Sword Among Us

Once night fell, Happy and his group found a place in the forest to set up camp. They also went wild and dealt with the mountain bandits in the stronghold nearby. Happy told Xu Lang and Ghost’s Worry to keep night watch before he took the time to log off.

During the time they set up camp and rested, the quest temporarily came to a stop, and they could leave the game during that time.

“Damn it, what is with this quest?!”

The moment he took off his VR Helmet, Happy heard Qi Ci curse angrily in the dorm. He was raging against the storyline quest launched by the official developers.

Happy jumped down from the bed and exercised his body. He then asked, “What’s wrong?”

When he heard movement, Bai Lang turned his head around and cast Happy a glance while sitting in front of his computer.

“What else? Our tribute was stolen.”

Happy was stunned, then he instinctively comforted Qi Ci. “If it’s stolen, then let it be. Just think of a way to steal it back.”

“Heh heh.”

Bai Lang looked as if this matter had nothing to do with him. With his ankle on his knee in front of his computer, he answered in place of Qi Ci in a frivolous manner.

“The main point is that Old Seven was supposed to be the one stealing, but once he stole the tribute, his group lingered around like noobs, and in the end, his target called the brothers under his master and killed them after surrounding them. They lost their stolen goods, and the group protecting the tribute fled without a trace.”

Happy stopped moving, stupefied. He stared at Qi Ci incredulously while the latter smiled bitterly with an awkward expression. He truly could do nothing about this if that were the case.

He had lost his tribute and was killed, and his target had even fled into the distance. He lost everything in terms of the climate, geography, and the support of his group. Basically, Qi Ci could already announce giving up on the quest ahead of time.

“I didn’t expect that they would catch up so soon. I just wanted to see if I could make him drop his weapon…” Qi Ci covered his face in shame.

“Alright. Forget about the quest this time. Go back, search for a place, and just train. While the rewards for the quest are good, you have very few chances to practice your martial arts. It’ll be better if you seize the time to increase your qi realm and nurse yourself back to health. At least you got something good out of your misfortune,” Happy said in a voice full of resignation.

Qi Ci sighed. “Ah, that’s the only thing I can do.”

“There’s no point in you sighing about this. I have to say, there are quite a lot of people who have ended up the same as you.” Bai Lang remained seated in front of his computer while he scrolled down with his mouse and spoke without turning his head back.

“The players who successfully stole the tributes will have a bounty placed on their heads, and all players will know about this until the thieves bring the stolen goods back to their sects or clans to report and complete the quest. The thieves’ precise location will be known to all. And as long as the players manage to kill those who stole the tribute, they can get that tributes themselves… Tsk, tsk!”

Qi Ci’s eyes lit up once he heard this, and he quickly went over to look.

“Where’s the information? Let me see.”

“Here.”

When Bai Lang clicked the thread, Happy moved to their side with a calm expression. He swept through the general contents of the thread and came to a realization.

‘Not bad…’

Players could make the quests they received from their sects or clans—which asked them to steal the tributes from their enemy—progress to the point where they could snatch all the items that were to be offered as tribute. The quest would then be named Greedy Ambition!

The players could get to know the value of the items offered as tribute once they got their hands on the tribute. Then, they would get a notification from their Evil Conscience [1]. [Steal the tributes from the other sects and claim them as your own.]

Even though this was a notification from the Evil Conscience, it still meant that the system had greenlit their path, and they could legitimately snatch more benefits and treasures!

It had to be known that the tributes were all valuable items.

There were high-tier martial art manuals, masterpieces, valuable jewels, chests of gold, rare treasures, medicine with miraculous effects, and all sorts of other things that were very useful to players.

Happy remembered that when he received the news last time, all the players in the game had been stunned, and then they descended into madness because of it!

Countless players joined in, regardless of whether they received the quest to protect the tribute or to steal one. Those who were tasked to protect the tributes took the initiative to ‘lose’ the tribute, and they would madly chase after the thieves in the game. Regardless of which sect they belonged to, whether they knew them, and where they were, once they found their target, their eyes would become bloodshot with lust, and they would rush to seize the benefits before them.

In the end, before the storyline was revealed, the world of martial artists became a bloody mess, and the players slaughtered each other until the game was in a state of chaos!

Just when all the sects and clans killed each other until no one could get the upper hand, the people from the Forest Union, who were the people who had been manipulating the scenes for the tributes, quietly extended their hands, and with absolute power, they instantly swept away most of the tributes from the players’ hands. Because of the constant fights, most of the players’ fighting power had been reduced, and they could only watch helplessly as the Forest Union butted in this matter. They could do nothing to fight back.

It was also because of them not being able to fight back that the storyline quest of banditry spreading across the land was officially launched.

Countless players who had been blinded by temporary greed and ambition began to reflect on their actions. Then, under the call of the major sects and the court, they pulled themselves together and regrouped for battle! They began to engage Forest Union in battles of wit and courage!

In the end…

At that time, Happy did not pay any attention to the harsh battle that lasted for months.

However, he remembered that two powerful players would swiftly come into prominence in and become brilliant comets that led the world of martial artists for a period of time. One of them was one of the thirteen aces—Wind Void—and the other was one of the three kings—King Asura. They would establish a foundation and strength that the people later on would find very difficult to shake.

“Whoa, if we manage to snatch a few tribute boxes, doesn’t that mean that we’ll make great headway in the game?!”

When he saw the shocking news written on the thread, Qi Ci’s breathing instantly became quick. He grew incredibly excited.

Before Happy could speak, Bai Lang calmly said, “What’s so good about getting the tributes? The players who received the quest to either protect or steal them number to millions or tens of millions. With so much good stuff there, it’ll destroy the balance in the game! Didn’t you notice the remarks written on the tribute boxes? Until the emperor’s birthday, all the tributes cannot be used or placed in the bank.”

When he heard Bai Lang’s analysis, Happy felt his eyes brighten, and he cast Bai Lang another glance. It was full of surprise and curiosity.

He did not seem to remember Bai Lang ever saying this before. Could it be that the rapid advancement of South China Martial Artists Ranking Board had made Bai Lang’s thought processes and view of the overall situation change as well?

The two people did not notice Happy’s change.

“What do you mean?”

Once Bai Lang gave Qi Ci the hint, Qi Ci seemed to have realized something.

“We can’t take those things. Don’t even think about it. You just died once, so don’t join in the mess. If you aren’t strong, even if it’s really something good, you won’t be able to get it. Why don’t you just set your mind on practicing your martial arts? Your rewards might be greater than other people’s.”

“I agree,” Happy voiced his agreement from the side.

When Happy and Bai Lang spoke one after another, Qi Ci listened, and he found that he was not confident in this matter either. In the end, he gave up on his thoughts about stealing the tributes.

*****

However, Happy was reminded of a matter because of the information online. Once he dealt with dinner, he quickly returned to the game.

Right then, the news of being able to snatch an endless supply of tributes had already spread across the net. Not only was a tribute in even greater danger now, no one would be able to avoid the bloodbath. All the people would be dragged into the mess, and when he thought about the chaotic and dangerous situation that would erupt after the battles that were bound to descend on them, Happy became anxious as well.

‘No matter what, I have to think of a way to survive through this storm!’