Goldclaw and his party died, everyone is still filled with adrenaline. They feel relieved, although their matches weren’t skilled the stakes were high and mistakes bound to happen.

Bitter Cat so far has been quiet, restraining her fiery self. During this journey she has focused on Yushin, following his moves and trying to better understand his personality. Nowadays her brother is very attached to this person, and she worries about his influences a lot. Somehow, other than being a little bit devious, she found no big flaw, even though that he is good for Aurei’s development.

During the last combat, the young alchemist was unlike himself. That timid and all-fearing kid had shown impressive skills that managed to amaze her. She never thought he could be this good or determined, her weak-willed little brother that always hid behind her back. Not only that, but he was also domineering in an impressive way!

All of this, she understands is because they did not rush into combat but planned beforehand. The spot, their strategies, and even the pairings were all aligned to give them superiority during the fight. Even if they could win without those steps, they served to avoid casualties and give the party confidence and a morale boost.

In her heart, Bitter Cat knows Yushin did not go all out, even held back. He wanted to see what they were capable off, giving his companions the spotlight to shine this time. All this showed his scheming runs deep. Bitter Cat thought of him as a calculating and slightly devious man sometimes.

Yet his skill is also undeniable. Could the giant hold Goldclaw back and even toy a little with him? Goldclaw might not be a legendary player, but his skill was comparable to hers. Doesn’t this mean Yushin is a much better player?

Her eyes are on fire, this desire to fight the spearman rising fast!

“Everyone, good job!” Yushin smiles and gives the order for everyone to recover using potions. Commanding the Mutal to set up a perimeter in case the Mahrgas come back earlier than expected, they set up an ambush a bit further on the branches and hid. Their job is not done yet.

Everyone started to recover and maintain their equipment. If repairs were needed, Bitter Cat would do it. Aurei kept his eyes open to resupply herbs and even pick up a few new ones.

“Man, this game is stingy with drops,” Shum complained, talking to the party. His Half-Orc face frowning. So far enemies do not drop weapons or coins as in other games. What they get are raw materials, but there was speculation in Free Forest Guild that some unique items can drop.

Gron nodded silently.

“Hehe, but at least now the quest will go smoothly!” Cella said happily.

Yushin did not share her enthusiasm. By nature, he was a calm and careful person. His goal was not only to finish the quest but to end it in a way that satisfied himself and the party. Right now, there is still the main Mahrgas camp and the smaller ones. There are too many variables to consider, such as hidden forces or outside interference.

Now that he thought about it, how did Goldclaw party come in? Is there another valley? From what he saw at the Mutal, they did not go out further because of Vitalus. Since Yushin’s party was the one that killed it, either Goldclaw sneaked past or found some other way in, after the Mahrgas village. It was worth looking into it if the chance came around.

Aurei looked lost in a daze. His performance before was something he did not think himself capable. After everything settled down, he is thinking that was pretty reckless. He could have screwed up everything!

“Kid, good job out there,” Yushin complimented Aurei, “You’re still a little awkward with the chain though. It doesn’t feel you’re comfortable with it at all.”

Aurei sighs and nods, “A-as expected of b-big brother. I-It’s just that, even though I like it, i-it’s… limited?”

“Heh. That’s normal. Even with the spear, sometimes I think about switching weapons to fit the situation. You don’t need to be bound to that chain,” Yushin tried to switch his weapons around, but in the end, he was the most comfortable with the spear. However, In some specific situations, it might be worth switching styles.

“I-I’d like a bit more r-range,” Aurei shyly added.

“You’re smart and react fast, there are a lot of things that will suit you in the future. Taming, guns, defensive magic, offensive alchemy… specializing yourself is never bad, but not exploring your other options is silly.”

“Em!” Aurei agreed.

“Me, me, me, what about me, bro?!” Shum asked. Gron did not say anything but he also looked at Yushin with attention.

“You... stick with heavy weapons and armor. Maybe even throw in a heavy shield once in a while,” Yushin laughed, “You’re too impatient to wait and too noisy not to become a target. When you think too much, you often miss the right timing. Leave the strategy to Gron, you hack away. Of course, this is during normal situations. It’s important to adapt. As we build up experience in here, the best path will appear.”

Shum agrees, “A heavy shield, uh…”

“Gron is quick and quiet. While you lose a bit of range and power with the short spear, it’s very effective even in narrow places. The spear is an effective control weapon, if you combine with Shum aggressiveness, it will very difficult to avoid. Keep focusing on nature magic for control, pick a few ranged throwing weapons, such as javelins, and you two will complement each other well. ”

Gron nodded.

