Chapter 51: The Trap Reopened

Push it!

After logging out, the capsule door opened automatically, but Seong-woo still lay inside.

His heart was pounding so wildly that it refused to calm down.

‘I really thought I was going to die.’

Just one hit from a bow, and twenty percent of his stamina vanished.

The memory of it was still dizzying.

But at the end, it felt exhilarating.

Even though he spat on the mask, not the face, at least he didn’t just sit there and take it.

‘Getting out of the rope arrow so quickly must’ve been thanks to the bracelet.’

Seong-woo didn’t escape the crow just out of luck.

He knew it was the high magic defense on the Royal Family’s Bracelet that helped him break free from the rope arrow so fast.

That’s why he’d been able to stay calm and plan both his revenge and escape.

Seong-woo got out of the capsule and muttered while looking for his phone.

“You bastards, I’ll never let you off the hook.”

Just before logging out, he’d memorized the coordinates from the minimap.

So all he needed to do now was call the Guild Master and ask for help.

With a triumphant look, Seong-woo called the Guild Master.

Tr-ring—

Three rings.

The call connected.

“Hello?”

A voice came through the receiver.

It was the Guild Master.

To Seong-woo, that voice sounded like a savior.

“Guild Master! It’s Levann!”

“Ah, yes! Levann. Hello. What’s up?”

“They showed up.”

“Those guys?”

“Yes. No matter how long I waited, they never showed, so I hunted in the open field on purpose, and that’s when they ambushed me. I think they were hiding and waiting for the right moment.”

“Where are you?”

“On the Dullegil.”

“You didn’t die, did you?”

“No. I logged out at just the right time and called you right away.”

“I see. So, should I log in right now?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll give you the coordinates.”

After calmly giving the coordinates and being told to log in later, Seong-woo was finally able to relax.

He threw himself onto the sofa with a smile and muttered,

“Phew, so this is why everyone builds connections.”

It felt reassuring.

He didn’t know the Guild Master’s exact level, but he was sure the Freedom guild members wouldn’t lose to those Black Guild bastards.

He’d seen enough to know.

‘He said to log in after twenty minutes, right?’

In just twenty minutes, the Guild Master would log in and wipe out the Black Guild for him.

After a trip to the bathroom, Seong-woo killed time reading webtoons.

When twenty minutes had passed, he finally logged in to the game with a bright smile.

[Attempting login with Han Seong-woo’s account.]

[Connecting to Warlord.]

[May you become a shining hero in the midst of the Great War.]

Fwoosh!

A flash of light flickered before his eyes.

Today, that light felt like a beacon of hope.

Soon his vision returned to normal, and the scenery around him came into focus.

The moment Levann fully logged in—

[Rope Arrow is activated.]

[Critical hit!]

[You are temporarily bound by the Rope Arrow.]

…The instant he logged in, Levann was bound by a Rope Arrow again.

“H-huh…?”

A sudden ambush.

This wasn’t what Levann expected.

The intense pain of the Rope Arrow constricting his body stunned him for a moment.

“You little shit!”

Crack!

Levann snapped back to his senses just as the Crow punched him in the face.

Brutal strength.

One punch, and his HP drained again.

The Crow spat out a string of curses.

“You damn punk, you dare spit on my face? Before you go to the workshop, you’re going to get a taste of my fists.”

The Crow was truly furious.

Driven by rage, he swung his fists and kicked Levann.

Levann quickly adjusted his pain sensitivity to zero to endure the agony.

‘Guild Master! Where is the Guild Master?’

No one.

With pain at zero, Levann was finally able to clear his mind and assess the situation.

But no matter how much he looked around, there was no Guild Master—no one from the Freedom Guild anywhere.

Sensing something was off, Levann hurriedly opened the guild window.

But the moment he did, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

[You are not a member of any guild.]

‘Huh?’

A chilling message.

Levann doubted his own eyes.

But the system was honest, and this was reality.

Levann felt like he’d been struck on the back of the head with a hammer.

‘What the…’

[You are now in a critical state.]

The alert snapped Levann back to his senses.

‘Backstab? Did I just get backstabbed?’

An empty guild slot.

Unless you’ve been expelled, that’s impossible.

It was as if a nuclear bomb had gone off in his head, and Levann was hit by a wave of crushing reality.

“Ha, haha…”

He couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

It was the first guild he ever joined.

And the result was betrayal?

When Levann let out that laugh, the Crow—who’d beaten him to a critical state—growled.

“You’re laughing? Are you insane, laughing at a time like this?”

But Levann couldn’t hear a word the Crow said.

All he could feel was the deep sense of betrayal hitting him in the back of the head.

‘Wow… This is a hell of a reality check.’

Ever since the day he started risking his livelihood in the game, Levann had always played solo.

Since a Blunt Warrior wasn’t a special class, minimizing expenses and maximizing profit meant he had no choice.

So after nearly a year of playing, he had no game friends, no guild, no connections.

But he’d never felt particularly inconvenienced.

Warlord was a game where you could accomplish plenty just by playing solo.

But the moment he broke that unwritten rule and joined a guild, this happened.

He couldn’t help but feel crushed.

‘I was an idiot… All for just 10% cooldown reduction…’

Skill cooldown reduction: 10%.

