Chapter 56 : Teaching someone a sweet lesson (2)

“…A jet?”

The source of that tremendous noise was indeed a jet fighter.

Moreover, it was a supersonic jet capable of flying faster than my maximum speed.

I hadn’t thought they’d actually mobilize a jet just to catch a single user, but they really did it.

Actually, considering my current actions, it wasn’t strange for fighter jets to be deployed.

Invading airspace without a word, and being a user powerful enough to fly at supersonic speeds?

Since this user could potentially wield power comparable to a nuclear bomb just by deciding to, attempting interception with missile systems

or sending fighter jets and their own users was a normal reaction for a systematic nation.

The reason I was surprised was simply that I hadn’t expected <Red Cliff>, designated as a terrorist organization and losing the capacity to

operate its military in real-time, to mobilize even fighter jets just to catch one suspicious passing user…

…Well, that was just my excuse.

I chuckled gleefully and began chanting the spell.

I had planned to teach <Red Cliff> a lesson anyway.

It was fortunate that they initiated the confrontation like this.

Above all, the group most likely deeply involved with the black market I was tracking was <Red Cliff>, right before my eyes.

Capturing one of these users and extracting information would be a good way to learn about the human experiments conducted by various

nations.

<Red Cliff> initially started as a small guild formed by a few Chinese individuals who weren’t welcomed by foreigners.

But at some point, Chinese people started joining the guild one by one, and eventually, almost everyone playing ‘Fantasia’ among the Chinese

with decent specs joined <Red Cliff> or its subsidiary guilds.

The Sinocentrism inherent in most Chinese people, the idea that China is the center of the world, was generally treated as fringe and

ostracized globally, except within China itself.

Naturally, Chinese individuals with this China-centric mindset, barring some exceptions with common sense, found it impossible to adapt to

foreign guilds.

So, the alternative they found was <Red Cliff>.

Composed purely of Chinese members, there was no reason for conflict, and they got along well.

Their ideology could also avoid being ostracized.

Thus, the guild grew smoothly in size, and over time, its strength was reinforced. <Red Cliff> became a powerful guild, not bad in terms of

member ‘quality’ and overwhelming any other guild in ‘quantity’.

There’s an old saying that oppression from external forces strengthens the solidarity of the oppressed group.

<Red Cliff>, gathered with nationalistic Chinese members, consisted of people who had been kicked out or semi-forcibly expelled from other

guilds at least once.

Naturally, the guild members, firmly united by animosity towards other guilds, joined forces and began their revenge.

Having grown so large that they could gain the upper hand in one-on-one battles against most guilds, they declared war on the guilds that

had expelled them.

Since most of their targets were minor or small-to-medium guilds, they mostly collapsed helplessly under <Red Cliff>‘s overwhelming

numerical superiority.

However, up to this point, most users didn’t hold much hostility towards <Red Cliff>.

The Guild Master, the ranker ‘Eunrang’, was well-regarded among users as a very good person due to various known good deeds, and guild

wars were common occurrences when disputes arose between other guilds, so there was no need to view it negatively.

Of course, some pointed out the rampant Sinocentrism among <Red Cliff>‘s members, but like modern people who don’t care unless it’s their

own business, most eventually lost interest in <Red Cliff>.

Unfortunately for the Eunrang I knew, the members of <Red Cliff>, emboldened after easily consuming weaker guilds, eventually started

crossing the line.

They seized hunting grounds primarily used by beginners and allowed only Chinese users to use them.

They frequently exploited weaker guilds composed of foreigners and completely destroyed them if they became bothersome.

They kidnapped production-class users working for other guilds or as freelancers and forced them to craft equipment for <Red Cliff>

members.

The atrocities of <Red Cliff>, which could literally be considered tyranny, were universally taken for granted by its members.

“It’s your fault for letting it happen. Isn’t it unnecessary to show consideration for competitors for the sake of profit?”

In truth, this was a perfectly natural statement in a competitive game.

However, ‘Fantasia’ wasn’t just a game solely focused on competition.

It was a game that broadly guaranteed freedom, allowing players to make colleagues and friends, travel with them, sometimes rest together at

an inn, sometimes team up to defeat giant boss monsters, or recreate legendary weapons.

Naturally, ‘Fantasia’ didn’t only have users whose purpose was competition.

But <Red Cliff> targeted even users who logged in for other purposes like fishing, cooking, or reading—users far removed from the

competition they spoke of—for extermination.

The culture of respecting and helping beginners, the practice of large guilds allowing smaller guilds to operate within their territory, or letting

production-class users work freely were actions born from understanding and consideration.

It was a kind of rule or regulation, an unspoken etiquette maintained among users.

<Red Cliff>, having broken these implicit rules, eventually became strong enough to rank within the top three guilds when lined up by

combat power.

However, the karma they built eventually returned.

Except for the two members belonging to <Red Cliff>, all top rankers from 1st to 1000th gathered in one place.

Additionally, hundreds of guilds occupying the top ranks in combat power formed an alliance under the slogan ‘Down with Red Cliff’.

Thus, on a certain day in November of the Imperial Calendar year 208, according to ‘Fantasia’ game time.

<Red Cliff> fell.

The guild funds procured by exploiting lower-level users were entirely confiscated, the equipment forced upon production users was

destroyed, and most of their vast territory changed hands, becoming the property of the guilds that participated in the guild war.

Users often referred to this event, linking their guild name to the major incident in the famous novel, as the ‘Battle of Red Cliff’.

However, time heals all wounds, and now, years after that day, <Red Cliff> showed signs of having regained some of its former glory in

reality.

Several new, flat-shaped fighter jets and dozens of users easily surpassing level 100.

Certainly lacking in top-tier rankers, but overflowing with mid-to-high-tier users—a composition typical of <Red Cliff>.

‘By the way, where on earth did they get the fighter pilots? I heard all military personnel were either expelled or executed.’

A faint scent of mana emanated from the fighter cockpits, making me curious about what exactly they had done, but there was no way to find

out now.

I pulled up my hoodie to cover my face for the first time in a while.

Even covering my face, identifying me wouldn’t be difficult.

There were only a few mage users in the world capable of supersonic flight and defeating fighter jets escorted by level 100-ish users single-

handedly.

Perhaps limited to users originating from East Asia, it would likely only be me.

What difference does it make if they know?

Even if <Red Cliff> suspected me, I planned to vehemently deny it.

Anyway, they only had circumstantial evidence; unless they directly photographed my face, they had no physical proof.

I could just burn the clothes I was wearing as soon as I got home, so if I successfully disposed of the clothes, it wouldn’t become a particular

problem.

If the Chinese government still existed, they might protest to our government citing various circumstances, but with the Chinese government

collapsed and only the user group <Red Cliff>, widely treated as a terrorist organization internationally, remaining in this vast, abandoned

land, there was nothing they could do.

They wouldn’t be crazy enough to declare war on our country, which held a considerable advantage in power.

‘If you don’t like it, get stronger.’

History is written from the perspective of the victor.

Unless the two currently missing Chinese rankers appeared simultaneously, I was confident I could handle any number of Chinese users.

<Red Cliff>‘s strengths were numbers and gear advantage.

Among these, <Red Cliff> currently, unable to use game items unless they were special cases like the warlock I met before, was like a

toothless tiger.

Just as the spell, completed while lost in thought, was about to be cast,

“Wait, I have something to say!”

The Korean words hitting my ears directly made me pause my magic casting for a moment.