Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 14: Bittersweet Voyage

Dark billows of clouds draped the earth in eerie shadows. Thunder reverberated across the sky in a low requiem.

Daisuke stood silently atop a hill at the village's edge, his grip tight around a familiar pair of hairpins. His expression was one of melancholy, his gaze fixed on a simple tombstone bearing his mother's name.

Opening his hand, he gazed at a glass fragment from a vial that once held deadly poison, pondering who might have wanted his mother dead. Yet, despite his efforts, he couldn't conjure a name or face.

The unfortunate truth was that he hardly knew anything about Evandria Starfrost; her past was veiled in mystery. The assassin was just the same—a specter that had vanished as mysteriously as he came, robbing a poor woman of her cursed soul in the process.

In the depths of his frustration, Daisuke's brows furrowed into dangerous slits, his face a canvas of pure loathing. He balled his fingers into a fist so tight that his knuckles turned white. Crimson droplets pooled and dripped onto the parched earth below, a tangible testament to the intensity of his silent vow for vengeance.

As if sensing his unwavering resolve, the wind surged around him, a silent witness to his fierce conviction. It whipped at the edges of the orange scarf wrapped around his neck. It was the last token of affection from his mother, a tangible reminder of her enduring love. As he tenderly ran his fingers over the fabric, a bittersweet calm washed over him, soothing the fires of anger that had consumed him moments before.

But his reverie was abruptly shattered by the arrival of an unwelcome group, jolting him back to the harsh reality of his surroundings.

With a mere glance from the corner of his eye, Daisuke could easily ascertain the situation: April's tear-stained face; Brek's inability to look in his general direction; and the triumphant chuckles of the four men as they forcefully restrained the children.

Betrayal hung heavy in the air, as plain as day.

Next, Daisuke saw the swords—

"Don't even think about it," one of the men warned, brandishing a knife perilously close to April's exposed neck.

"Hic!" she gasped, her eyes widening in fear.

Without a word, Daisuke raised his hands in surrender and bowed his head in defeat. Alas, even after starting anew in a virtual world, he couldn't shake off the shadow of misfortune that trailed him.

Hacking the greatest game of all time, stealing from the middle-class to aid the poor—perhaps, in the end, he was destined for condemnation.

"B-Big Brother! Big Brother!" April cried out as she was being forcibly dragged away, her toy bear tumbling to the ground.

"You bastards!" Brek yelled. "You promised to let her go!"

He tried to resist, but was swiftly brushed aside like a mere insect. With desperation in his eyes, he searched for Daisuke's gaze, clinging to the hope that their leader would miraculously intervene as he had done countless times before. However, Daisuke remained impassive, refusing to spare even a fleeting glance in his direction.

"The only reason you're not being dragged off with them is because we want you to relay a message to your pals: scram, or brace yourselves for a world of hurt," one of the men snarled with menacing intent.

With those parting words echoing in his mind, Brek remained rooted to the ground, watching helplessly as his world unraveled before him, the consequences of his actions crashing down without mercy.

Meanwhile, a few meters away, a pair of bunny ears poked out from behind some brush, unnoticed amidst the chaos.

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