"Olga," Astrid said in a cold tone. "I'm only going to ask you this once. What the hell are you talking about? If Kollr and you bastards weren't the only ones involved in this conspiracy, then who else was involved?"

If this conspiracy involved more than just the Dark Elves and High Elves, then Astrid needed to know. She needed all the information regarding what was happening to her home, and who she could and couldn't trust.

Olga scoffed. "What you heard from the lizardfolk chief's daughter should be plenty of information you need."

Astrid turned to Chegyaeyi, who had a surprised expression on her face.

"My uncle..." The lizardfolk muttered. "Was...he a part of this little conspiracy?"

It didn't take long for Astrid to realize where Chegyaeyi was going. Everything that happened with the Kabtāya tribe seemed very strange to the point where some kind of foul play was present. And now she knew why.

"Thraxel was just one of many conspirators within the Great Forest of Meir. You have no idea how much the High Elves have been planning this."

Thraxel. That was likely the name of Chegyaeyi's uncle she mentioned. Astrid didn't know anything about the lizardfolk, so she didn't bother trying to. Her biggest concern was what Olga said just now.

She clenched her hands tightly, digging her nails into her palms. This whole ordeal was all because of the High Elves? Just what exactly were they planning?

More importantly, were the high elves still going to be a problem after the system appeared? Considering that all of the residents of both worlds were sent to tutorial dungeons to either strive or die, there was a slight possibility that the High Elves wouldn't be much of a problem for the Great Forest of Mier anymore.

But Astrid wasn't planning to believe that until she saw what was happening in her home for herself. It was possible that some High Elves survived their tutorial dungeon and got stronger from it, allowing them to maybe go through with their plans. If that was the case, then she had an even bigger reason to head back to her tribe as soon as possible.

Then there was the issue with her brother, Kollr. If that bastard of a sibling was actually working with the High Elves, then there was a chance that he would continue to do so after surviving the Tutorial Dungeon.

Astrid found it ironic that out of all the people she believed would survive the tutorial dungeon, it had to be her piece of shit brother that tried to kill her. Maybe it was because she knew what kind of person he was that he would do anything to not only survive but also get everything he wanted.

Even if she didn't have to deal with the High Elves, the bigger problem at the moment was her brother. While he was working with those high and mighty elves, there was no way that he didn't have other plans in case his partnership with them backfired.

So, until she knew more about the high elves' survival, she should probably focus on her brother right now, since she was certain that he had completed his trial.

And to start things off, she should grill Olga about what exactly Kollr wanted when he was working with the High Elves.

"What exactly was Kollr getting out of his deal with the high elves?"

Olga faltered, as if hesitant to answer the question. No, it was more than that. It seemed like...she was afraid to even say anything about it.

"...He wants power," The dark elf traitor explained to them. "That's all he ever wanted."

Astrid arched her brow. "Power? Do you mean like influence?"

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Olga shook her head. "Just power in general. The power to rule. To conquer. To have everything he desired."

"And the High Elves just offered him such a proposal, and he accepted it without question? They could've easily tricked him to do this."

While Astrid believed that her brother was an irredeemable monster, she knew that he wasn't this stupid. So, why would he still join hands with the high elves if that was the case?

"That's what we thought, too, when Kollr forced us to join him. However, after seeing his enthusiasm and eagerness to get everything in order, we started to believe that the high elves actually did promise him what he wanted. And that scared us more since that meant high elves were somehow capable of achieving this."

Astrid shook her head dismissively. "That still doesn't make sense. If the High Elves could do something like that, then why even make a deal with Kollr and the other treacherous members of the Great Forest in the first place?"

If what Olga said was true, then the High Elves had no reason to form a partnership with Kollr and anyone else within the Great Forest of Mier. With the supposed power they possessed, they simply could've waged a war against the rest of the residents and seized control that way. And yet the high elves went through this elaborate plan and included outsiders in it.

So that begged the question...what exactly did the High Elves plan?

"So, just to be clear, this deal that Kollr made with the High Elves wasn't complete, right? Because of the System suddenly appearing."

Olga shrugged. "I would assume so. The deal between Kollr and the High Elves was that Kollr would seize control of the Greyvolk tribe and hand it over to them. In exchange, they would grant him power beyond his comprehension. However, that deal wasn't finished due to the system. I wouldn't be surprised if Kollr would no longer keep his promise with the high elves after what the system was granting him."

Astrid forgot that there was that possibility. Because of the system gifting them abilities, she could see Kollr no longer desiring whatever the High Elves were offering him. In that sense, this could also cause tension between the two groups. The kind of tension that she could use to her advantage.

...

Located several yards away from the Jetport Base, Frode and Dagny hid behind a grouping of trees while glancing at the building before them. Right behind them were well over three dozen players. While that didn't seem like a lot, that didn't mean they didn't have a way to counter this issue.

Dagny crossed her arms while eyeing the Jetport base with a scrutinizing gaze. "So, this is where they're holding Olga?"

"Seems like it," Frode noted. "According to one of our members who lived in this part of the world, the Valiant Guild's base seemed to be some kind of...airport area?"

She turned to face her fellow dark elf with a confused expression. "Like a flying zone back in the village?"

Frode shook his head. "Not exactly. This airport seemed more commercial, allowing anyone to fly there. And instead of flying griffons, they seemed to have flying machines made out of metal."

"Is that right?" Dagny scoffed. "The humans of this world surely are impressive. Not even the humans from our world could accomplish such a thing."

"I suggest that we focus on the task at hand," Frode urged, keeping his eyes trained on the building.

"Yes, you're right. Before that. Even though we have a lot of players, this isn't going to be enough to successfully invade their base and keep them occupied."

Even though their little invasion on the base was nothing more than a distraction, the problem lied in their numbers. With their current group of players, they didn't stand a chance against the players of the Valiant Guild. Thankfully, there was a solution to this.

"I already have that covered," Frode declared, walking forward with a calm yet menacing stride.

His hand gripping the skull staff tightly as he raised it in the air. The moment he did, purple flames burst to life behind the once-empty eye sockets. The mage dark elf then slammed his staff against the ground, and his shadow suddenly devoured the entire area around them.

Moments later, dark purple shadow figures began to crawl out from the darkness. They all looked lean and scrawny with long limbs and legs that made them appear unnatural and disturbing. But what really made them terrifying was their slanted, purple eyes and sharp purple mouths that looked like they were razor blades.

More than two dozen of them appeared and gathered around Frode, whom they surmised was their master. Frode looked back at Dagny with a smug expression.

"How's that?" He said.

Dagny slowly clapped with a neutral expression. "Oh, yes, how wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Dark Mage Frode."

Frode's face creased into a frown upon seeing Dagny's sarcastic remark before turning back. While ignoring his companion, he then pulled up the Chat Room screen and messaged Dolk.

[Frode Holgate: We're in position and ready to go.]

He waited for a few seconds until a new message popped up.

[Dolk Knut: Good. Proceed with the invasion. Our ambush starts now.]

Frode instantly dismissed the message before turning his eyes toward his shadows and players. Then, he looked back over at the base and pointed.

"Attack!"

Upon his order, both the shadows and players charged toward the valiant guild's base.

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