Chapter 30
Concealment after an assassination.
It was a traditional infiltration method indispensable in the early days of the assassination squad.
When a route is blocked during infiltration, players often choose this method.
There are even people who play by assassinating all NPCs.
However.
What Seo Jun did was, strictly speaking, on another level entirely.
He killed NPCs who had forcibly entered alert mode before they could see him, turning it into an assassination.
In short, it was a play that overwhelmed with sheer physical skill.
- This guy's doing something only he knows how to do again
- Oh for goodness' sake, just take it all ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Anyway, an assassination with no witnesses ㄷㄷ
- An assassination where you kill them just before they witness it ㄷㄷ
In difficult areas like Alberk Palace, if you assassinate and then conceal the body, after a certain time the absence of the comrade is noticed.
If you kill an NPC here and conceal them, you're forced into a time attack.
"Well. From now on, let's proceed a little faster."
It wasn't too tight.
Because from now on, he had no intention of worrying about things like noise.
Tap, tap.
Seo Jun walked leisurely down the corridor.
No, it was more accurate to say he strutted.
And when the Royal Guard approached upon hearing that sound—
He took out a dagger from his inventory and threw it.
"Assassination is definitely easier than Musou."
Seo Jun concealed the fallen NPC in a nearby empty room and walked again.
- We never actually agreed to call this assassination either;;; - A bit flustered ㅋㅋㅋ
- He throws before they even see him ㄷㄷ
Alberk's corridor was decorated so splendidly that its brilliance could be felt even in the dark of night, and wide enough for several people to walk hand in hand at once.
Thump, thump.
And imposing footsteps resounded from the opposite side of the wide corridor.
The Royal Guard were those who had received every training in magic and martial arts.
Naturally, pride seeped into each and every step.
Just as the knight in uniform rounded the corner, the moment even the slightest part of his body came into view—
Swish!
The dagger cut through the air and lodged in the Royal Guard.
The Royal Guard's mouth gaped with a shocked gaze, then his eyes closed.
- Wow, that prediction shot was insane
- Wasn't that aimed?
- That's also insane ㅋㅋㅋ
- Just insane, for real
Once again, the sound of footsteps in the corridor became one.
"It's quiet, I like it."
Saying something unbefitting of an intruder, Seo Jun surveyed his surroundings.
Even with the blueprint, Alberk Palace was nothing but complicated.
The viewers, perhaps having given up on seeing Seo Jun fail, now began to guide his way.
Seo Jun spotted stairs leading to the lower floor and walked that way, following the viewers' directions.
"Oh."
Holding his breath, Seo Jun let out a small exclamation only the viewers could hear.
A bifurcated staircase, as if a female protagonist would descend in a highlight scene flaunting her dress and beauty, and the banquet hall that appeared after going down the stairs greeted him.
"The background is truly amazing."
So whispering, Seo Jun vaulted over the railing.
Below the stairs, two Royal Guards came into view, each watching the hall from either side.
Seo Jun fell toward the Royal Guard on the right.
The coat he was wearing fluttered.
Just before touching the ground, he threw the dagger in his hand and ended the breath of the Royal Guard standing on the right.
Immediately after, he pulled out the dagger lodged in the neck, turned his body, and threw it at the Royal Guard standing on the opposite side.
- Wow shit, what did he just do ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- He catches two like that
- Now this is assassination!
- He's just good at assassination ㅋㅋ
When ambushing with a melee weapon instead of throwing, a 1-second assassination motion is forced.
And in high-difficulty areas like a palace, if you ambush one with a melee weapon while two are standing, you're bound to get caught.
And Seo Jun had only one dagger left.
So he had approached, thrown from as close a distance as possible to skip the ambush motion, and at the same time pulled out that blade and dealt with the other one too.
Seo Jun explained this point to the viewers.
At that, the viewers were dumbfounded.
- Just ㅋㅋㅋ throw the dagger and ambush the remaining one with a longsword, that would've worked ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- For real, you've only run out of daggers, yet you have plenty of other weapons
- The host is subtly stupid. That's what I like though
Oh.
That's right.
Seo Jun admitted it readily.
"I didn't think of that. That method would definitely be easier. But."
The main reason was that he hadn't thought deeply.
"Doing it this way isn't really difficult either. Give it a try."
After saying that, Seo Jun grinned.
Then the viewers were overjoyed.
- Crazy, he never misses a chance to show off
- Let's not give that wicked host an opening to show off, guys ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- ???: Oh, I just did it, is that a problem?
- Dear God, why did you give talent to a guy like that
- Seo Jun wins!
"An assassin must always use a dagger."
Wearing a victor's smile, Seo Jun headed for the queen's chambers.
- But if an assassin uses a dagger, does that mean he wasn't an assassin when he was beating them down with a longsword all this time?
- The host caught in self-contradiction ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Honestly, whether it's assassination or Musou, it doesn't matter.
As long as the broadcast is fun, that's all that counts.
"Let's overlook the small things."
Seo Jun's deep voice resonated pleasantly.
- Yes, bro.
