บท 4: Reality is Cruel Even In Fantasy World

One Snakes Keep, Basement.

2 bandits dragging a beaten up man coming down from the stair, the man was Baron Larson who is one of Duke Merrica retainer that followed Duke Merrica on this failed campaign to defeat the vicious bandit groups few weeks ago. Duke Merrica and his men were beaten up to the pulp every day since they were captured, and today was no exceptions but amongst the past times Baron Larson has become the bandit's punching bag the most. The bandit wardens carries Baron Larson to the cell and throw him inside like a sack of wheat, the sound of his harsh land woke up the knights who sleeping inside.

< THUDD!! >

"Ughhhh...". (Baron Larson)

"Larson!!...you animal!!...<BBAAMM!!>…aarrgghhh!!". (Duke Merrica)

"Heh!....brainless nobles…how about you run that pie hole of yours some more…..come on~". (Bandit Warden)

One of the bandit wardens kick Duke Merrica on the stomach, causing the already injured Duke to fall on his knees while holding his bleeding torso.

"....".

Fumes with rage and pain, Duke can only glare at the bandit while his head was stomp to the floor.

"<Ptui!>…that was I thought..cheh!..Lock em up..". (Bandit Warden)

As the cell doors were finally locked, the rest of the knights rushed to the Baron and Duke, All of them immediately assisting Duke Merrica and Baron Larson tending to their wound.

"Baron Larson!.. Duke Merrica!!..". ( Knights)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside One snakes Keep.

"Sleeping on duty will kill you.….then.…..sleep tight….forever….".

< Psshhuupp!! >

The sound of 7.62mm bullet gone off were muffled by the silencer, my first Target was one of the guards on top of the keep, since there's 4 of them just leisurely sleep on each corner, it's makes this so much easier. I'm snipping them from the top of a tree, 100 meters away from the Keep, the 4 lucky(?) guards doesn't even know what happened all of them died in their sleep with their heads blown to pieces.

(46 Target remaining..).

"....Next up..2 on top of the gate…3…2…".

<PSSHHUUPP!!>....< PSSHHUUPP!!>…time to move..".

Aiming for the left guard on top of the gates, I pulled the trigger as he turns away from the right guards, once again a head shot. Before the left guard's body touches the floor, I pulled the trigger once again and this time the right guards head get popped. As all high vantage points has been neutralize, i comes out from the forest and advance to the gate.

"Huh?..Hol..< PAASSHH!!..>..".(Gate guard 1)

"!!..Ene!!..< BBUUKK!! BBUKK!! ZAASSS!!.>..".(Gate guard 2)

As I closing in the first guard noticed me, but before he can finish his sentence, his jaw was blown off by my bullet. The sudden bloody scene shock the second guard, but it's too late I already throwing my fist at his throat which made his shout immediately stopped, I then kicked his knees immediately broke them and before he got to kneels in pain, I grab his chin and slit his throat with my Karambit, drown and choked on his own blood the second guards were dead within 3 moves.

(42 target remaining, sir )

< CLINK!! >….< BBOOOFFF!! >

"AAARRGGHHH!!! MY EYES!!!…"(Bandits)

Eyeing for the small gap between the closed gate, I can see the rowdy bandits busy partying circling around the fire pit in the middle of the square, they don't even realize that 8 of them already dead. Pulling the pin from the Flash bang, I throw it right in the middle of the courtyard where the most of the bandits were.

< PPPAAPP!!...PPAAPP!!...PPAAPP!!...PPSSHHUPPP!!…..>

Before they even got the time to rub their eyes, I come in and start to shower them bullets, standing right at the entrance, gave me a clear views of every single bandits in the square. No such thing as mercy, Not stopping for anything, my index finger keep pulling the trigger, aiming for heads and chest of every bandits I saw. After emptying 4 clips and several seconds of death wails, all of them lays cold on the ground.

"AAAHHH!!…URGHHH!!…".( Bandits)

"..T.A.S…start body count..<kachak!!>…..<Psshupp!!>..Start now..".

I changed the clipped of my SCAR-H, then I pulled out my P226 and Shoot one of the bandit who squirming around near my feet.

(19 target killed, 23 remaining )

"…hmm, acceptable.... actually, I thought it will be a little bit challenging…again….I brought a rifle into a sword fight…".

(Sir, what will you do to the Slaves over there?..).

"....let's set them aside for now...I think about it after I clear all the bandits..".

I pity them actually, but in all honesty I don't know what to do with them. On the other side, I got other things in my plate now, for now I think It's better clear the whole keep first before dealing with them.

