Dark Magician Isekai: Return and make Fantasy World into a VR Game

Little had Hal and his gang of former bandits known that there would be another wave of skeletons waiting for them as they rushed to the Town Hall.

That's right. While the former bandits were tangling with the large player group, the smaller group of players led by Unceasing Entropy had already made their way ahead of them.

Due to the light weight of the skeletons' bodies, once the players became accustomed to controlling them, they could easily become swift as the wind, with speeds no slower than professional powerhouses of this world.

Originally, this mishmash group of players had only intended to take the opportunity to interact with the NPCs. But upon seeing the NPCs fleeing in a sorry state with chasing players shouting to take them down, it became obvious what the right course of action was. In an instant, they transitioned from lawful neutral to chaotic evil, eagerly grabbing their weapons and joining the fray.

If it wasn't for the fact that players from the larger pursuing group were indignant about "mobs being stolen" and attacked the mishmash players that were vying for equipment drops, sparking yet another internal conflict among the players, Hal and the others might not have been able to escape unscathed and made it safely into the building.

What followed was a chaotic battle that raged throughout the night, with both sides encircling the only earthen house in the town…

In theory, even if three hundred players came online in perfect formation and worked together to "subdue" these eighteen former bandits, it would be impossible to completely wipe them out. Players were all "empty characters" that hadn't yet changed jobs or had any skills or long-range attack capabilities.

If Hal and the others really wanted to escape the battlefield, players would actually have no way to stop them, especially considering that many players were already offline.

However, the former bandits had no intention of fleeing in the first place. They didn't only intend to eliminate Yang Qiu but also desired to plunder a whole lot before leaving.

Upon discovering that Yang Qiu hadn't spent the night in the Town Hall, the former bandits were still unwilling to give up. They made several attempts to break the player group apart… and were, unsurprisingly, dragged into a grueling war of attrition.

Would players be afraid of attrition?

Would players accept battle losses and move on?

Most certainly not.

Those that dropped equipment were monsters, and comrades that snatched equipment were all scum. Players wished to first clear the field of all competition before farming monsters in peace.

Therefore, the former bandits' attempt to ruthlessly slaughter a bunch of undead and scare off the rest was wishful thinking.

Furthermore, the players that were slain and kicked offline could come back after one hour of game time…

And that was not to mention that the players were so crazy that they still only thought about snatching equipment even while being stuck down…

When Yang Qiu "logged in," not a single one of these eighteen former bandits had a complete set of equipment on them.

Hal Maxwell, who had the highest combat prowess of all the former Sacred Crows, only had half a suit of armor and a longsword in hand. His helmet and wrist guards had disappeared without a trace.

Tuttle Joe, the second strongest, had everything else snatched away except for his beloved longbow. Even his stylish earring had been lost somewhere.

Finley's belt and the dagger at his waist were nowhere to be found, so he had to tie his pants with a shoelace.

Jerome, who dressed like a tin can, seemed relatively intact, except that his hands were empty…

This group of former bandits who appeared as if they had been plundered, with their ashen, defeated faces, and doubt-filled eyes, were truly a heart-wrenching sight to behold.

Yang Qiu didn't know how to react after listening to Hal's tearful confession.

He didn't know whether to praise these former bandits for their courage and audacity or to pity them for their lack of foresight.

Without even the ability to create a quest panel, they dared to deceive and try to exploit the Fourth Crisis that even Yang Qiu himself handled with caution?!

This bunch of walking natural disasters could obediently work and build houses without throwing cement blocks at one another or wasting "public resources" by piling up bricks in open spaces to express various memes.

All of this was because Yang Qiu had diligently maintained the in-game economic system and the ability to monetize copper coins, forcing the Fourth Crisis to kneel down and labor away earnestly!

To prevent these "advanced NPCs" from being killed by bored players committing senseless crimes, Yang Qiu had even gone as far as introducing the clause of "classes being unplayable if a certain NPC dies."

