Chapter 287
Chapter 287)
Luger growled with an irritated tone. His words meant not to interfere if one didn’t know.
“Fine. Then we should catch them. Can you hit them from here?”
“Of course. But there’s no need to do it from here. Let’s step out—”
“You’re saying you can’t do it. Then shut up and sit down, or look around. We can’t be sure another scout didn’t come out just because we saw one. Or review the positions of the usual guards.”
Leeha interrupted Luger’s words as he stood up.
Luger flinched for a moment, but Leeha didn’t care. He took off his gloves, quickly pulled out his Black Bass, unfolded the bipod, and lay prone at the spot.
Luger, who seemed ready to say something, refrained from interrupting Leeha.
‘Ha― He acts high and mighty, but can’t even hit the target. This kind of job should be left to an expert.’
Though Luger had more extensive knowledge about northern trolls, Leeha felt secretly pleased, thinking he had outdone Luger.
‘The distance is about 800 meters. Luger should be able to hit it at this range.’
Leeha had experienced Luger’s weapon before.
Though he hadn’t witnessed it thoroughly nor paid attention to the bullet loading and firing process, he could guess just from its appearance.
Luger’s “Cobalt Blue Python,” similar to an anti-tank gun, could have a range of nearly 1 km, despite the hefty size of the bullet. This might be due to wanting to unleash maximum destructive power at a close range.
However, Leeha intentionally thought otherwise.
‘Probably lacks confidence in his aiming skills! He wouldn’t want to miss, especially with me and Kidd watching. Heh heh.’
In that sense, Leeha felt reassured.
The northern troll was as large as ogres from the Sentinel Mountains. At a distance of 800 meters, its head, arms, and legs were clearly discernible. The only difference from ordinary trolls was its blue skin.
‘Eagle’s Eye.’
Leeha didn’t even use a scope.
The distance seemed somewhat far for Eagle’s Eye, but it was sufficient. The click adjustments were quick, and Leeha’s aim was even quicker.
“Cover your ears.”
“Wha―”
BOOOOOM────!
As Leeha immediately pulled the trigger, Luger frowned and took a step back. Kidd was already covering his ears.
“Damn it―”
“Phew, headshot. Target down.”
Luger stopped as he approached Leeha.
“Did you hit it?”
“Can’t you see?”
Luger spent a moment observing the collapsed troll scout. His facial muscles momentarily twitched, but neither Leeha nor Kidd noticed.
Meanwhile, Leeha had already packed away his Black Bass. Though Luger excelled in information, he didn’t have much to say after witnessing Leeha’s skills.
“Let’s go.”
Luger took the lead again.
“You don’t need to say anything. We’re going, Kidd.”
Leeha followed after helping Kidd along. As Leeha nudged him forward, Kidd sighed quietly.
“For many reasons… this is the first quest that’s made my heart race like this.”
“All this is part of the fun, what’s bothering you. Oh, hey, Luger! I’m taking the loot! You discovered it, but I’m the one who took it down.”
Leeha spoke to Luger without much expectation. He anticipated another ‘shut up’ or ‘get lost’ or simply being ignored, but this time, Luger replied.
“I don’t need that stuff; do what you want.”
Although Luger’s response wasn’t pleasing to Leeha’s heart, nonetheless.
“Tch, could have just kept silent…”
Leeha pouted as he approached the fallen northern troll scout.
The enormous troll, pouring blood onto the frozen wasteland, its protruding tusks looking menacing, was looted, and the trio continued their journey.
* * *
After walking for another hour, Leeha realized they had arrived in the northern troll zone. It wasn’t because Luger had kindly informed them.
The first to react was Kidd, who was drinking a potion with a red aura.
“What are you drinking?”
“A potion to increase resistance against ice attributes. We need to drink it now.”
“Why?”
“… It doesn’t bother you?”
“What’s supposed to bother―”
Suddenly, a system message appeared in Leeha’s eyes.
The temperature has reached -20 degrees.
You resisted the status effect ‘Bitter Cold’.
The likelihood of contracting ‘Frostbite’ due to the cold has increased.
You resisted the status effect ‘Frostbite’.
“Oh? Status effects? No wonder it felt even colder.”
Even with a 50% assimilation rate, the chill now went beyond a slight shiver. Seeing Leeha’s reaction, Kidd offered him a potion.
“Drink it. The chance is low, but you never know. Once contracted, it lasts long and results in reduced movement speed, attack speed, accuracy, and prevents HP auto-recovery—it’s the worst—”
“No, I don’t need it. I resisted.”
“… Resist? How? Without a potion…”
If there was a silver lining, it was merely cold. Leeha grinned at Kidd, who was puzzled.
“It’s a secret.”
Leeha had heard from Ju about the extreme cold. He even took care to bring iron footwear similar to aizen. He had also been informed about the status effects, but no special preparations were necessary.
‘Indeed, an epic item has its perks.’
〈Hero’s Coat Blessed by the Sea God〉.
Leeha trusted the coat he received from Drake.
It provided a resistance of up to 60% against water and ice. As far as magic-based damage reduction was concerned, it was significant, and for status probabilities like magic, it greatly reduced the chance.
‘With a 30% probability and 60% resistance, the real chance drops to 18%. Since the probability wasn’t originally even 30%, it’s practically safe.’
Even if it were to occur, the resistance would weaken the effect significantly. While Leeha and Kidd chatted, Luger quickly gulped down a potion and tossed the empty bottle into the air.
Crash―!
The sound of breaking glass echoed.
“Luger! Are we entering now?”
“If you know, don’t ask.”
“Grr…”
Leeha donned his fur gloves again, following behind Luger. They were unaware that someone was watching the three of them enter the northern troll zone with eager eyes.
