Ch.110Benas

# 110. Benas

“Yehyun unnie.”

“Hmm?”

“What kind of person is the raid leader?”

“R-raid leader? What do you mean by what kind of person?”

“Just, literally that. It’s important, right? He’s our raid leader.”

In tent 3.

Yehyun, Arang, and Soyu were lying side by side, chatting.

“The raid leader is… just as you already know him.”

“Just as I know him.”

“Usually he jokes around, takes good care of everyone, and is considerate, but once a raid starts, he becomes a completely different person.”

“He’s a better cook than you’d expect.”

“That’s right! Soyu and I help out, but mostly the raid leader handles the cooking.”

Though it was her first time seeing everyone in person, their bond was already strong. After the dramatic event called “The Great First Step,” the time needed to overcome awkwardness had drastically decreased. Every guild member she’d met in person had been kind to her… Arang felt like she was attending an actual guild meetup.

“We’ll probably do raids someday, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“We already did the Naba Forest Mountain Guardian raid. Though we weren’t there.”

“I mean like Mensima.”

Mensima.

A raid boss they’d finally defeated after seven attempts, but it had been far from easy.

Remembering those vicious attack patterns and enormous health bar, all three shook their heads in horror.

“W-when that time comes, we’ll manage somehow, right?”

“Yeah. For now, our priority is safely climbing one floor at a time.”

The imaginary Mensima killed the women’s conversation. As the room filled with breathing instead of words, Arang, who they thought was asleep, suddenly spoke up.

“But is there nothing between you and him?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Between you and the raid leader.”

“…N-no, nothing at all!”

Yehyun was flustered, and Soyu turned away, pretending to sleep. Seeing her unnies’ reactions, Arang thought:

*I see.

The raid leader is a player, huh?*

**

Danya’s words gave me a lot to think about.

*Am I perhaps walking the wrong path?*

Despite various dangers, hasn’t our guild consistently proven we can stay safe?

I thought about it over and over. But no conclusion came easily.

But is it really wrong for a veteran gamer to use game knowledge in a game world to implement optimized strategies?

I can understand Danya’s perspective too.

No matter how much our guild members despise Albs, that’s just our sentiment… In floor 3-2, we might have looked like killing machines.

Even if Albs are Danya’s enemies, seeing them exterminated like rats or insects must have felt disturbing.

*Objectively speaking, our overwhelming performance reduced casualties on Ayor’s side… isn’t that a win-win?*

I don’t know.

Regardless of whether we received an S-rank reward or not, to safely climb the floors, we had to thoroughly defeat the Albs.

That was the anti-Alb quest on the 3rd floor. The Albs had long driven out the Ayors, harassed them, and picked fights to make their lives miserable. They killed many too. They treated Ayors like beasts.

Despite their cowardice, they were quite capable as a race, so giving them even the slightest opening would make things extremely troublesome. I can’t deny that our emotions were heightened by the numerous atrocities these despicable beings committed in the game, but from my perspective, this was the best approach.

Even so, Yuri almost died, Subin fell into critical condition, and Soyu noona panicked. It was truly desperate. That’s why I constantly thought about “better” ways to completely eliminate risk factors. That led to the forest fire and trap strategy.

*Maintaining moral and humane aspects while achieving the same results?*

Well. At least with my brain, that seemed impossible.

*Danya is important too. But I can’t suddenly change my methods. And Danya said it herself. That I should do what I need to do. That she needs a little more time.*

Right.

Because Danya is the only one excluded from our shared knowledge and perception of this as a “game.”

Because Danya is the only one not part of our common affiliation with “Veritas.”

This is indeed an issue that requires time.

So I think… I’m not wrong yet. If I were seriously wrong, the guild members would stop me, like when I proposed the forced contract to Yehyun noona.

That’s what I believe.

**

The next day.

Though in an unfamiliar place, Arang seemed to have slept well and moved even more naturally than yesterday, while Danya’s distance had decreased compared to yesterday.

When I encouraged Arang, saying she could eventually move like her character, she gave me a strange look before being pulled away by Yehyun noona.

After eating a hearty breakfast, we left the campsite.

The Ansila Mountains were definitely not visible, and while there were trees, there was no forest. The temperature wasn’t chilly anymore, so we clearly weren’t in the north.

“Seems like we’re back on the right track.”

“After Ayord, that means…”

“Anyone want to bet on where we’ll end up?”

