After that, Liora and I rented a room at an inn.
While Liora was resting, I gathered information about the bandits from the bulletin board. The third wave had already arrived in the ga "PHO," and they were primarily playing in the third field.
So players who had failed to reclaim the first field and lost their NPCs had also moved to the third field.
In any case, there were plenty of players in the third field.
Since this field was much larger than the previous ones, encountering other players seed rare.
"Hmm, it seems that so of the bandits are possessed by spirits."
"Spirits are aningless before God."
"Indeed…"
What would Liora think if she knew that I was one of those spirits? I feel like she wouldn't be able to handle the truth.
For the sake of the young girl's ntal health, I must ensure my lie remains hidden.
The bulletin board displayed the atrocities committed by the bandits. There were many videos of them doing terrible things to won, torturing and killing n.
People with any sense of decency were outraged.
On the other hand, those who reveled in such actions were applauding and even requesting to join forces with them.
"This could beco troubleso if we don't take them out soon."
In the real world, such actions would be criminal, but in the ga, they were rely considered bad manners. If people who want to do such things form a group, it could turn into a larger problem than expected.
The most troubleso person was the leader of the group.
Whenever he did sothing, it caused people to break down in tears and fall to the ground. He wasn't dealing direct physical damage.
It was a form of **mind control**.
That seed to be the type of attack he used.
Furthermore, from the videos, it appeared that his attacks were always accompanied by the manifestation of a spirit. It's likely a unique skill available to the player.
"PHO" had a rare feature for a modern MMO.
There were no system restrictions on dirty play at all. In most MMOs, there are safe zones where player killing (PK) isn't allowed, or penalties for PK players like turning their nas red. These chanics make PKing less favorable.
But in "PHO," none of those exist.
Players can commit cris freely.
If they're caught, they might be arrested, but the system imposes no real penalties. It's almost like real life.
It was a miracle that the community in "PHO" had maintained its integrity until now.
Gars tend to think, "If it's not forbidden, it's part of the ga." So players follow proper etiquette, but that's only a small portion.
If more people gather to join the bandit group and their levels rise, it will beco dangerous.
For the sake of Liora and I having a safe and fun VRMMO life… we'll need to eliminate them.
"I've decided, Liora. Before they level up any further, we're going to deal with them."
"Understood, God. I'll follow you… no matter what!"
"Good."
The person responsible for recording the bandit group's deeds, a water spirit player known as "Acid thod," had started a live stream. He was a spirit without a contractor, making him relatively powerless.
However, by not forming a contract, he could freely roam around in "PHO."
He seed to enjoy filming the atrocities committed by the bandits and posting videos of them.
In the video, we see an NPC woman crying and collapsing after being attacked by the leader. The n rush forward. So players who had manifested spirits were among them.
It was a video too brutal to watch.
I kept watching the stream without cutting it off, keeping my eyes fixed on the leader and his spirit. They were up to sothing, both the leader and his contracted spirit. Discover exclusive tales at empire
It was likely a coordination skill similar to what Tanaka and Hilda used.
"…Honestly, this is too unpredictable. Many of those who have challenged them were A-rank. Surely, they must have devised so counterasures."
The bulletin board was abuzz with activity.
It seed that a team had ford to take down the bandit group. However, I suspected deception. Recruiting through the bulletin board…
It was most likely a trap.
There were probably outlaws mixed in, people already part of the bandit group or wanting to join them. Anyone joining this team would likely be stabbed in the back.
These enemies were irritating.
Before the community crumbled, we needed to stop them.
▽
The location of the bandits was quickly discovered.
After all, they were streaming their cris live in real-ti. They were raping and torturing won, utterly destroying their dignity.
Players who had contracted NPCs couldn't bear the horrific sight and fled.
The live stream was quite popular.
Many people were joining in, saying things like, "I'm next!" and "I'll kill off my NPC on purpose and head to the third field."
It was essentially a recruitnt drive.
If my contracted NPC had been male, I might have infiltrated the group to gain their trust, but… Liora would be targeted imdiately.
We approached the bandits' hideout under the cover of "Shadow Veil." Their base was a cave in the mountains. The cave, upgraded with cash items, looked surprisingly comfortable.
There were two guards posted outside.
After using "Appraisal," I found that both were fairly skilled.
Their skill composition was too polished, so I concluded they were possessed by spirits. The spirits were probably nearby, or perhaps even present in the live stream.
They were too engrossed in their brutal acts to be on guard.
Now was the perfect ti to strike. The ti was noon. We avoided attacking at night because Liora's "Angel Factor" skill would draw too much attention in the dark.
In the forest, Liora silently dashed forward.
Liora reached the designated position and silently prepared to use "Snipe Lightning." At the sa ti, I quietly approached one of the NPCs.
The witchcraft signal I purchased from a witch vibrated.
Without a sound, Liora's sniper shot blew off the head of one of the guards.
Just as the other guard was about to scream, my "Present Silent" silenced him. His mouth opened wide, but no sound ca out.
Another shot followed.
▽
We successfully infiltrated the cave.
The cave had been renovated using "Earth Magic" and "Construction" skills. It was structured like a small labyrinth.
There was even a locked door.
However, such chanisms were powerless before "Create Dark." By inserting darkness into the keyhole, manipulating it, and turning it, I could unlock the door.
"Create Dark" was still considered a high-difficulty skill on the bulletin board and labeled "useless." I needed to spread the word about how useful it truly was. Liora's scythe, too, was gaining recognition for its utility, but it was still unpopular because no one wanted to learn how to use such a difficult weapon from scratch.
Along the way, we eliminated a few weak guards.
My "Present Silent" and Samurai's surprise attacks were highly effective. We moved through the cave without breaking our "Shadow Veil."
We weren't suited for sneak missions.
Eventually, we saw rooms scattered throughout the cave. It was clear that the power of fantasy was incredible—this ordinary cave had been turned into a lodging facility. Samurai used his "Sonic Wave" skill to search the area.
It seed there were fewer people waiting around since most were busy having fun.
Whenever we encountered soone in a room, we swiftly eliminated them.
The cave exploration was going smoothly, but of course, it had its limits. Naturally, there were also enemies who specialized in searching.
A man, followed by five subordinates, sensed sothing and approached.
"Hmm, I hear sothing."
"Really, Beak?"
"Yeah. My 'Music' skill is telling . It sounds like there's a lody other than screams of agony and joy in this cave."
"Man, I wanna get back. I've only had two turns so far, and one of them was just the butt! It sucked… though it was kinda nice. If we don't hurry back, those bastards are going to make a ss with their fluids."
"Don't even get started. I haven't had a single go yet."
"Well, that's because you were too busy playing your instrunt during it."
"I was just turning my excitent into music."
"Gross."
Their lighthearted conversation was easy to overhear.
We didn't even need to rely on Samurai's "Sonic Wave." They were clearly the kind of people who wouldn't be missed if we killed them, so we had no reason to hold back.
"Liora, go. 'Present Silent,' 'Present Paralyze.'"
"!"
I grabbed the leader's mouth and paralyzed his underlings.
Liora rushed past them and slaughtered the rest of the group. With a casual swing of her scythe, their heads parted from their bodies.
A few tried to resist, but none could kill Liora.
Those who did only provided her with recovery through her "Life-Stealing Blade." Though it was a surprise attack, Liora was terrifyingly strong against weaker foes.
The self-proclaid musician tried to shout sothing.
The paralyzed underling writhed on the ground.
Samurai bound them both tightly. Liora placed her scythe against their necks, tilting her adorable head with a smile.
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