Owner of Twilight Intuition – Chapter 66

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟔

‘Am I a little late?’

Click━

I already knew the way, so I didn’t get lost. However, I wasted a lot of time walking to the village, so I thought I would be late, and as expected, as soon as I entered the guild hideout, I realized that I was late.

“You have arrived, Rudin-nim.”

“Ah, yes. But there are quite a lot of people.”

Looking around, I saw about 20 people. They were either sitting on the sofa, or on chairs at the table. Or they were sitting on the floor, and when I looked closely, I saw a few familiar faces.

“There are still people who haven’t logged in yet.”

“……”

This isn’t the end of the headcount, is it?

‘……Well, the guild has a lot of members.’

Acknowledging the potential of the Emperor Guild, I find a place to sit down. Since most of the seats were taken by other guild members, I had no choice but to sit on the floor, but Aizen stopped me and pointed to a spot.

“That is your seat, Rudin-nim.”

“There?”

Turning my head, I saw an antique table and two chairs placed at the very center of the entrance. Is that seat mine? Looking at Aizen, I naturally approached the chair and sat down, and I also sat in the empty seat next to it.

“Since everyone seems to be gathered, let’s begin the meeting regarding the subjugation request.”

‘Come to think of it, why are we having a meeting?’

Can’t we just rush in and beat them up? The Emperor Guild had that many guild members. Even if the Bamut Cult is a raid boss, it doesn’t matter. What can they do if thousands of people attack them?

“First, wouldn’t it be better to wait and see?”

While I was thinking that, someone suggested waiting and seeing.

“May I ask why?”

“I heard that the Bamut Cult consists of hundreds of priests centered around the Pope. And if you include the monsters they control, it’s thousands. If we fight, it will be a war like a guild quest, and we have to prepare for the next guild quest, right?”

‘Huh? Thousands of monsters?’

Listening to the story, it wasn’t something to take lightly. Thousands? With that number, there would definitely be casualties. Also, knowing the penalty for death, I felt the opinion was valid.

“Ah, that’s not right. We can do the guild quest anytime, right? Compared to that, Bamut is an event we can only do now. Of course we have to catch Bamut!”

“There’s no guarantee that we’ll catch him.”

“If we don’t, who will?”

“Among the many other guilds, someone will catch him.”

“That’s only if we wait and see, like you said!”

Bang━

Just as their voices started to rise, Aizen slammed the table. And that sound mercilessly cut off the conversation of the guild members.

“What are the opinions of the others?”

At that low question, the majority chose to fight. Honestly, it seemed to me that everyone was blinded by the rare items. There was only one rare item that had been listed on the auction house so far. And since I was the one who listed it, it was perhaps a natural reaction.

I’d rather catch Turu.

“Then I think we’ll need information on the Bamut Cult. Does anyone know anything about the Bamut Cult?”

‘To look for information on a quest that just occurred……’

It was absurd, but what was even more absurd was that there were guild members raising their hands.

“I got contribution points for catching a Bamut priest who was operating separately. I think there will be separate rewards based on contribution points after catching the Pope later.”

“The Pope is located southeast of the Empire.”

“I heard that the dominated monsters are difficult to deal with, but the priests are weak.”

Quite a few opinions were expressed. But most of them were similar. If we were going to fight, we should leave the dominated monsters alone as much as possible and focus on attacking the priests, and I also agreed with that opinion.

The monsters dominated by the Bamut Cult are said to be three times stronger, so it’s only natural.

Frankly, how can you fight a monster that’s three times stronger? Goblins are fine, but even Lizardmen would be difficult to deal with.

“What do you think, Rudin-nim?”

“Huh? Well, it’s not bad. The monsters are difficult to deal with, but the priests aren’t. If possible, we should do that.”

It’s much better than foolishly fighting and killing thousands of monsters.

“The problem is the method.”

‘The method……’

Well, it would be difficult to kill the priests recklessly.

In the center is the Pope, surrounded by hundreds of priests, and around them are thousands of monsters. Therefore, to eliminate the priests, we need to break through thousands of monsters and get inside to attack.

‘This is really tricky.’

If it’s possible to break through such a force and attack, would there be a need to target the priests in the first place? We should just go for the Pope.

