Some time after leaving the village, I continued along the same path. Evening was approaching, and I still hadn't eaten or drunk anything. As I walked toward the spot where I would meet Lie, I noticed her walking in the same direction with her eyes on the ground. When I saw her, I called out her name. She turned her face toward me and lit up, immediately running to my side.
"Rei! Where have you been? I was worried! I was just about to come looking for you!"
"Sorry. I had some things to take care of."
"So how did it go?"
"It went well. I gained some strategic advantages."
"What kind of things? Tell me. You always leave out the details."
I told her part of my plan. Lie was delighted and threw her hands up in the air.
"Seriously? Other races are going to help us in the battle? That's amazing, then!"
"By the way, I have ten thousand game coins. Let's go buy some food from the village."
"I have an apple too. Do you want it?"
Lie pulled out a red apple from her pocket. I took it immediately and ate it in a few bites. It was obvious I was hungry.
"You really were hungry. You didn't eat there?"
"No. I couldn't."
"Poor you."
"What are you talking about? Come on. Let's head to the village."
Lie giggled at her own joke and kept walking beside me. I checked the teams on my phone. Premeus's team had already grown to fifteen people.
Meanwhile, on Premeus's side:
One of his men was watching Rei and Lie walking through the forest with binoculars. Using the walkie-talkie feature on the phone, he informed them that they were heading toward the village. Hearing the information, Premeus confirmed the situation. He was inside the royal building, thinking about what to do. Haru, who was beside him, decided to voice his suggestion.
"My lord, what if we do this? Go to the village. Let's prepare someone and stage an incident. Beat the man a little under the pretense of him having done something wrong. The person we've arranged for the setup will use emotional manipulation. He'll secretly tell Rei he harbors hostility toward you and that he wants to take revenge on you. Because emotional connection carries meaning, Rei will accept him. Then we use that man as a spy to gather information. At the same time, they won't be sleeping in the village tonight. If he can manage it, the man will also sleep near them and tell us their location. Then we can attempt an assassination. What do you think of the idea, my lord? This way, you'll rise even higher."
Premeus thought for a moment, trying to understand Haru's idea.
"Do you think it'll work, Haru?"
"Yes, I'm certain it will be very effective, my lord. It'll double your reputation, just as you deserve."
"Well said. You speak well as my aide. Exactly as I deserve! Alright then. Let's go with this tactic, Haru. Prepare the men."
"Right away, my lord!"
On Rei's side:
We had arrived at the village. I bought decent-looking food from the market, spending a total of one hundred game coins. I handed half the food to Lie, and we started eating as we walked together.
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"This tastes pretty good!"
As we kept walking, we saw Premeus kicking a village member. The man was writhing in pain.
"How dare you wrong me, you filthy peasant!"
"My lord, please! I beg you!"
The beating continued for a short while. Then Premeus walked away, acting as if he had never seen me. Lie kept staring at Premeus's figure from behind.
"What a disgusting man..."
"Let's go to the game area, Lie. I want to check it out."
"Rei, why don't you show any reaction? A man was just beaten right in front of you. You always act like this in strategic situations. Are you some kind of stoicism supporter?"
"I don't understand that kind of thing. Reacting to things beyond my control is pointless. Let's go."
Lie let out an annoyed breath. We started leaving the village and made our way toward the game area. As we slipped through the crowd, the man who had been beaten approached me. He said he knew about our game. He said he wanted revenge and begged me to add him to my team.
I thought for a moment. I accepted his request and sent a team invitation. The man accepted the team invitation on his phone and offered his thanks.
"What's your name?"
"Bakugan, sir. Thank you!"
"Alright. We'll talk more tomorrow."
"Can I come with you? Where are you going?"
"We're going to spend some time alone. Sorry."
"What, like... romantic stuff?"
The man chuckled to himself. The two of us just stared at him with indifference. When he saw we weren't laughing, he stopped.
"Alright then. I'll head off. We'll discuss the details tomorrow."
The man walked away from us. We continued walking together. Lie gently touched my right shoulder and began looking at me with worried eyes.
"Rei, are you sure? I wish you hadn't accepted so quickly. What if he's a spy?"
"He is a spy."
"How do you know?"
"I don't believe in coincidences in strategic moments. This situation was staged by them. But I doubt that man realizes it. It's probably Haru's doing."
"Is Haru really that cunning?"
"Yes, you could say so. But the real question is this: Haru knows I'm strong at this kind of thing, yet he also knows I won't be easily fooled. In fact, he might even expect me to accept and use it for my own gain. He might be planning something accordingly. We'll see what happens."
"You seem like you enjoy these situations, Rei."
"Yeah. I think I do. I enjoy them."
"What if we deliberately give them incomplete information?"
"That's what I'm thinking too, but it might be superficial against Haru. You can't really say we're fully fighting Haru, but he's directing that man from behind the scenes. Premeus won't listen to him completely, so we still have that kind of advantage."
"Is Haru really that smart?"
"Yes. Like I said. He's dangerous."
"I understand. Let's head to the area."
Lie nodded. After a while, we arrived at the game area and began examining the surroundings. I moved behind the opponent's mountain. The back of the mountain looked nearly impossible to climb. There was a bridge between the mountains, just as it was described. The valley between the mountains was wide, full of greenery, with trees everywhere. As I examined the area, I could hear the sounds of insects. The sounds of the insects almost reminded me that I was still alive.
The back side of the opponent's mountain will be useful...
"There doesn't seem to be anything unusual, Rei."
"Let's head behind the mountain on the right."
We moved behind the mountain on the right. While Lie focused on the mountain, I marked the orb's save point at the base of a tree. This was where I would be reborn if I died.
"Climbing up to the flag from the back looks almost impossible, Rei. It doesn't seem like they'd station anyone here. There doesn't seem to be a need."
"You're right. Now let's check behind our mountain."
"Alright. Let's go."
I looked behind the mountain on the left. The back of this mountain was identical to the one on the right. They were the same shape. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the mountain's location in the regions section. It showed the name of the area I was standing at. This area was called the Twin Mountains.
"This place is called the Twin Mountains, Lie."
"No wonder they're called twins..."
"By the way, you said you have ten thousand coins. Should we rent a room in the village?"
"No. The opponent's goal isn't just to win the game. It's to kill me. They'd want to do that even outside of winning the game. There could be an assassination attempt. That's why we won't be staying in the village for a while."
"I see. You're right."
"I also don't plan on staying in the same place for too long. Let's head to that cave in the valley up ahead. Sound good?"
"Alright. Let's go."
I checked my phone again and looked at the teams. The opposing team had already reached twenty people. The first day hadn't even come to an end yet.