kscans

Chapter 341 - Strategy Meeting and the Underground Arena

At Hayato's base, Esha, Lunaria, Cecil, Noat, and Xenobia were gathered around a single table, deep in discussion.

To put it simply, they were planning countermeasures against the clans "Ambrosia" and "Blackjack."

As fate would have it, the members of Ambrosia and Blackjack had split into a women's team and a men's team for the coming battle. If Relic and Amanda were included, the story would change, but those two had been excluded from the current consideration.

Diite had informed them that Relic was not logged in, so his avatar was safe and not on Amanda’s side. As for Amanda, although she was female, Lunaria had declared her "not a comrade."

In any case, they were now sharing information to gain an advantage in the next event.

Ambrosia and Blackjack had fought in the previous Clan War, with Blackjack emerging as the victor.

However, that was a strategic victory for Blackjack. In terms of pure strength, they were considered evenly matched. Had they fought head-on, their win rate would have been fifty-fifty. It was the consensus that if they were to fight again, Ambrosia would have a high chance of winning.

Under these circumstances, the two clans had merged and then split in two. The women's team was smaller in number. Lunaria had proposed this gathering, saying they had to come up with some kind of strategy.

After some discussion, Lunaria took a sip of her coffee, a Lunaria Special filled with plenty of sugar and milk.

It was still too bitter, it seemed. She made a slightly pained face, but quickly composed herself into a serious expression.

"So, in other words, Ivan didn't join their side out of spite for me rejecting him?"

"I’m glad you understand."

Since he couldn't explain the full details, he had told her that Ivan had been brainwashed by Amanda. He gave the same explanation for the other Ambrosia and Blackjack members, stating that it wasn't their own will.

In Lunaria's case, there was a chance she wouldn't understand, so for Ivan's honor, he had explained everything from start to finish. It seemed she had understood properly.

Cecil took a sip of orange juice and nodded.

"Yeah, the brainwashing theory is probably right. My boss disappeared from the Empire too, and it’s causing quite a stir. There’s no way that straight-laced boss of mine would join their side without a word."

Cecil’s boss was a man who held the rank of Grand General in the Empire, named Orland G-vas.

He was a man in his early thirties with black eyes and black hair. He was said to have absolutely no excess fat, with a lean yet extremely toned body.

He was a so-called tank, whose role in the clan was to protect the other members. Being a tank in the high-firepower Blackjack was incredibly tough, but he had managed his role using skills to draw aggro.

However, after every battle, he would apparently yell at Ivan, Cecil, and Esha to tone down their firepower.

According to Esha, "He was a man of many hardships." Coming from Esha, who was one of the sources of those hardships, it wasn't her place to say. And now that he was Cecil’s superior, Hayato could only offer his sympathy.

"Also, it seems Hugo has disappeared from the church in the Royal Capital as well."

The person Esha mentioned was another member of Blackjack, now known as the High Priest in the Royal Capital. His full name was Hugo Stanrock.

He was a man in his late twenties who wore glasses. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, with straight hair that reached his shoulders, giving him a gentle appearance. However, Esha and the others called him two-faced. The male members considered him a genuinely good guy, so a conclusion had yet to be reached.

In this virtual reality, he belonged to a religion that worshiped the goddess, who was in fact Diite, though she was nameless and referred to only as the Creator God.

According to the game's lore, the church worships the goddess and the Hero, so they are enemies of the Demon Country, which reveres the Demon Lord, and the Undead. However, Hugo himself had apparently said he didn't feel strongly about it.

Upon hearing this, Lunaria closed her eyes and hummed thoughtfully before her eyes snapped open.

"If that’s the case, I understand. But even if they’re brainwashed, an enemy is an enemy. I’ll beat them to a pulp."

"It seems impossible for the Demonfolk, but for the others, defeating them seems to break the brainwashing, so please go easy on them."

"No way. These guys aren't opponents we can beat by going easy. I know because I was their comrade, but those guys are dangerous. To be honest, we’d be better off taking them down with a surprise attack."

Cecil said this with a more serious expression than usual.

They were already equipped with unique weapons and armor, and after winning the Clan War, they had also received unique skills as a reward from God. She said it would be a huge mistake to think they were still at their old strength.

