Bab 83: Headhunter Syndicate

...

"Fools! All of you, fools! You had one simple task! There were more than twenty of you and you still couldn't handle two players? Useless trash!"

Somewhere in a remote region inside of a small yet spacious building within the capital city Amaharpe, Gripler and the group of players who died just moments ago were all standing before a man who was shouting furiously at them.

"B-boss Wend-"

"When we're here in RML you'll refer to me as Vault! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Vault, the one who Gripler called boss, lashed out at him.

"Yes, of course. Forgive me boss Vault..." Gripler quickly apologized for his mistake. "Boss Vault... You see, another person interfered and-" Gripler was getting ready to explain the situation, but when he saw that cold piercing gaze from his boss, he immediately shut his mouth.

"So what if another person joined! You couldn't handle three people?! I see I was the foolish one for providing you with my trust." The one who Gripler referred to as boss Vault was the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate.

The Headhunter Syndicate was a new and upcoming guild in RML. However, for a new guild, their size is incredible and they are continuing to grow every day. Even the top guilds are keeping an eye on them as they believe it to be inevitable that someday soon, the Headhunter Syndicate join the top ranks.

At the moment, rare pieces of equipment were still incredibly difficult to come by. Most players would not sell them at the auction house and if they did, the top guilds would always be the ones to walk away with the item.

Unfortunately, the Headhunter Syndicate did not yet have resources comparable to those top guilds. Therefore, in order to rapidly increase the overall strength of his guild, Vault was willing to resort to these underhanded tactics. He would do whatever it took to join the ranks of the top guilds.

When Doctor Dark died, he was furious at having lost valuable EXP. He even dropped an item after his death! He immediately approached Vault about his compensation. After all, he was guaranteed protection and they had failed to provide it. It was only right that he be compensated for his troubles.

When Doctor Dark explained the entire situation to Vault, his face turned extremely ugly. At first, there was regret and then there was just endlessly fury. Since Gripler had begged him, Vault decided to give him a chance due to the potential profit that could be made from that "transaction".

However, not only did they not manage to bring back a single item, they even got annihilated by three players!

After yelling and scolding Gripler, as well as, the players who accompanied him, Vault finally managed to somewhat calm down. He then turned to look over in Doctor Dark's direction. "Doctor Dark, I'll fully reimburse you for your troubles. As for that player who killed you, you'll have your justice. Do you have a name?"

To Vault, Doctor Dark was an important core member of his Headhunter Syndicate. He was one of the main players who had an abundance of experience as a pro player in multiple MMORPGs and had already completed his second-tier class quest. He was an essential piece to Vault's core group.

Doctor Dark shook his head, "I died before I could even see him so his name isn't even in my battle logs! However, he is definitely related to those two who were the original targets. If we find them, we'll find him! I simply want the chance to eliminate him as he did me." Doctor Dark had a vicious look in his eyes.

In RML, if a player killed someone before they were discovered or seen, then their name would not show up in the battle logs. However, if even one person in the party was able to view the player then their name would show up without issue.

The problem was that Doctor Dark was not in a party with any of the members who saw Izroth after he stepped out into the open. He was solo and so, therefore, the system defined Izroth's attack as one performed by an unknown enemy. This was a feature in RML that those who picked assassin type classes enjoyed.

Vault nodded, "I agree. If we let people think that the Headhunter Syndicate can be offended so easily without retaliation, then how can we become a top guild? We will, of course, find that player who attacked you and his two friends. There'll be no safe place for them to hide within all of RML!"

"As for you!" Vault stared coldly at Gripler which sent shivers down his spine. "The one thing I hate the most is having lost something without gaining anything in return. I'm lowering your rank to that of a regular member."

When Gripler heard those words his face turned pale. He had worked hard to earn his current position and now he was being kicked down all the way to a mere regular member? However, he was unable to make an objection as this could already be considered a light punishment. "Yes, boss Vault..."

Gripler felt incredibly dejected. This was supposed to be an easy job, but it was all ruined by that one player! When Gripler thought back to that moment and how carefree that player appeared to be, rage and hatred slowly started to form.

"However, I'm not a merciless person. You can redeem yourself and have your old position back after you keep good on your original promise. This time, however, you'll have to rely on yourself and your own resources to complete the task." Vault spoke in a cold tone of voice.

"I also want you to find out the name of that third player and any information regarding him since you know what he looks like. He interfered in our guild's affairs and has to be taught a proper lesson. Otherwise, he'll think we're just a bunch of pushovers."

When Vault gave those orders, Gripler regained some hope of once again obtaining his previous position. He already wanted revenge against that player who interfered and so this would be like killing two birds with one stone. "Yes, boss Vault! I won't let you down!" Gripler gave a deep bow.

Gripler understood that he would have to invest his own time and resources into this. Although Vault stated that he was not a merciless person, he was sending Gripler to face off against three people. Two of which he knew could battle against twenty players at the same time and come out victorious!

However, Gripler had certain connections that he could use and some favors he was able to call upon. No matter what, he was determined to regain the face he recently lost.

"Hmph, you better not let me down. I can be forgiving once, but if you fail twice... I can't guarantee my kindness will extend that far." Vault was not making an empty promise. If Gripler failed again forget about a rank reduction, he would be completely finished!

Vault glanced behind himself. There were two players standing there, but both were hiding within the shadows so it would be difficult to detect them.

"Put out a message to all the Headhunter Syndicate members. Be on the lookout for two players called Guan Yu and Zi Yi. As for that third player... Find out anything you can about him."

