Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: On the Ground (3)
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It was an incident.
What should have been a minor mishap or anomaly escalated into a serious issue once guild members interfered in a one-on-one duel.
They had not only sneakily disrupted a fair duel but also ganged up to bully the minority. Even against an enemy faction, such actions deserved condemnation.
No, it went beyond mere condemnation. This could easily evolve into full-blown guild conflict.
But the bigger problem was that the bullying majority had been utterly crushed.
-Rokan: How'd it go?
-Hamel: It's done. But you're really going through with this?
-Rokan: Of course. We've got the justification now, right? Heh heh.
The Divine Bow side wanted to hush it up, but Rokan had no intention of letting it slide.
So he made his move.
He would frame it as a guild-versus-guild standoff.
Travia Guild, home to a freshman master, was mid-sized at best compared to the upper-tier Divine Bow Guild among trolls. But a little scheming changed everything.
Namely, joining Rokan to the guild.
He couldn't just join Travia outright with no ties, so he first had the half-elf holy knight he knew, Holy Wheel Hamel, sign up.
-Hamel: Ah... Got it. I'll tell them you're applying to join now.
Hamel had just hit master level himself, so Travia welcomed him with open arms. When he mentioned bringing in a "friend," they approved without question.
With things proceeding as planned, Rokan immediately submitted his join request to Travia Guild.
The emperor of the human kingdom Restonia and the world's strongest player joining a no-name guild? Unthinkable.
But it happened.
-(Guild) Tikittaka: Whoa? Rokan??
-(Guild) Mirinae: Is this really Rokan? The Emperor? Human Berserker?
-(Guild) Toreka: Wow, Hamel's connections are insane. Rokan joining our guild! Are we the continent's strongest now?
-(Guild) Rokan: Nice to meet you all. I won't be sticking around long due to circumstances, but Hamel invited me, so I'll be here temporarily. Short time, but please take care of me.
[Travia Guild Master Trinity has granted sub-guild master status to regular member Rokan.]
The guild chat exploding right after he joined was only natural.
The continent's strongest player had joined them.
The guild master even handed him sub-master rights on the spot, despite no prior acquaintance.
Yet curiously, no one mentioned "that incident."
-(Guild) Rokan: I heard there was some friction with Divine Bow Guild?
-(Guild) Trinity: Ah... You already know. As expected of the Emperor—your info network is top-notch. Well, one of our guys was in a one-on-one with a troll from Divine Bow. He was about to win when their members jumped in. He ended up winning anyway and apparently wiped them out solo since they were weaker than expected. But our side lacks the firepower to make a fuss...
Only after Rokan brought it up did the guild master explain what they knew.
He started with flattery toward Rokan but sounded uncertain.
Pushing the issue wouldn't yield anything, and it wasn't in their favor, so they just wanted to let it drop.
"No, we can't do that."
But Rokan had no plans to let it slide.
Lack of firepower? That vanished the moment he joined.
Plus, the ones he'd brought in first were already here, right?
Clicker Resistance Mitty.
Holy Wheel Hamel.
Infinite Necromancer Polten.
Those three alone could tangle with any guild.
-(Guild) Rokan: We can't just let those cowards who pulled that dirty stunt off scot-free due to lack of power. If you're okay with it, I'll lend my strength. Let's squeeze them for hefty compensation while we're at it.
-(Guild) Trinity: Compensation too? We'd be grateful if you did! But how...
Guild Master Trinity's eyes lit up at "hefty compensation." Even if Rokan was just temporary, what was there to fear with him around?
Besides, Divine Bow was an enemy faction they had to clash with eventually.
Rokan's enthusiasm boosted his confidence, swelling his ambitions as guild master.
With Rokan backing them—or even just that promised compensation—recruiting would be a breeze.
Even after Rokan left, they could boast of his brief membership to attract master-level players and beyond.
He couldn't miss this chance. He'd do whatever it took.
-(Guild) Rokan: It's not much, but if you grant me full authority, I'll deliver satisfying results.
-(Guild) Trinity: Of course! Do whatever you want. I can even hand over guild master if needed!
Preparations wrapped up ridiculously easily. Trinity had pledged full support upon spotting the opportunity.
Support meant no real cost—just delegating full authority to him—and that was plenty.
-(Guild) Rokan: Oh, and have the guild member who started it all stay silent and out of action for a while. Keep him out of any clashes with them too. If he dies, they'll spin it against us.
-(Guild) Trinity: Naturally. I'm close with the guy personally. He's tight-lipped and a huge Rokan fan, so he won't step out of line.
The additional request was accepted instantly.
