Chapter 14

"That perverted bald old man, what's this about twenty people...?"

As the sun began to set, we discovered the hideout of the bandit gang on a rock formation shaped like a bowl.

We were sitting on a branch of a tall tree about three hundred meters away from the hideout, scouting from a high vantage point. With the sun at our backs, we were in a position where we wouldn't be seen from the other side due to the backlight.

Using a monocular, I could see that the hideout, though not fortified with watchtowers or fences, would be troublesome if the archers used the surrounding rock walls as footholds.

Moreover, the place was already geographically difficult, and the bandits gathered there numbered not just twenty, but about sixty, as a quick glance revealed.

"Only someone who isn't just a wanderer could gather this many people..."

I kept the monocular to my eye and continued to observe the hideout.

"There he is, that's the boss of the bandit gang."

I found a large man with a tribal tattoo on the right side of his face. His equipment was clearly of better quality than the others, and he was being served drinks by a woman who seemed to be a subordinate.

He appeared to be drunk, but his eyes were sharp, and it was obvious that he was a formidable warrior. I searched my memory of the list of criminals for his face.

"I remember. The leader of that bandit gang is Razor Goldo."

Razor Goldo. His rank is B-class Scout, Ramba. He leads the Goldo Bandit Gang, named after himself, and has been wreaking havoc primarily in the western region of the empire.

"I heard he was eliminated by other explorers, but it seems Goldo is still alive. He's as tough as a cockroach."

However, it makes sense that Razor Goldo could gather sixty subordinates. He must be planning to build up his strength in this rural area and then resume large-scale activities.

"Alma, what do you think? Can you defeat Ramba, a B-class opponent?"

"No problem."

Alma, standing next to me, didn't use a monocular but instead put a curled finger to her eye.

"B-class, but at that level, it's like breakfast."

Of course, B-class is stronger than C-class, but that's just in terms of specs. Once you get to A-class and above, the story changes. With superior skills and experience, a C-class can defeat a B-class.

Moreover, Alma has already met the conditions for a rank-up. Saying she can handle Razor Goldo with ease isn't an exaggeration but a straightforward fact.

"But that's one-on-one. If all those subordinates come at us, it's impossible."

"I understand. That's why I'll handle it."

"Will Noel fight too? But if we get any closer, Ramba will detect us. I have a skill to cut off my presence, but Noel doesn't, right?"

"Listen to the whole plan. Here's what we'll do—"

First, Alma will use the Scout Skill: Presence Concealment to get as close as possible without being detected by Goldo.

Then, as soon as she's in position, I'll use the Speech Skill: Wolf's Roar. Even at a distance of three hundred meters, the volume of a speech user's voice is enough to reach them. This will allow us to immobilize his subordinates.

Goldo, being a higher rank, will resist, but my target is his subordinates from the start. Regardless, Goldo will be preoccupied with the situation and will stop moving. Taking advantage of this, Alma will finish him off from behind.

Once the remaining subordinates are freed, Alma will create chaos and eliminate the enemies. At this point, she won't try to reduce their numbers but will focus on creating confusion.

Without their leader, the bandits will become a disorganized mob. Without a leader, their numbers will hinder each other's actions. The more chaos we create, the more they'll panic, making it impossible for them to fight back or even escape.

In the midst of this chaos, I'll join from behind and use Silver's wide-area attack to cut off their escape routes and further reduce their numbers. The final step will be to sweep away any remaining escapees, completing the mission.

"Any questions or comments about this plan?"

"None. It's perfect. Let's do it."

"Okay. From now on, we'll communicate using Thought Sharing."

Speech Skill: Thought Sharing.

This skill allows party members to share thoughts through telepathy, enabling detailed coordination even when they are far apart.

'Are you ready?'

I sent a telepathic message, and Alma's voice echoed in my head.

'Anytime.'

'Then, let's execute the plan.'

Speech Skill: Morale Boost.

With my support, Alma used the Scout Skill: Presence Concealment. This skill, which makes her presence hard to detect, significantly reduced her presence. Due to her high skill level, she appeared almost transparent.

Alma, in a state of presence concealment, jumped down and ran through the forest.

A few seconds later, a message came through.

'I'm in position. Distance is ten meters. I can take him out at any time.'

'Understood. —Using Wolf's Roar.'

I took a deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Stop right there!!!!!!!"

Through the monocular, I confirmed that Wolf's Roar had immobilized the bandit gang. Only Goldo, who sensed something was wrong, stood up.

'Order! Kill Goldo!'

Speech Skill: Tactical Deployment.