“What about me, mister?” Cella also asked.

“Your timing and positioning are good. Right now your options are too limited, but definitely, find a backup ranged weapon. If you’re no good with them, then summoning or taming might work once we know more about it. Unless you have enough healing skills to keep casting them often, the time you spend idling needs to be used better. Of course, this advice depends on the way the game progresses and your fortuitous encounters. Don’t take it as the only way.”

Yushin looked at Bitter Cat, but her fiery glare made him shiver and look away awkwardly with a ‘hehe’. It’s not that she was doing it on purpose. In fact, she was also looking forward to his analysis, but made him run away instead!

“Here they come,” Yushin could sense the Mahrgas coming a bit further and also hear the rustling of the leaves. They had no time to sneak around and were running forward quickly. Everything has already been in position, all Yushin had to do was give the order and strike.

He wants to deal with this as fast as possible before some unknown factor comes into play, such as other players arriving or Goldclaw finding his way back somehow. In theory, he is confined to the city for one hour, but since the guild is inside Red Clay he can’t be sure the dungeon isn’t accessible. The entry point to this dungeon is also random, but unluckier things have happened before!

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The Mahrgas brought a few more with them this time, but there is still no sign of leadership. All they wanted to do was to find the group of players, such that they didn’t even consider the possibility of an ambush. Yushin’s party and the Mutal fell upon the Mahrgas like a forest fire, and their inability to fight as a group caused them to lose easily. It was a one-sided slaughter with no suspense at all.

After it was done, Yushin told the Mutal to make groups and spread to attack the camps. It was a bit risky, but he had seen how strong they are, and their team fight is much better than the enemy. This is the best chance to finish off those camps while Yushin’s party head out to the main camp with some reinforcements, finishing everything. The Mutal agreed and left, not much after Yushin warned them not to take things too far. He didn’t want the Mahrgas to be annihilated. This is not his style.

Something else also started to bug him. From what the Mutal warriors have shown, they are not inferior, even a bit stronger than the enemy. That and their teamwork being superior, there is no way they should be fearing them. Besides, Goldclaw hadn’t even attacked the Mutal, so the situation wasn’t as dire as the Elder made it out to be. This is not a war they should be losing.

Because of this Yushin isn’t sure of what to do with the deer-people. Should he wipe them all? This would finish the quest, but leave a sour taste afterward. Should he make the Mahrgas submit to the Mutal? This is a possibility, but also equivalent to slavery! Isn’t this exactly what they should be fighting against? Not all of the Mutal are innocent and not all of the Mahrgas are guilty.

His party also cannot reach a consensus on this. Grom and Shum wanted to wipe them all out for their evil deeds. Bitter Cat doesn’t want to wipe them out and doesn’t want them to be slaves either. Aurei didn’t say anything but would side with BC. Cella left everything to the others. She didn’t feel her opinion mattered much, even though Yushin asked for it. She reminded them that the leaf people are not evil. They said their wish wasn’t for the Mahrgas to disappear, but also don’t want the same fate to repeat itself over and over again.

This meant that, if they are unable to coexist, one must disappear. This part everyone understood. Without dwelling on it, the attack proceeded. The Mutal force assault on the camps is successful, the Mahrgas are disorganized and cannot fight back properly. Aside from the ones sent by Yushin, other Mutal also joined the battles from their main camp. It was obvious this opportunity was too good to be missed. Many Mahrgas and some Mutal fell, but everything is going as expected.

At this moment, Yushin and Co start the attack on the main camp!

As noted before, Yushin surveyed and tagged many important points, even though the defense was weak and any presence of a leader absent. The Mahrgas resolved everything through a council of peers, in a direct representation of democracy. More than that, the Mahrgas ran from leadership like they were running from the plague.

They are unable to bear the storm. Yushin spear claims many enemies and Bitter Cat devastation is clear. From these two alone the camp fell. They had no mages, no commanders, no strong individuals. The only threatening thing about their camp was the numbers, countered in face of skill and with the help of the Mutal. The whole battle was anti-climatic. In one word:

Overkill.

By the end, only non-combatants and a few injured warriors were left. Aside from Yushin, everyone else was celebrating. The Mutal cheered each other as if a great evil had disappeared. The smell of blood ran strong, even though the corpses were gone after death. All left was the cry of Mahrgas children, women and the weep of the elderly.

‘This scene… I suppose it couldn’t be avoided…’ Yushin sighed deeply and ordered everyone to gather, including the defeated. His party took little damage and not a lot of equipment was damaged. Now they were used to the Mahrgas and their teamwork was already much better than before, making this fight a non-challenge.

