"It's the Infected Patrol Squad… What's going on? Didn't they just come by a few days ago? Why are they back again?"
Even Alina, who always maintained a gentle and composed smile, couldn't help but furrow her brows.
The slight discontent in her tone made it clear—this so-called Infected Patrol Squad didn't exactly have a stellar reputation.
"Hah, these bloodsuckers only know how to oppress civilians. I'd bet the last round of tribute didn't satisfy them, so they've come back for another round of looting."
Compared to Alina's still somewhat polite wording, Talulah had no intention of hiding her disgust for these people.
The undisguised hostility in her gaze was so intense that Steven even wondered if she was about to draw her sword and cut them down on the spot.
How bad could this Infected Patrol Squad's reputation be?
What exactly had they done to make these two girls hate them so much?
Steven was curious, but just as he was about to move forward and get a closer look at the drama, Talulah reached out and stopped him.
"You're new here, an outsider. It's best if you don't show yourself in front of these people. Even though you're not Infected, these rabid dogs don't care about logic once they go wild."
Talulah gave him a serious warning.
She knew better than anyone what kind of scum these people were.
Taking care of this group alone wasn't difficult—but the real problem was Ursus's government standing behind them.
Steven's cabin was built far away, so there was a good chance these thugs wouldn't find it.
But if they did… things would get ugly fast.
They weren't reasonable people like her.
The moment they set their sights on his potatoes and supplies, they would simply take them—it didn't matter how he had grown them or who he was affiliated with.
To them, anything they wanted was already theirs.
"Huh? You're telling me they wouldn't even spare an honest, law-abiding citizen like me? Are they bandits or what?"
From how well-dressed these people were, Steven had assumed they were some sort of official Ursus personnel.
But after hearing the way Talulah and Alina talked about them, something felt off.
Rather than an official enforcement group, they sounded more like a bunch of raiders.
"You can think of them that way."
"They're just a gang of thieves hiding behind the excuse of 'investigating the Infected.' There's no real difference."
Talulah's voice was cold.
Steven had never seen her this way before.
But if they were just bandits, then…
Wouldn't killing them be considered "defending the village"?
Would that give him the [Hero of the Village] buffs?
Maybe it would even allow him to gain some nice discounts when trading for supplies?
Steven rubbed his chin, his Minecrafter mindset kicking in.
But after glancing above his head and not seeing a raid progress bar, he let out a disappointed sigh.
Yeah… figures.
The villagers in Minecraft had those big noses and were hardly normal humans to begin with.
If this were a real Minecraft village, there should at least be a bell somewhere, right?
And besides—like Talulah said—dealing with this group wouldn't be the hard part.
The real problem was the Ursus government's retaliation.
Now that… would be a pain to deal with.
"So as long as I don't get caught, I can go watch the fun, right?"
After thinking it over, Steven decided that he wouldn't cause trouble for these two girls. However, the idea of just going home to sleep instead of watching the chaos unfold was completely out of the question.
"Watch the fun? Do you have any idea how difficult these people are to deal with? And how exactly do you plan on not getting caught?"
Talulah was starting to admire Steven's way of thinking—if he really was a doctor, then she could only suggest that he treat his own brain first.
"That's right, Mr. Steve. For your own safety, there's no need to provoke them at a time like this."
Alina also tried to sincerely persuade him. She didn't want to see a good person like Steven being bullied by those people.
"Relax, relax. Stealth is my specialty."
Steven waved a hand dismissively. Then, as if to prove his point, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a small glass bottle that glowed with an eerie sky-blue light.
Under Talulah and Alina's confused gazes, he downed it in one gulp.
The next second—
A soft puff of blue bubbles floated into the air.
And Steven, who had been standing right there, suddenly vanished into thin air.
"?!"
Talulah's eyes widened in shock.
She had been watching Steven the entire time—but somehow, she had no idea how he disappeared.
If not for their close proximity, which allowed her to faintly sense that Steven was still there, she might have believed she was hallucinating.
