[A few hours ago...]

  "ARGGGGHHHH!!!"

  Savior smiled after seeing the notification pop up. It was only a few minutes after the team-up handicap was lifted, and he and his party had already taken out 25 players in the ruins biome. He couldn't take all the credit to himself (yet). But thanks to his party members, he managed to deal with several healers and supports who might try to be the wild cards of the event and buff everyone else. After a few more minutes, the window now informed them that only 191 players were left in the event.

  "Well, it's not all of them. But good work out there, guys," Savior said to his teammates. "If we keep this up, we might lower the count by 150 after the second 30-minute mark. Of course, there are still some stragglers trying to avoid fights, but I'll see what I can do to weed them out on the open."

  "And what about the 'traitor, sir?" one of his teammates asked. "Don't get me wrong or anything, but what if he got eliminated before we get to him?"

  Savior sighed at the mere mention of that person. "Good point. Our efforts would have been a waste if he had been eliminated before the first mark. Sure, I would be happy. But I'm not the type to let go of our prey." He then turned to his subordinate standing beside him. "Sien, have you located that item?"

  "Y-Yeah... I think one of our hunters found it by that building over there." Sien pointed right to the said building. "But it's currently on a time limit. We should hurry before it disappears."

  Everyone quickly rushed towards the ruined temple with Savior following them from behind. Once they entered it, they saw other hunters holding unconscious players as they saluted their leader.

  "P-Please... Have mercy..." One of the half-unconscious players muttered before Savior approached his teammate, holding him.

  "Explanation?" Savior ordered.

  "Looks like we're not the only ones who knew about the secret item," the hunter explained. "Thankfully, one of our scouts found them sneaking in here and took care of all of them except these guys for questioning or punching bag."

  Savior smirked. He then approached the half-conscious player and grabbed him by the collar. "So... Think you're a smart*ss trying to get what's ours?"

  The player tried to struggle out of his chokehold. "Y-You're...a monster... Y-You're...not a hero..."

  Upon hearing this, Savior's smirk warped into a sinister grin. "You're right. I'm no hero. For you." He quickly swung his sword to the player's neck, cutting it clean with little blood coming out due to the censorship placed by default.

  Savior sighed as he tossed the disappearing corpse and approached the hunters again. As he came closer, he saw a glowing beetle on the vine covering the rubble.

  "The [Locator Beetle]..." Savior muttered while crossing his arms. "Think this little bug can locate the player of our choosing?"

  "According to the NPC, it better be," the hunter answered. "But once you pick it up, you need to use it immediately. There's no way to store it, and it will discard itself if our event inventory is full."

  Savior sighed. "It would take a miracle to store this item for the event. Then again, they also said that using it on an already-eliminated player will consume it either way, and the same player who used it cannot use another beetle. I can't waste it on that traitor."

  "Then why don't you let me, sir?"

  Savior turned his head and saw Ewa stepping forward with a frown on his face.

  "That depends. Can you deal with that traitor by yourself? We still need to get into the top place if we want better rewards for this event."

  Ewa huffed and approached the beetle to grab it. "Don't worry about me, boss."

  [Your partymate, , used the [Locator Beetle].]

  "That b*stard won't know what hit him," he smirked as a holographic map of the biomes appeared to him.

  [Present]

  "You don't know how much I waited for this moment, Lowry! You've humiliated me in that [Duel] with your nonsense rules! Now I can beat you up since there are no rules in this event!"

  Damn... Talk about some backwards thinking! It's only been a few days since the [Duel], and Ewa is still thinking of revenge. What's worse is that he's too focused on me to care that there are rules in this event, especially when he interrupted my little fight with Kamiro.

  "Geez... What makes you think you're the exception in this arena event?" Kamiro muttered while I watched him, shaking his head. "Look, I don't know what your beef with Lunar is, but you're annoying some players with your d*mb*ss antics like me. How about you stop messing around a- ACK!"

  Crud... Ewa also grabbed Kamiro by the neck and carried him right next to me, where I'm still struggling out of his grip.

  "Who says you're the judge of this event?!" Ewa spat with venom in his voice. "The whole point of this event is to kill everyone to become number 1, and I don't think using talk-no-jutsu is enough to help you win. Like I said, I have business with this b*st*rd who played me like an idiot, and if you won't cooperate, then I'll just have to kill you, too."

  Of course, he had to turn to violence to get what he wanted, just like his guild leader. That's how most of the new players were conscripted into [Viper's Fangs] thanks to him and Savior. I would have been in the same position as my old self. But now that I know how pathetic they are and have obtained this new power in the game, I have no reason to fear him. Sure, there is still the power gap between us, but I would rather risk my chance in this event than let this bastard have his way.

