Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
─────
Chapter 141: Spell Cards
Since they didn't have [Accompany] on hand, the group's destination remained Antokiba. With Zachary leading the way, things went much more smoothly.
Moreover, Zachary's presence caused quite a few people to look at Ronin and Neon with a bit more wariness. Clearly, these people recognized Zachary. But where there was wariness, there were naturally those who set their sights on Ronin. While he appeared as a dangerous threat to some, he became a lucrative target to others.
Ronin didn't mind this at all. In fact, he was somewhat looking forward to someone taking the initiative to attack, so he could easily harvest their cards again.
"Actually, the fact that I have Restricted Slot cards already proves I'm not weak. It's just that you guys are way too strong." Zachary slowly realized that Ronin and Neon weren't exactly bad people, so he grew a lot bolder when speaking, even attempting to salvage his bruised ego.
Neon nodded in agreement. An ordinary person certainly wouldn't have Ronin's speed. Although snatching a card from an opponent's hand before they could activate its ability was a standard tactic, it was incredibly difficult to pull off without sufficient strength. Zachary was just unlucky. Even without using his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Ronin's speed was already blinding—far beyond what Zachary could handle.
Seeing Neon agree, Zachary's favorable impression of her surged. Ronin alone paid no attention to their conversation. Instead, he was pondering who among the malicious people nearby was most likely to possess [Accompany]. He only had one chance. Once he used violence to forcefully rob them, the most likely choice for everyone nearby would be to immediately activate a spell card and get away from him.
"Any leads?" Ronin turned to look at Zachary.
Just by seeing Ronin's eyes, Zachary understood exactly what he meant. Consequently, his gaze also began to sweep the surroundings. However, the three of them were only just approaching Antokiba and hadn't fully entered the city yet, so even if there were people ambushing them, they were quite far away. Looking at their posture, the moment the trio made any sudden moves, these cautious guys would likely employ the strategy of fleeing far away.
The closer they got to Antokiba, the more bounty posters appeared nearby. Sometimes, a gust of wind would blow in several posters. The things being requested were varied and bizarre, essentially placing a bounty on nearly everything in daily life. If one were hardworking enough, they could slowly become wealthy in the game just by doing bounty quests. Because there were simply too many quests here.
Ronin chose not to accept any quests. From the moment they entered the town, the number of people observing them only increased, but very few actually dared to make a move. This situation only changed when Ronin deliberately led his group into a narrow alleyway.
Mugging players was almost too easy in this game, especially when there was a crushing power disparity. By the time they walked out of the alley, Ronin and Neon's Free Slots were fully stuffed with cards, while a crowd of unconscious bodies was left lying in the alley.
Zachary was still following by their side. Additionally, the team had gained two new players—one tall, one thin—both completely controlled by Ronin's puppet threads. This way, he had gathered three people. As long as they went to the port to get them tickets, or obtained the spell card [Leave], he could send all three of them out of the game.
The reason Ronin hadn't targeted spell cards earlier was that [Leave] was considered a rare spell card. There were only thirty copies in the entire game. In contrast, there was a limit of 150 copies of [Ticket], which could be purchased after defeating the Port Master. The only difficulty lay in how to defeat the Port Master, which was the key restriction preventing most players in the game from leaving.
However, to Ronin, the Port Master's strength was clearly nothing to look at. At the very least, knowing from the manga that Gon and Killua could defeat the Port Master back then, it was obvious that the Port Master's combat power was just so-so.
Now that they had [Accompany] in hand, the one to activate the ability was Zachary. With Ronin supervising, the guy had absolutely no chance to pull any little tricks. Even though he already knew how he was going to be dealt with from the moment Ronin asked him about the port, he still had no way to resist. By this point, Zachary had instead started hoping that the Port Master could defeat this demon-like man.
Unfortunately for him, after [Accompany] was activated and they descended upon the port, Ronin casually used pebbles to defeat everyone in the Port Authority office—including the Port Master—turning them into cards. Zachary completely despaired.
This guy is an absolute monster.
However, Ronin didn't use the first [Ticket]. Instead, he prepared to farm a few more here. After all, leaving via a [Ticket] wouldn't spawn them directly at the place where they entered the game; they would truly appear on an island in the real world. To ensure that the save records on the Memory Cards of the three departing players would be erased, he needed to send all three to Battera's castle for supervision. Only when those three failed to return to the game after ten days would their in-game records be thoroughly wiped out.
Therefore, Ronin needed a minimum of four [Ticket] cards, and that was assuming Neon didn't plan on leaving the game with him. Neon was fairly confident in her own strength and didn't think she'd encounter a crisis just because Ronin stepped away for a bit. So, she chose to stay behind, exploring the game's mechanics and casually collecting cards on her own after Ronin left with the others.
Although Ronin was somewhat worried, after counter-killing quite a few attackers, the spell cards in their hands were temporarily enough to guarantee Neon's safety. It was just a pity they didn't have [Leave]. Otherwise, it would be a bit safer.
"I'm not going far, I'll just wander around the port here. I won't rashly head to Masadora," Neon promised.
"No, you can't stay in the port or Masadora for a long period. It's best to choose somewhere else—Dorias, Soufrabi, or Aiai are all fine," Ronin advised.
Neon flashed an 'OK' hand gesture. With just a moment's thought, she understood exactly what Ronin was worried about. If the Phantom Troupe members were still in the game, Masadora was the city they were most likely in. And if they wanted to leave the game, their best options were to either use [Leave] or head to the port to acquire a [Ticket], just like Ronin.
The Port Master's respawn rate wasn't exactly fast. After waiting for six hours, the Port Master finally swaggered back into the building. However, the exact moment he stepped through the door, his skull was instantly pierced by a coin casually flicked by Ronin. The collapsed Port Master turned into a card the moment Ronin touched him—this was the [Ticket].
By the following afternoon, Ronin had gathered enough [Ticket] cards. After giving Neon a few final instructions, he grabbed the three dejected players and exited the game directly.
─────
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations