Sef slammed into the side of the house, his head bouncing off the rough wood.

A hand was wrapped around his throat, and long, bony fingers tightened. There was only a slight sense of oppression, but the white stars drifted into his field of vision.

He let out a suffocating gasp and tried to kick him.

Rufio just sneered and leaned his bony body close enough to him to feel the hot smell blowing across his cheeks.

"Now," Rufio whispered, "isn't that clever, is it?" ”

I turned my head and wondered how things were like this?

Ah yes. Dude lunged at the big man and was squashed with a single blow. Sef tried to escape, but was caught by the skinny guy. The whole thing happened in just a few seconds.

That rotten = Dude, Sef thought silently. It's all the rogue's fault. A beam of violet light rose in the sky a few feet away. They were the last remnants of Dude's rush towards Rubio. Poor and brave fools!

"Brother," Rubio walked over. He had disturbing blood stains on his cheeks. "The girl ran away."

Fingers suddenly tightened Seif's throat. Rufio's face sank.

"Really? That's too bad. But at least we have one more here. Right, outsiders? ”

Sef wanted to speak, but his tongue couldn't move properly. The white fluff grew larger, illuminating his vision. His limbs seemed to have lost their strength, and he collapsed against the house.

"Take it easy," Rubio muttered. He crossed his eyes and stared over his brother's shoulder. "You don't want him to die prematurely."

The hand finally let go, and then let go of him. Sef staggered, barely allowing himself to keep himself from falling.

Rufio patted his chest with his thin hand, and Sef instinctively twitched.

"Brother, you're right, maybe I'm in too much of a hurry."

He glanced up and saw two Elios

a

Men loom in front of him. It's scary, but compared to the men in black, they're just thugs.

"Y-what do you want?" He gasped.

"What do we want?" The question seemed to surprise Rufio. He sneered. "That's a good question. Maybe you should have asked this question before interrupting us earlier. ”

"Phew." Rubio spat on the ground. "This seems to be a bit slow, man."

"It's okay, we can still get something out of him." Rufio suddenly shoved a hand into his chest, pushing him back into the house.

"Look here, outsider, you should be happy now, you-"

"Hell!" Distant shouts could be heard near the center of town. "Catch him, I'm coming!"

Sef blinked and laughed because Dude was absolutely ridiculous, stupid, and awesome. Only he will blindly rush back to save a person and surely die.

Rubio roared, thumping his fat fist hard. "I'll get rid of that again, bro."

"Hurry up," Rufio told him. "We're not going to fight here, don't get any attention."

"Phew." The Hulk-like guy spat and left the area. Sef felt a little worried about his friend. "Now," Rufio said, turning his attention back,

"Let me tell you what's next."

Sef squirmed.

Wondering if he will be killed like Dude?

But Rufio suddenly became motionless. His expression went blank. Then he leaned forward.

Saif's eyes widened, and he quickly dodged away to avoid being crushed to death. Rufio fell to the floor, his face pressed against the wood. As thin as a whipping post. Originally... He had a knife stuck in his back.

Is there any mistake? "Hello Seif."

"Gah!" His heart was beating so hard that he hit the side of the house. A hand reached for his chest, just as he noticed a familiar figure standing nearby. "You, you! What are you doing here? ”

Maun's cobalt blue eyes sparkled as she smiled. "You seem to have a talent for finding trouble."

Sef squinted at Rufio's corpse. Violet dots of light converged on it. "You killed him."

"I did," Morn agreed easily.

replied without hesitation.

Sef frowned, thinking that something was wrong, but when he remembered that Rufio had done murder to the girl, any sense of judgment or criticism vanished. Rufio is not a good person at all. Neither was his brother.

"Ahh Sef looked into the corner. Rubio remains absent

There. "My friend—" "It's going to be fine," Morn said smoothly

Interrupted. “Dhi

Keeping an eye on it. ”

"Oh." This can be reassuring, or it can be worrying. Sef wasn't sure which one he should be thankful for?

