Early in the morning, the players started logging in in droves, bubbling with excitement over the highly anticipated update. Remarkably, they promptly gathered in the grand auditorium out of their own discretion without being told to by Victor. How surprising.

  Because Victor had indeed prepared a speech for his slav—acolytes, he seized the opportunity and got right into it, his voice resonating as it was amplified by magic.

  “Acolytes, lend me your ears! Thornwood Village has been ravaged. The very soil bears witness to the unspeakable atrocities committed by a bunch of bandits—sent here by our old enemies to encroach upon our land and claim this territory as their own. They have pillaged homes, destroyed families and their livelihoods, and inflicted unspeakable pain upon the innocent.” His resolute words captured the players’ undivided attention as they fixated on him standing tall on the podium.

  “Just as the wind howls with unrest, so do the hearts of every resident of Thornwood Village. Henceforth, we must brace ourselves for their impending aggression, preparing defenses and laying traps in their anticipated path. The weapons and spells at our disposal shall be our instruments in the pursuit of justice. Let us reclaim what is rightfully ours!”

  “Ooh!”

  “Long live the headmaster! Long live the academy!”

  “Let’s mete out justice upon our land!”

  “…!”

  The players erupted in unified shouts, clenching their fists and thrusting them into the air. It was obvious from the look in their eyes that they were resolute to carry the villagers’ vengeance with them. Victor had successfully stirred their hearts, igniting a fervor for the noble cause at hand. Truly, only by understanding their hearts would Victor be able to manipulate and exploit them to do his bidding.

  However, this alone wouldn’t be enough to convince everyone—particularly the opportunists. Thus, he continued:

  “Still! I understand very well that this grand endeavor comes with great risk, and where there is risk, there is great reward. In addition to assigning special tasks through your Shadowlink Marks, tasks that promise substantial merit points, the virtual shop prices will be discounted during this period. Moreover, for those of you who make significant contributions to the cause of justice, there will be a unique and exclusive reward bestowed upon you.”

  At the mention of a “unique and exclusive reward,” the eyes of the players immediately sparkled with anticipation. Nothing fueled their spirit more than the prospect of obtaining something others couldn’t and thus gaining an advantage in this “game.” They would try their hardest to be among one of those great contributors.

  “Bear in mind, however, that the enemies are not to be underestimated, but this is a rare and extraordinary opportunity. We, Magi, value knowledge and power above all else—take this chance to maximize your gains. So, young acolytes, I hope you make the right choice in this crucial moment. The bandits are out there; this is yet another test of our fate.”

  As the last sentence rang out, the players erupted in cheers and swiftly sprang into action. Fingers flew across holographic screens as most of them accessed their Shadowlink Marks to examine the new missions. In contrast, the rest gathered to form parties to complete the more difficult tasks together. Victor was glad to see them jump right into their preparations, as there wasn’t much time before his former comrades would venture into the forest.

  Observing all of this, Victor began to notice something from the auditorium that was now almost half-filled. The academy had grown considerably from where it had started, from something like a gathering of beggars to now having the foundation of a bona fide Magus academy. Slowly but surely, it had metamorphosed into a true bastion of magical knowledge.

  Speaking of the new “special tasks” or missions, Victor had carefully crafted them as integral parts of the whole strategy. Every player would play their own role in this grand scheme, effectively becoming indispensable cogs in the grand machinery of the operation. Victor secretly grinned widely in his heart as he marveled at the brilliance of his strategic mind in orchestrating this intricate plan.

  With his goals here complete for now, he set off. His hands had been aching to claim his gacha rewards since he had been too busy with preparations to get the chance. Right. Maybe he would get something interesting this time around.

  ***

  In the dimly lit interior of the village head’s house, Graviel sat with a slightly hunched posture, his hands interlacing together. It had been a day since they arrived in the village, and he sensed that it was time to start the expedition. Thus, he gathered his accomplices—Jared, Dorian, and Elara—along with the seasoned warrior Rowan, to convene inside the house.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Sir, is everything here alright?” The old village head had inexplicably stuck close to their group instead of doing his best to quell the chaos brought about by the mercenaries. Graviel himself cared not about his little existence, so he let him be.

  The once peaceful village had descended into chaos under their occupation. The mercenaries were a ruthless bunch; they had indulged in all manners of atrocities. Houses had been ransacked, supplies looted, and it was not rare for women to be assaulted—even some young men were not spared. Obviously, Graviel and the other acolytes had turned a blind eye to these atrocities, focusing only on their objective.

  Graviel ignored the frail old man while staring intently at Rowan. “It’s time. Rowan, assemble all the mercenaries, and let’s set off for the forest; we can’t afford any more delays.”

  “But sir, the mercenaries may not immediately comply… We might need a few hours to rally up and prepare.” Rowan turned his gaze at the nearby window, which was barely showing signs of light outside.

