Chapter 114: The Deal

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The level of [Staff Mastery] skill has increased.

Newly learned the martial technique “Five Slashes” of [Scythe Mastery].

The level of [Advanced Magic Control] skill has increased.

The level of [Void Magic] skill has increased.

Newly learned “Break Object” spell.

The level of [Summoning Magic] skill has increased.

Newly learned “three-stage evolution” and “familiar summoning” spells.

The level of [Enchantment] skill has increased.

Newly learned “Overboost” spell.

The level of [Magic Circle] skill has increased.

Newly learned “Great magic circle” spell.

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The battle with Usuba had no clear resolution, so my race and job levels remained the same. However, due to the intensity of the battle, I gained a wealth of experience points in terms of skills.

Although I had acquired various new spells, I decided to postpone further examination. For now, I needed to organize my thoughts regarding the members of the “Persona” guild with whom I was currently working.

The PK guild, known as “Persona” lived up to its name; each member wore a distinctive mask. Their attire, while slightly varied, was mostly uniform, indicating their strong unity.

Their goal was simple: to seek out powerful opponents, engage in combat, and revel in the thrill of killing and plundering. That was it. What they held in the highest regard was the strength of their prey. They always targeted those in the top vanguard players, and more so, they struck when their victims were at their prime, right before entering the hunting grounds. And they did it alone.

Of course, their success rate in these attacks was far from guaranteed, and they employed ambushes and the use of poisons or any means necessary to carry out their killings. However, what set them apart was their motto, “Kill or be killed”. They would never stop fighting until their dying breath. In a way, they were even more deranged than the likes of Jigoro and Genjuro.

Although their guild was said to be the smallest in terms of members among PK guilds, they were simultaneously the most powerful. Consequently, the guild attracted a substantial number of applicants in the area, but the requirements were exceptionally stringent. It involved a solo conquest of the “Trial of the Azure Moon”.

When I first heard about it, my eyes widened in disbelief. A solo conquest of the “Trial of the Azure Moon”? I had experienced it myself, and it was a brutal battle that required using all the spells I had learned just to win. It was the first time I genuinely faced the brink of death, and I didn’t have much confidence in winning if I had to do it again.

Six people had managed to traverse that perilous path; Jigoro and I had cleared the conditions, and Genjuro could probably manage it if he attempted. However, the production-based Iris was, unsurprisingly, a questionable fit for the task, and Ruby and Shio, well, they were a bit uncertain. Though, come to think of it, Shio might pull it off? After all, she was a pro VRS player.

But leaving that aside, in essence, the total strength of their guild might even be higher than ours, the Night Walkers. Well, we had the wild card named Karl, so it’s hard to say.

“…This is our current hideout.”

The place we were guided to was a hole dug into the ground, and it resembled the lair of some kind of monster. How did I know? Well, the name said it all—it was called “Monster’s Lair Ruins”, after all!

It appeared to be their initial location. We were led down into it by five guild members other than Usuba. Usuba, who was the leader, had something to attend to and said, “I’ll be back after calming my nerves,” before disappearing somewhere. He had a similar vibe to Jigoro in some way.

“…I think the boss will be back soon. Just hang tight.”

“Alright, we will wait.”

We settled in a circle deep within the hole, waiting for him to return. It was then that Seventh Armor and Moth-san, who had been silent up to this point, finally spoke up.

“Hey, Isam-san. You’re pretty damn strong, aren’t you?”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to be this strong.”

It seemed their impression of the battle between Usuba and me was just that. They had seen a glimpse of my magic, but those spells and skills could all be acquired if one put in the effort. It couldn’t truly represent “my” individual abilities.

However, that duel, the one-on-one combat, did showcase my true strength. I was the one shaping the flow of the battle, making decisions on when to use magic and which spells to employ. Seventh Armor might find the way I used [Summoning Magic] informative, and Moth-san might have picked up some tips for close combat.

“Can we become as good as that?”

