(Leo's POV)
A few hours later, Leo, Ben, and Dumpy made a quiet, unnoticeable departure from Briarhelm as they exited the city in the most discreet of ways, avoiding the curious gazes of the patrolling uprising members at all cost.
Although the uprising guild members did not mean any harm. Usually, whenever one of them spotted Leo, they took a photo and posted it on the forums as a flex, and while Leo did not usually mind it, he did not want such a bother today.
The only member he did feel obliged to inform, was ChaosBringer, however, even he was given strict instructions to not leak any information about this event, as Leo wished to take no chances whatsoever.
"If we keep moving by foot, it will take us at least 3 days to reach the Capital" Ben said, once they began their journey, as he proposed hiring a few landmounts for their journey.
"No, I don't think we should take mounts this time master. I'm a highly wanted man in the Empire, so I want to bring as less attention to myself as I can" Leo replied, as Ben nodded in acknowledgement.
Having lived the outlaw life himself, he knew all about being wanted for bounty, and hence, he understood Leo's reasoning behind not wanting to choose a mount.
"Master, if you wish to ride me, I have no qualms. I will get you to the capital within a few hours" Dumpy said in his short 20 inch form, as he rested on Leo's shoulders.
The little frog wanted to expand in size and carry both Leo and Ben on his shoulders to the capital, however, Leo did not want such unnecessary attention.
The moment he would cross into the Empire controlled territory, a prominent red marker was sure to be displayed over his head, and hence Leo did not want to attract any more attention than what he absolutely needed.
"No… you stay put for now and watch my back" Leo instructed, as he refused Dumpy's request and instructed him to watch his back instead.
The threat of crossing the rebel controlled land was relatively low and hence, the first few hours of their journey proved to be rather uneventful, however, 12 hours later, the moment the group stepped into the Empire controlled boundary, everything changed drastically.
[Global Notification :- The rebel king 'TheBoss' has crossed into Empire lands on his own volition!
Hunting him down within the next 72 hours, will now result in a 20x kill EXP bonus and triple bounty reward]
The second Leo stepped into the rebel controlled lands, a global announcement informed the entire world that he had entered the Empire controlled lands, triggering a mad frenzy to hunt him.
'What the fuck?' Leo thought in horror, as he was literally risking his gaming career by entering the Empire Lands and game operators were making it worse by announcing it to the world.
'Well thankfully, it atleast does not reveal my real-time location. I could have crossed the border from anywhere. I might not necessarily face any more trouble than I might have normally' Leo thought, trying to stay optimistic, however, the operators did not allow him even that small ray of hope.
[Global Notification :- For every hour that 'TheBoss' safely survives inside Empire lands, he will receive +2 levels as a reward.
However, he will have his location exposed to the world after every 120 minutes.
Current location :- 123.451.222N, 446.771.884W ]
Just as Leo thought that maybe, just maybe things were not as bad as they seemed, the operators exposed his exact location to the whole world, as if there were a few people before who had no idea as to where he was, they surely did know now.
"What's the matter kid? Why have your steps paused?" Ben asked, as he threw Leo a concerned glance.
For a moment, Leo considered turning back and delaying the mission for another day, considering the enhanced difficulty to succeed, however, after contemplating about it for a few seconds, he decided to go ahead with it anyways.
He was no longer at the risk of losing his life and although him being captured and unable to play the game anymore would be a horrifying outcome, he could still meditate and improve in real life enough to compensate for not playing the game.
The only reason he was pushing so hard in the game now was to gather enough MP to create a Ben clone, and the only way to reach that goal, was by taking risks such as this one.
"It's nothing master, I just have a feeling that our road towards the capital won't be smooth…" Leo said without elaborating, as he resumed his walk, while also unsheathing his dagger as he prepared to face any unexpected danger that loomed ahead.
********
(Meanwhile on the Global Forums)
"TheBoss in Empire territory? Arrogant as ever. This is going to be fun."
"Finally, he's out of his comfort zone. Time to show him he's not untouchable."
"20x EXP and triple bounty? He's practically begging for a beating."
"This guy thinks he's invincible, but we'll see how tough he is with every guild gunning for him."
"Let's give him a warm Empire welcome. Bet he won't be so smug when he's cornered."
"Does he actually think he can slip past us? We'll hunt him down like the pest he is."
"Nothing but a cocky rebel. I'm calling in my whole squad for this – TheBoss isn't getting out alive."
"He's marked, he's exposed, and he's ours. Time to end this wannabe king."
The forum exploded with similar declarations. Guilds scrambled to rally their members, each one eager to claim the bounty and prove themselves against the infamous Boss.
Strategies circulated like wildfire, ambush points planned, and the Empire's forces mobilized.
To them, this wasn't just a hunt—it was their chance to strip away his legend and put an end to his reign, which was why, there was not a single player who did not plan his participation in this hunt.
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