And yet, this bunch had willingly gone and put a loaded gun in the players' hands. How eager were they to die?!

Gamers killing their faction's leaders, chopping down sect leaders, annihilating all the NPCs of a whole town—such things were common!

Yang Qiu reset his emotions and revealed a slight smile.

This benevolent smile… sent a shiver down Hal's spine.

"I don't care about your betrayals," said Yang Qiu kindly. "From the beginning, I never expected to gain anyone's loyalty, be it from our undead friends or you all."

Hal suppressed his fear and mustered up the courage to speak, "Mr. Yang, w-we… really can't accept coexisting with these evil creatures. I-if you don't mind—"

"I don't mind. Of course, I don't mind. You guys wish to leave, am I right? That isn't an excessive request. Our initial agreement didn't include forcing you guys to stay in Taranthan," Yang Qiu maintained his smile and replied.

Some life immediately returned into the eyes of this crestfallen bunch of former bandits as they sat up straight and looked toward Yang Qiu eagerly.

"Settle the bill, and you guys can leave." Yang Qiu nodded and took out a scroll.

"The bill?!" Hal was dumbfounded.

"That's right." Yang Qiu nodded again and said matter-of-factly, "When you guys worked for me, and for Taranthan, the supplies you received were naturally free. But since you guys no longer want to work, then paying up is a must. There's no such thing as a free lunch, after all. Do I have to be the one to teach you all that?"

The former bandits: "…"

Yang Qiu unfurled the scroll and calmly began making calculations. "Let's start with the cheapest consumables. Firstly, toilet paper. Even in the royal capital of the Rhine Kingdom, only the wealthy can afford such soft, flawless toilet paper that doesn't disintegrate. Of course, I won't charge the original price. Let's say it's one silver coin per roll.

"Next up are textiles. I won't count the towels, even though the ones I provide you guys are the sort that the noble class in the Rhine Kingdom uses, but there's no need for us to be so nitpicky. Let's just take into account blankets and finely woven undergarments…

"Shampoo, soap, shower gel, razors, and blades…

"As for instant noodles, I won't count the cost of the noodles themselves, just the spices inside…

"Bread can be considered a welfare gift, but the various tidbits have to be paid…"

Yang Qiu meticulously went through the accounts and then cheerfully handed the scroll to Hal. "Double-check if there are any mistakes or omissions, Hal. If everything is in order, settle the bill, and you guys can leave."

Hal plopped down on the ground.

Tuttle, Finley, and the others had frozen expressions on their faces.

Not even the sound of breathing could be heard from the eighteen of them, and the shouts and curses from the players outside seemed all the more shrill…

This world wasn't an ignorant and primitive world that had nothing. The Kenyan Empire's steam-powered oceanic ships traveled to places beyond the continent regularly, and in more densely populated areas, various airships could often be seen in the sky.

Firearms, wired telephones, industrial textile machinery, magic-power steam trains, steam cars, and other industrial or magic products weren't too rare in the major cities of the Rhine Kingdom.

This world had productivity, and a small minority could enjoy a level of modern convenience not inferior to that of Earth's early 20th century.

But just like how 99% of the Earth's population would only see new clothes during festive occasions before global factories sprouted in the East and flooded the international market dominated by old-fashioned capitalists, driving down prices of all mass-produced goods, for the vast majority of people in this otherworld, many everyday products were still considered luxury items despite the advent of industrial assembly lines.

A servant serving the nobles in the Rhine Kingdom's capital would require two months' worth of wages to purchase even the cheapest of pens.

A popular printed novel from the Kenyan Empire would require an ordinary worker to save up for a few months.

A nobleman in the countryside would have to make preparations six months in advance if he wanted to attend an important social event in the city, including ordering a decent set of formal attire, hiring presentable servants, arranging a carriage.

An elderly woman living in the Rhine Kingdom's capital who wanted to visit her daughter in another town would have to save up for a year in advance for travel expenses and gifts for her daughter.

