Chapter 81 081

'It would be nice if I could have that CEO guy on my side.'

Seojin smiled after sending the three off, thinking about how his past had provided him with a pleasant surprise. Of course, they hadn't met each other face-to-face, but they played the same game and went through the same hell and high water. At the very least, Seojin wouldn't be out-moneyed by Ironblood if he could make the past guildmaster of Arch Enemies, who was also the head of a large entertainment corporation, join him.

'I feel like he would want to support me fully, but that's a spiked chalice.'

Taking money from the guy would leave Seojin indebted to him. However, he could at least be used to keep Ironblood in check.

'But not right now…'

He could ponder on it when he finally reached Level 100 and signed a full-fledged contract with Odie.

"For now…"

Seojin stood up, checked out from the penthouse, and used a makeup pack to change his appearance.

'I gotta do the homework that the King asked for first…'

The Lord of the Churai Islands was Seojin's target.

* * *

Count Drake was anxious. He was never dissatisfied by the fact that he couldn't name the Churai Islands after himself because the island was profitable. He could easily forget about his honor whenever he saw the piles of gold stacking up in his vault every month. The tourism industry worked well for adventurers, and Count Drake, the"wealthiest" aristocrat in Valaran, was humble enough to be satisfied with that.

That very fact, however, was the reason he was anxious right now.

"What's going on? Say something."

"I told you to wait. I also said that we'd figure it out on our own. Please, if you're a noble, then act like one."

"You're talking like I'm weak, but it's right under my nose! Baron Bolton and Count Erzebet… oh, ex-Count Erzebet, I guess. Anyway, those two have already gone down and one of them was a count just like me!"

Count Drake's desperate tone didn't match his bulky figure. There was no relaxed smile on the corners of his lips anymore and his eyes trembled with anxiety.

Nevertheless, Henrite, the adventurer sitting in front of him, looked as if he didn't share his anxiety.

"How is this guy still a count?"

"He never missed the due date."

"So, our guildmaster took care of him. I'd have fired him right away if I was him."

"H-hey, even if you're members of Ironblood, you're disrespecting me far too much!"

Henrite snorted.

"I'm not part of Ironblood, and since when we were supposed to be polite? Take it easy, Count. Eaaasy now!"

"That doesn't…"

"It's okay to be honest, eh? I told you I'm not from Ironblood."

"That's ridi…phew… fine."

The count accepted the offer. He'd probably lose his mind and faint if he didn't.

"Do you even have any measures in place?"

"You worry too much. My boys are waiting outside. You don't think I can get rid of one puny adventurer, do you?"

Henrite remained relaxed. His tongue was smooth and his expression hinted that he wasn't taking the situation seriously as he polished his nail and blew the dust off it.

"I get why you're worried, but don't take me for a someone who makes the same mistake twice. So you can just go and cut the steak as usual, all right?"

"That's…haa."

The Count's face reddened with irritation, but he had lost the will to debate as he knew better than to argue with a brick wall. That slick adventurer was sure to be consistent no matter what the count said.

"…I await for good news."

"Yes, be patient. Don't have your knights do anything foolish either. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

The Count slammed the door as he left, leaving Henrite behind, shaking his head.

"What a violent man he is… Heidi?"

"Yes, guil… team leader."

Heidi replied almost instantly. She had been arrested by the Church of Luna while chasing Seojin, but Robert had paid a huge amount of compensation in order to save her.

"Tell the boys to clear their schedules. We'll move out as soon as Robert gives us the go. Did you finish paying them in advance?"

"I did. I've also informed them how much they'll get upon completing the mission. There's been no funny business so far."

Heidi called him"team" leader—Henrite, who used to be a guildmaster, had been demoted.

He was officially a member of a guild that was irrelevant to Ironblood, and a team leader of one of the guild's assassination teams. Of course, the actual behind was Ironblood, and the guild leader was practically Robert's puppet.

"I never thought I'd be called a team leader. God, it's all on that damn boy. Why would Robert want to recruit him?"

"I think he assumes that the boy will help him make inroads into the continent. Not because of his class, but because of the competence he has shown so far…."

"Did you really think that I was asking you?"

"I'm sorry."

Henrite sighed. Betraying his anticipations, Robert had instructed him to prepare a place for them to talk rather than to take the rookie out.

'One word and I would shackle the kid and present him to Robert.'

He was still under the impression that his defeat in Erzebet was plain and simple bad luck.

'If we had met at the right place at the right time, things wouldn't have snowballed this badly…'

Seojin had robbed the church at the exact same moment Henrite made a move, leading to false accusations that Ironblood was behind the robbery. Moreover, Seojin's following actions of releasing info on the community made the community burn even now.

'It's still ongoing.'

Because of Seojin's recent guide, players were even questioning Ironblood's authenticity.

All because of one guy.

"We can't even spawn camp him anymore."

If Seojin wasn't famous, he could easily have him spawn-camped. In general, victims of such tactics were bound to succumb to Ironblood or quit the game. No one would believe them, even if they went to the online communities and cried a river.

