Chapter 131 - On the Eve (2)
4.
He filled the plain plastic bowl with the cloudy congee. Steam rose from the top. It really was apt to call it cloudy, since it was hard to find any bits of meat in it.
Ahn-jaehyun used his spoon to stir his thick congee. Every time he stirred it steam escaped from the congee. The steam fogged up Ahn-jaehyun's glasses. Ahn-jaehyun had a sullen expression as he left the spoon in his congee, and he turned his head.
When he turned his head, Ahn-jaehyun could see the slim tablet PC across his fogged up glasses. Ahn-jaehyun grabbed the tablet PC, and he tapped twice on the LCD screen as if he was knocking. The LCD screen glowed brightly.
[Great Battle. Eventually, it turned into their festival.]
[The new Users can't participate in the Main Scenario Quest. Is this really ok?]
[Is an event being planned for the new Users or is it not possible to make it happen?]
The headline of the articles dropped down like a shower. It was opinion pieces from game experts regarding the great battle event. One didn’t even need to check the content of the articles. One could easily tell from the headlines that the opinions were very current. Ahn-jaehyun swiped the screen.
[Red Bulls. They are opening the new era of live broadcasts.]
[Red Bulls. Thirty Thousand people purchased the Argardo Raid footage in just one day!]
[Red Bulls. Will they collaborate with the Hahoe Mask in the Immoral Prince Raid?!]
[Red bulls. The commercial spots for the Immoral Prince Raid's live broadcast is sold out!]
When he changed the screen, the headlines once again appeared.
“Ooh ooh…….”
At that moment, a moan escaped Ahn-jaehyun's mouth. It was a sound heard when one hears about one's cousin had just bought land. Ahn-jaehyun had gained an enormous amount of profit in the great battle.
First, he gained the Crying Sword. It was a level 180 Chronicle Epic Rank Item. Currently, it was the best weapon one could find in Warlord. When talking about his gains, one couldn't forget about the Black Spot set that Argardo had worn.
He had gained two Titles that increases All Stats by 5%. Soon, he'll receive the main ingredients to the Great Battle Hero Weapon. Moreover, the Great Battle Hero Weapon became bound when manufactured, but the required main ingredients could traded. The Option of the Items weren't revealed yet, but the ingredients was already priced at hundred thousand gold. An incredible market price was set.
There were a lot of stuff he'll gain in the future. He’ll be able to get the Arbiter of Corruption Title and Arbiter of Corrupt accessories from just participating in the Immoral Prince Raid. If he was able to gain the Immoral Prince set, he would have earned everything he could in regards to the second Main Scenario Quest.
‘I did the work, yet the money was made by the cows.’
However, Ahn-jaehyun’s profit couldn’t even be compared to the profit gained by the Red Bulls from the great battle.
At that moment, he thought about the conversation he had with Chev. Chev had approached him with his severed left arm, and it wasn’t too hard to recall that conversation. As Chev handed over the left arm to the Hahoe Mask, he spoke just two sentences.
“Thank you.”
That was the first words he spoke.
“I work forward to working with you next time.”
Those words....
Chev only said those two sentences.
At first, Hyrkan didn't understand why Chev had said those words to him. From the perspective of the Red Bulls guild, it would have been best if the Hahoe Mask barely failed the Argardo Raid at the end. Moreover, the Items that can be earned in the Argardo Raid wasn't just any Item. It was arguably the best Item one could possess compared to all the Items that had released up until now.
When he finally found out about how many live tickets were sold by the Red Bulls, Ahn-jaehyun felt an indescribable pain inside.
‘Ten percent…… No, I should have at asked for 5%.’
The live ticket for the Red Bulls' Argardo Raid was priced at 5 dollars. They had sold close to 3 million tickets. There was a consensus in opinion that the Hahoe Mask was responsible for the sale of 1 million tickets. Moreover, the Red Bulls were bringing in remarkable numbers in terms of people purchasing the paid video of the Argardo Raid.
If he was able to received 10% of the profit generated by the live tickets and the paid video... No, even if it was the 5% Ahn-jaehyun wanted, he would have....
“I must have lost my mind.”
Ahn-jaehyun blamed himself for not being able to estimate the money that would have been generated by the Argardo Raid.
Moreover, this wasn't the end of it. Ahn-jaehyun had also handed over all the rights to his profit from the live broadcast of the Immoral Prince Raid to the Red Bulls.
This was the reason why he was eating this cloudy congee instead of a delicious meal. He wasn't eating congee, because he was out of money.
His insides were hurting, so he decided to heat up the congee he bought a long time ago. His insides couldn't take anything other than the congee right now.
Of course, Red Bulls' profit wasn't the only problem that was making his insides hurt. The Argardo Raid's affected him much more. He had spent an enormous amount of capital on the battle. Various stress started to pile on each other, and at the same time, he had pushed himself to the edge for the great battle. After it was done, he unconsciously let go of the tension he had been feeling.
