Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 142

142. The Tumultuous Continent (3)

The Nocturnums [a valuable in-game resource or item] purchased from the auction house filled one side of his inventory.

Aeil moved them all to a secure warehouse for storage.

‘Investment is good, but… the problem is the war.’

Leaving the warehouse, Aeil was lost in thought.

Considering the circumstances and omens so far, the prediction of a major war seemed certain.

There was little chance that this investment would suddenly run into problems.

Aeil wouldn’t have made such an extravagant investment of almost his entire fortune if he hadn’t been confident from the start.

However, a war between the six major guilds was not a light matter to be dismissed as just a good way to make money.

The collision was so massive that it was difficult to even guess what kind of ripple effects it would have.

Not only other guilds and orders but also individuals could be affected.

‘I still don’t know exactly when the war will break out…….’

Thud!

Just then, something huge suddenly fell in front of Aeil.

Visible through the crushed armor was the corpse of a man vomiting blood.

It was a guard NPC [Non-Player Character] who had fallen from the high walls of the fortress.

“What is this……?”

Aeil, startled, flinched back.

He quickly looked up at the wall where the guard had fallen, but he couldn’t find anyone.

“Huh… who did this? Did they get caught stealing or something?”

“Even so, to kill a Dawn Guard…….”

Users began to gather around the guard’s corpse.

Many people were watching to see which daring user had caused a major accident by touching an NPC of the six major guilds.

If this had happened in another territory, it would have been common to be wary or run away.

But this was the Dawn Guild’s stronghold, so no one was worried.

It was safe to say that no one could cause trouble in their territory.

‘This doesn’t feel good…….’

Aeil felt an ominous premonition and slowly backed away.

He tried to push his way through the gathering onlookers and leave the scene.

The thought of ‘what if’ kept running through his mind.

Boom!

This time, a loud explosion was heard from the gate.

The noise was deafening, and everyone inside the fortress staggered for a moment.

Aaaaaagh!

A guard’s scream was heard from the top of the wall.

Another limp corpse fell below, and only then did the other users inside the fortress begin to stir greatly.

“W-What’s going on?”

‘Oh no…….’

Aeil, immediately grasping the situation, frowned and quickened his pace.

It was common for players caught committing crimes to recklessly attack guards.

But now, it was no longer something that could be seen as an individual’s deviation.

The Dawn Fortress was under a sudden attack.

And the only ones who would do such a thing were the other six major guilds.

‘I can’t believe that time is now.’

Aeil, not wanting to get caught up in troublesome matters, hurried to leave the scene.

There were ways to escape besides the gates located on both sides of the fortress.

A passage that was hardly known to other users.

As a stronghold located in a border area, he thought it would buy him enough time to escape.

But the opponent’s movements far exceeded his expectations.

“It’s… Nightmare!”

“It’s war! Run away!”

Nightmare’s guild members, who had infiltrated the fortress in an instant, began to neutralize the defenses.

They indiscriminately cut down NPCs and users alike if they belonged to the Dawn Guild.

The fortress, which had been thought to be safe, instantly became a scene of chaos.

Users tried to escape the war, but the situation was the same at the gate.

Shudrapel Fortress was located in a border area, and it was guarded by a sufficient number of troops, including elite soldiers.

However, they were helplessly swept away by the Nightmare guild members who had rushed in.

From the start, they had come with the intention of crushing this place in one fell swoop, so even the Dawn’s subordinate guild members in charge of defending the fortress were no match for them.

“Catch them all so they can’t escape!”

“Drop your weapons!”

Nightmare immediately cut down any users who tried to resist, and all those who surrendered their weapons were subdued.

They had no intention of killing users who had nothing to do with them just because they were in the fortress.

However, a separate investigation was needed to find out if they were members of the Dawn Guild or its subordinate guilds.

That was the troublesome process that Aeil wanted to avoid.

Slipping out of the chaotic scene, he went underground.

Tap!

A long passage stretched out ahead.

It was very dark with little light, but thanks to the simple structure that continued in a straight line, he could easily find his way.

If he followed this path, he would be able to escape the fortress without any troublesome processes.

But things weren’t so easy.

“Wait a minute…….”

The figure of a person appeared in front.

Aeil hesitated for a moment, and a black blade flew out of the darkness, narrowly missing him.

Whoosh!

‘Oh no……!’

Aeil, who was running away, encountered a Nightmare guild member.

He had been guarding this passage from the start, which meant that Nightmare also knew of this passage’s existence.

The guild member, seeing Aeil trying to exit through the suspicious passage, assumed he was a member of the Dawn and tried to cut off his breath in an instant.

Clang!

Aeil barely deflected the sword that came at him in an instant.

“Wait……!”

Swish!

The sword brushed past his cheek.

Blood spurted from the long wound, and a series of attacks came in before he could even speak.

A skilled person with levels, equipment, skills, and abilities.

It was an opponent who was genuinely attacking, so he would die in an instant if he made a mistake.

But then he saw an opening.

Aeil responded by delivering a shoulder charge to the man who had come close.

Bam!

