Chapter 74

One day before the event. When I logged in, the first thing I checked was the message from a friend.

It could have been from Altrius or Fino, but there were no new messages from either of them in the message box.

It seems that there was no additional contact from Altrius, and Fino’s equipment was not yet ready.

While feeling a bit disappointed about the equipment, I wasn’t particularly anxious and called out Lumin from the familiar crystal.

"Good morning, Father."

"Yes, good morning. Do you know today's schedule?"

"Yes, we are going to meet a man named Altrius, right?"

"That's right. I wonder what kind of conversation it will be..."

I have a high opinion of Altrius.

He is a talented person and, at the same time, a man who fights. However, this does not mean he is battle-hardened like me.

From Altrius, I sense a constant struggle, though I don’t know the reasons, purposes, methods, or forms.

His eyes and aura are very rare for a modern person. I am interested in what kind of battle he is engaged in.

With a small smile, I started walking towards Camelot’s base.

"Teacher! Wait a moment!"

"...Hizama. I thought I told you before, what are you going to do by following me?"

"Well, I’m curious, aren’t I? Since we can’t move together during the event, I at least want to know what you’re going to do!"

I was held back by Hizama, who logged in in a hurry.

Though I gave her a slightly exasperated look, I couldn’t deny her point.

Originally, I had planned to stand beside Hizama on the battlefield and show her some techniques she wouldn’t usually see.

It’s a bit disappointing that this didn’t happen.

"...Well, if they give permission, that’s fine. But if they don’t—"

"I understand. I won’t push it that far."

"Good. In this case, even though we are competing, it’s not a direct battle with other clans, so it shouldn’t be a big problem."

If this were a battlefield where we needed to keep our movements secret, Altrius wouldn’t give permission.

But this time, it’s a competition, not a direct clash between clans.

Even if our strategies are known, it won’t have a significant impact.

As I walked towards Camelot’s clan house, I thought about Altrius.

That man, with his somewhat otherworldly aura. I think the aura of struggle is the cause of this.

"...Hizama, how much do you know about Altrius?"

"About Altrius? We sometimes talk, but we don’t share personal stories..."

Hizama crossed her arms and furrowed her brow, thinking for a moment.

Altrius is a very famous player, but it’s quite rare that not much is known about him.

I wonder how he achieved such skill and why he decided to use it in this game.

To find clues, I listened to Hizama’s words.

"He’s a player from the beta version, the master of the clan Camelot, and has the title of Holy Sword Knight. I assume you know this much, right?"

"Yes, I’ve heard some rumors."

"Then, for example... Camelot has twelve officers called squad leaders. Each squad leader manages players in specific fields and commands them individually."

"Altrius is the one who manages these squad leaders?"

"Yes. There’s also a squad called the Royal Guard, which is directly under Altrius."

It seems to be a more organized clan than I thought.

If it’s formal, I think there would be more people with complaints, but Altrius must be good at managing them.

"Among the squad leaders, a few have been there since the beginning, or right after Altrius started playing. I’ve seen Dean, Durell, and K together with him from the start."

"Hmm. Are they acquaintances in real life?"

"They don’t seem like friends, but they seemed to respect Altrius naturally. It felt too natural to be role-playing."

I don’t know what Altrius does in real life, but he might lead some kind of organization outside the game.

And he might be playing this game while leading that organization.

I can’t ask him directly, but if it’s true, he must be a very unusual person.

Well, I can’t really talk about others.

"...He’s a truly mysterious man. His skill is undeniable, though."

"The beta event was a dungeon time attack with a party. I watched Altrius’s strategy video later, and it was incredibly precise. I used brute force, but I couldn’t match his efficiency."

"If he can make decisions on the spot, he must be good at improvising. He’s quite versatile."

From his movements, it seems he has learned some kind of martial arts.

His personal combat skills are above average, and he also has strong organizational management skills.

They say that heaven doesn’t give two gifts, but this doesn’t seem to apply to him.

"...The mystery only deepens, but I guess we’ll see more as we talk."

"Father, that’s... "

"Yes, Altrius’s base. The Camelot clan house, right?"

It’s a large mansion, though it’s off the main street.

The building doesn’t seem very new, but it’s being renovated by production players.

It seems they have carpentry skills. The production profession is quite deep.

The gate is open, and you can enter the grounds freely. As I stepped in, a male player working in the garden called out to me.

"Huh? Oh, oh! The Crimson Sword Maiden, so you must be Quon!"

"...Yes, that’s right."

"Of course! I’ve heard about you, I’ll show you around!"

He’s a very friendly-looking earth elemental.

It seems he’s in charge of the players working in the garden. After a quick handover to the nearby players, he approached us.

His stocky build and dark skin are typical of earth elementals.

Despite his rough appearance, his black eyes have an intelligent gleam.

"My name is Boman, nice to meet you."

"Yes, I’m Quon. This is Lumin... Do you know Hizama?"

"Ah, so this is the tamed spirit monster. She’s quite a beauty, isn’t she?"

As Boman spoke, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Lumin, without her Light Wings, looks almost human.

It’s hard to tell she’s not human at first glance. However, he doesn’t seem to have used the Identify skill...

