Chapter 9

"Who are you? Why are you dragging me?"

While Jers and Alden were struggling fiercely, Chae-rin was being dragged away by someone holding her wrist.

Curious about who was holding her hand, a familiar voice reached her ears.

"It's me, me. Zig."

"What? It's you? Where have you been wandering around until now?"

"Haha, I was chased by monsters, so I'm late."

The monsters that Jers and Alden were facing were the ones Yohan had brought. After quickly taking Chae-rin away, Yohan changed his target to Jers and Alden.

"We need to help the others…."

As Chae-rin hesitated, looking back, Yohan shook his head.

"No. There's no light. The best way to help them is to stay still."

There was no way to help Jers and Alden in such darkness. If she tried to help by shooting arrows, she might accidentally hit Jers and Alden, making her a murderer.

"Don't worry. They're strong, so they'll be fine."

After reassuring Chae-rin, Yohan hid behind a large rock and watched the two.

After some time, the sounds of slashing and casting spells subsided, and a bright light appeared in a corner of the cave. Alden had cast a light spell, and the bodies of the monsters they had defeated were scattered around them.

"Huff, huff! I thought we were done for."

"Damn, our HP is almost gone."

They managed to defeat the monsters, but at the cost of almost all their HP and MP. They took out potions from their inventory and drank them quickly.

"Who the hell did this?"

"If we catch him, I'll flay him alive."

Jers and Alden didn't know who had brought the monsters, but they gritted their teeth at the thought of the culprit. However, their anger was short-lived as their mouths dropped open.

"Wow! This is amazing, amazing!"

Their hard work had paid off. Among the dead monsters, money and various pieces of equipment had dropped.

"Hey! The lumberman dropped a long mace too?"

"Look at this shield. It's a rare item that doesn't drop in Deborah's dungeon."

When did Deborah's dungeon become so generous?

The two didn't think much of it and started collecting the dropped items and equipment. They had spent a lot on giving Chae-rin the Ranger set, so they needed to replenish their bank balance.

"Hey, Alden. You got quite a bit, so give me that sword."

"Hey, if I hadn't cast spells, you would have died just now."

"What... You saved me? I saved you."

Jers and Alden bickered over the items.

However, the argument didn't last long.

"Stop moving!"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a group of players stood in front of them, at least 30 of them, all glaring at Jers and Alden with murderous intent.

"Jers and Alden... Was this your doing?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

They were known for flirting with girls, but they never imagined they would stoop to such low behavior.

"What do you mean! You brought monsters to attack other players and took all the equipment they dropped!"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand."

They were genuinely confused.

They couldn't help but be confused, as the real culprit was someone else.

"What do you mean! That sword in your hand is mine!"

The leading player, a fierce-looking uncle, pointed at the sword, and other players chimed in, pointing at the equipment Jers and Alden hadn't had time to put away.

"That long mace is mine!"

"My shield is over there too!"

"What the hell! How can you steal other people's items like that?"

"What kind of people are these? They're even dividing the stolen items on the ground!"

The players' accusations left Jers and Alden utterly bewildered. Who was stealing whose items?

They had only picked up items dropped by the dead monsters.

'Heck, could it be?'

Jers and Alden's faces turned pale.

Among the items they had collected were some that didn't drop from Deborah's dungeon monsters.

They had thought the items were unusually generous.

What had happened? Who had orchestrated this?

"Oh, oh, we're sorry! The truth is, we also…."

"No misunderstanding! You not only harass women but also engage in griefing?"

Items are precious, earned through players' sweat and money.

Enraged, the players surrounded Jers and Alden, starting to kick and punch them.

They might become murderers, but they had no rationality left to consider that.

"No, no, listen to me…."

Jers and Alden tried to explain, but the players wouldn't listen.

Their usual bad behavior was catching up with them.

"Disconnect."

In such a situation, the best option was to escape, but it wasn't easy.

The game system made it difficult to force a disconnect.

If they forcibly disconnected, they would lose experience and money as a penalty, and their metabolism, adjusted to the capsule's virtual reality, could be affected.

In other words, they couldn't escape. In this situation, there was only one option.

"Damn! We didn't do it, I tell you!"

Jers swung his sword fiercely.

Two to three players fell at once, and the others who were beating them up stepped back in shock.

Jers' name turned bright red. He had become a murderer by killing the players.

"Huh, so you're showing your true colors now."

"Shut up! You dropped the items carelessly, and now you're making a fuss!"

When it came to this, it was a fight to the death. If words didn't work, it was time for fists.

Seeing Jers and Alden fight back, the players didn't stand idly by.

Warriors drew their swords and shields, mages started casting spells, and priests buffed the players.

"Don't mess with us! Do you know what our level is? 70s, 70s!"

"Hmph, just 70s? I thought you'd be in the 100s to be so bold."

The average level of the players surrounding them was 40s to 50s. Considering the 10-level difference, they were no match.

However, the problem was the numbers. With over 30 players, the pressure was undeniable. Fighting players was more complicated than fighting monsters.

A single mistake could cost a level 70 player their life. They couldn't afford to let their guard down.

"Clack! Clack!"

"Ouch! Who threw that?"

A rock flew from behind, and Jers and Alden turned their heads.

"Sorry, I was trying to help, but you guys were right."

Suddenly, the blacksmith appeared, waving at them.

"Do you know what situation we're in?"

"Hey! Watch out, watch out!"

Yohan's warning made the two snap back to reality.

They were facing off against the players. Turning around, they saw the players charging at them, some already close.

"Drop some items when you die."

The players didn't miss the opportunity Yohan had created.

Jers and Alden were pummeled like a storm.

Stabbed by swords, hit by clubs, and burned by spells... Once they were overwhelmed, it was hard to fight back.