With the guild master taking responsibility to rein him in, even if the quest-busy guy returned, nothing suspicious about the incident would surface.
'He seemed like a straightforward type anyway.'
From Rokan's separate checks, the guy wasn't one to blab or brag about unearned feats.
If he stayed quiet, no rumors would leak that Rokan had pulled it off via polymorph.
[Travia Guild demands accountability from Divine Bow Guild.]
[Travia Guild challenges troll race's top guild Divine Bow—what kind of guild are they?]
[Breaking: Rokan revealed as Travia's sub-guild master.]
[Condemning Divine Bow Guild's unsportsmanlike interference and gang-beating in a one-on-one!]
[Rokan: Divine Bow must apologize and compensate, or pay the price.]
With full guild support, Rokan unleashed rumors using his influence.
Because it was Divine Bow—and because it was Rokan—the news spread like wildfire. Even during his brief absence, he'd stirred countless rumors.
The rumors spread across races and factions alike, and only after a while came Divine Bow's official response.
[Divine Bow Guild: We fell into a trap.]
[Divine Bow Guild: Rokan must be up to some scheme.]
[Divine Bow Guild: We admit our member's defeat, but demanding compensation is absurd.]
[Divine Bow Guild: We're not intimidated by mere name value. Got a problem? Come find us.]
[Divine Bow Guild: If you want, we're ready for a guild war with Travia.]
Arrogant declarations.
Game webzines and media outlets rushed to report them, amping up the provocative language.
It might have put Divine Bow in a tougher spot—or maybe not.
'No, they might be thrilled.'
Standing against Rokan meant equal treatment until defeat. They could be hyping themselves up with bold talk to boost their rep.
If Rokan actually showed? Just run.
Hunt elsewhere when he appeared, claim questing if accused of dodging—good enough.
Their base was in the troll capital.
Unless full war broke out, would he really come all the way there?
Obvious ploy, and Rokan had seen it coming.
'If they'd cowered and backed down, I'd have been disappointed.'
Other guilds might have. But Rokan's bold push stemmed largely from the newbies' chatter.
If even Carus knew about the divine artifact, it was already common knowledge in their guild.
Would guys believing they could topple Rokan and the Golden Lion faction flinch at this bluff?
Rokan doubted it. That's why he could provoke them.
And their response was exactly as predicted.
Time for the planned counter.
"Shall we go, then?"
Heh.
With a wicked grin, Rokan summoned Kai.
Leveraging the great peng's mobility—stretching dozens of meters per flap—he shot deep into troll territory in one go.
"Somewhere around here, right?"
Finding Divine Bow's frequent hunting ground was easy. Master-level spots on the surface were limited to begin with.
Plus, as more masters and their guilds emerged, "exclusive" and "shared" hunting zones were dividing up, narrowing options further.
Divine Bow's exclusive zone: Hammer of Destruction Ogre Nest.
Habitat of master-level ogres with monstrous strength, but perfect for Divine Bow's kiting specialists—no easier, more efficient spot.
Until Rokan arrived.
"Kai, Red Meteor."
Rokan had removed Red Meteor from his skill combo.
But amazingly, Kai had mastered it himself.
Having reached master level independently, Kai had picked up new skills beyond Elemental Barrier and Blades of Wild Wind.
Combining with Rokan's skills amplified power, but solo against master players? This sufficed.
"Th-there...!"
Kwaaaaang!
Few could react to Kai's great peng crash-landing.
They dodged with agile moves, but the vast AoE hit most. Survivors clustered together—bad luck.
"Aura Barrage!"
Kwaaaaang!
Rokan's mad aura rained down on them.
Amplified by his attack power!
Who could tank that unscathed?
Absurd. Even heavenly high masters would struggle.
"Full-Body Charge!"
Kudangtang!
Those who grazed by, stacked defenses, or used allies as shields crumbled under Rokan's charge.
They popped like popcorn, turning to corpses.
"How... here...?"
Underestimating Rokan's arrival here spelled disaster.
"Hoo, this'll be lucrative."
Spotting even "playing dead"—hunters' trademark—he confirmed kills on every body, grinning at the piled loot.
Enemy faction meant PK-level drop rates.
Having dealt Divine Bow a massive blow in one raid, Rokan practiced control on destruction ogres while awaiting their return.
"Tch, not even good practice."
After about 30 minutes, no sign.
They wondered how he got here so fast but figured he wouldn't stick around forever.
Weather the storm.
Famous saying, but galling after their earlier bluster.
"Then I'll make you come out."
Rokan bared his teeth in a grin.
He'd force a situation where they had no choice.