Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: A Change of Plans
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‘…Should I try to steal it?’
Honestly, it was a crazy idea by anyone’s standards.
This wasn’t just some merchant vessel; it was a warship owned by a lord.
If the lord ever found out, the inevitable retaliation might force him to quit the game.
It was that dangerous!
Normally, he might have simply thought, *It's fine as long as I don't get caught!* but…
‘That's not going to work.’
Lee Shin shook his head.
He could kill the soldiers to silence them, but the players would just revive after three days.
What if the revived players told the lord who the culprit was?
It didn't take much thought.
He'd be relentlessly hunted by a pursuit squad.
Lee Shin was well aware of this.
So, to be precise, he wasn't going to steal the ‘ship’.
He was just going to take the ‘captain’s position.’
Lee Shin turned his head.
“……”
“Huh? Why?”
Arthur blinked, asking under the intense stare.
Without the disguise, he was a perfect copy of Lee Shin!
Lee Shin continued to ponder the sight.
‘Hmm…’
What if, when the time was right, he killed the captain?
And if he could place Arthur, disguised as the captain, in his place?
Wouldn't that be enough to take command of the ship?
‘It's risky, but…’
The problem was, he had no choice if he wanted to complete the quest Regreus gave him.
•Secure the previous Salseong's memento (0/1)
•Secure Regreus's safe (0/1)
‘To clear the quest, I have to go to the pirate island.’
Obviously, no pirate carries all their treasure on their ship.
In other words, to clear the quest, he couldn't just stop at raiding pirate ships; he had to search the pirate island too… which was, of course, an extremely dangerous task.
If he were truly unlucky, lost his ship, and got caught, he might be stuck there, unable to move, until the next subjugation force arrived.
That was why.
That was why Lee Shin had come up with such an extreme method.
He didn't think other players would join in on such a risky plan, so he felt there was no other way than to use the captain's authority to force them.
‘It can't be helped.’
Lee Shin soon made his decision.
To assassinate the captain when the opportunity arose.
However, not long after boarding the ship.
Lee Shin realized he wouldn't have to.
[A pirate ship has been discovered.]
“Pirates over there!!”
“Hurry, after them! Kill them!”
“Full sails…!”
‘…Huh?’
The players participating in the quest were far more aggressive than he had expected.
* * *
A while ago.
The forums of the Avala Online community had been in an uproar.
It was because Lee Shin had killed the 8th Prince, causing a huge commotion.
Players came up with various speculations about it.
-Could it be a main quest?
-It is about time for something new to start.
-Then….
The atmosphere grew increasingly heated.
It was understandable, since it was a main quest.
Just by participating in the quest, a huge reward was guaranteed… they couldn't help but go crazy over it.
-Anyone know anything about the Eteun Kingdom??
-Buying all info on the Eteun Kingdom! Anyone interested, please contact the Forest Guild.
Thanks to this, places even started calling for Eteun Kingdom players, who were usually treated as oddballs!
However, this fervor quickly died down.
Because nothing else happened after the quest vanished.
With no new leads, most players simply returned to what they were doing before.
But some players and guilds were different.
Those greedy for rankings and levels.
‘This is an opportunity!’
‘We have to go when everyone else's interest has faded!’
‘It's now or never!’
One by one, they prepared and moved to the Eteun Kingdom.
And they took on any religious order, fiefdom, or national quests they could get their hands on.
There was a certain logic behind this.
‘I don't know what the main quest is… but if I build up contribution points now, it'll be helpful later!’
‘And a main quest is highly likely to be related to at least the nobility or the religious order!’
Players who all thought the same way flocked to the religious order or to fiefdoms with major quests.
And they enthusiastically progressed through the quests to somehow get ahead of others.
…And this was the result.
“I said chase them!?”
“Hurry…! We're going to lose them at this rate!!”
The players began to relentlessly pressure the captain!
Their voices were filled with urgency.
Especially since they were on a reconnaissance ship, it was certain their rankings would fall if they didn't do something.
The captain, overwhelmed by their fierce spirit, tried to stop them in a fluster, but….
“C-Calm down. Our mission is reconnaissance…”
“Ah, come on!”
“If my contribution points drop! Are you going to take responsibility? Huh?!?”
Such words had no effect on the players, whose eyes were already crazed for the pirate ship (contribution points).
And strictly speaking, they weren't just being stubborn.
They had something they were counting on.
“It doesn't matter! Our levels are high anyway!”
“You just bring the ship alongside!”
“Then we can't use the cannons…”
“Ah, it's fine! We can take care of pirates ourselves!”
“We came here specifically for the quest even though the level doesn't match…!”
At the last words, Lee Shin nodded with a look of understanding.
‘So that's what it was.’
No wonder the gear they were wearing was too good for the quest's level.
And the players he had PK'd earlier were also of a higher level than he'd thought.
He had thought it was strange that there were no hunting grounds suitable for their level around here, but it made sense if high-level players had come specifically for rewards only obtainable from fiefdom quests.
“We'll kill them ourselves…!”
“Hurry and chase…!”
[You have persuaded the captain.]
“…A-Alright! I get it!”
In the end, the players succeeded in persuading the captain by relentlessly pressuring him!
The captain, sweating profusely, fired a signal flare towards the main fleet.
And began to approach the pirate ship at full speed.
[Approaching the pirate ship.]
[The pirates have discovered the approaching enemy.]
[Be careful!]
[A battle may occur…]
“Waaaaah!”
“Contribution points! Contribution points!”
The players cheered enthusiastically at the warning message!
It was a bizarre sight.
All tension was gone; they already saw their opponents not as enemies, but as contribution points.
“……”
Seeing this, Lee Shin stealthily hid his dagger in his clothes.
From the looks of it, even if he left them alone, they seemed ready to tear through the pirate island on their own….