It’s likely he already knew this information.

It seems Camelot has gathered some information about me.

"Boman... Are you the leader of the procurement squad?"

"Hehe, you know your stuff, Miss Sword Maiden."

"The officers of Camelot... I’ve heard some rumors. I think they specialize in material collection, right?"

"To be precise, it’s the procurement of materials for production. Transport, recovery, farming, and local surveys are also part of it."

It seems he’s in a supporting role.

However, he doesn’t seem to regret it and is proud of it.

He’s truly a pillar of support.

"Material procurement. You seem busy."

"Absolutely! Though K’s production squad is probably busier!"

"K... He manages the internal production activities of Camelot. He’s one of the officers from the beginning."

"Hmm... So you command procurement and production separately?"

If managed well, it’s efficient, but if the coordination fails, the whole system breaks down.

Despite the busy situation, they seem to be working with some ease.

This is evidence that each squad leader is managing their squad well.

Inside the building, the interior is simple, like the Ramburk residence.

They probably don’t have the funds to spend more.

They’ve only had the clan house for a short time, so it’s understandable.

"Alright, here we are. Let’s go in, Master."

"Ah, Boman. Please come in."

We reached the middle of the mansion, and Boman opened one of the room doors.

Inside, there was a round table and several players seated around it.

Altrius was sitting in the chair at the far end.

"Master, we have a visitor."

"Yes, thank you, Boman."

"No problem. I’ll get back to work. We don’t have much time until tomorrow!"

"Please consider our needs when delivering the materials. Having the materials but no time to produce the finished products is useless."

"Heh, I know. See you, Quon."

Boman left with a laugh at the dwarf’s sarcastic comment.

After seeing him off, I turned back to Altrius.

"I’ve been waiting for you, Quon. Please, take a seat."

"Is it okay? These are your officers’ seats, aren’t they?"

"No, I’m not calling everyone here today."

If the leader of this group says it’s fine, it should be no problem.

I nodded and took a seat facing him.

"Hmm. Hizama is with you, too."

"I expected as much. You’ve left three seats on our side empty."

"Hehe, I can’t deny that. We’re not discussing anything confidential, so it’s fine."

Hearing Altrius’s welcoming words, Hizama, who was somewhat hesitant, timidly took a seat.

There are six players from Camelot, including Altrius.

These members seem to be the core of the event.

Each is distinctive, but the two flanking Altrius are particularly notable.

A tall man with spiky blonde hair and gray eyes, and a graceful man with long silver hair and lake-like eyes.

Both are skilled. They are probably on par with Hizama.

"Then, let me reiterate... Welcome to Camelot’s Round Table. The topic today is the strategy for the World Quest, The Demon Invasion. We need to decide the general strategy for this battle."

"...Hmm. This is a bit unexpected. I thought it was already decided."

I thought Altrius would have already decided how to move his troops.

I planned to listen to their strategy and act without interfering.

In response to my words, the dwarf who was talking to Boman earlier nodded in agreement.

"I had the same question, Altrius. What are you thinking?"

"It’s simple, K."

It seems the dwarf with glasses is K, one of the officers.

In response to his somewhat difficult question, Altrius answered with a calm smile.

"This battle. I intend to decide my movements based on your strategy, Quon."

■Avatar Name: Quon

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 27

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 24

VIT: 18

INT: 24

MND: 18

AGI: 14

DEX: 14

■Skills

Weapon Skill: Sword: Lv.27

Magic Skill: Enhancement Magic: Lv.19

Set Skills: Dead Point Strike: Lv.17

MP Auto Recovery: Lv.15

Plundering Sword: Lv.14

Identify: Lv.15

Life Sword: Lv.16

Demon Slaying Sword: Lv.7

Tame: Lv.12

HP Auto Recovery: Lv.12

Vitality Manipulation: Lv.9

Sub Skills: Mining: Lv.8

Title Skill: Fairy Blessing

■Current SP: 30

■Avatar Name: Hizama

■Gender: Female

■Race: Human

■Level: 27

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 24

VIT: 17

INT: 21

MND: 18

AGI: 16

DEX: 16

■Skills

Weapon Skill: Sword: Lv.27

Magic Skill: Fire Magic: Lv.23

Set Skills: Fighting Spirit: Lv.17

Spell Charge: Lv.16

Fire Attribute Enhancement: Lv.15

Healing Aptitude: Lv.10

Identify: Lv.15

Dead Point Strike: Lv.17

Combat: Lv.16

Battle Skills: Lv.16

Traverse: Lv.16

Sub Skills: Gathering: Lv.7

Mining: Lv.10

Title Skill: Crimson Sword Maiden

■Current SP: 30

■Monster Name: Lumin

■Gender: Female

■Race: Valkyrie

■Level: 1

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 25

VIT: 18

INT: 32

MND: 19

AGI: 21

DEX: 19

■Skills

Weapon Skill: Sword

Magic Skill: Light Magic

Skills: Light Attribute Enhancement

Light Wings

Magic Resistance: High

Physical Resistance: Medium

MP Auto Recovery: High

Wind Magic

Magic Circle

Boost

Title Skill: Servant of the Spirit King