Chương 379: Chapter 369 - Knights and Bandits

"They're taking a while," Chiara said, leaning back against a high branch, keeping herself away from the growing crowd gathering below.

"Alonso's with them. They'll be fine," Lukas replied, idly shaping the Dark Stars into shifting patterns above his hand. Then he paused, feeling the same pulse Chiara did.

"Well… speak of the devil." He grinned, and the two of them drifted down. In the distance came Leonie, Ayu, Alonso, and…

"Hi everyone, this is Jaro," Alonso said with a smile, giving the lad a pat on the shoulder.

"A fellow traveller we met on the way. Kindly offered himself as a guide." Jaro froze, eyes darting between the group like a cornered rabbit. He managed a weak grin that twitched at the edges.

"Well, let's settle down first," Leonie said, sweeping her eyes across the clearing. Most of the group had already gathered between the roots and low shrubs, giving her an expectant circle of faces.

"We've got a lot to go through." The group shifted into place. Ayu and Alonso stepped back to give her room, settling near the edge of the circle while keeping Jaro within sight. The bandit understood too well he wasn't going anywhere. Leonie stood straight, posture sharp, clearly comfortable in the centre of attention. She waited for the rustling to settle, then sent a light EM wave through the group—information they could all catch without Jaro hearing a thing.

"Instead of sharing everything at once with a pulse, let's move through it step by step," she said." First, the man we brought—Jaro—is a bandit we took captive after his crew jumped me near the forest's edge. We're keeping him for information, but stay alert around him at all times." A few nods went around the group as they stared at the odd bandit." From him," Leonie continued, " we've pieced together a rough picture of how this world works. Structurally, it resembles medieval Europe.

There's nobility—Barons, Counts, Dukes, Kings. Beneath them soldiers, squires, and knights.

According to Jaro's limited experience, the knights are the strongest existence he's ever heard of." Lukas leaned forward slightly, clearly interested in the stage's theme." The region we're in is called Gura Forest," Leonie went on." It sits under the control of Baron Hoggs. He owns most of what matters around here. Beyond his men, there are bandits, mercenaries, wanderers… and something they call adventurers."" Adventurers?" Lukas asked. Leonie shot him a grin and sent him a private pulse."

You'll enjoy this part." Then she addressed them all." You've probably noticed the creatures here don't drop orbs. Neither did the bandits we killed. In this world, nothing outside the Dungeons drops orbs. Only what's inside." Lukas sat straighter, eyes narrowing." Dungeons here are separate spaces—instances, you could say. Jaro only knows of the local one, Gura's Dungeon, but there are more. Why are they important? Everything suggests they're the core of this world's progression.

First, the orbs inside them are the only source of Stage Progress. Second, the creatures inside also drop items that give passive boosts."" You have to be kidding me," Lukas said, shaking his head with a half-smile. He looked almost nostalgic, as if remembering the video and table-top games he used to play back on Earth." The items dropped inside grant passive boosts like the ones we obtained on the last stage.

However, Jaro and his scouting crew do not know the specifics, since they have never entered the Dungeon and they are too poor to buy an item themselves," Leonie said." Too poor? There's money in this world?" Lukas asked, interest sharpening." Yes." Leonie pulled a coin from a hide bag at her belt." This is a Coppershard, the lowest currency here. Above that is the Silvermark, worth 700 Coppershards. We did not find any of those. All we got from this group, and all we have at the moment, is 168 Coppershards.""

Damn… coins, knights, dungeons, loot," Lukas said, grinning." Now we're talking."" So how do we get more coins? Through the Dungeon?" Leonhard asked." Coins work exactly as they would back on Earth at that time," Leonie replied." You can take jobs, sell things, trade for them… or steal them. And yes, selling items from the Dungeon seems to be one of the fastest ways to earn a good amount—at least according to our friend here."" Did you get a reference for the value of currency?"

Lukas asked, his tone shifting into something more serious." A good meal costs 5 to 7 Coppershards. A non-boosting sword costs around 60. The cheapest boost-granting item is 500 Coppershards.

