Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 195

195. Turning Point (2)

“Oh, so I’ve surpassed 850th place,” Eile muttered, sitting on a rock.

The screen he was looking at displayed his name and the number 845.

He had successfully climbed the Warlord official rankings, surpassing the 900s and reaching 845th place.

Although he had borrowed the power of the boss monster to subdue the two rankers, the ranking was calculated based on his movements and responses at the time, so it was inevitable that his ranking would rise.

If he had been able to defeat them both simultaneously on his own, he would have been in the top 100 at least.

Moreover, the increased level and the newly acquired 23rd skill must have had an impact as well.

Of course, he didn’t reach 845th place with that battle alone; he had several more battles afterward, further increasing his stats, and succeeded in raising his maximum synchronization rate to 116 percent, which brought him to his current ranking.

Users were universally amazed by this incredible rise.

Eile’s stock, which was already soaring, skyrocketed.

Such gains naturally had an impact on the Order [referring to Eile’s organization within the game].

The momentum on the lower front lines had completely shifted to the Celestial Church.

‘If things continue to go this smoothly, achieving my goal isn’t far off.’

His ranking was steadily rising, and the Order’s power was growing.

If they could successfully conclude this war with Apollyon, they could collect all the core relic fragments as promised by the Six Guilds.

Given the scale and importance of this relic quest, it was obvious that many rewards would be given.

Furthermore, if he could gain Rue’s influence from the collected relics, establish an official Order as promised with the princess, and expand his power in one fell swoop, there would be nothing to stop him.

It seemed that the achievement of all his goals was just around the corner.

‘Of course, it’s too early to look at the end already.’

Clearly, things were going well.

If they continued to push the front lines and apply pressure, Apollyon would inevitably be cornered.

However, unlike the Water and Earth Orders, which had been in charge of the lower front lines until now, the large-scale joining of mercenary guilds specializing in user-to-user warfare had made things somewhat more difficult.

As experienced professionals, they were not easy to deal with, even in a situation where they were at a disadvantage in terms of power.

In particular, not only here but also recently, Apollyon’s forces had suddenly turned defensive and started to hold their ground, and the front lines had become fixed.

They were mostly handing over control of the northeastern fields and focusing on defending their strongholds.

As long as they came out like that, they couldn’t just push them recklessly.

The advantages of the defending side, with multiple layers of high-grade walls and spires, and various defensive facilities, were greater than people thought.

Of course, with the Celestial Church having the Subterranean race as a force, the time to capture the strongholds could be greatly reduced by using the Lator’s tunnels or the dwarves’ superior siege weapons to keep pounding away.

However, there was something Apollyon’s rankers, who were hardly showing themselves, were aiming for.

As Eile was deep in thought.

Ding!

A message arrived in front of him.

“This is…?”

* * *

“T-That’s the truth…?” Eile said, as if he couldn’t believe the shocking news.

Then Sir, the guild leader of the Iron Cross, nodded.

“It’s confirmed information. We’ve also received word from guild members sent to the capital.”

“How could they do such a thing…?”

“In fact, it wasn’t impossible if they set their minds to it. It would require prior effort, but it’s not that the other Six Guilds couldn’t do it, but that they didn’t.”

It wasn’t impossible for the rankers of the Six Guilds to infiltrate the royal palace and suppress it with force, as she said.

Strong individuals at the ranker level were only a small minority even among NPCs [Non-Player Characters], and the Six Guilds were groups of such monsters.

However, there was a reason why the Six Guilds had never laid a hand on the royal family until now.

‘Yes, they avoided it because the aftermath would be too much to handle.’

Eile sweated profusely.

Most of the numerous NPCs throughout the Warlord continent had a high degree of loyalty to the kingdom.

Due to the somewhat hardline policies towards other races, the non-human races often had animosity towards the kingdom, but as a counterbalance, the humans, who made up the majority of the NPCs, gave it a lot of support.

They had a long and legitimate royal lineage, and unless there was a special reason, they rarely imposed heavy taxes.

So, from the people’s point of view, there was no reason to have animosity.

But if a large adventurer guild stormed the capital, killed the royal family, and even seized the royal palace, the reaction would be obvious.

The guild in question would face tremendous backlash, and there was even a risk that a negative image of all adventurers in Warlord would be created among the NPCs.

That was why even the Six Guilds had avoided friction with the royal family and quietly paid a portion of their territory taxes.

“Fortunately or unfortunately, it seems they’ve borrowed the power of the Knights Templar to set up puppets. On the surface, both the princess and the prince are alive and well in the royal palace, and there’s no sign that anyone outside has noticed.”

“Have you found out anything about what kind of magic they’re using?”

