Episode 3: The D-Rank Guild Leader of the Number One Guild
Even though I'm in stealth, the viewers can see me like this.
In other words, my appearance is being captured in the VR of the viewers watching that man's despicable and cruel acts.
If so, it's clear that the current me must be drawing quite a lot of attention.
When I had closed the distance to about 10 meters, the man's status window finally popped up.
Since I couldn't let the viewers find out about this cheat, I fixed my gaze in place, pretending to carefully observe him.
[Name] Iseupan / [Level] 1
[Gender] Male / [Age] 28
[Intelligence] Low-Mid / [Killing Intent] High
* * *
[Health] 6020 / B+
[Strength] 7755 / B+
[Agility] 3100 / B
‘Level 1, and those stats make sense? Four-digit stat numbers?’
It's terrifying. A weakling like me would die from a single hit.
That golden spoon must have massacred other characters from the very beginning, so his experience and kill count must be overwhelming too.
A huge gap has probably already opened between him and me.
Of course, I could also sneak up while stealthed like this, slit any nearby character's throat, and flee.
But it wasn't exactly a choice I favored.
For one thing, I had no weapon, and with these stats, I couldn't pull off an unarmed kill like Nahean either.
Despite lacking the strength to kill anyone, I slowly looked Iseupan up and down and soon reached a conclusion.
‘You're my target.’
That stupid villain bastard will become the sacrifice for my first kill, crawling up from the bottom.
Simply ambushing him isn't enough for me. I need a dramatic comeback victory, something desperate and sweat-inducing.
The more dramatic it is, the more backing I'll gain.
While scanning the surroundings, wondering if there was anything I could use, a pretty character caught my eye.
A girl who looked to be about eighteen, with fine silver hair and beautiful green eyes.
‘Just looking at those striking colors, I can tell the developers invested everything into her looks.’
Like the other characters, she was trembling in fear with her head bowed, but only I, hidden from sight, could see her true expression.
As I got closer, I could see tears dangling from her long eyelashes, her eyes blazing with fury.
A pretty girl like her stands out even with that expression. The viewers must be admiring those vivid graphics.
‘Huh, but that determined look... it's like she's about to raise her head and talk back at any moment. I've got a bad feeling about this.’
Sure enough, the girl soon straightened her back among the crowd of cowering people.
[Name] Ririteu / [Level] 1
[Gender] Female / [Age] 18
[Intelligence] Low-Mid / [Killing Intent] Low
* * *
[Health] 40 / E
[Strength] 55 / D
[Agility] 36 / E
Frail stats befitting her idol-like slender appearance.
I gasped while still stealthed.
Don't do it! Just keep your head down! Why are you digging your own grave?!
I wanted to scream, but I closed my mouth since I couldn't afford to die too.
While everyone watched her stand up, Ririteu strode right up to the throne.
Bravey, onto that very spot still covered in bloodstains.
Iseupan looked down with an expression of contempt, as if he were looking at dirt on his toes, going “Huh?”
With a trembling, cracking voice, the frail and delicate girl confronted him.
“Th-that person, y-you said you'd let them live. You lied, saying you'd spare them, then you shot them. That's too cruel. P-please stop killing! You've already racked up plenty of kills! Sir Iseupan must already be number one!”
Terrified as she spoke, tears eventually streamed down. The girl in basic clothes shook.
Iseupan let out a hollow laugh and looked at her with a ‘what should I do with you?’ expression.
One thing to note: although this game is rated for adults, it strictly adheres to sexual content guidelines.
In other words, no matter how arbitrary a tyrant like Iseupan is, he won't try to forcibly assault the weak. Should we say that such a thought doesn't even cross his mind?
But he could definitely kill them.
Of course, to prevent characters with standout beauty from dying off en masse, the game did implant characters with a sense to distinguish between beauty and ugliness, but....
‘Would that really work on that scoundrel, Iseupan?’
I didn't think so. Not on a character with ‘High’ Killing Intent. Not on someone who takes pleasure in killing.
Iseupan soon burst into laughter.
“Ririteu, everything about you really is a mess! Not only are you weak, you're stupid too!”
The gun barrel soon aimed at Ririteu's head. Ririteu froze, unable to move.
But does he know that he's even more stupid than her?
Certainly, Ririteu doesn't look very bright based on her stats alone, but that's precisely why her courage is all the more noble.
The viewers saw this girl's bravery.
They saw the miserable yet moving will of a single little hamster stepping up to fight a great evil.
If you shoot Ririteu right now, you'll gain plenty of points immediately, but you'll earn resentment in return.
The almighty viewers above will resent you for making it so they can never see this pretty girl again.
But since this is something a game character couldn't know, instead of coldly berating him, I held my breath and watched.
“You know that killing you is easier than breathing.”
Vein-bulging fingers rested on the trigger.
But before pulling it, Iseupan smirked as if he'd suddenly thought of a good idea.
