Chapter - 93

"Round Two," Leo muttered.

Bane, the gentleman bandit, was still smiling at the Guardian Captain, adjusting his monocle with a gloved hand. The tension in the clearing was thick enough to choke on, a silent countdown before the inevitable slaughter.

Leo ignored the atmosphere. He ignored the twitching muscles of the savage bandits and the terrified wheezing of Grendel. He focused on the only thing that mattered: The Data.

'Aiva,' Leo commanded internally, 'Who do I need to kill first to get out of this shitshow?'

[Rather than Who do you need to kill first, master, let me show you who you can kill.]

"..."

[Scanning Hostiles...]

[Processing Threat Levels...]

The red text floated over the bandits' heads, glowing in the darkness like neon signs.

[2x Level 6 ]

[1x Level 8 ]

[1x Level 10]

[1x Level 11]

[1x Level 16]

[1x Level 18 (Deceased)]

[2x Level 19]

[1x Level 23]

[1x Level 25 ]

[1x Level 28 (Bane)]

'Eleven left,' Leo analyzed, 'Now that's a mixed bag. Bane and the big guys are trouble. But those couple of Level 6s? They are walking XP points.'

Before Leo could formulate a strategy to steal the kills without doing the heavy lifting, the System chimed in his head.

DING!

[New Quest: Purge the Evil!]

[Objective: Eliminate at least 5 Blackfang Elite Bandits.]

[Rewards:]

[1. 10,000 EXP]

[2. 5,000 Gold Coins]

[3. 15,000 Silver Coins]

[4. 45,000 Bronze Coins]

[5. 1 Spirit Stone]

[6. 1 Random Spin]

[7. 3 Bronze Reward Packs]

Leo's eyes widened. The system was suddenly so generous. It was enough money for him to buy out Lord Dargan, or raise his own damn army.

And that One Spirit Stone alone was not only worth a thousand gold coins, but it was also a treasure for any mage in this world.

But then he read the fine print, and the excitement from the rewards turned ito a spine chilling shock.

[Failure Penalty]

[1. You won't be able to use the system, interact with Aiva, and access the inventory.]

[2. For the next 7 Days (168 Hours), every time the Host achieves an erection, he will receive a non-lethal 500-volt electric shock directly to the groin.]

Leo froze. His face went pale.

"What the fuck?" he murmured, horrified, "How the fuck is 500-volts non-lethal?"

"That's diabolical. That's a fate worse than death. It's agonizing, monstrous and outright devilish."

"Who the fuck could even think of it?"

[The Goddess believes motivation is the key, Master.]

"Motivation? That's terrorism!" Leo cursed, "That Lysara. I swear to God. One day, I will become as powerful as the god, strip her naked, and spank her ass red for a whole goddamn 'God-hour'"

[Before that, you might want to complete the quest, master.]

"Don't be cheeky with me, Aiva"

"Fine. Five kills. I can do five. I can easily do five kills. God! My dick depends on it."

Bane cleared his throat, opening his mouth to deliver another smooth, terrifying threat to the Guardian Captain.

"Hey! Fancy Pants!"

Leo's shout cut through the silence like a slap.

He stepped away from the cart, putting his hands on his hips, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Are we going to stand here measuring dicks all night?" Leo barked, "Because I have a schedule, and you clowns are ruining it."

Bane blinked, his monocle glinting in the moonlight. The polite smile slipped for a fraction of a second, "Excuse me?"

"We are in a hurry," Leo said, gesturing aggressively to the cart where Grendel was hiding, "My driver over there is shivering. Not out of fear, but because he can't hold it any longer."

"He has a very important appointment with a lady named Lola back in Auravale. And the reservation is already paid for."

"So I hope you understand where I am coming from. You are making me lose money."

Leo shook his head mockingly at the group of bandits.

"But I guess you guys wouldn't know anything about that," Leo sneered.

"Look at you. Stuck in the woods in the middle of the night with a bunch of sweaty men in leather. How very sad."

"I bet the only 'warmth' you feel is when you huddle together for body heat in your little cave."

He looked at the Level 25 bandit, a massive brute with scars all over his face.

"What's the matter, big guy? Couldn't get a date? Had to join a sausage fest in the forest to feel special?"

"Sad," Leo spat on the ground. "Truly sad. No wonder you are all so angry. Sexual frustration is a killer."

The bandits were left stunned. Everywhere they went, people trembled just with the sight of theirs. But this bastard hiding behind the Temple guards was humiliating them so openly?

He had some iron balls. They couldn't help but look at each other in doubt. Could he be the strongest among them?

Even the Temple Guardians looked confused. The Captain stared at Leo as if he had grown a second head.

