Chương 55: Phantom Lord
Brak!
Blake's heart jumped when he saw the man's hand move before a loud sound can be heard.
"You've got heart, what is your name, Sir?" the man suddenly asked.
Pausing for a second, he then realized that the man only slammed his hand on the edge of the table in an amused manner. Blake can see his eyes squinted a little, seemingly smiling from underneath his armor mask.
In response to this, Blake was relieved, he thought he would die for the first time here.
"MoonDespoiler, you can call me MoonDespoiler"
"A nickname, huh...? That's good. Can't be too careful these days" the man nodded his head in acknowledgment, seems like he was not here for any malicious reason, at least not towards Blake, "My name is Seth, I am from the Infernal Veiled Assassin Guild"
"Infernal Veiled Assassin?" Blake uttered, he recognizes that name.
Saving Linthia and Tara gave him a reputation to the Infernal Veiled Assassin guild, but now his reputation is in the minus after killing the assassins from last night and completing the quest from Tara.
Gesturing to the old man that came back for a beer, Seth then continues.
"Maybe you already know from Lady Linthia or Tara, but there's a problem in the guild, and Lady Linthia is a target. I am on her side, and I've come here because of a distress signal from Tara. But it seems you've already done my job, and I'm grateful for it" Seth explained and forward his thanks.
Now Blake becomes even more convinced that he has gotten himself into something bad.
If Seth, a level 172 NPC was involved then the scale of the problem is beyond the current him or even other players that are inside this world right now. However, Blake couldn't help but feel excited by this.
As the old adage of sayings, high-risk-high-return, and he was all for it.
Thanking the old man that came with the beer, Seth then glanced back at Blake expectantly, "For your safety, I wouldn't tell you the problem. But I do want to extend a request if you're willing to listen, I'm sure you will be properly rewarded"
"Well, I'm listening Sir Seth, you can tell me" Blake replied, gesturing to continue.
Upon seeing that Blake is willing to listen, Seth couldn't help but smile gladly underneath his armor mask, "I can't always come every time this happens, and the problem in the guild is going to be a long one and wouldn't end soon. Me and the others could stall the stronger assassins to come here, so Tara should be enough as she was quite strong for her level"
"But due to today's incident, I'm afraid that one might not be enough" he added meaningfully.
Just from this alone, Blake already knows where this conversation is going.
"Forgive me for intruding while you talk, but I'm afraid that I can't accept your offer, Sir Seth. I've got places to be, being restricted in one place will not do me any good" Blake intervenes, he couldn't stay in this place and needed to move soon.
Angel is waiting for him, and he wouldn't sacrifice meeting her for this.
Out of the features of the game, he was looking for playing and meeting with Angel the most.
Seth raised his hand gently and smiled, "I will not restrict your movement, you can bring Lady Linthia and Tara wherever you want. As long as you're not going to a dangerous place, we can negotiate this request"
"I'm going to Asmel Elf Kingdom, will that be a problem?" Blake blatantly said.
Even though he wanted to accept this request as this is definitely an opportunity for him, he doesn't want to hope much knowing that Narva Empire, the empire he's currently in right now has a bad relationship with the Elf Kingdom.
As expected, Seth frowns when he heard this, and he ponders for a moment.
"I could agree to that. The Asmel Elf Kingdom still trades with humans, so as long as you don't carry the Narva Empire's name around, the three of you will be safe" Seth eventually said, agreeing with the term.
Upon hearing this, Blake couldn't hide his smile as this is perfect for him.
Judging from Blake's expression alone Seth could already tell that he was on board, and now the two needed to move onto the next step, "I'm sure you don't want to be employed for free, so tell me your requirement, I'll try matching it"
But despite being offered to state his own worth, Blake knows better than that.
Working in a highly competitive office he learns a thing or two, and he knows that in a negotiation it's always beneficial if the other party starts with an offer first so he could haggle to increase it.
Leaning back on his chair comfortably, Blake then eyed Seth, this is his field of expertise.
"As a member of the Infernal Veiled Assassin Guild, isn't it best for you to tell me what you can offer first? Considering you know Lady Linthia's worth to the guild and I don't, I think it's more appropriate" Blake said, a soft opening to the negotiation.
Seth smiled when he heard this, he even felt slightly relieved for some reason.
Pausing for a second, he then nodded his head and offered "I could give you 100,000 Gold, 1 A-grade Swiftwater Fervor, and one request that you want. It can be a weapon, armor, or another item that you want"
It was the starting offer, but Blake was completely stunned.
'1- 100,000 Gold...? That's like a million USD' Blake thought, his mind was numb from that.
Gaining 10,000 Gold alone from obtaining the EX-grade race is enough to make his heart thump faster, and obtaining 100,000 Gold would definitely make his heart explode without a doubt.
