ACT 7 Conditions of the Alliance

Transfer?

It fell short of Arks expectations.Haiyan, the user who introduced himself nodded and said.

Yes, if you transfer the challenge to us then Ill immediately give you 300 gold.

Are you able to transfer the challenge rights?

Didnt you know?

Haiyan asked in surprise.

Not everybody who signs up wants to participate in the siege. Half the people register because the challenge right can be bought at a high price.

So thats why all the small groups gathered?

If they were lucky and drew the prize than they could obtain hundreds of gold. Therefore they registered for the siege even if they had no interest.

Right. But I have no intention of selling.

I heard that Dark Eden is an attack group.have you already joined hands with another guild?

No. Im looking for allies now.

Then it would be better to sell to us.

Haiyan said with a look of relief.

Ill explain it simply since you are new to Silvana. There are 50 guilds and attack groups currently in Silvana but the only forces worth paying attention to is the Hermes Guild and our Grey Wings guild. The rest of the guilds havent made a coalition yet. Therefore making an alliance with them wont be easy. Did you see everyone leaving after the lot was drawn?

Then Ark became a little embarrassed.He thought that if he won the right to challenge then many offers of alliance would pour in from other guilds. But no one had approached him even after he left the shrine.Haiyan just laughed.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that they cant make a decision until they see who wins the challenge right.

So they can see if there is a shot at winning?

Of course, that could be a reason. The Dawn Blade guild has pretty strong allies. But there is a more important reason. Three weeks has passed since the Dawn Blade guild occupied the castle. So there shouldve been three sieges. But the guild didnt confront any of the three winners.

What is that?

I dont fully know why. But those guilds received the challenge right. But there is a clue. The veto power disappears if they dont accept a challenge from another guild within the next two days. In other words, if the Lord accepts a challenge from another guild then your right will become invalid. Do you understand?

Then Alan?

Yes, he always accepted a challenge just before the veto right would disappear. He accepted a rising guild called Hades all three times. Although we searched for them in Silvana, they managed to send a challenge to Alan all three times. Unlike the lottery, once Alan accepts the challenge then it is a 100% chance of a siege occurring. So many guilds tried to contact for an alliance request but it isnt easy.

Hades?

With a flash, Ark realized what was happening.He had already heard the name Hades once.Sid had engraved the crest of the masked robbers into his head. It was the crest of the Hades guild. If thats the case..one thought immediately came to Arks mind.Hades was associated with Alan.There was probably a secret relationship between the masked robbers and Alan.No, it was possible that the ghost guild was created by Alan. Yes. Alan created a ghost guild which he pretended to accept so that he could lessen the burden of the siege!So it was impossible for Hades to accept the allied request of another guild. The last three times they gathered, they probably had a barbeque party instead of a siege.

Heung, that Alan fellow. He went on TV and talked about strategy exposure and other nonsense when this was the actual case. He used such a lousy method

Thanks to Tazza, Ark had managed to find a blind spot in the system.However, Alan was already using a much higher level fraud.

No, it is not all bad news. There should be a way to prove the relationship between Alan and the Hades guild through an NPC witnessing the siege. Then there would be evidence that Alan swindled Sid. I might even be able to get back the 300 gold taken as collateral!

He had half given up on the 3000 gold but now there was a way to recover it!

But why did Alan do say a dangerous thing? Unlike is outer appearance, Alan is a snake. He knows that the slightest slip would be fatal to his reputation. He would only trust a partner who he could control completely. Then possibly

Do you know the name of the Hades guild master?

I never participated in the lottery but someone told me that the name registered in the War Shrine is Andel.

Indeed!

It was clear that Alan and Andel were conspiring to keep their hold on Silvana. Anyway the alliance between Alan and Andel could be a serious problem.

Damn, I thought it would be settled once I received the challenge right.

Then, Ark realised that there were some inconsistencies in Haiyans words.

Wait, then why do you want to buy the challenge right from me? If Alan only accepts the challenge from Hades then why do you want it?

Thats why Im going to explain the second reason.

Haiyan answered.

There is a separate provision in the siege rules. If the guild leader with the challenge right dies or more than 40% of his guild dies then the challenge right would automatically disappear. In other words, if more than 40% of Hades or Andel dies before the siege begins than his right to challenge would be cancelled. If Hades challenge disappears and the Lord hasnt accepted another challenge then it would automatically revert to Dark Wolf.