Anyway, the meeting was gradually turning into a marketplace.

“So! Attacking only the priests is meaningless! We need to deploy all our forces and attack the Pope!”

“Ha! Will you take responsibility for all the losses from deaths?!”

“Losses? We shouldn’t think about losses, but about the gains from catching him!”

“Gains? Gains are nonse……”

“Or, there’s the option of forming an alliance.”

Suddenly, Aizen’s voice quietly echoed. At that voice, everyone shut their mouths and looked at Aizen.

“Guild Master. Then there’s a possibility that other guilds will take the reward.”

“Yes, that’s right. The reward for catching the Pope, the reward for completing the subjugation request, and the reward from contribution points. Our guild should take all of it.”

‘Wow~ That’s a lot.’

Listening to the story, the rewards for catching the Bamut Cult were substantial. However, the drawback was that the Emperor Guild members had to fight the Bamut Cult to get all the rewards.

‘I don’t know the exact strength of the Emperor Guild, but…… what happens if we fail?’

I don’t know for sure, but I think other guilds would be happy.

“No, Guild Master, your point is valid. Whether we form an alliance or not, other guilds will definitely participate. Rather than competing with them, forming an alliance is also……”

“You crazy! Just be honest! Are you a spy?!”

“What? Then you’re saying we should just charge in and die?!”

“Now, now, calm down. Let’s listen to the Vice Guild Master’s opinion.”

Huh? Why is the arrow pointing at me when things were going so well?

I, who was just sitting and watching, felt absurd as everyone’s attention turned to me. I couldn’t just say, ‘I have no thoughts~’. Anyway, I had to say something to get through this situation.

“Um…… Can’t we just attack after other guilds fail? They would have fought once, so the Bamut Cult’s power would be reduced.”

“What if another guild succeeds?”

“If it seems like they’re going to succeed, we should just jump in and participate.”

“……”

“……”

It was a spur-of-the-moment remark, but it somehow sounded plausible. As proof, everyone was speechless, weren’t they? Even so, I didn’t feel bad thinking that this meeting was over because of me……

“I apologize, Vice Guild Master. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Suddenly, the guild member who asked for my opinion started apologizing. At the same time, all the guild members turned their heads and started talking amongst themselves. Seeing that, I said to Aizen.

“Isn’t that a good idea?”

“There will be a lot of criticism. It could hinder the guild’s growth in the future.”

‘Criticism? That’s true, but……’

If we worry about everything, how are we going to catch the Bamut Cult? Or, to be precise, the Bamut Cult’s rewards.

“But thanks to that, it seems like we might have a method.”

“What method?”

“That’s……”

“Hey, Guild Master. Can I say something a little off-topic?”

Just as Aizen was about to say something, someone’s shout interrupted him. Aizen, whose words were cut off, confirmed the owner of the shout and nodded.

“Go ahead.”

“I heard that the Vice Guild Master was chosen based on skill…… but I don’t know anything about him.”

Looking at the guild member who said that, he was looking at me with a challenging gaze.

“You’re saying you can’t accept it.”

“To put it bluntly, yes. I hunted for more than 15 hours a day to get here. I’m confident that I’ve played a significant role in the guild quests. I bet no one here can refute that.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“……I’m glad you agree. Anyway, I asked other guild members, and most of them didn’t even know the Vice Guild Master’s face. They wouldn’t know since he didn’t participate in guild quests or appear in dungeons. If he’s someone unheard of, shouldn’t he at least prove his skills?”

Looking at the reactions around me, most of them seemed to have similar thoughts. In other words, they seemed to be dissatisfied with the fact that I, who wasn’t very famous or active, suddenly became the Vice Guild Master.

“I understand. What will you do, Rudin-nim?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“If you wish, you can show your skills. If you go to the nearby training ground, you can spar with each other, so it would be fine to settle it there.”

“……”

*　*　*

‘Damn it.’

Eventually, the meeting was paused for a break, and I ended up in the training ground. And the guild member who dragged me to the training ground was smiling as if his plan had worked.

What should I say? Looking at that smile made me feel disgusted.

‘Crazy b*stard.’

I’ll finish you off in an instant.