The skill landed accurately, and a powerful stun was applied along with the impact.

But that was what the opponent was aiming for.

A status abnormality removal skill used in an instant.

He used it with amazing reaction speed as soon as the stun was applied, so it was as if he had never been stunned at all.

‘This is the end!’

The man’s sword stretched out without hesitation.

But his attack, which was about to pierce Aeil’s neck, was blocked by something at the last moment.

Clang!

The sword that had been knocked out of the man’s hand rolled on the ground.

“G-Guild Leader?”

“That’s enough.”

Nightmare’s guild leader, Karin.

She intervened and separated the two.

Whoosh!

The torch on the stand was lit, and only then did bright light appear in the passage.

“You should have recognized his face, even in a place like this.”

“I’m sorry.”

The guild member, realizing the situation, quickly apologized and stepped back.

Aeil, a named player from the Order of Light, could not possibly be a Dawn affiliate.

Of course, it was natural that it was not easy to recognize the face of someone who was not a colleague in a dark passage.

However, it was a major mistake as a member of Nightmare, where everyone was at least a semi-ranker.

Of course, even so, Karin had no intention of blaming him any further, and she nodded to let him step back.

When only the two of them were left in the passage, she spoke first.

“I didn’t expect to see you again like this, Aeil.”

“Karin…….”

Aeil looked at her.

Except for the equipment that had changed to match her level, she didn’t look much different from when she had sat at the negotiating table in Media.

But this time, she was covered in blood.

It seemed she had been at the forefront of the fortress attack, cutting down quite a few people.

“I recognized your back and chased after you, but I almost had a big problem if I was late.”

“For Nightmare’s guild leader to attack Dawn’s stronghold… are you trying to start a full-scale war without a declaration of war?”

“We’re just getting what we deserve. It’s also thanks to someone drawing the Ice Sea’s attention and creating an opening.”

Karin stared at Aeil as if she found it interesting.

Aeil realized what she was talking about.

Shudrapel Fortress was the weakest point among the border areas where Dawn and Nightmare had firmly defended each other.

The reason was the existence of the Ice Sea Guild.

The Ice Sea was a guild located between Nightmare and the Dawn Guild, and this fortress was separated from Nightmare with the Ice Sea’s territory in between.

‘They came across through the Ice Sea’s territory.’

The reason why this attack could be carried out without Dawn noticing at all.

Instead of attacking a directly connected stronghold, they secretly approached through the Ice Sea’s territory in between.

Originally, the Ice Sea Guild should have noticed such movements, but it was impossible for the Ice Sea, which was too busy with the recent wars, to do anything about it.

‘Probably, all the territories around here have been devastated by now.’

Nightmare would not miss such an opportunity, and if it was a stronghold adjacent to the Ice Sea, simultaneous surprise attacks would have been carried out.

They started the attack from the areas where the defenses were weak.

With the guild leader even directly involved, a full-scale war with Dawn would begin.

“Haven’t you heard the story that Prince Oren is trying to overturn the six major guilds?”

“I checked the information you gave me. But you don’t have to worry about that part. I’ve already moved the guilds separately. It’s not like the royal family is directly involved, and it’s not even funny to move external forces.”

Aeil nodded at her words.

Unless they were completely caught off guard and defeated, they would not be defeated by such tactics once the information came in.

Above all, even if the two guilds were focused on fighting, the other six major guilds would not just stand by and watch the world quest targeting them.

“Apart from your story, I’ll give you some information from our side.”

“Information?”

Aeil, intrigued, looked at her.

The amount and quality of information that the leader of the six major guilds would have was beyond question.

“The Order of Light has taken the lead in this world event, but… other orders will soon show 본격적인 움직임 [full-scale movements]. A bigger move than burning down a city.”

“Are you talking about a new world event……?”

“Yes, the intervention of the gods will soon become 본격화되겠지 [more active], just like your goddess ‘Ru’ woke up.”

[‘Light Arbiter, Ru’ is watching her with interesting eyes.]

‘She even knew that the god had awakened…….’

I don’t know when she noticed, but Karin was even aware that Ru had awakened from her sleep.

Even Ru was surprised by her mention and showed interest.

In the meantime, the two of them talked and came out of the tunnel back into the fortress.

“Send this one back first.”

Karin’s one word.

It was a fierce atmosphere that seemed like not even a wisp of wind could escape, but Aeil, who was protected by the guild leader, was able to leave without any restrictions.

He headed outside, receiving envious glances from the users who had been helplessly captured.

The gate had already been torn off completely, I don’t know when it was broken.

‘It’s still brutal.’

Aeil let out a hollow laugh as he was about to go outside.

Karin called out from behind.

“If things go wrong and you need a guild, you can come to our side. If you’re willing.”

“A recruitment offer… that’s unexpected.”

I can’t believe that the guild leader of the six major guilds, Nightmare, would make a direct offer.

The other guild members were also looking at her with surprised faces, as if they hadn’t expected it at all.

This was the first time she had made a direct recruitment offer to someone since entering War Lord.

“But it’s best to stay away from the border area for the time being. If you don’t want to get caught up in it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”