Hunter set his empty bowl aside and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The meat sat heavy in his stomach. Or maybe that was just dread.
"Do you guys know where we can go raiding?" He asked.
The question hung in the air like smoke.
All three men stopped eating. Lex and Xuan exchanged glances. Tao's eyes lit up—actually lit up, like Hunter had just asked if he wanted a promotion.
"Master." Tao leaned forward eagerly. "There's a small village nearby. Maybe ten miles east. Clearwater Village. Forty, fifty people. Farmers mostly."
A chime rang in Hunter's skull, loud and bright.
[SYSTEM] ◈ NEW_MISSION_ALERT ◈ [SYSTEM] MISSION_ID: M-0043 [SYSTEM] TITLE: "FIRST_RAID" [SYSTEM] TARGET: CLEARWATER_VILLAGE [SYSTEM] POPULATION: ~50 CIVILIANS (0 CULTIVATORS DETECTED) [SYSTEM] OBJECTIVE_01: ACQUIRE RESOURCES (FOOD, WEAPONS, VALUABLES) [SYSTEM] OBJECTIVE_02: ELIMINATE RESISTANCE [SYSTEM] DIFFICULTY: C_RANK [SYSTEM] REWARDS: • CULTIVATION_MANUAL: "SHADOW_STEP_BASICS" • FOLLOWER_ENHANCEMENT: BREAKTHROUGH → BODY_REFINING (LEVEL_1) x3 [SYSTEM] ACCEPT? (Y/N)
Hunter read it once. Twice. Three times.
Eliminate resistance.
The words sat there, clinical and cold.
Eliminate. Like they were cockroaches. Obstacles. Not people.
Fifty civilians. Farmers. No cultivators.
His spoon hung forgotten in his hand.
Lex continued, seemingly unaware of Hunter's internal crisis. "Our old master wanted to hit that village before... before you arrived, Master. He said it would be easy pickings. They've got a granary. Some livestock. Maybe a few silvers hidden away."
"Easy pickings." Hunter repeated quietly.
His mind conjured images he didn't want. A village. Small houses. Fields. Maybe a well in the town square. Kids running between buildings. Someone's grandmother hanging laundry. A farmer coming in from the fields, tired but content. Someone like his landlord back in Boston, just trying to make a living.
People like me, before all this.
I'm supposed to raid them. Take their food. Kill anyone who fights back.
His throat felt dry.
Through his spiritual sense, he felt the three bandits watching him. Waiting. Their heartbeats were elevated: excitement from Tao, nervousness from Lex, something unreadable from Xuan.
They want to do this. Or at least, Tao does.
Hunter looked at Tao more closely. The man's green eyes practically glowed with anticipation. His hands had clenched into fists, knuckles white. His heartbeat was fast, eager.
I think, he's done this before. He likes it.
The realization settled like a stone in Hunter's gut.
These weren't good people. They were bandits. Real bandits. The kind who'd raided villages, hurt people, maybe killed them. And now they were his. His slaves. His responsibility.
And I need them for now.
That was the worst part. He needed them. Needed the system. Needed to get stronger if he ever wanted to survive here, let alone go home.
The mission window still floated in his vision, waiting.
ACCEPT? (Y/N)
His mental finger hovered over the NO.
I could refuse. Tell them we're not doing this. Find something else.
But what other way? He was in a forest in the middle of nowhere with three slaves and a system that literally called itself the "Bandit System." This wasn't a hero's journey. This was something else, something darker.
And if he refused, they'd know he was weak. Hesitant. Soft.
The slave seal would keep them obedient, but for how long? What happened when they figured out their "Foundation Realm Master" was actually just a scared insurance adjuster who'd gotten lucky with a boulder?
I need to be strong. I need them to fear me. I need...
What did he need?
His reflection in the lake that morning flashed through his mind. That stranger's face. Pale and perfect and not quite human anymore.
What am I becoming?
"Master?" Lex's voice was careful. "Should we... prepare?"
Hunter looked up. All three men were watching him now, confusion creeping into their expressions.
He'd been quiet too long.
Say something. Make a decision. Be the leader they think you are.
"Okay." The word came out rougher than he intended. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Okay. Tomorrow."
The words felt like they belonged to someone else.
"Tomorrow, we go raiding."
The moment he said it, something shifted. The three men's faces changed. Confusion giving way to shock, then fear as the slave seal tightened around their hearts like a warning; you overstep, and you are dead.
Hunter felt it through his spiritual sense. The way their pulses spiked. The way their breathing went shallow. The invisible threads connecting them pulled taut, reminding them what they were.
Property.
They're scared. They don't want to do this either.
Even Tao, who'd been excited a moment ago, had gone pale. His hands were shaking. The eager light in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by something that looked like resignation.
But they can't say no. The seal won't let them.
"Yes, Master!" All three dropped to their knees in unison, heads bowed, voices raised.
The enthusiasm sounded forced. Hollow.
Hunter stared at them and felt something cold settle in his chest.
I did this. I enslaved them. And now I'm forcing them to raid a village with me.
He wanted to say something. Apologize, maybe. Explain that he didn't have a choice, that he was just as trapped as they were.
But he didn't.
Leaders shouldn't apologize. Masters shouldn't explain.
Hunter nodded slowly, not trusting his voice, and looked down at his bowl.
Cold meat. Congealed fat. Burnt bits stuck to the wood.
It tasted like ash in his mouth. It tasted worse than a MqRib.
[SYSTEM] MISSION_ACCEPTED! [SYSTEM] GOOD_LUCK, HUNTER! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ [SYSTEM] TIP: REMEMBER TO LOOT THOROUGHLY! YOU'D BE SURPRISED WHAT FARMERS HIDE UNDER THEIR FLOORBOARDS! HAHA
What am I doing?
No answer. Just the crackling of the fire and the sound of his own heartbeat, too loud in his ears.
What am I becoming?
Still no answer.
The three bandits returned to their meal, eating in silence now, the earlier excitement completely drained away. Hunter felt their fear, their resignation, their quiet despair through his spiritual sense. It pressed against him like a weight.
Hunter forced himself to take another bite. Then another. The meat had gone completely cold.
Somewhere in the distance, a bird sang. Clearwater Village was ten miles east, full of people who had no idea what was coming.
And Hunter, a Foundation Realm cultivator, accidental murderer and reluctant bandit lord had just agreed to be the one to destroy it.
I'm sorry. He thought, to no one and everyone. I'm so sorry.
But sorry didn't change anything.
Tomorrow would still come.
And maybe, if he was very careful, if he was very smart, he could get through it without becoming the villain the system wanted him to be.
Maybe.