Chasing the Fled Bandits

Two days had swiftly passed since returning to Labyrinth City.

I woke early in the morning and headed to the bustling streets of the city.

"There he is."

Beth waved her hand upon spotting me.

And behind her.

"Mage, it's been a while."

I caught sight of Beth's younger brother, Bail.

I exchanged light greetings with the two and boarded the carriage.

"Today's destination is Crow's Nest. The job's the same as last time."

"…If there's anything you left out of the explanation."

"Nothing this time. And well… for a job like this, I don't put together overly detailed plans."

Beth spoke confidently, but she glanced at me slyly, perhaps feeling a bit apologetic.

Well… to be precise, Rock Cliff Dock was the easiest area among the places we'd hit going forward.

I racked my brain, recalling the game days.

In truth, among the Shadow Union-affiliated quests, it had one of the lower level restrictions.

As long as they didn't touch the Kraken Nest hidden below, battles rarely went awry.

With my current level at 69, there was no chance of losing to those pirates.

Well… that was true for us, anyway.

Considering that 3rd Hierarchy started at level 40, most of the pirate crew was mid-2nd Hierarchy, and the captain at level 51 put him in mid-3rd Hierarchy.

Drake could even fight on floors 4 or 5 of the Labyrinth Dungeon if he had a proper party.

The rumors of pirates killing several knights weren't entirely false.

Even level 40 was among the strongest around.

The knights in Labyrinth City were around that level too, so if a mediocre knight came alone, he might survive the grunts' ambush but fall to the elites.

The Kraken ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Nest was guarded at the entrance by sirens under the Kraken's control.

The black magic from the Siren shamans temporarily drained the target's stamina, withering them up.

It wasn't life-threatening, and vitality returned naturally after some time.

Deep inside the Kraken Nest, the Kraken slumbered soundly.

As long as there was no major commotion, it wouldn't wake for another decade.

The Kraken reacted more to mana fluctuations than sound or vibrations, so using magic near the entrance required caution.

Its level was undisclosed, but estimated around 95 with boss corrections, making it impossible for a solo takedown.

"…What're you thinking about?"

Deep in thought, Beth poked her head in close.

I lightly shook my head to say nothing was up and gestured for her to continue.

"Nothing."

"Okay? Anyway, today's job shouldn't be too tough. But…"

Beth showed me a letter.

"…This."

"Exactly what it says. The rumor has already spread elsewhere too—in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the vein that the Rockhart Merchant Group is taking over the back alleys."

Beth stopped infusing mana into the letter.

The paper crumbled from mana overload, turning to dust that fluttered out of the carriage.

"So, the Crow's Nest crew's preparing to welcome us, it seems. Could get pretty dangerous… what do you think?"

"Doesn't matter."

Crow's Nest.

Their base was in Scream Forest, one of the mountain paths between the Empire and Labyrinth City.

They had shacks midway up the mountain and commuted between caves and shacks.

In simple terms… they were just a bandit gang.

My current level was 69.

The Shadow Union members seemed to grow over time too, probably around my level.

Of course, if asked if level gaps were absolute… not really.

But they were a useful benchmark.

Plus, if it got truly dangerous, Beth's instincts would react first—no need to worry.

The carriage we rode continued up into the forest.

Scream Forest.

A vast woodland connecting the Empire and Labyrinth City.

After a long ride, the carriage halted midway up the mountain.

Ahead lay a small ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shack ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠village fenced in, and right in front of the fence.

"Where you folks from?"

Three ragged men with swords strapped on approached the carriage.

Beth had vanished into stealth by then.

Bail, driving the carriage, poked his head out and addressed the bandits.

"Just powerless merchants with business in the Empire. Mind if we pass?"

"……."

A strange tension hung in the air as Bail finished speaking.

The shacks visible behind the fence were where most bandits slept.

Beyond this, a bit higher up, lay the cave where bandit leader Hassen resided.

And having heard the rumors that Beth's guild was cleaning up the back alleys… they'd prepared somewhat.

I crouched low, quietly observing.

Then, one bandit opened his mouth.

"They're here!!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

At the same moment.

Whoosh—

Bandits burst from the shacks, scattering in all directions to flee.

"…Huh?"

Bail's dumbfounded voice rang out.

Hah! You thought we Rockhart Merchant Group dogs wouldn't know!"

…They'd planned to run from the start, it seemed.

I quickly pulled a Bloodstone from my inventory and infused it with mana.

As mana flowed into the Bloodstone, black energy rippled in my hand, freezing the fleeing bandits mid-air exactly as they were.

I'd captured a total of ten bandits through the Bloodstone.

I yanked them toward me, slamming them into the ground in front of the carriage.

Bail then leaped out.

"Gaaah!"

"Agh! Aaagh!"

He shattered every bandit's legs to prevent escape.

At that moment.

"Guess some got away."

Thud.

Beth tossed a dripping head in front of the carriage.

The head of the elite monster here, Shaman Roroshi.

The screaming bandits fell silent upon seeing it.

Sis, shall I torture them first?"

"Yeah."

With Beth's approval, Bail drew a poison-laced dagger from his bosom.

Leaving him behind, I headed to the shacks beyond the fence.

Lifting one up revealed…

"…A totem?"

Stuck in the center was a massive totem.

It emitted a yellow glow from the middle of the shack.

Beth, dagger in hand, slashed it lightly, and the totem collapsed limply.

This was just a sound-amplification totem, meant to spread that bandit's shout throughout every corner of the forest.

"What now?"

"Let's head up first."

I pointed to the cave above.

Bandit leader Hassen should be holed up there.

"…Empty."

The cave was deserted too.

We descended back to the entrance where the carriage waited.

"Urgh…!"

"Where'd you agree to meet?"

Bail tortured the bandits for the others' location, but they only repeated that they didn't know.

"We really don't know, I swear… We're just bandits, we ain't tight-knit… That's why…"

"……."

The other bandits reacted the same.

They'd planned to disband and scatter the moment we showed up.

"Sis, this is getting tricky."

"…Yeah."

Beth closed her eyes at Bail's words.

Crow's Nest, the bandit stronghold.

Clearing it was to clean the path to the Empire.

Without catching the leader, bandits would regroup eventually.

We should've anticipated their flight once the rumors spread.

This job was a bust, but it'd take a bit more time.

Still… one thing nagged at me.

"Beth."

"Yeah?"

I called her over and shared my thoughts.

"The rumors spread yesterday, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"…Can they really pack up and bolt in just one day?"

"Well… if they tried, maybe."

Beth pondered, then raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

"Yeah, you're right. Doesn't seem like they'd abandon their base over just a rumor. Unless intel leaked—but that wouldn't happen."

There were no traitors in the Shadow Union.

If there were, Beth's instincts would've caught them first.

Therefore.

"They're still around here."

"Probably."

The bandits wouldn't have known they were targeted, so they'd stashed their gear nearby as a precaution.

Having made coin from banditry here, they couldn't just give it up easily.

Find that spot, and we snag the leader.

"So… where do you think?"

Beth pulled out a forest map from her bosom and unfurled it.

It was simplified, but key spots were clearly marked.

I studied it closely and pointed to one place.

"……You too?"

Seeing my choice, Beth grinned.

She'd picked the same spot.

Scream Waterfall was nearby.

Fierce waters crashed down, but the pool below was deep enough to survive a dive if pursued.

More importantly, there was a hidden space behind the waterfall.

Perfect for stashing their accumulated loot.

"Let's go."

Beth grabbed my hand and plunged into the forest toward the waterfall.