Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Get Lost!
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"Get lost!"
"This place is monopolized by our Black Tiger Guild!"
"But I want to go inside."
"Then you'll have to pay a toll."
Pay up, or get lost.
Forced to choose one of the two, Lee Shin replied with a strange smile.
"Ah... is that so?"
In truth, this kind of situation wasn't new to Lee Shin.
To be precise, not just Lee Shin, but most players had experienced something like this at least once.
It was common for a large guild rooted in a certain area to control hunting grounds or charge tolls for their own benefit.
In these moments, players' reactions were usually divided into two.
Comply, or fight back.
Most regular players, lacking the power to stand against a guild, chose the first option, but Lee Shin, naturally, was the second.
Unless it was an exceptional case, Lee Shin never avoided a fight that came his way.
'Should I kill them?'
That was the first thought that came to mind at the opponent's threat.
It wasn't that he didn't have the gold, but he didn't like the idea of bowing down to a bunch of nobodies.
It wasn't his first time player-killing, so there was no reason to hesitate.
But.
'...No.'
After some thought, Lee Shin shook his head.
It wasn't that he was worried.
Wiping them out here and now would be easy, but he felt he could get a much better result with a little more thought.
-Shin?
-Let's head back for now.
Lee Shin turned his back on the guild members blocking the labyrinth entrance and headed to a nearby hunting ground.
There, players who couldn't enter the labyrinth due to the Black Tiger Guild's control were gathered and hunting.
Lee Shin grabbed one of them at random and asked.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"I have something I'd like to ask. Do you have a moment?"
"Uh..."
The player stopped by Lee Shin looked annoyed.
It was also because monsters were about to respawn nearby.
But when Lee Shin handed him a pouch of gold, he immediately changed his tune.
"With this much..."
"Ask me anything."
"Thank you. This isn't something to discuss here. Let's move."
"Huh? Oh, yes..."
The player tilted his head, wondering why Lee Shin insisted on moving, but since the one who paid was asking, he nodded without another word.
And so, they arrived at a secluded spot.
Lee Shin looked toward the labyrinth entrance and asked.
"I have some questions about that guild."
"Yes."
"Could you tell me what you know?"
"Huh? What about them?"
"Things like their numbers, information on their leadership, that sort of thing."
"...Why do you ask?!"
"Just curious."
The player eyed him suspiciously at his insincere excuse, but he quieted down as soon as Lee Shin took out another pouch of gold.
He was a player who was honest in the face of money.
"Actually..."
"Mm."
The player began to explain, one detail at a time.
The summary of his explanation was this.
The guild was a mid-tier one that had established itself in this territory a long time ago.
They had about 100 members. No rankers, but all of them were at least mid-to-high level, so their influence was considerable.
They didn't originally control hunting grounds or charge tolls, but the blockade started when the dungeon was discovered.
It was likely to monopolize the first-clear reward for the dungeon, and the blockade had been in place for about a month.
"A month?"
"Yes."
'Then they must be close to clearing it.'
Lee Shin smiled.
The timing was opportune.
If he played his cards right, he could gain much more than he initially thought.
Lee Shin continued to ask.
"Wasn't there any opposition?"
"Of course there was, but there are no guilds around here stronger than them, so no one stepped up directly."
"Ah..."
Usually, the most common reason for such blockades to be broken was conflict with other guilds.
If there was even one other guild of a similar size, they would keep each other in check to prevent one from growing unilaterally powerful, and this kind of control would naturally disappear.
"The problem is, there are no such guilds... There aren't many guilds based in the Eteun Kingdom in the first place."
"...Ah, right."
The Eteun Kingdom was an environment where such monopolistic guilds could easily thrive.
Lee Shin nodded.
But a question suddenly occurred to him.
Did the players really have to solve this among themselves?
"Didn't you tell the lord?"
"Huh?"
"Count Aaron. I feel like he would have done something if you told him."
As far as Lee Shin knew, Count Aaron was a very reasonable nobleman.
If he had been informed that a guild was controlling a dungeon, he would have found a way to resolve it...?
But at Lee Shin's question, the player shook his head.
"We did tell him."
"And nothing happened?"
"Yes. There was no pretext. They only act like that toward players; they never mess with NPCs. They even pay their taxes diligently."
So, he knew there was a problem between the players, but since it wasn't harming the management of his territory, he just let it be.
Lee Shin nodded in understanding.
'I see.'
It was a plausible scenario.
Most NPCs were indifferent to interactions between players, except in specific situations.
This was true even for a character set up to be as reasonable as Count Aaron.
He was, after all, still an NPC.
As long as they paid their taxes, whatever friction the Black Tiger Guild caused with other players was of no concern to him.
"I understand."
"Any more questions?"
"No."
Having finished his questions, Lee Shin drew his dagger.
And swung it at the player, who was tilting his head in confusion.
*Stab!! Stab-stab!!*
"Ack!?!? What, what are you—!!"
"?!?!"
A sudden attack that surprised even his own party members!
As such, its effect was decisive.
[You have attacked a vital spot!]
[A powerful critical hit has landed.]
[A critical hit has landed.]
[A critical hit...]
"What do you think you're—!"
"Sorry."
*Stab!!*
[The target has died.]
[You have murdered a player within the territory! Your notoriety has increased.]
[There are no witnesses. However, be cautious. If this act is reported to the soldiers, you may be arrested.]
'Arrested? As if.'
He'd done it in a secluded place, so there was no chance of getting caught, and even if he were, a single favor from the lord would solve it.
[You have acquired an item.]
