In the parts of the city farthest from Aurum Academy, a group of bandits had begun settling in. Kaida once saw two of them robbing an old lady in broad daylight—she confronted them and won.
But the old lady warned her: this group, called [The Crossed], had taken over that side of the city, terrorizing residents with all sorts of crimes.
Kaida asked around her class, Class E, and the few people willing to join her were now here with me.
This is basically the tutorial for big events. It's the first event that takes more than a single day to finish, and it basically teaches you the basics of how to fight the main bosses.
Gathering information, forming a party, managing time between the big event and other daily activities.
This event sadly started when I was knocked unconscious, but I have a lot of time to actually end the event.
Given the team gathered, I'd say it won't be a difficult task... as log as I'm not the one fighting, as I'm still the weakest link.
...
"So… what's the plan?" It's a cold night, and I'm standing in a dark alleyway waiting for the signal to attack.
"Once Cole sees them, we begin a surprise attack," said Yani, the redhead, leaning against the wall. "After we beat them, we tie them up and drag them to the plaza where the knights are."
That's…
"And who designed this idiotic plan!?" Fran snapped. She hadn't wanted to be here in the first place, and spending her night this way only fueled her irritation.
"M-me." Kaida hid behind Yani, staring at the ground.
"Not only do you bring disgrace wherever you go, but your planning skills are on par with a toddler's!" Fran's anger was sharp enough to make Kaida shrink even more, whispering apologies in a tiny voice.
"It's not that bad of a—"
"Don't defend her, Alen!" Fran jabbed me in the chest with her finger. "You rolled your eyes at this plan too!"
She's right. The fastest way to end this would be hitting their hideout directly and dealing with the boss. Most of these bandits don't even know magic. At worst, the problem is the difference in strength and skill. But once the big boss is defeated, every member of the bandit group will run away to preserve themselves.
Fran turned her glare back to Kaida. "And how long have you been wasting time with this group?"
"F-fi—"
"Like five nights. Any problem with that?" Tirino, the black-haired swordsman, cut her off. His annoyance with Fran was obvious.
"Yes, the problem is you're an inefficient group biting off more than you can chew," Fran shot back coldly. "If it takes you this long to deal with common thugs, you're doing things atrociously wrong."
"And what would you do then, huh? If you two are so great, tell us what we're failing at!" He glared at me, since Fran's sharpness seemed to scare him.
"Well…" Honestly, looking at this mess, I'm really starting to worry about Kaida's future. "I'd rather your group figure it out yourselves."
"What!? You can't be serious!"
"Think about it like this: we, students fromthe S Class, can teach your group to get better while we do this."
"I'm not teaching them anything." Fran crossed her arms.
"I'll be the one teaching you."
"No way in hell you're teaching us!" Tirino shouted, pointing at me.
"I actually like that idea," Yani cut in, while Kaida nodded shyly.
"I agree as well," Cole added calmly. "After all, learning is better than being handed everything on a silver platter."
"You can get taught all you want—I'm not interested!" Tirino snapped, storming off.
"Sorry about that… he just has a strong personality," Yani said quickly, trying to smooth things over.
"Hmph. I expected uncivilized behavior from the sinners' group, but it seems I underestimated her." Fran's words made Kaida shrink even further, staring at the ground.
"If you hate us so much, why come here at all?" Tirino shouted from the other side of the alley.
"I'm here to make sure that—" Fran jabbed her finger at Kaida, who ducked behind Yani—"that disgusting sinner doesn't taint my friend with her disgrace."
"Don't worry about it…" Yani drawled. "She can't even hurt a bug. Right, Kaida?" The pink-haired girl nodded furiously.
"I think those rumors are baseless too," I added, noticing Kaida's shy glance at me.
"See! That's exactly why I'm here," Fran said coldly, possessively pointing at Kaida's red face.
"Oooh, I see how it is…" the archer girl chimed in, nodding knowingly. "Yes, yes, it's like that."