“Hey, Vice Guild Master. Since it’s boring to just fight, how about we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“If I win, you give up the Vice Guild Master position. The Vice Guild Master position should go to someone skilled, right?”

I nod. I had no intention of losing anyway, so I didn’t care what he said. Would I, who possesses four S-rank skills, lose? I was confident that I could win against anyone except Aizen, who also has S-rank skills.

“What if I win?”

“You tell me.”

“Hmm, how about 10 gold?”

10 gold. At the current exchange rate, it’s 450,000 won in cash. Honestly, I wasn’t short on cash, but I was desperately short on gold, so I offered 10 gold. He thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Okay, if I lose, I’ll pay 10 gold.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t expect him to accept so readily.

Without hesitation, I step into the arena. The training ground had an arena where you could spar with each other, and there were no penalties for dying in this arena.

A place where you can fight without worry.

“Sparring start.”

“Sparring start.”

[Sparring begins.]

Whoosh!━

As we declared the start of the sparring in that place, light rose from the outer edges of the arena. Light that prevents others from interfering. At the same time, the guild member who challenged me immediately rushed in.

“Let’s see your skills!”

Judging by his tone, he seems to think he’s already won. I held out my shield towards the approaching guild member. The 10-enhanced steel shield I made to catch Turu was large enough to cover my upper body, so I was able to block the first attack without any problems.

Clang!━

[Overwhelming Defense! You take no damage!]

“Wh, what?!”

‘Yes, I know it’s unbelievable.’

I’m not moving from my spot right now. This means that Steadfast Defense is also applied, and since Steadfast Defense is currently at level 6, it means an additional 60 defense is added.

Moreover, the damage reduction attached to the shield and Imperial Armor Utilization.

In other words, to deal damage to me, you need to have an attack power of over 1,000.

Or you have to attack with magic. My magic defense is surprisingly low compared to my physical defense. But there was no reason to tell him that, so I decided to end it now.

“Giant’s Sprint!”

I bend my knees and launch myself forward like a spring. At this moment, my agility exceeds 370. If you know about it, you might be able to avoid it, but if you don’t, it’s an unavoidable attack.

Kaboom!!━

[Skill Damage! 1,277.]

“Ugh!”

With that, the guild member was flung away in a parabolic arc. Before he could hit the ground, I used Giant’s Sprint once again.

Kaboom!!━

[Skill Damage! 1,281.]

‘This is fun.’

I thought to myself and looked at the guild member. He was flung away again by Giant’s Sprint and slowly collapsed as he hit the wall of light at the edge of the arena. Since he had no way to move in the air, it was safe to say that he was already finished.

“Giant’s Sprint!”

Kaboom!!━

[You have won the sparring match.]

‘Easy.’

The message of victory. At the same time, the light at the edge of the arena disappeared. Also, the other guild members who were watching the sparring match were staring at me blankly.

Yes, they probably didn’t expect me to win so overwhelmingly.

It was a victory achieved solely with Giant’s Sprint. If I had used my S-rank skills, wouldn’t it have been an even more overwhelming victory? In that sense, he was no match for me.

“Th, this is unacceptable! Let’s fight again!”

“Well, I don’t mind, but……”

“Really?”

“You have to give me the 10 gold first.”

At the mention of 10 gold, his face crumpled. Nevertheless, seeing him give me the 10 gold, he seemed desperate for a rematch.

‘Thanks to that, I earned 10 gold.’

“Now, let’s fight again!”

“If I win this time, I’ll get 10 gold.”

“……”

Didn’t he expect me to say that?

He looked at me with a dumbfounded or bewildered expression. Why is he looking at me like that? On the contrary, if I lose this match, wouldn’t he be yelling at me to step down from the Vice Guild Master position? Considering that, 10 gold was a reasonable demand.

“You want another 10 gold?”

“If I lose this time, I have to step down from the Vice Guild Master position, right? So 10 gold is only natural.”

Grit.

“Fine! If I lose again, I’ll give you another 10 gold!”

Looking at the guild member who accepted while grinding his teeth, I couldn’t help but be surprised. No, what is he thinking, accepting after being knocked out by three Giant’s Sprints? I was also a bit taken aback that he accepted after he should have gotten a sense of my stats from the previous exchange.

“Sparring start!”

……He seems to be in a hurry.

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