The bandits drew closer like a swarm of ducks. However, Emma was not a wet piece of bread. She was solid like a rock. A rock, with a flail.

The first bandit to attack her was an ugly bastard with a broken sword. Jumping into the air, he let out a deafening battle-cry, promptly before being cut in half by Emma’s flail.

[ - 13 HP ]

[ Bandit (Lv. 2) ]

[ 0/9 HP ]

Like a pinata filled with flesh, his bottom half flew against the mountain wall, while his other half off of it, into the depths.

“Hmph.” Emma spat on the man’s remaining half.

At that moment, an arrow struck through the air and hit Emma in the shoulder. However, her strong armour defended her from the attack, and the arrow ricocheted far away.

[ - 2 HP (Mitigated!) ]

Emma stared at the bandit before her, as it loaded another arrow. He stood so close that two steps and Emma could have bashed her flail through his head.

But instead, she waited.

Another arrow came flying. This time, however, Emma grabbed it before it could have been broken by her armour.

She calmly walked towards the archer, while he loaded another arrow and shot. It hit Emma’s armour and broke apart pathetically.

[ - 1 HP (Mitigated!) ]

Emma stomped before the bandit, turned the arrow in her hand, then stabbed it through the aggressor’s throat.

[ - 7 HP, Critical Strike! ]

The man struggled to get away, but Emma kept him impaled on his own arrow. She leaned closer and looked the man in his eyes. Observed them. Then grinned.

“Squirm, worm,” she whispered, then let go of the arrow.

The man stumbled away, air whistling through his wound. Fighting not to choke and to remove the object from his neck, he panicked, and stumbled off the edge.

Without as much as a scream, he disappeared into the abyss.

Emma’s eyelids twitched. She quietly laughed. Slowly, the bloodlust began corrupting her mind.

“Good work, piggie!” spoke a deep voice.

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Emma turned in the direction of the sound, but to her surprise, she could only see the trunk of a tree as it flew toward her. As it hit, she was thrown off her feet. Her head and feet changed positions as she spun around like a cloth puppet. A line of blood drew her flight as it came spurring out her nose.

When she hit the ground, the earth trembled.

[ - 6 HP, (-3 Mitigated!) ]

[ Emma Goldshoe (Lv. 3) ]

[ 9/15 HP ]

For the first time, Emma’s health was shown, and it was an intimidating sight. She was a symbol of power and bloodlust. Yet, in an instant, a third of her health disappeared.

Slowly, she stood up while scratching her head. In front of her stood a giant. Unlike the other bandits, this one was a wall of meat, roughly 230 centimeters tall. He wore no armour, only the hide of a deer, which he tied around his waist. Thick bodily hair covered his entirety. In his right hand was the trunk of a tree, which he wielded like a club.

[ Baltimore, the Giant (Lv. 5) ]

[ 35/35 HP ]

Seeing Emma’s dizziness, he laughed, though it sounded more like a wild animal choking on a Lego.

“What a let-down! And you got me excited by breaking apart my men like toys. But it seems you’re just that. A toy! And I wonder; how easily will you break apart?”

Emma recollected herself. She rubbed the pain out of his head, then sighed. But it was nothing like her other sighs. It was more childish in nature, like a girl who was struck by a soccer ball. “Ouch! Why did you hit me? I was just beginning to have fun!”

“Huh? Sorry,” grinned the giant, “How ‘bout we play a bit to cheer you up?”

“You would do that for me?” asked Emma way too enthusiastically.

“Of course! But don’t cry when I tear you apart!”

Emma nodded happily.

The giant laughed with that disturbing sound again. “Hoho, this should be fun!”

Emma wiped the blood off her face. Her eyes were lively again, like the ocean water on a day of summer. She laughed, then began to spin her flail, ready to attack.

“Thank you, Mister! Now, if you excuse me, I’ll draw your blood!”

“Bring it on,” the giant yelled savagely.

Emma broke forth. Waving the handle of her weapon in the air, she sent the flail’s head into a crazed dance and shot it forth toward the giant’s heart.

Instead of dodging out of the way or defending, the giant flexed the muscles of his hairy chest and let the flail hit him with full force.

[ - 3 HP (-5 Mitigated) ]

Emma’s eyes widened. The giant laughed proudly. “What? Were you not expecting my muscles to be as durable as your armour?”

Emma frowned but tried to keep her calm. Deep inside, she felt a strange mix of confusion and fear.

The bandits of the old trade route should not have members this strong. After all, they are just a bunch of dirty punks.

Yet, this one was different. This wall of meat was unlike any of the scumbags she previously tore open with her flail.

And she knew not how someone like this could be present on the Yellow Mountain. Neither did it make any sense, nor was it plausible.

“Unless this is the work of another player.”

Emma turned her head towards the voice. “Huh? Axel?”

Next to her was I, with daggers drawn. My face was still covered with tears, albeit they had frozen by now. “I know what you must be thinking. There is no way an enemy as strong as him should be present on the Yellow Mountain. After all, this was designed for new players to learn the gist of combat. You could say this place is part of the tutorial.”

“I... I don’t think I understand what you’re saying.”

I tried to hide it, but it was impossible. I was crying. Still crying. Because if I were to consider all the rules of this game and all the clues for what’s going on, there was only one good explanation for all of it. And what it implied made me sad. Extremely so.

As I turned to Emma, a tear escaped my eye. “The enemy we’re facing is not part of the main game. He is a follower, a modded follower, like you. And that means... he must be the follower of my brother."