Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 102 – Guild War

Author: Cireng

Chapter 102 — Guild War — Dawn (3)

The overwhelming favorite to win the Guild War was, without question, the Ash Wolf Guild.

The second favorite was the Fire Turtle Guild, led by the “Unbreakable” Ruphrite.

However, experts on labyrinths all differed when it came to which guild deserved third place.

“I’ve been saying it all along… we should never have anything to do with those cowards.”

The Great Warrior Guild.

The majority of its members were Warrior-class explorers. While they lacked flexibility in party composition, in a straight-up fight, they would never lose to the Ash Wolf Guild.

“We weren’t thrilled about allying with you either. Muscle-headed idiots whose brains are made of muscle.”

The Nunun Bear Love Guild.

Although they had no exceptionally powerful members, every explorer in the guild possessed outstanding survivability.

The two guilds had completely opposite philosophies and had never gotten along very well.

“This works out perfectly, Vice Guild Master.”

The ox beastman swordsman of the Great Warrior Guild snorted angrily.

“Let’s wipe out those cowards while we’re at it!”

“Exactly!”

The pink-haired Berserker carrying tonfas enthusiastically agreed.

Vice Guild Master Born of the Great Warrior Guild first calmed down the two guild members.

“Not yet. If we fight each other now, only Yallen benefits.”

“Aww.”

Yallen rested both hands behind his head and smiled.

“Don’t mind me. Please continue fighting. Honestly, you’re all dying to eliminate one another, aren’t you?”

“…”

Whoosh.

Rael, the Woodland Elf Ranger of the Nunun Bear Love Guild, suddenly fired an arrow.

Yallen bent at the waist to avoid it.

The arrow abruptly changed direction in midair and flew toward the pink-haired Berserker.

Bang!

The Berserker of the Great Warrior Guild knocked it aside with her tonfa while gritting her teeth.

“Your hand slipped again?”

“My apologies. I injured my hand a little. Please forgive me after seeing my adorable charm!”

Here we go again.

“Seriously, cut the bullshit! I’ve had enough…!”

The Great Warrior Guild members looked toward Vice Guild Master Born, looking ready to charge at any moment.

‘…This is driving me insane.’

For a martial artist who relied on his body far more than his head, it was a truly troublesome situation.

The Nunun Bear Love Guild clearly had no intention of cooperating.

Meanwhile, Yallen was constantly searching for an opportunity to escape.

Just as Born found himself unable to decide what to do…

Rustle.

The tall grass stirred. Then four explorers emerged…

An Eastern Continent dwarf carrying a hammer, a gaunt lizardman, an owl beastman wielding a guandao, and a calm-looking human druid.

“Vice Guild Master. We’ve found Yallen.”

The lizardman holding a strange lump of flesh with an arrow embedded in it frowned.

“But there are explorers from other guilds here as well.”

“Oh? So everyone’s already gathered.”

The dwarf carrying the hammer stroked his beard and laughed.

“Even he showed up….”

“…Ah.”

Born, the martial artist and Rael the ranger both frowned simultaneously.

“Excellent! Let’s all work together and eliminate Yallen!”

Morudan Emberhammer.

Vice Guild Master of the White Jade Hand Guild.

Nicknamed “Crushing Hammer.”

Despite not belonging to a combat class but rather being a blacksmith, he was famous for strength surpassing most warriors and for his wealth of experience.

Besides his tremendous combat ability, there was one more noteworthy characteristic.

“Or… Would all of you prefer to have your skulls smashed beneath my hammer?”

Morudan found greater satisfaction in pounding people’s heads and monsters’ heads than ore.

Rumors even claimed his love of violence rivaled that of Brunelda, the “Rhino of the Northern Continent.”

“Why is no one answering?”

The human druid of the White Jade Hand Guild spoke coldly.

“Our Vice Guild Master asked you a question.”

“…”

Vice Guild Master Born answered calmly.

“Of course, we intended to cooperate. Didn’t we agree to maintain our alliance until every Ash Wolf Guild member had been eliminated?”

“Crushing Hammer,” Morudan alone was already troublesome.

There were also three additional White Jade Hand Guild members.

There was no need to provoke them.

Reaching the same conclusion, Rael and the human explorer from the Nunun Bear Love Guild nodded vigorously.

“…We think the same. We were already sitting in the trees so we could support everyone from the rear!”

“Hm! I see!”

Apparently satisfied, Morudan smiled while gripping the shaft of his massive warhammer with both hands.

