Chapter 86
I felt lighter than usual.
How long has it been since I’ve wandered around carefree like this?
Thinking back, it became a strange feeling after that broadcast.
Maybe I wanted to get involved in the explosive issue, and the scale of the war quickly escalated.
The first to intervene was the hostile alliance, Moonstar, of the Crusaders.
That hostility kept repeating, creating a tangled mess.
Now it drew the attention of ordinary people… and neither side could back down.
The losing side would face an immense humiliation.
And the guild’s disgrace would directly lead to a massive exodus of its members.
Now the rewards for the siege war didn’t matter.
The losing side would face a guillotine match.
One of my intersections with Yoru would find it hard to make a living in this game.
[Guild member ‘Yoru’ requests activation of ‘Operator’. Y/N]
[Accepted.]
[The communication range with ‘Yoru’ during battle significantly increases.]
[Vision sharing and signaling system activated.]
Anyway, there was still time before the siege war began.
From now on, I had to take down hostile guild members in advance.
The priority was to sabotage the siege weapon production quest.
I had to stop them from gathering materials in the field and, if possible, cut down even the executives.
In short, it was a matter of fighting anyone I saw.
– Hello. Have you heard the news?
“A bit.”
– Hyung Yuhan. Ah, Sulbbang-hyung asked me to assist. Nice to meet you.
“I’ve heard your name.”
– That’s great. And I watched Gawol-nim’s broadcast. I became a fan since the Ripper match…
Pause
When I heard the word ‘broadcast’ in my ear, my thoughts briefly stopped.
A chill ran down my spine.
I cleared my throat a few times to avoid sounding too awkward.
“Thanks, but don’t mention broadcasts in front of me.”
– Yes, sorry. But can we take a screenshot together later…?
“Depends on how you perform. If you do well, I might add you as a friend. It would be nice to work together often.”
– I’ll do my best. Just leave it to me.
Well, adding friends gets easier when I have more time to play.
No need to mention that.
Sulbbang’s confident ace card.
Yoru’s voice was filled with enthusiasm.
At least it looked like my motivation was well placed.
In the desert shrouded by night shadows.
Yoru’s voice echoed as we moved forward.
– Enemy detected at 11 o’clock, 250m ahead. Total of fifteen. They are working on the drill.
– No need to kill them all, just smash the drill.
– We have one party standing by nearby.
– We’ll get another party sent from Moonstar soon, but what do you want to do?
“Any name recognition? Especially, Imaemangryang. Do we have their location?”
– I confirmed it before coming. You’re worried about the debuff, right?
– No immediate threats.
– But we’re at a numerical disadvantage, are you sure it’s okay?
“Enough. Just ask our party to draw attention.”
What’s with this guy?
He’s genuinely capable.
There are no hiccups in the briefing process.
He knows exactly what I should be concerned about and prepares without needing to be asked.
For an operator or guild officer to complement my style, he already passed.
I could evaluate his skills as a sniper later.
[Field: Ancient Kingdom Region Ruins]
[The operator has updated the mini-map.]
A scene opened in the corner of the sniper’s vision.
A starlit desert. An arrow shot from a crossbow pierced the dark blue sky.
Two steps were enough to scatter the thick silence.
Yoru seemed to have properly relayed the orders.
While maintaining distance from the enemy, two archers began suppressive fire.
The first ambush landed perfectly, turning the enemy warrior into a porcupine.
Voices were inaudible.
But the faint sounds of explosions, the vibrations carried by the air became evidence of the clash.
For now, our side was doing well.
The numerical disadvantage wasn’t going anywhere, but the positioning of the lancers was superb.
At this rate, they wouldn’t be wiped out instantly.
“I’ll move in too. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
– Yes. Ready.
The desert was surprisingly good for ambushes.
With sand dunes scattered everywhere, and limited light.
Sounds were muffled in the thick sand.
In such an environment, even if they were on guard, it would be hard to spot me.
In a one-on-one scenario with a pro, the upper hand is usually held by an assassin.
If there’s also bait to draw attention—I’d say my success rate for a sudden strike is 100%.