If not for that, he never would have fallen for Romantic Sword’s persuasion.

But Levann did, and it led to betrayal.

Realizing this, his mind turned icy.

Then the Crow who’d knocked him into critical condition grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up.

“I see you’ve set your pain to zero, huh? You think that’ll change anything? Here’s my promise: I’ll make sure you delete your character, no matter what.”

Char-del.

In other words, character deletion.

The one making this promise was Simon, and Simon was genuinely furious.

But Levann wasn’t afraid of Simon’s threats.

On the contrary, as his mind cooled, his goal became crystal clear.

Bleeding heavily, Levann met Simon’s eyes with a look full of venom.

“Yeah, keep talking.”

“What?”

“Afraid your real info’ll get leaked, so you hide behind a mask, and you threaten me with char-del? Do your worst, you coward.”

“You little—!”

Taunts and provocations sting more when they’re based on fact.

That’s why the truth hurts.

Simon, hit right on the mark, couldn’t hold back his rage and reached for his bow.

But just before he could pull the string, Jambo—who’d been watching quietly—stopped him.

“Enough.”

“Let go of me!”

“We’re here under orders. What’s the point if you lose your cool? Want to screw up the job?”

“…Damn it!”

At Jambo’s warning, Simon lowered his bow.

Instead, he hurled curses at Levann.

“Let’s see how long you can keep running your mouth.”

“Yeah, keep barking, moron.”

“You little—!”

“Enough.”

The tension was palpable, but once again, Jambo’s intervention saved Levann’s life.

Still, Simon’s anger hadn’t cooled.

He removed the Crow mask and shoved his face close to Levann.

“Go ahead, take a good look. Seems like all you can do is run your mouth. You think knowing my face will change anything?”

“Why not tell me your name, then?”

“It’s Simon. So make sure you get your revenge. I’ll be waiting.”

Watching this, Jambo held his forehead and shook his head.

Simon put the Crow mask back on, and the two of them dragged Levann off to the underground prison known as the ‘Workshop’.

***

As soon as they arrived at the workshop, Levann was thrown onto the cold iron floor.

The squad leader and a crowd of waiting Plague Guild members filled the place.

‘So this is the workshop.’

Dunkin had already told him what kind of place this was.

The workshop was a remodeled underground prison, a special zone where the auction house couldn’t be used.

Even if you tried to escape by dying, Black Guild members would be waiting at the nearest respawn point.

This place was truly their den of crime.

Right after Levann was thrown into the cell—

“This the guy?”

A gruff voice.

The speaker, unlike the others, wore a dragon mask alone.

Levann instinctively sensed it.

‘That’s the boss.’

The man, assumed to be the boss, walked slowly up to the cell.

One of the guild members quickly fetched a chair and set it down for him.

Seated, the man spoke.

“Nice to meet you. Your name’s Levann, right?”

Of course the man knew Levann’s name.

It was one of the details Levann had deliberately leaked.

Levann replied.

“So what?”

“Must be your age, you still don’t get the situation.”

“Oh, I get it plenty. So get to the point.”

“Haha, you’ve got guts.”

“No, you’re just pathetic. Grown men, hiding behind Crow and Dragon masks? Pathetic.”

“Pathetic, huh…”

The man quietly removed his mask as he answered.

“Squad leader, light me a smoke.”

“Yes, sir.”

The squad leader pulled a cigarette from his jacket, placed it in the man’s mouth, and lit it.

After taking a deep drag, the man spoke.

“Interesting.”

“What?”

“I started making money off games at seventeen. Out of a hundred guys who started at that age, I’m the only one living like this now.”

Behind the dragon mask was the face of a mature, somewhat handsome middle-aged man.

Of course, that probably wasn’t his real face.

He continued,

“My nickname is Iron Dragon. As a pro gamer, I’ve been in this business almost as long as you’ve been alive. Maybe my Dragon mask seems silly to you, but details like this are what made me who I am. So here’s my promise.”

Iron Dragon took a deep breath and smoked the entire cigarette in one go.

Smoke poured from his mouth, making him look like a real dragon.

“I, Iron Dragon—and every Plague Guild member here—will chase you. Until you delete your character with your own hands.”

Iron Dragon meant it.

For him, pride mattered more than money.

But Levann didn’t flinch.

Instead, he burned Iron Dragon’s face into his memory.

Iron Dragon flicked the cigarette butt to the floor and spoke.

“You set your pain to zero, right? You might not feel physical pain, but I’ll show you what torment without pain feels like. Begin.”

If you set pain sensitivity to zero, you won’t feel physical pain.

But sight, taste, hearing, and smell remain untouched.

You can’t adjust those with the settings.

That’s why Iron Dragon had studied torture methods that would drive people mad without causing physical pain.

One classic example: filling the cell with filth like feces and urine.

Levann muttered,

“Idiots.”

“What?”

“Iron Dragon, right? I might not know the others, but I’ll never forget your face. So you’d better watch out. No matter how long it takes, I’ll get my revenge. See you around, assholes.”

“You, you—!”

Rip!

Finishing his words, Levann pulled out the emergency teleport scroll he’d hidden in his clothes.

[You have used a Teleport Scroll.]

Flash!

A brilliant light flashed, and Levann vanished without a trace.