'Ha ha ha! This is the price for underestimating me.'

Yohan had collected items while bringing the monsters, secretly taking them from Jers and Alden. He had framed them, but he didn't expect them to fall for it so easily.

'You'll find the game very tiring from now on.'

The players who lost their items would continue to chase them. They would suffer for a while, and with their griefing and murderer records, it would be hard for them to enjoy the game.

Indeed, his efforts in plotting had paid off.

If he had revealed Jers and Alden's true nature to Chae-rin from the start, he wouldn't have had this entertaining spectacle.

Those who belittled him deserved to pay the price. It was for his own sake. How could he enjoy the game if he was disrespected even in virtual reality?

"Zig, what's going on? Why are those people beating up the others?"

"I don't know. We might get involved if we stay here, so let's run."

"But…."

"Quickly! Your brothers would want you to run away quickly."

Yohan dragged Chae-rin down to the second floor.

The screams of Jers and Alden behind him made him feel satisfied.

2

"How did it go?"

"Almost a disaster."

When Yohan returned after checking the first floor, Chae-rin shook her head.

She knew her brothers were in trouble, but she didn't know exactly what had happened. She was too far to hear their conversation with the players.

She wanted to go back up and check, but Yohan warned her it was dangerous. He offered to check and she waited.

"What happened? The atmosphere was intense."

"It seems... they had bad behavior."

"Bad behavior? Who?"

"Those guys. They apparently harassed female players in the game and even lured them offline."

"Really? I don't believe it…."

They had been giving her experience and gifts for days. How could they be like that?

Seeing Chae-rin's disbelief, Yohan revealed what he knew about them.

"Jers and Alden are quite famous. The players said they came because their girlfriends were harassed."

"Really?"

"You can check the notorious players' list on the game strategy site."

It wasn't true, but he fabricated a plausible lie using their past behavior.

Chae-rin finally seemed to believe him.

"You can't judge a person by their appearance."

"Excessive kindness often has a hidden motive."

While giving advice, Yohan glanced at Chae-rin's figure.

He hadn't noticed in the dark, but in the lit second-floor lobby, he could clearly see her new outfit.

A full Ranger set from head to toe.

She wasn't at the level to face the Outlaw of the Wilderness, and it didn't seem like she had spent real money, so it must have been from Jers and Alden.

'Those guys, they really put in effort.'

Despite her personality, Chae-rin was definitely a pretty girl.

Her beauty rivaled that of celebrities, and her mature, slender figure was quite appealing.

The decisive factor was that she hadn't enhanced her appearance through real money. She was a natural beauty.

'Still, giving her the full Ranger set is a bit much, isn't it?'

Yohan had also collected the Ranger set during the Bartz era.

It was extremely difficult. He was at the level to defeat the Outlaw of the Wilderness, but the drop rate for the Ranger set was abysmal. By the time he finally collected it all, he had better and cooler items.

So, he put it away in the bank vault, barely using it.

It was probably stolen by the hacker.

'Did they buy this with real money?'

The Ranger's uniform and boots were gender-specific.

However, the gloves, hat, and bow were unisex.

Skilled items and rare items had unique additional functions.

Players could leave or erase their marks on their items in Arpedia Online, to strengthen their attachment to the items.

Yohan had written Bartz's name on his precious items.

In inconspicuous places...

He had done the same for the Flame Sword, Red Bone Plate, and the Ranger set.

"Can I see your bow for a moment?"

"My bow?"

He wanted to check if any of the Ranger set items Chae-rin was wearing were his. If so, he would question the two about where they got them.

"Hand over the hat and gloves too, if you can."

"Why? You're not planning to run off with them, are you?"

"If I run, you can come to my house."

"True."

Chae-rin handed over the items without hesitation.

Yohan checked the parts of the Ranger set where he had written his name. There were no marks.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"No, the Ranger set is quite rare, so I just wanted to check."

"Really? I thought it was cool, but it's expensive."

Yohan brushed it off. Explaining the details would require talking about the Bartz era. He trusted Chae-rin, but if the news leaked, the hacker might go into hiding.

"Anyway, what should we do now? Should we stop exploring the dungeon?"

Jers and Alden were missing from the party list, presumably killed by the players.

Could they, a beginner archer and a blacksmith, clear this dangerous dungeon alone? Chae-rin was skeptical but didn't want to give up on exploring Deborah's dungeon, which she had been looking forward to for days.

"Hmm! I don't think we need to stop."

Yohan's words made Chae-rin brighten up.

"Really? But can we do it with just the two of us? We don't have a lantern…."

The second-floor lobby was bright, but it was dark inside, and the monsters were stronger.

However, Yohan believed they could manage even with just the two of them.

"I discovered something interesting while running away."

"Interesting?"

"While being chased by monsters, I lost my lantern and was cornered."

"And?"

"I crouched behind a rock, and the monsters didn't react. It was as if they suddenly couldn't see me."

"Wow! You mean…?"

Yohan pretended to have discovered this during the Bartz era.

"It seems the monsters here react to light and sound. If we use this, we can hunt them without much difficulty."

Of course, there was a prerequisite: they needed to get used to the darkness. Yohan had developed this skill during the Bartz era, but Chae-rin would need to learn it now.

"Can we do it?"

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

Yohan tapped his head. He had been thinking about this strategy since he started herding monsters on the first floor.

"Anyway, it's hard for us to get back to the entrance. It's better to push forward and see what happens."

"Hmm, better to try than to give up, right?"

Chae-rin took Yohan's hand. Despite being a production character, he felt confident and reliable, even though he was at a disadvantage.

"Let's go! Let's see if we can clear the dungeon as two beginners!"

"Sounds good!"

Thus, the beginner archer and the beginner blacksmith bravely stepped into the darkness of the dungeon.

BY RAYAN