He turned to Morn, but froze. Maon is no longer alone.

Another person was standing beside him, and this second person was not there a second ago. Like Morn, this newcomer has the same skin tone: dark skin, black hair, and black clothes. His eyes were the deep pool of endless night. But there's something very different about him, and it has nothing to do with his appearance. The most important thing is his presence.

The man's gaze moved slightly, and just like that, the eyes of the two met. The world has come to a standstill! Only the man and the suff, and that unyielding gaze. He couldn't look away. He was caught red-handed, and the man didn't even move a muscle. Then the man blinked, and Sef could barely breathe. So he took a deep breath and spit it out. What the hell is going on?

He didn't dare to look at the other again, and glanced at Morn cautiously. "Why are you here?"

"Because we miss you and want to see how our favorite therapist is doing. Hah"

He just stared at Morn. He had nothing to say about it. He didn't believe those nonsense, but he also thought it was strange to say these things with himself as the center. He had never heard anything like this before.

"What's the expression? I didn't lie to you, Sev? ”

Yes, even more disbelieving this person. If it's Rasi

Standing in front of him, he may accept, but Mau

Be...... Well, he used to be a very scary guy. Sef won't forget the things that used to be tied up and shipped out of town.

"You don't trust people easily, do you, kid?"

"No," he said cautiously.

"I told you I'm sorry before, right? I won't kidnap you again, I promise. ”

Dismissal squinted his eyes. "People are always lying. Their actions are meaningful, and even then, they can still pretend. ”

Morn tilted his head. His lips curled in a peculiar way. That's not a smile. There is no sense of humor in it.

"I see."

"Indeed." Another said he stepped forward and sat down next to Morn.

Seif had no choice but to look at him as well, and there seemed to be a hint of humor hidden in the man's flat expression. This gives the impression that he came here on friendly terms, not on the condition of murder. This only eased Sef's uneasiness slightly.

"I'm Agadi, the patriarch of our community," the man said. Just then, his name appeared.

Sef frowned, as usually, he only knew the names after making eye contact. Odd.

"Okay......" he said slowly. Should the patriarch of the murderous clan feel honored to come to see him? Or should he be afraid?

He ventured to look around. Because they are behind the house, this is not visible from the streets and the rest of the town.

No one else was in sight, although the sound of pleasant conversation drifted through the streets.

Why hasn't Dude shown up yet? Rubio killed him again? Or there is Dhi

？ Maybe DHI

Just killed both of them. I hope Uncle is okay

"I was blunt," Agadi said. "Given what happened the other day, the best thing to do is for you to join our family."

Well? Did he hear him right? Of course not. Maybe he's hallucinating?

"We've always been planning to find an outsider to host, so it's good for both of us."

"We get the benefits of outsiders, and you get the benefits of the clans." No longer denying the situation now before him. He swallowed. "What does this mean?"

"That means you have a choice, either join us or not. But I'm afraid the consequences of the latter will be very unpleasant. ”

The blood is getting cold!

Instinctively, he knew that every word Agadi said was serious. If you want to stay...

The threat is clear.

Somehow, how they will do it, but he believes in them. They have proven themselves capable of tracking him down.

Sef carefully pressed his fingers down his throat. Maybe he's suffocated and unconscious, and he's just imagining this whole bizarre show. These guys are superpower killers. Why—uh, Eleona—would they want him? So many players are willing to accept him just because he knows something he shouldn't know?

"There is no other way," Agadi told him gently. "If you want to stay in Elio

A, that is. ”

He and Mau

They were all watching Sef, though they seemed calm and friendly.

But there is no doubt about the sharp light that lurks beneath the surface. It's like staring at a guillotine blade and waiting for it to fall.

They also know how to trap him in the game while the system allows him to stay logged in. They can imprison him for almost a full four hours and make sure he doesn't say a word to the other players.

"Why?" He asked softly. Why did they get to this point?

Beside him, violet stars rose into the sky. It was Rufio's last farewell, and it was more beautiful than the thugs deserved.

