Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Doppelganger Hideout Assault
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KABOOM!
"What is it?"
"It's an ambush!"
After the method to expose doppelgangers using silver became widely known.
The doppelgangers, who had been quietly holed up in their hideout, were suddenly struck by lightning from a clear sky.
They were under attack from humans.
"Let's wipe out the humans and move our hideout!"
"Wouldn't it be better to escape through the emergency exit that Yongho Guild told us about instead of clashing with them?"
"First, let's report this to Baron Taliman and await his orders!"
The doppelgangers, caught off guard by the unexpected assault, panicked and floundered.
Then.
"Those guys are from Yongho Guild, aren't they?"
"Why are they attacking us?"
"It's true! Look!"
The doppelgangers realized that their attackers were none other than Yongho Guild.
The very group that had provided them with their hideout—their supposed allies.
"The humans betrayed us?"
"Why?"
In their confusion, the doppelgangers chose to fight Yongho Guild to survive for the moment.
Yongho Guild had provided the hideout itself.
And all the emergency exits were blocked, leaving them no choice.
Meanwhile.
The news of the human raid naturally reached the ears of Baron Taliman, the doppelgangers' leader.
'Those bastards!'
Baron Taliman's face twisted like a furious demon.
'You wanted me dead at the subjugation force's hands.'
From his perspective, he could only see it that way.
The pieces fit perfectly.
Yongho Guild had already suffered an attack from the Dark Knights.
There was no proof they were the Demon King's minions.
But they were under suspicion.
What if the Dark Knights dug into the symbiotic relationship between Yongho Guild and the doppelganger legion?
Yongho Guild would find itself in a very precarious position.
On top of that, the doppelganger legion hadn't achieved much so far.
They had only been receiving help from Yongho Guild.
'They'll sacrifice us to overcome their crisis.'
It was Yongho Guild that had leaked his location to the subjugation force.
'What if I had died to the subjugation force and the Dark Knights?'
Yongho Guild would become the top contributor to the demon extermination.
And if Yongho Guild went on to single-handedly attack and wipe out the doppelganger legion?
'They'd completely shake off suspicion and become heroes.'
From Baron Taliman's standpoint.
He had no choice but to conclude that Yongho Guild had abandoned him and the doppelganger legion for their own position and gain.
'I'll chew them all up.'
Bloodlust flashed in Baron Taliman's eyes.
* * *
"The doppelgangers' main force? We clashed with them?"
"We had no choice during the pursuit of their scouts."
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong scowled at the report from Doppelganger No. 1, disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon.
They had only intended to eliminate the infiltrated doppelgangers and their watchers inside Yongho Guild, but things had escalated.
"And there's breaking news."
"What is it?"
"Baron Taliman was defeated by the Dark Knights and the Rokto Empire's subjugation force, suffering heavy injuries and fleeing."
"Ha, after strutting around so confidently."
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong was dumbfounded.
What had been protecting the doppelganger legion, now stripped of their disguise ability?
It was Baron Taliman's power.
Yet instead of sweeping away the Dark Knights and subjugation force, he had been beaten?
"And the Dark Knights' leader has earned the title Demon-Subduing Blood God."
"God?"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's expression hardened.
"How?"
Titles weren't something you could just claim on a whim.
Only.
'They required the acknowledgment of thousands.'
Especially not middling titles, but top-tier ones like king, emperor, or god.
Attaching them carelessly would backfire on the bearer.
The royal and imperial families might take issue.
They could become a laughingstock among the masses.
"He defeated Dragon Baron Karas, and now Baron Taliman, the doppelganger leader."
"And the Rokto Empire's subjugation force accepted that?"
"The title Demon-Subduing Blood God first spread from the Rokto Empire's subjugation force. It's said that Sword Slaughter Sovereign, their leader, and Crimson Flame Lord bowed respectfully to the Demon-Subduing Blood God, treating him as a superior."
"Sovereign and Lord titles yielded first?"
"Yes, more precisely, Sword Slaughter Sovereign and Crimson Flame Lord were groveling and watching his mood in front of the Demon-Subduing Blood God."
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's face twisted savagely upon hearing that.
A powerhouse who had newly acquired a god title.
Then Baron Taliman's defeat made sense.
But the real problem was elsewhere.
It was the relationship between Yongho Guild and the Dark Knights.
'What if the ones who attacked our Yongho Guild really were the Dark Knights?'
There was circumstantial evidence they were the Demon King's minions, but no proof, so they might have launched a secret raid.
'If evidence emerges, Yongho Guild is finished.'
Naturally, his life as guild master would be at risk.
Even without evidence?
'Circumstantial evidence alone is dangerous.'
Until now, the Dark Knights had a lofty reputation.
But they were still just a mysterious band of outlaws.
Not anymore.
Their leader now bore a god title.
Of course, it had only spread to a tiny part of the Terra Kingdom so far.
'It hasn't fully taken root yet.'
Titles weren't eternal.
They could be stripped for declining power.
Seized by force.
Or naturally downgraded through the mouths of the masses.
However.
'Sword Slaughter Sovereign and Crimson Flame Lord of the Rokto Empire bowed to him.'
That lent credibility.
'At minimum, the Rokto Empire and its vassal states have no choice but to recognize the Demon-Subduing Blood God title.'
Dismissing or belittling the title his Dark Knights' leader had earned.
Would be tantamount to flushing the honor of Sword Slaughter Sovereign and Crimson Flame Lord—who had bowed to him—down the toilet.
Currently, in the Atlantis dimension, there were only about ten bearers of god titles.
Their social standing and power were immense.
Even the Rokto Empire's emperor couldn't order around god-title holders.
He could only make requests.
