C205
"I don't know if it will be to your liking."
A steaming cup of tea was placed on a square wooden table.
The cup contained green tea.
"I'll enjoy it."
"Shall I serve you some cookies too? I made them myself..."
"No, it's fine!" Jenna replied hastily and drank the green tea in one gulp.
Belkist sat with his arms crossed on the chair, his eyes closed.
"It's been a while since we've had visitors from other places. I always saw the same people, but today I feel renewed."
The young man displayed a carefree smile.
He wore loose clothes and old glasses. He didn't carry any dagger on his body.
He was completely unarmed.
'What is this place?'
Just as we arrived at the port of the ruins, a friendly-looking young man came to greet us.
He wanted to host us as guests.
We followed the young man to a villa on the outskirts of the island of ruins.
Although we thought it might be a trap, there didn't seem to be any ambushes or attacks in sight. It was literally a welcome.
"What do we do? It seems like these people have no intention of fighting." Jenna whispered to me with a puzzled expression.
I couldn't help but sigh. I wanted to shout at that guy to hand over all the items...
'I don't know what he's up to.'
If they attacked, we could easily counterattack.
But initiating an attack ourselves without the Master was a difficult decision.
Especially against a beginner player.
"Better to wait."
"Until the Master arrives?"
"Yes."
If we dispose of these guys, Anything will get a bad reputation.
It would be like indiscriminately massacring 'herbivore' beginner players. If we're unlucky, some strange justice-obsessed Master could start stalking us. It had happened to me before.
"You carry a sword."
The young man, who had been sitting silently, began to speak.
I looked at his face. His expression didn't change.
He just smiled softly.
"But why?"
"Did you come to take control of this place?"
There was no need to pretend.
I nodded my head up and down.
Still, the young man's expression didn't change.
"You need resources, not a fight, right?"
I frowned.
He was insightful.
After all.
If we had shown signs of attack, we wouldn't have come here.
As peaceful as the field might be, force couldn't be dispensed with.
Somewhere around here, there must also be forces prepared to defend themselves from external enemies.
"Yes, we have an important mission ahead. There are many monsters... you'll understand. We need the resources of this place to increase our group."
Jenna began to speak sincerely.
The young man nodded.
"If it were my Master, he would listen to the guests' request. We are sharing all the items that can be shared. If you explain the situation to him, he will fully accept it."
I laughed ironically.
Incredible, really.
We were led to the guest room on the second floor of the villa.
There we would wait until Anything logged in and made a decision.
"But brother, don't we need a lot of resources? Even if they share with us, it will be less than monopolizing them. I don't think it will be enough."
"I suppose. They said there are 24 Masters here."
"This is frustrating." Belkist bit his lip, clearly anxious.
We were expecting a fight, but this has been it so far.
I remembered what the young man had said.
His name was Adilang Curls.
A scholar from the continent of Radelsi.
His Master, Seachorom, was originally a mission-focused strategist, but after reaching floor 44, he suddenly changed his focus to a peaceful one. He was decorating the Lobby, raising heroes, and forming a guild to socialize with like-minded players.
"It seems they're not completely defenseless. I felt a presence."
As a Rogue, Jenna had a sharper perception than me.
I looked at the sword sheathed tightly on my belt.
'Did we come here in a group of five for this?'
According to reports, this place was originally occupied by players with PvP tendencies.
However, the guild leader was carrying out a 'colonial-style operation' by increasing his troops based on resources from this place and then executing tyranny by collecting taxes from other Masters. All the Masters of the Silver Star Guild, including Seachorom, who were being oppressed by him, gathered their forces and waged a liberation war.
And after winning the war, the Silver Star Guild began accepting new members and sharing the resources of the ruins to avoid repeating the atrocities of that bastard.
Wow, what a touching story.
'They're not completely herbivores, after all.'
Of course.
I looked out the window.
A huge crystal several meters high stood over the plain.
[Welcome to Pick Me Up!]
Night came, and Anything logged in.
[Loading complete.]
[TOUCH! (Select)]
Upon entering the main screen, the deployment completed window appeared along with a selection window.
[Ding!]
[Master, deployment has finished.]
[Do you wish to view the results?]
[Yes (Select) / No]
Anything's screen showed a panoramic view of the island.
It was the field of ruins.
Of course, the heroes of the Silver Star Guild were there, peacefully extracting resources.
They were felling rare trees, hunting animals, and mining minerals.
Anything silently watched that scene for a while.
[Master, you can give attack orders to the heroes.]
[The heroes will start conquering the ruins immediately! Do you wish to give the attack order?]
[Yes / No (Select)]
Sigh.
I sighed.
I knew this would happen.
Anything declined the attack.
If he had PvP inclinations, he would have tried looting long ago.
[Master, a chat has been detected on an unidentified channel.]
[Do you wish to view it?]
[Yes (Select) / No]
Then, the chat connection was established.
[Channel 75-219]
Seachorom: Is that you, Anything?
Seachorom: I'm Seachorom, the leader of the Silver Star Guild ^^
Seachorom: I've seen you brought heroes to our ruins, do you need resources?
Anything typed on the virtual keyboard.
He needed resources for a mission.
Seachorom: I've confirmed you're in this sector! If some conditions are met, we can share them!
Seachorom: If you're looking for strategies, you'll soon reach floor 50. You can stay and go your way, but I'd like you to join our guild. I like chatting with everyone. ^^
Seachorom: If you do this for us, I'll be willing to yield!
'Is this guy naive?'
Seachorom: Most PvP players attack immediately, but you're still. I confirmed you're a strategist! I've got a good eye! >_<
Anything typed again.
