Alfred, the player known as ZeroXScyth, was tasked with a very important mission. He had been sent to venture the Thornwood Forest in search of a supernatural phenomenon and lure it with the magic tool lent by the headmaster.
Of course, he wasn’t alone in this endeavor. Despite there being only two magic tools called “Spectral Beacon Amulet,” four parties had been formed for the mission. The reason behind this was the need to select the most potent and controllable supernatural phenomenon, one that wouldn’t pose a threat if it backfired. While finding supernatural phenomena wasn’t that hard in this treacherous forest, not all of them would fit for this, as most were stationary. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Of the four parties, two were dispatched to the north while the others headed south. Alfred’s party was among those heading south. Although the southern region was less perilous and lacked significant peculiar locations to find their target, there was another reason for their choice.
“Have you ever wondered what has become of Thornwood Village after the bandit attack?” Mike suddenly mused, breaking the silence.
They had traveled quite far and were nearing the edge of the forest where Thornwood Village was located. It was natural that such a thought would cross his mind.
“Many possibilities.” Alfred shrugged and told his opinion: “Best-case scenario, it was only temporarily occupied, with the bandits extorting what they could from the villagers but nothing more. Worst case, it may have been completely razed to the ground…”
The thought of such brutality made Mike clench his fists in anger. “Shit! Those bandits are too ruthless!”
Supernova nodded in agreement. “That’s true. In comparison, our headmaster seems far more benevolent. Despite the game’s setting, he’s relatively mild towards us players and treats other low-level NPCs with respect.”
“Of course!” Storm exclaimed, “How can you compare him to the likes of bandits? The difference is like day and night; it’s absurd.”
“Says the one who complained when he got punished for asking kinky stuff,” Prominence teased, nudging Storm’s arm.
“Fuck off.” He shoved Prominence aside and turned serious. “Whatever the case, this is a game. We can’t take everything in the update notice at face value, as it might not truly happen to the village. Let’s hope that the devs kept things civil and didn’t turn Thornwood Village into a wasteland. That would be truly horrible…”
The mention of wasteland reminded Alfred of the war news that would sometimes be broadcast on TV. The poor state of the destroyed towns and cities was horrible, to say the least.
“If only we could have anticipated this happening.” Mike sighed, shaking his head in frustration.
Alfred recalled that Mike had a bit more attachment to the village than any of them, so he gave him a piece of assurance to lift the mood. “Don’t dwell on it too much. We still don't know the full extent of the situation, and we’re about to reach our destination soon anyway.”
Alfred’s party had agreed to meet with the other party heading south near Thornwood Village. Although they could now communicate over long distances with the new features, face-to-face communication sometimes yielded better results than remote communication. From there, they would share their findings on their target. And so far, they hadn’t found any satisfactory result.
Before they could venture far from their current location, a sound of notification appeared on everyone’s Shadowlink Marks.
Opening the message, Alfred discovered what it was and explained it to the group, “Guys, it’s a distress call from a player assigned to distract the bandits. It seems that they’ve been discovered and are being chased.”
“Uh-oh, that sounds bad. Should we help them?” Mike inquired. “Y’know, we can’t leave the ladies to their demise. But…” He hesitated over the village’s matter.
Before the players set out, the headmaster had briefed them about their missions. From there, the players took the initiative to set up a communication system using the chat feature to stay in touch and request reinforcements in case of emergencies. The one that emerged just now was an emergency line.
Storm shook his head. “The location is too far. Even if we rush there, we won’t make it in time.”
“RIP Kuro’s and the other parties,” Prominence remarked with a laugh. “But hey, at least it’s their job to be a distraction, right?”
SuperNova shot him a disapproving look. “I want to join in the laugh, too, but this isn’t the time for jokes. What would happen if the bandits discovered the academy and attacked our rear? It’s currently under-protected with most of the acolytes out and about.”
Alfred quickly checked the details given by the one who had given the distressed signal and discovered that the likelihood of the whole bandit group chasing them was low.
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Storm chimed in, “The headmaster is protecting the academy. If the bandits follow them back, he should be able to handle them unless their numbers are overwhelming. We shouldn’t worry too much.”
The group nodded in this reasoning. They knew just how powerful their headmaster was, and they believed he would be capable of handling any threat. On top of that, he surely would have gotten stronger after all this time. Storm had theorized that his power progressed concurrently with the storyline itself, after all.
Hmm, is this what it means by our decision matters? Alfred tried to fix his nonexistent glasses and stroke his chin in deep thought.
About twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at the village with steady steps of anticipation and dread. As they approached, the once vibrant and bustling Thornwood Village appeared before them. It was “once” since it was now shrouded in an aura of desolation and despair. Moreover, the sight that greeted them caused their steps to falter and them to curse inside their hearts.