Now, however, it was different, as tons of players would actually come to verify that it was true if Seojin highlighted the issue. That would cause a big fuss that could even overturn Ironblood for good.

"How did things end up like this?"

"Guildmaster Robert was off-guard."'

"You think so too, right? Those rebels need to be nipped in the bud before they gain too much power. What's he doing right now?'

Heidi checked the window and reported back to him.

"He's still moving around with his original appearance."

"Robert knows that too, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell the boys to get ready. We'll have to move once he vanishes."

Ironblood knew that Seojin had changed his appearance by other means than a makeup pack. They couldn't help but let Seojin parade around under their radar when they had no idea of that, but now, they had their own countermeasures.

Henrite laughed slyly after checking out what he had prepared.

"Just act brashly again. Robert isn't the type to give you a third chance."

* * *

-Twayulv. Thet's gist thuh ones who is close tuh yawl. More is spread all ovur thuh place.

-They're all on the same team, right?

-Most likely.

Seojin was sitting on the Northern Island being updated by Flappy in real-time.

'I thought it was about time for them to show up.'

Robert's statement had not yet been posted, so he must have wanted to try something with Seojin and change his statement according to the result.

'All of the people surrounding me right now must be irrelevant to Ironblood… officially, at least.'

Ironblood weren't amateurs. Catching them would get Seojin nowhere.

'How should I deal with them, then…?'

According to Flappy, there was a dense net of enemies everywhere, which meant that his Thousand Faces skills had been exposed. They must have known that he had other ways than the make-up pack to change his appearance by now.

That was why they had made sure to spread people out like that, so that they could weed out someone acting suspiciously anytime, anywhere. However, they hadn't made any moves so far, which was only natural.

"Wow, it's AM!"

"Is that him? Why is his gear so mediocre? Maybe I should offer him what I have."

"God knows what you'll go through if you get close to him."

"That's right. He doesn't want us to bother him. He'll speak to us first if he needs something, just like last time."

Now, the players on the Churai Islands were swarming to follow Seojin like sheep. Half of it was down to curiosity, while the other half was down to the rumors that other players had spread.

-You're sure to gain something by just following AM!

-Anything you get will be worth one hundred gold at least!

It was no wonder that most players went wild. In other words, it meant that Ironblood could do nothing to him in this state.

Seojin had another card up his sleeve that Ironblood would never even think to guess.

-Flappy, how far away from me can you be?

-Not shur zakly, Ah thank Ah can go whayerver on thus island though.

It was Flappy. Even if she was bound to Seojin, she could move much more freely than lesser spirits as she was a superior spirit.

-Go to the Lord's castle. Check if there are any familiar faces, and find out their names if there aren't any.

-Yawl're bein' authoritative. Ah assume thet means yawl havuh proper reward, raht?

-A high-grade magic stone for this task. Oh, and a top-grade once we're done with this job.

-On mah way.

Flappy went silent. Seojin found his gaze lost on the moles around him, but it didn't matter since they wouldn't do a thing unless he changed his appearance.

Soon enough, Flappy messaged Seojin, who was enjoying a cup of tea so calmly it was as if he was boasting.

-Heidi, Ah saw thet woman las' time. Ah also saw Henrite, thuh team leader, an' Count Drake, thuh lord uh these islands. Thets all thuh key personnel, an besides…

Flappy carried out Seojin's instructions perfectly. Currently, there were around forty trackers spread throughout the island, and Count Drake and Henrite were in the lord's castle.

'But he doesn't belong to Ironblood… is Henrite also expendable to Robert?'

Robert must be the one who put Henrite into this kind of operation, and he must use the guy as cannon fodder if things went south.

Just then, Flappy continued.

-Hey, would yawl look at thet.

-Why?

-There's a strange underground space. I can't get close enough. Well, I can if I push, but… shall I go in?

-You can't go past it?

-Wait. Ahl figger out whut it iz with mah thray-hunnerd years uh knowledge. How dare yawl make may curious?

-Don't overdo it.

Flappy didn't reply. Looked like she already started working. Seojin waited, watching Flappy's status window just in case.

After a while.

-Well, oh. Aha. So this's what theyure up ter?

-What? Did you find something?

-Ah guess thay wonna tie ye up real gud. Thet space iz completely isolated frum thuh outside.

Complete Isolation meant that it was impossible to communicate, or even to check a list of friends or send a chat. There was also another item that was a last nail on the coffin.

-Oh, Ah didn't know I'd say thus hare. Feather uh uh Big Beaked Cat. Thay say thuh odor uh it could bay smayuled frum thuther side uh thuh continent.

-…You're exaggerating, right?

-Uh course. It's quite effective tho. Yawl need tuh bay wary thus tahm.

Seojin smirked. Flappy may be right in telling him that he had to be wary, but what could he do when he was not nervous at all?

'So that was the reason the count was salty. He felt like they were working behind his back.'

Seojin immediately began work as he got a rough picture.