Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Subjugation Squad
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[Do you wish to accept?]
‘Perfect.’
There was no need to hesitate.
He had just been wondering what to do about the quest he got from Regreus.
If he played his cards right, he could join the pirate subjugation squad and kill two birds with one stone.
Lee Shin accepted the quest immediately.
“I'll do it.”
[Quest transferred.]
Territory Quest - Subjugation of the Pirate Gang off the Coast of Res Port
Galtaka, the lord of the Bern Territory.
Galtaka was plagued by the pirates wreaking havoc off the coast of Res Port.
Ultimately, Galtaka formed a subjugation squad to protect Res Port, which accounted for most of the territory's income.
Join the subjugation squad and eliminate the pirates disturbing the port's security!
• Reward: Distributed based on contribution.
A straightforward quest, just as the name implied!
After closing the quest window, Lee Shin and Arthur headed to the location marked on the map.
* * *
Res Port.
It was the largest port in the Eteun Kingdom and, even by continental standards, an incredibly wealthy region.
Geographical advantages played a significant role in this.
Its location was a nexus connecting the maritime trade routes of neighboring countries.
The tidal range was small, and the water was deep, making it easy for ships to dock.
Furthermore, several islands in front of the port acted as a natural breakwater against the waves.
The perfect environment for a port to thrive!
Naturally, money flowed in, the economy grew, and the territory developed.
But wherever money gathered, so did those who coveted it.
A few plundering players and thieves.
…And pirates.
“Pirates?”
Arthur asked, having listened quietly.
Lee Shin nodded in response.
“Yeah.”
“Aren't they usually in the southern kingdoms?”
“They're here too.”
As Arthur said, the pirates' main sphere of activity was originally the southern kingdoms.
With numerous islands along the coast and an abundance of gold, it was the perfect place for pirates to establish themselves and run rampant.
However, with the fall of the Eteun Kingdom, a shift began to occur in the pirates' sphere of influence.
As the kingdom's national power waned and its navy's influence diminished, pirates saw an opening and began to creep northward!
And there were a fair number of them.
‘Still, they're mostly small fry.’
Lee Shin had been checking the community forums from time to time to see how things were going in other regions.
And some of that information was about pirates.
True to Avala Online's high degree of freedom, users could also become pirates.
While not yet as powerful as the NPC factions, they had their own guilds and communities.
According to their information, the pirates' main headquarters, the Karis Archipelago, was said to be so powerful that even rankers couldn't breach it.
Lee Shin tried to recall the details.
‘I think they said the average level was over 200?’
If those kinds of pirates had drifted this way, a quest like this wouldn't have even appeared.
It would be far beyond what Lee Shin could handle.
Therefore.
‘They're probably the ones who lost a power struggle.’
Lee Shin came to a conclusion after piecing together various bits of information. And if that was the case, they were manageable.
He wasn't doing it alone, either; the lord himself had taken action.
With the strength of the territory's army, the subjugation was likely to go smoothly.
So, he should be thinking about how to compete with the other users.
A quest issued by a lord was sure to have a substantial reward.
Of course, the most important thing was the quest related to his vision skill, but Lee Shin had no intention of missing out on either.
He just had to accumulate as much contribution as possible while juggling both.
Having finished his thoughts on the quest, Lee Shin examined the equipment he had.
The gear he'd gotten from the PK earlier.
‘The gear itself is good.’
But unfortunately, their classes were different, so there were only a few pieces he could use himself.
Lee Shin picked out some warrior-class gear and handed it to Arthur.
“Here, take this.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
He couldn't use it anyway.
And if he was going to work him like a slave, it was better for Arthur to be useful in a fight than to be frail.
He could just take it back later when he found better gear.
‘But…’
Lee Shin stopped walking and looked around.
A few NPCs quickly turned their heads away.
As if wary of even making eye contact.
‘My notoriety is definitely still high.’
Seeing this, Lee Shin licked his lips.
But then a worry crept in.
‘What if they don't let me join the subjugation squad?’
He could probably persuade the users by putting Arthur forward, but the NPCs were the problem.
Could they be persuaded?
It wasn't like his fame was high enough to offset his notoriety.
‘If it doesn't work, I'll just have to join secretly.’
Without a moment's hesitation, Lee Shin came up with an alternative.
He was confident, having done this sort of thing many times before.
Of course, if he got caught, the punishment would be severe…
But he could just disguise Arthur and hand him over then.
“Why are you looking at me like…?”
“It's nothing.”
“?”
Lee Shin calmly hid his inner thoughts and replied to the startled Arthur.
And thought to himself.
‘You have to earn your keep.’
* * *
Fortunately for Arthur, such a misfortune did not occur.
When Lee Shin went to find the lord's knight to join the subjugation squad.
“The token for the subjugation squad… hmm?”
[The target is an NPC with an Evil alignment.]
[Your notoriety is very high.]
[Title, ]
[…]
[…Galtaka's knight, Mapen, takes a liking to you!]
‘…’
An unexpected situation!
Lee Shin was dumbfounded.
‘This is insane.’
A knight personally appointed by the lord has an evil alignment?
Seeing them organize a pirate hunt on their own, I thought this territory was at least somewhat functional…
But looking deeper, this place was a mess too.
If the knight was like this, it was obvious what the soldiers under him would be like.
They were probably more like thugs than soldiers.
Of course, that was none of Lee Shin's business.
In fact, it was a good thing.
Because Lee Shin knew better than anyone how to handle NPCs with this kind of disposition.
It wasn't for nothing that the AI had recommended the Eteun Kingdom to him.
‘Hmm.’
After a moment of thought, Lee Shin took out a pouch of gold.
Then, after confirming there were no other users around, he carefully handed it to Mapen.
“Ahem. This. It's not much, but…”
“Hmm?”