"Anyway," I cut in, "Fran, can you keep watch instead of Cole?"
With an annoyed huff, she pushed Cole aside and moved to the edge of the alley.
...
"Now, Kaida. Is your strategy just capturing grunts?" I asked. Her group circled around me—except for Tirino.
She nodded, face red with embarrassment.
"And you two already told us that's the wrong approach."
"Right. So let's review: were the grunts hard to beat? Did they use magic? How skilled were they?"
"Th-they didn't use any magic."
"And they were weak, right, Cole?"
"Indeed."
"Then why waste time on them instead of targeting the boss? These are just street thugs, relying on numbers to scare people, but without real individual strength."
"B-but attacking the boss would be—"
"The best move. Defeat him, and the rats scatter."
"Finally, someone with sense," Fran muttered, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"But what if they're not just common thugs?"
Because they aren't. They're failed bandits—runaways or rejects from bigger groups.
"That's why you spy on them first."
Kaida's eyes lit up. She was listening closely now.
"B-but how do we spy on them?"
"Leave that to me. Once I know we can take them, I'll call your group, and we'll finish it together."
Cole frowned. "Are you sure? Spying is dangerous."
"Don't worry. I know how to handle it."
...
I turned to walk toward Fran, but someone bumped into me.
Kaida. Her head and hands pressed against my back.
"Heek!" She jumped back, face burning red. "Yaniii!" She shook her laughing friend.
"I-I'm sorry! My hand just slipped, hahaha!"
When I turned, Fran was glaring, lips pursed, brows furrowed.
I sighed and stood next to her.
"I'm adding that shirt to the burn pile," she muttered, looking away.
"But I already gave you the last one!"
"Then I'll buy you another."
Another one of my shirts, soon to be ashes…
"Look!" Fran suddenly pointed. Two suspicious men were trailing a tall, dark-haired woman. Each had a tattoo crossed out in green.
"They're part of the bandit group," Cole whispered.
"Leave it to me. If I'm not back by sunrise—though that's unlikely—assume the worst."
"I'm not staying here with these pests until sunrise!" Fran hissed.
"Just wait." I turned to leave, but she grabbed my sleeve.
"Don't fail," she ordered, her voice colder than her eyes—eyes that held a flicker of worry.
"I won't." I smiled at her, then at the group.
...
I slipped away into another alley and climbed the walls, leaping across rooftops to follow them. Thankfully, the buildings here were close enough to move between.
I trailed them southwest for five minutes. They beat a homeless man, robbing him of his last coins. They threatened a demi-human sex worker, nearly drawing weapons until she paid up.
It was painful to watch, but I needed their hideout. I'd return what they stole once this was over.
After two more minutes, they stopped at a dilapidated, abandoned house.
The stench of puke and beer reached me even from across the street.
A skinny man stumbled out the back, pissing against the grass. No guards. No lookouts.
They really thought themselves invincible.
They're lucky—they're just a pathetic, low-tier gang in the slums. Anyone stronger could wipe them out in a night.
But for now, they're my problem.
Before the man finished—
[Wind Ram]
I whispered the spell, sending him crashing unconscious into the dirt. The grass muffled the impact.
I climbed up the wall, landing quietly by a second-floor window.
And there he was.
The first boss of [Dragon's Roar].
Yute, a bandit. Strangely, I remembered that even a nameless unit had higher stats than him.
The Bandit class traded precision for raw attack power. He should've had an axe—yet I didn't see one. Maybe it was hidden.
The rest were drinking, brawling, and leering at the only woman among them.
I didn't remember her. No character I knew matched her face… but that sword. She wasn't a bandit. Not a swordsman either. A warrior? Or perhaps… that nameless unit.
I had enough information. I should return to the group and—
A kick slammed into my back.
The force sent me flying off the wall, straight into the middle of the party.
"Look what I caught clinging to the wall! A little rat!"
Thanks to my passive, I landed on the main table in a crouch, splintering it under my weight.
Dozens of eyes snapped to me.