Chapter 82 082

"Damn! Damn those adventurers!"

Count Drake had an outburst in his office. Slamming the desk wasn't enough to soothe his anger though.

He had been paying them a huge fortune all this time for a moment like this! A huge thirty percent of his profits to Ironblood for the sake of protection.

"They don't care what I did for them when they were small!"

Rome wasn't built in a day and neither were Ironblood. Only recently had they become a force that nobody in Valaran could refute, but they were only an adventurers guild in the past. Count Drake was the one who proposed a deal with them first, seeing their potential.

"It's not just pennies, it's thirty goddamn percent! They've got to show me that they were worth it!"

He had heard about the events in Berne and watched how Erzebet changed for himself. The two lords of the land, like Drake, were closely associated with Ironblood. One difference, however, was that the others had reached out to Ironblood after they became big fish.

'Bolton paid ninety percent and Erzebet paid seventy. They failed to protect the lords while taking such overwhelmingly unfair cuts.'

Thirty percent to was huge to Drake, but to Ironblood, it would have been"only" thirty. The guild was too overgrown to be treated as one single entity.

'I should have stayed with the King, but it's too late to turn back…'

Drake resented his past self. He had built a connection with Ironblood because of his greed… or perhaps he just hadn't expected them to get so big.

"I want to go back to the past."

If he fell to a fate similar to Erzebet, God knows what kind of punishment he'd meet for deceiving the King, let alone losing his peerage.

As far as he knew, Count Erzebet was also rotting in jail. Even if Ironblood caught the one who caused all of this, who knew whether something similar would happen again?

Count Drake opened his eyes wide as he heard something light falling to the ground.

"…?"

His body stiffened and he barely managed to shift his gaze toward the source of the sound.

"…A letter?"

The Count picked up the luxury golden letter on the desk with trembling hands and read it.

"Oh, no! It can't be… it can't be…"

It was a direct letter from the King, carrying an order to investigate Count Drake. The one carrying the order must have been the adventurer being pursued by Ironblood.

'…But why would he show me this?'

The method didn't matter, as adventurers were a resourceful bunch. The count simply focused on the reason that the adventurer had sent it to him. He didn't have to think for long.

Count Drake. I have an offer for you.

The Count's eyed widened as the writing appeared from the thin air.

I have been delegated full authority over how to deal with you. You'll understand the meaning of this letter. You've indeed deceived the King as his vassal, but I am an adventurer, and I will only reap the sins of my kind.

"…"

The count began to rack his brain, sensing that it was definitely the adventurer who had sent the message.

The man who overturned Bolton, transformed Erzebet, and expelled the demons, thus gaining the favor of the King.

The writing continued.

I shall tell His Majesty that you were in the clutches of evil. Shed tears of true repentance and proclaim that you will correct everything that you've done wrong. His Majesty will not turn a blind eye to the loyalty of his servant.

Drake knew what that meant. This meant that he had to cut off his connection with Ironblood and declare it publicly while sending more money to the royals as a type of fine.

'It's not bad.'

He had already calculated it. Count Drake would have nothing to lose if the offer was true. He had enough fortune saved up and would be able to keep his neck, even if the royals ripped him off.

'…But can I trust this adventurer?'

That was the key issue.

What if Count Erzebet also accepted this offer and yet ended up in the underground dungeon? He'd be better off believing in Ironblood and waiting things out. He'd be able to maintain his connection with Ironblood if the guild managed to catch him.

Seojin, however, didn't give him time to think.

You have one minute to answer.

"W-wait! I was considering your proposal!"

Do as you please. Trust your decision at your own risk.

'This is too harsh!'

Count Drake was sweating bullets as he had to make a decision that could destroy everything he had within a minute.

"I-I need trust! Give me the conviction that I can trust you, even just a little bit!"

The count gasped. He waited for a response, enduring the crushing pressure, but the answer was cold.

Thirty seconds left.

"What if I refuse?!"

See for yourself.

"See what…?"

His hands trembled. It was a direct letter from none other than King. Even Ironblood couldn't lay their hands on this adventurer. The Count grabbed his throbbing head, realizing that he'd only had one option from the very start.

* * *

-He sayud thet hay'll do it an asked may whut should hay do. Hay's askin' other stuff bout thuh Kang an' Ironblood too.

-Ignore it, just tell him that I'll give him instructions soon.

-Ah should stay hare, raht?

-For a while.

Seojin ended the conversation. His original plan was to not give a crap about the lord and offer everything here to the King, but he couldn't act like that right now.

