A flash of red light flickered, and the red spear emanated a profound glow.
The spear Sophia hurled blocked Alice's dagger. Right in front of Vale was Alice's ferocious face.
"Vale, are you satisfied with the great gift I gave you?" Alice spat out blood, soaking Vale's outer garment.
Soon, her injury bar reached 100%. As Alice fell to the ground, countless glittering treasures burst out from her body.
"Kid, take good care of these treasures for us!" When Philip saw the items dropping from Alice, his eyes turned red with greed, and he immediately rushed towards Vale's position.
Vale quickly stuffed the dropped loot into his backpack, and then, dragging his sister along, he made a dash towards the safe zone in the town.
Sophia was closer and soon caught up to Vale. She said from behind him, "Kid, hand over the dropped equipment, and we'll spare your life."
Vale sneered upon hearing this and replied, "Why should I give it to you? These are the items I looted from the boss."
Sophia let out a laugh like the tinkling of silver bells. "Huh? Just you, a level-0 newbie? Do you even know who this boss is? Don't tell me you landed the final blow on the boss?"
While checking the dropped equipment, Vale continued to stall for time. "You three, just a small group of players around level 70, actually dared to take on Alice."
"Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? If it hadn't been for my curse spell, how could you have defeated Alice so quickly!"
Sophia's expression changed abruptly. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something. "What! You were the one who unleashed that SSS-rank talent, the Bone Erosion Curse?"
Vale didn't answer. Instead, he immediately put on the dropped equipment, the "Wind Concealer."
In an instant, his entire body turned transparent, and he vanished from Sophia's sight.
After losing track of her target, Sophia came to a halt. At the same time, Philip, who had been chasing from behind, also stopped.
"Why did you stop chasing?" Philip asked in surprise.
Sophia shook her head and said, "He put on the Wind Concealer and turned invisible."
Philip's face was filled with shock upon hearing this. "What? How does he know the effect of this item? The special ability of this item is only known to top-notch gamers!"
"Maybe he's also a top player, just disguising himself with a low-level character. This kid is so lucky to have actually drawn an SSS-grade talent," Sophia said with a bitter smile.
Philip said resentfully, "Are we just going to let him go like this? How are we going to explain this to the guild master now?"
"There's no way around it. You know the effect of the Wind Concealer. During the duration of its special skill 'Concealment,' the player can't be targeted, and their character information can't be queried. "
"They're in an invisible state, so we really can't do anything about him for now. But I know his in-game nickname. We can go after him once the concealment effect wears off."
Upon hearing this, Philip's face darkened. "We must find this little guy. Alice had too many special items. If this kid really swallows them all for himself, it will affect the later stages of the game, and our Mr. Z's plan will also be impacted."
Soon Vale dashed back into Victoria City.
He immediately sought out a hidden corner and began to meditate.
To his relief, he felt his wounds healing slowly—the effect of the Blood Sacrifice Blade had finally worn off.
Victoria remained asleep beside him. By the time he opened his eyes again, his injury level had dropped to 50%.
"Finally a manageable threshold," he muttered, pushing to his feet. That's when he noticed Victoria stirring awake.
Victoria still looked confused, but suddenly she noticed the man before her resembled her brother, and upon seeing Vale's in-game nickname, she exclaimed joyfully,
"You're Vale?!" Then she threw herself into his arms, sobbing, "Vale, I saw our parents! They didn't die—they're alive, right here in this world!"
Vale stroked his sister's soft, fragrant hair as he spoke solemnly.
"Victoria, this is complicated. Long story short... I don't think we can go back to our old world. We have to live in the Chaotic Realm now. From now on, you must stick close to me."
Victoria's face paled with horror.
She frantically swiped down to wake the game menu and saw the logout button.
"Vale, you're lying—there's still an exit!" she cried, slamming her finger onto the button. A streak of light flashed, and Victoria was abruptly teleported back.
Vale shook his head and sighed. "Don't bother. I already tried. Not only can't we go back, but this game world is merging with our real world. And judging by the time..." Before he could finish, countless streaks of light began to crisscross the sky.
The streaks rapidly expanded from tiny dots into blazing fireballs. In an instant, Victoria City was swarmed with people—thousands upon thousands pouring in from nowhere.
"What's happening?"
"What the hell? I was just shopping with my wife!"
"What's going on? I was just playing a game!"
Chaotic voices erupted from the center of the square.
Suddenly, a massive stone statue floated into the air, addressing the ant-like crowd with a booming voice:
"Welcome to the Chaotic Realm, your second home. From this moment, each of you is a member of the Corporation. You must strive to survive by earning Chaotic Coins to exchange for essential supplies."
"What the hell is this?"
"Fuck off, send me back right now or you'll regret it!"
Many young people below protested indignantly. The stone statue spoke again: "In the Chaotic Realm, the first rule is absolute obedience. You must submit to the Corporation's laws, or you will die immediately."
The angry young man from earlier immediately pointed at the statue and cursed: "Go to hell! Get down here, you bitch, and let me show you my fist!"
A golden light flashed in the statue's eyes. Its finger slashed through the air toward the defiant man, and a golden greatsword tore through the sky, slamming into the ground.
Blood sprayed across the scene, and the blast even killed nearby bystanders. "This is the consequence of defiance," the statue sneered. "Who else dares to disobey?"
The murmurs in the crowd quickly died down. Soon, many fell to their knees, accepting their fate.
The stone statue nodded in satisfaction, then waved its hand toward the senior player in a black uniform floating in the air.
"Victoria City is now under your jurisdiction, Bob. Remember: from this moment, each person may only receive 100g of bread and 500ml of water per day. "
"In three days, everyone must use Chaotic Coins to purchase survival supplies. In half a month, each employee must pay 10 Chaotic Coins per week. Those who disobey will die."
The Red Swordsman Bob immediately nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Z. I will manage my subordinates well."
The stone statue vanished soon after.
Then, Sophia, wielding a long spear, hovered before the crowd and declared,
"Now, I have an announcement: anyone who can find a player with the nickname 'Vale' or claiming to be Vale will receive 10,000 Chaotic Coins for free and gain the protection of Lord Bob, the city governor."
The crowd broke into astonished gasps, whispering among themselves about who this "Vale" could be.
In a shadowy corner, Vale, who had been watching silently, tensed.
"This place isn't safe for us anymore," he murmured. "Our primary objective is to level up. Only at higher levels can we hope to survive in this world."
"We need to find a way to sneak out of the city. With our current strength, if Sophia catches us, we're as good as dead."
Victoria nodded firmly. "I'll follow your lead, brother."
Vale fastened the Wind Concealer cape, slipping into stealth almost instantly.
In the team channel, he murmured to Victoria, "Stay close. I'm invisible—they can't see me." She nodded, and he sent a follow request.
The moment she accepted, they began sprinting toward the city gates.
They were less than a kilometer from the exit when a seductive voice cut through the air:
"Well, if it isn't Victoria? Come here and serve Mr. Poney with me. I'll make sure he gives you an extra slice of bread every day."
Victoria spun around and recognized Lisa, the bullying ringleader from her high school.
In an instant, a group of women surrounded her. Lisa sauntered forward with a senior player clad in black armor, wielding a greatsword, and sneered, "Kneel down and let our captain smell how sweet you are."
Pony twirled his mace, the metal tip scraping against the ground with a grating screech. His gaze raked over her as he smirked,
"I hear you're desperate for protection. Prove your usefulness—make yourself indispensable to me, and you might earn a place under my shield."