Before Viers engaged Jarret and the others, he opened a war council.
“Viers?”
“What’s wrong?”
Paina and Clarissa asked respectively.
“Here’s the current situation. I killed a potential enemy in broad daylight on the streets of Osemore. I have successfully gotten away from the town at the moment but pursuers are hot on my heels. They have a tracker on me which I’ll use to my advantage later. What are your thoughts about this?”
Viers dropped the bomb.
“What? Why?” Paina asked.
“You’ve done something crazy again, haven't you?” Clarissa sighed.
“Lord Viers, what’s the estimate of enemy forces?”
Now that’s the response that I want, Viers thought. “Five Pathseekers, one Level 2, four Level 1.”
“I assume your objective is to kill them all?” Farley followed his line of thought.
“Yeah. Using the tracker they placed on me, I’ll lead them to a nearby forest before ambushing them. Some guy just eradicated all monsters inside the forest so I can focus on killing the pursuers and hide if necessary.”
“The Level 2, how strong is he?”
Viers recalled the info he got from soul searching that lone town guard.
“Metal Pathseeker, quite strong. I can kill him but honestly, I don't want to fight him.”
“May I suggest an alternative?” Farley spoke like a competent war strategist.
“Go ahead.”
“Disable the other four pursuers. Wound them heavily but don’t kill them. Avoid trading blows with the Level 2. If he values his comrades, then he would take care of them instead of pursuing you. We can escape out of his reach in the meantime.”
Ruthless, I like it!
“Very good. I just became a Level 2, killing a more experienced Level 2 would pose some trouble for me. Not to mention the Victa expenditure. I’ll follow your suggestion.” Viers looked pleased.
“Thank you for your praise, Lord Viers.” Farley bowed.
“But one more thing. I need to soul search the guy I just killed immediately so I might not be able to run away after disabling the first wave of pursuers.”
Farley frowned. “Can it wait, Lord Viers?”
“I’m afraid not. I feel an anomaly in his soul. If I tarry too long, I might lose it.”
Viers said the truth. He felt Sigma’s soul was different from the rest. Despite Viers' hold on his soul, the soul fought back! This never happened before. Viers could still contain it at the moment but his grip was slipping. The soul would eventually escape his grasp so Viers must examine the soul before then.
Viers had to factor in the risk of fighting Jarret in this situation. According to Viers' estimate, he was a bit below Jarret in battle power. He would not win easily and might get injured in the process. If he definitely could win without injury then Viers would lethally deal with Jarret, no sense on leaving an enemy alive. But with Sigma's condition being time-sensitive, the otherworlder was at a higher priority.
As expected of the soul of an otherworlder with cheat. Even in death an MC is special.
Farley started thinking. Paina looked toward Farley with admiration of the competence she displayed. Clarissa on the other hand, gave Farley the look of an approving master, which did not escape Viers' attention.
“Lord Viers, you still have Romell’s soul? The bandit you killed?”
“Obviously. Souls are valuable stuff, of course I took it,” Viers didn't know where Farley was going from this.
“Search his soul. Since he’s a well-known bandit in the area, odds are high he has a hideout nearby. You can rest and finish your task safer there.”
“Nice idea! I’ll get to it.”
“Also, get info on the other bandit groups in the area. We can use them.”
“To reinforce us? Why would they do that?” Clarissa asked Farley.
“Tell them the town’s defenses are weakened. They might attack the town to pillage and plunder,” the short-haired brunette said with a straight face.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“Farley! There are civilians in the town, innocents!” Paina, ever the voice of reason, complained.
“No need to worry Paina. If things go south, the church will move. The town will not suffer catastrophic damage.”
What a devilish idea, and I like it. Farley was raised as a cultist of Dumuzin for all of her life. Even if she isn't one anymore, you don't simply dismiss more than ten years of upbringing.
“You wanna put out an oil fire, Paina, you set off a bigger explosion right next to it. Sucks away the oxygen. Snuffs the flame,” Viers copied Captain Price.
“...That’s a terrifying way of thinking,” Paina met his eyes.
“But it worked. Council dismissed.”
***
Ever since Viers was a little boy, he’d always wanted a secret base. What he saw stoked the feeling of envy in his heart. Romell’s bandit cave was a three-star comfy establishment. The floors and walls of the cave were covered by solid stones. There were a few beds made of animal hide, earth-made furniture, barrels and crates filled with supplies and loot, a clean and dry environment with good ventilation.
This was a superb establishment considering this was made in the middle of a monster-infested forest. The cave’s entrance was skillfully hidden by trees and camouflage, and the tunnel after that led to a more spacious space than he expected.
