A few days later, deep within the underground sanctuary of the 18 Undercovers.
Rumble... The massive stone gears turned, and the heavy hidden doors slid open. Four exhausted, dirt-covered figures trudged into the main hall. The scouting party—Bryn, Finn, Elin, and Perrin—had finally returned from the north.
"We're back!!" Perrin shouted, dropping his massive backpack onto the stone floor and stretching until his spine popped. "God, I missed a soft bed and Mila's beef stew!"
"Welcome back, everyone!" Mila called out from the kitchen area, wiping her hands on her apron.
But before Perrin could take another step toward the food, Elin's sharp eyes caught a highly unnatural sight in the training yard.
A strange, sickly pale young man with blue-tinted skin was frantically tearing into Silas's skeleton minions with his bare hands. His sharp fangs glinted under the crystal light as he ripped a skull from its spine.
Elin's eyes widened. She didn't utter a single word. In a fraction of a second, her hand whipped over her shoulder, drawing her bow and nocking a magical arrow aimed directly at the pale man's head. Seeing their ranger react, Bryn and Finn instantly drew their weapons by pure instinct, ready for a fight.
"Wait, wait, wait!! Stop!" Silas sprinted out, waving his arms frantically to block the arrow's path. "Friendly! Friendly! He's not an enemy! His name is Azul... he's, uh... our new probationary member!"
The scouting party lowered their weapons, completely bewildered.
"A probationary member? An NPC?" Bryn raised an eyebrow, watching as Azul stopped his frantic attack and offered them a deep, respectful bow.
"It's a long story. We'll explain during the debriefing," Talia said, walking out of her quarters while massaging her temples. She looked as sharply dressed and composed as ever. "I'm glad you made it back safely, Bryn. Go wash up. Everyone, gather at the war table. We have a lot to update."
Fifteen minutes later, the core members of the guild were gathered around the long stone table. Bryn downed a glass of water before starting her report on the northern territories.
"To keep it brief... the 'Free Guild Coalition' up in Havengard isn't the savage wasteland the Black Guards make it out to be," Bryn said, unrolling a hand-drawn map. "It's packed with solo players and peaceful small guilds. They've completely opened up free trade... and they are heavily adapting 'real world' culture."
Finn nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We saw NPCs eating hamburgers and fries on the streets. Some were even wearing modern streetwear crafted by players. It's a bizarre mix of fantasy and modern life."
"Wow... I'd kill for a burger right now," Sera muttered, her eyes sparkling.
"Now, about their government," Bryn tapped the map, bringing the focus back. "They don't have an absolute Guild Master like Warran. They govern through a Parliamentary System. They vote on major decisions using representatives from the various smaller factions."
Talia narrowed her eyes, instantly analyzing the data. "Democracy in a survival death-game... Sounds idealistic, but does it actually work in a war?"
"That's the fatal flaw I noticed," Bryn smirked, her tactician's mind at work. "While I was gathering intel in the taverns, I heard the players complaining endlessly. The larger guilds are furious that their votes hold the exact same weight as guilds with barely any members. They aren't united. The political cracks are everywhere."
Bryn finalized her assessment. "If you ask me... if someone attacked Havengard, they would fight to the death to protect their home. But if you expect them to march an army down here to attack Soltaris first? Never going to happen. The parliament would spend weeks arguing over logistics and benefits until the motion died. They are an impenetrable fortress on defense, but completely paralyzed on offense."
"Excellent work, Bryn. That intel is invaluable," Talia nodded approvingly. "Which means as long as no one kicks the hornet's nest, the Third Faction will stay put. Now... onto our situation."
Talia gestured toward Azul, who stood quietly at the edge of the room. She relayed the events of Sera finding the dying villager, his transformation, and the reason he was brought into the sanctuary.
"Wait... there's a psychotic player kidnapping women in the city?" Elin frowned, her fists clenching tightly. "And he strikes so fast no one can see him, using a high-level curse?"
"Yes. At first, we assumed it was an Assassin or a Rogue who maxed out their Agility stat," Talia adjusted her glasses. "But after analyzing Azul's testimony, I think we jumped to conclusions."
The entire table looked at Talia.
"Think about it," Talia explained with top-tier gamer logic. "When Azul was attacked, he was just an ordinary NPC with rock-bottom stats. To a normal villager, every single Level 100 player moves like lightning. It doesn't matter what class they are; the speed difference is too massive for an NPC to track."