A bribe!
Normally, such an act would be unthinkable.
Most knights were individuals of high repute.
In fact, it wouldn't be strange to be rebuked with a "Are you insulting me!?" and kicked out!
But in Eteun, things were different.
Everyone here was cut from the same cloth.
“Ahem, well now…”
“It's a small gift from me.”
“Ahem!”
He kept clearing his throat, but his eyes were scanning the surroundings as his hand accepted the pouch from Lee Shin.
As Lee Shin continued to press the pouch on him, he finally feigned reluctance and tucked it away.
Then, with a twitch of his lips, he spoke.
“Ahem. Since you're so insistent, I suppose I can't refuse. What was your name again?”
“I am Arthur.”
“I see. I'll remember it.”
[Your intimacy with Mapen has greatly increased.]
[He remembers your name.]
“Thank you!”
“Haha! Don't mention it.”
[The probability of receiving various beneficial effects during the quest has increased.]
[You have bribed the subjugation squad leader!]
[Warning: If this fact is revealed to the lord, you may be punished according to the territory's laws.]
A warning message naturally appeared, but Lee Shin casually ignored it.
When it came to things like this, Lee Shin's mindset was always the same.
‘It's fine as long as I don't get caught.’
Don't worry about the consequences!
What was more important were the benefits he would receive.
Lee Shin sidled up to the knight and asked.
“When does the subjugation begin?”
“That's only possible once we have enough people.”
“?”
“It will start as soon as everyone has gathered.”
At those words, Lee Shin opened his quest window.
The information had been updated.
[Pirate Subjugation Squad: (497/500)]
‘Not many left.’
* * *
While waiting for the spots to fill, Lee Shin wandered around the city with Arthur.
He'd had Arthur sell all the junk items, but he still needed to get some equipment.
Plus, once he was on a ship, he didn't know when he'd be back, so he needed to stock up on consumables beforehand.
“Looking for anything in particular?”
“Hmm…”
At the merchant's question, Lee Shin paused to think.
He could afford good gear, but it felt like a waste of gold.
He had to change equipment every time he leveled up…
[The blessing of Proias, the Goddess of Balance, is upon you.]
[Experience Boost: 190%]
[Drop Rate Boost: -190%]
He was still leveling up quickly.
Anything good he bought would just end up collecting dust in his inventory.
He could worry about getting long-term gear later.
‘…I should just buy something decent enough.’
[You have purchased the 'Mid-Low Grade Equipment Set'.]
[Open the box to obtain the equipment bundle.]
Lee Shin bought a mass-produced set for a reasonable price.
With the remaining money, he bought consumables like potions, smoke bombs, and shurikens.
Just as he had frugally spent all the gold he had on him.
*Ding.*
“?”
[A member has been added to the subjugation squad.]
[Current Members: (500/500)]
Just then, the required number of people had gathered.
[The quest will begin shortly!]
[Take your token and find Mapen.]
Lee Shin headed for the port.
* * *
A short while later, he arrived at the port.
A large crowd had gathered where the warship was docked.
The sailors who would steer the ship and the soldiers who would board it.
And the users who had gathered to participate in the quest.
“…Gulp…”
Arthur swallowed hard.
Even though he was disguised, his true form was an orc.
If his identity was revealed, he would surely be subjugated on the spot.
Arthur, who had been nervously glancing around, sent Lee Shin a whisper.
-Is this really okay?
‘They won't find out if you just stay still.’
-But I have that penalty…!
[While transformed, DEF and M.RES are reduced by 99%.]
[Transformation will be canceled if HP drops below 50%.]
It was a penalty so severe that proper combat was impossible.
That was why Arthur was worried, but…
Lee Shin replied simply.
‘It's fine.’
-?
‘You don't have to fight. No one will say anything.’
This was based on Lee Shin's own experience.
When he did a quest with Jeong Yu-ra, his party members had even let her have the last hit.
Of course, the situation back then had been a bit special…
But beyond that, many other things had changed.
‘If anyone says anything, I'll just kill them.’
Namely, that he no longer had any reason to hesitate before PKing!
Thanks to the cursed item, his notoriety would stay the same anyway.
He just had to make sure the other users didn't find out.
If it was revealed on the ship that he had high notoriety, it would create a lot of hassle.
And for Lee Shin, with his extensive PK experience, this wasn't a difficult task.
“We're departing soon!”
The subjugation squad leader, Mapen, gathered the users.
It was to divide the users among the fleet, which consisted of 17 ships in total.
“Line up, quickly!”
Under the knights' direction, the users were randomly assigned to each ship.
And that was when the pouch of gold Lee Shin had given him earlier proved to be more effective than expected.
“Is there a ship you'd like to board?”
Mapen called him aside and asked.
At those words, Lee Shin, who had been observing the situation, answered swiftly as if he had been waiting.
“I'd like to board that one.”
“Hmm…?”
Mapen's expression turned peculiar as he looked at the ship Lee Shin was pointing to.
It was because Lee Shin had chosen the smallest vessel, a scout ship.
“Are you sure? You can choose a different ship.”
“This is fine.”
“…It will be relatively difficult to accumulate contribution points there, you know?”
What Mapen said was true.
To gain contribution, it was more advantageous to be on the flagship rather than a scout ship.
Because it would see the most combat.
Lee Shin wasn't unaware of that.
However…
“That's the one I want.”
Despite that, Lee Shin didn't change his decision.
It was because of a possibility that had sprung to mind the moment he heard Mapen's offer.
Lee Shin looked at the small scout ship and sized it up.
How many people could it hold?
And the calculation was over in an instant.
‘About 50 people, I'd say.’
That number included soldiers and sailors.
Lee Shin's gaze darkened.
If that's the case…
‘…Should I try to take it?’