Even though their worst-case scenario didn’t happen, it was far from the word “good.” Many houses showed signs of being broken and looted. Doors hung off their hinges, windows lay shattered, and debris littered the streets like a grim reminder of the violence that had swept through.
Everywhere they looked, villagers could be seen sitting despondently on the roadside with anguish and sorrow. Some wept openly, their tears mingling with the dust and dirt of the devastated village. Others sat in stunned silence, their eyes vacant and hollow, as they grieved over the loss of loved ones — the dead, stiffened bodies of people that lay on the road.
It was a stark contrast to the once vibrant atmosphere that had filled the village. In that moment, it felt as though time itself had come to a standstill, and they found themselves amidst the ruins of shattered lives.
The villagers weren’t so different from them, the players. They were real humans through and through.
“Damn it! I don’t believe this!” Mike’s fist collided with a nearby tree, leaving a dent in its bark. With a surge of anger, he turned and began to sprint towards the forest, back in the direction they had come from.
“Stop! Stop! Where are you going to go?” Alfred and the others quickly intercepted him, halting his reckless charge.
“I’m going to make those bandits pay for this! I’m gonna kill them all!” Mike shouted in rage, his eyes burning with determination. He, who would spout snippy jokes whenever possible, was consumed with anger at this very moment. It would be a lie to say that Alfred and the others didn’t feel the same.
Alfred wanted to reassure him, to remind him that this wasn’t real, and everything was scripted, but as he gazed upon the devastated village, he couldn’t shake that fact. Everything in this game so far had been so life-like, so similar to reality, that it was difficult to distinguish between the two. Saying that this was just a game would be too much of a stretch. If someone were to tell him that everything in this game was indeed another world and he was living in an artificial body, he might have believed them. No matter how absurd it was.
“Just hold your horses! I’ve got a plan we could take advantage of,” Alfred suggested.
“Go on,” Mike urged.
Alfred proposed, “We only need to capture footage of this village and share it on the official website forum. Once other players see what’s happened here, they’ll be itching for revenge.” Perhaps this had been the purpose of the speech given by the headmaster all along, but they were too relaxed to realize that.
“Great idea!”
“As expected of our leader.”
Both Prominence and SuperNova chimed in agreement.
“Mm. Let’s bring the fight to them and end this once and for all,” declared Storm.
With their emotions reined in and their focus sharpened, the group set to work on their plan. Fortunately, they had a veteran streamer among them — Storm Bringer — who could act as the host. Utilizing every resource available, from the wreckage of the houses to interviewing a distressed villager, they pieced together a video designed to evoke empathy and outrage among their fellow players.
In the midst of doing so, another group of players arrived at the scene. Led by ThunderLord999, the party included Locktekei, MsMelody, ButaYaarou, and SirLaughsALot. Like Alfred’s party, they had chosen to venture south for the same reason.
Upon witnessing the devastation that had befallen the village, the players who had just arrived had a grim look on their faces. This was even more pronounced on Locktekei and MsMelody’s faces, which were drained of color, as if they had just seen a ghost from their worst nightmares.
“This… this can’t be…” Locktekei’s body was trembling, and he almost fell to his knee.
“What about the elderly farmer? And the children?” MsMelody’s voice cracked with distress.
“No!” Locktekei pulled his hair as he shouted, “Not the children!”
Amidst their despair, Mike approached them with a glimmer of hope. “I know this is horrible, but we’ve got a plan.” He told them the plan to rally the players and put an end to this once and for all, which made the two players’ expressions much better.
At the same time, Alfred approached Thunder to discuss their original mission.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing usable around here,” Thunder confessed while closing his eyes. “We’ve actually seen one place that might fit the bill.” He explained about a part of the forest that had become withered and barren, where even magical beasts withered upon setting foot. “But the danger is too great,” Thunder added solemnly. “I’m afraid we would be dead before we could move it from there.”
Alfred pondered for a moment before something came to his mind. “Remember when we were attacked by that supernatural phenomenon on our way back from the village?”
“Yeah, what about it?” Thunder replied, curious.
“I think that might be our best bet. We just need to retrace our steps and locate it. And with the {Demonic Eye} spell, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find.”
“You’re right,” Thunder agreed, “but it may not be enough on its own, will it?”
Out of the blue, Storm, who had just finished filming the scene, interjected with an idea. “What if we send a wave of magical beasts at them simultaneously? I heard from the two parties sent to the north that they’ve discovered several magical beast dens.”
“It’s certainly wild, but it might just work if executed properly.” Alfred rubbed his nose. “Hell, it’s devastating.”
“I concur.” Thunder nodded his head. “Let’s proceed with that plan.”
Thus, a consensus was reached. They then contacted the other parties and explained the strategy. Concurrently, they posted the state of the village on the official website forum, eliciting thousands of sympathetic responses from fellow players. They had learned that they could log out anywhere from the game as long as they practiced their meditation techniques and relaxed themselves.