible. More perks than human, plenty around."
"Lifespan reasons, yeah."
Then a fairy couple sat nearby.
Young looks, but mannerisms screamed elderly.
Hiu noticed.
"Fairy cards pricey."
"Exiles losing immortality crave them. Easiest long-lived race."
Hiu whispered playfully.
"How long do angels live?"
"No lifespan."
"Eh?"
"Pretty face forever?"
"You, Uncle?"
Who knows post-clear? Unclear.
"Eat."
"Pfft, dodging again."
"Miss pasta?"
"Huh?"
One bite of rose pasta: tears streaming. Such a sensitive kid.
The search dragged.
Couldn't mobilize all police. Had to maintain order.
So army deployed.
Plainclothes soldiers roamed, reciting gatekeeper descriptions.
Massive, beyond usual units.
Kept it low-key from citizens.
Publicly branding as criminal risked offending.
Key holder, unknown-veteran high-ranker: bad to rile.
Council orders: polite contact only.
Not yet leaked to other high-rankers.
Just council-controlled zones.
Recruit if possible.
Missing tutorial Dragon Slayer exile? Huge loss.
But confident in subduing if needed.
Fresh from tutorial, no kingdom [Lifts]: limits clear.
Even ranker stats: dozens could swarm and take.
Better kill than let rival have.
"Slippery bastards. That blonde angel's gotta be the 46-server escapee."
The greeter angel was known.
Tutorial high-race cards were rare; nearly toppled Hardrock eight years back.
All watched [Kingdom Gates] then; rumors unstoppable.
Such races needed no titles or history. Race carry alone sufficed; raise even first-timers.
But even that angel vanished post-laundering.
"High-ranker group with her? Even bigger deal."
"Secure the link somehow."
"How?"
Time ticks, cigars burn.
Better fight than this. Unwarrior-like.
Even as commander.
Few matched his level; wanted to search personally, but no skills.
They'd contact or high-rankers step in.
Latter to avoid.
Then hopeful report.
"Found them!"
"What? How?"
Discovery odd.
"Yeah, that couple's look isn't common."
All-day date stood out. Warrior-heavy nation full of orcs, trolls.
Amidst, wing-hidden but radiant beauty with handsome guy? Unmissable.
"Secure position! Move ranker squad! Careful—could be trap!"
"What if mage?"
"Kill the mage!"
"Idiot, you stay. I'll check."
Mouth trap, but unknown type.
High-rankers' mindsets unpredictable.
Only tenure-plus something earned the title.
Prepare anyway.
Assembled rankers moved.
Left troll warrior hating mages, dragonkin fuming.
Contact was his job.
Mayer, Hardrock's sole human warrior ranker, sighed and went.
No weapon. Swapped gear for plain. Dropped iconic [Conqueror of the Dream Forest] for mundane title.
Dinner? Sidle up, observe.
"Caught 'cause he's hot. Kinda funny. Let's see what he looks like."