"She has a point," Dane agreed, leaning against the wall. "Even if a heavy-armor knight like Nolan charged at an NPC at full speed, they wouldn't be able to see him coming either."
"Exactly," Talia concluded. "Therefore, this killer might not be an Assassin at all. He could be a Dark Knight, a Dark Mage using a blade, or any class with dark magic and curses. The only thing we know for sure is that he is incredibly good at hiding, and he views this city as his personal hunting ground."
Talia's gaze swept over the guild, her expression turning dead serious.
"Our primary objective is assimilation. If we clash with this psycho in the middle of the city, the shockwaves and magical flares will bring the entire Crimson Order down on us. They will instantly know Level 100 players are hiding here. We need to be incredibly careful. Let's figure out exactly how we are going to eliminate him without exposing ourselves."
The atmosphere in the room grew tense as the topic shifted to assassination.
"If we strike first, we risk exposure," Lucian frowned. "But if we wait and do nothing, he might eventually draw the guards' attention straight to our doorstep."
"Then we make him come to us," Sera chimed in, her crimson eyes serious. "The prey he targets are defenseless young women, right? Starting tomorrow, I'll act as the bait. I'll pretend to walk home alone through the darkest, most isolated alleys in the slums every night."
"Are you crazy, Sera?" Mila objected immediately. "What if he uses a high-level binding curse? Even if you're a Level 100 vampire, an ambush could be fatal!"
"Don't worry," Finn interjected, nodding at Sera. "I can use my owl to keep watch from the sky. I'll have a bird's-eye view of her every move."
"And I will tail her from the shadows using stealth," Talia added, her eyes glinting. "If he takes the bait, we don't fight him in the streets. We let him 'kidnap' Sera. She lets him carry her back to his lair. Once we know where he's hiding Azul's sister, we kill him quietly on his own turf."
Several members murmured in agreement. It was a risky but solid plan.
However, Thom raised his hand. "Boss... Sera's plan is good, but killing him ourselves still risks leaving unnatural corpses or traces of mana. The city is crawling with Level 100 Crimson Order guards. Why don't we just use them?"
Dane smirked, catching Thom's drift. "Exactly. We have the intelligence network. We figure out his pattern, plant some fake evidence, and drop some anonymous hints to the guard captains. We let the Crimson Order raid his lair and kill the psycho for us! Our hands stay clean, and we stay 100% safe."
The room fell silent. The guild was torn between the two approaches: acting as bait to handle it themselves, or using the Crimson Order to do the dirty work.
Talia tapped her index finger against the stone table, her mind running through hundreds of probability calculations in mere seconds. A faint smile crossed her lips.
"Actually... I propose we run both plans concurrently."
The guild members looked at her in surprise.
"Using the Crimson Order to eliminate him is the smartest and safest route," Talia explained. "Thom, Dane, Perrin. Use your cover jobs. Find his pattern, gather the intel, and feed it to the Black Guards. Let them do the heavy lifting."
"But," Talia turned to the vampire, "Sera's bait operation will act as our safety net. Sera, you will still walk the alleys every night with Finn and me watching you. This is in case we are targeted before the guards can find him. If he happens to choose you as his next victim, we let him take you, and we execute him silently in his lair."
Talia stood up, looking at her guild with absolute authority. "Remember... letting our enemies kill each other is always the smartest play. But if he dares to cross the line and touch one of our own... we erase him. Do we agree?"
"Understood, Boss!" the guild replied in unison.
That very night, the dual-operation commenced.
In the dead of night, under a thick blanket of fog, Sera walked alone through the darkest, most desolate alleys behind the tavern. Dressed in her simple maid outfit, she hugged her arms, perfectly acting the part of a terrified villager rushing home.
Yet, high above on a rooftop chimney, a brown owl perched silently. Its amber eyes glowed with a faint magical hue, tracking every single movement in the streets below. Miles away, Finn saw everything through its eyes.
And in the deepest shadows just a few paces behind Sera... Talia walked in complete silence. Cloaked in darkness, her stealth skills rendered her entirely invisible and undetectable.
The 18 Undercovers had cast their net. Now, all they had to do was wait and see if the Crimson Order—or the monster itself—would take the bait.