Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 142: Through the Thicket of Fear

Thalia's eyes quivered in dread, and yet, the moment the man's index finger neared her mouth to remove the gag, she sank her teeth into it with every ounce of strength she had. The bandit recoiled with a guttural howl of pain. Seizing the moment, Thalia twisted her bloodied hands free from the ropes, pushed the man to the ground with a swift shove, and bolted into the night.

"YOU BITCH!" the bandit bellowed, his mangled finger dangling uselessly to the side. "I'll fucking kill you! Just you wait!"

The thunder that rumbled through the night sky seemed to echo the weight of the man's sinister words, amplifying their dark promise.

Thalia's heart played a frantic tattoo in her chest as she fled through the shadows, her breath coming in ragged gasps, burning like bile in her throat. And it wasn't long before the grey slant of rain bombarded the land. The droplets that pierced through the canopy stung her skin like a thousand tiny needles.

"RUFF-RUFF-RUFF!"

Thalia faintly heard the bandits' enraged shouts as they released their hounds and hurried to saddle their horses. Panic surged through her as she jerked her head back around and stumbled forward, her movements clumsy as she fought to make sense of the inky darkness surrounding her.

The icy wind seeped into her bones, and every shadow seemed to shift, hiding a predator ready to strike. Each snap of a twig beneath her feet echoed in her ears, sounding like the unraveling of her sanity.

Thalia stumbled and fell more times than she could count, each time forcing herself back up, her heart pounding with fear and desperation. Her skin stung as leaves, branches, and thorns tore at her, but she didn't falter or slow down. She wasn't an adventurer, but as a guild clerk, she knew this chase was futile. She knew there was no true escape.

She wasn't just being pursued by Bearhounds, known for their sharp sense of smell, boundless stamina, and persistence; the bandits on horseback were closing in as well. It was only a matter of time before the adrenaline that had fueled her escape drained away, leaving her physically spent and vulnerable. After all she'd done—getting Haxks killed because of her own selfishness—perhaps this was the fate she deserved. Yet, deep down, a stubborn part of her still clung to the hope that she would have a part to play in these men thoroughly paying for their crimes.

But alas, it seemed that fate would not bend to her will.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The thunderous footfalls of a snarling beast drew closer with each passing second. Thalia's heart pounded in her chest as she recognized the unmistakable sound of a Bearhound. Her instincts screamed that this creature wasn't going to simply corner her and wait for its masters. No, it was coming to tear her apart, and only the intervention of its handlers would stop it from finishing the job.

"ROARR!"

The hound lunged from the underbrush like a savage Lipanthyer, its claws ready to tear into its prey, thick saliva dripping from its bared fangs. In a blind panic, Thalia raised her arms to protect herself, a scream of terror tearing from her throat. But just as the creature was about to descend upon her, a blur shot out from the shadows, cutting through the rain like a razor-sharp blade.

FLOP-FLOP!

The body of the hound and its decapitated head tumbled to the side in a bloody heap. Landing in front of Thalia, Zephyr shielded her with his tiny frame, snarling as his bristled fur radiated a red aura.

"Z-Zephyr!" Thalia gasped, her voice trembling with a blend of relief and astonishment.

Before she could utter another word, Zephyr shot back into the shadows, his Berserk state propelling him with an insatiable thirst for vengeance against the other approaching hounds.

Meanwhile, from the cover of the bushes, a hidden archer had Thalia locked in his sights, his bowstring drawn tight. An arrow, laced with a potent sleeping drug, was readied, its deadly intent aimed squarely at her.

Before the archer could release the poisoned arrow, the bowstring snapped with a sharp crack, leaving him bewildered. He barely had time to comprehend what had just happened when a dark figure seemingly materialized behind him, golden eyes gleaming ominously from beneath its hood.

Before he could even gasp, the figure silenced him with a hand over his mouth and drove a blade deep into his back. With a brutal twist, the life drained from the archer, instantly sending him into an eternal slumber.

One by one, the other bowmen who relied on their stealth were met with an inescapable end. A kunai embedded itself in the nape of one perched high on a branch, an arrow pierced the eye socket of another concealed in the hollow of a tree trunk, and a third, hiding behind a large boulder, had his neck snapped with a sickening sound. Each met their fate without ever seeing their predator.

With the Shadow Veil skill, Daisuke glided through the forest like a phantom. In an instant, he materialized on the back of a horse, his daggers flashing as he decapitated the rider with a swift, seamless strike. Before the body could even hit the ground, he vanished once more, as silent and elusive as the night itself.

Pant-pant-pant!

Thalia reached the heart of the current battlefield just in time to see Zephyr collapse, exhausted but victorious after taking down the last of the Bearhounds. Her heart lurched as one of the bandits rushed toward the motionless pup, sword raised to deliver a fatal strike.