Blood Brothers wasn't the only guild to take note of Carl's operation. After all, it was far too big to carry out covertly, and the expedition hall allowed no privacy.

“Master Lionheart,” Theodore whispered, “I wasn't sure earlier, but … we're definitely being tracked by your kin!”

Carl merely nodded.

It was as obvious as a nose on a man's face. The competition in the gaming community was ruthless. Anyone who stumbled onto something valuable would be spied upon, and dogged if they weren't strong enough to protect themselves. Combined with Fleeting Time's forum stunt, the amount of organizations after Carl and his secrets was too numerous to count. And not just domestic – many foreign ones were bound to send their feelers out as well. To make matters worse …

… very soon, it was going to get much more hectic!

Carl would simply not know peace until he graduated from the city into the open world.

“We're back!” The hero grinned victoriously.

“Wow … that was even faster than with my kids …”

“Haha, the power of expensive gear, Uncle Time. Why are you still here, anyway? Did you send them out on their own?”

“Don't worry about them, brother Carl, they can handle themselves, and they were eager to slay some black wolves. Particularly my son, haha!”

“Heh, who would have thought? Good for him. And you are?”

“Sir Lionheart, Commander Fate left us with managing your supplies.” The two Skyborne Lions who were sparring when Carl arrived now stepped forward with a wooden crate.

“Mhm, great. Listen up, everyone! Time is of the essence! I can conquer the gray wolves' den and be back in a little over 20 minutes, let's count 25 with resupplying. As I have only 4 hours left for today, I can do 9 more runs, maybe 10, so we'll now select 39 of you to await your turn at the Expedition Association main hall. I apologize to the rest – you will have to wait for tomorrow. But do not fret! As you will all get to go with me to the black wolves' den instead! You just need to be ready to climb trees, so discard heavy equipment and arm yourselves in anything you can use from range. You can also keep whatever you skin after the battle is over, so travel light.”

As all the pitiful natives gaped and goggled with awe and joy, Carl addressed the two astonished lackeys.

“Can you guys time your deliveries to when I reach the portal? Bring an empty backpack each time as well. I realize it's pointless to try to hide it, but I'd like to avoid displaying the dire wolf pelts in public anyway. My wards will be selling theirs to you as well.”

Then, he turned to Fleeting Time.

“Since you're still here Uncle Time, I can take you on the first run. Now help me choose the lucky bunch.”

The old man chuckled, shaking his head with incredulity. Carl never ceased to amaze!

Done with the arrangements, they took off vigorously.

…

“Chief, an opportunity! He brought out half his NPCs and has them wait in the expedition hall while he embarks!” a scout messaged.

“Haha! What an amateur!” Blood Oath laughed heartily in the middle of the arena, startling his elite troops, who sparred hard. “That fool actually presented them for us on a platter!” He smirked with contempt. “It would be rude to reject! Guys, let's go.”

“Where are we going, chief?” one of the confused combatants asked.

“To show those NPCs what quality treatment really is!”

While the bewildered Blood Brothers scrambled, another message came.

“The rest dispersed, should we track them as well?”

Blood Oath grinned mischievously.

“Of course! He must have discarded them, too. Imagine his face once we poach them all, and he comes back looking for the others, only to find they're all gone! Hahahahaha!”

…

“Hey, brother Carl, they gave us a choice to reset our announcer pack to neutral! What do you know!” Fleeting Time chatted up merrily while running.

“Quite fortunate, indeed.” Carl held back a smile. “So, Uncle Time, what's the newest gossip?”

The old man faltered and reddened with shame.

“I'm really sorry about that, brother Carl, I … it won't happen again, I promise!”

“Heh, relax, I'm just teasing. What interesting exploits are people talking about? The world is a massive place, and most of it is Asia, which we hear little about. What are the warlords up to over there?”

“Oh, we will be hearing quite a lot about them, I assure you. For one, you're not the only Beast Slayer. Terrifying talents spring up faster over there than you could count them. They're fearless, too, because only the boldest ones can rise above the competition. Most of them will fail, but some will get lucky – or rather, some already have. And their not hiding it like you, instead they flaunt it to get noticed and hopefully offered a high position in a big organization.”

“Really? Any Ghost Busters?”

“W-what?”

“Never mind. What about dungeon conquests? How far along are they?”

“Far ahead of us, that's for sure. As they should be, having ten times more money and experts. But that's not the most important issue. They're already tackling the open world and making a huge mess. The opportunities found there make our feeble attempts laughable in comparison. No offense, brother Carl, I'm talking about us, regular mortals.” The cleric chuckled. “You could probably give them a run for their money. Not probably – definitely!”

“No need for praise. But yes, I'm also looking forward to exploring the open world. For now, however, I have the next few days planned out already. I'm pursuing a big lead anyway, so I can't just put it on hold.”

“Mhm, the two portals in the main office. I should warn you, brother Carl, though you surely understand it yourself, that it's painfully obvious to any veteran gamer what you're doing. All the guilds in Geneva will tread on your heels, and more will come from the outside. Even Asia has its representations here. After all, the real Geneva is so close to Cybercore headquarters that it holds a subconscious attraction, despite being a regular provincial capital city with no special benefits in the game. For example, it managed to appeal to this old man, who lives in the UK with his family, hehe.”

“Right, you were in the rank 5 system shop. Found anything interesting there?”

“Oh, what a magnificent display, wasn't it? Unfortunately, I barely managed to scratch the surface, because I focused on finding the best picks for the kids. But let's get back on track. Just … be careful, okay brother Carl? If you by chance succeed, and it gets out … I'm afraid China and India will come after you with force, and everyone else behind them,” Fleeting Time concluded grievously.

