There was no time to waste. Leo decided to strike that very night.
He wanted to hit the bandits while their morale was shattered and before they realized their hideout had been exposed. A swift, surprise attack was the way to go.
After the men quickly ate some dry rations and washed them down with ale, Leo left two sellswords and all the farmers to guard the camp. He took the captive with them and set out for the bandit lair.
True to his word, Leo promised the prisoner that if he cooperated, he would not only spare his life but also reward him with one gold coin.
With the classic "better him than me" attitude, the captive eagerly became their guide. It took two to three hours of careful travel before they reached the vicinity of the bandit hideout.
The man even helpfully led them around the traps and quietly took out two sentries, bringing them right to the mouth of the cave. It was the dead of night—everyone inside was sound asleep.
Following the guide's lead, five chainmail-clad sellswords—including Varyn—pretended to be returning bandits and successfully fooled the guards at the entrance.
After that, it was easy. Leo's men stormed straight in and caught the entire gang like turtles in a jar. They rounded everyone up before most even woke up.
The bandits were dragged out of their sleep and tied up tight. They barely had time to resist.
Looking at the kneeling, begging outlaws, Leo saw nothing but "+100 EXP" floating above their heads. If he beheaded them all, he'd level up at least twice.
Still, he chose the smarter path and began the interrogations. Claiming the moral high ground came first.
They questioned each man separately. The bandits were forced to confess every crime they'd committed. Anyone caught lying or whose story didn't match the others would face harsher punishment. Those who actively informed on their comrades would receive leniency.
The moment that rule was announced, every bandit knew their end had come.
If they wanted to live, they had to sell out the man next to them—and do it faster than everyone else.
Once separated, they spilled everything like overturned buckets.
Of course, there was one hard case: the bandit boss.
He knew he had too much blood on his hands to ever wash clean. He also knew exactly what kind of men his crew were—they'd sell him out in a heartbeat.
So the boss stayed stubbornly silent, glaring at Leo with pure hatred. Even after Varyn beat his face bloody with the sheath of his sword, he didn't make a sound.
Leo actually gained a little respect for the man.
Soon the confessions were mostly complete. One crime after another came out. Most of these bandits had taken more than one life. Some even enjoyed killing.
In the end, most had started as poor smallfolk crushed under noble taxes and oppression before turning to robbery. Others had always been lazy thugs who discovered they liked the bandit life after their first successful raid.
A few of the smarter ones had even formed something called the "Kingswood Brotherhood," occasionally helping nearby villagers to buy goodwill and information.
The traitor planted in Leo's convoy was also caught. He had slipped away during the chaos earlier, thinking he'd be safe once he returned to the cave. He never expected Leo to raid the hideout the same night. The gold coin he'd stolen was found on him and returned to Leo.
True to his word, Leo gave that gold coin to the guide as promised. The man beamed with joy, completely missing the jealous, hateful stares from the others.
In the end, Leo chose to spare two newcomers who hadn't been with the gang long and hadn't committed many serious crimes. The two men kowtowed in gratitude.
However, following Varyn's suggestion, Leo had one ear cut off each man as a permanent reminder not to return to a life of crime.
The remaining eleven bandits—including the boss—were sentenced to death under "family tradition," in the name of Duke Presto's second son. Leo would carry out the executions himself.
When he heard he was going to be beheaded, the silent bandit boss finally exploded, cursing nobles for their lack of humanity and ranting about how unfair the world was.
Varyn stepped forward and smashed his face into a pulp with the sword sheath, then stuffed a dirty rag in his mouth.
The executions began.
Even though Leo had already killed several men in battle, the thought of personally chopping off these heads still made him feel uneasy.
After some mental preparation, he reminded himself: the bandit boss was right—this world was unfair. The morals from his modern, law-abiding past life didn't apply here.
If he couldn't harden his heart and fully adapt, he would be the one who suffered in the end.
Besides, every single one of these men had innocent blood on their hands. They all deserved to die.
In the end, Leo raised the Grand Marshal's greatsword and sent each of the blood-stained bandits to their graves.
Just as he expected, every kill gave him 100 EXP. The bandit boss alone granted him 500 EXP.
In total, he gained 1,500 experience points.
He had already reached level 3 earlier. The requirement to reach level 4 had doubled to 1,200 points. After this, he hit level 4 with 300 points left over. His current progress was now 300/2,400.
His stats updated as well:
Strength rose to 14.6 (+0.2 per level)
Agility reached 12.2 (+0.1 per level from 11.9)
Stamina increased to 15.2 (+0.1 per level)
Current character panel:
Character Name: Leo (Neo Presto)
Level: lv4
Class: Warrior
Four Attributes: Strength 14.6, Agility 12.2, Stamina 15.2, Magic Power 0
Health: 95/100
Mana: 0/0
Skills: [Slam] lv2, [Charge] lv1, [Hamstring] lv1
He had also unlocked another Warrior skill—[Hamstring].
[Hamstring]: Slows an enemy's movement speed on hit. Effect lasts 10–15 seconds. Duration and strength depend on the target's stats and size.
Another excellent PVP skill.
With both [Charge] and [Hamstring] now in his arsenal, he would have strong advantages in future fights.
Especially [Charge]—being able to use it while mounted in this world made it far more powerful than in the game.
Overall, Leo was extremely pleased with his gains from leveling up.
While he was quietly celebrating, two sellswords came running over in excitement.
"My lord! We found where the bandits kept their money! You have to come see—there's a ton of silver stags!"
Their shouts instantly drew every eye in the cave.
Finally, the part everyone cared about most.
Leo strode deeper into the cave without hesitation.
Varyn quickly gathered a few trusted sellswords and followed.
Griff and his crew exchanged glances, then hurried after them with greedy, eager looks on their faces.