Waltz of Guns and Swords (4)
Thud. I kicked the man who'd been pinned down by Philip, his cheek mashed against the dirt.
"So, why are you looking for the Sword Saint's dungeon?"
"Guh?!"
I plopped down onto the small of his back as he lay sprawled and asked again, adjusting my weight with aura—like that Thousand-Jin Weight technique from wuxia novels.
"You're heavier than you look, you... "
Bam! I smashed my fist into the back of his head. If you're beaten, just answer quick—why spout nonsense? And objectively speaking, I'm on the very light side. Hardly any fat on this body...
Anyway. The man, his head slammed into the ground, spat out the dirt that had gotten in his mouth and asked,
"Who the hell are you? A non-newbie hanging around here?"
"I'm a newbie, so just answer the damn question."
"No way you're filming some X-Tube content like 'Ranker Hiding Their Power'? That trend died ages ago."
"...There's content like that?"
I tilted my head, then nodded in realization. Come to think of it, my situation could be titled something like 'Sword Saint Hiding Her Identity' too. Kinda similar, yeah.
Either way, I didn't like that no proper answer was coming out of his mouth.
"Whatever. Just answer. Why are you looking for the Sword Saint's dungeon?"
"'Cause it's worth it, idiot? Someone found it and became a high ranker—what kinda obvious question is that?"
"Lies."
I cut him off the moment he said it.
"...What?"
"Not completely wrong, but that's not the whole story, right? Probably some other reason... like getting commissioned by someone?"
His eyes widened at my guess.
"How did you...!!"
"Spotting lies is my specialty."
Reading info from tiny reactions like facial expressions, heartbeats, body language—piece of cake. No different from predicting an opponent's next move in swordplay by catching their subtle shifts.
"For starters, where'd you hear the instructor has the dungeon key? He wouldn't blab that to just anyone. Must've been from your client, right?"
"..."
I turned to Philip, ignoring the man's silence.
"How many people know about that key?"
"...Most regular Sword Tower swordsmen, I'd say. I left the Tower and came here to find the dungeon myself."
That explained why a Sword Tower swordsman was playing instructor in this backwater. Regulars were at least Expert realm. Was there a traitor among them? Or just a leak by mistake? Either way, plenty possible.
I asked the man again.
"Know your client's face or details?"
"Why should I tell you...? Nah, whatever. Doesn't matter—I know jack shit anyway."
"You don't know?"
He answered flatly.
"Yeah. Just took the commission. No clue if they're NPC or player. Shady jobs always hide identities as standard."
He went on. For players, penalties scale with karma from crimes—death hits harder. So they outsource dirty work to red players or PK guilds. NPCs know players don't stay dead, so they hand out risky jobs too. But low trust means they hide who they are.
"More than that, you really a newbie if you don't even know this? Rankers all do."
I ignored his suspicious probing and sank into thought. Judgment: he truly knows nothing about the client. No way to find out, then—give up.
Left was what to do with this guy. Two obvious choices popped up.
"Wanna die by my hand, or get your limbs chopped and locked in the castle dungeon forever?"
Community said those were the top two ways to deal with red players. One: straight kill. Two: lop off limbs, toss in prison eternal. Criminals respawn locked in jail even after logouts. No escape without limbs—abandon the character.
"...Do what you want. Pros like me always got ten-plus suicide methods prepped."
He replied casually. Hm, no lie there. Option two out.
I stabbed my knife into his throat.
You have killed a Red Player!
Karma does not increase.
Fame increases.
Target's karma is extremely high! Gained massive EXP.
Wanted player. 50 silver awarded.
...Oh.
I marveled at the cascade of system messages. Now I got why red players were rare. Rewards this juicy? Bounty hunters and players would swarm 'em. Surviving that chase takes serious skill. Plus, massive EXP and top item loss on death. Respawn ban triples normal, doubles per stack. Eventually unplayable. Game devs basically forcing "don't commit crimes!"
Still, guys like this would keep at it.
...Killing a gun-toting terrorist like him, only for revival and repeat? Creepy thought. But compared to demon contractors? Small potatoes.
After tutorial and class change, players had two leveling paths.
1. Monster hunting.
2. Sub quests.
First: straight-up slay beasts for EXP. Classic RPG grind.
Second: NPC commissions or special events. Like joining the Adventurer's Guild for quests.
But newbie quests? Low diff, low reward—errands and chores. Repeat 'em, build rep, level up, pass promotion exams, raise adventurer rank, unlock better quests step-by-step...
All that tedium? I wanted zero part in it. Not a speck.
Everything has its shortcuts.
"Can you vouch for me?"
...I demanded boldly from Philip.
Dakein Adventurer's Guild branch.
Receptionist Sein eyed the beaming girl warily. The man with her was too unexpected.
'Why's a Sword Tower swordsman with a kid like her...?'
She stared blankly at the ID plate in her hand. Proof of Sword Tower affiliation.
'Regular swordsman, too... at least Expert level.'
Guild ranks: Iron Badge, Copper Badge, Silver Badge, Gold Badge, Platinum Badge.
Copper and up needed conditions. Skill and trust chief among 'em.
Silver Badge quals: Two Flowers aura user or third-circle mage. Dozens of commissions, promotion quest for proof.
Of course, shortcuts existed. Official path too slow. But a vouch from high nobility or Gold+ bigshot? Skips it all.
Though getting that vouch? Like plucking stars. Even family hesitates—risks their rep if you fail or screw up.
Practically dead rule.
But a Sword Tower vouch? Gold Badge material easy? For a suspicious hooded girl?
...Blackmail? Secret daughter...?
As Sein's imagination ran wild, Yuri extended her hand with a grin.
"Silver Badge, please!"
Connections are the best, as expected.