Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 141: From Play to Peril

As Robin Hood spun around for a dramatic finish, an orcish-looking man who could easily pass for Gretchen's older brother seized him by the collar, yanked him off the ground, and twisted him around like a helpless toddler. The man's fierce countenance was unmistakably that of a true hardened bandit—a scoundrel whose vile deeds had undoubtedly drawn the disapproval of the goddess Seraphina at some point.

Without a word, the fiend delivered a crushing punch to the gut of the Robin Hood wannabe that had the man curling up like a folding screen before slumping unconscious.

The burly giant hurled the man to one of his lackeys as if he were nothing more than a ragdoll, then turned his cold, calculating gaze on Daisuke, Thalia, and the others who were now backed into a corner, surrounded by his men.

"We'll sell that fool to the circus," he muttered flatly, his voice devoid of emotion. "As for these two..." His eyes lingered over Thalia with an unsettling hunger. "I'll have the boy sent to a slave trader, and the woman..." He smiled cruelly. "She'll fetch a nice price at a brothel."

Petrified, the guild clerk instinctively gripped her head, her body trembling uncontrollably as she sank to her knees. Her eyes were wide, and her teeth chattered in fear. But it wasn't the bandit's gaze—soft yet sinister—that caused her to crumble, nor was it the chilling threat of enslavement. No, the true source of her terror ran far deeper, connected to a haunting past she could never escape.

"Zephyr," Daisuke called, his voice low and commanding. In a flash, the pup sprang from his clothes, landing with a snarl in front of the trembling Thalia. His hackles stood on end and his eyes glowed with a fierce protectiveness, daring anyone to get any closer.

In the same beat, Daisuke shifted into a battle stance, his daggers materializing in a smooth, reverse grip. The bandits visibly recoiled, their faces paling in instinctive fear.

"Boss," one of the bandits shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "This brat—he's one of the Fallen!"

"A Fallen?" another murmured, his complexion turning pale.

"Isn't it supposed to be impossible to kill them?"

"Those pesky bastards," one hissed under his breath.

The leader grunted, his grip tightening on the axe resting across his broad shoulders. "Being a Fallen means he's immortal, not invincible. If we finish him off now, we'll have plenty of time to slip away before he can call for backup."

Emboldened by their leader's unwavering confidence, the lackeys edged closer to their prey, their twisted grins stretching wider as they brandished their weapons, ready to strike.

"It's a pity we won't be able to profit from him," the leader continued with an evil grin, eyes glinting with dark amusement. "But there's no shortage of fools in Wonderelle. Sooner or later, they'll wander out from behind their precious walls—just like these insects."

The man's final words rumbled from his throat in a low growl as his axe came crashing down like a sledgehammer. The deafening clang of metal on keratin echoed through the air as the sharp blades of the Lipanthyer's Fang and Salamander's Claw crossed to meet it.

BOOOOM!

Cracks splintered across the earth and Daisuke's feet sank deep into the ground at the sheer force of the impact. Time seemed to stretch, each second dragging into eternity.

Thalia's panicked scream cut through the stillness. Rocks and debris floated momentarily in the air, caught in the shockwave as the two warriors locked eyes, their fierce glares meeting like a storm brewing. Then, with chilling satisfaction, the leader's lips curled into a sly grin.