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Chapter 266 - Can We Talk...

Mei Mei: [Brother, you are being slandered. Log out of the game for now. Everybody wants to hunt you and kill you.]

Shen Yue: [Liam, someone is spreading false rumors. Please watch your back. Many people are discussing targeting you.]

"Hmmm…" Liam saw the cryptic messages from the duo. He then opened Abraki's message.

Abraki: [Liam, what happened? Heavenly Retribution guild is accusing you of forcing slavery on other players. This matter is blowing up. You should do something about this soon.]

"Oh?" Liam knitted his brows together in puzzlement. He now understood what was going on, but there was something unsettling about it.

"If it is about slave contracts, then…"

"Shouldn't those three be kind of busy right now? Why would they target me now of all the times?"

He pondered as he walked out of the PVP tower onto the busy streets of the city.

His opponents were extremely popular at the moment so he had no doubt that this news also spread like wildfire.

As he walked by, he could already feel a few eyes looking at him. Were his face and identity also leaked?

"This will make things a bit difficult," Liam murmured. He slightly increased his speed and soon disappeared into the crowd.

This definitely made everything very cumbersome for him. For the people of the current world, something like slavery was unimaginable and unforgivable.

But when the world inevitably changes, such a thing would once again be mainstream.

In fact, many would willingly become slaves so that they could gain the protection and favor of a powerful Master.

However, the world hadn't changed yet. So it was only normal that people were after him with knives and pitchforks.

The interviewers who were praising him yesterday were probably cursing him right about now. His fame would have already turned into infamy.

But right at this moment, Liam didn't have the time to deal with this.

He also didn't have the necessity to, because he was going to be in the nether realm for the next few days and by that time, this news would have probably died out too.

After all, several shocking things were about to begin happening, starting with the spreading of the grave camping and the possibility of true death.

When that news comes out, then the world would truly begin to change and everybody would suddenly start becoming afraid of the game and the implications it potentially had.

At that time, his news would become a piece of old news that no one would care about. This setback was just temporary.

This was also what bothered him. Why would those two risk a lot in clashing with him again, especially for something temporary like this?

It felt like a losing strategy to him and Mia he knew wasn't this stupid. Maybe this is that redhead's work. Liam sighed, shaking his head.

This didn't affect him too much. Nevertheless, he was still not amused about this. He did not know if those three were responsible for this, but if they were then…

Mingling in the crowd, Liam inconspicuously walked over to an inn to log out and take a break. Just as he was about to enter the inn, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Liam, can we talk."

The voice was sharp and cold, neither submissive nor oppressive.

Talk about the devils... Liam sneered and did not look back to see who exactly it was. He did not need to.

But he was still surprised by their unexpected visit. Shouldn't they be running away from him right now? That too after what they had done…

"Come in. We can talk." Liam said. He silently walked over to the innkeeper, booked a VIP room.

VIP rooms had a silent mode function which meant that whatever was spoken inside couldn't be overheard. Also, other people wouldn't be able to disturb them.

Considering the way everyone else in the inn was looking at them right now, he thought that this was necessary.

So he booked one and then started heading upstairs, still not giving the two even a glance.

With Liam in the front, the two followed him without saying anything else. Finally, when all three of them reached the room and entered inside, Liam turned around to look at the two.

Standing in front of him, two tall and beautiful women waited and watched his every move.

Liam's eyes as well, traveled up and down, looking at everything they had gained in these past several days they hadn't met each other.

As he did, his gaze inevitably met the hot glare from the redhead.

Almost instantly, the woman who had been controlling herself all this time, with great difficulty, pounced forward. She was like a tigress and she clearly wanted to claw his face off.

"YOU! Why did you do this?" Alex bellowed, dashing forward with her fists clenched.

However, before she could touch Liam, his figure blurred and the next second, her body was lifted up and slammed on the wall.

"I suggest you try this again because I don't have a lot of time to waste." Gripping her throat, he rammed her on the wall another time to get his point through.

Under his iron grasp, she could only choke and suffocate, gasping for air. She tried hitting the man's chest with her fists but it was useless.

