Chapter 53: Ruthless Action (5)

Eve and I kept our distance as we slowly followed the group.

“I—”

Frowning, Eve hesitated to speak.

Still, I remained silent.

Suddenly, I recalled the very first time I exchanged words with her.

‘When Karls and Tirvaen were tracking the Order of the Avenger Priests, and I was the one who suggested we wait for them instead.’

Irgal, disguised under the Bubble Cloak and hiding his true form, had treated me like I didn’t exist for a long while.

But in the end, he was the one who had to break the silence first.

‘He tried to object because he didn’t like my plan.’

After a heated argument, he ultimately had to accept defeat.

Right now was just like that moment.

‘Should I be the one to approach and initiate conversation first?’

Sorry, but yesterday was your last chance.

I wasn’t the kind of stubborn person who would bow repeatedly after being rejected once.

‘Negotiations have broken down, so if you want to talk, you’ll have to come find me.’

That was the message I was sending to Eve.

So I responded with silence.

All I had to do was wait quietly.

Usually, the side that regrets it first reaches out.

“Ugh……”

Finally, after a long silence, Eve’s lips slowly parted.

“Hey, Gilloshian.”

But I shook my head.

“Shan Alledro.”

“What?”

“Just like your name isn’t ‘Eve Wyler’ but ‘Eve Regal’ right now.”

“……?”

“And my name isn’t ‘Gilloshian Vald’ either, it’s ‘Shan Alledro.’ Got it?”

“What nonsense? I know all the aliases anyway. Why does that even matter now?”

“Of course it matters. How can I have a proper conversation with someone who doesn’t even know my real name?”

“……!”

I could see her wide eyes trembling.

She looked pretty flustered by what I’d said.

‘Yeah, that’s a natural reaction.’

Because what I’d just said was exactly the same thing I told her the very first time we spoke.

How can you have a conversation with someone whose face you don’t know and whose name you don’t know? Put yourself in their shoes.

“……Yeah, that makes sense.”

Her expression grew complicated, as if recalling that memory.

She remembered how she had never shown her face and even used a fake name with me.

But I was unfazed.

“If you don’t want to make an enemy out of me from now on, you’d better at least know my name properly.”

Eve frowned and retorted.

“So what happens if we become enemies?”

I stopped walking.

…What happens if we become enemies?

Why would she even ask such a simple question?

“I’ll take you out right here, right now. Isn’t that obvious? When else will I get such a perfect opportunity?”

“…!”

Her expression twisted mercilessly.

Eve ground her teeth and said,

“I’m level 43. You probably haven’t even hit 20 yet.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

I chuckled.

“Do you think PKs are decided by level alone?”

She was alone, but I had four teammates.

Especially Karls and Tirvaen—though they hadn’t fully blossomed yet, they were already Guardians with mid-level capabilities in their respective positions.

‘And they were my closest confidants who had maximum intimacy with me from the start.’

Being ambushed wasn’t an ordinary event for them.

With the simultaneous triggers of the ‘Bodyguard Knight’s Rampage’ and ‘Disciple Saving’ events, Karls and Tirvaen’s combat power would more than double.

They could wipe out most players in an instant.

‘And you’re only level 43?’

A dawn assassin who didn’t seem to have put much effort into their build?

Sorry, but I could confidently say:

“You won’t last ten seconds.”

Of course, I would take damage.

Assassins specialize in critical hits, so I might lose a limb or two.

But with the blessings of the Guardians and the Gold Bar Commission active now…

‘There’s no way I’ll die.’

I was certain.

“I—such confidence.”

Eve murmured quietly.

Unexpectedly, her voice lacked any hint of sarcasm.

Instead, deep sadness flickered across her profile.

It was unsettling.

‘What’s that?’

Not knowing the nature of her feelings, I instinctively placed my hand lightly on the hilt of my sword.

“Alright, I don’t want to make you an enemy either.”

Turning away, she gave a surprising smile.

“Like you said, I came here alone. If I intended to fight, I would have brought all my ‘teams’ with me. But they’re still slowly following behind.”

Her ‘teams’.

As if emphasizing the word, Eve currently commanded a total of five teams.

In other words, twenty-four girls were following her.

They say numbers overwhelm strategy.

No matter how strong Karls and Tirvaen were, fighting twenty-five against one was unthinkable.

Eve gestured toward the road again.

“Let’s go. Your guys are firing lasers at me. I feel like my face will get pierced.”

As she said, on the other side, my teammates were watching us.

“Shan, what’s going on?”

His words were casual, but Karls’ expression was fierce, as if he would draw his sword and charge at any moment.

“Loyal, aren’t they?”

Eve whispered quietly beside me.

A sudden thought struck me, and I looked back at her.

“You had an attendant, didn’t you?”

If I remembered correctly, her name was Mari Erbois.

I recalled her as a loyal attendant who guarded Eve Wyler as faithfully as Karls guarded me.

But Eve didn’t respond.

I would later realize that it was fortunate I hadn’t mentioned Mari’s name.

“No, bro. It was just a minor disagreement.”

I waved my hand toward Karls and we started walking again.

The forest, which felt like a curtain, finally ended.

The place where the eastern cabin once stood was revealed.

Eve let out a heavy sigh.

“You really tore it apart thoroughly.”

The cabin was nothing but ruins.

Huge boulders had crushed the walls and roof made of logs into fragments scattered everywhere.

The girls wouldn’t be able to stay here.

Exactly as I had intended.

“Damn it!”

Eve shot a sharp glare at me, irritated again by the ruins.

“So what?”

I raised my head proudly.

If the negotiations had gone well from the start, none of this would have happened.

There were plenty of ways to keep the children safe.

But you kicked them all away.

Though her angry face looked a little pitiful, I held back from saying more.

