...

Meanwhile, somewhere in Amaharpe...

In a winter land located to the far north of Amaharpe, five individuals gathered around a campfire in the snow-covered forest. Four others that were assigned guard duty stood around the makeshift campsite with a look of vigilance.

"Heh, this is too easy. Won't we be done sooner than expected?" One of the men sat near the campfire said with a chuckle.

Smack!

The one who just spoke had the back of their head smacked out of nowhere. But, just as they were about to erupt in a fit of anger, they quickly retreated after seeing the identity of the person who struck them.

"C-chief! Welcome back..!" The man who was just smacked greeted.

"Idiot, haven't I already warned ya not to drop yer guard just cause we're close to our goal? If ya die, I ain't gonna bury ya stinkin' body." The one referred to as Chief stated as he took a seat next to the campfire and removed a flask from his inner pocket.

He was a burly man with untidy hair covered in snowflakes. He had sharp eyes and a beard covering the entire bottom half of his face. He wore a set of winter clothes and boots that shielded him from the cold winds. Placed upon his back was a two-handed hammer with a rounded surface that resembled half a sphere.

Name: Chief of the Winterland Bandits, Madhammer the Brute(Rare)

Level: 47

HP: ???(72%)

Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Ptttk! Ptttk!

All of a sudden, three arrows came out of nowhere! Two of the arrows pierced through the heads of two men sat around the campfire while the other went straight for Madhammer!

Ding!

Despite his burly stature, Madhammer was quick. He managed to raise his forearm and deflect the arrow with his gauntlet just in time. As Madhammer lowered his arm, one could see his darkened expression.

"We're under attack! Prepare- Gaaaah!" One of the men on guard tried to warn; however, they erupted into a burst of flames!

"Madhammer! Your days of terrorizing the villages in this area end today!" A voice echoed from the forest as a woman with snow attire and a beautiful longbow in her hands emerged.

"You just don't give up, do you, little girl...?!" Madhammer scowled.

"We have you surrounded! Surrender yourself while you still have a chance!" The woman said as she removed her hood. It was none other than Zi Yi!

"Like hell, I'll surrender, girly. Why don't ya come over here and make me?" Madhammer answered as he stood to his feet.

"I was hoping you'd say that. The hard way it is then." Zi Yi said with an icy gaze.

Zi Yi lifted her bow, and the instant she performed this action, several figures arose from beneath the snow within the forest. In the blink of an eye, Madhammer and his men had their escape route cut off!

"Impossible...!" Madhammer exclaimed.

"How did they sneak up on us?!" One of the bandits yelled as his eyes widened in shock.

In total, twenty figures emerged from the snow, and more than half of them wielded a ranged weapon!

"I won't allow you to escape a second time." Zi Yi stated as she released a flurry of arrows from her bowstring!

"You...! You bastards! Don't think I'll go down without a fight!!!!" Madhammer roared at the top of his lungs as he brandished his hammer.

In less than a few breaths, the once calm winter land turned into an intense battlefront.

...

Around three minutes later...

"Report." Zi Yi said as she grabbed a small wooden plate. The plate had the symbol of a boar with a blizzard looped around it and was retrieved from Madhammer's motionless body. This wooden plate belonged to the Chief of the Winterland Bandits and was the proof she needed to take back to complete her war objective.

"Squad Leader Yue reporting to the Lieutenant! We've managed to successfully eliminate all bandits in the vicinity! Our group has suffered some minor injuries, but there are zero casualties! That concludes my report!" Yue announced.

Zi Yi gave a weak smile and replied, "Thank you, Yue. But, I thought I already told you that you don't have to call me Lieutenant. Zi Yi is just fine."

"That won't do, Lieutenant! As a subordinate, how can I call my superior officer by their name without including their rank?" Yue responded with haste.

She then continued with an expression of excitement, "It's thanks to the Lieutenant's foresight and skillful tactics that we were able to catch those bandits before they hurt anyone else. The fact that you predicted their movement and laid an ambush in advance using the snow is amazing! You've earned my respect, Lieutenant!"

Although one could not see it due to the black blindfold she donned around her eyes, the enthusiasm that radiated from Yue made it seem as if her eyes were lit up from joy.

Like Zi Yi, Yue also wore the winter land outfit that hid most of her original equipment. Her dark hair was tied into a single long braid that reached her ankles. A set of unique jade bangles hugged Yue's wrists and ankles, and around her neck was a midnight blue necklace that resembled prayer beads. The necklace gave one an eerie feeling just by looking at it.

Since Zi Yi was a member of the party that placed first during the Protector of Amaharpe event, she started with the rank of Lieutenant in the War Brigade. Therefore, she was given a group of fifty individuals to command that was made up of both players and NPCs.

Yue was one of the players assigned to her squadron and immediately stood out due to her eccentric behavior—this caused her to be isolated from the inner group of players that formed within Zi Yi's squadron.

Zi Yi internally sighed. Despite her eccentric behavior, Yue was a sweet girl. In truth, Zi Yi was not worried about whether or not she called her Lieutenant. It was just that...

"Heh, look. That weirdo is at it again. Honestly, she should just give it a rest already."

"Can't she see that she's being a bother?"

"Why doesn't our squadron leader just kick her out? So annoying..."

"Not only is our squadron leader a beauty, but she's also too kind. There's no way she'll kick that weirdo out."

"Hey, isn't she too old to be playing pretend? What is she? Five? Who roleplays these days? How gross."

A group of players nearby spoke among themselves as they chuckled and giggled.

"You all-" Zi Yi's gaze turned frigid; however, just as she was about to confront the group of players, Yue moved forward and blocked her path.

"It's okay, Lieutenant. Something like this—you can leave it to me." Yue said with a smile.

Zi Yi furrowed her brows as she stopped herself. This situation was not uncommon. Yue was a social outcast among the other players, but she always managed to keep a positive attitude and say, "you can leave it to me". 

Zi Yi had wanted to confront the problem when it first began; however, she also wanted to respect Yue's wishes. There was also a chance that her interfering would just cause the distance between the others and Yue to widen. Whatever the case, doing nothing left a bad taste in Zi Yi's mouth, especially when those whispering behind her back did not possess even half of Yue's skills. A few moments later, after making sure that there were no signs of the bandits remaining, everyone gathered together.

"We're returning to camp!" Zi Yi ordered as they started their journey deeper into the winter lands.

"I wonder how the others are holding up right now..." Zi Yi muttered to herself.

...

Meanwhile, at a separate location in Amaharpe...

"There's too many of them! Where are the reinforcements?!" A player by the name of Broken Karp roared as he struggled to block the incoming attack from a monster with his shield.

The monster stood over two meters tall with red eyes, gray skin, and an abnormal muscular physique. The creature had two teeth protruding from the bottom half of its mouth that resembled miniature tusks. It barely wore any armor as if it were just that confident in its body's natural defenses, and in its right hand was a heavy battle axe. 

Name: Ogre Protector(Elite)

Level: 45

HP: 65,265(30%)

"It's just an elite monster! Why does it have such high stats?!" Broken Karp scowled as he watched his HP plummet.

Not only did the Ogre Protector have a large amount of HP for a wild monster, but its attack and defense were also on the high end for its level.