"Now?" Alex's first thought was to head back to Saltmarsh Town and stake out his next target.
Unlike the hesitation and anxiety he felt before striking down the Brotherhood hunter who ambushed Harui, Alex no longer had any psychological burden about hunting down players.
Just like that nameless hunter who loosed an arrow straight into Harui's decoy without a word, or how Harui himself, upon realizing Alex was a player, ordered his mercenaries to kill him without hesitation.
From the moment players signed the agreement and entered this world, they became locked in a kill-or-be-killed struggle. There was never any middle ground.
Though the sight of corpses still made Alex nauseous, now more than ever, he understood one truth:
If he had shown even a sliver of mercy or hesitation during that confrontation, it would've been Harui standing over his corpse, sighing about the fickleness of life.
So yes—returning to Saltmarsh and continuing to hunt traveling merchants wasn't a bad plan at all. He'd already prepared thoroughly, and now with two elite knights under his command, his odds had drastically improved.
However… was that really the most efficient path now that he had two powerful knights and over 3,000 gold dragons to his name?
That hunting plan had been tailored for a time when he could only ambush lone travelers. Even then, he'd estimated it would take a whole month just to catch a single target.
Back then, that kind of return would've been excellent. After all, each confirmed kill earned him survival time—free from assassination threats and leaderboard pressure.
But now? He was no longer under pressure from the rankings. His goal had shifted—now he needed to develop, and fast. And the best way to do that… was through trade.
"Let's find an inn and rest for the night. I'll decide tomorrow," Alex finally said. He wanted to settle the current rewards and analyze his new quests before making any moves.
"If it's an inn you want, the nearest one is the Crossroads Inn," Rore replied. "We're about two hours' ride away at most. We can rest there, replenish supplies, and make plans tomorrow."
The Crossroads Inn? Alex's eyes twitched at the name.
"It's close, and we've eliminated all witnesses," Rore continued, thinking Alex was worried about loose ends. "Even if the bodies are discovered tomorrow, no one will trace it back to us."
Alex shook his head. That wasn't the issue.
It was the name—Crossroads Inn—that tugged at his memories.
That inn had been his original hunting ground of choice.
Unlike Saltmarsh Town, which only saw the occasional traveling merchant, the Crossroads Inn was a strategic nexus—an intersection of four regions. The odds of encountering players there were among the highest in the entire world of Westeros.
(First place went to Pentos, where players swarmed in hopes of cozying up to the Dragon Queen. As for second place… Alex wasn't sure. He just had a habit of never finishing his top-three lists.)
Anyway, for someone like Alex—who had already discovered the glaring flaw of "newbie equipment" on players—the Crossroads Inn was practically a hunting paradise.
He had only skipped it the first time because he feared running into veteran players who were strong from the start.
But now?
Now he had two terrifyingly strong NPCs, and a fortune to boot.
As long as he followed Harui's example and asked every mercenary captain if their team had any new members, he could easily secure a squad with no risk of hiding enemies. That way, he could maintain an overwhelming advantage in every confrontation.
So yes—hunting players at the Crossroads Inn was back on the table.
But… was it really worth it?
Each player only gave 4 points, or 2 if the kill wasn't direct. They dropped little of value. Spending two months lurking there might not even match the profit of one successful trade run.
Alex shook his head again, dismissing that thought.
Sure, the reward points were modest—but nobody else had a reliable way to earn them either. If he could leverage this to climb to the top of the leaderboard, the rewards would vastly outweigh any trade profits. Not to mention the extra stat points from player kills.
And even if he set aside the rewards… wasn't it better to eliminate future threats before they could grow?
Harui alone had shown frightening potential. If someone like that survived and leveled up over time, they could become a deadly rival down the line.
It was best to cull those seeds now—while he held the advantage.
"Let's head for the Crossroads Inn," Alex finally said. First, a warm meal and a good night's sleep.
Before they left, Alex claimed he was too tired to ride and ordered Rore to carry him on horseback. They had three spare horses anyway—plenty to haul their spoils.
Of course, the real reason was much simpler.
This damn system only allowed him to log in with his eyes closed—and there was no way he could keep them shut while riding.
Once they were on the road, Alex closed his eyes and entered the system to begin the day's reward settlement.
The first thing that caught his eye was the glowing red dot on his mailbox. His mild OCD couldn't let that go, so he opened it immediately and began skimming the messages in chronological order.
> [Quest Complete: First Blood]
Reward: 3 attribute points, 3 skill points, 3,000 gold dragons, 2 S-Rank NPCs (Already claimed)
> [Player Kill Confirmed]
Earned: 4 points
Looted Points: 1
Bonus: +2 Strength
> [Kill via Ally]
Earned: 2 points
Looted Points: 1
Bonus: +1 Willpower
"Huh? Even kills made by my men grant 1 looted point? Must be rounding up," Alex chuckled. It wasn't much—just 0.5 points—but free is free, and freebies are always delightful.
He continued reading.
> [D-Rank Highlight Play Achieved]
Reward: 1 point
"Highlight play?" Alex vaguely recalled the term from when Annie had explained the system's features—but he'd been too overwhelmed to pay it much attention at the time.
Apparently, he'd accidentally triggered it.
"'Highlight plays' are awarded when a player makes an exceptional strategic decision or adapts brilliantly to changing circumstances," Annie chimed in. "The rating is determined by our AI algorithm. The highest rank is S, and the lowest is D."