Chapter 153

An isolated group.

One of the key factors that determines the character of such a group is who the leader is.

In that sense, the residents of the 10th floor of the underground were lucky.

They had Gwen, a former knight and a decent person, as their leader, so they could live with at least some semblance of human treatment, even in such dire circumstances.

But the situation on the 11th floor was completely different.

The leader of the 11th floor was the ruthless leader of a bandit gang who had robbed and murdered innocent civilians as if it were a daily routine.

It was obvious what kind of group would be led by such a person.

‘The first one I need to get rid of.’

The first obstacle and the first enemy on the 11th floor.

If I thought that just because he was a human leader, he wasn’t an enemy, like Gwen, I would be heading straight for a bad ending.

That’s why so many players get backstabbed and game over at the beginning.

I had the same experience.

But because of that, I knew the solution.

Knowing the solution doesn’t make it an easy fight, though.

‘This time, our strength is completely different.’

I had a completely different kind of confidence this time.

Confidence born from the thorough preparations I had made with my money.

That’s why my goal was different too.

To completely take over the human faction without any casualties.

It was a goal that would have been almost impossible in the past.

“What, what is this?!”

“A forest…?!”

“Is-Is this really underground?!”

As soon as we opened the door and stepped out onto the 11th floor, Gwen and the residents were shocked.

Camian and Annette also had wide eyes.

It was unavoidable.

They had expected a similar underground space, but instead, they were greeted by a completely different sight, something they had never imagined.

A forest space.

That’s what the residents called the 11th floor.

Bang!

Then, there was a loud bang as the door closed, and everyone’s attention turned towards it.

The entrance we had come down from had closed on its own.

“Who closed it?”

“…”

Gwen asked, but there was no answer.

No one had touched it.

“Check if it opens.”

“Yes, sir.”

A few residents quickly went to the door, which had the number 11 written large on it.

“Ugh.”

“Click.”

They tried their best to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

Everyone realized.

That the door was locked.

It was clear what that meant.

They had lost their escape route, in case something happened.

I stepped forward as I felt everyone’s expressions harden.

“I knew it.”

“Huh, you expected this?”

Gwen asked, narrowing his eyes.

“From the moment you were trapped in the underground, you couldn’t go back. So I thought something similar would happen this time.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s possible.”

“The entity that created this space wants those who have been forcibly trapped to keep moving forward. To the end. And there will definitely be something decisive at the end. Whether it’s an exit or not, I don’t know.”

I spoke of one of the rules that governed this underground space.

Down, down, down.

There’s no going back.

But that doesn’t mean there are no exceptions.

For example, Riel, the ‘Human Hunter’ we first encountered on the 10th floor, was originally a resident of the 13th floor.

But that was a loophole that could only be used with a specific artifact for a very short time.

It wasn’t normal.

If there was a true exception, there was only one.

It was us.

Me, Camian, and Annette.

The only ones who could go back if we wanted to.

That’s why we had some leeway.

Of course, that was only after we secured the elevator that could take us back to the surface.

“You thought that far ahead?”

Gwen looked at me with a “I knew it” expression.

“There’s nothing so special about it. Everyone probably felt it, consciously or unconsciously.”

If you want to find the key to escape, you have to go down.

That’s why everyone came down to the 11th floor with such enthusiasm, without any objections.

But they probably didn’t expect how deep the journey down would be.

Even I didn’t know exactly.

“I understand that you’re all surprised by the unexpected sight and the blocked escape route, but we have a clear task ahead of us.”

I scanned everyone with my eyes and continued.

“We’ll move forward calmly, examining everything, right?”

“Haha, of course, of course.”

Gwen nodded with a smile.

He seemed grateful that I had taken care of the situation for him.

“Okay, everyone, you heard the man. We just need to do what we need to do. Form a line!”

And so, we formed a line and moved forward into the unknown space.

* * *

“Drinks.”

The one-eyed man muttered.

A woman with a frightened expression quickly poured fruit wine into the one-eyed man’s empty glass.

Her hands were trembling.

“If you spill a single drop, you’ll die.”

“Hic…!”

The woman’s tense hands tightened.

Tremble, tremble, tremble.

But the tremors didn’t stop.

In that state, the woman managed to pour the wine without spilling a single drop.

The expression of someone who had barely escaped death appeared on her face, then quickly disappeared.

“Haha, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. What are you frowning for? You don’t think I would kill you for something so trivial, do you?”

The one-eyed man chuckled, as if it was a joke.

But the woman’s expression didn’t change at all.

It was because she knew.

That the one-eyed man in front of her could take a human life as easily as a fly, if he was just a little annoyed.

Especially if it was someone he considered unnecessary.

‘This cursed, damn devil of a man.’

The woman gritted her teeth.

Blade, the leader of the infamous bandit gang, ‘Red Wolf,’ who had been active in the central continent.

He was the worst of the worst in the outside world.