"Liam, please." Finally, the other person in the room, Mia spoke up.

Only then he loosen his grasp on the redhead making her slide down and collapse on the floor weakly.

"You have something different to say?" He asked her again with a cold indifferent face, not showing one ounce of regret for what he had just done.

And Alex dumbly stared at him, clutching her throat, completely speechless. Just a second ago, when he had choked her, she knew that the man really intended to kill her.

There was no doubt about it.

No one has ever treated her this way.. Countless men in the game looked up to her and revered her as a goddess, but in front of this person, she only felt invisible and worthless.

Chapter 267 - Please Help My Brother

Seeing that things were beginning to get out of hand, Mia stepped forward, coming in between the two. "Liam, please. We are not here to fight with you. We are here to apologize."

Her steady calm gaze had an unmistakable sadness and loneliness with them. "After we met the last time, several things have happened and somehow… we are here."

She let out a soft sigh, looking very tired.

"And? Am I to blame for that?" Liam sat down on the bed in the room casually. "I did make you three an offer but I also did not force you to accept it."

"No. You did not." Mia smiled bitterly. What she didn't say was that he didn't do it before but he had done it now.

She didn't want to talk about that right now, so she started with the other thing that they came here for.

"We have made several mistakes, I admit. But please, you have to trust us, we did not spread the rumor about the slave contract. We had nothing to do with that."

"Hmmm?" Liam's gaze shifted to Alex. He knew that Mia couldn't have done it but what about this one?

Instantly, Alex stiffened up and angrily retorted. "Bastard, even if we had. It's the truth, isn't it?" She coughed roughly since her throat was coarse after being almost choked to death.

"Oh, so you still haven't learned your lesson?" Liam took a step forward but Mia quickly intervened.

"Alex stop this. You are going to kill Rey! Why did we come here? Do you even remember? Or do you just not care anymore!"

Alex immediately stopped talking. Tears dripped from her eyes and she buried her head in her knees, not even caring how vulnerable it made her look.

Liam also finally understood why the two were really here, risking their lives just to meet with him, especially knowing that he was not a forgiving type of character.

So the person who took the most beating was Rey? He was not really that surprised by the outcome.

While these two or at least Mia was a born genius, the other party was a normal person like him. So how could he possibly take it when multiple people fucked him up again and again?

This was simply bound to happen, sooner or later.

"How is he doing now?" Liam asked nonchalantly, looking at the two women. He really did not have an ounce of sympathy for their plight.

He also didn't seem to care that he had caused everything to happen.

Utterly bewildered by how someone could be like this, Alex looked up at the monster in front of her, her eyes filled with tears and regret.

She regretted that they ever met him in the first place. This single person was responsible for everything that went wrong with their lives.

If she could kill him, she would... thousand times over.

Mia as well clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "He is not doing great. He is barely even talking or eating. He just sleeps all the time."

"Oh." Liam nodded. He then paused for a second and added. "Alright. I will believe you both then. THIS TIME. You had nothing to do with this event. So are we done?"

"Huh?" Mia was shocked. No, this was not what they wanted to talk about with him. They had come here for…

"I am busy. I really have a lot to do." Liam shrugged and then got up, stretching his limbs as if he was preparing to log out.

If these two wanted to beat around the bush all day without telling him why exactly they were here… then they had another thing coming.

They were already here, so why not just get to the point?

Mia sighed looking at the person and his acting. She was able to see right through him. He really was hateful.

But they also did not have any other choice. This guy was their only hope right now. So she did what she should have done from the beginning.

She did not bother with any further pleasantries and directly kneeled in front of Liam. "Can you help my brother, please?"

For a second, Liam was utterly shocked. Was this the same proud Mia now begging him? Literally? On her knees?

Even Alex who was also on the ground sniffing and sobbing looked at her cousin in a daze. More tears streamed down her eyes.

No matter how she acted on the outside, she felt a pang of enormous guilt weighing her down on the inside. She was the reason for all of this mess. She knew that.

If she had just left him alone… then perhaps things wouldn't have come to this and Rey wouldn't be the one paying the price for all of it.

