Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: The Subjugation Quest
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But what he got was a chilly reply.
No, the way the man scanned Lee Shin from top to bottom seemed more like he was on guard.
In the Eteun Kingdom, teeming with plunderer players, it wasn't strange to be wary of a user who appeared to be an assassin.
‘Hmm.’
Lee Shin backed away for the moment.
For a second, he considered killing the man for his insolent tone, but he had just arrived and didn't want to cause a scene so soon.
He was also curious about why everyone had gathered.
-You ask.
-What? Me? Ask what?
He sent Jeong Yu-ra instead.
-Go ask that person why everyone is gathered here.
-Weren't you just about to ask him?
-I got shot down.
-Oh, really…? Okay.
Jeong Yu-ra approached, taking Lee Shin’s place.
Unlike with Lee Shin, however, the effect was tremendous.
“Excuse me…”
“Yes? …Gasp!”
“Why is everyone gathered here?”
“Ah, everyone’s here to participate in the territory quest.”
“I see.”
“This region originally has frequent monster waves, so a regular subjugation quest opens up for the local users. You can participate as long as you’re in the late 100s. It’s famous for being a really generous quest, so a lot of users from other regions come for it, too. You didn’t know? Are you perhaps new to the Eteun Kingdom?”
“???”
Not only did the man answer, but he also poured out information she hadn't even asked for.
Jeong Yu-ra replied, looking slightly flustered.
“Yes. Well, yeah…”
“I knew it. It’s true that very few users start in the Eteun Kingdom. Haha!”
“…”
“…Ahem! Are you by any chance interested in the quest? We happen to need a priest. Would you like to join us?”
[You have received a party invitation.]
[Do you wish to accept?]
[Upon acceptance, you will automatically leave your current party.]
A smooth party invitation followed.
It was a completely different reaction than the one Lee Shin had received.
Jeong Yu-ra answered with a bewildered expression.
“Ah, no. I’m already in a party.”
“That person can join too!”
“Really?”
“A few more people are fine!”
“But he said he just got shot down…?”
“What? …Gasp! Th-that’s…”
-Should I accept?
-Accept.
“…But he says it’s fine.”
“……!”
* * *
[The parties will be temporarily merged.]
[Total Party Members: 11]
“Why are there 11 people…? Isn’t that person joining?”
“That one is a mercenary NPC I hired.”
“Ah, I see.”
With Lee Shin and Jeong Yu-ra, plus the other nine, a small-scale party of eleven users and one NPC (Gillaim) was formed.
“I’ll share the quest with you.”
“Okay.”
<Regular Quest – Monster Subjugation>
Vast forests and plains stretch near the Martinez territory.
The terrain and weather are ideal for human habitation.
However, the same is true for most monsters, and there are periods when their populations explode.
Subjugate the excessively large number of monsters alongside the Martinez territory’s army!
The rewards you receive after the subjugation will vary based on your contributions.
• Basic Reward: 1 Gold Coin Box.
• The higher your contribution points, the greater the rewards.
• You can earn more contribution points by killing more monsters and by subjugating stronger ones.
• Contribution points are calculated as a party total.
‘…Hmm.’
Lee Shin hadn't originally intended to form a party, but when the other player offered to share the quest, he changed his mind.
He needed to observe the territory’s atmosphere for a while anyway, and it would be helpful to travel with a party that knew the area well.
Collecting the rewards along the way was just a bonus.
There was just one thing that bothered him: the contribution points were calculated as a party total.
It likely meant the points would be divided equally, regardless of individual performance…
To Lee Shin, it felt like a loss.
‘I’ll just get what I can out of this, then kill them all and leave.’
And so, Lee Shin hatched a wicked plan.
He figured he could just deal with them right before the subjugation quest ended.
“…Excuse me.”
Just then, someone called out to Lee Shin.
He turned to see it was the other party's leader.
“…What is it?”
“I apologize for earlier. I thought you were a suspicious person… Haha.”
“Ah, that’s. It’s fine.”
It was a common look for assassin-type users in the Eteun Kingdom.
Eteun had the most plunderer players, and they were, with high probability, assassin-types.
…Besides, Lee Shin actually was a suspicious person.
No, he was beyond suspicious; he was an openly dangerous person of interest.
Even now, he was planning to kill his new party members the moment he joined them.
“…”
“Wh-what is it?”
“It’s nothing. But when does the quest start?”
“It should be starting soon. …Ah, there they are.”
At the party leader’s words, Lee Shin turned his head and saw a knight approaching in the distance with a group of soldiers.
He was likely the commander of this subjugation force.
As expected, as soon as the knight reached the center of the plaza where the users were gathered, he shouted loudly.
“Is everyone here? Then we move out!”
At the knight’s command, the soldiers began to move in perfect order.
Lee Shin and his party members followed behind them.
* * *
“We’ll take a short break!”
At the commander’s shout, the soldiers halted their march.
A few mounted soldiers broke from the formation and disappeared ahead, likely to scout.
The users who had participated in the subjugation many times before seemed used to this, calmly finding spots under the trees to rest.
“When are the monsters showing up?”
“I don’t know.”
“But since we stopped here, shouldn’t they be appearing soon?”
“You think so? I hope a lot of them show up this time. So we can get a lot of rewards.”
“Yeah.”
While the party members chatted, Lee Shin approached the party leader.
A break was a good opportunity.
“Could I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“This is our first time in the Martinez Duchy. We have a few questions…”
“Ah, yes! Of course. Ask anything.”
The party leader, his wariness now completely gone, replied kindly.
Thanks to him, Lee Shin could freely ask what he was curious about.
Things like the recent atmosphere in the territory, and what kind of person Duke Martinez was.