"Speaking of one-on-one, I’ve never once beaten my boss, you know?"

Hayato was surprised by her words.

Cecil could be reckless, but her combat sense was outstanding. He could only imagine how powerful an opponent that Cecil couldn't beat must be.

"And yet, the higher-ups in the Empire told me to bring him back. What a pain. Well, thanks to that, I was able to come here. When the battle starts, let's just have Esha take him out from a distance with Destroy."

"Do you think Destroy would even hit Orland? Even if it did, it might do no damage."

According to Esha, Orland could use a skill called "Fortress" that completely defended against any attack. As long as he timed it correctly, he could nullify an attack of any power. The cool down time was fifteen minutes. It was a defensive skill that was a poor match for Esha’s Destroy, and he was one of the members who had fallen victim to Destroy the fewest times, second only to Relic.

"Besides, Hugo can fully resurrect people, so it would be bad if they came to the battlefield together. We should take out Hugo first."

Noat joined the conversation, adding her thoughts.

Full Resurrection. It was a type of resurrection magic, but unlike normal resurrection spells, it brought the target back with fully restored HP and MP, on top of being stacked with every enhancement effect, or buff, imaginable.

It was a unique magic that Hugo had received from Diite, and it was the reason he was called the High Priest.

"It will be troublesome if Ivan and the other members are together too. It would be nice if they gave us an opening to fire Destroy."

"I plan to do something about that. Still, I never thought I’d end up fighting my old comrades at a time like this. I’m actually looking forward to it a little!"

Cecil said this with a wicked smile.

"For once, I agree with Cecil-chan. I’ve been meaning to get my revenge for the donut incident someday…!"

"Hey, I don’t have any grudges like that, okay? Oh, if I win, can I have my boss's sword?"

It was hard to tell if they were being serious or joking, but there was less of a sense of tragedy than he expected. Rather, they seemed happy to be able to fight their old friends with all their might.

It was a battle they couldn't afford to lose, but to Cecil and Noat, it probably felt like just another event in this world. He wanted to get them to take it more seriously, but there was nothing he could do about it.

However, Lunaria and the rest of the Demon Lord's Army seemed intent on fighting seriously, fueled by their dislike of Amanda. Lately, in between their investigations in the Demon Country, they had been coming to Hayato with requests to craft equipment.

Even the members of the Black Rose, who had said they could make their own equipment, were now asking Hayato.

To meet their resolve, Hayato had broken the skill caps for Cooking, Blacksmithing, Sewing, Alchemy, and Crafting.

The five skills he had set to a negative value to achieve this were Body Enhancement, Spirit Enhancement, Magic Enhancement, Chakra, and Meditation.

The Body Enhancement and Spirit Enhancement skills increased maximum HP and MP, as well as physical and magical defense, respectively. By setting them to negative, Hayato’s max HP, max MP, and various defenses all decreased. The negative effect also reduced his STR and MAG stats.

The Magic Enhancement skill increased the power of magic. By setting it to negative, his magic attacks now had no power, and he could no longer receive buffs from others. However, he now received weakening effects, or debuffs, at double the potency.

Chakra and Meditation increased the natural recovery rate of HP and MP, but with a negative value, they did the opposite, gradually decreasing them. However, this effect would not cause his HP or MP to drop to zero, so he wouldn't collapse.

As a result of these overwhelming negative effects, Hayato was now in a state where his HP and MP were constantly at 1, and his STR and MAG were also 1. He was at a level where a firm pat on the shoulder from an NPC could knock him down.

After explaining this, all the members looked at him with pity, but Hayato had decided to do this, at least for this event.

He couldn't fight anyway. So, he decided to further master his production skills.

Right now, all those skills were in the 190s, but he was working tirelessly, sacrificing sleep, to raise them all to 200 at once.

This was another act that made everyone pity him, but the members of Kokuryu simply said, "If it's Hayato, it can’t be helped," and brought him large quantities of materials.

I need to thank Ney and the others… Well, the discussion is mostly over, I should head back to my room.

Hayato had base renovations and skill grinding to do, so he was about to return to his room when Cecil stopped him.

"I want to go to the Assassin Guild in the Royal Capital. You don’t happen to know where it is, do you?"