He was quite fortunate that his internal pain could be lesseneed by eating the congee. Since he could eat the the congee, it meant there wasn’t a hole in is Gastrointestinal walls.
‘Shit.’
Of course, this fact didn’t give too much solace to Ahn-jaehyun.
Ahn-jaehyun was finally able to eat the congee after it cooled to a sufficient temperature. There wasn't much flavor to the congee. There was no taste, and there was no texture to it. He had bought it in the past when the mart sold it for cheap. He had bought it as an emergency provision, so it would be strange to expect any flavor from it.
Moreover, he didn’t have the luxury to enjoy the taste of the congee. The back of his mind was full.
‘It isn't as if I can renege on the contract.’
When he made the contract with the Red Bulls, he hadn't made a verbal contract. He had to put an electronic signature on an actual contract. It was impossible for him to renege on the contract. Even if he did renege on the contract, Ahn-jaehyun didn't have many choices.
Let's assume he did stop cooperating with the Red Bulls. The only other guilds Ahn-jaehyun could work with was the Hydra guild and the Stormhunters guild. In the end, he would have to make similar agreements to the one he made with the Red Bulls guild.
Eventually, he would have to make a sorry decision again.
‘This damn pride of mine.’
Ahn-jaehyun didn't reminiscence over his past. He was already bitter inside, and there was no reason why he should add something more bitter on top of it.
Ahn-jaehyun forced himself to think about a different subject.
‘Since it turned out this way, I'll have to eat all the benefits that could be gained from the Immoral Prince.’
Since he had arrived up to this point, he had to gain everything that could be gained through the Immoral Prince.
The key point in the Immoral Prince Raid was that the Immoral Prince set was given to the 10 most accomplished Users. If he could gain that Item, it would basically mean he earned all the important Items he could earn.
Moreover, if he looked at his current situation, there was a very high probability that Ahn-jaehyun would gain the Immoral Prince set.
Ahn-jaehyun had displayed his battle ability in the Argardo Raid. He wouldn’t be found lacking even if he was compare to the top Strikers representing Warlord.
Moreover, the Red Bulls will put Ahn-jaehyun in the forefront from now on. The Red Bulls hadn’t officially revealed the agreement reached with Ahn-jaehyun, but they had already spread the rumors.
This was evidenced by the commercial spots for the Red Bulls’ live broadcast of the Immoral Prince Raid was sold out.
In other words, Red Bulls had to give Ahn-jaehyun the opportunity to stand in the forefront. They had no choice, but to prepare stages where Ahn-jaehyun would be able to showcase his skills.
The problem was the Immoral Prince in itself.
‘The First Kill will be impossible.’
Five times.
Before he returned to the past, the Immoral Prince Raid failed 5 times.
The reason behind the failure was complex. The first problem was the participants of the Immoral Raid. Ninety percent of the Users possessing the Battle Tokens were part of the 30 great guilds. Of course, the 30 great guilds didn't collaborate with each other. Even if they did collaborate, it was a collaboration between two guilds at most.
Also, at the time, the 30 great guilds swept through the stage of the great battle with great impunity. They had been full of confidence, and at the time, luck was very much on their side when they finished the Argardo raid without much difficulty.
This was why the 30 great guilds didn't treat the Immoral Prince as the summit of an mountain. They looked at it as if it was a cherry placed on top of an ice cream.
The 30 great guilds couldn’t help, but underestimate the Immoral Prince. Moreover, the eyes of the guilds had turned red from coveting the cherry. In the end, their confidence turned into conceit, and everything turned into a mess.
‘A failed Raid means annihilation.’
On top of it all, when one failed at the Immoral Raid, the entire group that had participated was annihilated. The stage of the Immoral Prince was fought like an Instance Dungeon, so it didn't allow for any retreat.
So what would happen this time around?
‘The current situation is better, but…….’
The situation before he returned to the past and the current events were very different. No one was underestimating the Immoral prince right now. However, this didn’t guarantee that the 3 guilds with the most Battle Tokens would cooperate with each other. Ahn-jaehyun didn’t know the inner workings of the 3 guilds.
In fact, even if everyone decided to cooperate, Ahn-jaehyun’s current battle ability was also important.
If Ahn-jaehyun hadn’t been successful at soloing Argardo, he would have fought as is. There wouldn’t have been any basis for his worries.
‘In the end, I have to look out for my own life.’
However, he had succeeded in soloing Argardo, so his situation had changed a little bit. Ahn-jaehyun had acquired a new card.
‘My level is 173 right now.’
Once he reached level 180, he would equip the Crying Sword and the Dark Spot set. Moreover, it wouldn’t be of much help in the Immoral Prince Raid, but he would gain the Fire Golem Skill when he reached level 180.
Basically, if he was able to raise 7 levels, his survivability and success rate in the Immoral Prince Raid would be much improved. It would drastically increase his chance of getting the Immoral Prince set. Of course, the rest of the members with the Battle Tokens wouldn’t wait for Ahn-jaehyun to better himself for his own profit.
‘Hmmm.’
