Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Siege of the Orc Citadel
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“Wh-what the hell?!”
The corpse crumbled into ash and vanished right then and there.
Fortunately, this was the beginner zone, so no items dropped, but the remaining companion stood frozen in shock, mouth agape.
“I clearly asked you guys. You said you couldn't die, so I killed him.”
“You psycho...! Who the hell sent you? How dare you pull the same stunt we did?”
Same stunt?
Woojin frowned slightly at the surviving man's words.
Swoosh—.
It happened then.
A sharp sound sliced through the air from the bushes.
“Watch out.”
Kahira urgently yanked Woojin's arm.
Her iron grip sent him tumbling to the ground.
Thunk—!!
An arrow thudded into the spot where Woojin had stood.
“...?!”
He whipped around, but only rustling leaves remained—the shooter had already vanished.
“Mercenaries.”
Kahira plucked the arrow from the dirt and inspected it.
Brown fletching.
Silver arrowhead.
“Valkran-made arrows...”
High-grade arrows unheard of in beginner zones.
“Guys from the Central Continent.”
Arrows forged in the Valkran workshop—usable only from level 50 and up.
“So that's how they planned to drive out the folks in the citadel... by hiring NPCs?”
In the beginner zone, players could injure each other, but killing was impossible.
Injury crippled hunting either way, but the rule existed for a reason—injury and death were worlds apart.
Death prevented admin summons.
Evil Tail prized realism above all; it lacked a built-in recording feature for players.
Yet raid videos of Labyrinth Tower flooded NerTube and other platforms—captured via the special item known as Vision.
When an admin was summoned, they secretly observed disputes, judged wrongdoing, and issued penalties.
Unlike the lawless Central Continent where PK was fair game, beginner zone conflicts were rare.
If you can't kill, the fear that an admin might be watching your dirty deeds weighs heavy.
But players in the beginner zone weren't utterly immortal.
First: suicide.
Like Woojin had done—self-inflicted death was allowed even here.
Some poisoned themselves to save on potion costs.
Second: monster kills.
Dying to beasts was natural, beginner zone or not.
But there was one more exception.
NPCs.
They were programs, not players—categorized with monsters under the system.
Of course NPCs can kill players.
Yet no issues had ever arisen from it.
Beginner zone NPCs and players had no reason to clash.
Until now...
The first-ever battle in Evil Tail between beginner zone NPCs and players was unfolding.
Using the mercenary system like this... clever bastards.
Mercenary NPCs.
For those needing party hunts but wary of strangers, mercenaries filled the gap.
Give them enough pay, and they'd blindly follow the leader's orders.
Hunt silently all day... hog all monster drops...
Things that'd spark fights in normal parties? Mercenaries did them without complaint.
Strict hierarchy, no equality.
Some called it slavery, but the pay matched the demands.
Convenience came at a premium—the uproar died down quickly.
Swoosh—! Swoosh—!!!
Every time arrows whistled in and struck the citadel's palisade, wooden stakes splintered with dull thunks!
Three types of incoming arrows.
Different attributes on the tips, but Woojin knew their skill.
Archer's second skill tree: Attribute Arrows.
Unlocked at level 50—definitely Central Continent transplants.
I get mercenaries move for pay, but assassination? How much gold did they dump into this?
Woojin couldn't fathom Genesis Unit's logic.
No matter how he crunched it, the math didn't add up.
What were they gaining?
“Inside, first.”
Kahira beckoned Woojin after smashing the last roadblock.
“More Genesis Unit inside... you sure? Bringing mercenaries from Central Continent means their officers are all level 50-plus.”
Unknown enemy numbers.
Woojin's side was outmatched, no question.
“Worry not.”
She remained unfazed.
“Our god walks with us.”
Kwoong—!!!
Chanting a prayer, she slammed her stout leg into the gate with all her might.
“Equal death to all!”
This was bizarre.
They were outnumbered...
“Wh-what?!”
Crack—!!!
“Introduce yourself before asking others—that's manners.”
Her hammer buried into a Genesis Unit member's gut mid-hunt.
“Guhk!”
His spine snapped.
“W-wait...! I...”
The man behind shouted frantically, waving his hands as his comrade vanished.
“Truth is, I don't care who you are.”
Crunch—!!
His dismissive wave ended with the member's skull smashing into the floor.
“What the hell is going on?!”
“Why'd a high-level NPC pop out of nowhere?!”
“I-I... don't know.”
A Genesis Unit officer on the ramparts yelled in panic at the chaos below.
“That red robe... Mhha's Cult, right? Which bastard roped in Mhha's zealots? Money never budged them before...”
Mhha's Cult.
Unlike light or dark worshippers, they revered nothingness—one of the Central Continent's most belligerent factions.
They'd been top recruitment targets for this op...
Grit—.
His gritted teeth made the reporting underlings flinch.
One, two, three...
A straight-up slaughter of civilians.
Every hammer swing pulped another Genesis member.
“Our mercenaries? What're they doing?!”
“Well...”
The reporter looked sheepish.
“They want more pay.”
“...What?”
“Fighting Mhha's faithful curses you... All three hired ones refused.”
“How much?”
“50 gold each.”
“Those thieving scum...! We paid up front—now they want more?!”
“B-but the one with them says he'll handle the tag-along. Was chasing outside... but he vanished.”
“Vanished? Thief class or not, beginner level—why can't you find him?”
“We don't kn—”
The underlings shrank under his glare.
“Can't kill fellow players anyway. Leave the hider to the mercenaries...”
The officer barked at them.
“You handle it.”
“...Huh?”
“What? Worried about some curse more than dying here by my hand?”
He jabbed their foreheads with a finger.
“N-no way!”
They nodded furiously and scrambled down the ramparts.
“Damn it. If not for that [Quest], we wouldn't need this crap...”
Clench—.
He clenched his fist, simmering with rage.
“Racing around this dump pisses me off enough—now this bullshit...”
“Ah, so you chased out the citadel hunters to do your quest?”
“...?! ”
A sudden voice—he spun around.
“You... who're you.”
A beginner zone scrub... stealthing past my detection skill? What kind of freak is this?
He drew his sword, eyeing Woojin warily.
Nothing special about the gear.
Oddity: wounds on arms and legs.
Why's he injured?
Baffled, he tensed up.
“Not that surprising. Same here.”
“...Huh?”
“I'm here for a quest too. Don't know yours, but we both want the citadel... no point bleeding each other dry.”
Woojin stepped forward.
“Your methods suck, sure... but it quieted the place, so no complaints from me. We do our thing, you do yours—no more blood.”
“Bullshit!! Think I'll let some punk wrecking my turf walk?!”
“Yeah? Just testing you.”
Crack—!!!
“...Guhk!!”
Woojin's fist sank into the officer's side.
Breath-stealing agony ripped a groan from him.
“You little...!!!”
He whipped out his sword at Woojin.
“...?!”
Woojin's fist flew in with the warning.
“What kinda...”
Incredulous, he clutched his throbbing side and staggered back.
A sub-skill bought from the Adventurer's Guild upon entering the Central Continent.
His eye gleamed—Woojin's stats appeared.
“L... Level 20?”
But the skill's revelation left him speechless.
A true lowbie...
Yet...
What... power...
The officer's eyes trembled.
“Dunno the rest, but I agree on one thing.”
Schwing—.
Woojin drew his sword.
“Better solo than sharing.”
Clang-clang-clang—!!
His blade flashed toward the officer in an instant.
Speed he'd only seen against equals.
“Kuhk!!!”
The officer barely parried with his sword.
“You'll have to vacate the citadel.”
In that moment, realization dawned.
Something...
was terribly wrong.