"The Assassin Guild? I know of it, but why all of a sudden?"

It was the former Assassin Guild, to be precise. Now it was a respectable guild that undertook escort missions and the like.

He had met the guild leader, Zack Orten, during the treasure hunting event, and since Hayato had given him some advice, he occasionally visited the shop.

However, their schedules never seemed to align, so he hadn't come when Hayato was there. The maid, Rose, who was minding the shop, had been dealing with him.

Rose had also mentioned that she was skilled in assassination, and she apparently talked with Zack often because of that connection.

He had heard about it from Rose and knew the location of the Assassin Guild. He had never been, but the guild was located deep in the former slum district.

Still, Hayato couldn't understand why Cecil would want to go there.

"There’s a rumor going around the Imperial Capital that they’re holding betting matches there. I can have mock battles with Simon and the others, but I thought I should get some PvP experience with a bit more tension before the event."

"Betting matches?"

According to her, one-on-one PvP matches were being held there, and people could bet on who would win. Furthermore, it was possible to participate as a combatant and receive prize money.

PvP…? Does that mean players can fight each other too?

This event was being led by Hypnos, and Diite apparently knew nothing about it. He knew from the announcement that the main part of the event would be a territory struggle called the Conflict, but not much else was known.

However, since it was clear that it would involve PvP, it wouldn't be surprising if there was a system for practice.

He had base expansion and skill grinding to do, but his interest was piqued. Hayato decided to go with Cecil to the Assassin Guild.

He asked if anyone else wanted to go, but most of them shook their heads.

"Not for me."

"Me neither."

"No way I’m going."

Lunaria, Xenobia, and Noat each made their declarations. For someone with social anxiety, someone with androphobia, and a slacker, it was to be expected.

Everyone's gaze fell on Esha. She sighed and said, "I’ll go."

"I suppose I do have to act as my master's bodyguard."

"Thanks, even if it’s just ‘supposedly’."

"You can thank me with sweets. Please hurry up and get your skills to 200 so you can mass-produce five-star chocolate parfaits for me every day."

"I give them to you all the time already… Well, whatever. Let’s go check it out."

Hayato, along with Esha and Cecil, headed towards the former slum district of the Royal Capital.

The slum district, which had once been more desolate, had transformed into a lively and seemingly safe area.

This was likely the result of the Thieves' Guild and Assassin Guild being dismantled and the area being cleaned up. Now, many shops lined the streets, and the place was full of energy.

He had heard that the diner Maris had taken him to was much busier now than it used to be.

I remember being threatened in the slums. Come to think of it, it’s been about a year since the Clan War ended… or has it been longer? Things have changed so much since then…

Hayato briefly recalled those days. The time when he didn't know Esha and the others were human and thought they were NPCs.

A lot had happened since then, but he had been able to achieve his dream of opening a coffee shop. Though he never dreamed he would end up living with Esha.

He owed his current situation to Esha and the others, and to this virtual reality. He felt a renewed sense of gratitude.

Amanda was talking about world domination, but he didn't know what she was actually trying to do. All he knew was that it seemed like something terrible was about to happen to both this virtual reality and the real world.

Hayato couldn't forgive the destruction of this world. Diite was his top priority, but he had grown to love this virtual world just as much.

Hayato renewed his resolve to defeat Amanda.

Though, it’s not like I can fight…

Just as that self-deprecating thought crossed his mind, they arrived at the former Assassin Guild building.

The building itself was ordinary. A three-story brick structure with a prominent sign that read "Guard Guild."

It looked so respectable that it was hard to believe betting matches were being held there.

"I’m not doubting your information, Cecil, but are you sure they’re holding betting matches here?"

"Nah, I only heard it as a rumor myself. But I guess this was a bust."

"Let’s go inside anyway. We came all this way."

At Esha’s words, Hayato figured she was right, and the three of them entered the building.

Inside was surprisingly crowded with both players and NPCs.

There were what looked like request forms posted on a bulletin board on the wall, so Hayato and the others looked them over.

There were various types of escort missions, from protecting someone from assassins to escorting them during hunts or herb gathering. Conversely, there were also requests for people to act as guards, with money and items listed as rewards.