(Sir, the bandit leader and all high level member located on 2nd floor, Duke party location located inside the basement..)

"..Roger that..".

Of course I'm aiming for the 2nd floor, now that I know Duke's and his men were in the basement, that's actually a good thing because they were confine in a single location. The bandits won't kill them, and their position now definitely won't get them involved in the crossfire, also this makes things easier for me, I don't have to worry about misfiring someone.

< BAM! BAM! >

"(HOLD UP!!)....what do you guys wan…?!<PAASSHH!!>". (Bandit)

Banging on the door, I can hear a footsteps slowly coming to the door, with an annoying tone the bandit open the door, only to meet my riffle barrel right in front of his face. I pulled the trigger, the bullet goes through his head,Then I kicked his torso causing him to fly right back and opened the door widely. The remaining 3 bandits inside shocked, but before they managed to ask what's going on, I already pulled the trigger aiming for all of them.

<Psshhuupp!!... Psshhuupp!!...Psshhuupp!!...>.

Yet another 4 dead body on the ground, the smells of bloods and musty air filled the entrance, the Keep interior was quite warm, it's just look more to an animal den rather than a keep. The whole thing was littered with rubbish and disorganized, which already annoyed me, the OCD inside me already going insane.

"Why use a Keep if you can't even clean them?...just use a freaking cave then..".

(They're bandits after all…this kind of people don't really care about anything other than their greed...)

That's right, what can I expect from this barbaric people. Leaving the entrance, I head straight to the staircase heading upwards and soon after I arrived at the 1st floor. The first floor were unlike the entrance, there's a hallway right upon the staircase it was about 18 meter long and at the end there's another staircase climbing up, the whole floor divided into 2 side, and on each side there's a room, it's 4 room in total.

(Sir, there's 11 enemies in this floor, 5 inside the first room on the right.…2 in the first left room, and 4 inside the second room on the right..)

"…1st left room it is then…".

I'm going for the room with least enemy first; I can go the other way around but, better go for the easiest one first.

Opening the wooden door, I slowly creep in with my rifle muzzle slip in first. The room was dimly lit, the air inside was musty and reeks of sweat and body odour, and the first thing I saw was a half naked man lying asleep on a wooden bed, as I was half inside there's another man on the left bed wearing a baggy medieval shirts, this guy also deep asleep. Seeing the free opportunity, I pull the trigger aiming at their heads sending them to sleep forever.

(18 targets remaining).

I closed the door, and crept to the second room on the right side, just like before, the room was unlocked, and in fact it was slightly opened. There's a bit of light coming out from the room, slowly I sneak a peek through the gap. This room was actually a Treasury by the look of it, there's a pile of wooden boxes stack all around the room, weapons of all type were hanged on the racks, and there's 4 bandits squatting in the middle of the room, argued about how to divide the gold coins amongst them.

"Shhh!!…don't be so loud!!..".

"Yeah right!...huh?...he!..< PSSHHUUPP!! >..".

Giving no chance slips away; I fired 4 shots at the bandits. Each shot made a hole on their heads, needless to say all four of them instantly killed. Ever since I started coming to this world, and experience the changes due to the increased of my physical state, my overall performance were nothing but inhuman. So far I missed no shots, every moved was precise and perfect. Also my mental state was on a different level, I was able to learn and understand anything simply by reading any thick books for an hour. By the way, after having a higher intellect I realized that my passiveness period or 'trying to be a good man' was actually a waste of time, I tried to become a good guy but what's the use if the society still views me the same and treat me like a trash. All I do was try to satisfy the people around me, but I myself wasn't feel happy and restraint. But now that I was able to travel to this world and the changes I've experiences makes me feels free, I was able to be myself for the first time in a long time and I was quite content with it. But, that doesn't mean I was a heartless psychopath, I'm someone who will only use violence if I deem necessary, after all I am a civilized modern Man.

(4 target eliminated, 14 remaining)

"..Gold coins….buck load of em..hehehehehe..".

The feeling of seeing gold coins falls from your hands was definitely a great one. It was breathtaking, but I have to delay my celebration for now, there are 14 more bandits to kill and also that Duke. I just hope he doesn't die before I was able to save him, still he probably won't die that easy right?.

This time I head to the 1st room, seeing that it got the most bandits in it there's probably something valuable in it.

(Sir, there's actually something in there…but if it was valuable or not…..you probably have to decide it yourself...)

