Chapter 54
Chapter 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: The Hunt Begins
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*Ding.*
"...It's here!"
The alarm signaled the arrival of a new message.
A stir went through the high-level users of the punitive squad huddled together.
They bustled over to Jeras.
"It's here? For real?"
"Where is it?"
"Hold on... here."
[Orc Habitat - South Forest]
"...? Orc Habitat?"
"Where is this place?"
Jeras showed them the message, and questions arose among the users.
"Was there a place like this in the Eteun Kingdom?"
"Do you know it?"
"I don't know either. I wasn't originally a player here, to begin with."
"Me neither."
"Same here. I just came for a quest..."
The Eteun Kingdom wasn't exactly famous among players, and the Orc Habitat itself was located in a remote area.
It was no surprise that most of the players, who were active in other kingdoms, didn't know about it.
"We can just search for it."
"I'll do it."
The users searched for the Orc Habitat on their maps.
However.
"...What the, is this right?"
"He went to a place like this?"
The location that appeared was strange.
The navigation pointed to a spot on the coast with no cities, no guilds, no named dungeons—nothing!
The users, thinking something was wrong, searched again, but the location remained the same.
"There's nothing there."
"Did they give us the wrong information?"
"Or maybe it's a scam..."
"The photo is legit, so I don't think so. I'll ask again."
Jeras sent another message.
[It's showing up on the coast. Is this the right place?]
The reply came back quickly.
[Yes, that's the place.]
"...They say it's right."
[I saw him with another man about an hour ago.]
"......!!"
[They seemed to have settled in and were hunting, so he's probably still there.]
The informant's last words quickly dispelled their doubts.
Why he was found in such a remote hunting ground out of the blue.
There was only one conceivable reason why a skilled player like Arthur would ignore other prime hunting spots to settle in an unknown one like this.
'He must have seen the message boards.'
He had noticed the existence of the punitive squad.
Considering how big they'd made this, it wasn't strange for him to have caught on.
A massive group had gathered to catch him, so even a skilled player would have to be on guard.
So, if you assumed he was hunting in a place unknown to most people on purpose, it all made sense.
Jeras turned to the other players and said,
"Looks like it's the right place."
The photo was definite, and the explanation that followed was specific.
Moreover, it fit perfectly with the current situation (the formation of the punitive squad) without any inconsistencies.
The target was hiding in a place with little foot traffic, waiting for the incident to die down.
'Did he think we wouldn't find him?'
In reality, it was a completely unexpected location.
Who would have thought he'd be hiding in this remote area instead of going to another kingdom with better security?
The saying 'the darkest place is under the candlestick' fit the situation perfectly!
If they hadn't gotten lucky with the tip, they might never have found him.
'...This persistent bastard.'
Jeras shuddered at Lee Shin's meticulousness.
In truth, it was simply because his high infamy prevented him from going to other kingdoms, but Jeras couldn't have guessed that.
Thanks to this, Jeras's assessment of Lee Shin continued to skyrocket.
'He wasn't just some riffraff.'
If he were just one of the countless, run-of-the-mill, ill-mannered players in Avala Online, he never would have made such a decision.
The fact that he could make such a judgment so naturally showed that he was a predator player to the core.
But even knowing that, Jeras wasn't particularly worried.
When it came to PK experience, they were second to none.
Furthermore, the difference in objective combat power was self-evident.
No matter how strong the opponent was, he would be helpless against their overwhelming numbers.
"Can we leave right away?"
"Yeah."
At Jeras's question, the users helping with the logistics nodded.
They had already prepared more than enough means of transportation.
They had prepared in advance, not knowing when or where he would be found.
There was no reason to hesitate now.
Jeras sent a mass message to the scattered members of the punitive squad to hunt down Arthur.
[Orc Habitat - South Forest]
[Assemble here.]
Hundreds of punitive squad members began to gather, hunting for Lee Shin.
* * *
*Ding.*
[Recruitment has been closed.]
A message announcing the end of recruitment for the quest he had bookmarked.
Lee Shin licked his lips.
'They're on their way.'
The coordinates were set, so they would arrive soon. Lee Shin turned to Arthur and Jeong Yu-ra and said,
"You two go somewhere else. As far away as possible."
"You don't need help?"
"No."
Lee Shin answered Jeong Yu-ra's question firmly.
"You'll just be in the way."
"......"
They weren't exceptionally strong individually, nor did they have much experience with this kind of situation.
There was no point in them staying; they wouldn't be of any help.
In fact, it would be a relief if they didn't get in the way.
Lee Shin knew this, so he had planned to face the punitive squad alone from the start.
"Go hunt somewhere else until I call for you."
"Yes, I'll drop the disguise."
"Okay."
Understanding Lee Shin's words, Arthur took Jeong Yu-ra and disappeared.
And so, he was left alone.
Lee Shin sat in the middle of the wide, dark forest.
"......"
The artificial sound of the wind quietly brushed past Lee Shin's ears.
Lee Shin shook his head.
Then, he began to prepare to face the opponents who would soon appear.
'Hoo.'
He let out a short sigh.
After clearing his mind.
He pictured the surrounding terrain he had already memorized.
"......"
Countless vertical and horizontal lines extended from where he sat.
The lines formed a grid, creating a virtual three-dimensional space.
The forest scenery spread across this 3D space like ink, and simultaneously, red flags marked the locations of each bomb he had planted beforehand.
A total of seventy-two.
Normally, it wasn't a number one could simply memorize...
But Lee Shin's superior spatial awareness and memory allowed him to track the locations of all those bombs.
