(From MC's Perspective)
My life has been a constant condition of survival since I entered this inner area. I encountered bandits, city warriors, and, most critically, these lethal insect bugs.
One thing was certain: none of them suspected my identity. Due to confrontations between bandits and city warriors, the city warriors eventually gave up looking for the culprit's responsible for black fist team's destruction.
It made me sigh with relief. I've been learning about the inner-area bandits' operations for the last few weeks. In contrast to the outside areas, the bandits appear to be operating fast.
The majority of the bandits I encountered were outside at noon. I rarely saw anyone walking out at night. This could be because of the threat posed by insect bugs. As a result, the bandits remained in their hideout after evening.
I wouldn't have made it through the night without my perceptual skills. Taking a risk might also be beneficial. Despite having a few kills, my loot items alone were worth a few thousand credit points.
THUP, THUP, THUP
Suddenly, I heard a faint noise that I almost overlooked. My perception revealed that the area around me was clear. And I have no red dots in my mind. But my instincts tell me that someone is nearing me.
I chose to be patient. Five red dots appeared in my mind shortly after. These red dots formed a line in the queue. Like a line of people following their leader. After I confirmed it, a slight smile appeared on my face.
I waited some more to see if the group was made up of bandits or city warriors. I confirmed their identities as bandit hunting warriors (aka city warriors) when they approached me.
My eyes brightened up with amazement when I noticed their strength. The group's leader is an Initial Trainee Warrior, and the other four members are Special Trainees.
Their bravery has really impressed me. The trainee warriors have been running like dogs every time they come across bandit groups for the past few weeks. This new team, however, enter this inner area.
"Lucky me!" I grumbled. Anyway, I can't complain about their stupidity. Because their items will add to my collection, I clutched my black sword to use lightning attack when the leader of the group approached my target range.
I then put lightning essence into the black sword. Purple light shone from the black blade. From bursting energy, a slight crackling sound can be heard. When the charge was finished, I released a lightning strike at the opponent
"SWORD DIVIDE"
Like a beam of light, the purple-colored energy pierces the air. It arrived at the leader in the blink of an eye and struck a hit on him.
BANG! A loud roar reverberates throughout the region.
Before the leader realized what was happening, he flew backwards like a broken kite and crashed into the trees. The other four team members were disturbed by these unexpected events. They were terrified of an unknown foe.
I took advantage of their panic to launch a series of sword divide assaults.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Four of them smashed into the ground in different directions within a few minutes. These warriors will be unable to recover. Then I returned my focus to the leader.
In my current state, I can easily take care of those initial trainee warriors. If the opponent is clever, it will be difficult. But as long as I can catch them off guard with a sneak attack, it won't be difficult to end them.
The only ones who caused difficulties were the mid and Peak Trainee Warriors. But I've rarely seen anyone with peak trainee strength since I entered the inner area.
"SPURT" When I approached him, he spat blood from his mouth in rage. My lightning strike had shattered his chest region. I smirked and raised my black sword against him as I saw this.
The leader's eyes were wide with concern. In a panic, he blurts out, "Who are you?" He then spurted blood again as a result of the injury.
I didn't respond to his query because I noticed he was looking for a way out. But I'm not going to give him a chance to flee.
I swiftly poured a large amount of essence into the sword to charge it.
The leader's expression changed when he noticed purple energy emanating from the guy in front of him. This completely altered his perception of the world.
Realizing that person is going to attack with that purple sword beam once more. His expression was filled with fear. He quickly repositioned himself to avoid the enemy.
But when he saw the purple flickering blades aimed at him, his pupils pinched. Then he lost consciousness the following second after hearing only the word "SWORD DIVIDE."
I need to assess the others' vitality before disposing of the corpse. Four more fighters were thrown in different directions. The attack was so unexpected that four of them were unable to fully protect themselves.
I suppose the onslaught alone rendered them motionless.
I detected four little red lights via perception. They are no longer as dazzling as they once were. This confirms that their lives are hanging by a thread. I returned the blade to my storage ring after confirming it.
My fist is enough to take their last breath.
I walked up to the next Special Trainee Warrior. A gleam flashes across my eyes.
After my first attack, even the leader was half dead.
So, what's the deal with Special Trainee Warriors? What is preventing them from dying? I noted the first warrior was wearing medium-grade inner armor when I found him. The inner armor took the majority of the damage. That's why he's just half-alive right now.
I sighed as I realized I had encountered wealthy people.
The Special Trainee Warrior is still alive and well. When he saw me approaching, he began to speak.
"Wait a minute, I'll turn over the bandit leader's head." "Just give me a chance to live," he urged.
I came to a standstill when I heard that. I couldn't help but look at him in awe. This weak team is even capable of killing the bandit leader. It's not possible.
-Did your team killed the bandit leader?" I inquired, looking at him.
"No, we looted from another team," the Special Trainee Warrior admitted, averting his gaze in shame. After that, he erased the imprint on his storage ring and handed it to me.
Curiosity drove me to grab the storage ring and soak my consciousness into it. One bloodied head stood out among the pill bottles and colorless stone.
I didn't even glance at the head, but my eyes lit up when I saw the other goodies. I'm curious whether the other three were commoners or wealthy.
Now, looking at the half dead person in front of me, I thought as one would expect from a wealthy child.
After regaining consciousness, I asked nonchalantly, "There is just one head. What about the team members' heads?"
In disbelief, the Special Trainee Warrior spat blood. "Who is this guy?" The entire city is swamped by adventurers looking to sign up for a bandit hunting mission. "Does he live in a cave?" He reflected to himself.
When I saw the guy spacing out, I decided it was time to kill him. I raised my fist and prepared to attack him. But that individual quickly said, "City Lord Mansion rewards one million for the head of a bandit leader."
"What?" I was surprised. Then I realized my error and inquired, "What was going on?" The Special Trainee Warrior starts spilling the beans. Especially the recent new mission notice from City Lord Mansion.
My eyes twinkled with excitement at the million-dollar prize. The next thing I knew, I was cursing myself. I eliminated bandit groups. But I had never gathered their bodies, aside from the treasures.
What should I do? If I submit the head counts, I will quickly catch the attention of unwanted people. And it'll only be a matter of time before they suspect me of murdering the Black Fist squad.
Several thoughts occur to me. When I'm distracted, the special trainee warrior attempts to flee. When I noticed this, I curved my lips before throwing my fist at him.
I searched his body for loot after killing him. Seeing that there was nothing but the ring he offered. I dragged his body towards the leaders.
Then I went to take care of the other three members one by one. Three of them, unlike the first, were unconscious. It didn't take me long to put three of them to sleep.
I stacked up five corpses in front of me a few minutes later. I only recovered their valuables from the corpse.
Unlike the first day, I don't have to work too hard to get rid of the corpse. There is a fire artifact in my looted collection. And it is my favorite fire-related artifact.
It's an explosive fire artifact.
All I have to do now is set the artifacts on corpses before activating them.
After a few minutes, the ground is littered with blown-up body pieces. It is no longer feasible for anyone to identify the individuals.