“Let them.”

The cleric balked. He actually stopped running for a moment. He then burst out with laughter so rambunctious, that the whole party halted as well. The response was so placid and indifferent, that it almost turned his worldview upside-down. Was China and India cabbages and carrots to Carl?

“Hahaha! I completely forgot who I'm dealing with! Good one, brother Carl! I'll be cheering you on once they come!”

…

“Chief, they're refusing our best offers, what should we do?”

“Chief, I think we're intimidating them.”

“Chief, they don't want to talk to me …”

“Chief, are you seeing what I'm seeing?”

“Chief, I've approached one of those that left, but she run away without a word!”

“Chief …”

“Chief …”

“What the hell is up with these NPCs?! Why are they so afraid of us?!”

…

“So, Toothy, we haven't discussed your wages yet,” Carl put forth while skinning a dire wolf.

“Heh, Master Lionheart, you're joking, right? You've already given me more than I could ask for, and soon you will grant me a personal visit to Chief Ironhide's office, together with an enchanted reward! I've been looking up to that man my entire life!” Theodore jumped for joy.

“Nonsense. Fair work requires fair pay, and you need to invest in yourself. The stronger you become, the more you'll be able to help me, too. So once more – everything you skin is yours. How does that sound?”

“Master Lionheart!” the huntsman jumped again, but this time with fright, while the four other natives nearby gaped, understanding the implications. “No-no, I can't! This is too much! Too much!”

“Like I said, I need you to get stronger. Much stronger. Upgrade your gear, seek out instructors, eat well, rest well, and be ready to dwarf Chief Ironhide's exploits with your own. Wouldn't you like that?”

“M-Master … Lion … Heart …” Theodore goggled. “I– …”

“Good. It's settled, then.”

…

“They're coming out! Disperse!”

But the commotion and the poor huddled NPCs painted a self-evident picture, not to mention the Skyborne Lion who arrived with supplies had already alerted Carl to the situation and was subsequently told to lay low until he arrived.

“Where are you off to in such a rush, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?” Carl, who reverted to his hallmark appearance of uniform scarlet-red gore, demanded loudly in a gallant tone.

This prompted snorts, jeers, taunts and general amusement at the expense of the failed suitors, who were doubly embarrassed – first for losing status by being unable to poach a single low-level NPC from the 36 present in front of all the players in the hall, then for being caught red-handed by the dragon they tried to steal from.

“That wretch! Move, you morons!” Blood Oath cursed in his mind while gritting his teeth.

“Blood Brothers, is it? The biggest guild in Geneva? That's all you amount to?” Carl emphatically brought the hammer down, eliciting soft and delectable chuckles from everyone around, who was either at the guild's mercy, or at odds with them.

What a delicious feast that was for their senses!

The schadenfreude they got served was so delightful in fact, that they felt like twirling their mustache, even if they had none!

“Oh, you are so dead!”

“Haha! Brother Lionheart, surely you mean it as friendly banter! That's funny! I am Blood Oath, the commander-in-chief of Blood Brothers, and we're merely here to pay our respects to you, a great expert who appeared out of nowhere in our city,” the man resolutely stepped forward and announced with a mask of civility, acting like a champ in order to salvage his and his faction's reputation, or they could easily turn into a laughingstock. He naturally referred to the prevalent East Asian culture of giving face, which was gradually taking root in the global village due to business relations.

Unfortunately, people were keen to pervert everything that was initially meant for good. A tradition that was originally established to cultivate honor and harmonious social interactions, it was first misappropriated through the ages by those in power to serve their flawed agendas, then further misinterpreted by the depraved to create an abomination that would allow them to get away with crime and atrocities. It was like every human law and cultural norm – good-natured people would mend the faulty ones of their own volition, while the wicked would seek to bypass even the most ironclad of them all …

… and the East Asian concept of 'face' was already riddled with gaping holes.

But what about Carl?

Could he be intimidated by invented constructs?

Did he care about his own face?

No!

The Truth is all that matters! The Truth and nothing but the Truth!

He would deploy his biggest cannons and shell without mercy!

And if the whole world turned against him – then all the better!

Come and do battle with him!

To the end!!!

“Hmm? Brother you say? You really take me for a fool,” Carl stated with awesome poise, and then …

… he ignored the offender! What a mighty slap to the face that was!

While the captivated spectators reveled in boundless gratification, Carl resupplied and picked 4 new NPCs, who gladly welcomed his protection, then went for the portal.

“You seem like you came from a different world, so let me enlighten you,” a venomous and deathly-cold voice pierced the jolly ambience. “That alpha male attitude won't work here. Here, we play a different game. A game in which musclebrains like you are mere pawns. A game, where one needs to tread very carefully, if they don't want to fall prey to the real wolves. One word from me, and this whole city will collapse onto your head!” the enraged Blood Oath viciously snarled.

“Has nobody taught you logic?” Carl's dignified timbre instantly restored the atmosphere. “You're trying to threaten me with something that I want anyway?”

Everyone inhaled sharply and braced for impact. The weight and the ramifications of the ridicule were tremendous!

But before the incensed Blood Oath could respond, Carl turned to him and walked over, stifling the man and the entire audience.

“It is indeed true that I play a different game. It is a game of life and death. A game of warriors,” he commented solemnly, while taking casual yet measured steps, “… and cowards.”

He now stood directly in front of the shrunken aggressor, peering into his eyes with unwavering conviction.

“I know what you are.”