Viers was envious, but there was a silver lining. With Rommel and his gang’s passing, he could claim this splendid real estate for himself. And so he did. Truly the very definition of hostile take-over.
Romell’s gang of bandits must have had an earth Pathseeker. I can't make this… earth-shapers are incredible. Perhaps a Level 5 earth Pathseeker could make cities and fortresses at will.
After taking care of Jarret and the others, Viers went to the empty bandit hideout. Now that he had some leeway, he penned letters to all the bandit gangs Romell knew and spread the information. Viers hoped they would draw some ‘heat’ away from him. Romell kept a few messenger birds at the hideout, Viers used them to send the letters.
It was time to look inside the head of his fellow otherworlder.
Soul search!
Viers dived into the sea of memories.
[Intruders detected. Deploying countermeasures.]
“System, I have been expecting you. The legend of your OPness ends now!” Viers had the face of someone fighting the final boss.
Viers was not only fighting Sigma’s system, this was his challenge against the legendary and undefeatable system-holders across the entire universe.
MCs with system cheat were invincible. Even if they were not invincible they were very, very strong.
That guy who’s always solo leveling, that sugar who death-marched, nai wa~ spider, two-comers gluttony, the ashen battle healer, and many more.
Viers would defeat Sigma’s system then prove he was capable of surmounting the system!
To show the “have not” can triumph against the “have”!
This action of his was also based on some amount of envy.
Because he didn't have one himself and so he resented others who had it.
The following hours were a high level battle of offense and defense. Sigma’s soul had the protection of the system. Viers expected this, there must be something causing the anomaly he felt earlier.
Viers knew he wasn't fighting Sigma but the system.
And it was weaker than expected.
Sigma’s system must be the type that grows stronger with the user or needs something to unlock its higher functions. Common tropes in power fantasy stories. And how long has Sigma been here? From the guard that I soul searched, about one or two weeks since he first showed his face.
And that, boys and girls, is how you kill an MC.
Kill them before they get convenient plot armor items, before they get deus ex machina, before they get the power of friendship or love. Then dispatch them with your full strength. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and throw away useless matters of pride or face. Kill them before they leave their starting area. To add another layer of guarantee, nuke them when they are “mating” with the love interest.
Preferably you kill them when they are still in the first 10 or so chapters in their story, 30 in the latest. Longer than that then the plot surrounding the MC would make things very complicated.
MC could find an OP treasure at the side of the road just by walking. MC could find a god who needed help and gave him super cultivation techniques as thanks for helping him. MC could be struck by lightning when he was in the latrine and mastered the power of heavenly tribulations the very next chapter.
Anything is possible nowadays!
So kill them fast, before they can mature.
While Viers imagined himself giving a lecture in a classroom full of readers of web novels, he was slowly breaching the system’s protection.
The flow of battle was like a siege. Sigma’s mind was a well-defended fortress while he himself was the invading army. If Viers was simply using brute force, high were the chances that he would be repelled. So he didn't attack head-on. He used a line of thinking from the 36 stratagems: Clamor in the East, Attack in the West.
It was a three-pronged approach. First company attacked the fortress from the front, second company attacked the walls in another area, and third company sneaked into the compound from the sewers.
The fortress’ defenses came crumbling down soon after.
The invaders neutralized the fortress’ guards and defenses swiftly. The men were in high morale as they went deeper into the complex. It was only a matter of time before they found the treasury.
They went in by blowing up the treasury’s door using dynamite.
The men, all with Viers’ face, cheered upon the sight of gold and wealth inside the treasury.
His true name… is Sumeragi Renji. Hmph, even his real name sounds like a protagonist. A 21-year-old NEET… World ranker in the game Virtual Bullets of Fate? From year 2019? How come I’ve never heard of that game?
He played the VBoF for 1 year. One day, he was in the middle of playing when he fell off from the map as if suffering a glitch then he arrived in this world when he woke up. Hmm... and what’s with his world’s VR tech? So advanced… too advanced. The game is at SAO level. He’s from an alternate Earth then!? My Earth sure as hell didn't have that kind of tech.
His dad remarried to a beautiful MILF and Renji got a cute little sister and a cool elder sister that he doesn't have a blood relation with? Holy Hell! This guy’s life before he got isekai-ed is like an eroge protagonist! No wonder he wants to go back to his old world. His death is well deserved then, riajuu bastard.
Viers’ initial soul search revealed much more than he expected.
[Emergency. Illegal access from malicious intelligence detected. Executing purge.]
GLaDOS got serious now.