"Me? Help your brother? Heh. Impossible." Liam chuckled wryly. "It's too late. You should have come to me sooner."

"Liam please…" Mia's lips trembled. "I am ready to…"

But before she could finish her sentence, Alex stood up in anger and once again pounced on Liam.

This time, however, she did something before pouncing on him that made even Liam stagger and lose balance, with the two of them falling onto the bed.

Liam blinked, staring at the unbelievable sight in front of him!

The woman had actually removed her armor and tore away the blouse that was covering the upper half of her body and was now straddling him, completely naked from the waist up.

Not stopping there, she took his hand and rammed it on her chest, squishing her two well-endowed mounds.

"This is what you wanted, right? Take it. Take everything, but please help my brother." Her long red locks hung loosely, as more tears dripped from her eyes falling on Liam's chest.

Liam sighed. He didn't do anything this time. The woman on top of him looked so pathetic right now that he did not feel like kicking her again.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you this. Get it through your head. I am not interested in you or your sister in this way."

He wiggled his hand, freeing himself from the boob prison, and then using the same hand, he pushed aside the naked figure sitting atop him.

"Long back, I did suggest something on these lines, but that was just a shortcut. There are plenty of other methods to become stronger."

Taking one more look at the naked woman on the bed, he repeated his words. "Again… they don't feel bad, but I am really not interested."

Alex was completely dumbfounded. She had acted out of haste and desperation and now that she had become slightly clear-headed, she felt very embarrassed.

She quickly pulled the blanket over herself and asked again. "Then… then… why won't you help my brother? I am sorry. I am really sorry for everything I did."

"I was just…" She trembled.

Liam saw where this was going and quickly stopped her. "I am not done talking. I am not interested in your body, but I still need something else from you."

"The same offer I gave you back then, still stands.. If you want my help, I need all three of you to sign the contract."

Chapter 268 - What Do You Think Of This Game?

For a second, Liam sounded as if he was going to be generous, but hearing him repeat the same dreadful words again, the two women looked dumbfounded.

"Why! Why are you being so unreasonable!" Alex crumpled the sheets and stared at him wide-eyed.

"Is this because you can't trust us?" Mia asked. She also failed to understand why he was being so stubborn about this.

"I know we got off on the wrong foot. Please, this concerns my brother's life. If you just help us this once, we will be eternally grateful."

"We will not go up against you. We can be your allies. I promise this. I give you my word." Mia pleaded.

Alex as well did not continue to remain arrogant and quickly added. "Please Liam. I know I foolishly did a lot of things, I will apologize for everything. But you have to help my brother."

"Please we can be on the same side. I will never again do anything stupid. Please just this once." The two begged and pleaded with Liam.

However, Liam only shook his head, smiling helplessly. "I really cannot help unless you sign the contract. My hands are tied."

"Don't think of it as a slave contract. Think of it as a subordinate contract or even as a friendship contract. I will not treat you both unfairly."

"Why? Why are you being so stubborn like this! Why can't you just trust us? Why do you need a contract like this?" Alex shouted.

She hated that this guy was being so stubborn, not budging at all even though the two of them were groveling at his feet.

Did he like seeing them so miserable begging him like this for help?

"I could say the same thing." Liam shrugged. "Why don't you both trust me? I already told you the contract is just for namesake. I am not sure what more you need from me."

"If you need my help, this is the only way. And…"

"Trust me, you need my help. Your brother's condition just like this game is not so simple. You should have realized at least this much right?"

Mia nodded silently. Even Alex closed her mouth, not saying anything else.

They also had this nagging doubt for a while now which was why they had strictly asked Rey to not log in anymore.

The doctors in the top hospitals also couldn't explain his condition. They did all sorts of tests on him but it only left him more weak and vulnerable.

So the two women looked at Liam, wanting more explanation but his mouth was tightly shut. He was not saying anything else.

As if he could read their thoughts, he lightly chuckled and added. "I can tell you more after the contract."

Alex bit her lips and started once again, but Liam interrupted her. "Are you two really trying to bargain here? With your brother's life on the line? Hmmm?"