The bet ended before it could even begin.

[Current location: 4th Floor Neutral Zone.]

Because this message appeared.

Though no place name had appeared yet and no city outline was visible, who were we? All rankers, right?

Direction not turning north from Ansila Mountains.

Contextually the region after Ayord.

With these two conditions, there was only one possible place!

“It’s Benas.”

“Benas!”

The independent city of Benas.

A peculiar city that’s small and sandwiched between various factions, making it seem like it could disappear at any moment, but its geopolitical position is so perfect that it became a truly “neutral” city.

A neutral city where various races coexist, close to the center of the continent and bordering multiple factions.

A city with unique laws and rules, befitting its status as a neutral, independent city with diverse races.

A city with extremely high population density and many races, causing quests to explosively increase—in game terms, content expanded dramatically, offering much to enjoy beyond the main story.

“We won’t have to worry about making money.”

“As long as we don’t get ripped off.”

That was a non-issue since all we needed to do was find relatively honest merchants and build some rapport.

“Seeing Benas in person… I’m excited.”

“Edengard, Albrant, and Ayord were all really impressive. Benas will probably be amazing too.”

“Since there are no despicable Albs or persistent Ayors in Benas, settling in shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“As long as we follow the rules.”

“Don’t worry too much already. It’s just ‘common sense.'”

“Arang, want me to carry you if it gets tough?”

“No, this is all part of my rehabilitation.”

Since the “4th Floor Neutral Zone” message had appeared, our guild members significantly lowered their guard and simply followed the well-maintained road forward. After about half a day…

We arrived at a small building that looked like a modern highway toll booth, and before even entering Benas, we encountered Rule #0 of Benas.

Rule #0 of Benas:

“Without paying the entrance fee, no one may enter Benas regardless of status, gender, age, race, or origin.”

The man inside the building scanned us with an expressionless gaze, then stated the entrance fee in an equally flat tone.

“One adult human male, five adult human females, one minor human female. One cat. Total: 5,600 gold.”

“Who. Is a minor? Who are you calling a minor?”

But that triggered someone’s switch. The expressionless man’s face cracked slightly. The receptionist? Collector? Anyway, he looked incredulous, but this wasn’t someone trying to pass as a minor to get a cheaper entry—it was the opposite case.

*Arang isn’t short enough to be mistaken for a minor…*

Perhaps because everyone else was tall and Arang was relatively small, she appeared younger by comparison.

“…One adult human male, six adult human females, one cat. Total: 6,000 gold.”

“Here you are.”

“Received 6,000 gold. Would you like a Benas rules guidebook?”

“Yes, please.”

“200 gold.”

“…”

“Received 200 gold. Welcome to Benas.”

[Current location: 4th Floor Neutral Zone ‘Benas’.]

And so, before we could do anything, we had to pay 6,000 gold—no, 6,200 gold—just to enter the independent city of Benas.

**

“It did work.”

“Indeed. Though it’s still just a temporary solution.”

The strategy of offering alcohol bought with the Golden Wings raid leader’s personal funds as tribute to the gatekeeper was successful. Though it was of lower quality than what he usually drank, he said it was still quite drinkable.

However, the reward for that quest was merely “Entry to Albrant (Exemption from Expulsion).” Since there was no practical gain, the party’s expressions weren’t very bright despite completing the quest. They performed various small quests over the next few days to accumulate rewards, but after fixed expenses, not much remained.

“But boss, I’ve noticed while going back and forth that the atmosphere seems rather tense.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. That’s why I suggested we head straight back to the inn without trying to visit anywhere else.”

“What could be happening?”

“I don’t know…”

“With this atmosphere, it won’t be easy for us to operate.”

The Yaliyali raid leader’s worried words made the other two nod.

After resting his chin on his hand and thinking briefly, the Golden Wings raid leader realized that mere contemplation wouldn’t solve anything. He stood up abruptly and headed for the door.

“Boss?”

“I’m going to ask the innkeeper.”

“Will he even answer? The innkeeper didn’t look too happy either.”

“I’m just asking a question, it’s not like he’ll harm me. We’re customers. For now, at least.”

About five minutes later, the Golden Wings raid leader returned.

“Holy shit.”

“B-boss?”

“The expedition force was annihilated?”

Leaving his companions confused by his sudden outburst, he closed his eyes in thought and muttered quietly:

“Either we’re completely fucked… or this is an opportunity.”