'They've prepared a lot this time'

It looked as if they'd been preparing a lot for revenge judging by what they'd prepared this time.

'A room completely isolated from the outside world, walls that block any form of power… I won't be able to do anything at all if I get stuck there.'

There were kinds of spaces that completely blocked contact with the outside, including community features. Of course, he could just log out and report it, but by then, they would have cleaned up all of the evidence and be playing innocent.

'Also that beaked cat tracking stuff, tracker players and sealing effects… I won't be able to walk out of there alive if I get caught now.'

A tracking scent that could be caught even from ten thousand miles away, tracker classes that could track down anyone with the smallest traces regardless of NPC or player, and a sealing effect that sealed all usage of skills… There were all sorts of things that Flappy had found, and they were things that even he would find hard-pressed to escape from.

'They'll get me as soon as I change my appearance.'

The eyes of countless players were the only thing protecting Seojin right now as they couldn't kidnap him in front of them.

Seojin opened the community window.

-BunnyRabbit.

-Yes, Seojin!

-I'm going to cause a big event today. Does Henrite ring a bell to you?

-You mean the one who was kicked out of Ironblood?

-It's just a show. He's coming after me, and they've prepared a lot this time.

Seojin briefed her on the situation, from the fifty pursuers to the unbreakable jail that they were preparing for him.

-They failed last time, and they're at it… again?

-That's their policy. Anyway, let's discuss the details later. Please make it an issue when I tell you to. Upload a post on the community that starts with…

Even Robert wouldn't be able to deny his relevance easily if things went as Seojin predicted.

-Flappy, stand by the count and tell him this once I send you the signal.

He also gave his instructions to Flappy. From now on, it would be a battle of timing. The plan could only be completed when the Strategic Planning Department and Count Drake made their moves in a timely manner.

Entering: Auction

He finally bought the bare minimum of supplies.

"Huh? AM?"

"Where did he go? Did he log out?"

Seojin vanished before the very eyes of the crowd.

* * *

"Not yet. Stand by."

Henrite calmed his flinching team members down. It was clear that Seojin had changed his appearance, but there were no orders from Robert yet. However, one moment later…

-Bring him.

"Rogues, don't put too much trust in your stealth. I wouldn't be surprised if he can see right through it. Trackers, follow him but don't attempt to capture him alone."

Henrite shouted, clapping.

"Let's roll out!"

The guild chat began to scroll wildly as the team moved in unison.

-I have a scent. Tracking.

The tracker who used scent had a key role in the beginning phase. Following him, everyone started to do their part.

-Zone 1. Guy with light green hair and glasses. Slender build.

He spotted Seojin.

No amount of appearance-changing could shake off his own scent.

-Watch 17. I have visual.

-Watch 12. I have visual.

-Watch 15. I have… no, I just lost visual!

The overwatchers were panicking as they lost Seojin, but their pursuit didn't end like last time.

-Target is moving to Zone 2. Black-haired man. Sharp chin. Yellow eyes.

-Watch 15. Have visual!

-Watch 9. Have visual!

-Footstep analysis finished. It's him.

-Target moving to Zone 4….

They had divided the Churai Islands into zones and managed to track him without losing him.

'I won't lose him this time.'

The kid had already screwed him once and Henrite's pride didn't allow the same thing to happen a second time. Robert must have felt the same too. He had to get results this time to restore his previous status.

'There'll be a lot of fuss in the communities, but not for long. What are they gonna do when there's no evidence?'

Still, the power balance was leaning toward Ironblood overwhelmingly, and Seojin would be remembered as a one-hit wonder… unless he bowed to Ironblood and joined them.

'So, I might have to work with him…'

That thought alone was displeasing enough. Henrite would have dealt with Seojin himself if Robert hadn't wanted to meet with him.

-Target just entering a red-roof house in Zone 8. One NPC inside. Nothing special.

-Nothing on the radar.

-Pursuit 13. In position.

-Pursuit 7. In position.

…

It was all going smoothly. Too smoothly. Dozens of trackers surrounded the building perfectly. One order and Seojin was all his.

'Something's not right. He was that easy to catch?'

No, he couldn't have been. There was no way he could've come so far if that was the case.

'He's trying to get caught… on purpose.'

Henrite smiled in relief. He didn't know what Seojin was scheming, but he wouldn't get out of their trap this time.

'You'll regret it, kid.'

-Get him.

A brief bout of chaos ensued and quickly subsided.

-Target secured. Returning

'Finally!'

-Bring him in. I'll talk to him by myself.