  "Hey, Ewa!" I called out before I raised my arms. "If I raise my arms like this, will you let him go?"

  "Huh?" Kamiro's eyes widened when he saw me like this. I have a feeling about what he's about to say, but I don't have time to defend myself. All I need to do is make this count. "Are you kidding m-"

  But his sentiments are quickly interrupted with Ewa tosses him aside like trash and approaches me with a big grin. "Glad you see it my way, Lowry," he said while cracking his knuckles. "I knew you would back down whenever I get those guys when you're trying to run."

  I smirked and said, "Oh... You're mistaken, Ewa. I didn't raise my hand to surrender..."

  Before he can react to my words, I use [Low Blow] via mental command to kick him by the gut (while avoiding his sensitive part this time) and quickly follow it up with a jab to his cheek. In hindsight, it might not be a wise move due to our level gap. But my [STR] from my [Racial Bonuses] is enough to send him flying in a few feet with only a sore fist and a chipped [HP] in exchange for my improvised sucker punch.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "I'm raising my hand because you might fall for it."

  And he did as with all Viper suckers. This gives me enough time to run away and drag Kamiro away to a row of bamboo before Ewa can recover.

  "Lowry, you b*st*rd!" I hear Ewa screaming behind the bamboo trees. "Fine! I wasn't planning to make it easy for you. I said I will make you pay, and I'm intending to keep my promise!"

  No shit, why. But if I want to deal with this guy, I need some help first.

  “I call the spirits who oversee life. Lend me your mana to heal my ally.” I raised my hand over Kamiro's chest. "[Healing Aura]."

  I let my [Life] spell do the work, and I eat some fruits I've been saving up to restore a bit of my [MP] before giving the rest to him. Once the cooldown is done...

  [P-Please! I don't know everything! I'm just a w- ACK!]

  I slapped the scammer before he started making any hypocritical nonsense. Of course, some NPCs aren't willing to give up any secrets, and I have to be careful not to do it too much lest I attract an assassin who would kill them or something. Thank god I drove Nelli away after the fight, or she would have stopped me from interrogating this guy. However...

  This female blacksmith... If it wasn't for her, I would have gotten a big penalty and missed the arena event. Plus, she knew Lyco and Lunar as if they were acquaintances. I heard NPCS can bond with players, but I never heard of such a feature in [Isekai]. Unless it might be an upcoming one for a future expansion...

  [Hey, is something the matter, young lady?]

  I shook my head when she called me the "L" word. "No, it's nothing. And please, just 'kid' would be nice." I sighed before getting my attention back to the surviving scammer. "Don't act like you're a victim. You're the one who approached us with a [Dungeon Quest] and you seemed to know more than you look."

  [B-But... I don't really know! I was only hired to recruit adventurers! I never got most of the details! I swear!]

  Before I wonder what he meant, Ariel scuffed and glared while approaching the scammer. [This b*st*rd is lying through his teeth. Are you really that scared of revealing secrets to us over some pride of yours, or are you scared you might lose your head for it?]

  That's what I've been thinking. These guys will do everything to avoid any information leaking out to the point that they will use sympathy to escape. Most bad guys use it as a tactic in anime and TV shows, and this is no different from them. But I'm shocked she managed to avoid that pitfall. I may need to ask her about it once the interrogation is over.

  "I barely know you, but I'll take your word for it," I said. "Besides, trying to kidnap my sister as a hostage is enough to make me realize how low you b*st*rds would go to prevent information leakage. So you better start talking or else..." I crack my knuckles before putting my right hand over my dagger's handle. "You know what's coming."

  The scammer screams like a little girl. Guess that's enough to scare him out of confessing.

  [Alright, alright! I did it! But I'm not the only one, and that's all you know!]

  I slowly pull out my dagger, causing him to flinch at it.

  [B-But... I can tell you that the dungeon diving is no joke! We are looking for something deep within the . While the boss didn't say anything about why, he said it would make our gang stronger thanks to our "sponsor"!]

  "Sponsor"? Wait, does someone like that exist in this game, let alone a sponsor supporting a "criminal group"?

  "I don't follow. Why would..."

  [That's enough, kid,] Ariel suddenly approached me with a serious look on her face. [Looks like we're being surrounded.]

  Huh? How did she know all of that? Even with my [Hunting Mastery] already at 10s, I don't sense anything.

  [It's best if we wrap up here lest we want the audience nearby to be dragged into this mess.]

  Crap, she's right. Even if we're in an alley, there are still players and NPCs watching the event at the town square. If they tried to assassinate this guy and both of us, it would become a chaotic massacre, and I can't ruin Lunar's big chance on the big stage.

  "Fine, you're free to go." I drew my dagger and cut his bindings. "But if you dare to scam anyone, including my sister, again, you're dead."