“Good. I’m glad everyone understands.”

Then he faced Yallen and assumed a fighting stance.

“Well then. Come. Little Fox Yallen.”

“Haha. Me?”

Yallen answered with a cheerful smile.

“No way. I don’t want to get eliminated already.”

“Well, naturally. What explorer would willingly let a competitor defeat them?”

The White Jade Hand Guild members lined up behind their vice guild master.

Potion bottles. A guandao. Tree branches.

Each held a different weapon.

‘…Hm?’

Rael, who had been drawing his bowstring, narrowed his eyes.

The White Jade Hand Guild druid was quietly moving off to the side where the others wouldn’t notice.

Tap.

Rael lightly poked the explorer standing beside him and whispered,

“I don’t know what’s happening… but this is our chance.”

“Huh?”

He was about to explain… when Morudan suddenly shouted.

“Great Warrior Guild! Help us surround him from every direction! Nunun Bear Love Guild! Interrupt him whenever Yallen tries to use a tool or activate a Mystery!”

Having issued orders to everyone, the dwarf tightened his grip on his hammer and charged forward without hesitation.

Boom!

The ground sank beneath his feet.

“Uwahahaha!”

Morudan launched himself like a cannonball, violently swinging his hammer.

At the same time, the ox beastman swordsman of the Great Warrior Guild thundered forward and brought down his greatsword.

Clang!

Yallen blocked both the hammer and the greatsword with daggers held in each hand.

Then he split into two copies and fled in opposite directions.

The Thief-class Mystery, [Rabbit Division].

Yallen’s signature Mystery, whose details had already been leaked to everyone.

“Found you!”

The pink-haired Berserker of the Great Warrior Guild slammed her tonfa toward the dwarf fleeing to the right.

That one was the real body.

BOOOOM!

The tonfa exploded, blasting Yallen backward.

Waiting exactly where he’d be sent stood Born.

“The fist thrown thousands of times… shall reach the heavens.”

A straight punch wrapped in blue wind shot forward.

[Heaven-Piercing Strike].

Crash!

Glass-shattering sounds echoed as Yallen tumbled across the ground.

An artifact capable of nullifying a single fatal attack had activated, saving his life… but blood still burst from his mouth.

Even then, he immediately tried to use the long-range dagger technique [Leaping Rabbit]…

Whoosh!

But arrows and throwing knives flying from the trees forced him to drop both daggers.

“I suppose… this battle is a little disappointing now that all my information has been revealed.”

After staggering in place, Yallen suddenly tried to escape again… when sticky liquid rained down over his head.

A paralysis potion created by the White Jade Hand Guild’s lizardman alchemist.

Yallen’s nimble movements froze completely.

“[Rabbit Shadow Leap]. It’s an excellent and powerful Mystery… but once you understand its principles, it’s hardly difficult to deal with.”

“Uwahaha! Well done, Zrtal!”

Laughing heartily, Morudan approached his fellow Western Continent dwarf.

“The Little Fox’s reputation has certainly taken a beating. This is exactly why high-level explorers guard information about their Mysteries so carefully.”

“I never intended to reveal mine.”

“Then your guild simply failed to manage its information properly.”

“…”

Raising his hammer high overhead, Morudan swung toward Yallen’s defenseless little head.

Thunk!

“…Gh?”

Suddenly, an arrow flew in from nowhere and pierced Morudan’s shoulder, knocking his hammer off course.

Boom!

The hammer smashed harmlessly into the ground, throwing Morudan off balance.

Immediately afterward, ten throwing knives rained toward the staggering dwarf.

“…Vice Guild Master!”

The owl beastman of the White Jade Hand Guild rushed forward, swinging his guandao and knocking away every throwing knife.

His round eyes widened.

“Pointy-ear! What are you doing?!”

“You really have to ask?”

Rael calmly nocked another arrow.

“We were never on the same team. I’m simply eliminating enemies.”

Fssshhh!

A storm of arrows flew like the wind.

At the same time, his [Fresh Companion]… the Demon Cave Thorn Lotus… sprayed countless thorns.

“…Don’t deflect them! Take cover!”

At Born’s shout, the Great Warrior Guild and White Jade Hand Guild members simultaneously hid behind trees.

Only after the rain of arrows and thorns continued for quite some time did it finally stop.

“…Fine then. I’ll beat you down first!”

Unable to endure any longer, the pink-haired Berserker of the Great Warrior Guild leapt toward the tree branch where the Nunun Bear Love Guild members sat.

