Chapter 579 - Captain Yan, Arrival of Distant Travellers (1/2)

”I am Niflheim, one of the 10-Man Squad Leaders under the War Brigade's 7th Division. I was trapped in a cave during the battle and only just recently returned to camp with a friend's help. I've come to acquire a new insignia.” Niflheim explained. He expected this kind of reaction after learning of what happened to the War Brigade's insignia.

One of the guards frowned and said, ”Trapped in a cave? You claim to be a 10-Man Squad Leader, but where is your squad? Were they not with you when you were trapped in this cave? Where are they now?”

”This... I've afraid we've lost contact with each other.” Niflheim furrowed his brows. He never antic.i.p.ated that the challenge would go on for a full thirty hours; therefore, he had no idea where his squad was at the moment.

Niflheim's squad was made up of eight Soldier ranked NPCs and two players; however, both players were shown as offline and did not respond to his messages. For all he knew, the rest of his squad could have been within this camp or already eliminated from the event.

”We can't just take you at your word. Anyone not present during the time of the insignia change will have to be held in the confinement area until we can fully verify their ident.i.ty—no exceptions.” The guard stated.

”Confinement area? How long will it take?” Niflheim questioned with a frown.

”At least three days, maybe a week. However, you should understand that we are not asking you but telling you. Comply, and no harm will come to you if you are who you claim to be.” The 10-Man Squad Leader guard a.s.serted.

A week?! It may not be that long for casual players, but if he was out of the event for a week, Niflheim knew that it would be nearly impossible to catch up with other top players. As for reaching the top 100 rankings and taking a place on the event leaderboards—this would be a distant dream!

”I can vouch for him.” A voice sounded from the side as the guard's squad leader turned to look for its source.

”Do you think just anyone can-” The guard spoke but was promptly interrupted.

”Anyone? No. But, as a Captain, I a.s.sume my words hold some authority. Or, can it be that a rank is nothing more than decoration in your eyes?” Izroth said as he revealed his GSU Captain's insignia!

The guards were startled by the appearance of a Captain's insignia. Even though he was only a member of the GSU, as Soldier ranked individuals, a Captain was not someone they could afford to offend!

”Captain...! Forgive us for not noticing your presence earlier, sir!” The guards' squad leader straightened up and gave a proper salute to Izroth as his squad members soon followed his actions.

When some of the nearby players overheard the conversation and saw the commotion at the entrance, their attention was drawn in. However, they found it difficult to believe what they were hearing.

”Hey, isn't that a player? How can he be a Captain?”

”He must be trolling. Captain? Forget it. I've been grinding nonstop since the event started, and I haven't even made it past 5-Man Squad Leader. How can someone already be a Captain?”

”Yeah, it's impossible. He'll probably lose contribution points being caught lying about his rank.”

”But... Isn't that NPC treating him a bit too polite for him to be faking?”

”Now that you mention it, they did call him sir when he showed his insignia... Is he really a Captain? I wonder what top guild he belongs to... Ah, if only I were a bit closer, I could take a look at his name.”

”We are in a hurry. I will take personal responsibility for his presence inside the camp—this should be enough, right?” Izroth stated with a natural aura of authority around him.

”I...” The guard seemed as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant to do so.

”Can it be that my word is not good enough for you, Squad Leader?” Izroth asked with a distant gaze.

”No, sir. It's just that... Well—it's not that I don't trust the Captain's word; however, we've been ordered to make no exceptions to this rule. I am sure the Captain is aware of the recent a.s.sa.s.sination plots by those devious Tempest scoundrels. It's not that we don't want to let him in, but that we really can't. I hope you can understand our dilemma and not make things too difficult for us, Captain.” The squad leader responded.

”Oh? An order? And if I order you to stand aside, will you disobey?” Izroth inquired calmly.

”This... I cannot disobey the order of my direct superior officers. But, I am unable to disregard your orders as well, Captain. If you don't mind waiting here for a bit, I can send one of my guards to summon our Divison's Captain so that they can-”

”What's going on here? Who is stirring up trouble at our camp's entrance?” A voice sounded from the near distance that attracted the attention of everyone at the camp's entrance.

A few moments later, a young man with a n.o.ble appearance arrived on the back of a saber-toothed warbeast the size of a fully grown warhorse. The young man was extremely handsome and looked to be in his mid-twenties with neatly tied blonde hair, eyes the color of ice crystals, and he produced a calm aura of n.o.bility. He wore a magnificent set of silver, blue, and golden armor with a blue cape on his back that possessed the emblem of a white tiger and a longsword encased in an almost ethereal sheath.