  The scammer screamed like a girl before running off. [I won't! I promise!!!]

  I sigh as I watch him go off into the distance before I put my dagger back in my sheath.. "I'm still not sure about this..."

  [If anything, it's better than having bodies fill the town square. Trust me, kid. There are some battles you'd better ignore if you think of the aftermath,] the blacksmith said to me. "Now don't you have any obligations to go to?]

  "Obligations"?

  ...Oh, crap! She's right! Lunar might be fighting on stream now!

  "Thanks for reminding me, Ms. Ariel! See you and thanks again for your help."

  I quickly rush out of the alley and head back to where Lyco is waiting. I still have a lot of questions about her and that mysterious gang. But for now, I need to check on him and see if he's okay.

  Once I arrived back at the bakery cafe, I saw Lyco and Nelli, who seemed to be on the edge as they stared at the holographic screen with panic set in their eyes. By the looks of it, something isn't right.

  "Sorry I'm late, guys," I apologized while sitting next to Lyco. "Don't tell me Lunar found himself facing a formidable player?"

  "Well, he did," Lyco answered. "That is, until Mr. Strong-and-Rude interrupted the fight and is now trying to kill him and his "worthy opponent"."

  "Strong-and-Rude"? I quickly take a peek at the livestream, and as Lyco said, I see Ewa cutting through the bamboo while screaming for Lunar to come out like a madman on stream.

  "It didn't take long for Mr. Muscles to chase down Lunar for that [Duel]," I said. "But how is it possible? The second location reveal is only 10 minutes away, and Lunar should have changed locations by now."

  "Hey, I was also shocked by his appearance, too," Lyco protested. "Something isn't right..."

  "Yeah! That rude musclehead just interrupted the best battle I've ever seen!" Nelli interrupted. "I want to see Lunar-sama turn things around fair and square."

  I roll my eyes over my sister's poor priorities. But Lyco is right. There's no way for Ewa to find Lunar so quickly before the second 30-minute mark is up. But the real question is, how the hell will he and his opponent get out of their predicament and defeat Ewa with their current states?

  "...[Gift of Speed]!"

  As soon as I cast the last spell, I notice Kamiro's eyes begin to open. I slowly back away and watch him regain consciousness.

  "Ugh... What hit me..." Kamiro groaned. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck..."

  "More like hit by a 300-pound axe that Ewa managed to wield through a [Quest] and [Axe Mastery]," I corrected with a hint of snark in my voice. "Are you okay?"

  "B-Barely... But why did you help me? This is an arena event, and I'm supposed to be your opponent."

  I give a small, but melancholic smile. "You are my opponent. But I would rather save your life than let someone like Ewa penalize you just to torture me out of petty revenge. Besides, I was excited with our fight, and it's a shame for him to disrupt it just when it gets good."

  The [Wolf Beastfolk] player chuckles while adjusting his sheathed katana. "How weird for a player to worry about their rival," he commented. "Then again, an enemy wouldn't give me a lot of buffs and heal me before taking advantage of my weakened state. If this is your offer to help me take that b*st*rd down, I'm in. But on the condition that we have to redo our fight someday."

  I nodded and said, "That's what I was about to ask. But we have to be careful. Ewa might rely on brute strength, but he's no idiot."

  "Yeah, I can tell." Huh... That's something I can never hear from someone who has never faced a Viper before. "Besides, how can they even find you in an event map filled with randomized biomes?"

  Now that he mentioned it, it's too fast for someone like Ewa to find me during a PVP event. Plus, it's not even in a 30-minute mark, so my location shouldn't have been revealed yet.

  "Well, let's figure that out as soon as we deal with Mr. Musclehead." I take a quick peek behind the bamboo. "I've got an idea to jump him."

  "Come on, Lowry! Are you seriously playing chicken right now?!" I can hear Ewa yelling while swinging his axe to cut down the bamboo all around him. "I know you're hiding with the doggy, so unless you want to save your hide, just abandon him and run off if you want to keep being a coward!"

  Man... He will always turn to violence just to get what he wants. That's how he managed to scare everyone both offline and online, along with Savior's influence. But if he thinks I can follow everything he wants, he's got another thing coming.

  <> I called out via my whisper chat. <>

  <>

  Alright. Now to get his attention... I picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it towards Ewa's direction. My throw was a bit clumsy, but I only wanted to divert him towards me rather than damaging him a bit. And as expected, it hit a nearby bamboo, and he turned around in my direction. When he saw me, Ewa flashed a sick grin and raised his axe.

  "There you are, you b*st*rd..." He chuckled before he marched towards me. "You're not gonna get away from me this time!"

  Yes, come to me. Let him make me "fear" for my life and run away from the dreaded berserker. Too bad for him that once I start running, he will be the one who will be scared of me.