Chapter 58: The Kings Gambit
While the internet was in an uproar, the Astral Kingdom itself was far from peaceful.
Although Blackwind City hadn’t fallen, the losses it sustained were nothing short of staggering. The combined casualties of the City Guard and the Brawlers had already crested a thousand. This wasn't a time of war; a Capital City like Blackwind usually only maintained a standing force of five or six thousand.
In less than fifteen minutes of combat against Liam, they had lost nearly a fifth of their entire military strength.
Inside the Castellan’s Manor in Blackwind City, Balthazar’s expression was dark and predatory. He turned to the elderly advisor standing behind him. "Has the report been sent up? When are the reinforcements arriving?"
The old man shook his head slowly. "The message was sent, but we haven’t received a reply yet."
"This is an emergency, and they aren't responding? Don't they realize that keeping the City Defense Array active consumes a fortune in Energy Crystals?" Balthazar snarled, his teeth bared. He pulled out a Message Talisman. "I’ll report our situation to the Grand Chancellor personally."
He activated the talisman. A long silence followed before a dismissive, impatient voice finally crackled from the other side.
"Balthazar, you have a lot of nerve disturbing the Grand Chancellor's rest."
"Butler Cole, I had no choice. The situation here is far too dire."
"Hmph. Hasn't that Frost Monarch already retreated? He’s just a single Adventurer; why the theatrics? Deal with it yourself. The Grand Chancellor holds you in high regard and trusts you completely. He’s certain you can handle a petty, insignificant Adventurer like him."
"Good luck."
The connection died instantly.
Watching the light fade from the talisman, Balthazar’s hands trembled with suppressed rage.
"A petty, insignificant Adventurer?"
He let out a sharp, bitter laugh. Insignificant? Had they not seen Liam’s combat logs? The man had waged a one-man war against an entire city and forced them to deploy their ultimate defense. That wasn't a "petty Adventurer"—that was a monster with no upper limit.
"I do have some good news," the advisor interjected.
"Oh?" Balthazar’s eyes flickered with desperate interest. "What is it?"
"Someone completed the bounty on Frost Monarch. They killed him ten times."
Balthazar’s brow furrowed. "You call that good news? Use your head. It’s obvious he let a friend kill him so the rewards would stay in his inner circle."
Balthazar’s chest heaved. He felt like he was going to have a stroke before the day was out.
However, the advisor simply shook his head. "That is the good news."
Balthazar squinted at him, his expression twisted. "How? Explain yourself."
The old man gave a cryptic smile. "We can deactivate the City Defense Array now. Every time someone completes a bounty, we wait an hour and then post a new one. We have plenty of Black Iron sets to go around. We can lower the AP reward—keep it under a hundred points per kill."
"What are you playing at?" Balthazar asked, genuinely confused.
"It’s simple. As long as the bounties keep coming, Liam won't be in a hurry to attack us. Instead, the ones who should be worried are the King and his court."
"Why?" Balthazar sensed there was a logic to it, but he couldn't quite grasp the thread.
"What is the root cause of Liam’s grudge? The King’s ban. His attack on Blackwind City was a direct middle finger to the throne. By constantly providing bounties, we are essentially funneling a steady stream of AP and gear to him. Once he and his friends grow strong enough, they won't waste time on a border city like ours. They’ll take the fight straight to the Astral Capital."
A chill ran down Balthazar’s spine as he processed the advisor’s words. It was a cold, vicious gambit.
"But what if he attacks us again?" Balthazar asked.
The old man’s grin widened. "Then we up the ante. Put a Gear Evolution Scroll on the bounty. Throw in those two Saintly Grade Awakening Stones you’ve been hoarding. Gold Grade weapons, necklaces, rings—put it all on his head."
"What?!" Balthazar gasped. "That’s just feeding the tiger! What if he decides to keep milking me for everything I'm worth?"
"That's why I said you offer the best items only if he attacks again. Liam is a smart man; he’ll see the pattern. If he realizes he can get stronger by targeting other cities or eventually the Capital, he’ll move on. He’ll become a plague that everyone else has to deal with until he's strong enough to threaten the throne itself."
Balthazar nodded slowly, his gaze turning cruel.
"Hmph. The King created this mess and then tried to hide away rather than fix it. Fine. We’ll throw the problem right back into his lap."
A flicker of triumph danced in the advisor’s eyes as Balthazar gave his consent.
[City-Wide Announcement: Due to the malicious attack by the player 'Frost Monarch,' which caused immense damage to Blackwind City, a new Bounty Quest has been issued.]
...
The announcement echoed through the region. Although the city was currently devoid of players, those in the surrounding wilderness received the notification. In the game world, a Capital City’s jurisdiction extended far beyond its walls, covering the surrounding fields and villages like a vast county.
The details of the new bounty left many players stunned.
[Bounty Quest: Kill Frost Monarch]
Objective: Kill Frost Monarch 2 times.
Penalty: None.
Reward: AP +50 and a Level 25 Black Iron Set per kill.
Compared to the previous bounty, the kill requirement and AP reward were lower, but the gear was significantly better. A Level 25 Black Iron set was something even top-tier players were desperate to get their hands on.
Yet, despite the tempting offer, very few players actually considered taking the job. Liam’s combat power was common knowledge now. A man who could take on a city wasn't someone ordinary players could hunt.
At the Overlord Guild's headquarters, Victor Vane stared at the quest prompt, his gaze shifting between the man and woman beside him.
"What do you think our chances are of actually taking him down?"