“No, not at all. We can’t recklessly move, even knowing they’re fake, because we don’t know what will work or not.”

Even if they found out that the royals in the royal palace were fake at this point, it would all be for naught if they couldn’t prove it.

Even the nobles inside the royal palace had all been replaced, except for a very few who had cooperated with Apollyon, and it was impossible to prove it by recklessly forcing their way through.

“As you know, no one can touch the royal family carelessly.”

Eile silently nodded at Sir’s words.

Even the Six Guilds, the most powerful force among the player factions, and even the Inquisitors of the Celestial Church, could not treat the direct royal family carelessly.

It was a different matter entirely from nobles who simply held great power.

Moreover, even if they forced their way in and arrested them, they might not be able to reveal the truth.

Considering that Apollyon was not one to use sloppy tactics, such a move could be a bad move.

“Besides, seizing the royal family isn’t just about increasing their stake…”

“Yes, they’re going to go beyond the scope of a typical guild altogether.”

If they completely seized the royal family, the guild could freely adjust the maximum auction house fees and territory tax rates.

In particular, in the case of territory tax rates, unlike auction house fees, there was a restriction that the profits had to be reinvested in the territory.

This condition was to prevent the guild from ruining the base itself by being blinded by short-term gains.

But if the royal family’s interference disappeared, the guilds would be freed from even such basic restrictions.

They could also eliminate the upper limit on the number of NPC personnel that could be hired per territory, and lift many other restrictions that user guilds had.

‘Moreover, if they make the royal family puppets, they can do even worse things.’

Eile’s expression grew more and more serious.

If Apollyon were to set up one of their puppets as the new king, they could even control the numerous NPC forces under him.

Under the pretext of the king’s will, they would be able to directly or indirectly interfere with and manipulate all NPC forces within the kingdom’s sphere of influence as they pleased.

“Until now, they’ve been quiet while managing their image, but now they’re finally starting to show their true colors. They’re planning to take control of Warlord entirely, like Alcyone in East Thorne, and exploit it all.”

Sir calmly stated the facts she had been anticipating.

Of course, if these facts were known, the users would revolt.

That was why Apollyon had hidden its origins and identity as Alcyone.

But if they seized the royal family and dealt with their rivals, the Six Guilds, appropriately, the opinions of ordinary users who realized it late would no longer matter.

Even if ordinary users gathered without a focal point, it would be absolutely impossible to suppress Apollyon, the guild with the strongest military power.

Warlord would also follow in the footsteps of ‘East Thorne,’ which had become a monopoly market for one guild.

“But fortunately, there’s still a way. Princess Seia escaped just before the disaster, and if we succeed in securing her, we can turn this situation around in an instant.”

“The princess hasn’t been captured yet?”

“Yes, judging from the fact that the pursuit team is still fully engaged in the search, she seems to be hiding well.”

Swish.

With a light gesture, Sir displayed location information on Eile’s personal screen.

“This is?”

“It’s where Apollyon’s rankers are searching thoroughly.”

“Then the princess is in this area.”

Eile said, welcoming the emerging map.

However, the location information displayed on the map was very comprehensive, and searching this large area entirely would not be an easy task.

But he had been worried about what to do if he didn’t have a single clue, so this was at least more hopeful news than before.

“But we can’t be optimistic. Apollyon’s elites are tracking the princess, and if we leave her alone, she’ll be caught soon. She didn’t leave with many reliable escorts either.”

“I need to move right away.”

Eile jumped up from his seat.

“I wish I could go with you, but…”

“Well, as long as Yuron is there, it would be impossible to leave your post.”

Yuron, the guild leader of Cerberus, who is currently engaged in fierce battles with the Iron Cross.

Sir was the only one who could handle him, a strongman ranked 5th in Warlord.

“Yes. The situation is similar for Nightmare and Dawn. We’ll dispatch as many rankers as possible, but it won’t compare to Apollyon’s ranker corps that headed to the capital.”

The Iron Cross and the northeastern battlefield could not spare too many ranker forces.

Just because Apollyon was crouching down and defending, they couldn’t let their guard down and take out a large force, or the main force could be wiped out by a larger counterattack in the meantime.

In the first place, it was Apollyon who was able to show such a big move even in the capital, which was far from the battlefield, because they were able to handle the war on the opposite side of the continent even with the main ranker corps removed.

“I have to accept that much.”

Eile shrugged his shoulders and headed straight to the station to take an airship.

“…”

Then, Sir, who was quietly watching his back, gave a faint smile.

Eile, who had just entered the 800s, was clearly not a major variable in terms of objective power.

Compared to the numerous rankers of the Six Guilds who would gather together, he was no different from a lower-tier player.

‘But…’

For some reason, Sir had expectations for Eile beyond simple power.