Ark couldnt understand what Haiyan was saying.But he understood the contents well enough.The Grey Wings was aiming to get rid of Hades right to challenge before Alan could accept it. Then wouldnt Arks challenge right be important? But Haiyan said that the other guilds would definitely not make an offer of alliance to Ark.

But if Ark had the challenge right then why wouldnt they ally with him?But his question was answered immediately.

That rule also applies to those with the challenge right. In other words, if Dark Wolf or more than 40% of Dark Eden is killed then your challenge right will be cancelled. If that happens then this lottery will be held again. That is why I would like to skip such difficulties by buying the challenge right.

Tension gathered in Arks face.He noticed the threat hidden inside the message. The only forces with power in Silvana were the Grey Wings and Hermes guild! He shouldve noticed when he heard those words.It didnt simply mean that they had the ability to take part in a siege. It meant that they were able to take the challenge right from other guilds if they wanted.

I see. Then I would have to fight them off in Nagaran!

Ark had tried to avoid fighting with any guilds when he entered Nagaran. Since his only purpose was to occupy the castle. There was no reason to fight with other guilds.But he couldnt avoid it if it was a quarrel over the challenge right. Challenge right.This small thing would be the main cause of endless battles and assassination in Nagaran.The reason why other guilds wouldnt ally with Ark was also clear. If they allied with Ark then they would be the target of the Grey Wings and Hermes guild who are Silvanas biggest powers.Because Ark didnt have the power to protect them, they would rather wait until one of the two guilds defeated Ark and then send an ally request to the winner.

Nagaran was a land of war where anyone had the opportunity to become lords they said. However whether it was reality or a game, the number of people capable of becoming lords was only a handful.Ark clenched his teeth and inwardly thought.

.I made a mistake!

Haiyan had asked him if he had a huge guild or alliance. He had wanted to determine if Ark had joined hands with a big guild that he didnt know about.If he killed Ark then he didnt want to risk having a hostile relationship with the huge guild. However, Ark answered that he didnt have an alliance and wanted to make one.He confessed with his own mouth that he had no power behind him.It was a fatal mistake!He basically told Haiyan that there would be no trouble if he killed Ark.Haiyan had calculated all of this before he approached.

Alan and.Haiyanthey use their heads unlike ordinary players. It wasnt easy to obtain a castle in Nagaran using just power. If it was like that than the Hermes guild with the power of the pioneers wouldve occupied the castle.

There were numerous plots and schemes! Alliances and oppositions!There were all kinds of rules in New World!Once he grasped all the rules it was possible to move carefully and survive in Nagaran.

I was irrational because of the money and ran to Nagaran without finding all the information, which meant I made a big mistake!

What do you think?

Haiyan smiled like he was a nice person and asked.

Have you made a decision after I kindly explained everything?

30 users standing behind Haiyan laid their hands on their swords. If he failed to respond then they wouldnt hesitate to kill him!Jjak-tung and Tazza also noticed the gesture.

Whats this? Are you going to try it?

Just like the rumours, this really is a lawless area. Were actually being threatened like this in town!

Cross and the Sylphid Knights also grabbed their swords with anger.

Wait!

Ark was surprised and interrupted all of them.

The Grey Wings are one of the two major forces in Silvana. They could probably mobilize hundreds of troops in an emergencyif it was just users then he wouldnt care.

If Ark or the rehabilitation members escaped the crisis then they could just disconnect until it was time for the siege.Andel probably use such a method until the siege was imminent and then he would log in.Now Ark couldnt use such a method. 80% of his troops were NPCs. If the NPCs escaped here then the Grey Wings guild would track them down and wipe them out. The fatal weakness of Dark Eden was that NPCs was the core of their group.However, Ark had one last card.

So why not ally with us?

Yes, if the Grey Wings guild allied with them then all the problems would be solved. In a situation like this, Ark though to enter an alliance with conditions. However, Haiyan shook his head.

Im really sorry. The members already chosen are very tight.

But

Ill sell it. Thats the only thing you can say to us.

Damn, do I really have to give up the challenge right?

Ark ground his teeth together as he thought.If he lost the NPCs then he wouldnt be able to achieve anything.

Bang bang double bang!

It was at that time. An extravagant was suddenly heard from the side alley. Ark and Haiyan turned their heads at the same time.

