Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Sowing Discord (2)
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Kang Hyun-soo's summons massacred every player from the Cabal Guild who had been hunting, along with the reinforcements who arrived.
Not satisfied with that, they scattered in all directions and continued the slaughter.
*Now it's about time for them to show up, right?*
That was when Kang Hyun-soo had that thought.
New Cabal Guild members appeared.
*Level 700s.*
In a massive guild like theirs, Level 700 players—excluding the tiny elite leadership classified as rankers—formed the core group with the highest combat power.
*They could easily break off and start their own mid-sized guild.*
Even in a giant guild, parties made up of Level 700s weren't all that common.
Even the largest mega-guilds had only three or four at most.
Smaller ones had just one or two.
*'Escape.'*
Kang Hyun-soo issued the order to his summons.
The moment the Level 700 players appeared, the summons fled at full speed.
But it wasn't just a simple escape.
They swept up all the items worn by the dead players and the skill books dropped upon death, then bolted.
The Level 700 players chased after them at tremendous speeds.
But there had been a significant distance from the start.
The summons had begun fleeing the instant the Level 700s entered their sight.
Thanks to that, the gap between the two groups didn't close easily.
Still, they were bound to be caught eventually.
*But can you really keep chasing?*
The summons escaped Cabal Guild territory and entered Zhonghua Guild territory.
The pursuing Level 700 players from Cabal Guild...
...halted at the edge of Zhonghua Guild territory.
*I knew it.*
The Cabal Guild went out of its way to avoid clashes with other guilds.
Even when disputes arose, they always yielded a step.
They built up that positive image.
*Which got them treated like pushovers.*
A giant guild that didn't abuse its power.
One that didn't oppress the weak.
*All to smack them in the back of the head later with a solid blow while pretending to be nice.*
But this Atlantis dimension...
*...wasn't some easy place where pushovers could survive.*
Before his regression, a massive guild had looked down on Cabal Guild, constantly picking fights and stirring up conflicts.
They gradually encroached on Cabal Guild's interests.
Cabal Guild yielded as usual.
But that was a mistake.
That massive guild openly seized Cabal Guild's interests.
They didn't hesitate to kill Cabal Guild members in the process.
The result?
*They declared war.*
Full-scale war broke out the moment war was declared.
The power Cabal Guild displayed then was truly terrifying.
*The war ended in just three months.*
The leadership of the massive guild that had foolishly picked the fight with Cabal Guild all lost their heads.
The surviving members of that guild were absorbed into Cabal Guild.
That single war silenced all the public opinion mocking Cabal Guild as cowards.
Guilds that had pushed Cabal Guild too far in disputes came bearing gift baskets, begging forgiveness.
And.
*The first to come with a gift basket begging forgiveness was Zhonghua Guild.*
Zhonghua Guild and Cabal Guild's hunting grounds overlapped, leading to frequent disputes.
Whenever a dispute arose, Cabal Guild always yielded to Zhonghua Guild.
Zhonghua Guild saw Cabal Guild as an easy mark and accepted those large and small concessions as their due.
For such a Zhonghua Guild...
...watching a massive guild get crushed in three months must have sent chills down their spines.
One wrong step over the line?
They could have ended up the same.
*That war hasn't happened yet.*
That was why so many massive guilds still looked down on Cabal Guild.
*And Zhonghua Guild looks down on them the most.*
Of course, the massive guild destroyed in the war with Cabal Guild had been on a different scale.
Zhonghua Guild was overwhelmingly larger.
So.
*This fight should be even more entertaining.*
Kang Hyun-soo ordered his humanoid summons to hand over the items they'd gathered to the monster-type summons.
Then he unsummoned the humanoid ones.
*'Major Summon.'*
Afterward, he resummoned humanoid summons at his current location.
*'Kill them.'*
The summons, receiving Kang Hyun-soo's command...
...began the slaughter anew.
* * *
"Just who the hell are these bastards!"
Cabal Guild Master Jamie spat out a roar laced with murderous intent.
"We haven't identified them precisely yet."
"Spit it out even if it's not precise!"
"We're speculating it's highly likely Zhonghua Guild members."
"Why? Because they fled into Zhonghua Guild territory?"
"That's part of it, but the skills they're mainly using match those of Zhonghua Guild elites."
"That's all?"
"We estimate the enemy force committing the massacre at around 500. And in this area, the only guild capable of mobilizing that size force is Zhonghua Guild."
Suspicious escape route.
Suspicious skills.
Suspicious troop numbers.
One match could be coincidence.
Two matches could be an extremely slim coincidence.
But.
Three matches? Inevitability.
"Those crazy bastards—why the hell are they doing this?"
"Reasons abound. They might covet the hunting grounds under Cabal Guild control, or the items and skill books looted from killing players."
"Hunting grounds and loot?"
"The massacres happened only in the overlapping zones of Zhonghua Guild and our Cabal Guild hunting areas. And they swept up every item and skill book from our dead players."