Although Vault gave Gripler a chance to find out more information, he did not trust Gripler's competence in the matter. But, it was always good to have a backup plan.

One of the two individuals that were hiding in the shadows spoke in a hoarse voice, "What should we do if we find them during our investigation?"

Vault thought for a moment before soon coming up with an answer. "I want you to report back to me and do not engage them. They've already been underestimated once. I do not plan on repeating the mistake of an underling. Once we've learned enough about them, only then will we take action."

The two players hiding in the shadows gave a slight nod as they vanished after Vault finished giving his orders.

Vault had already done all he could and now must wait for the results. "Offending my Headhunter Syndicate... Let's see who dares to do so in the future!"

...

"Ahahaha! I knew your name seemed familiar! It's because I've already seen it twice before! So you're that Izroth, ahahaha!" Guan Yu behaved in quite a lively manner. He was trying to figure out where he'd seen Izroth's name before and surprisingly, Zi Yi was the one who pointed out where she had seen the name.

Izroth only gave a slight smile in return. He personally did not believe it to be that big of a deal. He had much greater things planned and those two matters would only provide some kind of small foundation.

When Zi Yi spoke about the first world boss clear and the solo dungeon clear, Guan Yu remembered the two events. It made his impression of Izroth go up by another level when he was reminded of those facts.

Izroth, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi were currently traveling towards the capital city Amaharpe. Guan Yu was very insistent on Izroth accompanying them and since Izroth was already heading that way, he had no reason to refuse his offer.

The most talkative of the three was Guan Yu. He had many questions and would often go on a rant about the romance of the three kingdoms and spew random quotes.

Zi Yi, however, was quite the opposite. She was very reserved when it came to having a conversation. But, she was not afraid of giving input on a certain matter or correcting any inaccuracies about something that Guan Yu stated.

Guan Yu looked as if he were about to speak, however, he was hesitant to do so. It was quite strange considering how open he was when it came to speaking with complete strangers who he had only just recently met.

Izroth noticed Guan Yu's hesitation and decided to free him of his worries. "If you have something to say, then you can just say it." Izroth did not feel that Guan Yu had any ill intentions and so he knew that whatever it was that Guan Yu wanted to say was most likely something personal.

Guan Yu was a bit surprised when Izroth spoke. He did not think that he was showing his thoughts so clearly and felt a bit embarrassed by it. "Well you see, it's kind of a personal question. Some people would rather not say. It's a bit of a private matter..."

"Oh?" Izroth was curious as to what question would make someone as open, sociable, and long-winded as Guan Yu become embarrassed.

Zi Yi ears perked up slightly as she listened to Guan Yu words. She was also interested in what he had to say. From the short time she had known Guan Yu, she could say that he was definitely not someone you would ever associate with the word shy.

"Your... Uh... What's your class? I have not yet seen a set up such as yours. I'm just curious." Guan Yu had been unable to find even the slightest hint as to what Izroth's class could possibly be. That was because Izroth's equipment did not fit with any class that he was aware of.

Guan Yu felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off of his shoulders after asking that question.

Zi Yi almost coughed up blood when she heard Guan Yu speak. She thought it was going to be something extremely serious, but it turned out that he was just curious about Izroth's class.

How could someone who was being so fierce just a few moments ago, behave in such a coy fashion? Zi Yi felt foolish for even entertaining the possibility that he was going to ask something serious!

Izroth was also caught off-guard by the simple nature of the question. He shook his head inwardly. He did not care about revealing what his class was, after all, he had no reason to keep it a secret. "My class is Combat Master."

When Izroth finished his sentence, both Guan Yu and Zi Yi had shock clearly written all over their faces. Combat Master? Wasn't that a trash class that no one would dare to pick?

But, that did not make any sense when they pieced together the facts, or rather when Zi Yi pieced together the facts... At least at first, it did not make any sense.

"I see now..." Zi Yi muttered to herself. When the realization of what type of person Izroth truly was struck her, she had to admit that the thought was pretty scary. She understood that Combat Masters were required to create their own skills.

Even if someone tried to brush Izroth's first world boss clear off as a fluke, it was undeniable that he was capable of soloing a dungeon. Even if the dungeon was a lower level dungeon, it was still considered an impressive feat. It was certainly not something that the average player could imitate.

Guan Yu, on the other hand, did not piece together things like Zi Yi. He was just surprised that Izroth was a Combat Master. But, that did not mean he would no longer show respect towards Izroth.

In fact, Guan Yu had even more respect for Izroth now that he knew what his class was. Daring to play the difficult Combat Master class was something even he would not dare to attempt. If someone tried and failed, they would lose a lot of precious time and eventually fall too far behind other players.

From Izroth's demeanor alone, Guan Yu could tell that he was a strong player. A strong player that showed no arrogance and was always calm on the surface. Those were the scariest type of people to deal with in Guan Yu's opinion because you could never tell what it was that they were truly thinking.

...

Around 20 minutes later, Izroth, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi finally reached the gates of Amaharpe. However, there was something unexpected that awaited them upon their arrival.

"Woah, talk about an upgrade in security...! They look strong. Heh, I'd like to fight against one if possible." Guan Yu was getting all fired up.

Zi Yi shook her head, "It's unlikely that you would survive even one strike against that." She could tell that those select individuals were the elite of elite soldiers. "It appears as if something big is going to happen soon..." Zi Yi made an educated guess after examining the Amaharpe city gates.

Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the scene before him. He was sure that this had something to do with Amaharpe's impending disaster!