And, probably more important for us, an entry pass for the Dungeon, which is sold for groups of seven, costs 3 Silvermarks."" Cost to enter the Dungeon? Who do we pay it to?" Leonhard asked with a slight frown." The Baron," Leonie said." His men collect a toll at the entrance."" Smart move," Lukas said, rubbing his chin." He must be swimming in coin from that alone. So, on to our power level in all this. How do we rank? How strong were those bandits?""

Their physical stats were similar to a four-tail Xok'al at best, although their poor offensive means and weak EM control place them below that," Leonie said." So yes, we are far stronger than them. We are clearly not at the bottom of the ladder in this stage."" Well, that is new for a change," Lukas said." We might be able to aim higher from the start, as long as we learn how things work and who to avoid," he added. He leaned back, eyes drifting toward the canopy above before returning to the group."

Does this bandit know anything about the power progression in this world? Which path do they follow? Body, Pillar, Fusion?" Leonie's expression shifted into something more measured." The natives are aware of both Stage Progress and the States." Everyone stared at her. Lukas' mouth opened a fraction before he closed it again." They can see the Stage Progress? The actual Stage and percentage?" Leonie nodded." Yes. According to Jaro, every native is born at 7% Stage Progress.

However they know nothing about it being Stage 1. Each orb they absorb increases that percentage in the same way it does for us."" That is unexpected," Chiara murmured. She had not anticipated natives following the same structural system as the challengers. It disrupted several of her working theories. However, all she had to work with for now were hypotheses. This story originates from a different website.

Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there." I see," Lukas said." But if these bandits have never entered the Dungeon, how are their stats high enough to compare to a four-tail Xok'al at only 7%?"" Orbs can be brought back from the Dungeon and are sold in the market," Leonie said." The simplest ones cost around 50 Coppershards. Since they come from powerful creatures, they hold strong benefits.

A single orb boosts a native several full percentages at the start, with diminishing gains after that, just like us."" Damn," Lukas said, leaning back." So it is a self-sustaining system with a market, growth from birth, and Dungeon supply. More realistic than the last stage for sure. Not sure if that is good or bad." He paused." You also mentioned States. Do they follow the Standard or Extreme?"" They know the Extremes.

According to Jaro, common folk around here follow the Body Path because it demands the least means and gives the fastest returns. Ayu confirmed that the Body States he knows of match exactly the Extreme Path we follow. For reference, the bandits we fought were all in the First Body State."" That weak?" Leonhard frowned." So this knowledge… it is public here? What about the other States?" Lukas asked."

Knowledge up to the Third Body State is public. Fusion seems reserved for nobles, knights, and certain adventurers. As for the Pillar Path, it appears to be linked to the church."" What!?" Chiara's eyes widened." The church? As in religion? Wait… Dark Ages, Europe… you mean like THE Church?" Leonie shrugged." There is a local church in the nearby settlement. They call their religion 'The Way'. It seems to be the dominant faith of this land. However, the bandit is not religious and does not know the details.

Only that they are well respected and no one dares mess with them." Lukas chuckled." Great. Next thing we know we will run into Crusaders! I wonder if any real historical figures will have influence in this stage's script," he said with a grin." Sounds fun, but let's stay cautious. Even if we are much stronger than the bandits, provoking any established power could trigger a chain reaction. Behind a Baron sits a Count, then a Duke, then a King. And behind a village church…

well, if this really mirrors the Dark Ages, we know how dangerous the Church can get."" So what we need now is more coins," Leonhard said." Indeed. We need coin, and we also need a background.

On the last stage we had the 'Outsider' label and no one cared, but here we must blend in and avoid drawing the wrong kind of attention," Leonie said." After speaking with our captive bandit, the most effective option seems to be registering as adventurers." Lukas nodded." Sounds good." Leonhard agreed, and the rest followed suit." However, there is a complication," Leonie continued."

To register as official adventurers we need to pay a fee of two Silvermarks, and we must show proof of at least one Dungeon clearance."" Well, that is not ideal," Lukas said." We are certainly short on coins." He turned to his sister with a knowing smile." But I am guessing you have a plan." Leonie grinned.

