Today, the official website forum was extremely lively.

  It wasn’t due to any routine game updates or new features. Rather, it was ignited by a storm of fury and resolve sweeping through the player community. Post after post recounted the harrowing events that had unfolded in the village, accompanied by images and videos capturing the devastation. The players’ anger flared, and their desire for retribution grew more and more.

  Victor watched from behind the scenes, grinning from ear to ear at every single line he read. It was almost too easy. Without even needing to release a cutscene, the players played right into his hands, driven by their righteous fury and thirst for justice. They even planned to launch an attack against these “bandits.” Truly simple-minded creatures they were.

  BunnyFam: “Argh! Those bandits will pay for their sins! It’s time to show them the consequences of their despicable actions!”

  CookieMons: “After reading this, I feel obliged to log back in right now. Count me in for the hunt. I’ll chop them as if chopping cabbage on a wooden board!”

  ShadowBladeX: “Stuck on the night shift again, damn it! ?? Don’t leave me behind, guys!”

  Squadzell: “My blood is boiling just reading this. (╯?∩?)╯︵ ┻━┻ The bandits will regret ever laying a finger on Thornwood Village. If only I had access to the game, I would have unleashed hell upon them! Ngh. That got me angry twice!”

  “…”

  And so on and so forth.

  Interestingly enough, the most important conversations among players weren’t the ones on the official website forum but within the in-game chat channels. As both the headmaster and architect behind the entire “game,” Victor naturally possessed access to these channels. Thus, he could discreetly monitor the players’ conversations while they were clueless to him reading every word.

  “Oho, what do we have here?” Victor’s interest was piqued by a newly created private channel.

  ZeroXScyth: “Here’s the plan. First, our group in the south will track down the supernatural entity we encountered near the village. Then, the northern group will pinpoint the enemy’s location and lure magical beasts toward them. Finally, everyone else will be on standby at the academy, ready to launch the attack. Is everyone in on this?”

  Prominence: “Why, of course!”

  MikeIsHandsome1000x: “Those who refuse to join are p*ss**s!”

  ZeroXScyth: “You two don’t count; we’re already in the same party. -_-”

  Locktekei: “I’m with Mike on this one.”

  ThunderLord999: “I’m with Mike +1.”

  GladiusZone: “Me too! I’m not a coward! +2”

  “…”

  MissRichLadyAuralise: “Me and my party don’t mind cooperating, but you owe me big for this, Mister Strategist.”

  KuroUsagi: “I’ll take charge of coordinating the players at the academy; no need to worry about that. While I’m at it, I’ll try negotiating with the headmaster. Perhaps we can secure a special joint mission for this endeavor.”

  ZeroXScyth: “Sounds good.”

  Victor was still smirking as he read through the comments. The players were unwittingly laying out their plans right before him, and it was exactly what he wanted from them. After all, the final piece of his most devious plan was to unite everyone’s strength for a single, devastating assault.

  “Planning something wicked again, Master?” Lizbeth teased, unable to resist her usual sarcastic remarks.

  “Something like that,” Victor replied with a casual shrug, turning to the floating fairy who was engrossed in munching on fries—cooked by none other than the players—while watching funny skits on YouTube, laughing repeatedly. “Say, you’re not exactly helping with all this, you know.”

  She harrumphed, despite not moving her gaze from the screen. “That’s rude! I’m holding the fort while you gallivant off to retrieve lost equipment and weapons! And I’m keeping an eye on those mercenaries you kept alive back in the valley.”

  “Fair enough.” Victor chuckled.

  In truth, Victor hadn’t slaughtered all the bandits in the valley. He had left some alive deliberately, knowing they could serve as low-rank “NPCs” later on. It would be beyond stupid not to leverage every resource at his disposal, even if it meant through harsh exploitation.

  Regardless of that, it was time to execute the offensive plan and gather all of the available manpower. Most players were already outside the academy, so all he had to do was wait for KuroUsagi to knock on his office’s door to report the latest developments. Thankfully, he conveniently put it into the setting that the headmaster (himself) could access the Shadowlink Mark and could call upon the players from there. All he needed to do was prepare the line that he would send to them.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  As for the players here in the academy, Victor planned to personally lead them to the enemy encampment. He had sent a spectral puppet to follow Graviel and his army long before the players had even begun considering their next move. If they hadn’t made a move themselves, he would have pushed them from behind.

  Still, what the players planned was similar to what he employed back in the valley, and Victor knew that the same trick wouldn’t work twice. As such, it was crucial to introduce a new element into the mix, one that would catch the enemy off guard and tip the scales in their favor. And thanks to the players’ ingenuity, it might just work.

  A sharp knock echoed from the door. With a flick of his wrist, the door swung open, revealing KuroUsagi standing in the doorway with a slightly surprised expression.

  ***

  It was dusk.