- Yes, oppa.
- Sigh, if I said that, I'd get cussed out. But since he's handsome to begin with ㅋㅋ
- Suddenly so annoyed. I'm unfollowing right away.
Laughing, Seo Jun gripped two daggers between his fingers, centered on his index finger.
The other dagger was a kitchen knife he'd picked up on the way.
In the darkness, Seo Jun extended his arm and aimed at the enemy.
'Hmm, it's my first time throwing ones with different weights.'
Still, it should be fine.
Swish!
The two daggers surged forward almost at the same time.
And the two guards guarding the door to the chambers fell simultaneously.
"Keuk!"
That worked.
A short death rattle sounded, and Seo Jun boldly entered through the main door.
It didn't matter if he got caught now.
"Now, FraudDice-nim, how did you find my infiltration?"
- FraudDice, who had requested the real-time mission, is sobbing ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Infiltration and assassination both done like Musou, a Musou-crazed maniac!
- Mu-crazy! Mu-crazy! Mu-crazy! Mu-crazy!
['FraudDice' has donated 100,000 won!]
[Huh? Did I get scammed? ㄷㄷ]
Seo Jun typed a thank-you message and the viewers laughed.
And then, sensing that presence, someone arose.
Bzzzt!
Beside Seo Jun, a red cluster of light gathered on the front of a floating sphere, then shot out as a beam.
The Queen, the Boss, had awakened.
"How dare a lowly creature enter here, not knowing its place."
She, who had been lying on the bed, was now somehow standing behind Seo Jun.
* * *
The strategy for the Queen was already widely known.
Another streamer had caught her before Seo Jun.
It wasn't a surprising fact.
After all, people occasionally caught the other bosses too.
But fortunately, no one had yet collected all the Fragments of Order.
The reason was that no one had yet appeared who caught the Tower Master.
In the case of Richard Neville, it was enough if you had the skill to follow along after watching Seo Jun's broadcast.
There was also Weak Point Detection.
Drake, too, could be caught if you were highly skilled and went with the help of various items and skills.
'Of course, it's an extremely small number, but.'
Anyway, what mattered was that there were a few.
But the Tower Master was different.
People who obtained the Weak Point Detection skill had immediately challenged the Tower Master.
Solely in order to hurl lightning like Seo Jun.
And those who saw the grain of the lightning were shocked.
The area marked as the weak point was far too small.
Furthermore, the speed at which the lightning disappeared was too fast.
[Wait, how did Unknown Lord do it? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[An even more chilling fact: He didn't even use Weak Point Detection ㄷㄷ]
[His dynamic vision is at least on the level of a bird]
And even without aiming for the lightning grain, the difficulty was far too high.
As a result, the evaluations of Seo Jun rose day by day.
In any case, the conclusion was.
'So people aren't expecting me to catch the Queen right now.'
Since she had already been caught once by someone else.
What people really wanted was to collect all the Fragments of Order.
Seo Jun used Weak Point Detection to view the grain, then slashed the Queen's Mirror with his sword.
The Queen's Mirror was a glass sphere that reflected like a mirror, a special weapon the Queen used.
It was an orb-type weapon that moved freely through the air, reflecting attacks or utilizing built-in magic.
'They say the Queen's difficulty dropped drastically thanks to this Weak Point Detection.'
Clang!
The Queen's Mirror shattered and glass fragments scattered.
By a special power, the countless fragments were fixed in midair, obscuring Seo Jun's vision.
"How dare you touch my property!"
Through the mirror fragments, Seo Jun could see the Queen's arm being swung from the opposite side.
A dagger flew.
Squeezing through the glass debris, precisely aimed at Seo Jun.
The dagger reflected off the mirrors, multiplying like a phantom and scattering his gaze.
'But the real one is just one.'
And Seo Jun had never missed an enemy's attack during battle.
Clang!
The arrow-swift dagger was blocked by Seo Jun's dagger.
And in return, Seo Jun threw his dagger.
"Ah..."
The last remaining HP bar decreases.
The Queen let out a short, final breath and collapsed while staring at Seo Jun with vacant eyes.
- Clean ㄷㄷㄷ
- Truly a different class ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- One try. No damage, no skills. Crazy
- Now let's go!
"It's over."
A notification rang out.
[Queen Arietta has died.]
[You have obtained a Fragment of Order (4/4).]
[You have collected all Fragments of Order. The hidden scenario 'Choice' proceeds.]
As Seo Jun was reading the text, a crow flew over and landed softly on his shoulder.
A letter was hanging from the crow's leg.
"A messenger bird?"
When Seo Jun removed the paper from its leg, the crow flapped its wings noisily and flew off through the balcony.
He unfolded the rolled-up letter.
It was a message telling him to come somewhere as they would give him a reward.
"It's from the Branch Chief."
It seemed that going there would start the scenario.
- I waited a week to see this!
- Choice? What choice are they talking about?
- Please don't end the broadcast. Please don't end the broadcast. Please don't end the broadcast.
The location was the 4th floor of an abandoned factory in the southern outskirts of Alteon.
