Chapter 88
Chapter 88
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Drauder's Determination
-----------------------------------------------------------------
He was not wrong.
The one at fault was this country instead.
It was a phrase he'd heard time and again since childhood.
The kingdom could never comprehend noble intentions.
They had to set such a nation right themselves.
Under Del Marc's righteous ideology.
Of course, as a child, he hadn't fully grasped what it meant.
All he knew was that his ancestors had been loyal retainers to the prime minister.
And that their ancestor's will had been passed down through the family generations.
Perhaps that's why.
Drauder had accepted it without question.
The plummeting public sentiment.
The roots rotting from within.
He believed it was his destiny to reform this land rife with corruption.
That it was the truly righteous path. He'd grown up with that conviction.
A twisted worldview.
An increasingly radical disposition.
A ruthlessly cold personality.
And a deep hatred toward the kingdom.
Thus, Drauder had been molded from childhood through grueling training and constant indoctrination of revolutionary ideals, thoroughly shaped into a tool for reform.
And now, time had passed.
He'd gathered like-minded individuals and was operating as the revolutionary army, but their group was still quite small.
Moreover, he hadn't yet found the secret map left as a dying wish by his parents, the rest of Del Marc's map.
Then, upon hearing that part of the map had somehow made its way to the city of Zermi, they'd crossed over to Bilbar Mountain and built this temporary stronghold.
'...Things have gone awry.'
A few incompetent underlings were about to ruin everything.
The secret map fragment had vanished without a trace.
The interrogations had yielded nothing.
And just days before their departure, they'd stirred up the guards, drawing in Zermi's lord, Viscount Cheinber.
The result was this.
Sealed passages.
His underlings being mercilessly swept away by the viscount's forces.
Most of the revolutionary army on the verge of annihilation in this makeshift stronghold that wasn't even their main base.
'No choice.'
Regrettable, but he'd have to abandon the remaining underlings and flee.
Though it'd be a major blow to their forces, combatants could always be recruited anew from the start.
What mattered was the core of the revolutionary army.
His own survival.
'The real issue is the whereabouts of the remaining secret map.'
Lerik, the city resident who had possessed the rest of the secret map.
He'd ordered his underlings to kill him and retrieve it, but for some reason, it wasn't found on the body.
The map's trail had grown murky.
The only remaining clue was Lerik's family, whom they'd kidnapped earlier.
Wife Minette.
Daughter Lena.
They were still denying everything, but given a bit more time, they'd confess eventually.
That's why Drauder had foreseen the turn of events early and ordered an underling to bring them here.
He couldn't let the trail go cold here.
Even in escape, he planned to take at least them back to base.
Top-grade recall stone.
This item, which returned the user to a designated location in mere seconds, had a maximum capacity of three people.
So, the moment his underling brought them, he'd activate the recall stone and escape.
The stronghold hadn't been breached yet, and he'd stationed men separately up to this top floor, buying some time.
Drauder judged thus as he peered out the window.
'Even accounting for my underlings' blunders, to discover the stronghold so quickly and muster soldiers...'
Something didn't add up.
For a mere border viscount, the response was far too swift.
As if someone had fed them information from behind the scenes.
That's why.
Drauder suspected the viscount had backing.
'Viscount Cheinber Balrag, remember that name.'
Thud!
An underling descending the stairs to the top floor suddenly collapsed.
The cause: a single user lurking beside the stairs.
'Well, well.'
It was Luke.
'Just stay up top—why come down begging for death?'
Had they sent reinforcements down separately?
He'd just handed the rescued city residents to nearby soldiers and reached here, only for an enemy to come down from above right away.
Without the minimap, he couldn't have hidden and ambushed like this.
'Well, got him anyway.'
Luke first looted the drop items on the floor.
Then naturally approached the corpse to continue farming.
Revolutionary Army.
'The traitors currently banned from even being mentioned in the kingdom. They followed Del Marc, once the kingdom's prime minister.'
A militant group upholding the great traitor Del Marc.
Rescuing the city residents.
And fulfilling the linked quest conditions had changed the bandits' name accordingly.
Likely due to uncovering their identity.
Luke frowned at the cloth scrap from the corpse, then checked the quest window.
[Revolutionary Army]
Rank: Hidden
Description: The bandits' identity is revealed. Remnants of Del Marc, the once-great traitor. Their primary goal is to complete his secret map and claim his legacy. But by chance, the remaining map is now in your possession. Annihilate the revolutionary army with Viscount Cheinber's forces and seize the rest of the secret map!
Condition: Eliminate Revolutionary Army leader Drauder 0/1
'I figured it wasn't ordinary...'
Ten Emperors German.
This was the second hidden scenario after that.
Del Marc's remnants.
A quest to exterminate the revolutionary army, popping up right before his eyes.
'To inherit the prime minister's will, they first need his legacy... Something like that?'