"A good thing," Agadi admitted. "We have something to protect, and we will take the necessary steps to protect it. Seve

a

CE's gaze was taken aback, moving from the stars to the patriarch's face. What he saw there only made him more confused. The man smiled slightly.

What does that mean exactly? Something protective, that's the last thing Sef wants to hear.

He thinks it's more like "we do it because it's fun," or because "aren't all the serial killers doing it these days?" ”

Instead, the man gushes out the words that every hero in every movie will promote.

"I don't understand." If there really is such a thing as a headache! “

Never mind. You just need to know, Sef, that we always protect our own people. If you join us, it will protect you better. ”

Again! He's saying meaningless things again. Saifu clasped his arms tightly around his chest, because there was an inexplicable fluttering feeling in his heart, strange and uncomfortable. They are just words, words don't have any meaning. No one would say that to his face. They will never come up and say that we will protect you.

What the hell is wrong with these people? They just want to make sure he doesn't give away their secret location?

We protect our own. This includes you.

"Why?" His voice was raised, and his back was pressed against the logs of the house. He started to panic, he was a little dizzy and hesitated.

It was Morn who answered this question. "Because, kid. No matter what you think, we're not monsters. We're giving you the opportunity and I want you to do the same for us. To be honest, I don't understand why you wouldn't do it. You'll get a lot out of it. ”

"Like what?" "We are a small clan," Agadi said. "And although we are lacking compared to the big family, we are not without resources. We can provide you with supplies, help when it makes sense, and skills that are unique to our family. Last but not least, you have to earn, of course, but we are always fair and will reward honest efforts. ”

This sounds very reasonable, and nothing seems to compare to it.

Perhaps the other clans have given their player ponies to traverse the land. If there is, it makes no difference to him. He wouldn't ride a pony anyway.

"What do you want from me in return?" He asked warily. "Except for keeping it a secret."

"We may give you some tasks, but it's up to you whether you want to do it or not, and we won't force you to do it, as long as it doesn't endanger the safety of the family." His gaze sharpened a little.

Sef nodded instinctively. He was warned, loud and clear.

The patriarch continued: "Other than that, you can do whatever you want. I hope you are getting stronger! If you need help, we'll be happy to help. Powerful outsiders are good for all of us. Morn nodded in agreement.

"Take a moment to think about it," Agadi said. He didn't say it, but what he meant was still very clear. He won't leave without an answer.

Saf could feel the question hanging over his head. To join or not to join?

Uncle Finn, he thought. What will you do?

There was no answer. This is on your own.

Sef tilted his head back, leaning against the house, looking at the pale blue-purple sky. The two men in black remained silent, giving him time to think.

Good. There are pros and cons.

Merit:

He'll get good stuff.

He will have superpowered killers to help him.

It is said that the superpowered killer will no longer try to kill him. Wish.

He finally completed that annoying "join the clan" task.

Racine is good.

Shortcoming:

He may well have joined an evil family.

Dude will be heartbroken.

He had to deal with terrible people.

What's more, he'll deal with Morn.

If he doesn't join, the terrible people threaten to get him out of this game world.

I'll summarize ha, there are five advantages and five disadvantages. But they didn't even have it, because the last threat was the most important point. They threatened to let him leave Elliona. Can a game character even do this?

Does he want to seize this opportunity?

This is a rare opportunity, Sev! Uncle's voice floated out of his memory. Once you step into this game, you will never want to leave.

Touched his hair with his hand. He used to be bored with the gray hair, like an old man's hair. But now he doesn't care about any of that.

Finn, you're right. I don't want to leave.

This game is scary and magical, and he has done something he has never done before in real life. From helping others to making real friends, he's also survived some truly terrifying battles.

"I think I'm going crazy," he muttered to the sky. I didn't expect him to go so far just for one game.

But that's not all. It's Finn's game.

He lowered his head and looked at the two people waiting. "Okay, I'll join!"