With all her abilities enhanced by 25% due to my support, Alma used the Speed Boost skill and approached Goldo at lightning speed.

Scout Skill: Ambush.

Then, Scout Skill: Falcon's Strike.

Through the monocular, I saw Goldo collapse, spitting out a mass of blood.

The combination of a skill that triples the damage of a successful ambush and a skill that doubles the damage based on her speed had created a large hole in Goldo's chest, pierced by Alma's knife.

A kill that prioritizes certain death, exceeding even a fatal wound.

'Confirmed dead! Next order! Keep the enemies confused until I arrive!'

As I issued the order through Thought Sharing, I jumped down from the branch. In a forest with many obstacles, a distance of three hundred meters would take about thirty-two seconds at full speed.

'—Two down. Three down. Four down. Five down.'

As I ran, I received reports from Alma, counting the bandits she had killed. Her voice didn't stop, and she had already killed more than ten.

She's good at killing, but does she understand the meaning of creating confusion?

If she can eliminate them all, that's one thing, but if she instills a stronger fear than confusion, it will result in many escapees. Like wounded animals, rogue bandits are dangerous. They won't repent and will attack anyone they can.

If that happens, we'll be held responsible for the escapees. Therefore, when eliminating a bandit gang, the absolute rule is to leave no survivors.

I arrived at the bandit gang's hideout—the open rock formation. There, I saw Alma mercilessly slaughtering the bandits.

"Hehehehehe, Ahahahahahaha!!!"

At dusk, the white death god, with a mad smile, swung a dull blade, scattering the blood and organs of the pitiful meat sacks, and in an instant, tore their bodies to pieces. Without being stained by the blood, she remained beautiful in white...

"What, what is this monster!? D-don't come! Don't come, aaaaahhhhh!"

A panicked bandit let out a scream. In the next moment, his head rolled on the ground. Seeing this, half of the bandits were terrified and fled in a panic.

Indeed, it has come to this... Moreover, Alma is completely drunk on blood and, from my perspective, exudes a madness that doesn't seem human.

Well, it's not a problem. I'm already here.

"You won't escape! Everyone, die!!!"

My sudden loud voice drew the attention of everyone present.

'Alma, snap out of it! I'm using a flash grenade!'

'!? O-okay! Sorry!'

A new order through Thought Sharing, and the use of the Speech Skill: Mental Restoration to normalize her state.

I confirmed that Alma had covered her eyes with her arm, closed my eyes, and threw the flash grenade I had taken from my coat into the air.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"

When I opened my eyes, I saw the bandits crouching and covering their eyes. Those who were trying to escape were also immobilized due to their burned eyes. Without hesitation, I drew Silver and fired a fireball at the most densely packed area.

"It's hot, it's so hot!!! Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

The flames released from the magic bullet turned the bandits into fireballs. Those who couldn't see didn't understand the situation and ran around, spreading the fire to those outside the range of the fireball.

Amid the hellish scene, I gave Alma new instructions.

'Alma, I'll take the center! You kill the ones at a distance!'

'Understood!'

Alma pulled out a needle from a case on her thigh, took a large swing, and threw it. Despite throwing it randomly, all the needles hit the bandits.

Scout Skill: Perfect Throwing.

This skill makes thrown weapons automatically track their targets and always hit.

This will prevent those who try to escape while blind. This rock formation is like a birdcage without a cage. We can take our time and carefully finish them off.

I flashed my knife in the sunset and approached the bandits step by step.

†

†

In the end, the bandit gang numbered sixty-four.

Alma killed thirty-eight, I killed twenty-six, and not a single one escaped. They all lay as silent corpses.

Among them, about 20% were likely to be social misfits like Goldo, but the majority were aspiring criminals trying to escape a life of poverty.

Some had taken out loans and couldn't stay in the city, or were second or third sons kicked out of their villages to reduce the population. They didn't choose to become criminals.

They were all young, about my age. Their combat skills were clearly low. Their faces in death showed deep anger and sadness, as if protesting the world's injustice.

But the fact remains that they had already committed banditry.

Even if it was just theft, they had also caused injuries, killed, and committed rape. Like any bandit, they had trampled on the dignity of those who lived honestly.

Especially the Goldo Bandit Gang, known for their cruelty and atrocity.

The story of making a child hold a small razor and cut their own parents to death until they were in pieces was famous enough to reach the capital. That's why he was given the nickname "Razor."

In such a gang, showing fear or refusing dirty work was a serious offense. At least, the ones lying here had adapted to Goldo's baptism. Those who hadn't were already dead.