In that case, there was no need to kill the captain and sow discord.
‘I should just leave them be.’
It should be fine to just tag along.
Having changed his mind, Lee Shin sent a whisper to Arthur.
-You stay put.
-Yes.
-Don't fight under any circumstances.
Because it would be difficult to protect him if a melee broke out on deck.
Also, Arthur's personal condition was not great due to the disguise.
Rather than being a distraction, just staying still would be more helpful.
-Then I'll stay down below.
Arthur quietly went inside.
And a moment later.
*Thud!*
The two ships collided.
[A collision has occurred with the hull.]
[Minor damage to the deck…]
“…Here I go!”
“Move!”
“Waaaaah!”
*Rumble!*
The players ignored any formation and competitively jumped onto the pirate ship!
Among them were even physically weak mages and priests.
‘My contribution points!’
‘I have to finish this quickly!’
‘Before the main fleet gets here…!’
Thanks to this, it was the pirates who were flustered.
What the…?!
“Wh-what the hell!”
“Have they all gone crazy!?”
[The opponent is confused!]
The pirates flinched and retreated.
Seeing this, the pirate captain stepped forward and shouted loudly.
“Attack! Make them regret daring to come out to sea so fearlessly!”
[The pirates have recovered from their confusion.]
[The pirates' morale increases.]
“Waaaaah!!”
The pirates charged.
And so, the battle on the deck began.
The players clearly showed the reason for their earlier confidence.
-Relentless Charge!
-Mighty Strength!
-Sever!
A flood of skills.
*BOOM!!*
“Gaaah!!?!”
With a deafening roar, pirates were sent flying!
Unable to withstand the follow-up combo attacks, the pirates were incinerated into experience and contribution points.
“…!”
At this, Lee Shin's eyes, who was watching from the back, widened.
The players' skill level was higher than he had thought.
He thought they just had high levels, but their skill usage and game sense were quite good.
‘This isn't the time to just watch.’
*Dash!*
His expression turning serious, Lee Shin hurriedly joined the battle.
Because the number of pirates had already decreased significantly.
If he was any later, he might fall behind in the ranking competition altogether.
-Stealth.
-Charge.
*Stab!!*
“Gah!? Who…!?”
[A powerful critical hit has landed.]
[The opponent falls into a state of confusion.]
[The opponent…]
The pirate screamed in confusion from the surprise attack.
Lee Shin ignored the opponent's shout and continued his assault.
*Stab, stab, stab!!*
[A critical hit has landed.]
[A critical hit…]
[Critical Hit Stack has reached its maximum!]
Lee Shin's blade turned red.
It was the effect of the maxed-out critical hit stack.
But Lee Shin didn't detonate the stack.
‘Not here.’
With so many players around, he didn't want to show off the chain-kill effect.
The first secret sword, whose effect wasn't obvious even if seen, might be one thing, but this effect was too conspicuous.
People would definitely take an interest in the skill.
Lee Shin continued to hunt while only maintaining the critical hit stack.
*Stab! Stab, stab!!*
[You have defeated an enemy.]
[You have defeated an enemy.]
‘…It's still fast, though.’
The pirates collapsed one after another!
Even though he didn't detonate the stack, the attack power increase from the max stack was significant.
On top of that, with the performance of his newly acquired weapon, his hunting speed was beyond expectations.
[You have acquired experience.]
[You have acquired contribution points.]
[…]
[Level Up!]
Thanks to that, experience and contribution points started pouring in!
The problem, perhaps, was that the other players' hunting speed was also incredibly fast.
Lee Shin opened the quest window.
‘Check ranking.’
[Current Rank: 15]
As expected, his rank wasn't that high.
It was only natural, since he was fighting with his main hunting skill sealed.
To bounce back in the rankings, he needed another method besides just hunting like everyone else.
For example.
‘Killing the boss.’
That would grant him an enormous amount of contribution points at once.
Or, hindering the other players to keep them in check was also a good method.
In fact, it was a familiar method that Lee Shin had often used.
‘Hmm.’
Lee Shin was lost in thought for a moment.
Lee Shin's decision was swift.
‘I'll just do both.’
Having made his decision, Lee Shin approached the gap between the players fighting in a tangled mess.
And just as an opponent was about to use a charge skill on a pirate.
*Swoosh.*
Lee Shin stuck out his foot.
A vicious tactic honed through countless battles!
The opponent lost their balance to Lee Shin's exquisitely extended foot and fell.
*Clatter!!*
“…Wh-what was that?!”
The flustered player looked around.
But Lee Shin had already moved to the other side.
He had cleverly moved completely out of the opponent's line of sight.
“…? Who just…?”
“What are you talking about! Get a grip, man!”
“Ah, uh. Okay…”
Thanks to him, the player wore a dazed expression, as if possessed.
This phenomenon continued to occur wherever Lee Shin passed.
And around this time, as old memories began to surface, Lee Shin's methods grew bolder.
*Clatter!*
“Gasp?! Wh-what the…?!”
Starting with the most basic move, tripping someone.
[Stealth has been activated.]
[First Secret Sword activated…]
……
“Aaargh!? Who was that! Who stabbed me…!?”
…even secretly stabbing them in the rear before bolting!
His methods were so cunning that not a single player noticed it was Lee Shin's doing.
Thanks to him, the people who were tripped and stabbed were in an uproar amongst themselves.
“Was it you? You stabbed me!”
“…What are you talking about!? This bastard…!”
The deck rapidly descended into chaos, all thanks to the actions of one slippery eel.
But the culprit himself was not caught up in the commotion at all.
On the contrary, he had used the commotion to break through the crowd and approach the captain.
‘There he is.’
Having confirmed his target, Lee Shin gripped a shuriken.