畅想听吧

Chapter 128: Collision (3)

Vulture and the Black Bee party members tilted their heads in confusion as a person they never expected to meet here had emerged from behind the trees.

“... I thought I taught you a good lesson, but it seems the problem lies with the student’s head,” Vulture let out a dry laugh, tapping his temple as he stared at the player before him, Furima.

It was the same person he had attacked just thirty minutes earlier at the Elven Forest base camp. Of course, there was no personal grudge against him.

It was just to set an example. After all, everyone there had trespassed into the western region.

Vulture had destroyed the Furima party to warn other players to stay out of the western region, which he claimed as Black Bee territory.

Master is always right. His teachings say that humans are ruled by fear.

Of course, the players wouldn’t genuinely be terrified of the Black Bee guild. This was just a game, after all.

But specifically because it’s a game, there are things that can be even more frightening.

Once players became attached to things like equipment bought with hard-earned money, or characters meticulously leveled up with their precious time, they wouldn’t dare challenge one of the top ten guilds in the world because they had the power to take all of these away from them.

“Well, I have to give you credit for having the courage to come back... Huh?”

Vulture slightly furrowed his brows and began to look around slowly.

One, two, three, four...

People who had been hiding behind the trees started to come out one by one.

“So, it’s not just the Furima party?”

“... Thirty-one, thirty-two.”

“With that many, it’s almost everyone who was at the base camp earlier.”

“Have they all gone mad?”

“We told you this is Black Bee Guild territory!”

The Black Bee party members shouted to intimidate them, but the players didn’t back down. Instead, they prepared for the upcoming battle to take place with determined expressions.

“...This is troublesome.”

Unlike those who hadn’t grasped the situation yet, Vulture’s expression hardened.

***

Thirty minutes earlier, Kai, who was heading west in the Elven Forest, suddenly stopped.

... Is it really right for me to deal with everything myself?

The reason for this sudden thought was an experience he had gone through before.

Was it back in third year of middle school?

Back then, one of his classmates started being bullied, and naturally, Kai didn’t just stand by and watch.

I reported it to the teacher and warned the bullies myself.

He had told them to stop. He already reported it to the teacher, and if the bullying continued, he would report it to the police. Young as he was, he thought that would solve everything. However, that was a mistake.

The bullying only became more frequent, severe, and cunning. Within a few weeks, the bullied friend had transferred to another school.

When Kai, bewildered, asked why, he was told everything.

Since I reported it, he got bullied even after school.

Kai\'s assistance had come from goodwill, but the result wasn’t as favorable.

That was why Kai hesitated to act now.

Eventually, Kai\'s grip on his sword hilt relaxed.

“Even if I take down those Black Bee guys now, nothing will change.”

A clash between Unknown and Black Bee was an intriguing topic. They had fought during the Orc Lord expedition, so there was bound to be intense interest in this conflict.

Players who loved gossip would also undoubtedly watch it closely.

But I want to change something more fundamental.

Fighting Black Bee under the guise of Unknown wouldn’t change the core issue. To the public, it would just appear as another round in the ongoing rivalry between Black Bee and Unknown.

So, what’s the solution?

Kai’s mind began to race.

If I handle this poorly, this incident will just get swept under the rug.

The top ten guilds in the world constantly fought each other, considering themselves rivals. However, there was one moment when they united.

When their interests align, or when their share of the pie seems to be shrinking.

Controlling hunting grounds and exerting dominance wasn’t unique to Black Bee. Any large, powerful guild did the same.

In other words, if he attacked Black Bee’s bullying clumsily, he’d have to deal with all top ten guilds. And that fight would be quite challenging.

Let\'s use the media.

They would fight in the way they were best at and enjoyed the most.

Let’s think long-term.

Kai closed his eyes and stroked his chin.

Punishing Vulture’s party right now wasn’t the solution. He had to consider the subsequent actions of Black Bee and the other top ten guilds. And only after calculating everything should he act.

Thinking that far, Kai smirked.

I’ve matured a lot.

In high school, he would have rushed in, punishing them without thinking of the consequences. Then, he would have tasted the bitterness of the world and nursed his anger alone.

But now, things are different.

Good judgment came from experience, and experience often came from mistakes. He had already had a similar experience in middle school.

So now, it’s time to show good judgment.

With his eyes shining, Kai moved forward.

***

Kai returned to the Elven Forest base camp. He kept the hood of his Cleric robe pulled down, just as when he left.

“Hey, Furima. It seems you guys won’t be able to hunt anymore today. How about taking a break? If you need any quest items, just let us know. Our party can spare some.”

“Can you really think about hunting after what happened? We’ll help out, so just rest today.”

They’re all so kind.

Players surrounding the Furima party were offering words of comfort.

In the midst of this, a player spotted Kai.

“Oh, that’s the Cleric who healed your party earlier.”

Hearing this, Furima immediately led his party over to Kai. “Thank you for healing us. We should have thanked you sooner...”

“We were so angry earlier... we weren’t in the right headspace. Sorry for the late thanks.”

“Although it’s not much, as a token of our gratitude, we can offer some treevago materials...”

“No need for thanks. Can I ask you something instead?”

“... Sure, if it’s something we can answer, we’ll do our best.”