In other words, regardless of their background, they were scum who deserved to die.

In the stifling smell of blood and entrails, I cut off Razor Goldo's head and placed it in a bag I found in the hideout.

If I hand this head to the city's constabulary, I can receive a bounty. I believe the bounty for Razor Goldo was two million fil. Carrying a severed head is the worst, but I have to endure it for two million.

"I found it. Just like Noel said, he had quite a bit. Exactly one million fil."

Alma walked over, holding up a leather bag. While I was dealing with Goldo's head, I had Alma search for the bandit gang's money.

It was natural that they had money, having recently raided a village, and I expected Goldo, being a high-profile bounty, to manage his funds well. It turned out to be as expected.

If it were a regular bandit gang, most of the loot would have already been distributed among the members and consumed by their desires. Managing the distribution strictly while maintaining the loyalty of a large group of roughnecks is a skill beyond the capabilities of a regular bandit gang leader.

Razor Goldo, as a high-profile bounty, had genuine talent.

"You keep it. This is your share. As a first paycheck, I'll give you a bit more. I'll manage the reward from the village and the bounty for Goldo's head, is that okay?"

"Okay. Hehehe, one million fil! I can eat lots of steamed buns!"

We had agreed to give all the bandit gang's possessions to the village chief, but that was based on the assumption that the village chief's information was accurate. When we opened the lid, we found that the number of bandits was three times what he said, and their leader was the notorious criminal Razor Goldo. The difference in the amount of money Goldo had hidden, we will keep for ourselves. This is our right.

The village chief must have known this. Before asking us to take the job, he must have seen the devastation of the neighboring village destroyed by the Goldo Bandit Gang and understood the unusual nature of the bandits involved.

But he didn't provide this information. That perverted bald old man withheld the necessary information to get us to take the job for a low reward.

Personal requests are a minefield of trouble, unlike jobs managed by the state. We carried out this one to test our party's capabilities, but normally, we should have abandoned the job when the information didn't match.

I had expected this to some extent, but actually being deceived made me angry.

"Ha, I want to get back to abyss-related jobs quickly..."

"But we made a good profit. Hunting bandit gangs isn't bad."

"True, but continuing jobs like this lacks stability and isn't enjoyable. I don't like killing people."

"Eh, weren't you hyped up?"

"Don't call me a killing maniac. I just forced myself to get hyped up during combat. I can't be okay with killing my own kind. ...Ha."

They say that every sigh you take makes happiness escape, but I can't even bother to suppress them.

If only one more tank joined our party, we could dive into the abyss again...

Well, not everything is bad. Getting Alma as a party member was a stroke of luck, and the profit from eliminating the bandit gang was considerable.

We are making progress, little by little.

Looking up, I saw a large ship crossing the sky, which was turning indigo.

"Wow, an airship!"

Alma, also looking up, exclaimed excitedly.

An airship, the greatest invention of the magitech civilization. A large flying ship equipped with a special flying mechanism made from demon materials, primarily used by nobles for transporting people and goods.

"From its shape and color, it's the third-class star of the Seven Stars, the Black Goat's Banquet clan ship."

When I said this, Alma tilted her head.

"Regalia? What's regalia?"

"You don't know the Seven Stars? The Seven Stars are, in short, clans recognized by the emperor for their strength."

Clans, the upper-level organizations of parties. Among them, those that have achieved overwhelming accomplishments are personally awarded medals by the emperor.

These are the Seven Stars, the seven shining stars of the capital.

The medals granted are not just for show; they come with powerful privileges, such as the right to own airships, which are otherwise restricted to nobles.

"There are seven seats in the Seven Stars. They are not all equal; there are four third-class star seats, two second-class star seats, and one first-class star seat. The clan ship we just saw belongs to the third-class star, the Black Goat's Banquet. It's heading in the direction of the capital, so it's probably returning from an expedition."

"Wow, that's amazing. So, that airship is full of strong explorers?"

"Not just strong. They are the best in terms of intellect, experience, wealth, and courage. They are far superior to the average explorer."

The Black Goat's Banquet clan ship was already a small dot at the edge of the indigo sky. I unconsciously reached out in its direction.

I am still so far away. To those with wings to soar the sky, I am just a lowly worm on the ground.

But, someday—

No, that's not right. A vague goal like "someday" won't do.

"...One year."

"Eh, what for?"

"In one year, I will have that."

A goal that seems almost reckless, even to me. But to stand at the top of all explorers, that level of determination is necessary.

"Cyan Beyond will become one of the Seven Stars in one year."