Chapter 39 - Ahab (1)
[ 11th Floor Conquest Accelerates in Earnest… All Guilds on Emergency Footing ]
I read the newspaper, fluttering its pages.
It had been a few days since the portal to the outside opened as the 11th floor conquest began in earnest.
After the portal opened and it was revealed that anyone could come and go without conditions, the guilds that had been cautiously watching the situation were now throwing all their strength into it.
The 'emergency footing' mentioned here was by no means an exaggeration.
With the portal now open, they had even set up a base camp near the Wolf's Village and were fervently pushing the floor conquest.
‘Let's see…’
I unfurled the sorted timetable in my head.
The quest that would be in progress at this timing would be Yelena commissioning the Climbers to hunt the 'followers of the evil god'.
So, with the village as a base, the Climbers would be continuously hunting Demonic Beasts and expanding their range of activity.
Considering the 'true inside story' of that quest, it was better for me not to get involved.
The 'follower of the evil god' Yelena mentioned was a mid-boss level character, so it would probably be better to start moving around the time that guy was caught.
This meant I had some leeway until then, and I could take care of all the things I needed to do 'outside the Tower' in the spare time.
The things needed to lead to the 'best-case scenario' I was thinking of.
“Hmm.”
I flipped a few pages and skimmed a few other articles.
Countless people were flocking to the Tower, but among them, two groups were classified as the most conspicuous.
The article I was looking at right now had a photo of Seo Hye-in, Jeong Woo-jin, and Lee Si-yeong, and a photo of Han Seong-wook arranged to face each other.
‘Not wrong.’
In any case, the most prominent people currently residing on that floor were those groups.
In fact, compared to Seo Hye-in's conquest team, composed of three A-class Climbers, B-class Climber Han Seong-wook was a step down, but the fact that he had been entrusted with the special ability of 'Guardian Warrior' within the floor was particularly noticeable.
According to testimonies, the skill Han Seong-wook showed in every battle boasted a destructive power as great as Seo Hye-in's party.
‘It's good at first, only at first.’
Making a 'covenant' with Yelena like that certainly resulted in a noticeable stat boost in the short term.
But I didn't stop Seo Hye-in for no reason.
Later on, a rather… vicious penalty awaited. That covenant.
As I thought that and skimmed through the photos, I could find another commonality in all of them.
In any photo of Seo Hye-in's conquest team, Seo Ah-in and I were completely absent.
“…”
I chuckled and folded the newspaper into a smaller size.
Unlike the members of Seo Hye-in's conquest team, who went back up to the 11th floor after a simple reorganization as soon as the portal opened, Seo Ah-in and I decided to stay outside a little longer.
As I said before, there were various things to prepare.
Though Seo Ah-in, who was glaring at me from my side as if she could kill a person with her gaze alone, didn't seem to understand yet.
With sweat dripping and trembling arms barely holding a sword, she looked as if she could collapse at any moment.
“Why do I have to do this?”
“Did you do a thousand reps?”
“I'm asking because I did.”
“Do a thousand more, then.”
Seo Ah-in let out a groan, then pointed a finger at me and started to grumble.
“…At the very least, if you're going to say something so shameless, don't just sit there, do some exercise yourself, will you? This is a guild training ground, you know?”
“Are you a better fighter than me?”
The kid snapped her mouth shut.
No matter what, this kid had seen me grind a combat golem to dust single-handedly.
Her eyes darted around, and she could only give this answer.
“…No.”
“Right. If you want to argue, just become a better fighter than me.”
“…”
The kid muttered a few words that would have gotten her beaten and thrown out if she were in a gathering of refined people.
Still, unable to retort, she picked up her sword again and endlessly repeated the movements I demanded.
“In the first place, isn't this just a collection of meaningless movements! It's full of movements that are completely useless for swordsmanship…!”
I left the grumbling kid alone for now and scanned her information window, bringing it up in front of me.
[Seo Ah-in]
[ Strength: 60 (When fighting Demonic Beasts -30)
Agility: 52 (When fighting Demonic Beasts -30)
Durability: 50 (When fighting Demonic Beasts -30)
Stamina: 48 (When fighting Demonic Beasts -30)
Luck: 2
Mana: 60 ]
Yes, the debuff values had certainly decreased.
I think they were originally -40.
This could be interpreted as her chicken-hearted nature having lessened to some extent thanks to the various experiences she had while accompanying me.
And with just these stats, if this kid could just do what I was making her do properly, she would be able to pull her own weight.
“…”
Actually, the problem was that she might stand out too much, not just pull her own weight.
As I was thinking that and giving a bitter smile, a deep voice came from the side.
“A mock battle?”
I turned my head to see Ironclad approaching, carrying something on his shoulder.
At his words, Seo Ah-in's head snapped around.
“Pardon?”
“Well. To my eyes, it looks like you're repeating attacks and defenses in response to an opponent's movements.”
“…There's no way these crude movements are such an advanced technique.”
“Well, I'm just stating my impression.”