Grey wings. What are you trying to do hiding in a place like this!

Kukukuk, its obvious. But that idea isnt going to work!

Weve already taken the wolf.

These Hermes guys! Theyre trying to scatter ash on our hard boiled rice!

Haiyan growled and took out his sword.The users who fired magic randomly from a side alley wore the mark of a five pointed star.

The Hermes Guild!The leader he saw in the shrine, Jewel, Duke and dozens of other people firing arrows or magic was gathered on a side street.

Its not necessary to see. Kill everyone!

Haiyans troops who received a surprise attack took a lot of damage. However, the surprise wasnt enough to make the Grey Wings crumble.

Stop them! Dont let the challenge right shift to the Hermes Guild!

When Haiyan raised his voice an extra 20 people ran out from an alley.

Sheesh, this fellow hid people here for an ambush.

They did it in case the Grey Wings guild needed to attack Arks party. But the Hermes Guild suddenly appeared and everything became mixed up. Since there were 100 troops fighting in a cramped street, the fighting became confused as people were cramped next to each other. But since they had similar numbers, the pioneers from the Hermes Guild started prevailing.

10 people from the Grey Wings guild collapsed without being able to drink a potion.Once the balance was broken, the Hermes Guild became the overwhelming side. But the two guilds fight didnt have anything to do with Ark.

This is a chance, run!

Ark led his party and began running down the alley.

Dark Wolf is running away. Get him!

Come back here!

When Haiyan tried to run after him the leader of the Hermes Guild immediately blocked him with a shield.Haiyans lips curled up.

Raiden..you.!

Heh, I thought that you should taste victory and then defeat.

The leader called Raiden laughed and shouted to Duke and Jewel.

Ill take care of this, you two chase after Dark Wolf!

Come on, lets go!

Jewel and Duke tracked Ark while leading 20 people from their guild. When members of the Grey Wings guild tried to block them, Duke and Jewel shot arrows and magic and they quickly collapsed. With Raiden there, the Grey Wings guild had to continuously defend against him. Thanks to that, Jewel and Duke were able to chase after Ark without worrying.

Dark Wolf, I wont miss!

Jewels magic attack range and damage wasnt a joke.It extended over ten metres to steadily drain his health.Duke also used the special effect of his shoes to barrage him with arrows that decreased his health.As long as they didnt have the level penalty of the Evil Silrion than their power was scary.

An encounter like this!

Ark sent an uneasy look towards Cross.Ark, Tazza and Jjak-tung were wearing leather armour. However, Cross and the Sylphid Knights were wearing heavy armour so their speed dropped significantly. It was because their role was as a shield but in a crisis they were quickly overtaken.

Jewel and Duke have 20 guild members. Although it would be difficult, I might be able to handle those numbers. But Ill be screwed if the rest of the Hermes Guild comes here.

Then Cross turned his body around as they were rounding a corner.

Damn it, I cant do it. Ill make a stand here. You run away!

No way!

Ark let out a startled scream.However, Cross just lifted his sword with a resolute expression.

It would be difficult to escape their pursuit anyway. In addition we are soldiers fired from the state of Jackson! I cant stand being pursued like flies by these fellows and then dying. If I die then Ill die with pride..

Dont be silly!

Ark quickly grabbed Cross shoulders.

Do you think I brought you here just to die in a place like this? Even if I die here, you have to live! No, Ill revive!

Ah, Ark..!

Cross flinched and looked at Ark with bloodshot eyes. However, Ark was cursing inside his head.

Damn it, does an NPC have no awareness?

His pent up anger was bursting.It wasnt an exaggeration to say that all of Arks power relied on the NPCs. If Ark, Tazza and Jjak-tung died then they could revive in 24 hours. But if an NPC died once then it was goodbye forever.If was difficult enough to bring them to Nagaran from Jackson, if he lost 20 of them then how would he be able to challenge the siege?Even if Ark died, the NPC wasnt supposed to die.

Im prepared to risk my life for the NPCs!

His anger built up but Ark hid it in his heart and spoke.

If you sacrifice your lives for me then I really wont be able to live with myself!

Ark, for us you..!

You are indeed Jacksons Hero, it wasnt a mistake to follow you!

If it is for you then were not afraid of death!

Cross and his partys emotions burned even more after his words.

