Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: A City in Chaos
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Gillaim's face was filled with disgust as he looked at the prisoners.
His upright nature as a knight made him feel an instinctive revulsion, much like when he first met Kilgeo.
“Understood.”
However, since Lee Shin’s safety was on the line, he didn't seem to have any particular objection to releasing the prisoners.
Taking the keys, Gillaim began to open the iron-barred cells one by one, starting from the left.
*Clang, clang!*
The cells opened one after another.
Lee Shin gestured with his hand.
“Come out.”
But there was no response.
“Out.”
“…”
“I said, get out.”
[The prisoners ignore your words.]
“...?”
The prisoners didn't budge.
They were afraid of getting caught up in an incident they couldn't handle if they made a single wrong move.
Mysterious intruders had suddenly barged in, killed all the guards, and rushed to the lowest level. Anyone with a bit of sense could tell that the current situation was far from ordinary.
“These bastards…!”
Thinking Lee Shin had been slighted by the prisoners' actions, Gillaim immediately drew his sword.
*Shing!*
“Should I kill them?”
“…Sheathe it.”
Lee Shin sighed and stopped Gillaim.
Forcing obedience through fear was one of many ways to control NPCs, and seeing how well it worked with Cedric, it was an effective method. But it wasn't right for this situation.
“Why?”
“Because they’re prisoners.”
It wasn't always the case, but prisoner NPCs generally had different dispositions from regular NPCs.
An evil alignment was a given, and they were all extremely rough, so using violence might just make things more annoying.
“Are you saying it will provoke their defiance?”
“Yeah.”
“Couldn’t we just beat them until they listen?”
Gillaim questioned what the problem was, seeing that Lee Shin agreed.
They were mostly petty criminals anyway. How long could they possibly hold out? They’d have to break eventually.
‘He’s not wrong.’
Lee Shin agreed with that part.
He had proven countless times in Avala Online 1 that no matter how tough someone acted, they were no match for overwhelming force.
But there was one problem.
Time.
If he had enough time, he would have done as Gillaim suggested, taking them out one by one to teach them a lesson, just like with Cedric. But time was short.
So, he had to use a different method.
“A different method….”
“I’ll have to talk to them.”
“Talk?”
Gillaim looked at the cells with a face full of disgust and disbelief.
Since it was Lee Shin who said it, he didn't object immediately, but his expression clearly asked, ‘Is that really going to work?’
Gillaim spoke cautiously.
“But will they listen? They are criminals. Words alone won't be easy.”
“I know.”
“Then…”
“It’s fine.”
Lee Shin cut Gillaim off with a firm tone.
He then approached the prisoners, changing his equipment as he walked.
[You have unequipped the Blood-Rusted Dagger. The curse is lifted.]
[Your notoriety skyrockets!]
[Your notoriety surpasses 1,000,000!]
[Title, Incarnation of Malice, is activated….]
[The probability of evil-aligned NPCs obeying you increases.]
The effect was immediate.
“Ugh!?”
Gillaim suddenly clutched his nose and grimaced, while Cedric looked at Lee Shin in shock, and…
“Huuuhhh!!!?”
The prisoners, as if they'd seen a ghost, freaked out and prostrated themselves on the floor.
His notoriety was already high, and now that his level had risen quite a bit, this was the most dramatic reaction he had ever seen.
[The prisoners are overwhelmed by your notoriety.]
[The prisoners will now listen to your words. As long as they remain in an overwhelmed state, they will obey your commands.]
“P-Please spare me!”
“Did I say I was going to kill you?”
“Ah…”
“But I could kill you without a word. I’m not in a very good mood right now.”
“…Hic!!”
The prisoners, who had been relieved by Lee Shin’s change of pace, were suddenly startled.
Furthermore, as he nonchalantly twirled his dagger and muttered chilling words, the effect was amplified.
“I hear the slave market is booming these days.”
“Hic.”
“It’ll be hard to take everyone, so if I just keep a few and kill the rest…”
“……!!”
[The prisoners feel fear towards you…]
[The prisoners fall into a state of panic!]
‘Hmm?’
Panic that went beyond fear!
Lee Shin had only intended to scare them a little to facilitate a smooth conversation, but because his notoriety was so high, the effect was far too potent.
Thanks to that, the prisoners began to ramble incoherently, begging for their lives.
“P-Please spare us!”
“Spare us!”
“We’ll do anything you ask!”
“Then die.”
“A-Anything but that…”
“I have a family to support!”
“...?”
There was something odd at the end, but the effect was undeniable.
Lee Shin gestured with his chin and spoke.
“I don’t plan on killing you.”
“…!”
“But there’s something you all need to do. It probably won’t be difficult.”
“...?”
One of the prisoners asked.
“What is it?”
“I’ll let you out, and you just need to run in all directions.”
“…Is that it?”
“Yes. …No, wait. As you run, set fires everywhere.”
The last part was an impromptu addition, but on second thought, it wasn't a bad idea.
Once fires started, it would create even greater chaos.
As a bonus, the crowds rushing to put out the fires would block the paths for the soldiers.
Of course, if the job was done sloppily, the result could be worse than not doing it at all, but…
‘That should be fine.’
Lee Shin wasn't particularly worried.
It was because of the nature of this prison.
This was a place where those guilty of the most heinous crimes within the domain were held.
The minimum was robbery, the maximum, murder.
That was why Arin’s party, accused of attempting to assassinate the lord, was imprisoned in the same building.