[You have acquired a Gold Pouch.]
'Got back more than I gave.'
"What are you doing!?"
Jeong Yu-ra, who had belatedly come to her senses, shouted as Lee Shin calmly picked up the items.
Unlike the relatively calm Arthur and Gillaim, she was completely shocked by Lee Shin's sudden PK.
"What?"
"Why did you kill him!? He didn't do anything..."
"I kill anyone."
"!?"
Of course, that wasn't the reason he'd killed him this time.
There was a reason he had to do it.
"What is it?"
"He might tell someone I was asking around about this. That would be troublesome, so I killed him to keep him quiet."
"......"
"Well, anyway, I found out everything I needed to know."
After hiding the dead player's avatar so it wouldn't be discovered by patrolling soldiers, Lee Shin headed back to the dungeon entrance.
'I was just planning to teach them a lesson...'
But after hearing the dead player's explanation, he changed his mind.
The guild was larger than he thought, and the dungeon was likely almost cleared. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Lee Shin immediately changed his plan.
'I should clean them out completely.'
A cruel decision.
And it was one that foretold the complete downfall of the Black Tiger Guild.
Because being targeted by the most vicious and worst predator player in the history of Avala Online meant just that.
***
"Hey..."
"Hmm?"
"What, you're back again?"
Lee Shin reappeared.
The guild members guarding the dungeon entrance approached him and spoke.
"You brought the gold this time, right?"
"Yes."
"Hand it over, then. It's one hundred thousand gold a day."
Lee Shin held out his hand.
Seeing the obviously heavy pouch, a guild member chuckled and muttered.
"Heh heh."
"Should've just done this from the start... It's easier for everyone, isn't it?"
"......"
But, contrary to his expectation, what was in Lee Shin's hand was not a gold pouch.
*Smoke Bomb*
*• Scatters smoke powder to obscure vision. Vision will slowly return after 90 seconds.*
*Lesser Explosion Scroll*
*• Using this scroll creates a minor explosion. Inflicts magic damage proportional to 1-7% of the target's maximum health.*
"...Hmm?"
"Huh? This isn't gold..."
Was it because they were careless?
A reaction a beat too late.
Lee Shin immediately used the scroll.
*BOOM!!!*
"Wha-what the!!"
"It's an ambush!"
It was a lesser scroll, so the explosion damage was almost nonexistent, but that wasn't the purpose anyway.
The shockwave from the explosion spread the smoke from the smoke bomb even faster, instantly filling the area.
The opponent shouted in a voice mixed with panic and disbelief.
"Attack!"
"This crazy bastard thinks he can... Gak!!?"
*Stab! Stab-stab-stab!!*
But before he could finish his sentence, a flurry of attacks rained down!
Lee Shin twisted his body with dazzling speed, landing countless attacks before his opponents could even get their bearings.
With almost no visibility and a massive difference in basic skill, his opponents couldn't evade his attacks.
"Ugh!? Gak!? Ack?!"
[Attack successful.]
[A critical hit has landed.]
[A critical hit has landed.]
[Critical hit stack...]
[...The target has been instantly killed!]
As a result, the opponent melted away in an instant!
Panicked shouts erupted.
"Wha-what!"
"This bastard...!"
"...Wait! I think he's stronger than he looks! Be careful!"
Someone, sensing danger, shouted a warning, but it was too late.
Lee Shin dealt with the players who charged in blindly, one by one.
*Swish! Shk!*
[You have killed a player.]
[You have killed a player.]
[Your notoriety has increased.]
[Acquired gold and items...]
"Uh...?"
The Black Tiger Guild members finally came to their senses.
And they realized.
This was an opponent they could never defeat with just the people here.
"Crazy...!"
"Reinforcements! Call for reinforcements!"
"Already on it!"
"And...! Don't just call anyone, tell them to bring the executives too!"
The last command came from the spear knight, who had the highest level among them.
In his mind, the opponent was a monster. This wasn't just about having a high level.
'This madman...! Just how many people has he killed?!'
Swordsmanship. Movement. Item usage.
The opponent excelled in all these areas, and at the same time, he gave off the air of an 'experienced professional.'
The vital spots of players and monsters were completely different, yet he stabbed the guild members' vitals as if he were a machine. It was certain.
The opponent was a seasoned predator player.
'We have to hold out until reinforcements arrive...!'
The spear knight steeled his resolve, deciding they had to endure without provoking their opponent.
But.
"...Hmm?"
Contrary to his worries, the opponent just stood there, doing nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"......?"
The opponent who had been rampaging so fiercely just moments ago suddenly went quiet, making them wonder, 'Is he planning something?' But...
"Who is it!"
"Who dares...!"
"It's him! Kill him!"
The opponent really did stay quiet until the reinforcements arrived.
"Attack!"
"Gah! Kugh!"
"...!?!?"
...No, it wasn't just quiet; he had become so sloppy it was as if he were a different person.
The dazzling movements he'd shown just moments before were gone, and he feebly allowed all of their attacks to land.
The reinforcements, who had arrived tense after receiving urgent whispers like 'A super strong opponent has appeared!' and 'Three are already dead!', were actually bewildered.
"...Wha-what's this."
"He's weak?"
"You're telling me three people died in an instant to a guy like this...?"
And that wasn't all.
"Kugh!"
"D-die! Ah...!?"
[Your attack has missed.]
"You stupid bastard! Use your skills properly!"
"You're right! ...No, wait, what?!"
"I said use your skills carefully! That was an easy hit...! Focus!"
"?!?!?!"