Confrontation

"Cmon, move it, get your ass in there! What, are you scared? And here I thought you weren't some lousy level 30! What a shame." (Guild Member 1)

"I'm not falling for it. I already know what the ruins have to offer, and I'm not prepared to venture down inside them. There's no doubt in my mind that the undead will kill us! You people are insane!" Jacob clenched his fists, standing his ground in front of them.

"Who gives a shit about the undead? You see, my friend here has Celestial Magic, he'll wipe them away without a trace. We're level 35, while you're level 30. The undead are normally around level 25 to 40, we'll be alright." (Guild Member 1)

"I'm a user of Celestial Magic while Richard is a user of Debuff magic." (Guild Member 2)

"Hey, did you have to tell them my name?!" Cried, Richard.

"We may be forcing the two as bait, but they'll need our names while we're down there, just in case they find anything or need help."

"What makes you think they'll be calling out to us, Henry? If anything, they'll try to escape whenever we get separated."

"I already have a precaution for that; we'll just seal off the entrance to the ruins with a barrier, that way they'll be unable to escape with the gap in our levels." Responded Richard.

"Tsk, if something ends up happening, I'm blaming you for this."

("Damnit, they're gonna seal off the entrance. How am I gonna get in if that's the case? I have to act fast and be precise about every action I take.")

Legolas was still in the trees, witnessing everything.

"Henry, our names are important. If people find out our names, they can easily manipulate their way into the Swindlers guild. There are shapeshifters, deceivers, and mimics in the game, you know that right?"

"Pwa ha ha, who cares, man? You're acting like these two lump of lards have what it takes to do that."

Richard gave a sigh before making his way towards the tied-up Alice.

He picked her up, placing them on his shoulder, "Let's just get a move on; I wanna complete these ruins fast so I can level up. Searching dangerous locations gives the player a vast amount of EXP, and I'm not trying to stay level 35 forever."

"I dunno, I kinda like staying above average in level, and letting our boss do all the work," Henry nonchalantly responded and made his way towards the entrance of the ruins, which were stairs that led down to the underground, "A bunch of undead, pfft, they're everyday threats for players like us, we'll be fine." He said to reassure himself.

Henry turned around, extending his palm towards Jacob to threaten him with a spell.

"Alright, you, go first. Make any sudden movements and you'll be blasted to oblivion, you got that?"

Jacob frowned while glaring at the Swindlers member.

He knew he couldn't do anything, so he kept himself in false composure.

"I already told you, I'm it going down into the ruins-" Before Jacob could finish his sentence, he was launched backward, "Gwaaa!" His health bar was depleted.

From one attack alone, he lost 30% of his life points.

"Ughh..." Jacob groaned. His body felt paralyzed for a moment until he regained composure.

He slowly stood back up, wide-eyed from the attack.

"Y-You bastard! You almost killed me!"

Henry was shown holding a mage staff in his hand, pointing it directly at Jacob. It was High-Grade equipment.

"Listen, if you don't follow my instructions I might just have to kill you and rely on that girl as bait, you hear me?"

"I said... no!" Jacob was holding his stomach in pain, but he still held his ground. "I'm not going down there to pointlessly get killed, can't you see the situation we're in?! If anyone dies, then they're gone forever!"

"Pfft! Do you seriously believe that crap? Oh cmon dude, it's just a joke! The admins were fucking with us. But I don't mind them pranking us and everything, because personally, I find that shit funny!" Henry shouted.

"You have to be kidding me? Do you believe all of this is a joke? Is that why you're sending us to our deaths because you believe we'll just respawn back?!"

"That's exactly what I believe; honestly, the fact that people are falling for this prank is ridiculous, but it does put a smile on my face."

Richard scoffed in the background, "That's what our Guild master told us as well. He believes all of this is some joke, and that we'll be set free in a day or so. It's just a matter of time."

"Exactly, what Richard said! It's only a matter of time. The update must have a few flaws, which is why none of us can leave... or at least, that's my theory. But we aren't gonna fucking die, so don't get your panties in a bunch."

"But, what if that's not the case? What if this is really happening, then what?" Jacob asked hesitantly.

"...Then, I guess I screwed up by sending actual people to their deaths." Responded Henry.

"And you're willing to take that risk? Do you want to risk our lives by sending us into the ruins? Think about it! If all of this is fake, why did the Phantom Mutiny, one of the greatest guilds in the entire game, fight the admins?!" Jacob shouted.

Both Henry and Richard went silent, staring at the ground in thought.

"It's not a joke, it can't be. Even the entire Phantom Mutiny was involved with all of this."

"It could be some script," Henry mumbled, catching Jacob and Richard's attention, "A script they all planned together. When I think about it, it makes more sense. The Phantom Mutiny and the admins were probably just planning this together to scare the players and dedicate them to level up with precaution. Maybe this was done so that the players can be more experienced and not just walk into certain locations and die like idiots."

"...No, that's not what this is about! At this point, you're just coping." Jacob responded, "This is all real, it's not some event or bug that's keeping us here! Our souls are trapped inside the game, and we have to accept that."

"I have a brother, he's sick, he's dying… and he needs me. I can't just think all hope is lost because of what happened." Henry quivered in his lip, "I'm not gonna give up on him because of some stupid fucking assumption you're spouting out your ass!"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know, but all of us have someone waiting for us in the real world, it's just that we can't return. Our bodies are already dead, and some of us may be buried by now."

"Shut the hell up!!" Henry charged mana inside his staff, "If you say one more fucking word, I'll kill you! After that happens, you'll just come back, and everything will be fine! Nothing is gonna happen to you when you die!! Want me to prove it?"

"Henry, calm down..." Proclaimed Richard.

"Why should I calm down with this dumbass? He's spouting nonsense about our bodies being dead in the real world! I'm not gonna let that slide!! Can you believe that Richard? The fact he's falling for the whole 'Isekai'd into a game' crap!"

"But that's no reason to kill him, we need him as our bait, are you forgetting? You're just blinded by rage right now."

"Why should I calm down?! This fucking loser should be the one calming down!!!"

"You're scared, aren't you? Scared that I may be right about all of this. Scared that we may actually be trapped inside this game, and that there's nothing we can do about it, other than survive." Jacob stood up straight, aggressively getting into Henry's head.

"I-I'm not scared...! I'm not scared about that shit, shut up... just shut up! Be quiet, shut your damn mouth!"

"Sometimes it's best to accept facts, rather than living in denial. I'm sure that your brother is going to be okay; the people in the real world can help someone like him."

"No..." Henry started to cry as he fell to his knees, dropping his staff, "They can't help him, we don't have enough money for that..." he placed his hands on the ground, bowing his head in shame, "The reason I joined the swindlers guild was to hack into the game to level up, so I could participate in the Northern tournament. We can win actual money if we become the victors of the tournament! It was my chance! It was my only chance to save my brother!! And you're telling me I can't??" Henry broke down into tears as he slammed his forehead against the ground. "I don't even like this game! It was just a way to save my sibling!!"

"Henry..." Mumbled Richard.

"Even my Game avatar is named after my little brother!!! Damnit, damnit all!" Henry shouted in pain, sobbing.

His voice echoed across the forest as the pain in his heart only grew.

Realization hit him like a truck.

They were truly stuck inside the game.