Valerie Vane considered it for a moment before speaking. "Less than thirty percent. When we fought him last time, his Resilience was already a problem. It’s likely even higher now."
Victor turned to the other man. "Vincent, your thoughts?"
Vincent Vane—known to the public as Ambition—shook his head. "It’s not worth it. The ROI is too low. In the time it would take to track him and fail to kill him, we could break several dungeon records and get better rewards. Provoking him now is unwise."
Dungeon records could be refreshed for rewards based on difficulty. While the AP rewards were small—1 point for Normal, 2 for Hard, 4 for Nightmare, and 10 for Hell—they were consistent. Players couldn't farm the same record repeatedly, but the pursuit of those guaranteed points kept the top guilds busy.
...
Meanwhile, Liam had just finished another run of the Black-Water Lake dungeon. After slaying the Dragon Turtle again, his HP pool had increased by another three thousand points. This was only because he was intentionally slowing down his attack rhythm; if he went all out, his damage was so high the boss would die before he could maximize his stacks.
However, Liam had something else on his mind.
Dragon Gall.
Back in the Novice Village, he had obtained Old Grog’s Wine Gourd. The item description mentioned that adding rare ingredients to the brew could yield unexpected benefits. Between the frantic pace of the game and the recent sieges, he had completely forgotten about it.
Now seemed like the perfect time to test it.
One, two, three...
Liam tossed ten Dragon Galls into the gourd at once, his curiosity piqued. He wondered what kind of brew these would produce.
[Wine Gourd: Brewing in progress...]
[Current Progress: 1%...]
Liam glanced at the timer. It looked like it would take at least half an hour. He decided to squeeze in a few more Dragon Turtle runs to stack more HP while he waited.
But as he turned back toward the dungeon entrance, a figure approached.
It was Princess Leona.
"Liam."
Meeting him again, Leona felt as if a lifetime had passed since their last encounter. "Does our previous agreement still stand?"
Liam gave a noncommittal smile. "I thought I had a handle on the board, but I clearly underestimated your father’s cunning. King Abraham played us all like pawns. It’s almost funny."
Leona couldn't tell if he was mocking her father or himself, but it didn't matter. She was here for a reason.
"Tiana is trapped in the Altar of Restoration at the Royal Palace. She can't leave. Her HP is constantly draining, and only the Altar's power is keeping her alive."
Liam waved a hand dismissively. "I don't like talking in circles. Just tell me what you want."
"Always the mercenary," Leona remarked. She pulled out a parchment. "This is a Quest Scroll. It’s the precursor quest for the 'Blessing of the Gods.' Tiana mentioned you were looking for it."
"And?"
"It’s yours." She handed the scroll to him.
Liam took it and scanned the details.
[Quest: The King's Gambit]
Description: King Abraham of the Astral Kingdom refuses to abdicate. He has trapped Tiana within the Altar of Restoration. Tiana requests that you neutralize the King.
Objective: Cease all attacks on Tiana. Use 'Lethal Lock-on' exclusively on King Abraham until he is slain.
Penalty: Unknown.
Reward: Blessing of the Gods x1, AP +1,000.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "This is Tiana’s precursor quest?"
Leona nodded. "Yes. I agreed to cooperate with her, but for a prize this valuable, she had to provide the collateral herself."
"Sparing Tiana to kill the King... that's a massive risk. And the specific attack requirement makes it even more restricted." Liam didn't accept the quest immediately. He desperately needed the Blessing of the Gods for the resurgence of the Primordial Eastern Empire, but the risk-to-reward ratio felt off.
"It is a 'Hard' difficulty quest," Leona admitted. "That’s why she added the thousand AP. I assumed that would be enough to tempt you."
Liam laughed softly. "Tell me, why are you really working with Tiana? Don't give me that nonsense about the King not wanting to abdicate. You’re smarter than that, and I’m sure you’ve had plans in motion for a long time."
Leona tilted her head. "I need someone to draw the fire. In the Astral Kingdom, we aren't the only ones eyeing the throne. Since this generation of the royal line produced only daughters, the Court Dissidents have become... restless."
Liam remained silent for a moment. "If you want my help, throw in your own 'Blessing of the Gods' precursor quest as well."
"No." Leona shook her head firmly. "Look, I’m just the messenger. Tiana provided the scroll. Whether you take the deal or not is up to you."
Liam didn't hesitate. He tossed the scroll back to her.
"I’m not taking it."
He needed that Blessing. It was the key to everything. But he was gambling. If he accepted such an absurdly dangerous quest now, Leona would realize just how desperate he was. She would own him. He had to draw a line.
Leona frowned as she caught the scroll. "Killing King Abraham... You realize no one in the Astral Kingdom would even dare to dream of such a thing? The quest is almost impossible."
She stared at him, searching his eyes for a hint of a bluff. "Are you truly refusing?"
"Truly."
"If you don't take it, I'm leaving."
"Go ahead. I have a dungeon to grind."
Without another word, Liam turned his back on her and walked toward the Black-Water Lake entrance. It was a high-stakes psychological game, and he had to see it through. If he caved to Tiana’s impossible demands today, Leona would have him jumping through hoops tomorrow.
Liam entered the dungeon. Leona didn't call out to stop him.
Did I miscalculate? He wondered, but he didn't let the thought linger.
He cleared the dungeon in less than five minutes. When he stepped out of the portal, he found Leona still waiting there.
She looked at him and smiled. "Congratulations, Liam. You won."
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