Chapter 146

“She’s talking about Special Skill: Self-Destruct,” he said. ““Self-Destruct?!”” Jaeger had never heard of such a thing and jolted in surprise. Spirale knew of it but never felt the need to bother with the laundry list of skills needed to obtain it. Of the many available long-range attack skills, Self-Destruct boasted the highest damage. However, its level of convenience depended on the user’s stats. Such power was calculated by experience points until level-up x (user level + remaining HP/MP), so if someone high-level like Cayna used it, the results would be obvious. Unfortunately, in addition to death, the caster also went down a level. And since the skill didn’t discriminate, Cayna wiped out all her party members who were already on the brink of death. Everyone eventually respawned, but since her level also determined the diameter of the attack dome, most of the players in the Black Kingdom capital directly above the dungeon were caught up in the blast and died as well. The subjugation party kept mum on the matter, so the Sudden Death in the Black Kingdom Capital Incident became one of Leadale’s many mysteries. Aside from Cayna and her fellow guild members, only the Admins ever knew the truth. “Those were fixed monsters instead of event ones, so the two won’t mingle here…or so I hope.” Opus offered an educated guess, since he couldn’t just say that he was the one who assembled everyone. In truth, even he didn’t know how many Event Monsters awaited them. This was because he had put a marker on the Event Monsters’ spawn point and connected everything to the Abandoned Capital regardless of whether their numbers were multiplying. He then left the rest to the summons, so whatever monster ecosystem had formed inside afterward was a mystery. Since Opus couldn’t announce this publicly, his predictions were set aside and the conversation continued. “Everyone arrived here at different times, so they’ve gotten acclimated over the years. A battle might be a tall order,” Jaeger insisted. Several players listening nearby nodded in agreement. Some had invited fellow players who had been in this world longer to join the fight, but lingering attachments kept them from participating. Indeed, when Cayna considered a future where Luka survived her, it wasn’t hard to understand how they felt. Jaeger himself had friends and family waiting back home, so personal motivations varied in that regard. “As a guild leader, I’m used to lookin’ after a large group. Think of me like as a student council president,” Jaeger insisted. “Don’t council members have to do endless chores around the school? No waaaay,” said Cayna. “But my subordinates were brilliant. For the most part, everyone, including the guild sub-leader, had my back and followed every order.” “There’s a limit to outsourcing,” Opus remarked. “Heyyyy. Got a report for ya.” “Great work, Exis.” The slightly dirtied dragoid approached them. He had formed a small party currently keeping watch over the entrance in shifts. The argent’s absence from the Abandoned Capital was already evident. This was because Opus had called off the summons after Cayna cast an Isolation Barrier over Fence’s perimeter. With the front of the city as the sole entrance and exit, the group could eliminate any monsters that broke through. “How’s the situation?” Cayna asked Exis. “We have more hands now, so things have gotten a bit easier. But like you said, the systemized dinosaur and mage-type monsters haven’t shown up yet. Almost all of ’em are average quest monsters between levels 200 and 300. On top of that, they’re coming at us in spurts instead of all at once.” A manageable crowd meant they could take down whatever monsters came first and figure out how to deal with the rest. Every player in the area was Raid Linked at present, so despite a slight ratio shift, everyone would receive a small bit of experience each time even one person defeated an enemy. However, some were no doubt disgruntled by the value difference between those fighting on the field and those not. Upon hearing about this, players had raced here to test their mettle. Although masters of Revival Magic were on call, they cautioned Exis to exercise restraint, since there was no guarantee such spells would work. Exis assembled everyone who wished to join the front lines and led them back down the road from whence he came. Half of their forces left to thoroughly block off the entrance. “The Great Kongming is a pro at this kind of thing, right?” remarked Jaeger. “What? No chance,” said Cayna. “Opus is all about scheming and waiting in the wings. In fact, sneak attacks are his go-to. There aren’t paid items here, either, so either way we’re in for a tough fight. Our guild pretty much depended on our levels to carpet-bomb everything in sight during party battles. I guess you could call that a strategy?” Jaeger and Spirale heaved a collective sigh. They had been together constantly except in wartime, and someone like Cayna, who could join a party without any need for backup, was quite the asset. If she focused solely on attack and her guild fought as one, it was a recipe for destruction. Tell me something I don’t know…, thought Jaeger and Spirale. Opus, aka Leadale’s Kongming, naturally had expectations of his own. However, he was the type to hide away and refine his strategy prior to battle. He had calmly taken everything into account and understood not to get his hopes up. “Hmm. Looks like they’re carrying out a standard assault tactic. What if we restructure our parties to match the enemy’s level?” suggested Jaeger. “Our midlevel players are already in the vanguard. The rearguard is hurting, correct?” Spirale pointed out. Cayna chimed in. “In other words, we’re thin in the back. Too thin.” “That’s because the winds will later shift in favor of the vanguard. The monsters might drop all sorts of useful items,” replied Opus. “Who the hell thought up a hand grenade? That’s definitely from another game,” Jaeger grumbled, citing an unrelated robot title set in a dystopian future. Spirale opened the current party link in his window and alongside Jaeger commanded each player to reorganize. The current HQ consisted of these four, but Opus and Cayna remained in the rearguard so they could play it by ear no matter the situation. Both could have stood on the front lines if they choose but stuck to the back after the other players’ quest for glory implied disapproval. Jaeger and Spirale acted as the vanguard’s command center while Opus led the rearguard, so everyone reached an understanding. “What will you do, Cayna?” Jaeger asked. “Um, obviously I’ll aid everyone from behind with Buffs.” “I understand, but friendly fire is still a possibility,” said Spirale. “Please do not blow away our allies with long-range magic.” “Just who do you think I am, Spirale?” “An incarnation of destruction.” “……” Cayna fell into silent disappointment as their surroundings erupted into laughter, but several sensed her wrath and quickly backed away in fear. The main reason ordinary players (?) wanted to fight at the front was due to the level of monsters back in the game. After all, aside from several special areas, an enemy’s level was 600 max. There were a few quest exceptions, of course, but the Limit Breakers could rush in like some corrupt politician’s bodyguard if need be. “Ahhhhh?!?!” There was a sudden yell, and every bewildered player who heard it turned toward the source. A black-haired high elf woman had just alighted beneath the receiver tower and pointed at Cayna and yelped in surprise. Cayna recognized her immediately. “Oh…” “Ah.” As did Opus. Cayna started smiling, but the demon’s expression went blank. The woman dashed up to Cayna but face-planted in the ground at her feet when Opus tripped her. For a moment, no one made a sound. Some flinched at Opus’s violent act while others showed concern for the high elf now motionless on the ground. The culprit held his stomach in uncontrollable laughter. After a few seconds, the woman’s head shot up. Her expression was a mix of joy and sadness as tears poured like waterfalls from her eyes. “Sissyyy!” she cried.