At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun's expression changed. The congee hadn't helped, but another thought allowed him to put a relaxed expression on his face.
‘If the Red Bulls pull out, the probability of the other two guilds cooperating will decrease. The Red Bulls guild is currently advertising their live broadcast through my fame. It is unlikely they’ll do the Raid until I step forward. Uh?’
At that moment, he recalled something. Ahn-jaehyun quickly used his tablet PC to bring up his contract with the Red bulls. The content of the contract wasn't overly complicated. It only spelled out the important points.
‘Would you look at this?’
This was why it didn't specify when he had to participate in the Immoral Prince Raid. There was no provision included in there.
At that moment, a smile formed on Ahn-jaehyun's lips.
‘Shall I get on an express bus?’
At the same time, Ahn-jaehyun furrowed his brows.
‘Why is this congee so tasteless? It’s suppose to be beef congee, yet why don't I see the beef?’
Ahn-jaehyun finally could taste the congee.
5.
The pub was very popular in Warlord. First, one could enjoy the unique taste of very cheap food and alcohol. One could drink as many alcoholic beverage, yet one will never get a hangover. Of course, one couldn't get drunk too.
This was the reason why two Users were having a conversation with Melon Beer in front of them.
“What do you think will happen from here on out?”
“What are you talking about?”
No one was paying any interest to the conversation between the two. They weren't anything special. Their faces weren't that of famous Users. Moreover, the scene they were creating wasn't that special of a sight.
Of course, if their levels were shown above their heads, they wouldn’t be able have a conversation in the pub, since an avalanche of gazes and interests would be focused on them. They wouldn’t have even been able to enter the pub.
Sinclair and Horus was part of the Hands guilds. If you combined their levels, they were easily above level 400.
Of course, this didn't mean high level Users didn't have any worries.
“I think we were wrong to buy more time. Our plans went sideways.”
Sinclair frowned. It wasn't a frivolous worry. He was speaking a genuine worry.
This was why Horus seriously listened to Sinclair's worries.
“I wouldn't say it went sideways. It just revealed our limit.”
“Limit?”
Horus avoided giving a prompt answer, so he took a deep pull from the Melon Beer. He downed the entire cup.
“It’s the limit to our method.”
“Isn’t it a bit of an overreaction to talk about our limit? In truth, if the Hahoe Mask hadn’t appeared...”
“Even if the Hahoe Mask hadn't appeared, the result wouldn't be too different from now. The Argardo Raid would have been resolved between the Red Bulls and the Storm Hunters.”
“Wasn't it because of the Hahoe Mask that the 30 great guilds participated in the great battle?”
“That is a separate issue from the Argardo Raid. Argardo Raid wasn't a defensive siege. It was a siege to take over a castle.”
Sinclair shut his mouth as he heard the other's words. It seemed Sinclair decided to keep his mouth shut regarding the issue, so he started downing his Melon Beer.
Horus didn't look at Sinclair. He looked around his surrounding. No one should know their identities, but there was no downside in being careful.
Koohng!
Eventually Sinclair lightly tapped his beer glass on the table. Horus took this as a signal, and he opened his mouth.
“In the end, we lost to the Hydra guild in terms of information gathering again. Our plan had already failed from that aspect. Moreover, aren't we pretty sure the Hydra guild won over the Red Bulls and Stormhunters to their side?”
“It isn't confirmed yet.”
“It doesn't matter if it's not confirmed. It just shows the limit to our activities. Lets just say for conversation sake that the Hydra, Red Bulls and Stormhunters are working together. Then will they have a need for the Hands?”
Sinclair shook his head from side to side.
“Then from now on…….”
“Hey, Sinclair.”
Horus cut off Sinclair's words in an instant.
“Don't you dare tell anyone that I said this. I consider you a friend first, and a fellow employee second.”
Sinclair immediately nodded his head. The two of them discreetly leaned closer to each other towards the center of the table. The distance between them decreased by a little bit.
“Soon, there will be a reorganization in our guild.”
“Reorganization?”
“Our method of operation isn't working any more. Is there a reason why we should continue as is?”
“How will it be reorganized?”
“We have to come out as a rival horse. We have to be a rival that could pull at the tail of the front-runners.”
“A rival horse?”
“I'm saying the time where we pulled the strings from background is coming to an end. I'm sure several of us are going to debut soon. No, I can already tell it will be so. If you look at our recent scope of activity, we are working more in the sunlight than the shade.”
Koong!
At that moment, Horus' fist lightly tapped the table. Sinclair slightly shrugged his shoulder.
Horus spoke in a lower voice towards the slightly surprised Sinclair.
“Our chance has finally come. In truth, the Users who are lower in level and skills are being treated like celebrities. It isn’t as if we can’t continue on like this until the game ends. Regardless of what happens, I'm heading out into the sun. That is why…… There are several of us, who share similar thoughts.”
At those words, Sinclair started to touch his lips.
“Could you tell me who they are?”
It was an attempt to keep the smile off his face.