In other words, they were all seasoned criminals with at least three prior convictions, meaning they could commit arson without much difficulty.
“Can you do it?”
“…Fire, well…”
‘Just as I thought.’
“How much should we burn?”
“As much as possible.”
“Understood. But we don’t have any fuel, so it might be difficult to meet your expectations.”
“Fuel? I don’t have oil, but will this work instead?”
Smokeless Powder
• A necessary ingredient for crafting bombs.
It was the leftover powder from when he had set fire to Drake’s pirate island.
After sniffing the powder, the prisoners grinned and replied.
“This is even better.”
“…Good. I’ll release you then. Come out.”
[You release the prisoners of Count Narik's domain. 177 prisoners escape.]
[You have caused severe damage to the domain! Your notoriety skyrockets…]
…
[Your notoriety has surpassed 1,200,000!]
[You have taken another step closer to the notoriety of the former Salseong. The effect of the title, Incarnation of Malice, is enhanced.]
“Hehe!”
“Explosions! Explosions!”
Perhaps having a lot of pent-up frustration from their time in confinement, the prisoners excitedly disappeared.
Only after the prisoners were completely gone did Lee Shin re-equip his usual dagger, find a suitable place to sit, and say.
“Now, we wait.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
The wait was not long.
Yu Han-seong soon came up, having rescued Arin and her party.
“Let’s go!”
“You said we should split up. Where should we meet later?”
“I’ll send you a separate message after this is all over.”
“Ah… yes.”
Lee Shin paused for a moment but then nodded without another word.
“Contact me when you’re outside the domain.”
“Okay.”
After a brief conversation, the groups scattered in different directions.
When the others were out of sight, Arthur asked.
“Are you okay? Just letting them go like that,”
It was an incomplete sentence, but because their ways of thinking were so similar, Lee Shin understood immediately.
He was asking what they would do if they ran off without giving him the reward.
Lee Shin answered nonchalantly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What? I thought you wanted that equipment, hyung.”
“I’m not saying I don’t need it. I’m saying it doesn’t matter because I can find them easily anyway.”
Arin was a streamer.
Her location would inevitably be exposed through her work.
Even if she recorded her broadcasts, with her level of fame, her location would eventually be revealed just by searching the community forums.
In fact, during his time in Avala Online 1, Lee Shin used to track down rankers this way when he was focused on hunting them.
“And once I find her, it’s over.”
“Why?”
“I can just put a curse on her.”
“Ah…”
The Mark of Malice.
It was Lee Shin’s SSS-grade curse that catastrophically reduced the target’s experience gain and drop rate.
Of course, it wasn't without its flaws, as the caster, Lee Shin, was also affected. But that didn't matter now.
Their situations were just too different.
‘For them, it’s a job.’
A job. In other words, their livelihood.
But Lee Shin was different.
Although he was considering video editing and streaming, it was still just a hobby for him.
With different stakes, if it came down to a game of chicken to see who would surrender first, Lee Shin had an overwhelming advantage.
That was why he had let them go so easily.
“Find them!”
“They couldn’t have gotten far!”
The angry shouts of soldiers could be heard from a distance, signaling the start of the pursuit.
In response, Lee Shin removed his disguise and actually slowed his pace.
“Let’s go slowly.”
“What if we get caught?”
“We were in disguise. We won’t get caught.”
Besides, rushing in a situation like this would only increase the chances of arousing suspicion.
The soldiers were in a state of chaos anyway, so it was better to just blend in with the crowd and act naturally.
Moreover, thanks to the prisoners Lee Shin had released, the city was already in a state of utter confusion.
“Get that man!”
“Fire, it’s a fire!”
“Sob! My guild house…”
Flames blazed everywhere.
Explosions erupted in various parts of the city.
With the situation as it was, the soldiers were too busy dealing with the ongoing incidents to even glance at Lee Shin, who was quietly going his own way.
[You have left Count Narik's domain.]
[The domain buff effect has disappeared.]
Lee Shin and his party safely escaped the domain.
It was a short while later that he received a message from Yu Han-seong.
* * *
The moment Yu Han-seong saw Lee Shin, he bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you so much.”
It was genuine, not just for show.
It was an undeniable fact that Lee Shin had been a great help in the end.
If it hadn't been for the method Lee Shin had come up with, they might not have all escaped safely.
Yu Han-seong smiled and handed over the equipment.
“Here is the promised reward.”
[The other party is transferring items.]
[You have acquired the Silver Thorn.]
[You have acquired a Gold Box.]
“A box?”
“I also included more gold than we originally agreed upon.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Although they had raised their voices at each other midway through, the outcome was good, and he had even received an extra reward, so the conversation ended on a warm note.
“Well then…”
“Ah, yes! You’ve worked hard.”
Yu Han-seong saw off the departing Lee Shin and let out a sigh.
Only then did the tension completely dissipate, and he felt a sense of relief.
He looked at Arin’s party and said.
“Are you guys okay?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief then… Let’s not come anywhere near here for a while.”
They had caused so much trouble that this area would be dangerous for some time.
It was best to just lay low in another domain until this incident blew over.
‘It’ll quiet down after some time.’
Since the soldiers hadn't discovered their identities, Yu Han-seong thought with a sense of ease.
But reality was not so simple.
In fact, the real headache was just beginning.
The players who had been unjustly killed by Lee Shin without knowing why began to protest on the Five Star Guild's forums.