Reincarnation of the Strongest Healer

172  Hideout

Shortly after the next scene orchestrated by Xu Feng finished, OneManMedia felt overwhelmed emotionally. Physically, he was still fine, given the weakened NPC was no threat to him. However, emotionally, he wondered if he was still humane. These red-named NPC act and behave very much like normal players, making it suffocating for them to fight. What was worse was that the killing blow was promptly done by Xu Feng, saving him from being the actual person who had killed them. 'I'm never asking for a favor.' OneManMedia thought. He plopped to the ground, unable to move his body any longer. The video was completed and in each scene, he had to act aggrieved and angry that there were no rare pieces of equipment dropped. Additionally, he even had to give false information such as the possibility of rare equipment drop was low, but it was not an impossibility. Maybe if they searched for a more similar hideout, they would get lucky again.

These kinds of comments were obviously complete bait to entice others to hop in on the actions to search for more hideouts to clear. "We're done here, right?" OneManMedia asked, a contemptuous look shown on his expression. Although there was still Rolph being alive, just the fact that Xu Feng hadn't paid much attention to him meant he was going to be kept alive, unlike the other NPCs. And he wasn't going to ask about Rolph's fate either. The less he knew, the better it was for him. "Not quite," Xu Feng shook his head. "Watch over Rolph for now and tighten up the ropes on him." He ordered, and turned around, heading toward the hideout. Baffled, OneManMedia didn't know what else was there to do inside the hideout, and neither did he want to know either. Instead of questioning his actions, OneManMedia complied with the order and began tightening the ropes on Rolph.

As if he would allow some cliche scenario where the ropes are suddenly loosened, allowing Rolph to escape. That kind of scenario only happened when the person watching over them was retarded or the authors who wrote such a script believed their audiences were 5 years old. "I don't care about the grudge you have for me, but move a bit and I'll cut a piece of your skin off." OneManMedia threatened Rolph coldly. 'Never again will I ask this sadistic player for a favor.' OneManMedia thought, his eyes staring at the Stormfang Blade he was holding. The temptation of such a weapon was indeed hard to resist, but after that ordeal, he wanted nothing more than to return it. While OneManMedia made up his mind, back at the hideout, Xu Feng was patiently maneuvering the area once again.

Previously, he was in a rush for time to destroy the Mana Pillar, so he couldn't search for other information. 'Let's see where those documentations are in.' Xu Feng wondered, hoping to look for an office or area that Rolph worked at. Capturing Rolph was one of the objectives, but he needed more than just the rebel. He required concrete evidence, along with multiple personnel involved in the insurgency. Since he accepted the mission, then there was no way he was going to half-heart it. Either put in your full effort in the mission you accept or simply don't accept it to begin with.

What the average players didn't know was that their success rate and how they achieved the mission completion would affect their reputation and overall trust level from the NPCs.

This was a hidden and cruel punishment that the Divine World set up to ruin speedrunners who didn't care about anything aside from completing the mission at the fastest speed possible. As Xu Feng walked through the hideout, the cave walls seemed to close in around him. They were covered in jagged rocks and damp moss that glistened under the dim, flickering torches.

"I seriously don't understand how those people can live in such an environment." Xu Feng commented, removing his mask temporarily. He had to remove it given the air was thick with the scent of earth and decay, making his breath feel heavy. As he continued to walk further, glimpses of shadows danced on the walls caused by the erratic flames, creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.

The floor was uneven, littered with loose stones and the occasional bone fragment, remnants of past adventurers who had met their demise here. These bone fragments were part of the reason why Xu Feng showed no mercy to those rebels. He was not some sympathetic folk or a justice hero kind of person, but that didn't mean he would simply turn a blind eye once he saw something.

Since his objective was to either kill or detain the rebels, he might as well kill all those cannon fodders and capture only the leader. 'Just where are those documentations hidden?' He furrowed his brows, scanning the dimly lit cavern for any sign of a secret cache.

Sometime later, Xu Feng finally struck gold and found a hidden compartment.

"That Rolph sure is a sneaky fellow." He muttered, placing his hand and sensing the dense mana behind the cave wall.

Due to the explosion of the Mana Pillar, the mana density was going crazy in the hideout, making it very difficult to spot the hidden compartment. Nevertheless, Xu Feng found it and promptly infused some of his mana to activate it. Once the mana was infused on the cave wall. A sudden thud echoed, followed by a creaking noise as the wall turned slightly around, opening the compartment inside. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Bingo," Xu Feng smiled and entered the compartment. As his eyes glanced around, the compartment was neatly organized, with an office table at the center.

'Heh, this Rolph surely believes he can become a town mayor.' He sneered inwardly, recognizing the design and structure of the compartment to be that of the Town Mayor's office.