Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: An Unforeseen Betrayal
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Lee Shin threw a shuriken and rushed at the captain.
[Stealth has been activated.]
[First Hidden Blade has been activated.]
[……]
[……]
*Thud!*
[You have accurately struck the instep.]
[The target's speed has been reduced.]
“Keuk?!”
A sudden, sharp jolt of pain!
A short scream burst from the captain's lips.
And Lee Shin seized that opening to thrust his sword.
Deep Cut!
Critical Hit Explosion!
[A powerful critical hit has landed!]
“Kuaaaargh!!”
A fatal blow delivered while Hidden Blade was active!
The captain couldn't hold back a scream, his mouth agape.
“…How dare you! Who are you!”
He scanned his surroundings, his eyes turning red.
But.
“……?”
There was no one who looked like an enemy.
Because Lee Shin had already used his Charge skill to move behind him.
Thanks to this, the captain couldn't help but feel as if he were being haunted.
And this created a second opportunity for Lee Shin.
[A powerful critical hit has landed.]
[The target's health has dropped below half...]
[The target is now in a state of severe bleeding...]
[……]
“Keoheok…!!”
[The target has noticed you!]
[Stealth has been deactivated.]
[Be careful!]
“…So it was you! How dare you!!”
Sparks flew from the eyes of the captain, who had finally identified his foe.
The man gathered his nearby subordinates and charged at Lee Shin.
“Get him!”
Enemies rushed in from all directions.
Lee Shin glanced around.
“……”
Because he had stealthed and penetrated deep into enemy lines alone, there were no other players nearby.
This meant there was no one to help, a situation that would normally be extremely dangerous.
But Lee Shin was actually relieved.
‘No one will be able to steal my kill.’
Having cast aside his worries, Lee Shin gripped his sword tightly. Then he glanced over at the other players.
There was quite a distance between them.
‘…….’
Then they won't be able to see what I'm doing, right?
Lee Shin unequipped his gear.
[You are released from the curse.]
[Your Infamy skyrockets!]
[Infamy has surpassed 1,000,000...]
[Title, Incarnation of Malice, has been activated...]
At the same time, he unleashed his critical hit stacks on the pirate charging at the very front.
……
A soundless attack.
However…
[A fatal attack!]
[Incarnation of Malice bonus damage...]
[……]
“Kuaaaargh!?!”
[You have killed 10 or more enemies simultaneously!]
[Scene of a Massacre!]
[The area is filled with vengeful spirits!]
[A dark aura of death surrounds your sword...]
[The effect of Chain Killing has been activated...]
[……]
A dizzying flood of messages.
Lee Shin ignored them and kicked off the ground.
*BOOM!*
Lee Shin's figure vanished.
A quiet storm of blood swept across the deck.
* * *
The boss raid ended with surprising ease.
The result of combining the overwhelming DPS from Incarnation of Malice's bonus damage and the effect of Chain Killing!
Add to that god-tier control, and it was a battle where crisis was nowhere to be found.
*Thrust!*
[You have defeated the enemy.]
[You have acquired an item.]
[You have gained experience points.]
[Level Up!]
“Whew.”
Lee Shin cleared away the stream of messages and picked up the items and gold.
The drop rate penalty had been offset quite a bit, so a decent amount had dropped!
Lee Shin moved to a quiet corner of the deck to check his spoils.
‘Check items.’
Dukal's Hood
• Durability: 140/200
• Physical Defense: 100
• Wearer can use the skill 'Cruel Collection'.
Dukal's Coat
• Durability: 74/200
• Magic Defense: 100
• Wearer can use the skill 'Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation'.
‘So his name was Dukal.’
The equipment's stats themselves weren't high.
For gear that dropped from a boss raid, the stats were meager!
But it was likely because the equipment had special built-in skills.
Lee Shin checked the skills.
Cruel Collection
• Upon use, the drop rate slightly increases for a certain period.
• Requirement: Infamy of 7,777 or higher.
‘Oh.’
The first one is a solid, good item!
