They didn't stop running until their lungs started protesting.
Mineatty bent over, hands on her knees, trying to breathe like a normal human being instead of someone who had just escaped a royal arrest.
"I… hate… all of you…" she wheezed.
"That's fair," Meemz said, also out of breath. "But we escaped, so technically we're winning."
"We are not winning," Small Infinity snapped. "We are fugitives."
KosmicPen stretched like he had just woken up from a nap.
"Relax. It builds character."
"IT BUILDS A CRIMINAL RECORD!"
Hush stood quietly at the side of the road, staring at a passing cart.
"…Food," he repeated.
Mineatty straightened slowly.
"Right. Food. Yes. Normal goal. We need food."
"Finally," Meemz said. "A mission I can support."
---
They entered the nearest village.
And immediately, everything felt… off.
People stared.
Not normal staring.
Not curious staring.
No—this was fear.
Mineatty frowned.
"…Why are they looking at us like that?"
A man dropped his basket and ran.
Another woman grabbed her child and rushed inside.
Shutters slammed.
Doors locked.
Silence.
KosmicPen looked around.
"…Okay. Either we smell bad or—"
A loud thud echoed behind them.
They turned.
A wooden board had just been nailed to a post.
On it was a paper.
A very large paper.
With six very familiar faces drawn on it.
Mineatty walked closer.
"…No way."
She read it out loud.
"WANTED: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS VILLAINS."
There was a rough sketch of all of them.
Meemz leaned in.
"…Why do I look like a potato?"
"Focus," Mineatty said.
Below the drawings:
"Crimes include: destruction of royal property, assault, public chaos, and suspected villain activity."
Small Infinity adjusted his glasses.
"…'Suspected villain activity'?"
KosmicPen grinned.
"That's my favorite part."
Mineatty dragged a hand down her face.
"We were there for TEN MINUTES."
"And we made an impression," Meemz said proudly.
---
"Okay," Mineatty said, turning back to the group. "New rule."
"No more crimes?" TheSilentQuill suggested.
"Yes. Exactly that."
> [PENALTY WARNING]
She froze.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
KosmicPen burst out laughing.
"The system really said 'no growth for you.'"
"Shut up."
Hush walked past them toward a nearby stall.
The vendor immediately backed away in fear.
"I don't have money!" the man cried.
Hush stared at the food.
Then at the man.
Then—
He picked up an apple.
And walked away.
The vendor screamed.
> [REWARD: +30 EXP]
Hush blinked.
"…Hm."
Mineatty pointed at him.
"YOU STOLE THAT."
He looked at the apple.
"…Yes."
"And you're just okay with that??"
He took a bite.
"…Hungry."
"…I can't argue with that."
---
"Wait," Meemz said suddenly. "I have an idea."
"No," Mineatty said immediately.
"You haven't even heard it."
"I don't need to."
Too late.
Meemz walked toward a random man who had been trying very hard to avoid eye contact.
"Hey," Meemz said.
The man flinched.
"Please don't hurt me."
"I won't," Meemz said. "I just need to test something."
"That is not reassuring."
Meemz looked at the others.
"…What's something small but evil?"
KosmicPen grinned.
"I got you."
He walked over casually…
…and poked the man's butt with a stick.
There was a pause.
The man froze.
"…What?"
Then—
"AHHH—WHAT WAS THAT?!" he screamed, jumping forward.
Silence.
Then—
> [REWARD: +70 EXP]
Everyone froze.
KosmicPen's eyes widened.
"…No way."
Meemz fell to his knees laughing.
"YOU JUST LEVELED UP BY POKING A GUY—"
"I DIDN'T EVEN TRY!"
Mineatty covered her face.
"…We're going to jail."
Small Infinity stepped forward, intrigued.
"This requires further testing."
"NO IT DOESN'T."
Too late.
He picked up a small twig.
Walked up to another unsuspecting villager…
poke.
The man yelped and spun around.
"WHO DID THAT?!"
> [REWARD: +65 EXP]
Small Infinity froze.
"…This system is broken."
"YOU THINK?!" Mineatty snapped.
---
Within minutes, chaos spread.
KosmicPen was running around with a stick.
"EXP FARMING!"
"STOP POKING PEOPLE!"
Meemz was laughing so hard he could barely stand.
Hush was quietly stealing food like it was a normal Tuesday.
TheSilentQuill stood in the middle of the road.
"This is not how heroes behave," he said.
> [PENALTY APPLIED: -10 HP]
He paused.
"…Noted."
Then he accidentally knocked over a cart while turning.
> [REWARD: +120 EXP]
"…I see."
Mineatty stared at all of them.
"…I really hate you all."
---
A loud horn echoed through the village.
Everyone froze.
Soldiers.
More of them.
And this time, they looked serious.
"THERE THEY ARE!" one shouted.
The villagers scattered instantly.
Mineatty turned slowly.
"…Okay. That's our cue."
"Run?" Meemz asked.
"RUN."
---
They sprinted again.
Through alleys, over fences, knocking things over accidentally… mostly.
> [+EXP]
> [+EXP]
> [+EXP]
"WHY ARE WE GETTING STRONGER?!" Mineatty yelled.
"BECAUSE WE'RE MENACES!" KosmicPen yelled back.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE A MENACE!"
"TOO LATE!"
A soldier lunged at them.
Hush stepped forward—
bonk.
The soldier fell.
> [+90 EXP]
"…Efficient," Hush said.
They finally dove into a forest, far from the village.
Silence.
Heavy breathing.
Mineatty collapsed onto the grass.
"…Okay."
No one spoke.
"…Let's review."
She sat up slowly.
"We are wanted criminals."
"Yes," Small Infinity said.
"We get stronger by doing stupid, annoying, or evil things."
"Yes."
"And we get punished for being decent human beings."
"Yes."
She looked at all of them.
"…So what do we do?"
There was a pause.
KosmicPen grinned.
"…We get stronger."
Mineatty stared at him.
"…You're serious."
"Think about it," he said. "If the world already thinks we're villains—"
Meemz sat up.
"—we might as well be really strong villains."
TheSilentQuill frowned.
"…Or we find a way to break the system."
Hush finished his apple.
"…After food."
Small Infinity crossed his arms.
"…We need data. Testing. Understanding the limits."
Mineatty looked at all of them.
Then at the sky.
Then back at them.
"…Fine."
They leaned in slightly.
"We survive first."
"Good plan," Meemz said.
"We learn the system."
"Also good."
"And we try—TRY—not to completely destroy everything."
Everyone looked at KosmicPen.
"…No promises," he said.
Mineatty sighed.
"…This is my life now."
Above them—
> [NEW QUEST: EMBRACE VILLAINY]
[REWARD: ???]
Mineatty looked at it.
"…Yeah. No."
> [PENALTY WARNING]
"…I hate this system."
KosmicPen laughed.
"Yeah," he said. "But it loves us."
Mineatty lay back on the grass, staring at the sky.
"…We just wanted food."
In the distance, faintly—
"WANTED! DANGEROUS VILLAINS!"
Posters were already spreading.
Their faces everywhere.
Their names whispered.
Their chaos beginning.
Mineatty closed her eyes.
"…This is going to get worse."
Meemz grinned.
"I hope so."