Ren kept chatting with Ago, asking about all sorts of things. But clearly, after that bizarre little prank earlier, he was practically talking to thin air. Ago turned her face away, lips pouting in silence, not bothering to reply.
'Ah… I see. So this is what people mean when they say "a girl sulking," huh?' Ren sighed, equal parts amused and helpless.
Even so, from the scattered bits of conversation, he managed to piece together some crucial information: the frontliners had set the time to assault the boss, on the night of December 20th, leading into the early morning of the 21st.
Ren's eyes widened slightly. "Seriously? Out of all the decent times they could've chosen, they just had to go with midnight?" He scratched his head, his expression both speechless and dissatisfied. "Don't tell me killing the boss at dawn gives more exp or better drops?"
Well, it wasn't too surprising, the battle this time would be a milestone, marking the line between the two major guilds.
When the boss fell, it would drop the guild-creation item, practically a seal of authority in this stage of the game. Whoever held it would define the order of the upcoming floors.
A guild with the item would gain numerous benefits: members hunting monsters together would receive better exp distribution than a regular party.
More than that, if a large number of members were present in the same area, they would gain an additional % bonus to experience.
And most importantly, the guild would gain access to special questlines from NPCs earlier than anyone else.
In other words, they wouldn't have to rely solely on the standard "path-clearing" quests that anyone could do, they would have their own accelerated path of progression.
Ren crossed his arms, silently mulling it over. This wasn't just a simple boss fight, it was the beginning of real power structures forming within Aincrad.
Of course, the guild-creation item wasn't unique. But honestly, he didn't care who got it first.
The Aincrad Liberation Force, a name brimming with grandeur, yet in truth just a loose collection of players who hadn't been properly vetted, bound only by lax discipline.
Or the Dragon Knights Brigade, radiant prestige and lofty promises on the surface, but underneath still lurked the undeniable greed of personal ambition.
He didn't need to choose a side. He didn't need to pledge allegiance. The only thing that mattered was: would they be strong enough to lead all players under a shared ideal?
To move step by step toward the higher floors...and in doing so, minimize the number of lives lost.
Too many had already died since the day they were trapped in this world.
And Ren knew, it wouldn't stop here. No matter which guild was formed, no matter how many banners were raised, the chain of casualties would continue, a cruel truth no one could deny.
Before long, the night had swallowed the forest whole, leaving only the faint glow of dying embers flickering shadows across the tent walls.
Ren sat leaning against the corner of the tent, eyes fixed on the dark fabric above him. He tried to sleep, but in vain. The restless feeling, as though waiting for something that Aisen had been hinting at all day, kept gnawing at him.
A sliver of doubt stirred within him, was Aisen merely testing him? Or was there truly a mission waiting in the dark?
The answer came soon enough.
Heavy footsteps pressed against the earth outside, and Aisen's silhouette appeared, pushing aside the tent flap.
His face was shrouded in mystery, eyes gleaming in the firelight as if clutching a secret he refused to release.
"Hurry, we've got urgent business," Aisen said curtly, his voice deep. Without giving Ren time to ask, he seized the boy's arm and pulled him to his feet.
"I wasn't planning to involve you… but..." Aisen paused briefly, lips pressed tight in hesitation. Finally, he exhaled. "…Alright then. Let's go."
The fire outside flickered, casting their shadows together, before both vanished into the dense, suffocating night.
"Those Forest Elves… they're even crazier than we thought," Aisen muttered grimly, his tone carrying the chill of night air. He strode quickly across the carpet of dead leaves, leading Ren deeper into the northern woods.
Behind them, torches began to flare one by one. Word had spread, and another Dark Elf unit was already rallying to follow in their wake.
"Kizmel and your two friends already went ahead," Aisen glanced back briefly at Ren. But the boy still couldn't grasp the full picture.
"Went ahead? You mean… where?" Ren asked, his voice low amidst the quiet, broken only by the chirping of insects.
"They've infiltrated the Forest Elf camp. Their mission is to steal the command scroll," Aisen replied without slowing his stride.
"The command scroll…?" Ren echoed, but Aisen continued immediately:
"If we don't seize it before they send it away through the Spirit Tree, a real war will break out. You understand? There'll be no turning back after that."
Ren shivered faintly. The thought of a large-scale war between the two races made his chest tighten. "I didn't think they'd be so fanatical over a sacred relic that they'd risk sparking a war…"
Aisen nodded slightly, his gaze dark. "Yes. But at least… this time we know where they are."
Ren frowned. "Wait… didn't you say before that you still hadn't located the Forest Elf camp on this floor?"
Aisen let out a faint smile, weary and devoid of joy. "Correct. That was only until this morning. Do you remember the wounded soldier we brought back?"
Ren suddenly understood. A tremor ran through his chest, his heart thudding hard as if he had overlooked something crucial. His steps faltered, the dim moonlit path stretching endlessly before his eyes.
"So… he carried information…"
"He tried to steal intel from us," Aisen cut in, his voice low, tinged with mockery. "But we allowed him to. After all, the scroll he took was nothing but a fake."
Aisen tilted his chin slightly, as if the entire board was already within his grasp. "In return, however, he unknowingly led us straight to their camp."
Ren froze. "Wait… so you knew he was a spy from the beginning? Then why did you still risk everything to save him this morning?"
Aisen chuckled lightly, but the sound was cold as ice. "I was merely putting on a show for them. If things had gone too far, I would have pulled back immediately. But who would have thought…" His eyes flicked toward Ren, "…you'd charge in like a fool, leaving me no choice but to stay."
The words silenced Ren, his lips pressed tightly together. He couldn't decide whether to feel ashamed or angry.
"So… how did you know he was a spy from the start?" Ren asked again, his voice dropping.
The night's shadow veiled Aisen's eyes, making them unreadable, almost chilling. "That…" he answered slowly, deliberately leaving a mysterious gap, "…is a secret of the Dark Elves."
"Then what exactly is our mission…?" Ren frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the camouflaged wooden barricades as he and Aisen slipped past the outer defenses of the Forest Elf camp.
"We're here to back up those who infiltrated before us," Aisen replied, his voice low, blending into the darkness. "If they're discovered, our task is to create enough chaos… to scatter the enemy's focus and buy them a chance to escape."
A shiver crept up Ren's spine at the explanation. "Something like… setting a fire?"
The corner of Aisen's mouth curled into a dangerous smile. "Exactly. I've been waiting for this day for a long time, you know."
"But of course… we should still pray that they slip out unnoticed, without raising any alarms."
Aisen's gaze darkened, his tone heavy. "Because inside… there's an opponent who's anything but ordinary. He's capable of standing toe-to-toe with Knight Kizmel, that's no exaggeration. And his guardian eagle… is no less of a menace."
Ren tightened his grip on his sword's hilt, tension flickering across his face.
"All right," Aisen inhaled deeply, scanning the camp shrouded in night. "We need to find the weakest link in their watch system. That's where we'll strike."
But just then, noise erupted from within the enemy lines.
"Something's happening…" Ren froze, eyes fixed on the shadows of Forest Elf soldiers scrambling frantically inside the camp.
A shrill alarm whistle pierced the stillness of the night.
Aisen tilted his head, his lips curving into a smile half mocking, half intrigued. "Looks like they've truly been discovered."
Ren's grip on his sword tightened, his heartbeat pounding. "Then… it's our turn to play our part."
Yet before they could even decide how to draw attention away, shouts of chaos erupted outside. A band of players suddenly stormed in, crashing straight through the Forest Elf barricades.
Though called a small group, their numbers still overwhelmed the sparse guards stationed here, after all, this was merely an outpost, not a heavily fortified stronghold.
Moreover, neither side had dispatched too many troops for the Holy Relic pursuit down here, nor did they allow large numbers to descend to such a low floor.
Both Forest Elves and Dark Elves had already bled their forces dry after countless clashes on this floor, and now, neither faction held absolute superiority anymore.