He didn't need a bit of resources. He needed them in abundance.
Anything added a condition.
If they yield, he'll pay the debt after surpassing floor 50.
Seachorom: It seems you need quite a lot. ㅠ.ㅠ
Seachorom: No problem! I'll talk to the members of my guild. They're all generous and kind.
Seachorom: Only, there are people who have already reserved. When your turn comes, it will be possible!
[The leader of the Silver Star Guild, 'Seachorom', has invited you to the guild! Do you accept?]
[Tips/ Joining a guild with players of similar mindsets can make your gaming experience more enjoyable.]
Things were going easier than expected.
If they were willing to yield the necessary amount, there was no need to fight.
[Yes (Select) / No]
After a brief hesitation, Anything made a decision.
[Welcome to the casual players' paradise full of healing and floral scent!]
[Welcome to the Silver Star Guild!]
[Currently logged-in users – 17]
[The guild tab has been added to your menu.]
[You can check the guild's status by clicking on the icon.]
[Now you can participate in the guild chat.]
[Use the help section for more information on the functions.]
Anything joined the Silver Star Guild.
[Guild Channel]
Anything: Hi! Even though I'm a temporary member, please take care of me.
Seachorom: It's the new member Anything! Thanks everyone for the welcome~
Nurha: Nice to meet you!
MeowWoof: Hi there, please take care of me~
BlueRose: Welcome.
Since we've come this far, there's no need to keep watching.
I finished drinking my tea.
"Wow, this is..."
Jenna and Belkist were staring into space.
They too were beginning to see the situation.
They had been steadily increasing their level of investigation.
Clack.
The door to the room opened and Adilang walked in.
With a radiant smile.
"Welcome to the family!"
"..."
"It's still a bit awkward. But well, with time..."
"We can't stay long."
"I see. Well, okay then. Please, make yourselves comfortable."
Adilang left a tray with three sandwiches and milk in front of us, then bid farewell and left.
It seems he wanted to offer us a decent meal.
Jenna alternately looked at Belkist and me.
"We don't have to fight... right?"
"We have to wait and see. Who knows if they'll try to attack by surprise?"
"If they wanted to attack, they would have already, right? I think we can trust them. Not everyone is bad."
"Family? What a joke." Belkist let out a mocking laugh.
I sighed.
"They know already, it seems the Master has made a decision."
"Is it a compromise?"
"No, let's say it's a good deed. There's no need to kill without reason."
"Well, it's better not to fight. If we need time, we'll wait and take it."
According to the chat between Anything and Seachorom, it seems there's an order for the distribution of items from the ruins.
Of course, Anything was the last to arrive, so he was at the end of the line. The resources extracted from the ruins regenerate in days, so in real time, we'd have to wait at least a month.
A month of waiting.
"Is that your choice?"
I decided not to give any opinion.
Adilang offered to provide us with a place to stay.
In the meantime, we would train on the outskirts of the ruins.
Even with the allocation of resources, it wouldn't be enough.
To increase the number of heroes to hundreds and produce aircraft, we would need to take all the resources from the ruins.
It seems there will be difficulties on the 50th floor.
"..."
The next morning.
I was drinking tea downstairs in the villa.
Outside, the heroes were gathering.
'We don't need that.'
They're materials that can be obtained in Daily Dungeons.
Rare items could only be found in the crystals there.
Slurp.
I drank half of my green tea and looked forward.
Adilang was having a meeting with a middle-aged man at the counter.
"It's our turn this time. I'd appreciate it if you could check the logbook."
"Yes, it's confirmed."
Bang!
The door slammed open and someone entered.
"Adil!"
A woman with dark skin and blue hair tied up in a bun entered.
She carried a sword hanging from her well-formed waist.
"We need to get some concessions this time."
Armed men streamed in behind her.
"What? You already got your share last time!"
"The Master says he needs it."
"Listen, we've waited three months..."
"Old man, shut up for a moment."
The woman leaned her arm on the counter.
"You know it. We, the Silver Star Self-Defense Squadron, are the ones who keep the peace here. If we weaken and enemies invade, what will we do? There were 24 Masters, now 25? We can't let those people end up on the streets. Isn't that right, weakling?"
"That's..."
"Your turn will come soon. We just need to yield once."
"...Fine."
The middle-aged man lowered his head.
"Then the concession is given to us. Let it be our turn this time. Put a seal on the logbook. Understand?"
"You..."
"I hope you haven't forgotten who shed more blood during the liberation war. While we fought and bled, your people were just sucking their thumbs behind us. And now..."
The woman's lips moved slightly.
She wasn't speaking loudly, but I could understand her.
'Parasites.'
I emptied my tea cup.
The middle-aged man's shoulders slumped.
"I know we didn't do anything... we'll just wait our turn."
The man left the villa.
The woman smirked, handed the logbook to Adilang, and squinted.
"Until next time!"
As the woman headed for the door, her gaze turned towards our table.
"Oh, that man is..."
"The new family member I told you about yesterday."
"Family? What a joke."
"Watch your language!"
"Pff. I don't care. I'm not interested anyway... huh?"
The woman blinked as she looked at me.
"That man seems familiar. Was it in the Dimensional City? Well, must be a mistake."
The woman and her group quickly left the villa.
Adilang looked at me with a bitter expression.
"I'm sorry. They didn't used to be like this..."
"Have they changed, then?"
"Yes. But without them, we couldn't protect these ruins. They're grateful people."
'Grateful people, huh.'
I smiled ironically.
Yeah, there's no way it'll work.
Why do you think a communist society failed?
