บท 18: Crimson Cloud Bandits
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"Prison Star Calendar"
"May 6th, 187"
"2:21 AM"
"Confession Death Countdown: 28 days remaining"
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The information Tyler saw made him break out in a cold sweat.
The Crimson Cloud Bandits were the very group that had pillaged Luca Village.
When Tyler had been saved by the villagers of Ira Village, he had seen the news of "Luca Village being pillaged by the Crimson Cloud Bandits" in the thoughts of one of the villagers. He had used the name of Luca Village as his background identity, but he hadn't expected the Crimson Cloud Bandits to head toward Ira Village.
(Being a scout and moving stealthily at night, there's a high probability that he's scouting Ira Village.)
(Damn, this situation could become quite tricky...)
Tyler had three main concerns:
First, this was the first time he had encountered someone with a "Combat Occupation" since arriving in this world. The other party's level was as high as 6 and was only a deputy leader. In contrast, Village Chief Woodall had been a hunter for over twenty years and only had "Hunter - Lv2," which indicated the strength of the Crimson Cloud Bandits.
Second, the Crimson Cloud Bandits had recently successfully pillaged a village, and Ira Village, being similar in scale to Luca Village, might face the same fate.
Third, since the deputy leader had personally come to scout, there might not be much time left before the Crimson Cloud Bandits launched their attack... In the worst-case scenario, they might act today.
Even without monsters falling from the sky, "man-made disasters" could still come knocking. In this "Difficulty: Impossible" parallel world, every second was uncomfortable for Tyler. He had been in the Prison Star world for less than 24 hours and was already facing a life-threatening crisis for the second time, and it was an imminent one.
Silly Nissen: "Isn't it just-o a bandit-o group? You seem so scared compared-o to the monster that came after you yesterday; isn't it just-o a bunch of small fry?"
The foolish loli was right, but she had overlooked two things: First, Tyler was currently nothing more than seaweed that couldn't even defeat small fry, and second, Tyler now had something "behind him."
When he had faced the unknown monster before, Tyler could have chosen to find an unethical passerby to take his place as a scapegoat. However, now, Tyler...
Tyler: "You're right; all I need to do is leave. Their target is Ira Village, not me."
Unexpectedly, Tyler agreed with the foolish loli's statement. After listening to what he said, Silly Nissen realized how inconsiderate her previous words had been.
Silly Nissen: "Hey! Wait-o, wait-o! What about Ira Village if you leave? What about Avril?"
Tyler: "What does it have to do with me?"
Silly Nissen: "You...!!!"
The foolish loli thought Tyler was just teasing her and deliberately making provocative statements, but she didn't expect Tyler to follow through with what he said.
No matter what the foolish loli said after that, Tyler ignored her. He focused on continuing to track Fuchs' footprints and followed from a distance.
Within these brief moments, Tyler's plan underwent a transformation; he abandoned his original intentions in Ira Village and shifted his goal towards joining the Crimson Cloud Bandits. Tyler believed that after joining the bandits, there was a high probability of obtaining information on combat occupations. If he could master a combat occupation, production and manufacturing occupations would become insignificant.
·
Having tracked Fuchs for half a day, Tyler finally saw his figure disappear at the entrance of a cave. Four bandit-like men, wielding large machetes, guarded the entrance. Tyler assessed their basic information: only two possessed combat occupations, both as "Bandits" at Level 1. The other two were farmers with production occupations, both over the age of 45.
(Such a combination... senior bandits mentoring newcomers... The newcomers were likely recruited from the raided villages.)
Observing this, Tyler felt more confident in his upcoming plan. He steadied his breathing, concealed his kitchen knife, rope, and fire starter in the bushes, and glanced at the character "T" engraved on his palm to boost his courage. Finally, with a stiff resolve, he raised his hands and approached the bandits, exclaiming that he wished to surrender and join them.
"Brothers! I... I want to join you and become a bandit!"
Although Tyler appeared to be surrendering, his sudden emergence still put the bandits on high alert.
"Who goes there?!"
"Stay still!"
"Get down!"
Tyler had seen people forced to crouch with their hands over their heads, but being ordered to lie down flat was somewhat excessive.
Without resistance, Tyler obediently lay down on the ground. After being searched by two bandits, he was escorted into the cave by one on each side.
The cave's interior was more expansive than Tyler had anticipated, but the number of bandits was fewer than he had imagined. In total, there were only around ten individuals. It seemed that the forces here did not represent the entire group.
"Kneel!"
One of the bandits holding Tyler suddenly kicked the back of his knee, causing him to fall to his knees without resistance. Seated before him were a bearded middle-aged man and the previous vice leader, Fuchs.
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Wolf, male, 39 years old, leader of the Crimson Cloud Bandits
Production occupation: None
Manufacturing occupation: Blacksmith - Lv1
Combat occupation: Bandit - Lv9
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Tyler quickly glanced at the middle-aged man's information and immediately confirmed that his decision was correct. The Crimson Cloud Bandits' strength was overwhelming compared to Ira Village.
"Mercy, Your Majesty! I... I... I came to submit to you! Please give me a chance to serve you!"
Without hesitation, Tyler bowed his head to Wolf, his body trembling as if he was about to collapse.
"Heh~ You've got a keen eye, kid, recognizing me as the leader! Hahaha!!"
Wolf laughed heartily, patting Fuchs' shoulder as he did. Fuchs' face turned from green to white, and he whispered to Wolf that it was inappropriate for himself to sit side by side with the leader, but Wolf ignored him.
"Young man, state your name."
"M-my name is Banning!"
"Which village are you from, and why do you want to become a bandit?"
"I-I'm from Ira Village! I want to be a bandit because it's prestigious!"
"Heh~ Ira Village, huh..."
The smile on Wolf's face suddenly disappeared. He gave Tyler a meaningful look, and after a moment, continued questioning him.
"How did you, a person from Ira Village, know about our bandit group stationed in this cave more than twenty kilometers away?"
Wolf's question was undoubtedly a test, and if the young man who came to "submit" answered even the slightest bit suspiciously, Wolf would not hesitate to take his life!
However, what Wolf didn't know was that his thoughts and intentions were crystal clear to the young man.
"In response to Your Majesty's question, I've long heard of the prestige of the Crimson Cloud Bandits, and the great name of Vice Leader Fuchs is even more well-known. Last night, while hunting in the Ira Forest, I had the good fortune to see Mr. Fuchs. I was afraid that Mr. Fuchs would not be willing to take me in, so I gathered the courage to follow him, thinking that if I could bow to Your Majesty, perhaps I'd have a chance..."
By the time Tyler finished speaking, Fuchs' face had turned green.
"Ah, it seems our 'scout master' has become careless in his old age. How could a renowned scout like him be followed by a young boy for more than twenty kilometers without noticing?" Wolf said mockingly, putting his arm around Fuchs' trembling shoulder.
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