The concept of industrial productivity actually didn't benefit many if there wasn't a terrifying rate of globalization.

Earth's beacon of civilization, which could provide a superior minimum standard of living for all citizens, was built on the basis of exploiting nations worldwide—just a look at their neighbor Thailand showed how much the latter was exploited.

Furthermore, as everyone knew, the main reason why long-established capitalist countries were willing to provide basic social welfare was summed up by Che Guevara's quote. "Because we have been there"…

In short, though Yang Qiu was seemingly stingy—only providing these former bandits with surplus goods from the supermarket, filling them up with expired bread, instant noodles, biscuits, snacks, starch, and sausages—calculating the cost of it all based on prices in this world would definitely be an unbearable burden for these bandits that had camped in the mountains for many years.

Hal didn't even dare take the scroll. After roughly estimating the living expenses they would have to fork out, he tearfully knelt down and said, "I'm sorry. Please allow us to continue working for you."

"Not leaving anymore?" Yang Qiu smiled.

"No." Hal shook his head firmly.

"And what about the rest of you? Not leaving either?" Yang Qiu asked the others kindly.

Tuttle, Finley, and the others had pale faces and shook their heads in unison, saying, "No. Not leaving."

"Alright." Yang Qiu calmly rolled up the scroll, still maintaining his warm and friendly smile. "I'm not an unreasonable person. In the future, if you guys want to leave, just tell me straight up without causing so much trouble."

"No, no, no! We never want to leave. We love Taranthan!" the former bandits expressed their unwavering determination.

"Don't rush into a decision. Think it over before making a stance. I will keep a good record of everything, so don't worry. What's forced is seldom enjoyed. Let's part on good terms if you guys ever want to." Yang Qiu chuckled.

"No, no, we really don't want to leave!" The former bandits were practically willing to dig out their hearts to prove it.

Yang Qiu simply smiled and nodded, choosing to believe these guys. He considered himself an easygoing person and wouldn't keep a close eye on them except for working hours. Regardless of how they might stir things up, he had prepared conditions these former bandits couldn't refuse.

With someone as principled and resolute as himself, he didn't fear being unable to find anyone to work for him!

"Now that we've reached an understanding, let's put this matter completely behind us. There's no need for further investigations or blame. We're all friends, and it's just not worth it. I will now comfort our departed friends. As for you guys, go freshen up, splash some cold water on your faces, and get yourselves ready to continue working."

At this moment, the former bandits all had constipated expressions. Just moments ago, they had been slashing and hacking at the undead all night, and now they were expected to act as if nothing had happened. Wasn't this truly a challenge to their capacity for accepting things?!

Without any consideration for the fragile spirits of the former bandits, Yang Qiu immediately immersed himself in the imprint matrix and issued an announcement to the players online:

———

System Announcement:

Dynamic quest [Rebellion Suppression] is over.

Due to the emergence of an underground spider nest, unrest has spread within Exile Town, leading to advanced NPCs showing intent to defect.

Players have successfully suppressed the rebellion. All players who logged into the game during the dynamic quest will receive 100 Exile Town prestige, and all players who participated in the battles during the dynamic quest will receive additional 500 Exile Town prestige.

Dropped equipment is to be managed according to players' own discretion.

Players who caused damage to the public property of Exile Town during the dynamic quest will have 100 Exile Town prestige deducted.

Thank you for your active participation. Players can check the gained or deducted territory prestige points in their character panel.

Appendix: During non-quest periods, maliciously attacking advanced NPCs will result in the deduction of all Exile Town prestige and account suspension.

———

As soon as the announcement was made, the players outside the Town Hall who had been incessantly cursing and urging the NPCs to engage in combat fell silent.

"So, this was a dynamic quest? Damn, developers are so lazy. No hints were given out before the quest started?"

"Thank goodness I logged in early today and managed to take part in a wave of battles. Otherwise, I would have fallen behind in territory prestige."

