Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: The First Strike
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‘There's another legendary.’
He was certain.
One who had gone unnoticed by all the rankers and guilds.
A legendary who had grown in secret, to the point of triggering a Rival Assassination quest.
“But does that even make sense?”
The one questioning Ian's certainty was the guild master, Hazel.
He knew just how difficult it was to obtain a legendary class.
He spoke as if in disbelief.
“Even you spent several months on chain quests.”
“I did.”
“And that was with the guild's support. Without it, it probably would have taken longer, or even been impossible, right?”
“That's right.”
Ian readily admitted it.
Just as he'd said, obtaining a legendary class was incredibly difficult.
Individual skill was one thing, but guild support was even more crucial.
The quests themselves were hard, and interference from other guilds and competitors was a constant threat.
For a solo player, a legendary class would have been practically impossible.
“But the message says it all. There's no one among the rankers with a class like that.”
“We just might not have known.”
“Then the problem is even more serious.”
Rankers generally knew each other well.
They might not know the exact details of what everyone was doing, but they had a rough idea of who was where and doing what.
But to be unaware of a legendary class process that takes months?
That wasn't so much the other person being good at hiding as it was them being incompetent.
“You're right.”
Hazel's expression turned serious.
It was hard to believe, but it had happened.
‘Was the quest easy? No, that can't be...’
Various thoughts came to mind, but the conclusion was simple.
The other player was simply exceptional in skill and conduct.
Good enough to complete that difficult process alone, without being detected by anyone.
Hazel muttered.
“A ranker from Avala 1?”
“Considering their skill, that's highly likely. The problem is, that person can't be on our side.”
“...I suppose not.”
Normally, they would have immediately put out a massive search for the player and tried to recruit them.
The player's skill was already proven, and it was hard to imagine anyone refusing an offer to join the number one guild.
The problem was the quest.
The Rival Assassination quest they had both received.
“It probably won't end until one of us is dead.”
“It'd be a relief if it ended then, but it might not end even with a death.”
“Huh? Ah...”
Unless a player quit the game entirely, there was no concept of true death.
They just became unable to log in for a while.
Just as Ian said, it wouldn't be strange for similar quests to keep appearing as they both grew stronger.
Hazel came to a conclusion.
“For now, let's keep this between the guild's leadership.”
“Alright. And we need to think about our opponent.”
“To kill them, we first have to find them. But how can we find someone we don't even know?”
“Realistically, we can't.”
There were no clues besides their class, and they hadn't even known this person existed until now.
A reckless search might end up targeting the wrong person.
“...That's true. So what do we do?”
“We wait. They know who I am. They'll come for me eventually.”
Ian spoke with conviction.
He didn't think he'd have to wait long.
Anyone capable of completing the legendary class quests alone would be a formidable player, and thus, full of confidence.
Besides, wasn't Ian a priest-type class in the end?
Priests, whose concept was specialized in supporting others, were one of the weakest classes in PvP, even more so than mages and archers.
No matter the level difference, it was hard to imagine losing with an assassin class, which vied for the top spot in PvP combat.
Ian planned to use that psychology to his advantage.
‘I'll wait.’
After setting the perfect trap.
Hazel nodded.
“You seem to have a plan.”
“Yeah.”
“Then you handle it. If you need the guild's support, just say the word.”
“Got it.”
“...Alright. Let's end this topic here for now. There's a leadership meeting soon, so make sure you're there on time.”
The discussion about the Salseong was over, but another, equally important matter remained.
It was about the main quest, which was slowly starting to take shape.
On the surface, things were quiet, but the guild's leaders, considering all the information, predicted a major conflict over the kingdom's power was imminent.
They needed to decide which side to support as quickly as possible, and for that, the opinion of Ian, a high-ranker in the guild, was essential.
“Alright.”
Nodding, Ian left the room.
He had some time before the meeting, so he planned to do some personal training.
Support for rankers was generous, so the guild had many facilities available for personal use.
‘He said I have about an hour...’
“Oh? Ian!”
“?”
Just then, a voice stopped Ian in his tracks.
He turned to see a player he had seen a few times around the guild house.
What was going on?
He didn't know them particularly well...
“Yes? What is it?”
“Ah, the guild master is looking for you.”
“Me? But I just came from meeting him...?”
“He said there was something he forgot to mention. Since you just left the guild house, please follow me.”
“Ah, okay.”
‘Was it something he couldn't say inside?’
That was possible.
It was a highly sensitive matter, after all.
If someone walked in during their conversation, it would be a disaster.
Watching the player in front of him lead the way to a more deserted area, he wondered what could be so important that they needed to find such an empty place.
But then.
The moment they went outside and turned a corner.
“...?”
The player who had been right in front of him had vanished without a trace.
In the mere two seconds he was out of sight, he disappeared like a mirage.
Nor was the guild master waiting for him.
There was only an orc with a strangely cute appearance, hastily fleeing in the distance.
“...Wha-what the.”
He felt like he was bewitched!
A bewildered sound escaped Ian's lips.
And then, a person approached from the distance.
They wore a mask, and their entire body was covered by a cloak, making their appearance completely unrecognizable, but...
‘Who is that? It's not the guild master... Ah, could it be?!’
Because of that, he had a guess as to who it was.
‘That's the Salseong!’
Ian's prediction that his opponent would come to him if he waited.
Indeed, his prediction was correct.
However, if he had made one mistake, it was not expecting his opponent to arrive so quickly.