[Item: Ashen Order’s Stepstone]
[Consuming this item creates a platform that lasts for 2 seconds at the desired location.]
[The created platform does not make a sound.]
With a small amount of mana flowing out, a panel formed in mid-air.
I leaped powerfully, but I had no wings.
Dropping vertically—I crushed the warrior’s head beneath my foot.
With a fierce impact and a breaking stance.
With the guards lost their strength, the assassination target was left unprotected.
I left a huge gash on the startled warlock’s neck.
Crimson blood splattered, but is this the spec level of the Siege Guild?
He didn’t die right away.
Well, he’s just a mage type after all.
Throwing a dagger into his heart brought him crashing down.
Behind me, the enemy kunoichi reacted sharply…
Taan!
Blood burst forth from the masked face, and a gunshot rang out late.
The firepower was considerable.
– Enemy kunoichi eliminated.
“Nice.”
– Next is the flare shot. Be careful of the splash damage.
Before the incapacitated kunoichi hit the ground, it was time to finish off the warrior.
As I pressed down on his back, I struck at his neck and temple.
Was this guy the key? His life was quite tough.
When I grabbed his hair and tore at his neck, the warrior moaned out:
“Uh, Gawol-nim…”
“Yeah?”
“Can I—suck on your toes just once?”
“Eek!”
What kind of insane nonsense is this?
I twisted the blade back, thankfully ending the warrior’s life.
From afar on the battlefield, a red laser-like streak emerged.
It flew barely past me.
It was the trajectory of a bullet from our sniper, indicated by the system.
I pushed the warrior’s corpse toward the impact point to use as a shield.
With a delayed gunshot—scorching flames filled the battlefield.
In an instant, everyone’s vision was obscured.
That meant what I had to do was clear.
– An assassin looks like they’re gonna jump me.
– Can you handle it?
– If it’s difficult, I’ll move positions.
“It’s fine. I’ll clean it up.”
Who do they think I am?
As the sniper was covering me, I had to protect our sniper too.
I hid my presence as the flames subsided.
An assassin darted past me through the fire.
Even if I was invisible, there’s no way to not greet a senior.
This rude junior needed some education.
With a lesson in etiquette, I slammed his face to the ground—mercilessly stabbed his side.
With internal bleeding, poisons, and severing the tendons in his legs, I slipped into the shadows.
As my figure vanished, the berserker who had leaped was lost.
A dazed expression met the sniper’s bullet.
– Berserker is on the brink of death. I’ll handle the finish.
– But they say the opposing fighter is quite strong… what do you want to do?
– That pervert in the Hundoshimania outfit.
– For now, should I take down the drill first?
“Ah… I’ll handle it.”
I had a good idea who they were talking about.
A fighter was desperately turning around, aiming to control our party.
His overly exposed muscular face looked quite familiar.
“It’s been a while, Hundoshimania. I didn’t think we’d meet as enemies. Weren’t you supposed to be at the big house?”
“Just paying the price for having the wrong friends.”
“Is that so? Well then, let’s agree to keep things emotionless between us?”
“Of course.”
Hundoshimania.
A mercenary sent from the top-tier guild during the dispute with Dongmi-cham.
Looks like he’s now deployed to the hostile Venom Guild.
We’ve raided together multiple times.
Aside from his perverse outfit choice and choice of the fighter class, he was alright.
“Your specs have significantly increased, huh?”
“Could I measure up to Gawol-nim? I’d better put up a good fight, huh.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“I’ve always wanted to have a fight like this one day, in the arena. With the spirit of a challenger.”
Hundoshimania clenched his fists.
His guarded stance clearly indicated he was ready for combat.
I raised my dagger toward my upper body.
“Are you suggesting a one-on-one fight?”
“Yes. If you would accept.”
“Well, I’ll pass.”
“Pardon?”
“Why would I fight here? I’m done with my work.”
The sniper’s bullet hammered into the drill with tremendous force.
With an attitude like he was going to pour all his firepower into it.
While Yoru was smashing the drill—I took the dagger and fled.
I only fight if I can win.
I don’t take dangerous fights.
That was my rule in field combat.
This is exactly why I chose assassin.