LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 5
The core content of Infinity Black consists of two main elements.
One is the large-scale RvR battlefield commonly known as the ‘Siege Board.’
A muddy battleground of interests between giant factions. Not only is dirty politics at play, but fierce intrigues are also brewing beneath the surface.
With vast amounts of wealth at stake, it gets pretty messy.
Field skirmishes and assassinations aimed at hindering the growth of opponents.
Guild wars to seize hunting grounds. And the corruption that follows the results of war, such as bullying and power abuse.
If we divide Infinity Black into light and darkness, the Siege Board undoubtedly belongs to the darkness.
The realm of light? That would be the rank-based PvP battles ranging from 1:1 up to a maximum of 6:6.
When talking about eSports in Infinity Black, it refers to this aspect without a doubt.
Unlike the field, rank games have restrictions on specs, so it’s literally a battleground to measure ‘skill.’
Infinity Black was designed as a PvP game from the initial stages.
The experience of combat, as if becoming a superhuman from fantasy or martial arts, stimulated human peripheral nerves, and now, it has grown to such a massive scale that leagues exist in various countries.
As for me… I couldn’t really find my place anywhere.
I often get offers in the pro scene, but due to my physical conditions and connection device issues, it’s realistically impossible to accept them.
I can only show my true skills with my special connection device in my room, you see.
If I could do it, I would’ve done it already. I’ve attempted that dozens of times.
Conversely, I was a mercenary operating without any specific affiliation on the Siege Board.
This was due to financial reasons.
I need money. A lot of it.
The crumbs that fall from the Siege Guild are certainly not small.
Nostalgic names for the older guys include “Assassination Squad.” A more colloquial term would be the “Grumpy Squad.”
Specialists in field warfare receive treatment as good as that of major corporations based on skill.
In other words, that’s all there is to it.
Even if I joined a Siege Guild, I’d ultimately just be a wage slave.
Even if I received slightly better treatment due to my skills, my fundamental situation wouldn’t change.
It didn’t pay as well as mercenary work like I do now.
As for me, my legs are quite a unique case.
I couldn’t fix my legs just by receiving a salary.
[Adventurer Germanium Claw Cutter…]
[Adventurer Han River Stew Pot has been forcibly eliminated.]
[Adventurer Bluetooth Shower has been forcibly eliminated.]
[Adventurer Noodle with Asterisk has been…]
Shink!
Another blade pierced the heart.
The next fellow was lucky enough to get his throat cut in one go, and the one resisting was neatly dealt with.
The aftertaste of killing Sulbbang lingered for quite some time, causing adrenaline to surge wildly.
This time, my target for assassination was a new streamer named ‘Bluetooth Shower.’
He was the leader of a recently formed guild called ‘Pseudo-Science,’ and his guild members had been regularly seen.
He was doing a bit of both, like Sulbbang. For a few more days, we would probably keep up polite conversations, right?
Why do I need to target him? I have no idea either.
It’s customary for my clients and me to exchange just money and the details of the request.
Since cash also changes hands on the Siege Board, the cold logic of capitalism applies here.
[You’ve received mail from an anonymous adventurer.]
[Subject: Identify the Strongest Adventurer! The 1st Infinity Arena is being held!]
[Content: 10 Attempts for Bluetooth Shower, 2000 for Completion, 2000.]
[Attached Item: Enchanted Oak Plywood]
Sending the title of the first announcement on the official website is the rule of the request.
The mail is sent anonymously, and the content only states the target that needs to be killed and the payment.
The attached item indicates that if it’s listed in the auction house, it will be sold that way.
I wonder what could make someone want to kill someone to this extent, but… my business was surprisingly thriving.
If I were to guess, perhaps it’s due to a thick growth trend, or maybe he did something to get on someone’s bad side.
Seeing that they used me, it wouldn’t be for a glamorous reason.
[Trading Post Notification: 1 Enchanted Oak Plywood has been sold for 20,000,000 Gold.]
Well, it probably doesn’t matter, does it?
Seeing those gold coins piled up in my warehouse looks awfully nice.
*
Repeatedly killing the same person usually yields similar reactions.
Typically, it’s between two to three times. Sometimes up to four times, perhaps?
Everyone initially tries to defeat me on their own. After all, there’s pride to consider.
