An Unwelcome Observer
Feng Ye moved quickly toward the source of the conflict. He could hear the sounds of battle growing louder with each step. As he approached, he could smell the strong scent of blood, smoke, and burnt flesh in the air.
"This must be a serious fight. Since this world contains monster cores, there's a high chance that abilities or advanced weapons are involved. I'll need to tread carefully."
His eyes narrowed as he recalled the system's warning: this world was hostile to otherworlders. The otherworlder might refer to a specific status.
"That means if I'm exposed, the world itself will try to eliminate me," he muttered. "I can't afford to be reckless."
As long as he doesn't disclose it, it should be fine. It is doubtful they have a way to detect but we can't rule that out.
A thin smirk crept onto his lips.
"But depending on the situation, I might be able to profit from this dispute."
Feng Ye quickened his pace. The closer he got, the clearer the battlefield became. The dense bamboo forest thinned out, replaced by broken trees, deep craters, and scorched patches of earth.
He slowed down, crouching behind the cover of a tree. From his position, about a kilometer away, he could see the battlefield unfolding.
--
Two groups clashed and confronted each other in the middle of the clearing. A group of adventurers were surrounded by an overwhelming number of bandits. The adventurers looked and gave off the impression of seasoned fighters. They stood their ground in a tight formation around a massive gorilla-like beast corpse. The group of adventurers wore various types of clothes based on their role in the party.
The bandits wore dark linen robes similar to the ones Feng Ye had seen earlier. They circled the adventurer group like vultures. The battlefield was already filled with burnt and disfigured corpses.
"Are they fighting for the beast corpse?" Feng Ye speculated.
The scene in front of him reminded him of an old Chinese proverb: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. This is a great opportunity for me to profit as a third party."
Feng Ye assessed the approaches he could take. He landed on three reasonable options.
He could loot the battlefield and wait for the fight to resolve and scavenge for valuable items aka 'scrap picking'. He could blend in as a bandit by stealing one of their robes and infiltrating. A riskier option would be to assist the adventurers which would enable him to possibly gain their trust, but it would expose himself.
"Which one would be most beneficial for me? The bandit leader might have some skills. I might expose myself too quickly if I were to help the adventurers. It also seems a bit unrealistic for the adventurers to leave unscathed especially if they are unwilling to leave the beast's corpse." Feng Ye's analysis continues.
The adventurers were powerful but vastly outnumbered. The bandit leader stood out, wielding a sword that shimmered with eerie colors which could signal potential enchantment.
"A sword like that isn't ordinary. Enchanted weapons are probably rare here. It's something to keep an eye on."
Feng Ye continued to observe the conflict. There seem to be around forty bandits. The bandits were only armed with daggers excluding the bandit leader.
Feng Ye scanned the adventurers.
Seven members. Each member of this group had a distinct role and dressed based on their specialties.
The party consisted of three warriors, two tanks, a visibly exhausted female mage, and a cleric.
The three warriors and two tanks held the perimeter around the mage, cleric, and gorilla corpse.
The gorilla beast corpse was around the size of two Honda Civic cars parked next to each other.
All the members except the cleric seem to be human. The cleric had two distinct ears. Perhaps an elf…. The mage was panting and showed signs that she had used a significant amount of mana.
The bandit leader grinned while brandishing his glowing blade.
"Hahahaha! Give up the corpse and we'll let you walk away unharmed!" he taunted.
"You're on your last legs. Drop the beast and walk away, or we'll carve you up next."
The adventurers remained silent while they continued to parry and fend off the relentless waves of attackers.
The conflict between the two parties lasted some time. The bloodied corpse of the gorilla beast was an issue. Its scent would attract other predators or hostile forces. If the adventurers didn't wrap things up quickly, they were doomed. Its bloody scent had been spread in the region by the light breeze. The longer the battle, the more disadvantageous the situation for the adventurers. They are exhausted and are loot targets for the bandits here.
"I wish I had figured out how to use some magic or spells. Would be great to send some to the skies." Feng Ye thought to himself.
Just as Feng Ye was weighing his choices, his heightened awareness signaled to him that something was off. He felt a presence nearby. He instinctively stepped back, blending into the shadows of the forest.
Not far away from Feng Ye's position, a figure crouched behind the ferns, watching the battlefield just as he was.
Feng Ye studied the stranger. A male with brown hair and piercing blue eyes, gripping a staff that was leagues beyond Feng Ye's makeshift bamboo one. The staff pulsed with magical energy, its crystal-tipped end etched with runes. This stranger was wearing a cloak similar to the mage robes that were worn by the female mage adventurer currently in the center of the conflict.
Another mage. A stranger who also wants to profit as a third party.
But what caught Feng Ye's attention wasn't just the staff. It was the gesture the man made which was silent, practiced, and unnatural. So unnatural that it seemed to not belong in this world.
It was as though he was interacting with an invisible touchscreen. A moment later, a purple potion appeared in his hand out of thin air.
"Spatial magic? Or otherworlder?" Feng Ye's mind raced.
If this was another candidate from the World Administrator, then they were competitors. But if this person had arrived through a different means, it meant multiple factions of otherworlders existed.
"If he's from a different system entirely… what does that mean for me?"
"How dangerous is he?"
Also, he is not sure of the power gap between this stranger and himself. Are they also a candidate from the
A crafty idea.
Feng Ye silently retreated, slipping deeper into the forest. He moved quickly, retracing his steps to where he had killed the two bandits earlier. Upon arrival, he stripped them of their dark linen robes and hooded cloaks. Throwing one over his clothes, he adjusted the hood, ensuring his face was partially obscured. A grin spread across his lips.
Time to cause some chaos.