Before he even had a chance to set his trap.
[A powerful malice is detected nearby!]
[The Path of the Seongja reacts to the malice.]
[You have encountered your rival, the Salseong!]
[As one who walks the Path of the Seongja, kill him to prove your path is true!]
‘...As I thought.’
Ian's gaze hardened.
He didn't know how they did it, but his opponent had pretended to be a guild member to lure him into a trap.
But he wasn't too worried.
‘The level difference is clear.’
His opponent wasn't a ranker, after all.
Even for an assassin class, it was impossible to have enough damage to instantly melt a ranker at 11th place, who was decked out in expensive defensive items.
Besides, this was the Shining Star Guild's front yard.
If he just stalled for time with some healing and defensive spells, his opponent would inevitably be surrounded.
*Vwooom!*
Dozens of buffs enveloped Ian's body.
However.
*Thud.*
“...?”
To his bewilderment, his opponent suddenly collapsed.
Ian blinked.
“...? What was that?”
Was it a trap?
Were they feigning death to make him lower his guard before launching a surprise attack?
Just as Ian was shaken by his opponent's unexpected action, to the point of having such thoughts.
*Ting.*
“?”
An ominous system alert rang in Ian's ears.
...And immediately after, it happened.
[A dense aura of death arises.]
[You are dying!]
“What...?!”
[You have been killed by the Salseong.]
[Quest Failed.]
[You have failed to prove the righteousness of your path and have acquired the permanent penalty, .]
You are a loser.
The indelible wound of your first defeat at the hands of your rival will follow you for the rest of your life.
However, whether you let it remain a painful scar or use it as an opportunity to reflect on your shortcomings is up to you.
Do not forget. To become a legend, you must not break easily...
• All Stats -5%
• Unique Skill, , is downgraded to .
“...!?!?!?”
* * *
-Holy crap. Did anyone see the ranking just change!?
A post on the Avala Online community forums.
The author seemed incredibly excited for some reason, but the initial reactions were lukewarm.
It wasn't exactly a surprising event.
-Rankings changed again?
-Doesn't that happen all the time?
-Yeah, someone probably finished a quest they'd been sitting on.
Among rankers, even the slightest differences could change the rankings.
Thanks to that, it was common for the rankings to shift whenever someone completed a major quest and gained a level or two at once.
-OP, the rankings change often on a daily basis... Unlike us, those guys are separated by just a few percentage points of EXP.
-Fr?
-Yeah. That's why most people check the rankings monthly.
-Making a fuss over nothing lol
-Ikr lol
The mood was settling into one of dismissing it as the original poster's overreaction or clickbait.
But that mood was soon turned on its head.
-Wait a sec, something's weird here. Why did his level go down?
-What? Huh? You're right.
The reason for the change in rankings was that Ian had dropped due to a level down.
And a level down only happened when a player received a death penalty.
In other words.
-Holy shit. Did Ian get PK'd?!
The users naturally reached one conclusion.
Ian was on a completely different level of fame and influence compared to the other players Lee Shin had killed so far.
As such, the community forums naturally exploded once again.
-That's insane hahahahahaha isn't this the first time Ian's leveled down?
-Yeah. He's a priest, so there was never much reason for him to die.
-Oh, right. But why did he die all of a sudden? Did the rankers get into a fight?
-Does that make sense? Why would rankers fight each other? They're not crazy, they know the risks. He probably died during a raid or something.
-No. Seriously, it's possible.
-Huh?
-All the rankers are in the Eteun Kingdom for the main quest right now. They're all on a similar level, so they might fight if their goals overlap.
-Oh... I guess so?
-But is there any ranker who would mess with the Shining Star Guild? They're the #1 guild. Wouldn't you be screwed if you messed with them for no reason?
-Maybe he wasn't killed by a ranker.
Amidst the chaos, someone offered an opinion that was close to the truth...
-That makes even less sense;;
-Even if he's a priest, do you think the 11th ranked player is a pushover? He could still wipe the floor with scrubs like us.
-This. I saw Ian in the arena, and his mechanics are insane. His opponents couldn't even land a skill on him.
But it was quickly shot down by the fierce opposition of other users.
Lee Shin, who had been monitoring the community's reaction, let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned off his computer.
‘What a relief.’
Ian's death was, of course, Lee Shin's doing.
The method was simple.
He had Arthur disguise himself as a guild member to lure Ian to a secluded spot, then used the skill <Mutual Destruction>.
A one-on-one fight was too dangerous, and there was the risk of his identity being exposed.
Of course, the skill Mutual Destruction itself was extremely high-risk, but when the conditions were right, it was a different story.
If there was no one but Lee Shin and Ian within a ten-meter radius, he could guarantee Ian's death.
Most importantly, Lee Shin's death was different in nature from Ian's.
<Mutual Destruction>
• Upon using this skill, you die instantly.
Simultaneously, a dense aura of death arises, causing a mysterious death nearby.
• When the mysterious death is triggered, one random user within a 10m radius is selected and also dies instantly. This death cannot be avoided.
• You cannot gain experience with this skill. In exchange, you will not drop items due to the death penalty.
Instant death upon skill activation.
In other words, Lee Shin hadn't been killed by someone else.
It was closer to suicide.
Whatever the result, it happened by his own decision, and he had taken no damage from his opponent in the process.
But Ian was different.
He had been caught in the dense aura of death generated by Lee Shin and suffered a mysterious death.
In effect, it was no different from being killed by Lee Shin.