  The players were prepared, armed to the teeth with weapons in hand and spells ready to be cast. More than a hundred players had gathered here with the same intention: destroying Victor’s old enemies that he had designated as “bandits.” Furthermore, there were more on the other side who were filling their roles and improving their chances of success.

  Meanwhile, atop his majestic silvery wolf mount, Victor surveyed the scene with a sense of satisfaction. Just for this occasion, he had called upon the mighty Celestial Moonhowler to join his side and made it known to the players that she was really his magical mount. Of course, the envious gazes directed at him were an added bonus.

  Victor was aware that Graviel had a magic tool that could detect hostile presence and ward off magical beasts, so he let the players assemble at a safe distance where they would be hard to detect. Technically speaking, it was a magic tool of a better grade than the one made by Eleanor, but that was beside the point.

  As the last rays of sunlight faded from the sky, Victor felt that it was about time. So, he turned around for his speech.

  “Today, we stand on the precipice of history,” Victor declared, his voice ringing out with authority. “For too long, Thornwood Village has suffered under the oppressive yoke of the bandits, sent by our old enemies that had their eyes on our land and inheritance. But no more! Today, we shall bring an end to their tyranny once and for all.”

  Long, my ass. It’s barely two days… But the backstory is all that matters here. Victor inwardly mocked his own speech, then continued, “Acolytes! You are the chosen ones, the heroes who will deliver justice to the unjust. Together, we will vanquish the darkness that has plagued this land and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.”

  The players listened intently, their eyes shining with determination as they eagerly awaited their cue to charge.

  “This will be another decisive battle for our fate. Let us march forth and confront our enemies as planned. Remember, we fight not only for the Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi, but for all those who have suffered at the hands of these bandits. Let justice be our guide, and victory will surely be ours!”

  “Awooo! Awooooo!” Lumen howled loudly, causing the nearby players to become many times more enthusiastic and firmer.

  “Ooohh!!”

  “Long live the academy!! Long live Sir Astralium!!”

  “Let’s kill them all! Burn them and put their heads on iron stakes!”

  “Miss Eleanor, once I’ve slain these bandits, please marry me!”

  The crowd erupted into battle cries, their voices reverberating all around, and even the trees seemed to tremble from their sheer intensity.

  Wait a minute… Did I hear those right? Well, these few lines are unwarranted… Victor almost choked upon hearing several more lines that were either digressing or downright disturbing coming from the players. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, it was all too easy to pick out the strange lines among the fervent cheers.

  Nevertheless, none of that was really important.

  What mattered most right now was to settle the grudges with his former comrades and put this to an end. A sharp glint flashed in Victor’s eyes as he poised himself for that one true goal.

  ***

  Back on Graviel’s side, everything was descending into chaos.

  At first, the distant rumble was barely perceptible, but it grew ominously louder and more menacing with each passing moment. This harbinger of doom struck a deeper chord of fear in Graviel and his men than even the valley of deadly magical plants. Soon, a thick mist rolled into their encampment, swallowing anything it touched and leaving a void where life once thrived. Even the mercenaries guarding the outskirts vanished into the mist without a trace.

  “Holy shit! What are those?” Amidst the escalating terror, someone among them pointed at the sudden appearance of three floating orbs of light weaving through the trees at a distance, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.

  Before they could get their bearings back, a horde of magical beasts emerged from the shadowed fringes of the forest, with eyes glowing menacingly as they charged toward the encampment. Screams echoed as the mercenaries tried to fight them off under the confusing mist, and the clash of swords against razor-sharp claws and fangs reverberated.

  “What the fuck’s going on? We’re dead if we don’t do something!” In this desperate moment, Graviel made a split-second decision: He would continue opening the pocket dimension no matter the cost!

  As a result, he reached into his interspatial ring and retrieved the key to the pocket dimension—the artifact fragment. With a swift motion, he channeled his infused mana to the artifact fragment and activated it, causing the space above the chasm to quake and a faint, ethereal glow to emanate from the chasm’s depths.

  He was acutely aware that the hostile force desiring the pocket dimension wanted him to open it and give them access, but he now had no other alternative. The longer he waited, the more he endangered himself and thus risked losing the Magus inheritance. By entering the dimension, he could seal the entrance from the inside. This was his gambit, his solitary strategy amidst the encroaching chaos.

  Soon, as if responding to his will, intricate runes sprang into existence, aligning perfectly with the markings on Graviel’s artifact fragment. Just as miraculously as it was in the past, a pathway of shimmering light leading to a portal formed, revealing the way forward into the small world it contained.

  “Into the pocket dimension, now!” Graviel commanded, diving through the portal as the white mist and the magical beasts began encroaching on his location.

  Just before entering the pocket dimension, he looked back to see more than a hundred people dressed in acolyte robes laying their assault against his encampment. Just where in the world did these acolytes come from? And why were there so many of them?