"Well, be that as it may. You might have all day on your hands, but I am not that free. I really have to take care of some things."

Liam once again prepared to log out, but Mia quickly panicked and stopped him. "Ok. Ok. we will do it."

"But Mia… you…" Alex was shocked. Who was Mia and why did she have to become this person's slave? "Let her go. I will sign the contract with you."

"Nope." Liam was still adamant. "It doesn't work that way. It has to be all three of you."

"Why are you-" Mia raised her hand and stopped her. "All of us will sign, but can you guarantee that my brother will be fine?"

"No. I cannot. I can try. I am not sure I will be successful though." Liam honestly answered.

"What? Then they the fuck are we signing this thing? Are you serious right now?" Alex was furious.

She forgot that she was half-naked and stood up from the bed angrily, making her two melons bounce from the action and her hardened nipples revealed.

Liam took a good long look at her and then smirked. "Your wish. You can choose to sign or not, just like you can choose to wear clothes or not."

"YOU!"

"Alex, stop it." Mia sighed. She didn't know much about business but she knew that this was a losing deal and yet this was the best or rather the only option they had at the moment.

Rey's condition was truly bad and they had seen some cases where players had inexplicably died from playing this game.

So they were extremely worried.

"Yes, we will still sign it." She clenched her fists and muttered resolutely.

If this game was just a game, then this contract had no meaning. However, if this game was not just a game… then something very wrong was happening.

And this would be their only chance to find out about everything and get ahead of things, starting with Rey's recovery.

In the end, it was just a blind leap of faith and Mia decided to take it.

"You won't regret this." Liam nodded. "I don't have the scrolls with me right now. Why don't we meet back in this same spot in a few minutes?"

"You can take this time to help Rey log in."

"Even he has to sign?" Alex gnashed her teeth, to which Liam sighed. No matter how many times he explained things, it would only be useless.

After all, signing a slave contract was equal to signing one's life away.

Please thank Teddy Penguin for sponsoring this bonus chapter!

Chapter 269 - Old Enemies New Friends

Liam looked at the two women in front of him and they both stared back at him dumbfoundedly. In fact, he was half-confident that they were going to think of him as some sort of idiot.

How could a game affect real life? Such a thing was inconceivable! It was the stuff of fiction and fantasies, every weeb's dream come true.

But unexpectedly, they looked like they believed him? At least their reactions were as such.

"So… that means Rey can be cured by something right? This world has magic, herbs, elixirs, dragons, something should be able to cure my brother right?" Alex anxiously asked.

In reality, they both also had a feeling that the game was not so simple, but until Liam actually said it out loud, they did not dare to think about this.

Because if what happens inside the game could be brought out… then… the consequences were truly unimaginable!

"I also think so." Liam nodded. "There should exist some sort of cure. If not now then later."

"And also, being a priest, if Mia's level is high enough or perhaps with a special skill book, she should be able to heal your brother."

"I know I said I don't have a way right now, but I will do my best to find one. I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us."

"We were enemies before, so I retaliated for what you did, but now that we are on the same team, I will sincerely try my best to heal your brother."

"Let me tell you the information I currently have."

"I think when a player dies inside the game, that person's soul is corroded a bit. So the more they die, the more they become weaker. This is the explanation I came up with."

"So if when you both are out exploring, doing quests or dungeons, keep an eye out for anything related to the soul."

"Alright. In a minute, there are a few more people coming here to this inn. So I request you both to not reveal this information to them just yet."

"I will later think of a suitable situation and slowly break it all to them."

"Ok." Both Mia and Alex nodded. They themselves hadn't digested this information yet. So they did not have any issues in agreeing with Liam.

They were also surprised that his attitude towards them had changed so suddenly. He was being unusually generous by revealing such a huge discovery.

Just as they finished talking, the door cracked open and two people walked in.

One was a young teenager and the other was a young woman who looked like she was the same age as Mia and Alex.

However, both the girls were very pretty. Especially the woman was very gorgeous and had an enticing body that could even seduce other women.