Brak sat deep in the cave's central hollow, a pair of girls hanging off his arms, both laughing at whatever crude tale he'd been spitting out between swigs of bitter ale. Smoke rolled under the low ceiling, torchlight throwing rough shadows across the stone. A few of his boys were gambling, others were busy with their own company. It was loud. Filthy. Exactly how he liked it. He leaned back on the great slab they used as a throne, boots up, big hammer resting against his knee. A good night. A rich night.

Tony's gang hadn't shown their faces in weeks, and the Baron's knights never bothered coming this far into the hills. He'd carved this hideout with blood and coin, and it was paying off. Then a faint ripple brushed his senses. One of his scouts outside had sent an odd, unfinished signal. Brak grunted, shoved the girls aside, and flicked a short pulse back. Nothing came in return. The laughter around him faded as his instincts snarled awake.

For a moment he thought of knights—silver-armoured bastards sneaking in for a raid. Or maybe adventurers eyeing their haul. Or worse, Tony's crew coming for payback.

"Oi," he barked, rising to his feet.

"Someone's pokin' where they shouldn't." The bandits scrambled, grabbing blades, crossbows, anything within reach. Brak's hammer felt warm in his hand, heavy enough to smash a boulder to pieces. He didn't wait for them to form up. He didn't care. The stash was worth more than all their lives combined.

"You lot finish 'em off," he growled. He didn't wait for their answer. He stormed down the narrow tunnel, boots pounding on packed dirt. The cave twisted into a darker passage, one only he knew about. The walls tightened. Air grew colder. And there, tucked behind a slab of false rock, sat the stash—two crates, a chest, and sacks stuffed with coins. His heart thudded hard with relief.

He hooked an arm around the chest's handle, slung the sacks across his shoulder, and kicked open the hidden path leading to the escape route. A narrow chute slanted upward, barely wide enough for one man. He started up it. And froze. A prickle ran down his spine. He could feel it. Someone was behind him. He spun around, hammer raised—and stopped breathing for a moment. A young man stood in the tunnel. Calm as still water. Two swords dripped blood onto the dirt floor. No knight armour, no crest, no guild mark.

But something about him was wrong. Very… wrong. How… how had he reached the inner tunnel? Past every man? Without a sound? That fast? And without a single wave giving him away!? Who the hell was he… Brak's throat dried. He forced himself to stand tall.

"Easy there, lad," he said, voice dropping into a slow rumble.

"No need fer stupid bloodshed. I'm a reasonable man. We can talk this through." The youth stepped closer, expression unreadable.

"Drop the stash," he said, voice low.

"Drop your gear. Walk away and you live." Brak nodded slowly.

"Right… right, lad. No trouble. Ye'll have it." Outwardly calm. Hands easing down. Voice steady. Inside, his thoughts snarled. Like hell I'm givin' up my life's haul. He stepped forward, moving as if to surrender. One hand lifted a coin sack, offering it across the narrow tunnel. Just as he reached arm's length, he flicked the sack up, throwing it straight at the youth's face. And unleashed everything. His hammer came roaring from below.

He triggered his skill—focus tightened to a needlepoint, all force channelled into a single violent burst that tore the ground open from the impact. Stone cracked. The tunnel walls shuddered. Dust blasted outward from the pressure wave. For a heartbeat, triumph bloomed. Then confusion. Then cold. His blade struck nothing. Only a fading remnant—an afterimage dissolving like heat haze. Pain speared through his chest. Another ripped across his throat. His hammer fell from limp fingers as his knees buckled.

The cave spun away in a smear of shadow and dust. The last thing he saw was the young man stepping past him, swords already clean. Then— darkness.

Alonso sent his waves through the stash. Plenty of coins. A couple of silverish ones mixed in. Not bad. He checked the bandit leader's gear, and to his surprise he was met with two prompts. Grade 01 - Scrap-Hide Vambrace Tempering State: 0 Physical aptitude +1% Pillar aptitude +1% Grade 01 - Stonebite Hammer Tempering State: 0 Physical aptitude +1% Pillar aptitude +1% Huh?