Then, when they find it too tough, they start calling for friends or guildmates, and if that fails, the next reaction kicks in.
This time was no different.
The nickname Bluetooth Shower appeared.
The blue-robed mage quickly kneeled in front of me.
He even laid down his weapon and raised his arms in surrender.
“Wait, wait! Let’s talk. Okay? It’s all my fault, so let’s have a conversation. Why are you doing this to me?”
Shink!
It’s akin to the five stages of death.
Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.
Having just passed through denial and anger, now is the time for negotiation, I suppose.
However, I had no intention of negotiating with that mage.
That would be a breach of contract.
Not out of some huge sense of professional ethics, but because breaking such a basic rule would mean I couldn’t accept clients anymore.
It’s a vital job for me.
The profits made from the requests aren’t particularly insignificant, but my medical expenses outstrip that even further.
Though my income isn’t stable either; it’s not like I’m cooped up in a moldy studio apartment for no reason.
Still, killing people inside the game can be quite a lonely affair.
I’m the type who doesn’t turn down conversations that come my way.
“Did I do something wrong? If you tell me, I’ll apologize.”
“Apologize? Hmm, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Really? Then what should I do? There must be a reason for you doing this to me. Please just say something.”
“A younger sibling I know got hurt because of your guild. But I can’t tell you his nickname, right? Just don’t apologize. I didn’t come here to receive that.”
Of course, that was a blatant lie.
Since I didn’t hear the reason when the request was made, how would I know?
But you need a plausible excuse to avoid putting the client in jeopardy.
If there happened to be any grudge, I could suffer some consequences, right?
An assassin who kills targets that revive infinitely.
You could call this a particular headache of such a peculiar trade.
But I wasn’t worried about being caught in a lie.
This excuse had never failed me before.
As is the case with games where field PK is possible, Infinity Black is designed for the strong to bully the weak.
In this game, guild wars don’t need extensive procedures, which allows for wars to be declared for trivial reasons.
If you end up getting beaten on one side, someone is bound to lash out.
At that moment, even ‘justification’ gets snatched away by the powerful. And the powerful become even crueler toward the weak.
Among the truths I know, there have been cases where harsh terms were demanded as conditions for cessation.
Too significant to simply dismiss as a game.
It was the physiology of this industry, not too surprising.
A dark side governed solely by the logic of power within this game.
At least, none of the guys involved in the Siege Board weren’t clean from bullying others.
If I’m receiving requests, it’s practically guaranteed—no, it is almost certain.
“There aren’t no suspects; rather, there are too many to even catch a whiff.”
Just as expected, the guy seemed to have given up searching for my virtual sibling.
Instead, the mage’s eyes began to flicker nervously.
Once toward his staff and then suddenly glancing at somewhere in the sky.
Probably checking the skill cooldown.
If not, maybe there was a support chat going around.
Either way, it doesn’t really matter. Humans tend to feel more pain when they use filthy tricks and fail.
I risked it and pretended not to notice.
“Then… What about some monetary compensation?”
“Funny. If I’ve killed you about eight times, you’d think they’d have a decent idea of what I do. Have you ever heard about the ones I’ve killed getting money from me?”
“I don’t… think so.”
The mage’s gaze fixated on my sword.
I concluded my judgment. That earlier gaze was definitely for checking a skill cooldown.
Was he trying to do this alone? What courage!
I casually slashed my blade to the side, appearing relaxed.
Then it happened. As if he had been waiting, the mage raised his staff and shouted loudly.
“You bitch! Your sibling and whatever…!”
Shink!
Too bad, but my hand was faster than his magic.
There’s no rule stating I can only grip my weapon with one hand, right? I’m an experienced assassin; I always have my backup weapon ready.
The blade that entered from beneath the jaw crushed his bone and scrambled somewhere in his head.
What a letdown! I thought he’d have better timing than this, but he was quite lacking.
I suppose it makes sense; mages aren’t so great at ambushes.
Ambushes only work if I’m unaware. Anything so obvious makes it even harder to fall for it.
Moreover, was that one guy trying to strike me in the back while pretending to negotiate?
Wiping off the blood from my blade, I smiled brightly.
“See you next time.”
[Adventurer Bluetooth Shower has been forcibly eliminated.]
[Warning: Infamy increased due to field PK penalty…]