Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Reunion
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The Union Guild arrived in the Eteun Kingdom to participate in the main quest.
After consulting with the guild's leadership, Grania established a base in the Solar territory and began accumulating contribution points for the domain.
The start was smooth.
This was thanks to the fact that there were no other guilds in the Solar territory vying for dominance.
Of course, in the beginning, there were some guilds controlling hunting grounds and collecting tolls…
"What? A toll?"
"Yes."
"Who are they? A guild we know?"
"No? Never seen them before. I don't think they're in the guild rankings."
"Then just crush them."
They weren't on a level to be considered a check against them.
On Grania's command, they were swept away a few times as an example, and they vanished in an instant.
Having experienced the overwhelming difference in power firsthand, they didn't dare to challenge them again.
"I think we can just take all the territory quests for ourselves."
"You think so?"
"There's no one to stop us, anyway. Let's take them all."
With no suitable rivals, the Union Guild was able to monopolize all existing territory quests.
This would undoubtedly play a crucial role in allowing the Union Guild to quickly build its foundation and establish a connection with the count.
However, there were also some who expressed concern.
"But is it really okay to do that…?"
"Why?"
"Won't the other users protest?"
"Let them. What are they going to do? Fight us?"
"That's not it, but I'm worried it'll damage our image for no reason."
Even a guild as powerful as Union couldn't afford to be completely reckless.
In fact, for these mega-guilds, their public image was even more important than it was for mid-sized guilds.
The reason was simple: money.
The cost for rankers to maintain top-tier equipment and purchase information for good quests was beyond imagination.
This was especially true for a guild like Union, which had a very large number of rankers to support.
Therefore, no matter how many members a guild had, it was usually impossible to handle all of this internally within the game.
In other words, as a guild grew, it inevitably needed other sources of income to maintain its growth.
External sources of revenue, such as real-money transactions.
The method most large guilds used for this was to secure broadcasting contracts or sponsorships with corporations.
It would have been unimaginable in the past, but with Avala Online's popularity and user base on a constant upward trend, corporate interest was steadily growing.
Various media outlets were even using words like 'unprecedented' and 'explosive' to describe it.
Thanks to this, IT companies closely related to the gaming industry and businesses targeting young consumers had already signed adventurous sponsorship deals with several large guilds.
The Union Guild itself was a prime example, having sponsorship contracts with seven global corporations and a broadcast deal with a major network, successfully expanding to overseas platforms.
This was why the guild's image was so important.
If the guild's reputation hit rock bottom, corporations would be reluctant to engage with them, no matter how skilled they were.
And this kind of monopolization and use of force was the most typical example of a 'large guild's abuse of power.'
The resentment from general users toward such actions was truly immense, and if they became the topic of discussion for this reason, their image could be severely damaged in an instant.
But this time, the situation was different.
"It doesn't matter."
"Huh?"
"What does it matter? …Anyway, almost all of them are looter players. No matter what we do, their reputation is worse."
"Ah…!"
Since the reputation of looter players was so bad to begin with, complaining to online communities about a large guild's use of force would likely fall on deaf ears.
If anything, they might face a backlash, with people saying it served them right or that it was justice being served.
The Union Guild had a good reputation, while the Eteun Kingdom and its looter players had always had a terrible one.
"Then let's do it!"
"I'll go tell the guild master."
* * *
"You want us to take everything?"
"Yes."
"Alright, then."
After hearing the explanation, Grania agreed with their opinion.
There was no flaw in their logic.
And so, thanks to the effects of their monopoly, the Union Guild accumulated contribution points at an overwhelming speed.
In the process, opportunities to connect with the lord and with Kaka naturally arose.
"What should we do?"
"…"
Two choices.
Which lifeline would she grab?
The decision was up to the guild master, Grania.
"When did the lord say to come?"
"Now."
"Let's go right away."
Her choice, naturally, was the lord.
They had put in all this effort precisely to forge a connection with a noble; siding with Kaka, who had a strange air about him with the lord, was out of the question.
And it was the right choice.
A few days later, a quest came down from the lord.
[Territory Quest – Revenge]
For certain reasons, Count Parker is currently unable to leave the lord's castle.
Therefore, he has decided to find a loyal user (ranked by contribution points) to carry out his revenge for him.
Command the users and complete his revenge!
If you can resolve his grudge, the lord will be greatly pleased and will come to trust you completely.
However, keep in mind that given the lord's financial situation, it would be best not to take too long.
•Quest Time Limit: 30 days.
•Quest Rewards: The Lord's Trust, ???, ??
•The faster you complete the quest, the better the rewards.
'…!'
The lord's quest she had been waiting for!
Even better, her efforts in crazily absorbing contribution points had paid off; she wasn't just a participant but the leader in charge of all the other users.
She didn't know why the lord wanted revenge on Kaka.
Nor did she know why he couldn't leave the castle, but it didn't matter.
