Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Arson and Accusations
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Arthur froze, his face screaming, *‘What did I just hear?’*
But Lee Shin’s instructions didn’t change.
Instead, he asked back as if nothing was wrong.
“Let's set the island on fire. Have you never committed arson before?”
“…Most people haven’t.”
“Well, now’s your chance.”
“M-more importantly, why the sudden decision…?”
“It’s nothing major.”
Lee Shin had one objective in deciding to set the fire.
To drive Drake off the island.
And through that, induce a war of attrition with the enemy forces, thereby ending this subjugation quest.
*‘We can’t stick together forever.’*
Drake was a pirate, after all.
Though Lee Shin had gained a lot of contribution points and experience while traveling with him, it was time to end it.
Normally, he could have persuaded or flattered him into moving in the desired direction…
*‘That’s impossible this time.’*
But there were some things you just couldn’t do, no matter how high your affinity was.
Even for Lee Shin, if he suddenly said, ‘Captain! We must lead all our forces and fight the enemy to the death right now!’, he’d obviously be met with a, ‘Have you lost your mind?’
To make Drake come to such a decision, he had to be pushed into an extreme situation.
He had to eliminate all other options but one.
After hearing Lee Shin’s entire explanation, Arthur nodded.
“I understand.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. It’s what you always do.”
*‘…He’s not wrong.’*
True to his word of being a fan, Arthur readily accepted the plan once he heard the explanation.
He even looked thrilled.
This was the Lee Shin he knew!
“But how am I supposed to do that?”
The problem was, he wasn't Lee Shin.
The reason Lee Shin could always make the rankings despite his crazy antics wasn't because they actually helped him grow, but purely because of his talent.
He was just someone who could hit the ranker level even while doing things like this.
In contrast, Arthur’s gaming skills were average.
Better than a typical person, but he had no real talent.
Arthur was the epitome of ‘someone who’s played a lot of games.’
Shaking his head, Arthur spoke.
“I can’t do it alone.”
“I know.”
Lee Shin knew that as well and had no intention of making him do it alone from the start.
“Here.”
“?”
Lee Shin handed something to the worried Arthur.
Food and gunpowder.
They were things Lee Shin had swiped from the pirate ship after sending the users off to fight.
Seeing the question mark appear over Arthur’s head, Lee Shin continued his explanation.
“You can use this to start the fire. I saw some orcs over there.”
Realizing what Lee Shin was about to say, Arthur replied with a troubled expression.
“But I doubt they’ll listen to me.”
You couldn't just give orders because you were the same race.
This was especially true for orcs.
They were a very simple and intuitive race, so a show of strength and power was far more effective than logic.
“I don’t have either of those…”
“You do.”
“Pardon?”
“Power. Just tell them you'll free and feed only the ones who listen.”
Adding something like, ‘This is the only way to survive,’ or, ‘I’m one of you, here to save you,’ would make it even more effective.
It was a lie, of course, but…
*‘Who cares?’*
They were just AI, anyway.
Even if they held a grudge, they would burn away along with the island.
Of course, his notoriety would rise for using his own kind, but that was a stat that would inevitably increase while traveling together.
He could just think of it as getting a head start.
“Ah!”
Hearing this, Arthur let out a cry of admiration.
He had been agonizing over how to do it, but Lee Shin had already thought of a concrete solution.
Lee Shin gestured with his head and said.
“Let’s go. Go back and tell them you’ll be gone for a bit.”
“Ah, yes.”
Arthur headed toward the users and returned shortly after.
“What’d they say?”
“They said okay.”
“What? That’s it?”
“Yes. I told them you called for me, and they didn’t ask any questions.”
“…”
Lee Shin headed with Arthur to the warehouse where the orcs were being held.
“…Here?”
“Yep.”
The same guards he had seen before were standing watch at the entrance to the warehouse.
Lee Shin immediately used a skill and dashed forward.
Stealth.
Charge!
His movements were utterly without hesitation.
Normally, he would have been more cautious, but there was no need for that now.
After all, he was planning to set off a massive bomb soon enough.
Once the island was on fire, all the minor details would be buried on their own.
*Grab!*
“…!?”
Lee Shin clamped a hand over the pirate’s mouth.
Then, he precisely aimed and stabbed at his vital points.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
*Stab! Stab-stab!!*
[A critical hit has landed!]
[A critical hit…]
“Guh-heuk!?!”
“Who… Gack!”
[You have defeated the Pirate.]
[You have acquired experience points.]
“Hoo.”
In an instant, Lee Shin finished off the pirate and then took care of the one on the other side.
Thanks to his speed, there was no loud noise.
Lee Shin turned around and said.
“Finish it quickly. Start the fire in the middle of the forest so it takes as long as possible to be discovered.”
“…Yes!”
Arthur scrambled into the warehouse.
Lee Shin watched him for a moment before heading back to where the users were gathered.
Arthur was the one carrying out the task, but Lee Shin had to draw attention to himself to ensure his success.
*‘I need to cause a scene.’*
Fortunately, causing a scene was his specialty.
Lee Shin already had a complete plan for how to capture the attention of Drake and the other pirates.
Of course, there was always the possibility of unforeseen variables in a real situation, but Lee Shin no longer got nervous over such things.
“Hm? You there.”
“Captain.”
As it happened, Drake was also where the users were.
His face lit up in a bright smile when he saw Lee Shin.
His gaze was almost like that of a father looking at his son.
There was a good reason for this.
The subjugation effort, launched at Lee Shin’s suggestion, had been a tremendous success.
They had destroyed a total of forty-one pirate ships and six of the lord's fleet vessels.
Considering the lord’s ships were much larger and stronger warships than the pirate vessels, it was a significant achievement.