"Fighting all night grants the same rewards as those who only fought one or two battles? That's so unfair!"

"Don't act all innocent after obviously profiting from it! How much equipment have you all obtained!"

"Everyone, gather up. It's time to auction off the equipment!"

"Don't rush with the auction first. Some of those that died haven't logged back in yet."

"I'm so exhausted. Can someone help me collect my share of the auction earnings?"

The players dispersed while clamoring among themselves. Yang Qiu glanced outside through the battered wooden door and signaled the former bandits to move the furniture back in place.

Hal and the gang didn't dare to rush out too quickly. They took their time restoring the furniture to its original state and even found excuses to help Yang Qiu tidy up a bit. After some time, they finally poked their heads out cautiously, maintaining their battle formation as they scanned the area.

The undead had indeed dispersed, and not a single skeleton remained outside.

The bunch of former bandits still didn't dare leave their cover and all looked back toward Yang Qiu with doubt and hesitation.

"Go back and freshen up. Don't worry, our undead friends won't attack you again." Yang Qiu waved them off.

The former bandits had no choice but to form small groups of twos and threes and returned to their respective tents.

The three compatriots of the Wanderer Class, Hal, Tuttle, and Finley, huddled together and made their way back to the Wanderer Guild's construction site. However, rather than feeling relieved upon seeing their familiar posts, they collectively froze upon witnessing the situation in their area of jurisdiction.

As quite a number of players did quests at this site, a small, considerable square had already been set up. The mishmash group of casual players that relied on Unceasing Entropy's command and the lead of Yang Ying, Tang Jia, and Ji Tang had gotten a breakthrough during the fracas and managed to snatch quite some scraps. Now, they had chosen this location to auction off the spoils of war.

As the three job instructors returned to their posts, they saw Tang Jia, ID Stuffed Gummy, hold the short dagger she had snatched from Finley and shout loudly, "White-quality dagger! Although a white rarity without special effects, its attack is quite high and has a comfortable grip. Can be used as an off-hand weapon. Starting bid at 10 copper coins!"

"12!"

"15!"

"20!"

"20 going once, any more bids? This is good stuff dropped by Treasure Expert Finley! You won't find another such opportunity if you miss it!"

Yang Ying nudged Ji Tang, who was sitting next to her. "Didn't you say that this dagger has a nice grip? Make a bid."

"I don't have money…"

"It's okay, I'll lend you some."

Ji Tang quickly raised his hand. "21!"

"21, going once! Any more bids? This is the dagger that Finley used!" Tang Jia shouted enthusiastically.

Among the three stunned individuals on the street, Finley's face suddenly came to life…

"Calm down, Finley!" Hal and Tuttle quickly held on to their dear friend from both sides. "Don't act impulsively!"

Daggers were popular weapons in most traditional PC online games, but in this full-immersive game, the length of the weapon actually had a significant impact on a player's combat effectiveness. So, even though Finley had carefully maintained this favorite dagger of his for years, it still couldn't fetch a high price. In the end, Ji Tang won it for 26 copper coins.

After auctioning off the dagger, Tang Jia raised another item… a wrist guard covered with some unknown beast's hide. With an even louder voice and a more passionate tone, she shouted, "Pay attention, everyone! It's time for the highlight!

"An excellent wrist guard dropped by the Assassin Instructor Hal Maxwell. It has a tenacity effect that makes it indestructible by blades and impervious to arrows! Although we only managed to grab one and the other was taken by Give Me Medicine, it doesn't matter because they can still be used individually. I have already tested it, and the effect is fantastic!"

Hal. "…"

Hal's equipment could be considered top-notch among the former bandits, with every piece of his from head to toe enchanted by an alchemist before. Those wrist guards were enchanted with tenacity runes, making them not only lightweight and flexible but also capable of withstanding the bites of large monsters.

An overwhelming surge of anger rose from the depths of Hal's heart when he saw his wrist guards desecrated by the filthy undead. With a swift motion, he unsheathed his longsword…

"Forget it, Hal! Let it go!" This time, it was Finley and Tuttle who struggled to restrain Hal.

