Chapter 24 Deal (4) (1/2)
“It hasn’t been long since the battle took place.”
Yeon-woo leaned down and touched the bloodstained soil with his hands. He also checked the traces left on trees and rocks. Anyone could tell he knew what he was doing.
“Five hours? No, it was about six hours ago.”
“Six hours….” Kahn muttered in a small voice.
Doyle asked Yeon-woo with a worried look.
“These people, did they succeed?”
Hidden pieces were supposed to be literally ‘hidden’. They were valuable only when kept hidden. They played a role in raising players’ morale and encouraging them to stay focused without falling behind. So hidden pieces in the tutorial never occurred again in the same round once they were cleared.
Then what would happen if the other players had already cleared Hargan’s Lair? For Kahn and Doyle who needed Hargan’s Crown, it would be a tremendous loss.
Also, even though Kahn and Doyle hadn’t told Yeon-woo yet, it wasn’t just the crown that they needed. There was something else they wanted to obtain using the crown. It was an essential element for the two who were plotting something big. Therefore, the interference of other players wasn’t good news.
But Yeon-woo stood up, he further examined the traces and gave them a reassuring answer.
This content is taken from lightn_ovelworld.com
“No. There are only traces leading inside, but there are no signs of people coming out. And apparently the people who came here didn’t come in search of Hargan’s Lair.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Look here.”
Yeon-woo pointed towards a deep trench on the ground.
“It’s a trail of something heavy being dragged through the ground. That must be the players’ bodies. I think the Lizardmen used some kind of bait and lured them here.”
“And then?”
“Nobody knows.”
“Hmm.”
Kahn and Doyle couldn’t help but frown. Although Yeon-woo hadn’t said anything, they could imagine what had happened to them.
Monsters weren’t always the prey. There were times when monsters themselves became the hunters and preyed on players. For them, this place was their home. They knew the local geography better than players, of course there would be traps lying around. Yeon-woo presumed this had something to do with those traps.
This content is taken from lightn_ovelworld.com
“God damn sons of bitches!”
Fortunately for Yeon-woo, Kahn only spat out some curses and didn’t seem to want to intervene in this matter.
‘I thought he was just naive, but he can keep his cool when necessary.’
Yeon-woo nodded quietly.
If Kahn had lost his judgment out of simple emotions, Yeon-woo had planned to return the Tokens and just leave. But Kahn must have been acting calm to set an example as Doyle’s senior.
Then Yeon-woo noticed that Doyle, who usually had good control over his feelings, had a grim expression on his face.
Doyle noticed Yeon-woo’s gaze and put on his usual smile. He looked at Yeon-woo and raised his brows as if asking if there was something wrong with him.
Yeon-woo knitted his eyebrows, but soon shook his head. He remained silent.
Just then, “It is really irritating to just let it go, but we can’t afford to overexert ourselves. So, Cain.”
Yeon-woo turned his head as he heard his codename.
This content is taken from lightn_ovelworld.com
“Yes?”
“We haven’t told you anything about this place yet, have we?”
Yeon-woo quietly nodded his head. Up till now, he had been pretending not to know, so now he had to keep pretending. Besides, he wanted to know how much they knew about Hargan’s Lair and what kind of plan they had in mind.
Kahn continued with a serious look.
“This place is called Hargan’s Lair.”
“Lair?”
“Yes. You remember the Lizardmen we’ve been dealing with on our way here, right? Hargan is a… leader? Chief among all chiefs? A king? Well, he is something like that. And this is where he is.”
“Sounds like he’s strong.”
“Yeah, definitely. Us two together probably can’t kill him either.”
A dungeon with a boss monster that the 3rd and 11th rankers could not kill.
This content is taken from lightn_ovelworld.com
Yeon-woo then asked a question.
“Even with me?”
“That’s… a different story, but it’s still gonna be tough. There’s also a female one inside the lair. That one’s the real deal.”
As expected, Kahn and Doyle seemed to have accurate information about Hargan’s Lair.
“There’s one thing for sure. No matter how hard we try, the three of us can’t kill both bosses. We’ll die in vain.”
“Then what’s our plan?”
“Theft.”
“Theft?”
“Yes.”
Kahn nodded with a serious look.
This content is taken from lightn_ovelworld.com
“The male one is outside the lair and the female one is inside. While I deal with the male one, you will have to distract the female one. Then Doyle will take the crown from her head.”
“And then?”
“We’ll make a run for it!”
Kahn snickered as if Yeon-woo was asking something obvious.
“As I said, the female one is ridiculously strong. You cannot kill her on your own. So don’t you ever fight her head-on, you just have to get her aggro.”
“Understood.”
Yeon-woo gave him a nod.
Kahn stared at Yeon-woo in surprise.
“How are you taking this so calmly?”
“That was our deal, wasn’t it?”
This content is taken from lightn_ovelworld.com
Kahn’s face turned red as he scratched his cheek.
“Well, you know, I’m telling you to take the hardest role in our plan. I thought you’d say you want to take the male one.”
“I know you’re afraid that I might run away if things go wrong. Don’t worry, I don’t make promises I can’t keep. But if we are planning on running away, I must ask you something else in return for our deal.”
Kahn smiled broadly.
“You bet we will! Man, I’m such a good judge of character. I knew you’d figure out your job and help us!”
Yeon-woo still found him bothersome and let out a snort with his arms crossed.
Yeon-woo had been executing his duties in the battlefield of Africa This was nothing different from that. The only difference was that he used to be a soldier who was simply driven by orders from his superiors, but now he was more like a mercenary who was driven by money.
“Let’s get started.”
Kahn drew his sword from his waist.
*Schwing*
This content is taken from lightn_ovelworld.com
The sunlight reflected on the blade produced an ominous red gloss.
* * *
Yeon-woo’s party moved forward while maintaining an arrowhead formation with Kahn at the front.