73. CLASH AT GOLD BEACON'S TREASURE

"Stop!" Chloe immediately blocked Reynald's sword. "Don't break the rules. We just need to complete the mission, not eliminate other players."

Ethan stared intently at Chloe, but it seemed she didn't care about Ethan's team.

Chloe pushed Reynald forward and gathered with her team. At that moment, Ethan reached into his pocket and looked at his compass, the arrow spinning erratically.

"My compass seems broken," Ethan murmured to Dane.

"I don't think it would help anyway, E. In front of us are five doors; the compass points directions, not which path to choose." Dane sighed softly and placed his coin on Ethan's compass. "This coin is useless, too."

But then, the arrow on Ethan's compass suddenly slowed down. Ethan blinked, finding it unusual. He moved the coin and compass toward one of the entrances, but the arrow shifted to another door. Ethan kept pointing it at each door, and at the fourth door, the arrow stopped.

"Let's go to the fourth door," Ethan said confidently.

His teammates looked skeptical; they didn't know where Ethan got this intuition.

"Do you want to stay here?" Ethan asked.

Meanwhile, the red badge team had already entered the third door. It was strange; the players were supposed to enter the same door. But Ethan trusted his gut.

"But they went through the third door," Miriam said. "What if the fourth door is a trap?"

Ethan remained firm. "The fourth door, if you want to come with me. If you want to follow the red badge team, that's your choice."

Dane approached Ethan and nodded. "I'm with you."

"Me too," Garreth agreed.

The three of them moved to the fourth door, pushing its golden panel that echoed. A musty smell wafted out; it was dark inside. Miriam and the other players followed behind, looking uncertain because it seemed dangerous.

"Come on, let's go," Ethan urged without hesitation.

He walked down the dark corridor, stumbling over the rocky ground. Behind him, murmurs indicated that his team had decided to follow Ethan. After walking a few hundred meters, a speck of light appeared ahead, growing larger as they approached. It turned out to be an exit.

At the exit, stone stairs clinging to the wall are very steep and without handrails. Ahead, a stretch of trees with dangling vines is visible. A small temple is across, illuminated by sunlight from a gap above.

"A terrifying game," Miriam whispered.

Dane struggled to descend the stairs, his breathing short and his face red. When he reached the last step, Dane collapsed, coughing. Ethan hurried to Dane and touched his forehead.

"Damn, you're feverish," Ethan said.

"I'm sorry." Dane was on the verge of tears.

"It's alright." Ethan took Dane's arm and draped it over his shoulder. "I got you, Dane."

They walked down the path under the eerie trees. Ethan and his team continued until they reached the steps leading to the temple. With great effort, they climbed the steep, crumbling steps.

It was truly exhausting.

When they reached the temple, they were surprised to see Brownbeard there. Brownbeard laughed on an altar, with treasure overflowing behind him.

"We did it! We did it!" Brownbeard's laughter echoed.

But suddenly, an arrow shot towards Brownbeard, hitting his shoulder. Brownbeard roared and fell from the altar. The red badge team arrived, and Chloe immediately removed the pirate's hat.

"I'm taking my hat because this is my mission," Chloe said.

Ethan and his teammates seem confused. Weren't they just supposed to secure the treasure? Why was everything different? Did they have to fight the Red Badge team?

Chloe aimed an arrow at Miriam, but her face showed anxiety.

"I'm sorry, Miriam. But my mission is to make you an offering to the Gold Beacon so we can all win this game," Chloe said bluntly.

Miriam's eyes widened. "What?"

Ethan immediately shielded Miriam. "No, our task is to keep Brownbeard's daughter alive."

"So we have to fight and decide who wins?" Reynald stood beside Chloe. "Well, I can't wait for this."

Garreth readied his weapon, as did the players from both the blue and red badge teams. Ethan was sure this wasn't different from how it was supposed to end. How could they be expected to slaughter each other?

"No! Wait!" Ethan shouted.

The two teams, about to clash, held back.

"An offering to the Gold Beacon means spilling Miriam's blood as Brownbeard's daughter. What Gold Beacon wants is Brownbeard's and his descendants' blood," Ethan pointed to the pirate.

"You mean, if we sacrifice Brownbeard, our team will win. And conversely, if you keep Miriam alive, you will win?" Chloe asked.

Ethan nodded. "Exactly! This game also requires logic; we can't interpret the mission literally."

Garreth took out the rope, which was his mission item, and paused for a moment. "We can tie Brownbeard and place him on the altar."

"No! You imbeciles! You're fools! Why are you sacrificing me!" Brownbeard roared.

"Okay, let's try your way. If it doesn't work, I'll have to sacrifice Miriam," Chloe said firmly.

Brownbeard, trying to escape, was caught and tied up by Garreth. The pirate was placed on the altar, writhing to free himself.

"What do we have to do, stab his heart? Cut his throat?" Chloe hesitated. "That's too brutal."

Garreth grabbed Brownbeard's palm. "Just cut his hand," he said, making a small cut until blood dripped onto the altar.

A loud rumble sounded, and all the players became alert. Then, in the pile of treasure, a large portal opened, sucking all the players in without warning.

...

Ethan groaned softly, feeling his head spinning and extremely nauseous.

[The Lobby: THE MEDIEVAL]

[Name: Ethan Mannon]

[Age: 22 years]

[Classification: Tank]

[Status: Novice +4]

[Gold: 250,000]

[Armor: Shield Treachery's Iron Bulwark level 25]

[Item: Harpy's Wing, Wizard's Crystal, Blue Beacon Spark]

[Power: +500]

[Buff: Harpy's Inferno, Wizard's Lumen]

[Skill: Eternal Shield +5]

[Special Item: Skip Level +2, Time +2 hours. One role +1. Albert Inherit Sword's level 2]

*Thank goodness*, Ethan thought. They had passed level 17, which made Ethan feel incredibly relieved. Ethan saw Chloe and Miriam facing each other, their expressions both hardened.

"So you really wanted to kill me, Chloe?"

"This is OFF LIMIT, Miriam."

"Answer me. Did you intend to get rid of me?"