But Leo, who was riding on his bluff train, wasn't going to stop so easily. His only way out of these high level bastards was keep on bluffing, and then push it all on those Temple dudes.

With his mind made up, he pointed a finger, counting heads aloud like a teacher scolding a group of slow toddlers.

"Alright, listen up, fuckfaces. Let's do the math. I failed arithmetic, but I think even I can handle this simple stuff."

"There were twelve of you. The skinny creep who liked fondling zombies is dead, so that leaves your side with eleven douchebags."

He pointed to his own side.

"There are five of us on the good side. Me, plus the four cheerleaders in white over here."

"That's roughly two bad guys per person," Leo announced, his voice booming with unearned confidence.

"But," Leo sighed, placing a hand on his chest, "I am feeling generous today. I don't want these girls to feel I push all the heavy lifting on them," Leo said pointing at the Temple Guards

He pointed specifically at the two Level 6 bandits and the one Level 8 bandit standing near the back.

"I will take those three," Leo declared, "You guys handle the rest."

He looked at the Guardian Captain.

"Look, I am taking all the ugly ones. If you feel grateful, you can write songs about my bravery later. But right now, try not to die. It ruins my reputation if my meat shields break."

The sheer audacity of the statement left the clearing in silence.

"Did he just... call dibs?" one of the bandits muttered, confused.

Leo didn't wait for a response. He jumped off the back of the cart, landing lightly in the mud.

He walked toward the three low-level bandits he had pointed out. He walked right past Bane. He walked right past the Level 25 monster. He ignored them completely, treating them like furniture.

He stopped in front of the three weakest men.

They stared at him. They were holding axes and clubs. They looked mean, but to Leo, they looked like XP bars with legs.

"You fucked up, boy," the Level 8 bandit snarled, stomping closer. His axe dragged along the dirt with a screech, "Should've kept your head down. Now you're meat."

He leaned in, breath reeking of old fish and rot. "We're gonna take our time breaking you."

One of the Level 6s snickered, scratching his groin in front of Leo.

"Hear that? Take our time. No quick death for a pretty little thing like you," He eyed Leo up and down, grinning, "You scream nice, I bet. All night, we will make you scream."

Another spat on the ground and laughed, "I call the fingers first. Gonna cut 'em slow. Watch you beg while you bleed." He licked the edge of his knife, "Begging's my favorite part."

The first bandit chuckled darkly, "And don't worry… We ain't picky. Man, woman, doesn't matter once you are screaming under us."

He tapped the axe against his palm, "We'll use you till we're bored… then maybe we'll remember to kill you."

The second one laughed too loud, too sharp, "Yeah! Yeah! By the time we're done, you won't even remember your own name. Just a hole full of our love stuff."

Leo didn't draw his sword. Not yet.

He reached into his belt, and in a swift move sent something flying towards one of the bandits, while looking at the other.

"Catch," Leo said.

It was the broken hilt of his Iron Sword, the useless piece of junk he had saved from the first wave.

He hurled it.

It wasn't a graceful throw. It was a fastball. The jagged metal hilt spun through the air and smacked the middle bandit, one of the Level 6 right in the center of his forehead.

THUNK!

"OW!" The bandit stumbled back, clutching his bleeding head, tripping over a dead boar and falling on the ground, "What the fuck?"

"You bastard!" the Bandits yelled!

"You dare!"

"Kill him!" Bane ordered, his voice cold and bored, "Fucking kill them all."

And that was all that the bandits needed to hear. The three bandits Leo had chosen remained where they were, and the rest of the bandits roared and charged the Temple Guardians.

The Temple Guardians, exhausted and injured, braced their shields, struggling to hold the line against the elite heavy hitters.

But Leo had his targets.

The two Level 6s and the Level 8 separated from the pack, circling him. They were grinning. They saw a boy with no shield, no helmet, and a big mouth. They thought they had an easy kill.

Leo stood his ground.

He reached back and drew his weapon.

SHING.

The Frost-Edge Longsword slid from its sheath, the pale blue steel glowing in the darkness. The air around him dropped ten degrees instantly, mist curling off the blade.

'Hey Aiva,' Leo spoke in his head, 'How long can I last?'

[HP: 723 / 2000]

'Not long I guess,' Leo thought. And he could feel it. After killing those 84 Grave Stalkers at his level. It was a miracle he was still standing upright.

Leo looked at the three bandits. He gave them a dark, lecherous grin.

"Stop barking," Leo taunted, beckoning them with the tip of his frozen sword.

"Come to Papa, you ugly little puppies. Let's see if you bite as hard as you smell."

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