Chapter 26 - Leopard Guild (1)
[ Mysterious text appears in the sky above the Tower, what could it be?! ]
<Hello, everyone! This is Mystery TV, where we dig into anything you’re curious about. Today is a major event that has the whole world’s attention! We’ll be looking into the text that appeared in the Tower’s sky->
A strange noise kept coming from the bed next to me.
Wondering what it was, I peeked over and saw Seo Ah-in staring intently at the TV with all her focus.
She was probably using some function to watch videos uploaded to the internet on it.
“…What are you watching right now?”
“Please be quiet. This person was just about to give an important explanation…
<-So, it turns out nothing has been definitively revealed yet! This has been Mystery TV! Everyone, please subscribe and like!>
“…”
“I think the explanation is over.”
As I pointed it out with a smirk, Seo Ah-in sighed and turned off the video.
“Why are you only watching things like that when you have all the reputable news organizations?”
“I’ve already checked all of those. I’m just checking things like that just in case.”
Indeed.
The appearance of text in the sky above the Tower was an unprecedented event that had the attention of the entire world.
All media outlets were talking about it day and night.
“But it seems like not everyone is taking it that seriously, right?”
“I think it’s a bit… ambiguous to take it seriously?”
Certainly, as she said, the world’s reaction was lukewarm compared to the ominous feeling the message exuded.
In the first place, there was too little information released for the large guilds to make a big move. They probably thought it was unfounded.
“Especially the reaction from overseas is so nonexistent it’s almost severe...”
“They’re busy eating each other over there.”
On a global scale, the top-tier guilds with S-class Climbers were mostly concentrated in Europe and the United States.
They were probably busy watching each other, trying to decide how to respond depending on who moved first in this unprecedented situation.
So, paradoxically, there was a fairly high probability that this situation would be handled by the ‘moderately’ powerful guilds within Korea.
Seo Ah-in seemed to have understood that point, as she nodded and changed the subject.
“Oh, by the way, there was a pretty interesting article.”
As I was thinking that, Seo Ah-in fiddled with the remote again and brought up a few articles on the screen.
[Gusegyo, a real group of prophets?]
[The Saintess of a religion embroiled in cult controversy saves people from a great disaster.]
“Before, people would try to tear them apart just at the mention of their name, but after what happened last time, public opinion suddenly flipped, didn’t it?”
“That makes sense.”
According to the official statement released by the Climber Association, if the members of Gusegyo hadn’t touched a specific mana crystal, a massive explosion would have occurred on the 1st floor, killing numerous people.
With an achievement of that magnitude, it wasn't strange for a place that had been treated as a cult until then to suddenly be treated as heroes.
In fact, the positive attention being poured on them now was enough to momentarily overturn the attention focused on even the most renowned large guilds, albeit for a short period.
They even said that various sponsors were flocking to the church.
“That’s true. But read to the end.”
Huh.
Is there more?
Thinking that, I scanned the article to the end and found a few noticeable sentences.
[…Darien Anfeld, also known as the ‘Saintess’, is said to have left a message of thanks especially for a ‘special person’ she met at the scene. While the identity cannot be revealed, she said that without that person, the situation could never have been stopped…]
“Isn’t this about you?”
The probability was very high.
Thinking that, I pulled up the status window.
[ Character ]
[ Darien Anfeld - Skill Shareable Target ]
Well.
The skills this girl had were things that were not very helpful whether they were there or not, so there was no real benefit from sharing.
In the first place, her most special ability, the ability to read minds… was a kind of ‘curse’.
It wasn't something like a skill.
‘Just the fact that this girl is on my side is a benefit in itself…’
Gusegyo were guys who would be involved a lot in the main scenario in various ways.
As you can see, they were also guys whose recognition had been exploding recently.
If so, if the Saintess, who was the core of that group, had a good impression of me, that alone would be a pretty good benefit.
‘What comes right after this is…’
The first ‘trial’ was an event with many people and organizations to get involved with.
And there.
If a ‘mind-reading girl’ was friendly to me, the merit I would gain would be truly absolute.
And if I could achieve all my goals in that trial.
I would have a chance to get something pretty ‘decent’.