"You're saying they'd risk war with us for that crap?"
"Zhonghua Guild members overflow with pride in themselves. They probably think if war breaks out, they'll easily take everything from Cabal Guild."
Jamie’s face twisted savagely.
"Yeah, that's exactly the kind of thing they'd do."
Cabal Guild had made many concessions in large and small disputes with other guilds over the years.
Other guilds mocked Cabal Guild behind their backs but at least pretended to be grateful.
And they refrained from disputes for a while.
But Zhonghua Guild was different.
They took the concessions with the brazen attitude of claiming what was rightfully theirs.
And as if forgetting they'd taken them, they stirred up new disputes.
Grind!
Jamie gnashed his teeth.
"Guess we've looked too soft."
"What are your orders?"
Cabal Guild's maximum concessions in past disputes weren't just to build a good image.
They also lacked the bandwidth to deal with elsewhere due to preparations for the ongoing Descent Ritual.
"First, we need solid proof. Tell the pursuit team: even if it means entering Zhonghua Guild territory, capture those bastards no matter what."
"Understood."
* * *
Kang Hyun-soo kept moving positions, repeatedly summoning and unsummoning his summons.
Thanks to that, just over a hundred humanoid summons could rampage in multiple locations.
*They probably won't even think it's the same group.*
Unless using a spatial transfer gate, covering dozens of kilometers in one second was impossible.
What Kang Hyun-soo aimed for was the illusion of inflated troop numbers.
*They'll think a few hundred attacked. But how long do they plan to stay quiet?*
Kang Hyun-soo knew Cabal Guild's true nature.
Outwardly cosplaying as good guys.
But inside, more vicious than anyone.
*They're the type who'd do anything for demon summoning.*
Sacrificing fellow humans as living offerings? No big deal to Cabal Guild.
*Did I pull too many troops?*
In preparation for Cabal Guild's sudden counterattack, he'd held back ten freshly disguised Level 600 summons.
Yet Cabal Guild showed no major reaction.
*Well, no big issue if they stay quiet.*
He could just hit and run all day, massacring Cabal Guild players.
*Let's see how long your patience lasts.*
If they held out today?
He'd come tomorrow, and the day after.
That was when.
*Huh.*
Even after his summons crossed into Zhonghua Guild territory.
Cabal Guild's Level 700 players didn't stop the pursuit.
*Finally moving, huh.*
He wanted to lead all forces into all-out war.
But disappointingly, they prioritized confirming the truth first.
*Then I'll show you the truth.*
Kang Hyun-soo ordered his summons to head toward where Zhonghua Guild's Level 700 players were.
He also issued orders to the ten Level 600 summons he'd held back.
Attack Zhonghua Guild's Level 700 players.
* * *
*Another bust today?*
The 2nd Party Leader of Zhonghua Guild's 7th Team scowled.
*What a waste of time.*
For days, they'd only hunted low-level monsters that barely gave EXP.
Of course, the lost time stung.
And it wasn't just that.
In places where no one watched, they had to act like catching those low-level monsters was a grueling, precarious ordeal.
Like putting on a group farce in an empty room?
For the 2nd Party members of the 7th Team, reality hit hard.
That was when.
KABOOM!
ZZZAP!
An attack blending aura and lightning hurtled toward Zhonghua Guild 7th Team's 2nd Party.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
They'd been hunting monsters, but 7th Team's 2nd Party blocked it with ease.
But that was only because it was them.
If it had been Level 500 players?
It would've been lethal.
And getting backstabbed mid-hunt?
The party leader and members' eyes flashed.
"Finally caught you."
"Time to repay our hardships."
Zhonghua Guild 7th Team's 2nd Party charged toward those who attacked them.
But these sly bastards.
"Stop right there!"
"Don't let them escape!"
Were already fleeing.
* * *
*Going smoothly.*
Zhonghua Guild's Level 700 players and Cabal Guild's Level 700 players were drawing closer.
One problem, though.
*The timing's off.*
The pursuit speeds of both Zhonghua and Cabal Guild players were too fast.
At this rate?
The summons would get caught before the two Level 700 groups clashed.
*Need to adjust speed.*
Kang Hyun-soo ordered some summons to attack.
Of those pursued by Cabal Guild, he left only ten and sent the rest into combat.
Among them were ten bearing Zhonghua Guild's insignia: brooches shaped like the Yellow Dragon.
The summons clashed with Cabal Guild's Level 700 players.
The summons threw themselves in recklessly, fighting to the death without regard for life.
Summoned beings made of mana weren't living creatures to begin with.
Just tools created by a skill.
That's why such attacks were possible.
But.
*They won't last long.*
Numbers aside, they were based on mere Level 500 players.
Even with eight times the headcount, they couldn't handle Level 700s.
However.
*I can leave evidence.*
Zhonghua Guild's insignia: the Yellow Dragon brooch.
That brooch would give Cabal Guild's Level 700 players massive conviction.
Conviction that Zhonghua Guild was the enemy.