* * *
“The far north of Shazrashian… I wonder why they went to the northern troll zone?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Oops, I wasn’t asking you Sasuke, don’t worry.”
Chiyou smiled at Sasuke and refocused on the crystal ball.
The day when there was a temporary ceasefire agreement, Chiyou approached Leeha not just to exchange greetings after seeing his face. It wasn’t purely to satisfy her desire to see Ha Leeha in person.
‘I was worried Biyemi might notice, but thankfully he didn’t. The old assassin wouldn’t have known.’
She had already known from Midnight Circus that marking didn’t work, so she had approached in person to embed a tracking item that allowed her to see Leeha’s position and appearance.
“The duration is now down to two days?”
“Hah!”
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like a quest that would end in a day or two… Just Ha Leeha alone would be of interest, but with Luger and Kidd also involved, it might be related to the Demon King’s Fragment—”
“I’ll go investigate.”
“No, no. We shouldn’t let them know we’re moving yet. Ha Leeha is unusually sharp. Among the people I’ve met recently, he’s the most suspicious… Surely he’ll sense my intentions.”
Chiyou trembled slightly.
Seeing her pleasure-filled expression, Sasuke blushed. The joy of controlling everything and the thrill of cunning battles with a recognizing opponent were what Chiyou loved the most. It was also one of her reasons for playing Middle Earth.
“In that case—”
“Hmm, they might not notice if it’s the Shazrashian Federation moving. Tell them to track Ha Leeha in exchange for compensation from their last failure. Promise them to void their ‘contracts’ if they provide good information.”
“But they might… opt for direct action rather than just gathering information, oka-san.”
“They’re not foolish enough to act with both Luger and Kidd there, even if it’s just Ha Leeha. If they are that reckless, we can only use them as carpet material, regardless of whether they get skinned or not. At that point, it would mean receiving major sponsorship from the Russians. Right?”
Once involved with her, there was no way out.
Sasuke displayed a face full of admiration at Chiyou’s words. From their perspective, there would be no loss in any case.
“Ha! I’ll move immediately.”
After saluting to Chiyou, Sasuke disappeared from his spot. Smiling at the space where he had vanished, Chiyou tucked the crystal ball into her bosom.
“Well, before they catch up, I need to manage my level too.”
She got up, trotting out of the room.
What seemed like a room was actually just one of the secret spaces. It was a massive tavern in Minis, owned by Chiyou personally.
“Hey, Chiyou! Come sit over here. I have some questions for you.”
“Oh aww, commander, I already told you during the war. You missed your chance.”
“That’s why, give me one more shot. You gotta provide the information so I can make something happen, right? Uh? Isn’t there anything else? Help me out here.”
Managing information and maintaining good relations with all NPCs.
It’s easier said than done. NPCs have both friendly and antagonistic relationships with each other. Balancing both sides and raising affinity with all NPCs is not something achieved with mere gift of the gab or effort.
“Okay. But you can’t tell the General Commander I did. I don’t think he likes me much.”
“Sure, sure he doesn’t! I’ll say I dug it up myself. And once Edwin acknowledges it, I’ll connect you directly with Baron Fondoo!”
When the division leader NPC became anxious and impatient, Chiyou covered her mouth with her sleeve. She had him.
Now, what Tale could shake the Kingdom of Minis? As Chiyou swiftly organized the information she gathered, she concocted a story. The way ‘Dancer’ accrued experience was very much akin to Middle Earth.
After dismissing all the other seats around the division leader NPCs, Chiyou finally opened her mouth slowly and in a low voice.
“There might have been a defense troop traitor who conspired with Fibiel during the Riverside Whitmore invasion. They say it’s the reason we were swiftly attacked during the last war…”
“Is that… true?”
In a hierarchical society, material evidence is unnecessary.
If there are a few circumstantial evidence and bits of information, lies can become the truth. When NPCs use those truths, and outcomes arise, Chiyou’s experience increases.
Chiyou’s calculations were already complete in her head.
The defense captain NPC from the plebeian tier would be executed, and this division leader would be recognized for his contributions in a matter of days—at most ten days, allowing her to boost her experience by 30% in one go.
* * *
“A lot.”
“It’s their village. Of course, there would be many.”
“No, no, that’s not what I mean. I’ve visited kobold settlements or orc villages a few times but this is on a different level.”
Leeha and Kidd hid themselves while observing the northern troll village, only showing their eyes. Luger proved he had the ability he was confident in.
From the entryway now showing status effects to the main settlement, he had successfully avoided all the scattered sentries.
‘I thought he’d charge right in upon seeing those guards, but he seems quite meticulous.’
Leeha glanced at Luger, who was silently observing the trolls alongside Kidd.
Even after taking down the scout, or back at the academy, where he’d acted like he’d immediately wipe them all out, Luger had been relatively calm since entering the northern troll zone and witnessing the village.
“Luger, aren’t there other sentries coming here? If we just hide out here for a week, does that mean the quest is complete?”
“It’s currently pattern 3.”
“Hmm, that means the sentry locations change with each pattern?”
“If you know, don’t ask.”
Luger didn’t spare a glance at Leeha. With a small grumble, Leeha commented softly.
“Kidd, you used to speak oddly too, but this is something else.”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing? I didn’t say anything?”
With Leeha’s joking, Kidd chuckled.
The trio once again spied on the northern troll zone, specifically the central northern troll village. Their large stature was expected, but their armament wasn’t ordinary either.
“Kobolds and orcs differ by occupation. Those monsters are weaker compared to others, compensating for their deficiencies through subdivisions in roles. But these ones…”
Trolls, equipped with crossbows.
