chapter 71 Chaos in town

. Player Reactions – Confusion and Anger

The moment the System Announcement appeared, the entire town of Greenhaven was thrown into complete chaos. Unlike experienced adventurers in higher-level zones, the players here were all Level 1, barely able to survive against rabbits and goblins. Now, they were being warned about a bandit attack—a group of organized, battle-hardened criminals who were likely much stronger than them.

. Initial Shock and Panic

At first, there was a moment of silence as everyone processed what they had just read. The town square, which had been buzzing with casual chatter, suddenly fell quiet. Then—

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WE'RE LEVEL 1!"

A player wearing basic cloth armor threw his wooden staff on the ground in frustration. His shout triggered an immediate wave of complaints as every player around him began talking at once.

"What kind of sick joke is this?! We just started the game!"

"I still don't even have a skill yet, and they expect me to fight bandits?!"

"I haven't even fought a goblin, and you're telling me I have to fight bandits now?!"

Some players opened their status screens, desperately hoping there was some kind of hidden stat boost or free event reward to help them survive. There wasn't. They were still Level 1, with weak weapons, terrible armor, and almost no skills unlocked.

. Checking Their Gear and Realizing They're Doomed

A few brave (or stupid) players started inspecting their weapons, trying to convince themselves they could handle it.

A swordsman stared at his Rusty Iron Sword, which did 5-10 damage. "...Yeah, we're screwed."

A mage waved his hands. "I have one attack spell—Firebolt—and it takes five seconds to cast! What am I supposed to do, ask the bandits to wait?!"

A rogue tested his basic dagger, only to find that it barely left a scratch on a wooden post. "I think my fists do more damage than this thing…"

A healer looked at his healing skill. "I can heal 10 HP every 30 seconds. Bandits can probably kill me in one hit."

It didn't take long for everyone to realize the obvious: they were completely unprepared.

. Players Cursing the System

As more players began panicking, the town square erupted into furious rants against the game developers.

"WHO DESIGNED THIS GAME?! WHAT KIND OF DEVELOPER THROWS LEVEL 1 PLAYERS INTO A BANDIT RAID?!"

"WHERE'S THE NEWBIE PROTECTION?!"

"IS THIS AN MMO OR A SURVIVAL HORROR GAME?!"

"At least give us a beginner's quest or something!"

"I haven't even unlocked my class skills yet! How the hell am I supposed to fight trained killers?!"

Some players tried reasoning with the system, even though it obviously wouldn't respond.

One priest kneeled and clasped his hands together. "O great system, I beg you—reduce the bandit's levels! We are but humble noobs!"

A warrior shouted at the sky. "At least give us free weapons, you stingy piece of code!"

Another player suggested logging out. "Guys, if we all log out now, maybe the event will reset…"

It didn't.

. Players Blaming the One Who Triggered the Bandits

Then came the finger-pointing.

"Wait, wait, wait—who destroyed the Bandit Occupation in the first place?"

"Yeah! This is SOMEONE'S fault!"

"If I find out which player did this, I'm gonna PK them first chance I get!"

"YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON US, YOU IDIOT!"

Unfortunately, no one knew who had triggered the event, and the system didn't announce the player's name. But that didn't stop people from speculating.

"Probably some overconfident idiot who thought he was a hero."

"Maybe it was a beta tester? You know how they always screw things up for the rest of us."

"I swear, if I find out it was some random guy who just wanted loot, I will personally hunt him down!"

. Some Players Trying (and Failing) to Think Positively

A few hopeful players tried to look on the bright side.

"Okay, maybe the bandits will be Level 1 too!"

"Yeah, maybe they scale to our level!"

"Or maybe they're just a few weak bandits, nothing too serious!"

Then, someone pulled up the system announcement again.

"Bandit Leader Carlos (Lv. 5) has taken command."

There was a moment of absolute silence. Then—

"WE'RE SO DEAD."

All hope vanished instantly. Level 5 was five times stronger than Level 1. And if their leader was that strong, how tough were the rest of the bandits?

. Players Desperately Trying to Find a Plan

At this point, some players started coming up with survival strategies—all of which were terrible.

"Maybe we should all run outside at the same time and overwhelm them with numbers?"

"Yeah, great idea. Let's all rush out and watch 90% of us die in five seconds."

"What if we hide in the forest?"

"Oh, you mean the forest where wolves kill you in three hits? Yeah, go ahead, genius."

"Let's just stay in town and wait until the bandits give up!"

"And miss out on the rewards? No thanks!"

"Maybe we can negotiate with them?"

"Right. Let's ask the bloodthirsty criminals for a peace treaty. That'll totally work."

At the end of it all, nobody had a solid plan. They were stuck between hiding like cowards, fighting and dying instantly, or running out and making fools of themselves.

And the worst part? The bandits were already on their way.

Note: few chapters i will write about side characters I mean random players struggle in previous life ethan is like them so you will know game is not same for all