A group of 40 or so people made its way down the blood-stained street. A young woman led the way, a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. Behind her were dozens of people, their eyes scanning the surrounding fearfully.

As they were getting out of sight of the precinct, Shaw halted her steps and turned around to scan the people who elected to follow her.

“Last chance to turn back, everyone! If you’re regretting your choice, it’s not too late to go back!”

The followers exchanged a few nervous looks, but none of them moved.

“We’ve already made up our mind, Shaw! We’re with you!” One of the civilians replied. Reassuring words, if no one saw the fact that his legs were shaking like they were noodles.

The others nodded in agreement. For better or for worse, they were in this together.

“Very well.” Shaw whispered to herself as she turned back to the street. Now...where the hell are those NPCs?

It turned out that she didn't need to wait too long. As the party continued down the street, in less than a minute, they ran into a pack of level 3 dogs with two heads. Many of her followers panicked at the sight of the bloodthirsty beasts, and that was when Shaw stepped in. With sword in hand, she cut through the hounds, making sure she wouldn’t be the one to kill them. Instead, she cut off their limbs one by one until these beasts were completely crippled. By the time she was done, the dogs were on the ground, whimpering in pain but unable to move away.

All of that was done in mere seconds. Before the followers could even realize what happened, the monsters were already handled. As a level 6 player, Shaw absolutely demolished the level 3 NPCs without breaking a sweat.

As the panicked cries died down, Shaw turned to her followers. She scanned them one by one before pointing at five of them.

“You five. Come up and kill these things.”

The crowd froze. All of them more or less knew about what was going on. Killing NPCs generated exp, and exp could level them up, giving them superhuman powers. This was why they came out in the first place, but none of them expected to see Shaw just handing them exp on a silver platter.

“But...why do these five people get the kill?” One of the level 0 survivors couldn’t help but complain. “This isn’t fair!”

Shaw chuckled as she turned to the survivor. The survivor, and many others right beside him, couldn’t help but feel their bodies freeze in fear. This young woman just slew five monsters without batting an eye. Imagine what they could do to them! Some of the players were no different. They were all too aware that in front of Shaw, they were no better than the level 0 survivors. If they crossed her, they could end up just like the poor monsters on the ground.

Satisfied with her effect on the players and survivors alike, Shaw continued.

“First of all, these were my kills, so I get to decide what to do with them. Even if I want to free them, that is my business, and if you don’t agree, you can talk to my sword.” Shaw replied coldly. As the survivors lowered their heads in fear, she pointed at the five people she chose. “But for your information, when the monsters first showed up, these five people actually tried to make a stand. The rest of you...you were about to run, weren’t you?”

As the survivor who complained lowered his head in shame, Shaw continued.

“If I wasn’t here, the people that tried to make a stand would still have a chance. Not a good chance, but still a chance. But if you tried to run, well...a fleeing prey is always easier to kill than a defiant one.”

“Any more questions?”

This time, none of the survivors said anything else. As Shaw said, this was her decision to make, and the decision she made was as fair and reasonable as decisions get.

Under the jealous eyes of two dozen people, the five survivors stepped forward and, one by one, stabbed the Silver Sword they borrowed from Shaw into the heads of the monsters. Their hands were shaking in fear, but they forced themselves to finish the kill, knowing that an opportunity like this was too precious to give up.

The dogs generated 300 exp each. It wasn’t much for Shaw, but it was enough to bring all five of the players to level 2.

The five newly ascended players were absolutely thrilled. Three of them immediately chose their careers. The other two, however, were smarter. Instead of choosing based on their instinct, they turned to Shaw and asked for her advice.

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With a grin on her face, Shaw explained the difference between the careers to everyone listening. The Warriors were tougher and had better survivability. The Soldiers were more focused on coordination and discipline. Sorcerers needed a lot of learning. Mythicals depended on luck. Mutants had various powers, but like the Mythical career, it also relied heavily on luck.

By the time she was done, one of the five new players was no longer smiling. He chose the Sorcerer class because it sounded awesome, but he had always been a terrible student. If he waited for Shaw’s detailed explanation instead of acting on the brief description from the game, he would’ve chosen the Warrior class, which suited him a lot more.

Still, this was just a minor detail, and soon, the group was on its way again.

