Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: The Plan in Motion
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“Oh? How did you know?”
“Huh? I just noticed the guild has gotten more crowded lately, so I was wondering.”
“Ah, that’s true. We have been getting a lot more members recently.”
The party leader looked around and nodded in understanding.
Jeong Yu-ra asked.
“What kind of quest is it?”
“Hmm… I’m not really supposed to tell you. But since we’re in the same party now, I’ll let you in on it.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Actually, the lord recently hired some adventurer parties as guards.”
Fortunately, the party leader was more than willing to talk.
He didn't seem to suspect for a moment that Jeong Yu-ra might be a spy or a queen bee user!
“How many?”
“Not a lot, just a few of the top-ranking parties based on contribution score. For now, only the Union Guild and a few other high-ranking guilds have entered the mansion… but from the looks of it, we’ll probably get the same quest soon.”
“I see.”
‘Just as I thought.’
Jeong Yu-ra nodded.
As Lee Shin had predicted, the lord was wary of Kaka and was increasing the number of troops inside the mansion.
He was using territory quests, an authority unique to him.
“Then, will we… no, will I be able to join you then?”
“Ah, of course. Absolutely.”
“I don’t have any contribution points.”
“We have plenty, so it’s fine!”
Of course, she planned to drop the party and leave by the time they were supposed to participate….
But for now, she had secured their agreement to let her join.
Jeong Yu-ra subtly turned her head.
- Should I ask more?
‘Yes. It’s better if we can find out the specifics. Like when they started gathering, how many people there are, and so on.’
- Got it.
After a brief whisper exchange with Arthur, Jeong Yu-ra continued her questioning.
First, she started with a natural reason.
“But why is that?”
“Pardon?”
“Nobles don’t usually have a high opinion of adventurers, do they? Why would he hire them?”
“Um… I’m not sure about that. I heard they were preparing for some kind of battle, but it’s not certain. The Union Guild is probably the only one who knows the details.”
“I see.”
That battle was likely the retaliation against Kaka.
“How many parties are participating?”
“Hmm… well, there’s the Union Guild. And a few others besides them. I think in a little while, including us, about seven more groups will be added.”
“So, in terms of people, would that be around a hundred?”
“Yes. It’ll probably be around that number.”
“And mercenaries….”
“About the same as the number of users.”
“I see.”
The party leader was spilling everything!
Even though she was asking a suspiciously high number of detailed questions, he showed no signs of doubt.
‘…What a relief.’
Jeong Yu-ra had been quite nervous, as this was her first time in such a role, but thanks to him, she felt at ease and continued her questioning.
“I have another question….”
“Ah, yes! Ask me anything.”
* * *
The information Jeong Yu-ra obtained flowed directly to Lee Shin.
- I’m in the party.
‘What? Already?’
- They just let me in when I asked.
‘…Ah, right. Did you find out anything?’
- I did. The number of users and mercenaries the Count hired seems to be around two hundred in total.
‘Is that all?’
- Yeah. From what I hear from the others, it doesn't seem like the number will increase much more than this.
‘Really? Phew…’
Lee Shin felt a slight sense of relief.
The number wasn't as large as he had feared.
It seemed that a significant portion of the Count's spending money had come from Kaka's pockets.
‘Makes sense.’
He wouldn't have been able to spend money like water to gather troops as lavishly as he usually did.
To do that, he would have had to borrow from Kaka, and if he suddenly borrowed a large sum, Kaka would surely grow suspicious.
Thanks to that, they had avoided a situation where the entire mansion was swarming with guards.
‘…….’
But while the number was smaller than he'd worried about, it was still a lot.
That two hundred wasn't the total force; the soldiers and knights the lord originally commanded would be added to that number.
And this fact reinforced the conclusion Lee Shin had just reached.
‘As I thought, a lure is essential.’
After scouting the area around the mansion with Gillaim, Lee Shin couldn't find any gaps in the security.
The Count was on edge, so the soldiers were on high alert, and there were just too many of them.
It was an environment where a lapse in surveillance was unlikely to occur in the first place.
However, it wasn't all bad news.
‘Is this a silver lining?’
He now knew, thanks to the information from Jeong Yu-ra, that the Count wasn't flush with gold.
The Count wasn't just increasing his forces indefinitely; he had increased them to a reasonable level and was maintaining that number.
This implied that the Count's funds weren't particularly abundant.
And this could be a factor that would make the Count impatient.
Hiring troops is one thing, but maintaining them also costs a great deal of money.
Therefore, the Count would likely want to finish his retaliation as quickly as possible. If Kaka showed an opening while he was in such a rush, he would easily fall for it.
‘Anything else?’
- Else? Hmm… Ah. The Union Guild I mentioned before is also participating. They said they were the first to receive the offer.
‘…….’
Lee Shin let out a low hum.
He had suspected this might happen ever since the Union Guild started sweeping up all the territory quests.
It seemed the lord planned to control the users with the Union Guild, which had the highest contribution score, at the center.
‘I’ll have to be careful.’
He already couldn't afford to get caught during the infiltration, but now he had an even greater reason not to.
Nodding as if to etch it into his memory, Lee Shin continued to ask.
‘Got it. And?’
- For now, that’s all. Not much has been revealed to us yet.
She explained that important roles were assigned in order of territory contribution score, and the guild Jeong Yu-ra had joined was practically at the bottom among the newly hired guilds.
- I'll let you know if I find out more later.
‘Alright. …Ah, and send Arthur back now.’
- Okay.
* * *
A few days later.
Lee Shin gathered the entire group.
With Kaka also present, Lee Shin began to speak.
“We’re doing it today.”
“Today?”
“Yeah, today. As soon as the sun sets.”
The plan hadn't changed.