Moreover, the only damage they had sustained was a few dead prisoners (users).
From Drake’s perspective, it was as good as no damage at all.
Naturally, he couldn't help but look favorably upon Lee Shin, who had orchestrated the entire plan.
He said with a laugh.
“Truly outstanding!”
“Not at all. It was an idea anyone could have come up with.”
“Hahaha, and modest too! As expected of a former adventurer, you’re completely different from those blockheads!”
[Your affinity with Drake has greatly increased.]
[Your affinity with Drake has reached its maximum!]
*‘Oh?’*
The stat had already maxed out.
But it didn’t end there.
The combination of Lee Shin’s consistent performance, his flattery, and their high affinity prompted Drake to make a special offer.
“Keep this up, and I’ll give you the position of first mate.”
“…!!”
“…!!”
Drake’s sudden promise of the first mate position!
The users who had been eavesdropping from behind were shocked, their eyes wide.
*‘How in the world…!?’*
*‘How do you accept a pirate subjugation quest and end up becoming the first mate?’*
The users were in chaos.
Of course, the reason was Lee Shin’s high notoriety, but there was no way for them to know that.
From their perspective, it looked as if Lee Shin had simply sweet-talked Drake into submission.
*‘…Wait, was he a user who wanted to be a pirate all along?’*
*‘Did he join the subjugation squad as a disguise?’*
All sorts of theories ran through the users’ minds.
Normally, they would have dismissed them as ridiculous, but the situation was different this time.
Lee Shin had already shown them so much.
*‘That can’t be…’*
*‘…But maybe it is?’*
With that guy, anything was possible.
While the users were seriously entertaining these thoughts, Lee Shin was inwardly sighing with regret.
*‘Couldn’t have offered it a little sooner, could you.’*
The power and benefits of being the first mate of a relatively organized pirate crew were nothing to scoff at.
Although there was the risk of being subjugated as a pirate, you could rake in gold and experience just by giving orders from the back.
But it was too late now.
He had already sent Arthur, so he couldn't change his decision.
*‘Can’t be helped.’*
Swallowing his disappointment, Lee Shin turned his head.
He saw Drake, having finished checking on the ship and crew, about to leave for a rest.
Lee Shin moved at once.
He couldn't let him leave this spot!
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. If you have something to say, we can talk later…”
“Wait! What is that?”
“…?”
Lee Shin suddenly raised both arms in an exaggerated gesture.
Drake stopped in his tracks.
“What is it all of a sudden?”
“…”
*Swish.*
Having successfully caught Drake’s attention, Lee Shin looked toward the users.
The users suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
Every time Lee Shin acted like this, something terrible had happened.
*‘…What’s he planning now?’*
*‘Please, just stay still…!’*
The users prayed fervently.
But Lee Shin mercilessly crushed their hopes.
He walked up to the user in the far corner and shouted.
“You bastard! How dare you!”
“Wh-what did I do!??”
“Captain! This man has stolen your treasure!!!”
“……!”
“……?”
A silence fell over the area at Lee Shin’s shout.
The crew, the users, and even Drake couldn't comprehend what Lee Shin was saying.
When Drake looked at him, Lee Shin repeated his words in an agitated voice.
“This man has stolen your treasure!”
“…What kind of bullshit is that!? What did I steal?!”
“Ha! Playing dumb, are we? I’m talking about the treasure!”
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t me! I don’t even know what that is!”
The user pleaded his innocence with every muscle in his body and face.
*It really wasn’t me!*
…But it was already over.
“Stop playing dumb! Then what's that thing to your right!”
“What do you mean, to my right… Wh-what is this!?!?!”
An item that looked suspiciously like treasure had somehow appeared next to him.
The user’s eyes widened so much they looked like they would tear.
What…
What was this?!
…The truth was that Lee Shin had just placed an item he’d swiped from Drake’s storage next to him as he approached, but the whole sequence had been so natural that no one had noticed.
“No, I, this… uh…?”
His brain short-circuited, and the user began to babble, his eyes welling up with tears.
He had been caught in a conspiracy so deep it was beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.
“Look at this, Captain! He’s shamelessly pretending he knows nothing!”
Lee Shin shouted shamelessly.
Only then did the user realize something was wrong.
There was only one person here capable of such a thing…!
He erupted in anger at Lee Shin.
“…You son of a bitch! This was you, wasn’t it!?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“No, logically, how could I have stolen that alon—.”
“…You couldn’t do it alone? I see, so you had accomplices!”
Lee Shin heard only what he wanted to hear and cut off the rest of the user’s sentence.
Giving him too much of a voice could be dangerous.
Lee Shin used his high standing and his affinity with Drake to push the situation forward.
“Captain! We must drag these men to the re-education center and torture… no, educate them! We must make them spit out the names of their accomplices!”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“……!?”
The users were startled as the fire suddenly turned on them.
Naturally, a fierce backlash erupted.
“What the hell is this bullshit?!”
“What’s the point of torture in virtual reality anyw—.”
But Drake, who had been completely hooked by Lee Shin’s act, couldn't hear the users’ words.
He roared with rage.
“These bastards…! Drag them away at once!”
“Yes, sir!”
Following his orders, Lee Shin moved the users to the re-education center, thinking.
*‘I need to buy time here.’*
And he had to eliminate the users Arthur hadn’t managed to recruit.
That way, Arthur wouldn’t be suspected of anything strange later on.
A plan that killed two birds with one stone.
*‘Well then…’*
As soon as he entered the re-education center, Lee Shin picked up a club.
And he began the work he had to do.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!!*
“Agh!? You said… re-educate!”
“A good beating was always the best way to re-educate.”
“…!?!?!”