“Hmm… The atmosphere in the territory is actually quite good. As you’ve seen, public order is surprisingly well-maintained, and there are almost no homeless people on the streets.”
“I heard a rumor that the Duke is corrupt.”
“Ah, there are rumors like that. But well, as a user, I haven’t really felt it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Maybe politics and territory management are two different things?”
“…Hmm.”
Lee Shin nodded.
It wasn't an entirely illogical statement.
Political ambition and attachment to one's own territory were desires that could certainly coexist.
However.
If one were to ask if such cases were common, the answer would be no.
The kingdom was collapsing due to the corruption of its ruling class, yet this one man wanted to run his own territory properly?
Something about that felt strange too.
‘…I’ll have to look into this more separately.’
There was a limit to the information he could get from an ordinary user.
For now, he was satisfied with getting a general sense of the atmosphere and decided to find an information broker later for more details.
“Everyone, on your feet!”
While they were talking, the soldiers who had gone ahead to scout returned.
The knight, having received their report, shouted to the users.
“We’ve found traces of the enemy! They’re not far, so we’re moving out immediately!”
True to his word, they found the monster settlement shortly after.
Just over the hill in front of them, a horde of orcs could be seen gathered below.
-Krrrk.
-Chwiik! I smell humans!
-They’re on the hill! Kill them!
The orcs, having spotted the users, became agitated and began to charge.
The party leader, who had already finished equipping his gear, asked.
“What should we do?”
“I’ll have the priest stick with you. You all can do as you please.”
“What? Then, Arthur, you’ll…”
“I’ll do my own thing. Wouldn’t that be easier? It’s not like we’ve ever coordinated before.”
Besides, since the contribution points were pooled together, it didn't matter if they fought separately.
“Ah… I suppose so.”
“Yes.”
“Still, if you’re in danger, please let us know. We’ll help you right away.”
With those words, the party leader returned to his original party members.
Jeong Yu-ra also cast her curses on Lee Shin before following the party leader.
[A curse seeps into your body.]
[A curse seeps into your body.]
[A curse seeps into your body.]
[You possess the title, <Avatar of Malice>.]
[Yata is being whimsical!]
[The skill, ‘Curse of Weakening,’ becomes…]
[Yata’s Blessing – Double-Edged Sword]
Defense is slightly decreased (30%), and in exchange, Attack Power is greatly increased (90%).
Currently stacked 3 times.
A massive boost in attack power!
On top of that, Lee Shin’s passive skill, <Weakness Insight>, revealed the weaknesses of the charging orcs.
*Thud!*
Lee Shin shot forward.
Compared to the other users who were slowly advancing in formation, it was an incredibly bold move.
“Hey!? Mr. Arthur!! What are you doing!!”
The party leader, watching Lee Shin from a distance, cried out in surprise.
He had said they would move separately, but he never imagined Lee Shin would just charge out like this.
Assassin-type classes typically possessed high melee damage but lacked defensive capabilities.
This made them incredibly powerful in small-scale skirmishes where individual control could shine, but conversely, they needed to be cautious in large-scale battles like this one.
If they drew too much aggro and got focus-fired, they could be killed instantly without a chance to heal.
Therefore, the role of an assassin-type in such battles was to weave in and out while the tankier classes held the front line, harassing the enemy and creating openings for the mages to deal damage…
What Lee Shin was doing now was practically a suicide mission.
‘This crazy…!? Is this his first time on a subjugation quest?’
The party leader’s expression twisted.
But then…
[You have dodged!]
[You have dodged!]
With divine movements using a two-step dash, Lee Shin evaded all the orc attacks that rained down on him like a storm.
And in between, he even managed to land counterattacks.
*Swish!*
[A critical hit has landed!]
[A critical hit has landed!]
[Critical Explosion stacks are accumulating!]
“????”
“Wh-what the!”
While his party members watched from afar in bewilderment, Lee Shin discreetly switched his weapon.
From <Exorcism Sword Islet> to <Silver Thorn>.
When facing numerous enemies like this, <Silver Thorn> was more useful for quickly building stacks of his <Chain Strike> passive.
Of course, equipping it meant his notoriety was no longer fixed, so he had to be careful…
‘This distance should be fine.’
He was far from the soldiers right now, so it didn't matter.
Lee Shin confidently cut down the orcs that were pouring toward him.
[A critical hit has landed!]
[A critical hit has landed!]
[A critical hit has landed!]
[You have precisely struck a weak point, dealing additional damage!]
[Avatar of Malice additional damage…]
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
With his rapid attacks frequently triggering the bonus damage from his title, the amount of damage Lee Shin was dishing out was beyond imagination.
“Chwiiik!?”
“Chwik! That human is strong!”
[The orcs are becoming wary of you.]
[The orcs are surrounding you!]
The orcs, sensing the threat, immediately moved to surround Lee Shin and stop him.
…But Lee Shin wasn't flustered.
His full attack power had yet to be revealed.
[<Chain Strike> stacks have reached their maximum!]
[Critical Hit stacks have reached their maximum!]
[Now, using all stacks…]
‘Critical Explosion.’
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
He unleashed the critical stacks without hesitation.
With three stacks of Double-Edged Sword and the <Chain Strike> passive maxed out, the resulting attack was more than enough to obliterate the nearby orcs in a single blow.
“Chwiiik?!”
“D-dying…!”
[You have slain an enemy.]
[You have slain an enemy.]
[You have slain an enemy.]
[You have slain…]
The kill log scrolled by in a blur.
And in the midst of it all,
[…You have slain more than ten in a single blow!]
[The Serial Murder effect is activated!]
“…”
It was the effect Lee Shin had been waiting for.
Immediately after, Lee Shin’s form vanished from the sight of the pursuing orcs.