Compared to Talulah, who could at least tell that Steven had used some kind of ability to hide himself, Alina was completely stunned.
To her, this wasn't some clever trick—this was magic.
"M-Mr. Steve? Are you still here?"
Alina covered her mouth with both hands, barely stopping herself from letting out a startled scream.
Then, with cautious movements, she reached out and began feeling around where Steven had just been standing.
"Yeah, I'm still here. Also, could you stop touching me? That's my chest—it's kinda ticklish."
Steven's disembodied voice floated in the air.
"Ah?! S-Sorry!"
Alina snapped her hand back instantly, her face turning a shade redder than the setting sun.
But at the same time—
Her curiosity and amazement only deepened.
Steven was still standing there?!
How did he do this?!
Talulah narrowed her eyes and cut straight to the point.
"You… what exactly did you just do?"
"Just a little something from my special Originium Arts."
"Come on, I'm a doctor—knowing how to mix up a few special potions is totally normal, right?"
Steven's voice came from the empty space.
The unsettling feeling of knowing someone was right there, yet being unable to see them, made Talulah furrow her brows.
She was glad that Steven wasn't their enemy.
And even more so that he really did seem to be just a wandering traveler.
Because if someone with this kind of frightening ability had chosen to become an assassin instead…
The consequences would be terrifying.
The ability to turn invisible might seem like a low-tier, situational power at first glance. However, if one thinks it through, it quickly becomes clear just how terrifyingly effective it can be in practical applications.
As for Steven's claim that this was just his special Originium Art, Talulah could only pretend to believe it.
After all, she couldn't sense even the faintest trace of Originium energy from him.
But if he insisted on calling it Originium Arts, what choice did she have but to go along with it?
After all, Originium Arts was a bottomless pit—people could shove just about anything into that category.
"So now, I shouldn't have to worry about those guys seeing me, right? I can just go along with you two and see what they're really up to?"
Steven's excited voice came from directly in front of Talulah.
It was obvious that he had no intention of missing out on this spectacle.
"I really don't understand why you're so interested in something that has absolutely nothing to do with you. But if you really want to watch, we have no reason to stop you, do we?"
Talulah let out a helpless sigh.
She had only tried to stop Steven earlier because she was concerned for his safety. But now, that worry seemed entirely unnecessary.
Come to think of it, even if this guy wasn't invisible, those so-called Infected Patrol Guards probably wouldn't have been able to do much to him anyway.
"Eh, that's where you're wrong. Have you ever heard the old saying?"
Steven's cheerful voice carried a hint of amusement.
"Since I'm already here, how could I possibly leave empty-handed?"
He didn't sound even the slightest bit concerned about the Infected Patrol Guards.
On the contrary, he made it sound like this was all just a game, and he was simply a player enjoying the experience.
"I don't want to respond to that… But if you're really going to do this, just make sure you don't get caught. Otherwise, it'll cause trouble for the village, and that'd be a real headache."
Talulah chose to seriously warn him instead of arguing.
Steven might be invisible, meaning he wouldn't be seen by the patrol guards.
But still, there was no guarantee he wouldn't pull some weird stunt.
Because Steven…
Well, his way of thinking was a little too unique.
"Of course, of course. I already said I'm just here to watch the fun. Being an observer is incredibly entertaining, and besides—doesn't that mean I can help protect Alina, too?"
Steven chuckled.
Even though he was nowhere to be seen, Alina could somehow tell that he had shifted closer to her.
"Actually… it doesn't feel all that unsafe anymore."
For some reason, now that Steven was invisible, Alina felt a little embarrassed.
Not being able to see him made it feel like he was right beside her, watching her the whole time.
She didn't quite know how to describe it.
"Relax, relax. Anyway, we should head into the village now, right? Looks like they're arguing with someone. You sure you don't wanna go check it out?"
Steven laughed, then lightly patted Alina's shoulder, as if telling her not to focus on him.
Talulah simply sighed and tugged at the still-flustered Alina, before quickening her pace toward the crowd gathering at the village entrance.
<+>
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