Kaka would deliberately show a weakness to provoke the lord's retaliation, and Arthur would die in his place.
At that moment, Lee Shin and Gillaim would infiltrate the lord's castle and go after the Count.
Jeong Yu-ra would provide updates on the users' movements through whispers.
The most crucial part was the first step.
Luring out the Count's forces. But the preparations for that were already well underway.
For the past few days, Kaka had been deliberately reducing the security around his mansion.
This had successfully drawn the attention of the Count, who had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity.
According to the information Jeong Yu-ra had gathered, all the hired users received the <Territory Quest – Vengeance> today, so it was certain the Count would make his move.
Lee Shin said.
“You, be ready to leave the party and run at any moment, just in case.”
“Got it.”
“And you, don't drop your disguise until it's all over.”
“Yes.”
After all preparations and explanations were complete.
Lee Shin waited for night to fall.
* * *
Night came quickly in the world of Avala Online.
The day-night cycle was twice as fast as in reality (and night was significantly shorter than day, for the sake of game convenience).
“Sir Arthur. It’s about time….”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
As the evening twilight faded and the moon rose, Lee Shin and Gillaim moved to a location near the Count's mansion.
Lee Shin asked Gillaim, who had climbed a tree.
“Do you see anything inside?”
“Um… a large number of people are gathered. They are also armed.”
“Looks like they’re about to move.”
“That is what I believe as well.”
Just as they predicted,
a whisper soon came from Jeong Yu-ra.
- I’m heading out now.
- The other users are leaving too.
- Like you said, it seems they’re planning to attack Kaka’s mansion.
‘Who’s left inside the mansion, then?’
- Uh… I’m not sure about that. They don’t tell us those kinds of details.
- But I see almost all the faces I’ve been keeping an eye on.
- I see a few people from the Union Guild, too.
‘Hmm, is that so?’
Then it was safe to assume most of them had left.
Lee Shin nodded.
It seemed that for such an important task, they were taking everyone except for a few less-skilled users.
Soon, the figures of users and soldiers could be seen stealthily exiting the mansion's entrance in the distance.
When they were far enough away to be out of sight, Lee Shin switched his equipment.
<War Bow>
A bow used by the knight commander of the Ampiri territory.
It has a strong draw weight, making it difficult to pull, but it boasts excellent accuracy and destructive power.
• Attack Power: 200
• Durability: 45/45
• When the bow is fully drawn, range and destructive power increase by 99%.
• Special Skill, <Snipe> available.
“……”
His targets were two soldiers patrolling inside the mansion.
He wanted to avoid killing as much as possible to prevent a commotion later, but some level of it was unavoidable.
Snipe.
*Pang…!*
An arrow, fired silently.
It struck the back of a patrolling soldier's head with perfect accuracy.
*Thwack!*
…*Thump.*
“What?! What the—!”
His comrade suddenly collapsed.
The soldier next to him was startled and tried to blow his whistle, but Lee Shin's next arrow struck the back of his head before he could.
[You have defeated an enemy.]
[You have defeated an enemy.]
[Your notoriety increases.]
[You have murdered the lord's soldier! If this fact becomes known…]
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
[You have trespassed into the lord's mansion!]
[This is a great achievement! The title, <Talented Thief> has changed to <Scent of a Master Thief>.]
<Scent of a Master Thief>
The effectiveness of the Stealth skill is now maximized while in a state of infiltration.
Additionally, the Stealth skill no longer consumes mana.
“!”
The perfect title at the perfect time!
He had originally planned to use his Stealth skill sparingly for crucial moments, but now he could keep it active at all times.
Lee Shin immediately activated his Stealth skill, moved the fallen soldiers to a secluded spot, and buried them.
[You have disposed of the bodies!]
[Your notoriety greatly increases….]
“This should keep them from being discovered easily, right?”
“It will buy us some time, I believe.”
“Good. Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Once they were over the wall, it wasn't too difficult.
He had already heard about the mansion's layout and trap placements from Kaka (who had designed the mansion), so he didn't have to worry about traps.
As for the soldiers patrolling intermittently, he simply held his breath and hid in blind spots with his Stealth skill active, letting them pass safely.
‘It’s easier than…’
Lee Shin felt a sense of relief.
He had expected a difficult infiltration, but it seemed to be proceeding more smoothly than anticipated.
…However, a crisis arrived without warning.
It happened as Lee Shin was moving down a long, straight corridor of the mansion.
“What the, is someone there?”
“!”
“!!!!”
A voice came from around the corner.
From the tone, Lee Shin instinctively knew the speaker was a user, not a soldier or a knight.
And a very high-level one at that.
Neither he nor Gillaim had sensed the person's presence until they were this close.
In that fleeting moment,
a myriad of thoughts raced through Lee Shin's mind.
‘…Who is it?!’
I thought almost everyone had gone to get Kaka.
If even Gillaim couldn't sense them, are they a ranker?
But if they were a ranker, why would they be left behind in the mansion during such an important quest…?
‘…….’
There were no clear answers.
But one thing was certain.
He didn't know how this had happened, but he couldn't let them meet!
The moment they ran into each other, he would be a fugitive on the run.
But even knowing that, it was too late to turn and flee; the opponent was already too close.
They would meet the second they rounded the corner, so trying to escape now was pointless.
In this desperate situation.
‘…….’
*Shove!*
Lee Shin's judgment was incredibly fast.
Without a moment's hesitation, he pushed Gillaim away.
“Escape on your own.”
“Sir? Wh-…!”
After creating some distance,
he made eye contact with the person who came around the corner and shouted, pointing at Gillaim.
“Who are you…”
“…There’s an intruder over there!!!!”
“!!!”
“!?!??!?!”