Chapter 326
Chapter 326
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 326
Chapter Title: Treasure of the Heavenly Barrier (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“User?”
Surprisingly, the one who had come looking for Rokan was a user. However, not only did he look different from Verdan, whom he'd seen before, but his style felt subtly off as well.
It could just be another user with a different vibe, but Rokan instinctively knew he wasn't from the American side.
[Cheryshev][Lv 358]
“Pleased to meet you. I'm Cheryshev, master of the Red Square Guild, affiliated with Russia.”
“Hmm. What brings you here?”
As expected, the guy was a Russian user.
It was true that users from America, China, and Russia had grown the most.
Rokan kept his indifferent gaze during the man's introduction.
Level 359 was an ambiguous number.
Just as Verdan had received support from the Heavenly Tribe, this guy might have backing from some entity too. And at that level, a guild could push someone there without much trouble.
It didn't matter either way—what counted was why he'd come here.
“I've heard you don't like beating around the bush. So I'll get straight to the point. We want to be your partner.”
“Partner?”
Partner, out of nowhere? It was within the realm of what he could predict, but still a bit unexpected.
Everyone knew Rokan played solo. So why partner up now?
The term itself was vague. It wasn't like they were inviting him into their guild like Verdan, nor were they demanding a straight trade.
Sensing his doubt, Cheryshev quickly added an explanation without pause.
“Yes. We have no intention of competing with you, Rokan. We just want your help to crush the Americans.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Rokan show an expression of understanding.
The Heavenly Realm was a place where users from every country gathered. Naturally, it would foster competition between nations more than between guilds, right?
Of course, you couldn't unite all guilds under some national banner, but national pride couldn't be ignored when the moment called for it.
They'd crush the foreigners first, then compete among themselves.
It was perfectly understandable and reasonable, but one question remained.
“So what do I get out of it?”
A partnership wasn't about one-sided favors.
“I imagine it might not satisfy you, but let me tell you what we've prepared.”
For the first time, Cheryshev hesitated. More precisely, he swallowed hard, tense.
Then he pulled out a piece of paper and began reading from it.
“First, cash. Help us out, and we'll pay you 10 billion won.”
“10 billion? Do you have any idea how much gold I have?”
10 billion won. A huge sum, no doubt.
But to Rokan now, it was pocket change he didn't need. He could easily get that much just by selling off his spare gold.
Gold's value had dropped, but with new maps coming out, there were more places to spend it.
Its value was sure to rise soon, and it'd be hard to acquire anyway.
Knowing that, they'd offered cash instead of gold or coins.
“Of course, that's not all. Once we've thoroughly crushed the Americans, we'll pay an additional 20 billion won.”
A total of 30 billion. An amount even Rokan couldn't ignore.
But it wasn't tempting enough to fall for the clever scheme hidden within.
“What counts as crushing the Americans? Making them quit the game? Or just stunting their growth?”
“Kill them for us. Kill Verdan and the other American guild masters in the Heavenly Realm exactly ten times each, and we'll handle the rest. If you want, we can pay a bonus per kill.”
Not a bad deal.
Those guys were already on Rokan's hit list anyway. 30 billion for killing a few ten times each? Sounded profitable.
“And?”
But he had no intention of accepting based on that alone.
If they had any brains, they'd hole up deep in the heavens to avoid him—hunting them down would be a hassle.
During that time, his own growth would slow, making him wonder if these guys weren't actually checking both him and America at once.
“We'll give you items.”
“Items?”
“Yes. They might not be good enough for you to use, Rokan, but we've gathered some decent ones. Epics, even Legends. We'll open our entire inventory and warehouse—you can pick any 100 you want.”
Pfft.
Rokan laughed at that. Not from joy, but because the ploy was so ridiculous.
Opening their item storage like that? Full of loopholes. They could hide the good stuff and show only junk.
“That Legend-grade weapon you're carrying too?”
Flinch.
Cheryshev shuddered slightly at Rokan's point.
He didn't know how, but Rokan had read the info on his equipped item.
“……Of course.”
A second of hesitation. Then the astonishing answer.
He was actually offering his own gear. A Legend-grade item, no less.
That changed things.
Rokan didn't know how many items they had, but 100 Epics and Legends? Even he couldn't gather that easily.
He didn't know the scope of their 'we,' but considering a Russian guild alliance, more than half should be Epic or better.
“Fine. I'll accept at that level. But full cooperation starts after I get all the items.”
Killing a few for this? Plenty. Might even evolve his Demon's Fang belt to the next stage.
To prevent any tricks, items first, then fulfill the contract.
“Thank you. And…….”
“What else?”
“Please allow us to operate in your territory.”
“My territory? You mean this fief?”
Rokan's eyes narrowed at the follow-up demand.
Of course. It was weird they'd weaken their forces just to check America.
“Yes. We want to use the hunting grounds attached to your fief, Rokan. We'll pay compensation separately, of course.”
“Compensation…….”
“30%. We'll tribute 30% of all loot from hunting every month.”
“Oh.”
He'd thought they might whine, but they'd played a strong card.
30% of loot. Sure, they could cheat with inventory items, but a contract would fix that.
Break the contract terms? Account deletion.
“Of course, if this fief comes under attack, we'll help defend it.”
Seeing Rokan's interest, Cheryshev added one more condition.
Joint defense.
He didn't know where he'd heard it, but it showed good grasp of Rokan's situation—mid or high demons could invade anytime.
But it wasn't fully enticing. Users had higher combat power than soldiers at the same level, true, but they were just High Master tier at best.
If there was a freak like Rokan, it'd be different, but unlikely. Russia was big, sure to have a few standouts, but not enough to match Grand Masters one-on-one.
So he added a condition.
“Fine. But one more thing.”
“What…….”
“Come under me.”
“Under you…… you mean?”
Cheryshev's eyes trembled. He couldn't grasp what Rokan meant.
“No need to tense up. If you want to operate in this fief, shouldn't you belong to it? Join as my soldiers. Of course, if you want out later, you can transfer without penalty.”
Not a bad deal for them. Registering as Rokan's soldiers gave fief benefits.
Common ones: shop discounts, free soul registration.
And one more reason Rokan proposed it.
A portion of XP from soldiers hunting monsters went to him.
Free XP just sitting around.
Tiny for level 400 Rokan, but from a whole Russian guild alliance? Substantial.
“……Fine.”
After a pause—probably consulting other guilds—Cheryshev accepted.
He sensed a hidden motive, but it wasn't bad for them.
They soon ironed out details and drafted the contract.
“I'll take the money in Bitcoin to an e-wallet.”
“Ah, yes.”
Rokan demanded the 10 billion advance in Bitcoin. Cash or gold bars meant exposing himself.
Bitcoin had volatility risks, but a private wallet with just the private key kept him anonymous.
It had already crashed plenty; even halved, still big money.
With his exploits, exposure could spell disaster—staying hidden was priority.
“When do you want to see the items?”
After signing, Cheryshev reached for his waist, unequipping his weapon.
Offering his own as a pledge of trust.
“As soon as they're ready.”
No reason to refuse after sealing the partnership.
Rokan took Cheryshev's sword, prepared for the rest.
He'd move against Americans after securing all items.
They were the impatient ones—contract activated only post-delivery.
Meaning no fief access yet.
“Then we'll compile the list and return the day after tomorrow.”
With that, Cheryshev and his group left.
As soon as they were gone, Rokan began his preparations.
He commissioned an info broker to scout American users' positions and statuses, while background-checking Cheryshev and the Russians.
A quick net search revealed Russian guilds in the Heavenly Realm—no delay needed.
And finally, gathering materials to open the Gate of the Void began.