What T.A.S said was actually odd, still since I'm going to check it out anyway there's no need to pay attention to it. Unlike the treasury room this one was firmly shut and noisy, as I eavesdropping on the door I instantly know what's going on.

"HMMMM!!!....."

"shit!!..This one is broken already…". (Bandit)

Skin slapping sound loudly echoes in the room as grunts and annoyed voices complaining.

"Look, there's elf here…hehehehehe". (Bandit)

Even from the other side of the room I already know what happened inside the room, there's at least 2 bandit still busy raping slaves, as for the other 3 they started moving further into the middle of the room, probably to the elf they were talking about.

{[HIDDEN QUEST ++ RECEIVED!]}

{Damsels in Distress}

[Save the Banished High Elven Queen Elijah An Quers who's about to be raped to death.]

Reward:

- Opened new status parameter [Loyalty].

- Gain full loyalty and devotion from the Banished Queen and 70 points loyalty from all slaves saved.

- Gain 5 Advanced level worker and 1 Master level worker

Penalty :

- [Loyalty] parameter will be permanently locked.

- Slaves saved will retaliate causing severe damaged to your Reputation.

- Duke and his Nation will avoid contacting you.

- 60% of Keep treasure will be lost.

- Keep will be burned down by Hallerus Army.

"Fuck!....< BAMM!! >…".

"HUH!!..< PPSSHHUPPP!! >..URGHH!!....".

Seeing the sudden quest announcement made me lose my pace, I kicked down the door, immediately the whole attention was turned to me. The first bandit that turned to me was fully naked whose grunting while pumping his waist on a small naked girl corpse. Before he managed to say anything I blast his head off with 7.62mm bullet. The second one was also busy grabbing a teenager in a doggy position right beside the first bandit; I fired 3 shots at him 1 on the left eye and 2 on his chest. Both of them fall dead on top of the girls they're ravishing, as for the other 3 who still standing, stopped their tracks and turned their eyes on the door.

"What the?!! Ugh!!..< ZASS!! >…UGHHH!!.. < THUD!!>".

I stride forward as I unsheathed my machete from my back, the 3rd bandits who stunned at the sight of me, tried to step back, but before he does, I take a large step forward and swung my machete across his neck, the slash was so quick and divisive it leave a straight lines of blood across the walls behind him, the head stayed for a few second before falls to the floor.

"Wait!!..< BUKK!! CRAKK!!>..<ZASS!! ZASS!! >..".

The 4th Bandit, who was startled, shoves his right hand forward and tried to stop me. Using my left hand, I grab his wrist and bend outward them till it's break, I yank his hand causing his body to jerk forward, at the same time I slash down my machete cutting his left hand completely and before he was able to shouts and fall pass me, once again, I cleaved his body into two, right in the middle of his torso. The body was split into two parts as it falls to the floor.

"RUN!!..HMMMM!!!…< ZUKK!!!..>…GULGGGGGGGG!!..".

Witnessing the fate of his fellow, the 5th bandit tries to run away, but before he was even managed to run pass by me, I kicked his knees and cover his mouth with my left hand and using my machete, I slit his throat causing him to slowly choke on his own blood. The sound of his gurgled in his own bloods and his body falls to the floor silent the entire room.

(5 target eliminated, 9 target remaining….{Hidden Quest ++ Damsels in Distress} complete..[Loyalty] Parameter has been unlocked...)

T.A.S monotone voice broke the silence, looks like I managed to complete my first quest, still I wasn't able to basked in its glory yet, because right now there's 5 pairs of eyes staring right at me. All of them were wearing only tattered loincloth, revealing their bare body, for a brief moment it was certainly distracting even for a gentlemen like me. But looking at their condition, all of them were malnourished, their body was full of bruised and injury, their necks, wrist and ankle were badly wounded due to the iron shackles. I've read about how bad slave's life was, but seeing it first-hand was definitely shocking.

After quite some time, I focus on a lady who's laying down on the floor. She was about 190cm, pale white skin, long golden blonde hair, the right half of her body from head to toe was badly burned ( 2nd degree burn), her right hand was amputated from the elbow the same goes for her right leg, amputated from the knee. Even so, I can clearly see that she was definitely a beautiful woman, her body, her face definitely clearly state so. I use [Identify] on her, surprisingly this half dead lady was the Queen whom I just saved. She, who's aware of my gaze, finally locked eye's with me, yet never uttered a word, which makes me feel uncomfortable.

"…So…You're the Banished High Elven Queen Elijah An Quers huh…".

I can't help but feel uncomfortable by the intense gaze she gave me, which makes me sound so snobbish.