As Furima blinked and responded, Kai asked directly, “If the same thing happens again, what will you do then?”

“Well...”

Furima couldn’t bring himself to answer. He knew that if the same situation repeated, they would likely do nothing just like today.

"You don’t need to answer that." Kai turned away from Furima, who was biting his lower lip, and looked around at the other players.

These are good people.

That’s why they took time out of their schedules to help and console the Furima party.

They probably don’t want to see the Furima party get hurt.

They likely wished for them to continue loving the game and enjoy the campfire chats together.

Sure, they’re kind, but...

Kind words and advice alone couldn’t solve anything.

It’s like giving unsolicited advice.

Taking a step back to offer advice and hand out a handkerchief was all they could do, but comfort and advice alone couldn’t solve the problem.

But acting recklessly alone won’t solve it either.

Drawing from his experiences and those of others, he needed to come up with the closest thing to a correct action.

Kai looked around and asked, “Are you all afraid of the Black Bee guild?”

“Well... yeah.”

“If they wanted to, they could torment small parties like ours until we go mad.”

“They have skill, funds, manpower, and influence. It’s impossible not to be afraid.”

Realizing the power of Black Bee guild once more, the players’ faces darkened.

“So, are you saying you’ll keep living in fear?”

Kai’s voice was firm. Perhaps due to his high Dignity stat, his voice was full of persuasion and charisma.

“The first time doing anything is always hard. Think about it. It’s always like that. But from the second time, it becomes easier, and by the third time, you can do it as naturally as breathing. Is it any different with Black Bee?”

“Huh?”

At first, the players didn’t understand what Kai was saying, but soon their eyes began to sparkle. They had bowed their heads to the Black Bee guild, but every player present was over level 200.

Basically, you can’t reach level 200 without a brain at this stage.

They needed the ability to figure out efficient hunting routes, the best skills and equipment sets, and analyze monster weaknesses and patterns on their own. Therefore, there was no way they couldn\'t understand such pointed words.

“All it takes is one act of courage. If enough people take that courage, we can stop Black Bee’s tyranny.”

“But we lack the power and levels compared to Black Bee.”

“Black Bee recruits only the most skilled Wizards. The gap in skill and talent is huge.”

“In the end, our resistance would be meaningless.”

“Meaningless? Who says that?” Kai asked back.

Kai had once thought similarly after his middle school friend transferred due to bullying.

Was it right for me to help him? If I had just stayed quiet, the bullying might not have escalated, and he wouldn’t have transferred.

However, those regrets vanished after he read the letter his friend sent a few days later.

Recalling that time, Kai said with certainty, “It’s okay if we don’t have the power to change everything. Our feelings will still be conveyed.”

Knowing someone cared and supported one was a great pillar for those facing injustice.

“Don’t you think so?”

“I-I...” Furima, taken aback by Kai’s question, quietly lowered his head.

The other players, seeing this, remained silent, each lost in their thoughts.

“Of course, that’s not all. It will also be a stern warning to Black Bee.”

The saying that even a worm will turn[1] would definitely hit home.

Kai looked around the now solemn crowd and shouted, "Let me be clear, do not be relieved just because you weren\'t the victim this time. If we don\'t stop Black Bee now, they will continue to repeat the same actions until this game ends. If we don\'t act now, who will stand against an even stronger Black Bee? By then..."

There would be no one left to stand up for them.

Kai swallowed the last words, but the players understood the meaning without them being said.

“So, what will you do now?” Kai asked the question with an answer predetermined from the start.

***

Normally, one couldn’t block ten others with one hand. Of course, in MID Online, there were monsters who completely defied this saying with their overwhelming skills. However, Vulture was not yet one of those monsters.

There’s too many of them...!

There were thirty-two enemies. He was confident he could fight off two, or maybe even three alone. However, eight opponents clinging to him was an impossible challenge.

Boom!

“Argh!”

As Aero Boom exploded in front of him, Vulture’s body was thrown backward.

“Ugh...”

Vulture, scratching the leaves and dirt with his fingernails, staggered to his feet. His bloodshot eyes quickly scanned the battlefield as if searching for someone. In his mind, the players couldn\'t have organized this on their own.

There’s a leader behind this damn mess. It must be one of two possibilities.

One was a ranker from another top ten guild, but this possibility was very unlikely.

No sane person would do something that cuts into their own flesh like this.

So that left only one option.

“...Under.”

The so-called celestial guilds, the Overs,[2] naturally consisted of the top ten guilds.

If so, what about the guilds below them?

Are those who were lying low starting to rise now?!

While the world\'s attention was on the top ten guilds, Under had been quietly waiting beneath the calm surface. And they waited for one of the top ten guilds to self-destruct or show a weakness.

And at this moment...

“Kugh!”

“You Black Bee bastards. Among the top ten guilds, you’ve been the worst.”

"Who put us up to this? No one. We made our own decisions and acted on our own."

"But from this moment on, let it be clearly declared that the Elven Forest hunting ground is not controlled by anyone!"

A small crack had formed in the seemingly unbreakable fortress of Black Bee.

1. Even a worm will turn: even a meek person will retaliate if pushed too far ☜

2. Over and Under were written in English in the Korean raws, so we have kept it as so ☜