Didnt I say you couldnt do that? Please listen to me a little bit! Jjak-tung hyung, Tazza hyung, you know these guys are important for my goals. So accompany the soldiers and escape first! Ill take care of the rest. If Im on my own then Ill be able to get out somehow.

I understand. Sir Cross, follow me!

Tazza and Jjak-tung guessed Arks thoughts and led the soldiers down another alley.The Hermes Guild shouted form up ahead.

They have scattered!

Bah, they just want to distribute our power. But our target is only Dark Wolf. Attacking his group means nothing to me. Dark Wolf has the challenge right!

Everyone circle the narrow alley and block his escape routes!

The guild members scattered in all directions under Jewels command.Then Ark started to be hunted like a wild boar.The members of Hermes Guild were all higher level than him.Of course he had confidence of winning 1-on-1, but with them circling him there was no chance for that. But the most intimidating members were Jewel and Duke as expected.

Lightning Curse!

Black lightning poured from Jewels fingertips.When Ark tried to run away, the AOE magic quickly expanded.The damage of wide area magic was lower than that of a single spell. Yet he still lost 300 health and had a curse hanging on him.Dukes Footprint Trace skill was also a problem. It allowed him to track Ark no matter where he hid in the alleys and he would inform the rest of the guild.

Hahaha, Dark Wolf. Where did you spirit from the arena go?

Jewel continuously shot magic while taunting him.Although his pent up anger was starting to build, there was no way for him to escape.

My health is already at 70%. Even if I run away, I wont be able to hold up for 1 minute! But in their situation there is nowhere to hide..

Then something popped into Arks head.When he entered Nagaran, he read a description of the basic rules.

Thats right, there are still a few rules to keep in mind even if Im not in a siege. I shouldve thought of this before.!

Summon Demon, Deimos!

Clack clack, clack clack clack!Deimos came running with his sword.

Sorry Deimos! Ill waive the penalty just this once!

Ark covered Deimos with a leather robe and kicked him while covered into the lane outside.Deimos rolled out into the lane and stumbled around as he was confused about what was happening. At that moment, a black ray of light hit Deimos.

Ttadak! Ttadak!

I caught you.eh? What the? Isnt he one of Dark Wolfs summons? Damn you can go to hell!

Jewels face contorted as she turned around.She had kicked and shot magic at Deimos when he appeared but she immediately grasped the situation. Then Deimos grabbed at Jewels pants with his burning loyalty.

This..cheeky skeleton!

Jewel struck Deimos with fists filled with magical powers. He was hit a few times with his health falling by 5% until he was engulfed in a dim light and disappeared.Ark had released the summons. Jewel belatedly entered the alley that Ark was in. Then she followed to a side street where an embarrassed look spread on her face.

God dammit.!

There was a market across from the alley.The market was teeming with numerous NPCs.Yes, Ark had thrown Deimos as bait before running into the market.There was one type of person that users couldnt touch in the lawless area of Nagaran. It was NPCs with neutral alignment. Even Jewel with the help of the Hermes Guild couldnt indiscriminately attack.

Look around, he couldnt have gone too far!

Jewel plunged into the market annoyed.But Ark wasnt that far from Jewel.While Jewels eyes were focused on Deimos, Ark released the transformation and blended in with the NPCs.

Im glad that Jewel doesnt know my true form.

Ark sighed as he leisurely strolled through the market.

Anyway, this time I managed to get away.

Ark returned to the barracks and summed up the situation.

Our forces alone wont be enough to knock Alan down. I will have to join hands with one of the two main guilds in Silvana, either the Grey Wings or Hermes guild.

There was no time.Soon the Grey Wings and Hermes would come find Ark.He had to request protection from one of them before they find him.But when he spoke to the Grey Wings they said their capacity was already full.If he looked at the situation objectively, from the fight in the alley he could tell that the Hermes guild was stronger than the Grey Wings.

But Jewel and Duke are in Hermes. Even if I have the challenge right, they wont accept me as allies. Moreover, it will also be meaningless if Alan accepts the challenge from other guilds. I have to make sure that Hermes will accept the alliance.

A smile suddenly formed on Arks mouth.

Thats right. The answer is surprisingly simple. Im the one with the power to call the shots.

Ark used a Feather of Whispering to call Jewel. Since Jewel was in Silvana, the communication connected.

-Ark? Who is Ark?

His real name was shown when he used the Feather of Whispering.Jewel only knew him as Dark Wolf so she asked in a strange voice.