Ironclad shrugged and then placed the object he had been carrying in front of me.
The heavy thud that echoed showed it was no light object.
“Check it. It's the item you requested.”
I slightly lifted the cloth wrapped around the object.
Hmm.
It came out better than I expected.
The aura surrounding the entire object was unusual.
“…And. About this design. Did you really come up with it yourself?”
“Pardon?”
“I had that thought while making it.”
As I was examining the object from various angles, Ironclad crossed his arms and said so.
“No matter how talented you are… this is not a level of perfection that a brat who hasn't even lived half his life can create on his own.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
A sigh-filled lament followed.
“In the first place, is that even a ‘weapon’?”
It was an insight that made me want to whistle without realizing it.
Well, as this person said, this was a replica based on something that already existed.
The basic framework was a firearm, but it felt like various arrangements had been added to it.
If only I could use it properly.
[ Group Relationship Chart ]
[ Renegade - Currently affiliated
Hunting Alliance - Complex (Friendly 60%/Hostile 40%)
Heukryongdang - Unknown
Round Table - Unknown ]
The ones listed at the end would probably show a lot of interest.
Even if not the Guardian of the Tower, I might be able to pull in someone sitting in a pretty high position.
And if I could summon such a person, there were various things I could derive from that alone.
There was also a lot to gain.
With that thought, I covered the object with the cloth again.
“We're about 90% done at this point.”
“You're going to add more to that?”
“I am.”
Actually, this was good enough to be used splendidly.
But there was one final means of enhancement left.
That's why I came outside the Tower in the first place.
“There's one more group whose pockets I need to squeeze.”
Well.
The fewer guys whose status on the relationship chart was still 'Unknown', the better.
In the game, these guys always had their actions decided randomly, so to reduce variables, it was necessary to establish a relationship as quickly as possible.
So.
Even if I dealt with the Round Table later.
There was one more left.
***
Among the various groups appearing in Conqueror, Heukryongdang were guys who adhered to clichés quite persistently.
The fact that the assassination group's appearance resembled ninjas already highlighted that aspect, and if one were to see their 'headquarters', anyone would have a similar impression.
No, rather, if it was an assassination organization, wouldn't it be more refreshing to have a large building in the middle of the city?
Having an old inn in the middle of Rotten Town as the organization's hideout, even for an old-fashioned ideology, was a bit much.
“…”
Come to think of it, I also felt that ninjas and an inn were a mismatch in terms of their origins.
Let's just accept it as being rooted in Orientalism.
With that thought, I lifted the beaded curtain at the entrance and stepped inside.
As I took a seat at a table, a slit-eyed waiter came over with a tray, smiling brightly.
Despite the bizarre combination of a ponytail and a suit, his original good looks somehow made it work.
Seeing that actually made me laugh.
Hey.
If you want to hide your identity, you should get your face redone first, you.
You're a waiter, but you stand out too much, which is a problem.
“Welcome. Would you like to order?”
“I know there's a ritual, but. Let's just skip it.”
“…Pardon?”
To the slightly flustered waiter, I pulled out the chair opposite me and offered it.
“I know it's time for us to eye each other, then I say the password, and you ask how I know your identity, what I want… I know those questions are coming, but honestly, it's just a hassle, so let's skip it. We both know who each other are.”
“…”
It felt like his slit eyes were getting even narrower.
I wasn't sure how that was possible.
“Have a seat, Party Leader. We have much to discuss.”
As I said that with a grin, the waiter who heard it looked at me in silence.
I felt like I could hear the sound of an abacus being furiously calculated in his head.
He was probably debating whether to feign ignorance or to readily agree to talk.
“…I'm not sure what you're talking about, customer.”
Ah, so if he was going to play tough like that, he wanted me to show proof.
Then there was no reason not to.
“Let's not waste each other's energy, Ahab. Do you want me to tell you everything I really know?”
The waiter's eyebrow twitched.
“You were born in an abandoned factory on the Chinese border, your parents abandoned you, Ahab is the name of the assassin who adopted you, you inherited it and continue to use that name, your first 'job' was a 14-year-old girl-”
Three seconds.
That's how long it took for me to recognize that dozens of hidden weapons had been drawn and were aimed at my body.
It wasn't just his two arms; dozens of slithering arms reminiscent of shadows had risen from behind his back.
Shadow arts.
Among the many efficient assassination-type skills, it was an incredibly filial skill.
A skill I intended to rip off.
“Who the hell are you?”
Oh.
Now they weren't slit eyes, but wide-open eyes.
I smirked and met his gaze squarely.
“I told you to sit.”
“…”
Ahab continued to glare at me, but I didn't even blink and kept meeting his gaze.
The initiative was on my side anyway. There was no reason to be scared at all.
In fact, the sight of this guy slowly sitting down across from me made it certain.
“…What do you want.”
Ah, really.
I told you to skip that earlier.
“You don't have the right to hear that.”
I said with a wide smile.
In the first place.
“I came here to threaten you people.”
You and I aren't on equal footing, you punk.