SSG 248

Episode 248

“Thank you for gathering like this.”

Aiden looked at the assembled guild members.

“The reason I called you all here is to discuss the frequent raids happening lately.”

“As expected.”

Cooking Day nodded. The others also seemed to have already guessed.

“As you all surmised, player cities are currently being raided. The frequency isn’t extremely high, but it isn’t low enough to ignore either. Naturally, we also need to be prepared.”

“Is it really that serious? I’ve watched a few videos, but the attacks didn’t seem all that concerning to me.”

“There are plenty of cities that haven’t even been breached.”

“Barbarian and Incendiary are right. As long as players and NPC soldiers defend their city sensibly, the number of demons and monsters that appear is manageable.”

“To be honest, if a guild can’t even withstand that, they might as well go under.”

“Beauty Art has a point, though it’s a bit harsh. If only demons and monsters were all there was to it, I’d have just made a warning in the chat instead of calling this full meeting. But there’s a dangerous element in these raids.”

“You’re talking about the black armor, right?”

“Exactly, Western Gardener.”

At the mention of the black armor, the atmosphere turned a bit more serious.

“The ones that first appeared during that large-scale demon raid event are showing up again. Even back then, the reason some cities were so easily overrun was mainly because of them—their strength is formidable. It’s the same this time. Quite a few cities that handled the demons and monsters well were still destroyed because the black armor joined the fight.”

“They were definitely strong. For most people, taking them on isn’t easy, not even for me or the guild leader.”

“Lucky Guy, you have high stats—at least you’re better off. For me, it’s seriously dangerous.”

Aiden held up both hands.

“Don’t worry, guild leader! If something happens, we’ll come help right away!”

“Just like this musclehead says.”

“Are you calling me a musclehead, you arsonist wannabe?”

“Hahaha, you two make me feel reassured.”

Aiden gently interrupted Barbarian and Incendiary’s bickering and continued the meeting. His mediation and authority were perfectly handled.

“But I don’t think these raids will stop here. So far, they’ve been targeting only small guilds.”

“Never thought we’d reach a point where we’d call those other guilds ‘small.’”

Cooking Day gave a half-laugh.

Jemutdaero, at least in size, used to be among the smallest. Of course, most top-tier guilds were much bigger than Jemutdaero.

But now, with multiple cities under their belt, no guild was bigger than Jemutdaero.

“That just shows how much our guild has grown. Anyway, the only guilds hit so far have had just one city. Those with multiple cities that could send reinforcements right away haven’t been attacked. But there’s no guarantee it will stay that way.”

“So you’re saying those with multiple cities could be attacked next.”

“That’s what I think, Lucky Guy. And the scale of the attack then will be very different from now. We need to prepare for it.”

“Let’s do it.”

Cooking Day spoke.

“If it’s the guild leader’s analysis, I’ll trust it. No harm in being ready. Anyone object?”

No one opposed.

“That’s settled, Guild Leader.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s talk it through.”

The guild members began to share their opinions.

“But what exactly is the black armor? Are they some kind of high-ranking demon?”

Suddenly, Beauty Art asked. The black armor’s identity had been a topic of curiosity since their appearance.

Most assumed they were the elite of the demons.

But Aiden thought differently.

“I believe those are players.”

“Pushing a minor theory, huh.”

There had been some speculation that the black armor weren’t demons, but it wasn’t mainstream.

“Demons appeared as enemies of players, and we’re still fighting them. But I don’t think demons will stay as just enemies. I suspect they’re giving quests to players aligned with them, and the black armor are those players.”

“Interesting theory.”

“In the end, there might even be an event where you switch sides to become a demon.”

“Oh, so players who choose the human side and those who choose the demon side will end up fighting?”

“Yes.”

Yuseong was surprised. Aiden’s guess was amazingly accurate.

‘He really is remarkable.’

It was no wonder Jemutdaero’s guild members entrusted him with the guild even though his physical stats were nothing special.

“Well, if the guild leader says so, there’s a good chance.”

“It’s just a theory, so keep it in the back of your mind. For now, let’s focus on preparations for possible raids.”

The meeting continued.

Yuseong pondered as he listened.

‘This event’s a golden opportunity to attract attention.’

Of course, Yuseong had obtained all information through Messiah. He had no intention of missing this chance.

‘Willy is plotting something, isn’t he?’

Everyone would be more interested in a confrontation with C.O.T.S and Willy than with any other guild or player.

‘A bad relationship comes in handy.’

Of course, for Willy and C.O.T.S, this would be a most unwelcome connection.

But Yuseong had no intention of considering their feelings now.

---

The city raids drew considerable attention. Most people thought these attacks were some part of a major event. And as Aiden assumed, few believed that the raids would end with only one-city guilds as targets.