  “I said, ‘Do it now,’” he declared with a commanding tone. “We can’t dilly-dally anymore. If they refuse, execute them!” A surge of strong mana force accompanied his rising voice, exerting pressure on everyone in the house, causing even the old village head to collapse in pain.

  “Yeah! You heard what Sir Graviel said!” Jared chimed in like a loyal dog.

  “Yessir!” Rowan saluted and quickly scurried away from the house to obey his command.

  Deep down, Graviel had begun to doubt that allowing the mercenaries to pillage the village freely was a mistake. After all, he didn’t have much experience dealing with lowly barbaric commoners such as these mercenaries.

  Suddenly, as his mana force kept leaking out uncontrollably, a creaking noise appeared from below the wooden floor.

  “Hmm?” Graviel raised an eyebrow and noticed that the village head’s face paled as he struggled to stand under the immense pressure.

  Dorian harrumphed and stomped on the floor, causing a certain part to creak further. On close inspection, it was a wooden trapdoor camouflaged with the rest of the floor. Jared smirked and snapped open the trapdoor, only to find a trembling teenage girl beneath the dirt and dust. While her complexion was brown and dirty, it couldn’t completely hide her pretty face.

  “Heh! Found one!” Jared grinned sinisterly and approached the frightened girl.

  “No…!” the old village head weakly shouted.

  “Hehehe… all the women in the village pale in comparison to her, and I haven’t had my fill yet.” Jared said as he bent down. He grabbed the girl’s cheeks, pulling her closer until his face was just inches away from hers.

  “Eeek! N-No!” Terrified, the girl attempted to resist, throwing a tantrum and hitting Jared in the face. Yet, the impact didn’t faze him; instead, it fueled his excitement.

  Elara hesitated, preparing to speak up. However, a glance at Graviel shook her resolve, and she held back her words. She was powerless to do anything here.

  “Come here, you little!” Jared briskly seized her hair, pulling her up.

  “Argh!”

  “Please, not my granddaughter…” The old village head desperately reached out, managing to grab onto Jared’s leg, but his efforts were in vain.

  “Tch. Shut your mouth, stinky old fart!” Jared kicked him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over and cough. Relentless, Jared continued to stomp on him, with the sound of creaking bones filling the room.

  “Grandfather!” the girl cried out, tears streaming down her face.

  Witnessing the reaction, Jared sneered wickedly and issued a threat: “If you don’t want anything to happen to him, then obey me!”

  As he was about to lay his hand on her, Graviel punched the table, breaking it into pieces. “Jared! I don’t care if you want to lay your hands on all the women in the village, but wait until we’ve accomplished what we came for. Otherwise…” A menacing killing intent enveloped the whole room, especially around Jared, who had a tight grip on the girl’s neck.

  Graviel didn’t want his plans disrupted by something as trivial as this. He wouldn’t even bat an eye over killing him if he showed the slightest defiance. A useless ally was worse than a fearsome enemy.

  “Jared.” Dorian quietly placed a hand on Jared’s shoulder, shaking his head subtly and signaling him to stop.

  “My apologies, Sir Graviel. I got a bit carried away by this sudden intrusion.” Jared reluctantly released his grip, causing the girl to fall on her butt. He then directed his words at her, “Bitch! I’ll deal with you later. Just wait until then!”

  “Eep…!” The girl hastily crawled toward her grandfather and helped him get up. They then scurried out of the house fearfully.

  Fifteen minutes later, Rowan returned to the house and reported, “Sir, my men are ready. Fortunately, they complied with no resistance. It seems that the free looting has made them quite content. Furthermore, we’ve scoured the village for supplies and… some other things. It should be enough for the expedition.”

  Graviel nodded, his gaze cold and calculating. “Good. The village served its purpose. Let them lead the way, then.”

  “As you wish.” Rowan bowed and exited.

  Graviel and the others also took their leave so they could prepare to traverse the Thornwood Forest.

  ***

  Victor stood before the Nexus Beacon with a sense of deep anticipation coursing through him. When it came to this kind of thing, his excitement matched that of the players when they were getting new “game content.” Well, it actually did matter a lot more for him since it might be the last step in completing his intricate plans.

  With a swipe on the holographic screen, Victor accessed the gacha system through the holographic screen. He found out that there were “Free 1 Pull” and “Free 10 Pulls” on the Elemental Adept lootbox and Initiate Attunement lootbox buttons, respectively. He obviously chose the first one, as anything that came out from the latter might no longer be useful to him anymore.

  “Here goes nothing.”

  Tapping the button, the holographic screen shone as the Nexus Beacon responded with a burst of colorful magical symbols. Soon, a lootbox materialized and floated toward him. Victor’s hands were sweating as he touched the smooth surface of the lootbox, and his heart thumped in anticipation. Yes, this was the feeling that he was always addicted to.

  As he opened the lootbox, a blinding light came out from within and revealed the content concealed inside—

  “Wait—this is!”