Something that could cause a tectonic shift in the current Climber market.
As I thought that and was about to close the status window, a noticeable phrase caught my eye.
[ Information about the target can be updated. Execute? Y/N ]
What’s this now?
There was no reason to refuse an offer to update, so I pressed Y.
[ The target's Skill Share slot is unlocked. ]
Ah, so it’s telling me this now.
Why bother showing me something so obvious with a notification window.
As I thought that and was about to close the status window again.
[ The target's Skill Share slot is unlocked. ]
[ The target's Skill Share slot is unlocked. ]
[ The target's Skill Share slot is unlocked. ]
[ The target's Skill Share slot is unlocked. ]
.
.
.
“…?”
Wait a minute.
What is this?
I found myself staring blankly at the endlessly extending skill slots.
I counted, and there were more than 10.
“…”
This was definitely unlocked based on the level of trust in me, right?
What on earth does she think of me?
‘…Well, what’s good is good.’
Thinking that, I closed the window.
In the first place, the upper limit for trust was different for each character, and therefore the conditions for opening the slots were also different.
This girl, even in the game, had a tendency to fall for others unusually easily, so that trait must have been reflected.
Accepting that, I turned my attention elsewhere.
‘The prerequisite is…’
Apart from having Darien on my side, the top priority was to acquire the quantitative specs that would allow me to be active in that trial.
A representative example was equipment.
My wearing restrictions were lifted just a little while ago when I reached level 20.
I had already decided what to craft.
“Oh, what. You were both here?”
And the first step to actually making it began with the case this guy brought.
Watching Yoo Ho-jun step inside the lodging, I let out an inward smirk.
***
Before I went to the Association for the regular rating test, I had asked Yoo Ho-jun for a favor.
It wasn't much, just to find one person.
But the ‘characteristics’ of the person I was looking for was the main reason for the sharp increase in the difficulty of that request.
[I’ve never received a request to find something like this in my life. Do you think I’m some kind of private investigator?]
For someone who said that, he finished the job too cleanly.
It was definitely an exaggeration that made me smile wryly.
“You found him, so it’s fine, right?”
[I found him because of his conspicuous appearance, like being one-armed, and because you specified his location. If not for that, I would have never found him.]
Listening to Yoo Ho-jun grumble on the other side of the phone, I walked briskly through the complex, densely intertwined alleyways.
All sorts of Climbers and guilds gathered around the Tower, and generally, the one treated as the lowest neighborhood among them was the Guild Village, where the Renegade Guild was also located.
But.
The scene that unfolded when the lowest dregs of humanity who lived in the shadows gathered was the sight around me.
Drugs. Murder. Arson. Robbery.
A place that could be called a hotbed of such crimes and corruption was this ‘Rotten Town’.
[Be careful. It’s very dangerous there.]
“You got around just fine.”
[That’s because you and I grew up in worse places. But that doesn’t make it any less dangerous, right?]
Well, according to the setting, both Yoo Ho-jun and I grew up in the slums.
That place was worse, if anything, but definitely not better than here.
“…”
Of course, apart from the ‘setting’.
This landscape overflowing with a rotten smell was a place I was quite familiar with myself.
It reminds me of my childhood.
“Anyway, I’ve arrived. I’m hanging up.”
[What? Hey, you’re not thinking of going in there alone…]
I put my phone into my pocket and surveyed what was in front of me.
A large building with the Leopard Guild’s mark plastered on it came into view.
The gloomy and decadent atmosphere surrounding the entire building was enough to make my expression grimace.
‘It’s basically advertising that it’s doing illegal business.’
Thinking that, I quietly infiltrated the building.
Yoo Ho-jun had been horrified at the thought of me going in here alone, but honestly, it wasn’t that difficult.
The patrol routes of the guards were as predictable as if they were in my hand. It wasn't the first or second time I had broken through them in the game.
I moved stealthily with my presence concealed, and for places that were a bit far, I passed through in an instant using high-speed maneuver.
It was a perfect infiltration, so much so that I couldn't even hear the cliché line like ‘Did you hear something?’
Thanks to that, it didn't even take a few minutes to arrive at the target location.
‘Found him.’
There were a few things that were done as a matter of course when social control devices like law or morality failed to function.