“That's right, Ririteu. I'll give you a chance too. Run away like that guy earlier.”
Ririteu's tear-stained face went even paler.
“If you escape outside my firing range, I'll spare you. Now, hurry up and run!”
“…….”
“Or die right here.”
Bang! A bullet lodged into the ground at her feet, and Ririteu jumped.
In the end, Ririteu was forced to do as told, knowing full well she had walked into the same trap that had just been repeated.
At that moment, my brain worked fast.
The distance where the previous character had been shot while fleeing was about 10 meters from where Ririteu was standing now.
Since there was only one direction, Ririteu would run the same path as that character—.
Then the shortest distance between stealthed me and Ririteu when she reached the midpoint would be about 7 meters.
And if we assume Iseupan shoots Ririteu at the same spot where the previous character died...?
At that moment, Ririteu turned around and started running frantically.
Maybe if she ran fast enough, if she dodged, she wouldn't get hit by the bullet.
With that thought, she desperately ran, flailing chaotically.
But there was no way Ririteu, with average E-rank stats, could outrun a bullet.
One second, two seconds, the seconds of death ticked by. Ririteu squeezed her eyes shut. Iseupan's finger curled on the trigger.
In that time, I pulled a throwing-type stealth potion from my bag.
The viewers are probably holding their breath right now, watching me throw that stealth potion at the girl.
Poom!
The transparent potion thrown with all my strength hit Ririteu and burst with a pop.
I, with D-rank Strength, actually hit the target!
Smoke hissed up, and Ririteu disappeared.
“She vanished!”
“Shut your mouths!”
Taking advantage of the minions' commotion, I dashed to the spot where Ririteu had been moments before.
‘Wait, it seems she fell over as soon as the stealth potion hit her.’
When I waved my hand around, I felt something on the floor that I presumed to be Ririteu.
Since we were both stealthed and couldn't see each other, I fumbled around, grabbed her arm, and stood her up.
From Ririteu's perspective, she was being led away by an invisible assailant, but admirably, she didn't scream.
Rather, she let herself be led by me obediently.
The sound of an infuriated Iseupan firing his gun wildly from behind reached us, but in the end, Ririteu and I succeeded in escaping into the forest.
* * *
Ririteu's breathing was loud and rough.
The girl, whose stats were even worse than mine, stopped as if collapsing the moment she felt safe.
“W-who is it?”
The invisible Ririteu asked into the empty air.
Since an alarm had popped up saying there were only 5 minutes left on the stealth potion anyway, I dispelled my stealth in front of Ririteu.
“Hello.”
The moment she saw me, Ririteu immediately dispelled her stealth too. It was a waste since she still had plenty of time left.
When a girl around her age, looking a year or two older, carefully greeted her, Ririteu's tension seemed to melt away immediately.
“Th-thank you for saving me... You were the one who saved me, right?”
Ririteu lowered her eyes and spoke emotionally. The relief of barely surviving was evident in her exhaled breath.
What should I say here, what image should I create to leave a deep impression on the viewers currently watching us?
‘It was nothing’ seems like it would make me look tactless, and ‘It was the right thing to do’ seems too cheesy.
Should I just say something I would realistically say? If I set up a difficult image from the start, I'll suffer trying to act the part the whole time....
Alright, from now on, I'm becoming a tsundere.
“Why on earth did you do that? So dangerously.”
Chiding her for her dangerous actions while acting tsundere!
“It hurts. It's unfair. I don't want to see anyone die.”
Wow, Ririteu's smile just now was a masterpiece even in my eyes.
Moreover, by asking her why she did it just now, I highlighted Ririteu's upright heart too, so the viewers' emotions must be doubled.
I looked at the smiling Ririteu and pondered for a moment.
This girl is weak, but she definitely has the elements to draw viewers' popularity.
Then wouldn't it be nice to use that popularity while traveling together?
I had planned to make companions one by one to survive anyway.
In that sense, accepting weak Ririteu as my first choice seemed like a fitting decision for my grand ambition of crawling up from the very bottom.
When I suggested we stick together from now on, Ririteu cried again. She seemed quite moved.
“I'm so small and worthless, no one ever said they needed me....”
Actually, it's not like I'm taking a loss. I believe you'll sweep the popularity votes.
And even someone survival-obsessed like me has compassion. Somehow, I don't want to see a nice kid like you die.
“Of course, you probably won't be any help in combat.”
I tossed her a blunt fastball. When Ririteu became dejected at those words, I immediately added.
“But I want you to survive. You have thousands, tens of thousands of times more worth to survive than someone like Iseupan.”
With this much dialogue, I wonder if I've managed to create a decent scene.
Not knowing the circumstances, Ririteu seemed deeply moved by my cheesy words, and started tearing up again.
She really cries a lot.
To the point where I wondered if she'd set her personality to be like this on purpose because she looks pretty when she cries.