BOOM!

The tree exploded beneath her tonfa.

However, the Nunun Bear Love Guild members had already moved to another tree.

“Damn it! I don’t care anymore! You die too!”

The ox beastman swordsman of the Great Warrior Guild suddenly swung his greatsword toward the White Jade Hand Guild’s owl beastman.

Apparently, poison coated the arrowheads, as Morudan, behind him, still hadn’t fully recovered.

“No….”

Born let out a short sigh, then ultimately charged toward the White Jade Hand Guild’s lizardman alchemist.

Honestly, fighting allied explorers wasn’t a wise decision. But there was no other option anymore.

“…How dare you.”

The lizardman alchemist gulped down potion after potion.

A crimson aura enveloped his entire body.

[Physical Enhancement Potion].

A potion with an effect exactly as straightforward as its name suggests.

Born threw a punch, attempting to suppress him instantly… then his eyes widened.

“An alchemist… blocked this?”

“Human. You’ve underestimated the White Jade Hand Guild.”

Smiling coldly, the lizardman seized Born and slammed him into the ground.

Of course, a martial artist’s sturdy body wasn’t fazed by something like that, and he immediately got back up to continue fighting.

Crash.

Smash.

Boom.

Battles erupted everywhere simultaneously.

“Ugh!”

The human explorer from the Nunun Bear Love Guild was struck by a tonfa and sent flying.

“…Kgh.”

Despite putting up a fierce fight, the White Jade Hand Guild’s lizardman alchemist was punched through the abdomen, a gaping hole opening in his stomach before he collapsed.

The owl beastman knight and ox beastman swordsman remained locked in an even duel… but the moment Born joined in, the outcome was decided.

The severely wounded owl beastman collapsed onto the ground.

‘While everyone’s distracted…’

Yallen, still unable to escape the paralysis potion, desperately struggled to move.

Then…

FWOOOOOSH!

An enormous pillar of fire suddenly erupted.

The forest was engulfed in flames in an instant.

“…Huh?”

“What?”

The explorers, who had been fiercely attacking one another moments before, quickly distanced themselves.

“Good day.”

Then… a single explorer leisurely walked out of the flames.

“Golden Crow” Karr.

The cultist prodigy explorer who had recently risen to fame in District 6.

“If anyone here has ever wanted to experience being thoroughly roasted alive at least once in their life… please step this way.”

Fire was one of a vampire’s greatest weaknesses.

None of the explorers dared approach carelessly.

Meanwhile, Karr slowly walked toward Yallen.

“Are you alright, Vice Guild Master Yallen? I’ve come to rescue you.”

“…Everything hurts a little.”

“I’ll give you a stamina recovery potion. Please bear with it a little longer.”

Karr sat down, offering his back to the Western Continent dwarf.

“Climb on.”

“I still can’t move….”

Yallen suddenly froze mid-sentence.

Whoosh!

The ox beastman swordsman of the Great Warrior Guild, wearing flame-resistant robes, had silently approached and swung his greatsword at Karr.

“Oh my!”

The broad blade sliced through Kar’s chest… who threw both arms dramatically into the air in surprise.

“…Huh?”

Rather, it simply passed straight through his body.

Crunch!

A small hammer suddenly flew through the air, rushing the bewildered ox beastman’s large head.

“As I thought.”

The one who had launched the surprise attack… Morudan.

“Karr, cultist of Twisted Truth. You were an illusion. The one who has been traveling with our guild this whole time.”

“…”

Kar remained silent for a moment, then smiled and shrugged.

“Ehehe. How did you figure it out?”

“Honestly, it was an incredibly sophisticated illusion. If Teyrun hadn’t been a companion who’s traveled beside me for years… I would’ve never noticed that it couldn’t imitate even the tiniest habits.”

[Eye That Whispers Falsehoods] did not possess the same immense knowledge as its master.

Thus, it couldn’t perfectly imitate every minute detail of the original.

Even so, it was more than sufficient to fool ordinary explorers.

“Wow. As expected of a famous explorer!”

The illusory Kar grinned and struck a seductive pose.

“But you know one thing… and not the other.”

“…What?”

Fwoooooosh!

From within the flames that had erupted earlier, crimson fire exploded outward, rapidly spreading through the surroundings.

Flames raced across the ground. Scorching heat filled the area.

The wounded owl beastman of the White Jade Hand Guild, who had been lying helpless on the ground, was swallowed by the blazing fire.

“I’m not the arsonist who started this fire~”