The expression of ostracism and hatred was naturally included in that category, and the most representative of those was happening right in front of me.
“Move it, quickly! Or there’s no dinner for you tonight!”
A man with a whip threatened the people in shackles and yokes with a grim look.
As a bonus, he swung it a few times as if to show that what he was holding was not just for decoration.
Anyone could see it was a blatant ‘slave’ related place.
Strictly speaking, they weren't ‘human’ slaves, but.
If you looked closely at the people being dragged away, you could see various features not found in ordinary people.
They were humans with four limbs, but they had fur and an extra tail, or gills and fins.
They were demi-humans who were occasionally found in the Tower and the nearby fields.
Beings that looked similar to humans but were different.
There was a setting that they had their own racial characteristics and were in considerable demand illegally.
‘Of course…’
That didn't mean the Leopard Guild, which was calmly committing such acts, was normal.
They were the lowest of the low among human trash.
The Leopard Guild itself was famous as a trash group even in the game, but feeling it with my own skin gave me a different impression.
It wasn't for nothing that they were the first hostile force the player encountered.
Well.
So.
‘I’ll have to crush them once soon.’
As I was thinking that, I spotted one person who stood out in the procession of slaves.
A short but sturdy build. A bushy beard. And one arm.
A dwarf.
A race that could be called the poster child of blacksmiths.
And among them, that dwarf was a little special.
In his prime, he was a person who churned out items that were treated as legends in the game as if he were breathing.
‘Ironclad.’
A name that boasted a status known to all within the dwarf race, if you just waited.
He was originally set to have the fate of rolling into the slave market after an accident and dying miserably.
There was even a popular theory that the scenario’s difficulty might have decreased if this guy had been alive.
But in the game, that person had no choice but to die.
Due to the nature of the game, which was set to follow a predetermined plot, it was impossible for the player to contact that person in this section.
“…”
But.
If this was a ‘world based on the game’.
It wasn’t entirely without a way.
I held my breath and waited for the slaves to be locked in their respective iron cages and for the tension of the guards to loosen.
The Leopard Guild, being the kind of guys you meet early on, didn't have a tendency to be strict about anything.
In fact, I could tell just by looking at the guard who started dozing off not long after.
Well, it made my job easier, so it didn't matter.
I threw myself through the window of the cell where Ironclad was imprisoned and hid.
Well, I’m getting some exercise after a long time.
“…”
Ironclad, seen up close, was fiddling with the pendant around his neck.
Carved inside were the faces of people who seemed to be his daughter and wife.
From his eyes, filled with deep sorrow, and the sentimental atmosphere, I could roughly guess what state those people were in.
Well.
“Those people are still alive, you know.”
“…!”
Ironclad, startled by my voice, was about to jump up, but I was faster in covering his mouth.
“It’s going to get very noisy soon, so it won’t matter then, but for now, let’s both be quiet. If you understand, just nod your head.”
“…”
The dwarf’s head moved cautiously up and down.
“Good.”
As I said that and removed my hand, a very wary gaze returned.
Well, from this person’s perspective, it was a natural reaction.
“Who are you? What are you?”
“Just an ordinary Climber.”
Hearing that, Ironclad answered with a voice that sounded dumbfounded.
“…The prison I saw while being dragged here was almost a fortress. A guy who broke through that alone is ordinary? How on earth did you get in?”
With pattern memorization I dedicated my life to.
But, well. There was something more important than explaining that right now.
“We can talk about that later. I came here to make a deal.”
“What?”
“Let’s make it short and simple. As I said before, your family is still alive. If you accept my proposal, I’ll let you meet them again.”
“…”
Perhaps because the situation was so sudden that his head wasn't working properly, Ironclad’s answer came out after a long while.
“That proposal, what is it…”
“I’m going to kill a monster. A terribly strong one.”
To be more precise, it was the boss of the first trial.
If it were to ‘manifest’, it would surely cause a sea of blood.
But.
If this person helped, the story would be a bit different.
“I’d like you to make the necessary items for that.”
“…”
Well.
I could feel the sound of that person calculating on his abacus in his head from here.
But in this situation, the answer was already set anyway.