Sei asked while looking our way. So I gave an honest reply.

“You can. If you have someone to push and challenge you.”

All of my skills were the result of Jigoro and Genjuro’s Spartan training. And I had been thinking for a while about what I would do if I were to fight with all my might, involving magic with those two. Thanks to that, I was able to match a player who could be said to be a top-tier PK.

“I see… In that case, Isam-san, would you consider letting us join your guild?”

“That fight just now…I want to be able to fight like that!”

“Me too!”

Ooh, I can’t believe that these guys feel that way. It seems the battle with Usuba wasn’t in vain.

“For me personally, I welcome your joining. The other guild members will probably be fine with it too, but… I can’t make this decision on my own. I need to consult my companions. So, please, let’s put it on hold until after the event.”

“Ah, I see. That’s fair. We’ll wait.”

“Agreed.”

“Yeah, understood.”

All three of them were quite understanding. While Seventh Armor and Moth-san seemed like responsible adults, I was a bit surprised to find that Sei, who appeared like a student, shared the same sentiment. Kids these days are quite smart.

“I’ve been curious about something for a while now. Aren’t you all from the same guild?”

The man with the second-largest build in the “Persona” guild, wearing a lion mask, asked. To that, I nodded my head.

“Not yet. In fact, except for me, all the members gathered for this operation are guildless, aside from you guys.”

“Seriously?”

“Hey, hey big brother, it’s actually the minority of monster players who form guilds. This country is tough on monsters, you know.”

The fundamental reason for this was that they didn’t allow monsters into cities and towns. As they couldn’t visit guilds or places where humans naturally gathered, their opportunities for encounters were inherently limited.

“Hmm~. But you seem pretty confident about your plan, don’t you?”

The one who asked that question was a woman wearing a mask adorned with a heart symbol. I couldn’t see her face, but judging by her voice, her age was probably similar to mine, perhaps?

“Yeah, I have a fair chance of success. However, at first, I was planning to put my life at stake. If you all join in, the success rate should skyrocket.”

“What’s that~ it’s so funny~.”

“Y-you seem quite the character.”

In contrast to the woman, for whom I was uncertain whether she truly found the situation funny, there was a young boy wearing a fox mask who appeared slightly taken aback. Somehow, he seemed to be the rational one in the “Persona” guild.

“…”

And then there was this giant, silent man wearing a pro-wrestler-like mask…or rather, he was a silent giant wearing a mask. It appeared that he was also a part of the “Persona” guild.

“But seriously, it’s amazing to have a mage who can get the boss that hyped up. The world is vast.”

“There are quite a lot of magic warrior players, and some of them are pretty strong too.”

“True that~. But this guy here, his combat skills are seriously lacking in variety. Definitely going for a pure mage job build~.”

What the woman with the heart mask was talking about was the topic of combat skills that required specific jobs specializing in certain weapons, such as Swordsman or Spearman, to be proficient in [Sword Mastery] and [Spear Mastery].

Pure swordsmen or spearmen had combat skills solely focused on physical attacks, while magic warriors could incorporate magical damage into their combat skills. I had a lot of useful martial techniques, but I fought without using any of them, which led her to assume that I didn’t have a magic warrior job.

Even though they hadn’t been watching my battle from start to finish, they seemed to have deduced my “job” just by observing my fighting style. This was why I couldn’t go all out against other players. Let’s not reveal the fact that I had a job related to priests.

“By the way, Isam-san, how many magic skills do you actually have? I mean, I don’t want to pry or anything.”

“I’ll refrain from giving a precise number, but let’s just say I probably have the most extensive repertoire of magic skills among all the players.”

Regardless of what everyone here thought about my words, I suspected that my assumption was likely accurate. As far as the currently known magic skills were concerned, the only ones I couldn’t use were [Healing Magic] and [Exploration Magic]. I believed there were likely hidden elements yet to be discovered, but at this point, I didn’t think it was mere arrogance to consider myself the most proficient.