So these are quests to escort an NPC to a designated location. The Adventurer’s Guild and Mercenary Guild probably do something similar, but I don’t think they had a system where you could just request a guard without being the one to do the guarding.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Hayato. You here for a job request?"

He turned around at the voice behind him.

There stood Zack, with his usual sloppy grin.

His black hair was as messy as ever, and his appearance was disheveled. It was strange to think that this man was the head of the Assassin Guild, Hayato thought.

"It’s been a while. I came here on a little business."

"What’s this now? If you’d told me, I would’ve prepared a welcome. If it’s a job request, I’ll take it for a ten percent markup, how about it?"

"No, no, you should be offering a ten percent discount."

Zack seemed pleased with Hayato’s response and broke into a smile.

"You’re a good man! None of the guild members ever get my jokes. I keep telling them we’ve quit being assassins, so they should lighten up."

Hayato wondered if that was also a joke, but he didn't say anything. He decided to get straight to the point.

"By the way, are you holding any betting matches or anything like that here?"

"Whoa, hold on. Don’t say that here. Come this way, this way."

So it’s true, Hayato thought, as he and the others followed the furtively glancing Zack.

They were led to Zack’s private reception room and prompted to sit on a magnificent sofa.

After being asked whether they preferred coffee or tea, all three requested coffee, and they were served a five-star brew.

Zack also sat down across from them, separated by a small table. He looked at Hayato and grinned.

"Betting matches… Who told you about the underground arena? I was planning to show you myself when I finally saw you."

"Sorry, I’ve been busy with a lot of things."

"Nah, being busy is a good thing. But more importantly, where’d you get your info?"

Hayato glanced at Cecil, and Cecil began to explain.

It was just something she had heard in a bar in the Imperial Capital. She hadn’t heard it directly from the people talking, just overheard it and thought, "Huh."

However, since she had come all the way to the Royal Capital for this matter, she had been hoping to participate if it was true.

"So it’s gotten famous enough to be rumored about in the Imperial Capital. We’re still laying the groundwork in various places, so we can’t be too public about it yet, but maybe I should see this as a good sign."

"I don’t know about all that, but what’s the deal? Can I get in?"

"Cecil Aven of the Hero’s clan, huh? As the organizer, I’d be thrilled to have you participate!"

"Alright, it’s settled. Let’s do it now!"

"Whoa, hold on, we have a schedule too. The next match is in three days, so it’s impossible today."

"What? And I was all fired up."

"Now, now, save that for three days from now. As the organizer, I want to put together some interesting matchups, you see."

"You got any strong guys?"

"There’s one. A guy with ten straight wins. The betting gets a bit predictable, but it’s exciting in terms of who can beat him."

"Sounds good. Let me fight him."

"Of course. But you’ll have to win your way through the tournament. I’ll make sure you meet in the finals."

Hayato wondered if it was okay to do something like that in a betting match, but since it wasn't match-fixing, he figured it was fine.

"So, what’s his name?"

"A guy named Lutz. He’s strong, you know?"

"Lutz was participating…?"

"You know him? You’ve got a wide circle of friends, Hayato!"

He was the leader of the clan "Starkest," a man whose creed was to hunt boss-class monsters solo. He was an acquaintance of Jolth from the Bandits, and Hayato had met him during the battle with Shuten Doji.

He seemed to admire the real-world Ivan and suspected that the Ivan in this world was an NPC modeled after him.

In any case, he had learned one thing. If players could participate, there was a high probability that the underground arena, or whatever it was, allowed for PvP, player-versus-player combat.

I wonder if any of the new major clan members will participate?

He needed to prepare countermeasures for Blackjack and Ambrosia, but in the Conflict, he would also need to prepare for other players. There was a chance they wouldn't participate, but for Hayato, who wanted to gather as much information as possible, his interest was now piqued.

"Can I watch that match?"

"Of course. The Assassin Guild became what it is thanks to you, Hayato, and the idea for the underground arena was practically from Esha-san. I’ll show you to the VIP seats."

"I’d rather have ten percent of the profits."

"…Please forgive me with this cake."

With that, Zack quietly offered five-star cakes to the three of them.

Esha nodded and ate it, so he must have been forgiven.

Watching this exchange from the side, Hayato thought that it would be better if not just him, but the other members saw this as well.