-Will you understand if I say Im Dark Wolf?

-D, Dark Wolf! You.!

The communication link instantly filled with abusive language.But Ark just responded with an energetic voice.

-Hey, farts are a natural body function.it will appear if a person becomes angry.

-If youre in Silvana then Ill definitely find you!

-Then I guess you dont want to hear my proposal.

-Proposal? From you?

-As a pioneer do you have the right to speak for your guild? If you dont then simply say so. As the leader of Dark Eden, I propose an alliance with the Hermes guild.

-Alliance? Ha, are you crazy? Why should we enter into an alliance with a guy like you?

-Are you forgetting that I hold the challenge right?

-Thats no big deal, if you die then the challenge will become invalid. And since you alone have the challenge then youll just lose against the opposing guild. We can just wait until next week.

-You must have forgotten about the Grey Wings.

-.

Jewel was silent for a moment.It had a big effect. If he allied with Haiyan and the Grey Wings then he would have enough power to occupy the castle. And if the Grey Wings occupied the castle then it would become quite difficult for Hermes.It was an influential threat judging by Jewels reaction.

If Im going to survive in Nagaran then I have to use my head too.

But Jewel soon laughed.

-It doesnt matter if you ally with Grey Wings. It wont be accepted. Even though you have the challenge right, the situation will still be the same. You wont be able to participate in the siege and theyll abandon you.

-Because of Hades?

-..Thats right. Although weve tried to capture them for the last 3 weeks, we were unsuccessful. Alan will definitely accept Hades challenge this time. Thus I dont have to worry about the Grey Wings joining with you.

-What if I take care of Hades?

-What?

-Ill speak clearly. I will be able to deal with Hades. If Alan accepts Hades challenge and they die then the next challenge rights will come to me. Do you think the Grey Wings would still decline my request? Even if you regret it after the Grey Wings occupies the castle, wouldnt it be too late?

-How can you guarantee that you will catch Hades?

-I cant go into detail, but I am 100% sure.

-I will consult with the guild leader.

Ark waited in a relaxed mood.They bit the bait that he threw. There was no reason to become impatient.After a few minutes the expected message window popped up.

-Raiden-nim has used a [Feather of Whispering] to whisper to you.

As expected, Raiden is the leader of the Hermes guild.

Once Ark accepted the whisper, Raidens voice immediately entered his ear.

-I heard what you said.

-The answer is?

-It depends on the requirements.

-I will form an alliance with you and well participate in the siege together. When you occupy Silvana then I will receive 40% of the proceeds every month.

-Isnt that too much? -Silvana is still a territory that is developing. If we occupy the castle then the early investment will be more than the profits. In addition, we have already signed an alliance with 4 other guilds. Since I also have to distribute the proceeds to them, I will receive severe backlash if I give only you 40%.

-Youre not participating in the siege alone?

-We didnt advertise that you obtained the challenge right. Since you talked to Grey Wing, we never imagined that you would contact us.

Heads will roll if I bring my forces into Nagaran under those conditions.

-Okay, 30%. With the condition that you will supply all the materials for the siege otherwise there is no reason to enter an alliance.

-I understand. Ill agree to 30%. But there is a condition. Youre sixth in command.

And not everyone can participate in the siege. The right to sit on the throne is only given to the representative in command of the guild. And if a representative dies in battle then the right goes back to the next guild leader in command.In other words, all the representatives ahead of you will have to die before Ark can be given the command right.

Ark wasnt interested in being a Lord in the first place so he just nodded.

-Okay, but if you occupy the castle then you should guarantee that I can come and go as I please. Also you have to protect Dark Eden from the Grey Wings guild until the start of the siege.

-That is natural in an alliance. Then the talk is over. Pick a place. Well both come alone to sign the contract. However, the agreement will only become effective after you deal with the Hades guild.

After a few hours, Ark exchanged alliance agreements with Raiden.

Alliance AgreementContractor: Hermes guild leader Raiden= Dark Eden attack captain Ark.

In accordance with the guild master Raiden, Hermes will join the alliance.

Details: If the Hermes Guild occupies the manor than 30% of the proceeds will be distributed to Ark every month. This part of the contract is only relevant when the Hermes Alliance occupies the castle. The conditions of the alliance will begin showing once Dark Eden takes care of the Hades guild.