"Since things have come to this, how about Yongho Guild takes out Baron Taliman and the doppelgangers?"
"What?"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong gave an incredulous look at Doppelganger No. 1, disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon.
"You think that one would accept that?"
The demon he had contracted with had ordered him to join forces with Baron Taliman and the doppelgangers.
Attacking them instead of allying?
"If we explain it's a measure to properly establish Yongho Guild, he'll understand. Besides, the doppelganger legion is already as good as routed. Do you think the Dark Knights and Rokto Empire's subjugation force will abandon Baron Taliman just because we let him slip once?"
"That's true, but..."
"Moreover, we attacked the doppelgangers under Baron Taliman."
"That was because they killed our Yongho Guild players first and disguised themselves. The battle escalated because they ran."
"Logically, we're blameless. It was an accidental clash too. But do you think arrogant Baron Taliman will understand that?"
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong hung his head.
"No way he would."
"From the start, defeated Baron Taliman was probably planning to shift blame to us to downplay his failure. Claiming he lost because we didn't give detailed info on the Dark Knights' strength and the Rokto Empire subjugation force."
"That sounds exactly like him."
And in that situation, Yongho Guild had gone and killed doppelgangers.
That?
Made it even easier to pin his defeat on them.
"The water's already spilled. Even if we back off now and apologize, do you think Baron Taliman will let it slide?"
No way.
On the contrary.
"He'll go berserk. Might even try to kill me."
And he might use Lee Ji-yong's appearance to take over Yongho Guild.
"We have to fight."
"Fine. But first, we report to that one..."
"No!"
"What?"
"What if he says no?"
"Well..."
"He's a demon, and so is Baron Taliman. You know how demons view us humans, right?"
Vile, inferior race.
That was how demons saw humans.
"To him, we human contractors are nothing but replaceable slaves. Do you think he'd allow a fellow demon's sacrifice for the sake of some slaves' well-being?"
He might.
Demons were highly individualistic.
Especially Lee Ji-yong's contractor, of the dragon demon race.
They tended to view lower demons like doppelgangers as even more worthless than their own dragonkin monsters.
But.
'That's info Lee Ji-yong doesn't have.'
Kang Hyun-soo was monitoring the entire situation through the eyes and ears of Doppelganger No. 1, disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon.
He even intervened and coached when needed.
Just like now.
-Insist absolutely not, and that we have to proceed anyway.
"Absolutely not. We have to proceed anyway."
"Hmm, what if he abandons us?"
Lee Ji-yong had no special talents.
No drive to keep striving.
No good class either.
The only reason he held the Dragon King title and led a massive guild was his contract with the demon.
If the demon abandoned him?
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong would lose everything.
"No way. Kabbal Guild is smashed, Dragon Baron Karas is dead, and Baron Taliman is routed. In this situation, would the demons abandon us?"
"You're right. They have no alternatives besides us."
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong nodded vigorously.
But it was a lie.
'They could abandon us anytime.'
With so many Demon King minions in the Atlantis dimension, why cling to one?
'If one vanishes, just contract another.'
Use another Demon King minion to approach players and offer contracts?
He could acquire as many as he wanted.
Simply.
'Demons piercing Gaia system's protection to contract players incurs significant losses.'
In other words, every Demon King minion killed.
'Permanently weakens the demons.'
But that too.
Was info Dragon King Lee Ji-yong didn't have.
"Can we even win?"
'You indecisive fool.'
True to being contracted to a demon, he was greedy but terrified of risks.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world.
Players had to risk their lives hunting monsters to grow strong.
Ordinary folk had to become entrepreneurs or laborers to earn money.
Unearned income?
Even that required minimal effort and investment.
Whether stocks or coins.
You had to risk your money and time turning to worthless scraps.
Even winning the lottery required buying tickets—investing money and time.
No effort.
No risk.
Yet massive rewards?
Such things didn't exist.
Only.
'Con artists claimed otherwise.'
In a way, Dragon King Lee Ji-yong was just a sucker hooked by the demon con artist.
"No matter how heavily injured, Baron Taliman is a demon noble. Not an easy opponent."
As Dragon King Lee Ji-yong dithered.
'Then give him the answer he wants.'
Kang Hyun-soo sent his will to Doppelganger No. 1, disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon.
And following that will, Doppelganger No. 1, disguised as executive Park Ji-hoon, spoke.
"It's a rock and a hard place either way. Plus, if Baron Taliman arrives and joins the doppelgangers, we'll be at a disadvantage. Let's wipe out the doppelgangers before he gets here. And the moment you approve, I'll use my informant with the communicator to notify the Dark Knights and Rokto Empire's subjugation force that we've discovered the doppelganger hideout and are attacking—requesting support. Then we just hold out. They'll handle the rest."
"What if Baron Taliman badmouths us to the Dark Knights and Rokto Empire's subjugation force?"
"Who'd believe a demon? Besides, we're the ones who discovered and attacked the doppelganger hideout. Even if they investigate, they won't find evidence we're Demon King minions, right?"
Just hold out.
The Dark Knights and Rokto Empire's subjugation force would take care of the aftermath.
Demons had no credibility.
To this sweet temptation.
"Fine, let's do it. No choice anyway."
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong fell for it.
As expected.
'A choice befitting a sucker hooked by a demon.'
A satisfied smile crept across Kang Hyun-soo's lips.
Now Yongho Guild and Baron Taliman would clash head-on.
But.
The Dark Knights and Rokto Empire subjugation force support that Dragon King Lee Ji-yong awaited.
'Would be much later than expected.'
Very, very much later.
Ah, of course, it could come sooner.
If Yongho Guild got wiped out faster than Kang Hyun-soo anticipated.