Chapter 687 – Call It a Diversion Operation (1) #PART2

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Tap tap tap tap!
Nam Cheolmin’s fingers danced across the keyboard without pause.
The bell and vibration of his phone had been ringing noisily for a while now, but he paid it no mind.

“It’s not something that could be understood just by explaining it.”

With the Guild Master Nam Taemin currently absent,
all authority over Guild Gaon had been transferred to Vice Guild Master Nam Cheolmin.
To those unaware of the situation, it might look like an incompetent older brother causing a mess while his little brother was away.

“Guess this is why maintaining a good image matters, huh, Taemin?”

But Gaon’s preemptive surrender—and everything that would follow from now—
was nothing more than a process agreed upon by both Nam Taemin and Nam Cheolmin.
The voice of Taemin echoed in his mind.

-“The Supreme Commander made a move? Then we surrender immediately.”
-“…Immediately? Well, it doesn’t really matter since we were going to side with him anyway, but don’t you think we could’ve used the pretense of holding out for strategic leverage?”
-“There you go overthinking again, hyung.”

At the time, Cheolmin had thought, Wow, my little brother’s changed a lot too.

-“Do you really think the goal is just to become the Lord of Seoul?”
-“…What do you mean by that?”
-“You’ve never really looked at the Guild Master functions properly, have you?”

That was because Cheolmin had never vacated the position before.
With that, Nam Taemin had temporarily handed over the Guild Master seat to Nam Cheolmin.
Thanks to that, Cheolmin was able to see the guild master’s system window—and understand.

-“…There was a way like this?”

Back in the present—

“I’ve already contacted the AAU.”

Removing his hands from the keyboard, Nam Cheolmin stared at the message on the screen.

[Status: Neutral due to Surrender]

The core of this plan lay in that neutral status.

‘We can skip the dispute stage.’

In Arcana, when attempting to seize a guild’s base, there were generally two methods:
either a surprise attack without a declaration of war,
or following the proper procedures and formally declaring war before conquest.

Nam Cheolmin recalled—

“Those idiots who ambushed Shining without even knowing that…”

Dmitri’s death. Jesse’s withdrawal. Lox’s disappearance.
To other players, Shining looked like easy prey.
With only Camilla left to lead the guild, they assumed she couldn’t manage on her own and ambushed the Shining Guild base. There were quite a few who joined in.

Knowing how terrifying Camilla could be, Nam Cheolmin clicked his tongue.

“They’ve probably trashed their reputations completely.”

In the Arcana Continent’s fame system, [Reputation] became increasingly important as you leveled up.
Now that the Arcana Continent was accessible again?
If your reputation hit rock bottom, no one would want to talk to you, no matter how high your level.

Therefore—

‘A formal declaration of war is essential if you want to seize a base.’

If you go through the proper declaration procedure, you can preserve your reputation—even if you lose.
And if you surrender early when defeat is inevitable, you can also save your life.

The problem, of course, is that it draws a lot of attention.
After all, no guild would just sit back and let someone take their base after a declaration of war.

“But if you enter a neutral state…”

You become nothing more than prey.
You can skip the procedure, and even if you lose, you don’t take any penalties to your reputation.

Having experienced all kinds of people and schemes in the real world,
Nam Cheolmin was confident when he said:

“Everyone will think their chance has come and pounce.”

Just look at the way governments around the world are spinning public opinion.
The value of Seoul is immeasurable.

“Especially with how things are now.”

The Magic Tower and its portal were shut down.
Even the Holy War Alliance had splintered into hardliners and moderates.

To external forces not affiliated with the Holy War Alliance,
a guild base in a neutral state must seem like a feast too tempting to resist.
Nam Taemin had seen that from the start.

-“In short, we’re the bait.”
-“And what exactly are we trying to lure?”
-“What else? Every single one of those dishonorable bastards.”

…Dishonorable bastards?

Back then, Cheolmin had simply thought, Wow, he’s really inspired by the Commander’s Lord of Seoul declaration.

But now, with the current situation unfolding, was there any clearer explanation than that?

Nam Cheolmin wasn’t overlooking it.

“Watching closely, are you… you demon bastards?”

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The Demon King of the Second Throne.

“Counting order has no meaning anymore.”

With even Marbas’s malice gone without a trace, only two of the Ten Thrones remained: Agares and Vasago. At Agares’s words, Vasago bowed his head.

“Agares, I shall forever follow behind you.”

The white-haired old man. Despite his appearance, Vasago was unlike Marbas or Valefor. Agares regarded him with interest.

‘It’s been a long time since he gave up his Authority.’

To build a kingdom in the world of adventurers.
He poured his recovered Authority—gained from negative emotions—directly into that cause. It demanded an immense amount of power. And Vasago, being just one tier below himself, was capable of it.

‘He must’ve also freed himself from the influence of my Word.’

And yet Vasago continued to bow to him. Agares couldn’t tell what his true intentions were—but it no longer mattered.

‘I’ve established my kingdom.’

It couldn’t compare to the Demon World, where infinite Authority could be accumulated, but at least for now, he didn’t need to worry about lacking a vessel. Was he worried about filling the vessel?

‘Of course not.’

This world was never without incident.
Even just now, hadn’t there been news that the Magic Tower had fallen to someone?

The Magic Tower, believed to be an unshakable ivory tower, had lost. That news alone was enough to flood the world with negative emotions.

Agares opened his mouth.

“Vasago, I am grateful to you.”
“Please, say no such thing, Lord Agares.”
“Then speak freely. What is it you desire?”

Their gazes met in midair.
The world of adventurers—both had remained in reality and grown accustomed to its rules.

Upon hearing that the Magic Tower had fallen, they’d naturally realized it.

That Arcana Continent and the real world had been severed.

Which meant that even the silver Evil Eye that devoured all negative emotions might not remain unaffected.

‘If only you were gone, everything would be mine.’

A killing intent surged from Agares.
And as if resonating with that killing intent, his domain began to tremble.

Yet the response he received was puzzling.

“Lord Agares, as I’ve said, I have no intention of opposing you.”

Vasago, whom Agares believed would surely reveal his true colors, still bowed his head, averting his gaze. Agares fell silent at Vasago’s next words.

“Foolish as it may sound, I’ve realized something: no matter how much one struggles, it’s nearly impossible to survive alone. So please, I beg your mercy.”

A deep and respectful bow.

‘I do not trust you.’

Even so, Agares didn’t take Vasago’s life. The reason was simple.
Unlike himself, who had almost fully regained his Authority, Vasago’s power remained pitifully thin.

Agares made that point clear.

“I could devour you at any moment.”
“Even if I left your side, nothing would change.”
“Is that so?”

He could’ve left it at that. But Agares was the master of words. He chose instead to reinforce their positions with language.

“Then prove your worth to me.”

Vasago spoke without raising his head.

“I’ve been keeping this in mind. Something I learned while possessing an adventurer and carrying out the mission you gave me. Lord Agares, how much do you truly know about the ‘Land of Anomaly,’ Seoul?”

As he spoke—

“If you were to take Seoul for yourself—”
“If I were to?”

“You may be able to surpass Lee Hoyeol. And perhaps…”

A demonic grin curled at Vasago’s lips.

“…even Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo himself.”
“……!”