That's a lot of money!
Finding that Seth is waiting for an answer, Blake quickly snapped out of his daze.
Keeping a calm composure albeit the corner of his mouth tilting up and down in excitement, he then replied, "What- W- What does this A-grade Swiftwater Fervor do, if I may boldly ask?"
"It's a big vial that can permanently increase your agility stat points by 150" Seth replied.
Upon hearing this Blake was even more surprised, 150 points of agility was akin to more than half of his current agility. That item is God-like, and he now for some reason is tempted by that item more than the gold.
In a way, that item is the same as leveling up more than 20 times!
Gulping harshly as he was clearly allured by it, he then forces himself to keep going, "I think that I deserve two of those vials considering I saved Linthia and Tara more than once already. On top of that, what if I ask for an S-grade Scythe for my request?"
"Hmm..." Seth thought for a second, it seems the counteroffer is quite heavy.
Although he would be fine if he get a high-level B or A-grade scythe weapon, he feared that a weapon of that caliber would only shatter in his hand. Since the Perfect Scythe Proficiency is an S-grade passive skill, he reckons that an S-grade scythe will suffice.
But after thinking for a moment, Seth then accepts the offer with a heavy heart.
Despite the negotiation seeming to be going smoothly, it was only going this way because of how Blake phrased his first move at the very start. If Linthia's worth will determine the offer, then Seth couldn't give Blake a bad offer.
It would be a disrespect for Linthia if he did, and this almost guarantees Blake's win.
Now that the two have come to an agreement, Blake and Seth stood up from their seats and shake hands to seal the deal. "Tell Linthia and Tara that a Phantom Lord, Seth Ashward instruct them to follow you until further notice. And MoonDespoiler, I'll trust the two of them to you"
[Player MoonDespoiler has accepted the quest from Seth Ashward!]
[Quest - Important Guardian]
Protect Linthia from the assassins or enemies that might attack in the future until further notice! Experience points will be calculated when the quest is finished, the better Player MoonDespoiler did, the higher it will be.
Rewards: 2 million EXP and NPC Bonus (100,000 Gold, 1 A-grade Swiftwater Fervor, and 1 S-Grade Scythe)
"Okay, leave it to me" Blake replied, firmly shaking Seth's hand.
As the two came to an agreement, Seth paid the old man before he excuses himself as he has other things to do. But as he was about to reach the door, Blake remembered something, 'Wait, if he knew that I'm the one that killed those assassins, then didn't he also see me drinking their blood?!'
Realizing that fact, he looks at Seth's back and stopped him.
"How did you know that I'm the one that killed those assassins last night?" Blake asked.
Upon hearing this, Seth glanced over his shoulder, an air of mysteriousness enveloped him as his expression is covered with his armor mask, "Oh, that... don't worry about it. Let's say that I have my own means to point it at you" he replied.
Blake wanted to know but he couldn't force Seth to answer.
He could only weep in silence as his heart suffer the uncertainty of whether Seth know that he was a Spectral Vampire too or not. But then, he snapped out of his daze again, "MoonDespoiler, I forgot to mention this. Lady Linthia is already betrothed to someone, so I suggest you not lay a finger on her..."
Out of nowhere, Seth said that, and a sliver of his powerful aura seeped out as a warning.
It's clear that Seth didn't try hard in doing this, but that sliver of aura alone is enough to tremble Blake's very core. The killing intent coming from him was akin to a tidal wave of blood, suffocating him in its quake.
Feeling this sensation, Blake could only smile wryly as his body went stiff.
"Y-Yes, Sir! I will not gaze at Linthia that way much less touch her, don't worry about it"
"Good, as long as you understand..." Seth replied with a nod.
A moment later, Seth's body vanished without a trace, simply disappearing.
Upon Seth's disappearance, Blake sat back down again as the weight on his chest was lifted and he could finally breathe easily. Nearing Seth alone makes him feel like being choked to death, the disparity in power is just too much.
"Well, at least that went well..." Blake muttered, giving a pat on his back.
Remembering what Seth said before leaving, he also shakes his head without worry, "Linthia doesn't see me like that, so it's not going to be a problem. I'll have to keep a distance from her so nothing like that will happen. I don't want to know what Seth is going to do to me if something develops between us..."
~
Meanwhile, back inside the inn.
Linthia lays on the bed and looks outside the broken window where sunlight pierces inside, she then takes a whiff and finds a masculine scent coming from the bedsheet, and this makes her expression turns rosy.
Taking a moment, she puts her nose near the pillow as she clenched the bedsheet gently.
"Blake..." she utters while closing her eyes, inhaling deeply as the masculine scent of the person inside her mind fills her nose and clouds her mind. Opening her eyes again, she then continues softly, "he saved us again..."
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