For half an hour, the party made its way down the abandoned street, killing all the NPCs they came across. Shaw made sure to feed exp to everyone at least once. This way, all the level 0 survivors have ascended to level 2, which gave them something of a fighting chance. The 11 players who joined her were each given a kill as well, something they were more than thankful for.

After all, if they had to take on a level 3 NPC by themself, they would likely be either injured or killed. Now, this was just a bunch of free exp. Some of them leveled up while others came close.

Many of the new players chose the Warrior career. Shaw didn't make any attempt to plan out the various careers in her party. A good faction should have players of different careers, but that would be a problem to deal with later. Plus, the players would choose the careers that fit them the most, which was the best for all parties involved.

After the initial feed, Shaw refrained from intervening and allowed the new players to go against the NPCs by themselves. Ultimately, this was an investment. She invested time and exp to make these people players, and she expected to be well compensated for it. She gave these players a fighting chance, and now, they needed to prove themselves if they wanted more support from her.

As always, there were casualties. When faced with the horrid form of a headless knight, a player turned and fled despite being on equal level. Shaw watched as the man was run down and did nothing. Only when the man died did she instruct another player to take on the headless knight. After all, the weak didn't deserve her investment, and this was a brilliant opportunity to weed them out.

At the same time, the young woman was very vigilant in keeping track of more potent players. One Warrior by the name of Brian bravely, or rather stupidly, took on two NPCs of equal level at the same time. He almost died because of his overconfidence, but as his situation turned dire, instead of fleeing, he focused on one of the NPCs and cut off its head, hoping to give at least some value to his death.

At the last moment, Shaw intervened and saved the young man.

The deadly battlefield that Shaw oversaw and monitored was the perfect forge. As more and more time passed, the players in the party that survived grew more and more powerful, and not just in terms of level and stats. They were also getting much more experienced. Many of them went from civilians who had never killed anything aside from bugs and insects to warriors who could cut off a monster’s head without much fuss. After a certain amount of kills, the NPCs no longer seemed so terrifying.

Stab them, and they would still bleed. Decapitate them, and they would still die.

A few of the players were particularly talented, and they quickly caught Shaw's attention.

The Sorcerer who went by the name of Nicole was really good with her spells. She clearly spent a long time studying and practicing the spell she was given, because unlike most sorcerers who died early on, she was actually able to take on monsters on her own and bring them down without needing outside help.

Brian, the reckless Warrior, was very...well, reckless. He kept on throwing himself against any enemy he came across, regardless of their level or attributes. It was only due to a miracle, and Shaw’s intervention, that he survived. Shaw paid plenty of attention toward him, mainly because she saw value in his madness. Brian looked like the type of person who didn't care about his own life, and a person like that wouldn’t care about the lives of others either.

He could be a useful asset. An asset unhindered by morals. An asset that could do her dirty work so she wouldn't have to get her own hands dirty.

Peter was more careful. He picked his targets carefully, making sure he wouldn’t take on any enemy too powerful for him to handle. This allowed him to harvest exp safely, but it also made his leveling up a lot slower compared to the berserker that was Brian.

Shaw’s authority among these players also expanded with every passing minute. The players weren’t blind. They were all too aware of what Shaw did for them. It was she who gave them their first exp and set them on this path. It was she who kept them alive from hordes of NPCs too many in number for them to handle. It was she who stepped in when they got too reckless and almost fell at the blades of the NPCs they were dualing.

In a world filled with unspeakable horrors, it was she who guided their way.

Shaw’s influence reached a peak when the group ran into another level 7 NPC. This time, it was a knight. Just as the players readied their blades for a final stand, Shaw charged right into the knight. In thirty seconds, she used almost every trick she had. The initial charge was followed by a pair of corrosive webs to the face, and then another close proximity charge, followed by a dozen hacks. Shaw made no intention of defending herself and instead focused on killing her opponent as quickly and decisively as possible.

In the end, Shaw incurred half a dozen wounds over her body and her shirt was completely red, but she won. The exp alone brought her to level 7, and she didn't even have time to check what was in the level 7 silver loot box. Her greatest prize, however, was with the players.

As she raised the severed head of the seemingly invincible knight into the air and the players cheered for her quick and decisive victory against a foe that they themselves would never be able to beat even if they fought together, Shaw knew very well that from now on, these players’ loyalty belonged to her.