She had already decided which side to take, so knowing wouldn't change anything.
Satisfied with receiving such a good quest, Grania muttered to herself.
"The time limit is generous, too."
"Should we take our time, then?"
"Hmm… no. Let's do it right away."
They could have taken their time, but Grania shook her head.
There was a condition that the faster they finished, the better the rewards would be.
Such a generous quest wouldn't come around often, so she wanted to maximize her gains while she could.
Above all, she was confident.
How many rankers did her guild have?
She figured there was no way their opponent could withstand a full, dedicated assault.
With that confidence, Grania immediately began her investigation.
"Find out about Kaka."
"Yes."
"How many guards he has, and what their skill level is. It would also be good to find out his patterns of movement."
"Understood."
She had started the quest thinking it would be over quickly.
However, as they investigated, it became clear that this was not going to be as easy as she thought.
Kaka had too many soldiers.
"And they're strong. Almost on the level of knights."
"Knights!?"
"Yes. If we clash head-on, we'll likely suffer some casualties as well."
"…"
"What should we do? Should we just charge in anyway?"
"No. For now… just keep an eye on them. I'll think if there's a better way."
"Yes."
Grania's decision was to hold off for now.
But she didn't even need to rack her brain; an opportunity came walking right to her.
Kaka suddenly began to reduce his guard forces.
A once-in-a-lifetime chance!
'…What is this?'
But Grania felt a nagging suspicion.
How could something like this happen right when she was trying to decide what to do?
The situation felt too contrived.
As if someone was guiding her toward a choice.
'…'
She felt it instinctively.
There was something she didn't know.
"What? No, isn't it just that they're starting to feel the pinch? Kaka doesn't have infinite money."
"With Count Parker holed up in the castle, he's probably just getting rid of unnecessary troops."
"That could be it, but… No. I have a really bad feeling about this."
Most of the guild members expressed their doubts, but she pushed forward with her intuition.
It was the same intuition that had helped her grow the Union Guild into the sixth-largest in the world.
"We're staying."
"Excuse me? Where?"
"We're staying at the mansion. Everyone except for a few."
"…!!"
It was a difficult decision, as it meant giving up on contribution points, but her prediction hit the mark perfectly.
Indeed, not long after the other users left, news came that someone had infiltrated the mansion.
'…I knew it!'
This was huge.
She had caught an intruder that even the lord himself hadn't anticipated, all based on her own judgment.
A few of her members had already died, but this was an achievement that more than made up for the loss.
That is, if they could just capture the target.
"Catch him, no matter what!"
"Forget the one that already got away. Focus on the one still inside!"
"Surround him from all sides…"
"Yes!"
The users moved in perfect sync under Grania's command.
As a result, they succeeded in cornering their target.
Now, all they had to do was capture him alive and present him to the lord, and they would surely max out their affinity.
But then.
'…Huh?'
Facing the target, Grania froze on the spot.
A very familiar face.
A face she had only seen once, but one that remained an unforgettable memory, was right before her eyes.
She muttered, unaware she was speaking aloud.
"Lee Shin…?"
Lee Shin.
The Psychopath Warrior. The Scourge of Rankers. A walking natural disaster.
Or the one known by nicknames like 'that crazy bastard.' That Lee Shin.
'Why… No, didn't he quit!?!?'
Grania was screaming internally.
Lee Shin didn't know it, but the two had met once before.
It was by chance in the arena, before Lee Shin had become truly infamous.
Back then, Lee Shin didn't wear a mask, so she had been able to see his bare face.
And the memory of that time was seared so intensely into her mind that it was still vivid even after several years.
The reason was simple.
It was because she had been so overwhelmingly defeated that she couldn't possibly forget.
He was a god of PVP.
It was the first time since she started playing that she had felt a wall, thinking, 'This is someone I can never beat.'
…And now, that unpleasant memory was resurfacing.
Every one of her senses was telling her that the intruder before her was Lee Shin.
'No, it can't be. It could be someone who looks like him. It was a long time ago, I can't be sure…'
She tried her best to deny reality…
But it was pointless.
As always, her intuition had not been wrong.
"You recognize me, don't you?"
"…!"
…Even if it was for something she had prayed would never happen.
* * *
"You know me, right?"
"…"
"Your face says you do."
Grania hesitated for a long moment before whispering, so that those around her couldn't hear.
"…Weren't you supposed to have quit?"
'So she does recognize me.'
Her response confirmed Lee Shin's suspicion.
How she recognized him was a mystery, but that wasn't important right now.
Breaking through the current situation was the priority.
"So?"
"Huh?"
"There's no way for you to escape. What's the point of revealing your identity?"
"It's not that I'm trying to do anything."
"…? Then what is it?"
To Grania's question, Lee Shin answered bluntly.
"Let me go."
"What? Am I crazy? Why would I?"
"If you let me go, I won't kill you guys later."
"…Pfft!?"