“I have decided to make a [Binding Contract] with the Mahrgas,” Yushin spoke and his party didn’t disagree. The Mutal captain, however, argued against it.

“Leave them alive? This is absurd, warrior! The Mahrgas must die. All of them! They are evil! Our people will never be safe!”

“That is not your decision to make, captain. We had a deal with the Elder.”

The Mutal captain raised his common vine lance and pointed at the Mahrgas, “This is for the Elder! All Mahrgas must die!”

Yushin immediately raised his own spear and pointed at the captain, “Take a step and die, captain.”

The tension rose so fast some Mutal were still celebrating when things escalated. Everyone present armed themselves, but no one dared to take a step.

“W-warrior, do you dare kill me? Would you deny us of our revenge? This is not the right way!” The captain spoke loudly but he was afraid of the warriors. Especially Bitter Cat.

“Take a step, captain, and find out.” Yushin did not waver for a second. Unless the captain backed out here green “blood” would flow this time.

The captain hesitated, but then ordered his men to stand down, “Fine, I will let you deal with the Elder. Men, gather whatever you can before going back!”

The Mutal changed to loot right away and this time Yushin didn’t stop them. His own party took nothing. They saw nothing of value from the Mahrgas and they did not fight the enemy for profit in the first place. Now, of course, they aren’t saints to let go of good items if they appear, but there weren’t any except for a few common herbs and some provisions. The Mahrgas are very poor since most of their food are the branches themselves and leaves.

Yushin made them leave some of the provisions behind for the elderly and children. Hunting would still be dangerous. Once again, this did not bode well with the Mutal, but this time they knew better than to push Yushin. Right now, the spearman thinks they are not as friendly as he thought, and that there is a much deeper story buried here. There is no way the Mutal are poor weaklings that needed their help. Even with Goldclaw here, maybe the Mutal would still be able to win. Assuming the commander is strong enough or kept some of his forces well hidden back then.

He wanted to extract information from the deer-people, but it was a near-impossible task since they are very closed off. Yushin forced them to make a [Binding Contract] with many clauses, even though it pained him dearly to do so.

He did not make them submit to the Mutal. The Mahrga will keep their independence, but any form of direct or indirect conflict is forbidden. Each will keep to their own areas.

He did not force them to make reparations for the tortured Mutal, only bound them never to do it again. All of those responsible were probably dead. Pushing them further served no purpose except to incite revenge.

He could bind the Mahrgas to him or force them to take the “good” path, but that would go even further against his beliefs. Even if they were data, he did not want to take away their freedom. By not binding, he would not be able to control them easily in case of revolt or if they kept their evil ways. Since contracts have so much power, if the Mahrgas kept attacking the Mutal or feeding on them, they would all die under the [Contract Spell]. This was enough to stop the threat and give them some leeway to survive.

After everything that had some value was taken by the Mutal, some leaf representatives were left behind to supervise the deer-people and make sure they can survive. Unless there were many survivors from the camps, from now on it would be impossible for the Mahrgas to be the same. The loss of manpower was too great to recover in a short time. It was not known why the monsters avoided these villages and kept away, but without Vitalus, the [Monster Ecosystem] would greatly change in the future.

Planning on journeying back to the Mutal village, Yushin decided to check some camps along the way. He wanted not only to make sure everything went according to plan but also to find proof of his own suspicions. The air around the group wasn’t good since the Mutal that also came back with them were still holding a grudge.

Finding a small camp, the party finds a trail of death that does not match the Mutal’s allegedly peaceful ways!

They exterminated everyone, children, elderly, and women included. Even though warriors’ corpses disappeared after death, non-combatant NPCs only disappeared after a while, to give players an opportunity to investigate their deaths.

The branches around rumbled and the air suddenly became stagnant, many leaves tearing. Soul filled the air, sharp and warm. Seeing the anger in Yushin’s eyes, the Mutal captain apologized and vowed to investigate the ones behind these atrocious acts. Even his own party was a bit afraid of Yushin in that moment. Only Shum thought that was cool as heck and made up his mind to beg Yushin to teach him.

However, Yushin is no longer fooled by their acts. He is now completely sure the other camps will have the same fate, including the main camp they just left behind.

No matter what, the Elder broke his word, and the Mutal are not what they seem. Perhaps, since the beginning, everything was an act so they could be used to kill the Mahrgas. For what purpose, he doesn’t know.

But, since they wanted to use him, they better be ready to pay the price.