Outside the forest, the sunset slowly descended.

After staring at the cabin ruins for a while, Eve finally spoke.

“My teams should arrive in about ten minutes. Finish this before then.”

“Finish what before then?”

“The conversation I want to have with you from now on.”

“…Alright, if you have something to say, say it.”

I shrugged, and Eve’s eyes flashed sharply.

“You’re going to use the ‘Rapid Stream Route’ for your strategy, right?”

So she knew after all.

Yeah, I thought it was strange that any player who knew the Detached Squad Route wouldn’t know this.

I nodded.

“That’s right. This Quest is best solved by the ‘Rapid Stream Route.’ No doubt about it.”

Eve bit her lip tightly and shook her head.

“No, it’s not. That’s not the best way…”

I cut her off and interjected.

“Why? Are you worried the kids might get hurt?”

She sealed her lips firmly.

The conflict was obvious.

So I started talking without holding back.

“I guessed you’d pick the Detached Squad Route. Out of all the strategies, why this one? It’s a hassle and the rewards are stingy—why insist on this route?”

The Quest: Saviors of the Sons was one of those quests with multiple viable solutions.

The ‘Boulder Rolling Route’ I used.

The ‘Protector Route,’ which used the officers guarding the hunting ground in the fortress.

The ‘Delayed Attack Route,’ where the children all perish and the culprit is attacked belatedly.

Depending on your thinking, the Quest could be resolved in various ways.

But insisting on the Detached Squad Route meant…

“You prioritize NPC safety above all else. That’s what I concluded.”

Unless she suddenly cared about achievements, that had to be true.

After my relentless probing, Eve nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Then she looked me straight in the eyes.

“That’s exactly why I can’t agree with your strategy.”

“The Rapid Stream Route…”

“Ah, the Rapid Stream? Sure, it’s good. The rewards are great, you rack up experience, and it feels like you’re really playing the game. But that was only when this was a game!”

She growled fiercely, looking quite intimidating.

“You could kill all the kids just by running this Quest. You might treat it like someone else’s problem—try it once and if it fails, forget it!”

“I—”

“I’m not like that. I have to save them. No matter what!”

The desperate look in her eyes was unmistakable.

I looked at her and calmly spoke.

“Who said I’m just going to try once and give up if it doesn’t work?”

Ridiculous.

“I don’t know what you think I am, but I’m not that careless. Have you forgotten that you and the Priests of Aeolem tried to take my head?”

Though it was a thing of the past, Eve couldn’t deny her guilt in the Third Prince Assassination Incident.

“Th-That was because it was a Quest situation back then…”

“Interesting. Feels like it’s a Quest situation now, too.”

I sneered, and Eve fell silent.

“I know better than anyone that this isn’t a game, it’s reality. You think I’m using this route to barter children’s lives for rewards?”

Not a chance.

I risked my life clearing Quests to get this far.

Every moment felt like a plunge off a thousand-foot cliff.

This wasn’t a path you could walk with a casual, ‘It’s just a game’ attitude.

“Think carefully. The Detached Squad Route blocks the Ultra Wave itself. So the kids survive just like you expect. But what happens next?”

“What?”

“The next step. What will the Order of Kishiris do when their purpose fails?”

“…”

Eve struggled to answer.

So I simply explained.

“The Order will try the Ultra Wave again during the next ritual. And by a freak accident, an unexpected disaster happens.”

“…?”

“As a result, all the children of that year die, regardless of gender. The rescue team sent to save them also gets wiped out. That’s the final outcome you want with the Detached Squad strategy.”

“Th-That’s impossible!”

She shouted and then startled herself, turning around.

Karls was still watching us, so I raised my hand to reassure her.

Eve whispered low.

“Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never heard of anything like that!”

I nodded.

She probably hadn’t. This was mentioned in one of the spinoff novels of The World Forsaken by God, called Bloodstorm.

“Then it’s not even part of the original story!”

“But isn’t it a plausible development? What if the Ultra Wave doesn’t occur, and the mastermind behind the scenes remains?”

“…Really? That development could start again?”

Shuddering at the worst-case scenario, Eve trembled.

I looked into her deep blue eyes and said,

“That’s why the Ultra Wave has to happen. We have to move the officers and root out the Order’s mastermind.”

Taking the risk to break through head-on and finish things decisively.

“That’s my strategy.”

And it was my way to rack up experience.

I planned to use this Quest to grab a solid chunk of experience.

My growth so far had been too slow.

“Ha, is this really okay?”

Eve swallowed dryly, trembling nervously as she touched her forehead.

“…What about the kids? Their safety?”

That was clearly her biggest concern.

“Don’t worry. As long as they’re not hurt while hunting, they’ll all be safe.”

Eve nodded silently.

I folded my arms and spoke.

“Looks like more than ten minutes have passed already. Your teams…”

I glanced over to see Tirvaen talking with the girls approaching from that direction.

“They’re coming. Need more time to think?”

I thought she might hesitate longer since the kids could be in danger.

But surprisingly, Eve answered immediately.

“No. I’ll cooperate with your strategy. Whatever it takes.”

I smiled broadly.

“You made a very wise choice.”

If the ‘Rapid Stream’ route I was planning went smoothly,

I’d practically be bathing in experience points.

‘…I think I can break level 20 for sure.’

My maximum goal was level 23.

Maybe even 25 or 26.

Considering I was level 14 right now, it was a ridiculous goal.

But not impossible.

The ‘Rapid Stream’ route had its reasons for being called that.

“Wait a second.”

I was quietly thinking when I suddenly remembered something and was shocked.

I hadn’t factored this in.

‘…Then experience points would be doubled?’

Is this even allowed?

If all went well, I might even hit level 30 in one go.