In fact, it was the edge of the in-game map.
"Then let's go, I suppose."
Just as when he had infiltrated, Seo Jun leisurely exited Alberk Palace, then headed to the marked location while looking at the map.
He had to pass through the 4th District where commoners lived and go further down.
- The host, who always abruptly ends the broadcast, is doing this?
- Yeah, strike while the iron is hot, they say!
- Phew. Almost started a riot.
When Seo Jun arrived at the marked location, a cutscene played.
"Why did you call me?"
Arthur, the branch chief of Alteon, appeared stealthily from behind a machine that had become scrap metal.
The distance from Seo Jun was quite far.
"Unknown. So you finally did away with the Queen."
"So?"
Arthur glared with wide-open eyes.
"Damn it. Didn't I tell you? If you catch her prematurely, the damage will only grow. The fanatics are coming."
Though Arthur was speaking politely, he couldn't completely hide the anger boiling inside him.
Arthur's hand was trembling with agitation.
"We requested backup too, but no reply has come yet. I told you to exercise restraint at least until then. Couldn't you even wait that long?"
Nevertheless, Seo Jun—no, the protagonist in the cutscene—remained calm and composed.
"That's your problem, not something I'm involved with. And if more of them come? Then I'll just catch that many more."
- Is this the host moving now, and not a cutscene? ㅋㅋㅋ
- He's so blunt ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Guessing it's because he chose that dialogue option when talking to Arthur last time.
- Oh dear...
"Right. You were never our brother. Never even took missions."
Arthur's trembling hand stopped.
And he smiled a benevolent smile as if he had never been upset.
"But Unknown, you are strong. So fascinating that even when you break free from my control and disrupt order, I cannot help it."
Control and order.
Words that should never have come from the mouth of the Assassination Squad.
At that moment, the protagonist sensed something strange and entered a battle stance.
Swish!
Arthur threw a dagger, and the protagonist dodged it before glaring at Arthur.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Heh. I knew this much wouldn't do it. As expected of the man who killed four of my comrades."
"Comrades? Don't tell me..."
The protagonist's face twisted into a frown.
“Yes, just as you guessed. I was in a cooperative relationship with the rulers of the Death Squad.”
- I said, it smelled fishy as hell.
- Wait, why the assassination guild branch leader?
- Is he the final boss?
- So this was the true ending. No wonder.
“The reason for the cooperation was just one. If we fought with the intent to wipe each other out, the outcome was obvious. Mutual destruction. But from the moment you arrived, Slaughterer of the West, this city’s balance was broken. So I thought—let’s use you to kill the other rulers and replace them with my own pawns.”
This explained why he couldn’t obtain the Fragment of Order by accepting missions.
The very act of accepting missions meant moving according to Arthur’s will, which conflicted with the conditions to trigger a hidden quest.
“But you acted on your own. That tangled the plan, and it took time to seize control of Alteon.”
Arthur grinned, holding a button in his hand.
“Still, you did eliminate them for me, so I express my gratitude. Now, goodbye.”
Arthur immediately took the stairs beside him and headed to the upper floor.
At that same moment, an explosion rang out from below.
A demon of flames surged, and floor after floor began to burst.
The protagonist was on the fourth floor.
Instead of following Arthur, he chose to hurl himself outside.
But because he jumped so hastily and from a height, he was injured upon landing and collapsed.
Arthur, now on the rooftop, laughed as he hurled a dagger at the protagonist, his smile brimming with confidence.
And the protagonist closed his eyes, certain he was about to die helplessly.
Seojun thought the same.
But from Seojun’s third-person perspective, a woman in a black silhouette appeared, deflected the dagger, and fled with the protagonist.
“Hmm. A traitor? Didn’t expect this, but a game of tag could be fun.”
Arthur’s attitude was leisurely.
After all, Alteon was already half his.
Arthur whistled, and a crow flew in.
He took the paper from the crow’s leg and wrote a letter.
[Mumyeong has betrayed us and joined the Death Squad. From now on, designate Mumyeong as the top-priority assassination target.]
The crow flew off, and the cutscene ended.
* * *
Huff, huff.
Seojun was currently carried on the back of someone gasping for breath.
Still no strength returned.
Then.
Ding.
A window appeared before his eyes.
Seeing it, Seojun’s eyes gleamed.
So it was like this?
“This could be a bit fun.”
- Whoa
- For real legendary lololol
- Hidden quest is insane
- Serves you right, users! Put yourselves in their shoes!
- Ah lol, the user re-education quest of all things went to the streamer who’s fucking good at it lolol
[Hidden Quest – Hunt]
[Alteon Branch Leader Arthur was a traitor.
To make matters worse, you’ve been designated as the top-priority assassination target.
From now on, all assassins under his command will come at you by any means necessary to eliminate you.
It is said that nowhere in Alteon escapes the eyes of assassins.
The only way to survive, perhaps…
is to stay vigilant, watching every shadow in the streets for the hidden blades of the assassination guild.
Quest Clear Condition: Survive one day against the assassination guild’s attacks.]