Fanatical obsession with the map.
There was reason behind infiltrating Zermi and building this temporary stronghold.
But the mystery was the man claiming to carry on a prime minister's will from centuries ago.
The revolutionary army leader, Drauder.
After all, Del Marc's entire family had been executed for treason back then.
So he couldn't be a direct descendant. Yet someone with no connection suddenly trying to uphold a figure from centuries past?
It made no sense.
'And he had half the secret map from the start.'
Drauder.
A man shrouded in secrets.
As a hidden quest, there had to be some connection.
He was a named NPC of that rank, after all.
Perhaps a significant figure on the continent.
'Doesn't change that he's cornered.'
And the secret map he held would soon be Luke's.
With that thought, Luke ascended the stairs again.
This was it.
These messages had revealed Drauder's presence on the top floor.
The problem was the penalties upon detection.
Already suffering various penalties from the level gap, detection would add even more.
'Reinforcements are one thing, but berserk mode is a headache.'
Berserk mode.
Exactly as it sounded: going feral. The issue was that patterns completely changed upon entering it.
Not only that.
Physical stats and skill power surged dramatically.
'And that last line...'
Drauder, having caught on, would try to escape the stronghold somehow.
That final phrase nagged at him.
Did Drauder have some escape method?
'No way this message appears for no reason.'
Luke checked the minimap.
The radius had shrunk further.
Red dots already visible within.
'Stealth infiltration's impossible.'
Then...
'Have to kill them one by one.'
The answer was assassination.
The method was simple.
Approach undetected and kill first.
That was it.
Of course, easier said than done.
'Still, not impossible.'
Worst Criminal in History.
Its effect: 100% bonus damage to humans, plus 3% from Dagger Mastery.
The backstab crit system on successful stealth ambushes.
Thief's Shadow Step and Mute for enabling assassinations.
Combined with near-level 110 physical stats and the rare weapon Kukri's base damage, a one-hit kill wasn't overreaching.
'Throwing daggers and stored poisons are nearly depleted anyway.'
At most, one or two more uses.
So, assassinate one by one, advancing slowly.
'First, those two ahead.'
Level 105 combatants.
They patrolled the hallway in overlapping shifts.
The fan-shaped vision cones displayed along with their gazes.
Smaller than before, but direction was easy to read.
Swish!
Not just that.
Hallway corners.
And pillars midway.
Plenty of cover even while moving.
As he hid,
A message popped up.
'Sneak Mastery?'
Parten.
The mystery proficiency rising since infiltrating Baron Valkins' mansion.
Luke checked the minimap, then opened the skill window.
[Sneak Mastery]
Type: Passive
Description: Amplifies effects of all stealth-related skills.
Currently amplified: Shadow Step
'Holy shit, that's awesome?'
No wonder proficiency rose when eavesdropping or sneaking.
This new skill enhanced hiding, too.
'Even rogues would love this...'
Yet no one acquired it in two years, so conditions likely avoided combat.
'Heh heh heh, perfect for me.'
Shadow Step improved further.
That was key for Luke.
Thud, thud!
A revolutionary soldier approaching.
Perfectly timed, crossing paths with another.
Luke wouldn't miss this chance.
Shunk!
Blade plunging into the heart.
Grip!
Hand clamping the mouth simultaneously.
"Mmph!"
"Shh."
"Mmmph!"
Chilling gaze.
Luke didn't stop, twisting the embedded Kukri blade sideways for a clean finish.
[Signature Achievement: Worst Criminal in History!]
[Human bonus damage +100% applied!]
[Bleeding inflicted!]
[Continuous damage until healed!]
[Dagger Mastery bonus damage...]
[...]
Cascading messages.
The combatant's eyes rolled back amid them.
Whites showing as his body crumpled.
'One-shot success.'
Only then did Luke relax his grip, catching his breath slowly.
Stamina management essential for repeated assassinations.
'Hm.'
Then.
Luke eyed the fallen combatant's corpse.
'...These bodies are a nuisance.'
NPC corpses as game objects.
Players could move them somewhat if not fixed, but only limited distance.
Beyond that, it was guard NPCs' domain.
Of course, killing in body-okay areas or before discovery worked.
'Or hide them properly nearby.'
Blood trails and marks could be cleaned or concealed to some extent.
One-shot assassinations like this minimized bleeding.
Two years of PK experience made Luke adept at object and trace management.
'But variables can arise—more ahead, maybe.'
Edge cases.
Low probability, but Luke minded them.
If he could drag bodies far away himself, no worry.
'Ah?'
Then.
A sudden idea flashed.
Luke pulled up Poko's status window.
Low.
Main stat.
Laughably low compared to mana or luck.
But for low-level mages, not that bad.
'Come to think of it, this guy picked up dropped items during the war, even heavy gear.'
"Poko?"
Poko peeking from the backpack right on cue.
Luke eyed him with a sly grin.