A villain who only operated in the central continent, where several small countries were clustered together, making it difficult to maintain law and order.

For some reason, he and his men were all trapped in this mysterious underground space.

The outside world must have become peaceful.

But for the residents of the 11th floor, hell had unfolded.

They wished they were dead.

The woman had thought that many times.

Then, it happened.

Bang!

A man with a scar on his cheek rushed through the door.

Blade frowned.

“This guy’s crazy. He’s barging in without any warning.”

“I’m sorry, boss. Its urgent…”

“Urgent?”

“There are new people trapped here.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Blade smiled, a smile full of malice.

“That’s good news for a change. Beat the crap out of them first, so they know their place, then bring them here.”

“But…”

The subordinate trailed off.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Well, there seem to be…at least dozens of them.”

“What? Dozens?”

Blade’s eyes widened.

It was a number he had never experienced before.

Except when he and his men were first trapped in this damn place.

“Are you sure?”

“I saw it with my own eyes, several times. I’m sure.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Blade’s eyes narrowed in thought.

“Dozens is a different story.”

They had over 100 people, so if they wanted to subdue them by force, it would be possible.

But that method would inevitably lead to casualties on their side too.

That wasn’t what Blade wanted.

He wasn’t a brute who only relied on strength.

He was more of a cunning man.

That’s why he had been able to operate as a bandit for over 10 years, even in the central continent, where law and order was weak.

“Okay, that’s good.”

Blade grinned, as if he had a good idea.

“What…?”

“First, we’re going to welcome them and hold a feast. Then, we’ll ambush them.”

Swoosh.

Blade made a gesture of cutting someone’s neck with his hand.

If they just killed half of them in a surprise attack, the rest would be too scared to do anything but obey.

“Wow, boss! That’s a brilliant plan.”

The subordinate nodded repeatedly.

“Heh, now that we’ve decided, you go ahead and prepare with the guys. I’ll go out and do some talking.”

Blade got up and put on a mask, something like a face mask, that was hanging on the wall.

His face completely changed.

It became the face of a kind middle-aged man.

It was because of the Infi-face mask.

It was an inhumane object that was banned internationally, punishable by death if caught, but the bandit Blade, didn’t care about that.

He had no qualms about using it to hide his identity, so he had brought it with him when he was trapped here.

“Okay, perfect. Then let’s go right…”

“Ah, wait, boss!”

The subordinate said, as if he had an important report.

“What is it now?”

“Well…I think you should be extra careful. They’re all properly armed…”

“Armed? Did some mercenaries come here?”

Blade frowned.

“I don’t know, but…they have armor, spears, swords, shields, bows…”

“Damn it, is this an army?”

Blade cursed.

* * *

A tense standoff.

That’s how you could describe it.

The current situation.

The entrance to the human settlement, surrounded by a sturdy palisade.

The Red Wolf bandits were guarding it, as usual.

In the game, when they first spotted us, they were confident and relaxed.

It was understandable, they were skinny corpses with terrible equipment.

But now the situation was completely different.

They were alert, their faces full of tension.

It was unavoidable, dozens of well-fed men, fully armed, had appeared.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Were they really that pathetic?’

They were like demons to the residents of the 10th floor.

No matter how well you trained the protagonist or avoided traps, if you had to fight them, you would inevitably lose almost 90% of your people.

They were in much better shape than the residents of the 10th floor, who had nothing to eat but moss, and their equipment was better.

But now…

They looked pathetic.

The formidable enemies they had been seemed so insignificant.

Their equipment was terrible.

Especially their armor and shields.

“Are they still not here?”

Gwen spoke.

He was confident, even in front of the armed guys.

He had been that way even when he was in his pathetic state, he was a man whose character was undeniable.

“…I sent someone, they’ll be in touch soon. Just wait a little longer.”

On the other hand, the bandit guys were tense, ready to draw their weapons at any moment.

One of them was glued to the side of the bell that would sound the alarm.

“It doesn’t seem like they’re going to give us a warm welcome.”

Camian muttered beside me.

“Oh, is that so?”

I looked at Camian with curious eyes.

As expected, Camian, the protagonist, was slowly developing his insight.

“This place doesn’t seem very peaceful either, so it’s natural to be extremely wary when a group of armed men suddenly appears, isn’t it? Even if they want to talk properly, it’s going to take a while.”

Camian said with conviction.

“Yes, you’re right. That’s what would normally happen. But.”

I chuckled and continued.

“Their leader, who will be coming out soon, will actually welcome us.”

“Huh?”

Camian looked confused.

“Heh, I told you. You’re right if it were normal. So, when someone welcomes you in this situation, it’s one of two things. They’re a really good person, or…”

I emphasized each word.

“…They’re a jerk who’s pretending to be a good person.”

Just then, I saw a group of people approaching from the other side, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

I twisted my lips and sneered.

“A jerk who’s pretending to be a good person, and a jerk who’s actually a jerk, here comes the jerk who will do what I just said.”