This mishmash group of players was indeed smaller in size and consisted mostly of laborers. Compared to the groups led by Brother Lahong and Vanilla Pudding, their combat power was slightly inferior. Even though Ji Tang, a rather strong ally, had joined them, they still hadn't managed to snatch many valuable items. Apart from Hal's wrist guard (singular) fetching a premium of over 100 copper coins, the subsequent miscellaneous items were auctioned off at prices ranging from 20 to 30 copper coins each.

These players, with a complete disregard for others, auctioned off the items in front of the unfortunate owners for slightly over half an hour before finally the auction concluded, and they happily went their separate ways after sharing the spoils…

Hal couldn't remember how he endured this day. The undead, who had brutally fought and relentlessly stripped the former bandits of their equipment during the previous night, now acted as if they had amnesia and casually conversed with them and requested and submitted quests.

As if that wasn't enough, what made Hal's blood boil was that these undead beings shamelessly mentioned everything that occurred on the previous night while completing their assigned quests right in front of them!

"Whoa, for real? You guys robbed NPCs?!"

"What do you mean 'robbed'? They were drops from fighting mobs, and there's territory prestige too!"

The skeleton glanced at Hal, then asked his companion, "But the NPCs are still here, right? Did they respawn after you guys farmed them? Was the uniqueness of advanced NPCs in the previous update announcement false?"

"We didn't slay them. Monsters in this game are different from ones in traditional games. They can drop equipment if you manage to attack them," another skeleton chimed in enviously. "Hal dropped some excellent gear. It's a pity our team didn't manage to seize any. One of his wrist guards was taken by Vanilla's team, and the casual players' team took the other. Vanilla's side got the helmet too."

At his post, Hal was seething with anger and gritted his teeth to prevent an outburst.

The skeleton that was asking the questions nodded. "Ah, I see. So that's why this NPC seems different today compared to yesterday. No wonder it's called a unique NPC. The dropped equipment doesn't refresh. And if killed, he can't be revived."

"Yeah. Thankfully, we don't have to kill them to get the equipment. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do my assassin job advancement, and all the reputation I was grinding would be for nothing."

Suddenly, the fuming Hal felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been doused on him.

This former audacious and fearless leader of a bandit gang cautiously glanced at the two skeletons that were casually discussing his own mortality. Worried that they might notice, he then forced himself to look away.

He really shouldn't have believed that damned black mage's nonsense and come to Taranthan in the first place!

Regret filled Hal's heart, leaving a bitter taste…

As Yang Qiu consumed mana to craft runes and meditated to recover, he observed the interactions between the advanced NPCs and the players.

There wasn't much to say about the players. The Fourth Crisis was a group that constantly shifted between lawful good and chaotic evil.

As for the former bandits… After having experienced the players' chaos first hand, they had become rather earnest.

The uniqueness of the advanced NPCs was tied to job advancement reputation, which was a form of protection that Yang Qiu provided for the former bandits. As long as the former bandits didn't act recklessly, the likelihood of players actively attacking them was low.

For example, players who had diligently earned reputation with the Assassins Instructor would naturally protect their own job instructor, and the higher the reputation a player earned, the stronger their inclination to protect their instructor would be.

After all, even though he had disguised this other world as a game, Yang Qiu didn't want their fellow Earthlings to unwittingly become murderers.

Well, it seems fine for now, but once this precedent is set, some players will inevitably get weird ideas and figure out means to loot equipment without killing NPCs, Yang Qiu mused, stroking his chin.

If I push these thieves too hard and rely solely on exploiti… accountability, it will be difficult to keep them in line for long.

A positive environment where attacking NPCs is only permissible under exceptional circumstances has to be established, whereby the protection of NPCs is mandatory.

"Alright then, it's time to introduce civilian NPCs!" Yang Qiu rose from his seat and adjusted his robes.