And they were right.

“They’re here.”

“As expected, there are loads of them.”

Two players atop a city wall looked out at the swarming demons and monsters.

Anyone could see their city’s current forces couldn’t handle the scale. But their guild owned two cities.

“If we mobilize troops from our other city, we might just barely hold out.”

“So it really is true—the enemy numbers scale to your guild’s total city strength.”

“You see a black armor out there?”

“No. But you can’t relax—some of them pop up mid-battle too.”

“Be careful. All the cities that fell so far say it was that black armor that did them in.”

“OK.”

This was happening everywhere. The monsters’ target guilds grew in size, too.

C.O.T.S, of course, was also holding a meeting about this.

“I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”

In the meeting room, Pattern, sitting next to Python at the head of the table, spoke.

“Based on the information so far, um… so….”

Pattern waved his hand awkwardly, searching through his info windows.

His motions were horribly clumsy. Flustered, the person who usually spewed profanities in combat now only managed incoherent words.

He looked like a complete amateur. Those in the meeting room frowned; some even sighed quietly.

Python didn’t look pleased either, but he didn’t call Pattern out.

“Ahem, ahem!”

Pattern, sensing the room’s mood, cleared his throat after finally finding the info he wanted.

“The demons and monsters attacking the fallen cities were at a level that the defending guilds should have been able to handle. Only a very few fell due to poor defense; the majority fell because of the black armor.”

He glanced at Python and continued.

“And yet, the black armor aren’t especially strong. Their level seems adjusted to the city’s level, like the other monsters. Still, they definitely raise the difficulty, but for a guild of our level, we should be able to take them out.”

“You heard him—we don’t have much to worry about. But they’re still a threat, so be ready to move instantly if we get the call.”

“““Yes!”””

The members replied.

“That’s all for today.”

When Python spoke, several people looked surprised.

After all, what passed for a meeting was just Pattern’s report followed by Python’s orders.

If the report had been clear, that would be one thing.

But anyone could see that Pattern was just reading from some data, fumbling all the while. Even a college presentation would get you an F if done like that.

And it didn’t seem like he’d even prepared the material himself, nor had he reviewed it in advance.

Yet this Pattern had led the meeting.

Such a thing wouldn’t have happened before.

Not even bothering to ask for other opinions in a so-called meeting was laughable.

But not everyone reacted the same.

Those sitting near Python—the so-called Python faction inner circle—didn’t seem to mind.

It was obvious. They’d already had their say with him.

“I have something to ask.”

Someone stopped the meeting from ending as expected, whether people were satisfied or not.

“…Willy.”

Python looked at Willy with narrowed eyes.

Willy met his hostile stare unflinchingly.

“Are you not going to use these city raids to our advantage? There have already been cases where weakened cities were taken after a monster attack. Of course, you need to get the coordinates first, but we could at least try—”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Python cut Willy off abruptly.

“Right now, we don’t have the luxury to attack other guilds. If we overextend, our already weakened strength will be at even greater risk.”

“But—!”

“It’s already decided.”

“…….”

Willy said nothing more. Python stared at him for a moment before leaving the room.

“He just thinks he’s special.”

“He hasn’t even been here long.”

Those who followed Python out threw remarks at Willy.

After most had left, several people gathered by Willy’s side.

“Those guys are so damn annoying.”

“It’s pathetic, seriously.”

They were Willy’s peers.

Recruited and developed as part of the new C.O.T.S initiative, like Willy and Mad Hammer. While they didn’t reach the heights of Willy and Mad Hammer, some had already grown enough to attend important meetings. Even those who hadn’t were still highly active.

They had become a key force in C.O.T.S.

But now that Python only valued old and trusted allies, these people were being pushed out as well.

Naturally, they were discontent and began to rally around Willy, the most successful of their group.

“He’s worried about weakening our forces? He just wants to wipe out Apollon’s faction, that’s all.”

“We already lost a city and fell behind Jemutdaero, so we should be looking to take cities back however we can.”

“He’s just afraid the Apollon group will score any credit and make a comeback. What a coward.”

“Alright, let’s keep calm.”

Willy soothed his companions.

“We knew they’d act this way, so let’s not get worked up.”

“But it’s so ridiculous!”

“We should just leave the guild! If we band together, we could make a solid guild ourselves!”

“We can’t do that.”

Willy refused firmly.

“If we left, we’d just be yet another guild with no city. And did we do anything wrong? Why should we leave? If anyone should go, it’s those guys. Right?”

He spoke half-jokingly with a slight smile, and the others agreed, getting fired up.

Willy played along in an exaggerated tone, but his eyes remained cold as ice.