A smile appeared on Lee Shin's lips.
But that smile didn't last long.
Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation
• Directly breathe into the target to restore 50% of their maximum health. Also removes one random status effect.
• Requirement: The target's permission.
“……?”
An unbelievable description!
Lee Shin blinked.
Of course, it wasn't strange for a pirate's drop to include a skill called Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation, but this was virtual reality, wasn't it?
Because of various realistic issues, he thought it would naturally just be a similar-looking motion…
‘You really have to do it?’
The skill description clearly stated that you had to do it 'directly'.
Lee Shin imagined himself using this skill on another person.
Not even a second later, an unbearable wave of revulsion rose from deep within him.
Lee Shin shook his head.
‘This is basically telling me not to use it.’
Besides that, there was another problem in the first place.
Looking at the usage requirement, even if he felt like using the skill, the target had to give permission. Who would do something like this just to be revived once in a mere game?
Lee Shin clicked his tongue inwardly.
Still, strictly speaking, the haul wasn't bad.
The drop rate increase on the first piece of equipment wasn't something you could easily find in the auction house.
Lee Shin put the gear away and headed for the deck.
The battle was slowly entering its final phase.
Lee Shin joined the other players in clearing out the remaining mobs, and a short while later.
A message appeared before his eyes.
[All pirates have been subjugated!]
[Temporary peace has come to the seas off Res Port.]
[You have gained experience points.]
[You have gained Fame.]
Since it was a subjugation carried out as part of a quest, his Infamy didn't rise.
In fact, perhaps because he took down the captain alone, his Fame rose slightly.
‘Check rankings.’
[Current Rank: 3rd]
‘Oh?’
A higher rank than I expected!
Taking down the boss by myself definitely made a big difference.
Lee Shin nodded in satisfaction.
He thought that at this pace, he could definitely aim for first place.
However, separate from Lee Shin's satisfactory results, the players on the other ships did not feel the same.
In fact, it was the opposite.
“Damn it…”
“At this rate, we'll barely make it into the rankings.”
Voices laced with impatience!
The joyful atmosphere from when they first boarded the flagship was nowhere to be found.
Because the battle had ended so quickly, they hadn't managed to earn any contribution points at all.
The players who failed to get contribution points gathered and whispered among themselves.
“Ah, shit. Should we have boarded that ship?”
“Can't be helped. Who knew it would turn out like this?”
“What do we do now?”
And in the midst of their whispering.
An important topic came up.
“…But do we really need to do it this way?”
“?”
“I mean, do we need to stick together in a group at the back? I think we'd be fine going separately.”
“You think that'll work?”
“Why not? The pirates don't seem that strong anyway. Those 50 people over there took them all down. We have even more people, what can't we do?”
“That's true, but… huh?”
“…You're right.”
Hearing the logical argument, the expressions of the listening players changed.
The player who spoke up then drove the point home.
“And this is an individual competition.”
“Huh?”
“It's an individual competition. You think they're only going to do this once?”
Pausing for a moment, he gestured with his chin toward the players on the scouting ship and continued.
“Next time, they'll try to hog all the contribution points for themselves again.”
“……!!”
“……!”
“……!”
The players' expressions completely changed.
They finally understood the severity of the situation.
If they just stood by, they could literally end up with nothing.
“……Where's our captain?”
* * *
After the first subjugation, the players' atmosphere changed completely.
The players pestered their captains and began hunting down pirates relentlessly.
And this pestering grew more and more intense.
Faster!
And more boldly!
Formations between ships and assigned roles were already an afterthought.
A situation born from the players' greed!
However, the fleet commander didn't try to stop this overheating among the players.
From his perspective, there was no reason to stop the players from being so proactive.
It wasn't as if any particular problems had arisen, either.
The result…
[You have destroyed a pirate ship.]
[You have destroyed a pirate ship.]
[You have defeated a pirate fleet...]
[……]
[...Temporary peace has come to the seas off Res Port!]
The pirates were being wiped out quickly!