“Hoho, that’s interesting.”

Oh my! Isn’t that Usuba? When did he return?

“…Try not to sneak up on me. It’s not good for my heart,” I said.

“Oh? Do you actually have a heart?”

That’s not what I meant! Yelling would probably just lead to more teasing, so I’d better get to the point.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s go ahead and explain the outline of our plan. If anyone has any concerns, feel free to voice them.”

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In conclusion, I could say that I succeeded in enlisting the cooperation of the “Persona” guild. It turned out that the role I had in mind was right up their alley. With their involvement, the success rate of our operation was bound to see a significant boost.

“Well then, we’ll go meet with the other members.”

“Ufufufufu, we’ll see you when it’s time for the raid.”

With the exception of one detail, they seemed quite eager, and negotiations went smoothly. I also added all of them as friends. This meant I had established a connection with a PK guild. I had certainly positioned myself in a way that would make me resented by the majority of players!

From here on, it was time to go our separate ways. We began to move to meet up with the other members, while the members of the “Persona” guild set out to eliminate any potential disruptive elements to the operation. In other words, they were going hunting for other PKs. Being hindered was out of the question, and losing out on potential gains was equally undesirable. So, we temporarily disbanded here.

“And don’t forget about that one matter.”

“…I know.”

However, they staunchly opposed that one point. It seemed to go against their principles. After some persuasion, they put forward a single condition.

It was to give them a chance to duel with the skilled players I knew, namely Jigoro and Genjuro. This could be seen as an afterthought, and there was a possibility that they might say not to make promises without their consent. However, I didn’t see it as a problem. Instead, these two, who were hungry for opponents, might even be grateful.

I couldn’t quite grasp the feelings of those who were passionate about duels, but when I said, “You’ll never win unless you at least prepare well,” they all seemed excited. …I might still get scolded, though.

“Oh, by the way, I have something I’d like to give to Isam-san.”

“What is it?”

As we were about to return to meet with Eiji and the others, Usuba called me to a stop. Something to give me? Hmm.

“Everyone, please wait for just a moment.”

I informed Seventh Armor and the others and briskly approached Usuba. Now, what was this all about…

“These are drops from the small fry we hunted earlier. Please accept them.”

“…What do you mean by this?”

Despite my maximum vigilance, what the guy presented was a variety of items, ranging from weapons to consumables. I was aware that Usuba, a PK, was far from being a soft-hearted person, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him rather cunning. A guy like that wouldn’t be gifting things out of the kindness of his heart.

“It’s just a token of gratitude for the good time we had and for bringing in some exciting plans.”

“Is that really all?”

“Ufufufufu. Actually, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

As I suspected. Now, what did he want to know? I silently cupped my chin, prompting him to ask his question.

“Can I see the face beneath that mask?”

The face beneath? Hmm. This guy most likely had the [Appraisal] skill. If so, he’d probably be able to see through my [Disguise] as a different race if I were to take off my mask. No, it was almost certain that he would.

(TN the mask holds the disguise skill.)

I wanted to keep the knowledge of my unique race limited to my close companions. However… all right.

“Can you promise that you’ll absolutely never disclose this to anyone? Not even to your comrades,” I asked.

“Sure, they probably have a secret or two of their own that is hidden from me.”

“In that case… there.”

I removed the “Skull Mask” and unveiled my true face to Usuba alone. It had been a while since I last revealed the black skull with three eye sockets and fully formed fangs. Taking off the mask outside our guild’s house was a rare occurrence for me.

“I had no intention of showing it to anyone other than my guild members until a time I felt it was safe to do so. But I think it’s only fair to let the leader of the alliance I’m working with take a look.”

“Ufufu… Ufufufufufufufu! You’re quite the fascinating individual! You really don’t disappoint! Very well, I will use my whole body and soul to work as your hands and feet.”

Saying that, Usuba turned on his heel and headed back into the cave. I watched him go, then donned the mask again and returned to Seventh Armor and the others.