Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 148: Player (Cop) VS Player (Robber)

[Isekai Online] is all about freedom.

Unlike other fantasy video games I've heard from Damon and Zac, there's no clear goal in the game, like defeating a Demon Lord to save the world or becoming the best in the field. Rather, you choose what you want to be beyond those two goals. Just like in a normal fantasy tabletop RPG, you can be whatever you want, and there are no limits on what you can do in the world of <Volo>. For me, I have the goal to explore the world with Wind and Zale becoming a knight (and hitting up girls, I guess).

Unfortunately, I've also learned that not everyone wants to be the good guy in their own stories. They want to be the opposite for several reasons, and there are consequences to their actions if they succeed in their evil goals.

I honestly hoped I wouldn't encounter those kinds of players. Too bad the game decided otherwise, as I'm now facing the very people I've tried to avoid, who have now undone my attempts to capture the bandits. What's worse is that Wind is still busy offline, and Zale is busy trying to defeat the leader. I try to think of something to get out of this mess, but I suddenly get a notification related to my current situation.

[NOTICE]

[You are currently being confronted by players of another faction.]

[The [Urgent Quest] has been changed.]

[QUEST PROGRESS]

[Urgent Quest: Stop the Rogue Adventurers! ***]

[It seems like a group of adventurers has gone rogue and is currently allied with the robbers. Defeat the adventurers and capture them along with the bandits!]

[Objective: Defeat 5x [Robbing Bandits] along with the enemy players and aid the adventurers on the scene]

[The difficulty of the [Urgent Quest] has been adjusted based on the opposing players' [Total Mastery Levels] and stats.]

"Look at that! Seems like our [Quest] has changed!" One of the opposing players declares. "That means that kid is working with the fuzz. What should we do, leader?"

The leader in question stares at me with a grin before he puts his sword over his shoulders. "Hmph... He's just a little kid. Might be a casual player, so he's no match for us."

Another player in glasses and wielding an axe turns to some kind of a hunter player who seemed to wear the same attire as Wind's. "What do you think, Eli?"

The hunter stares at me for a while and says, "I'm not sure about him being a casual, Quake. This kid seems to be the rumored [Insignis] mage who cleared a [Hidden Quest] back in the <Tested Wilds>."

"Wait, are you saying he's the [Insignis] mage, Kazu?!" A player wearing armor gasps as he almost drops his sword. "You're kidding me, right? Isn't he supposed to be accompanied by that hunter guy, Wind?"

"No clue. We might not underestimate him, but let's keep our guards up," the hunter warns. "Not many players are named Kazu, and you can't take an already-used name in this game."

Huh... I was about to say they're kind of idiots, but it seems like some of them are still smart enough to know who I am and my current abilities. Besides, I've already guessed that the hunter must have almost the same set as Wind's, and while there are limits to using [Investigate] on players, such as not seeing all of my [Masteries] and their exact levels, he's still smart enough to gauge my strength with that skill.