After a little time passed, it became difficult to even find them in the waters near the port.
They had to search for a long time just to spot one or two small pirate ships.
Naturally, the rate at which contribution points were earned also decreased.
Thus, the players were left with two choices.
To continue the subjugation safely.
Or to venture out into the farther seas and aim for a big score.
At this, most players had the same reaction.
“Of course we have to go out.”
“If we just play it safe, when are we ever going to raise our contribution points?”
They were already blinded by contribution points!
Another reason was that the pirates had been weaker than expected.
Having dealt with them so easily, their vigilance had disappeared without them even realizing it.
“What's the worst that could happen?”
“Yeah. Nothing's happened so far.”
The players muttered as they gazed at the calm sea.
But they didn't know it yet.
What form their current decision would take in the near future.
* * *
On the calm sea.
“…Hm?”
Having seen something, Arthur, who was looking out at the distant sea, stretched his neck forward.
After staring blankly ahead for a moment, Arthur tugged on the hem of Lee Shin's clothes, who was standing beside him.
“What.”
“…What's that? That black thing.”
“Black thing?”
Lee Shin turned his head.
Just as Arthur had said, a low-lying black fog could be seen approaching in the distance.
“……?”
Lee Shin blinked his eyes.
What is that…?
The answer was soon revealed through a system message.
*Ting.*
[You have encountered Drake, the pirate captain who rules the seas off Res Port.]
[Be careful!]
[He does not let enemies who trespass in his territory leave alive.]
‘…!’
A stream of warning messages appeared.
The fog's true identity was actually a pirate fleet of enormous scale!
The other players must have seen the same message as Lee Shin, because they burst into an uproar.
“What is this!”
“Pirate ships? All of them?!”
An overwhelming number that made one lose all will to fight.
On top of that, their appearance, shrouded in black fog as they approached, was intimidating in itself.
The captain, likewise sensing the crisis, quickly turned the ship's bow.
But…
[Drake uses 'Fierce Wave'.]
[Drake uses 'Bold Charge'.]
[Drake uses...]
[Drake's fleet is rapidly approaching!]
*KWAKWAKWAKWA!!*
The pirate fleet approached, using all sorts of skills!
In the end, it wasn't long before their ship was completely surrounded by the pirate vessels.
Drake, who had brought his ship close, stepped forward and shouted.
“How dare you trespass in my territory!”
“……”
“Surrender quietly.”
One player asked cautiously.
“…If we surrender, will you spare us?”
“I'll make your death less painful.”
“……”
The player who asked the question retreated with a sour expression.
He whispered to the players standing behind him.
“What do we do?”
“We have to at least try to fight.”
“But can we win? They look crazy strong…”
“What does it matter? It looks like we're going to die one way or another.”
“…That's true.”
A few high-level players who had assessed the situation quickly exchanged glances.
They usually competed for contribution points…
But first, they had to survive, didn't they?
They had to join forces and try something.
“I'll circle around to the back. You guys draw their attention.”
“…Okay. Got it.”
Roles were assigned in an instant!
It was a sound judgment for the situation.
The only problem was that there was one person among them who couldn't be understood through normal thought processes.
On their side, not the enemy's.
‘……,’
As soon as Lee Shin saw the allied rogue circling around, he activated Stealth and approached him.
And when the rogue had gotten somewhat close to Drake.
*CRACK!*
“…Keoheok!????!?!”
He smashed him squarely in the back of the head.
[A fatal blow!]
[You have attacked a player.]
[Your Infamy greatly increases.]
[...The target's stealth has been deactivated!]
“…Wha-!?!”
“What are you doing!!”
“Are you crazy? I said, are you crazy!!”
The players, naturally, went wild!
No, it wasn't just the players; even Drake looked at Lee Shin in surprise.
In that situation, Lee Shin's next action was something no one could have predicted.
“Please spare me!”
Lee Shin shouted as he prostrated himself flat on the deck.
“I've wanted to be a pirate since I was a child!!”
“……!!?”