'......'
As his concentration heightened, Lee Shin's senses began to sharpen.
*Drip.*
The sound of a water droplet falling from the tip of a leaf echoed in his ears.
The cries of a few orcs, echoing from far away, also reached him clearly.
When what felt like an hour had passed.
*Boom...*
The faint sound of an explosion came from the distance.
It was followed by several smaller explosions a few seconds apart.
A moment later, when the sounds had completely stopped.
Lee Shin's closed eyes opened.
'The southern hill.'
He deduced the enemy's position from the direction and volume of the sound.
'...And the northern settlement.'
The sounds came from completely opposite directions, indicating they were approaching from both sides in an encirclement.
A plan to use their numerical superiority to catch an opponent hiding in the forest!
It was a textbook strategy, but for those who weren't seasoned hunters (there were guilds that specialized in this), it was the best method available.
Lee Shin stood up.
"...Hmm."
In truth, he was confident he could break through their encirclement if he wanted to.
It wasn't the first or second time he'd experienced this.
He just had to find a weak point in their line before the net closed in and break through head-on.
With more than enough skill and experience, it wouldn't be difficult.
However.
'That would defeat the purpose.'
Lee Shin intended to fight them.
His ultimate goal, after all, was to use them to subjugate the orcs.
Everything was in preparation for that moment.
Slowly walking in the direction of the sounds, Lee Shin used a skill.
[Skill, Stealth, has been activated.]
[The first Secret Sword has been activated.]
Lee Shin's body blurred, and the sound from his sword vanished.
A short while later.
'...Found them.'
A group of users approaching in the distance.
Lee Shin's gaze grew cold.
* * *
"...Hah."
A warrior, creeping forward cautiously, muttered with a look of disbelief and shook his head.
Even though he hadn't been in a single fight, his health had already dropped by about 5%.
It was because he'd been hit by a bomb a moment ago.
A bomb likely planted by their target.
"...Seriously, this crazy bastard."
Getting hit by the bomb felt shitty, but thanks to it, one thing had become certain.
Their target was here.
He had wondered if the guy would really be in such a remote place, but he was indeed hiding here from the punitive squad.
A location they would have never known about without the tip.
The warrior thought to himself.
'...Seriously, it takes all kinds to make a world.'
It was bound to happen with so many players in the game.
You could frequently meet the kind of people here that you'd be lucky to see even once in your entire life in the real world.
This case was no different. Still, this time, things had worked out well.
A triumphant smile appeared on the warrior's lips as he looked around.
'It's already over.'
Players were spread out in every direction.
There was no way out.
There were no side paths to the left or right due to the terrain, and in front and behind, hundreds of punitive squad members were closing in, forming a multi-layered net.
So he was feeling rather relaxed inside.
"Hmm...?"
Suddenly, a shadow fell over him.
Puzzled, he looked up at the sky...
[You have been attacked in a vital spot.]
[Critical Damage!]
[The intense impact has temporarily paralyzed you!]
A tremendous, silent impact struck him.
It happened without any warning!
The warrior collapsed, rolling on the ground without knowing what had hit him.
Startled, he tried to scream, but...
"What the... Mmph?!"
Before he could, a strong hand clamped over his mouth!
Forcibly silenced, the warrior reflexively lifted his head.
"......!!"
And his eyes met with someone who had already taken a mounted position, looking down at him.
Likely the cause of the impact.
It was too dark to see the person's face clearly, but.
'...Huh?'
Even from the blurry silhouette, he could tell it was Arthur.
Besides, there was no one else who would ambush them here.
'How... No, was he in a tree?!'
Experiencing something like this for the first time in his life, the warrior was so confused he forgot to signal for help.
And in that moment.
'!'
Lee Shin tightened his grip on the man's mouth and raised his dagger.
As his mouth was sealed shut and the blade glinted before his eyes, the warrior felt a primal fear.
He still hadn't collected himself from the suddenness of the attack.
"...Mmph, mmph, mmph!"
He instantly panicked and thrashed his body. A desperate struggle to survive!
But it was meaningless.
He was already completely subdued; that level of resistance was futile.
"Shh."
"......!"
Lee Shin pressed down harder on the man's mouth.
*Stab! Stab, stab!*
He repeatedly stabbed the defenseless man's vital spots.
And that was it.
With every attack landing as a critical hit, the opponent's already low health plummeted to zero.
[You have defeated an enemy.]
"......"
After checking the message, Lee Shin scanned his surroundings.
The punitive squad members were advancing, spread out at sparse intervals.
They hadn't noticed the commotion nearby.
The darkness was a factor, but it was more accurate to say that the overpowered nature of the Secret Sword was showing itself in this specific situation.
Salseong's first secret swordsmanship
• Attacks using the sword leave no sound.
He'd felt it before, but the game's definition of 'attacks using the sword' was extremely generous.
As long as you dealt damage with the sword, the effect applied to every action involved in the process.
That was why there was no sound even when he dropped from nearly ten meters up.
It, too, was considered part of the attack, and the effect had been applied.
'...Good.'
-Stealth.
Lee Shin activated Stealth, which was off cooldown.
His body gradually faded.
Lee Shin slowly approached the advancing users, who were completely oblivious.
And when he was close enough.
"Hrk...!"
Lee Shin moved stealthily, ambushing the punitive squad members one by one.
The result.
......
[You have defeated an enemy.]
[You have defeated an enemy.]
[......]
The players died without a scream.
"...Hmm?"
Jeras noticed something was wrong around the time Lee Shin had logged out ten players.