"Look at this guy. Do you think he tricked these two too?" Alex whispered in Mia's ears. The contract was still weighing heavily in her mind.

Mia glared at her, silently signaling her to keep quiet.

Meanwhile, Mei Mei barged into the room and ran directly to Liam, hugging him tightly. "Brother, are you alright? Did something happen? We saw your level go down. We became very worried."

Shen Yue also walked in to stand beside the two.

She looked very concerned but did not ask any prying questions. Her eyes rather fell on the other two astoundingly beautiful women in the room.

She instantly became surprised, especially since she recognized these two in a second. They were very famous personalities interviewed a lot on television.

And their guild was also the one who had publicized that news about Liam and slandered him, left and right!

Shen Yue frowned. It was their guild, so these two definitely had something to do with it.

They had defamed Liam so horribly and now they were sitting here? As if they had nothing to do with it!

This was the last place she had expected to find them!

"Liam, it was them. Did you check the forums and news yet? These two slandered you and caused this whole big mess. What are you both doing here?"

Shen Yue took out her dagger and stepped forward, but Liam quickly pulled her back. "Wait. Wait. They are not our enemies. They are our new friends."

He intimately held her hand and her waist as he pulled her back, so Shen Yue blushed and quieted down without a single sound.

Seeing this Alex rolled her eyes. Does this rude heartless jerk have a girlfriend? She was speechless.

"Oh." Mei Mei also noticed the two because of all the commotion and she reacted worse than Shen Yue by shrieking.

But while the former was angry, the latter was simply shouting in shock and awe.

"Goddess Mia! Oh my god! I can't believe you are going to be playing with us."

"I knew you had nothing to do with that stupid rumor. How could my goddess spread false things about my brother?" She happily beamed.

Alex was about to say something when Mia quickly pulled her back, making her fall back on the bed. "Ah! Goddess Alex! I am your fan too!"

Liam watched as the little girl had already forgotten about him and started fangirling those two.

He was still holding Shen Yue's hand, so he let her go and shifted his gaze to the door as if he was expecting someone else.

Mia observed this as her eyes had never once left him. "Are you expecting someone else?"

Liam did not answer her, instead, he smiled mysteriously.

The thing was… he didn't know how to explain this.

The two women in front of him had begged, pleaded, struggled, and fought with him because they did not want to sign a contract.

But the people whom he was expecting at the moment… were doing the same things in order to sign the same contract.

Even though he had repeatedly rejected them, they begged him and pleaded with him to let them sign it!

Chapter 270 - New Team

A couple of seconds later, the newcomers all arrived one after the other and Liam waved at the group to invite them in.

The others hadn't really seen them before, but he was already familiar with the bunch.

The first one was Berat whom he had briefly met and the other four were the Korean players, Shin Soo, Kim Hyun, Kang Mina, and Chung Hee whom he had teamed up with for running dungeons.

"Hello, brother."

"Hello, boss."

One by one everyone greeted Liam as they walked in and Liam as well casually handed them the contracts.

The five did not even bother reading the contracts first. They just directly started signing it by letting a drop of blood.

Moreover, they seemed very happy to receive it like they are getting some sort of precious treasures.

Alex rubbed her eyes not able to believe this. "You guys know this is a slave… I mean follower's contract right?" She was beginning to doubt if these people were just plain stupid.

Her voice startled the group as other than Liam, they hadn't really seen anyone else.

They were extremely nervous and anxious if he would allow them to join his group, so they did not register anything else, and just wanted to sign the contracts as fast as possible.

But now… they suddenly turned around, and the group was instantly dumbfounded.

One! Two! Three! And Four!

There were not one but four beauties standing in the room, all four of them looking at them. Two of them were even extremely popular internet celebrities and…

Didn't the whole slave issue start with these two?

"Goddess… ah…"

"Bro, they are..." The four guys opened their mouths wide and their jaws dropped to the ground.

"They are all on our team too." Liam smiled and nodded, answering the question on their minds. The four simultaneously gulped, losing their voice.

No one could bring out words in front of these goddesses. The only other woman in the team, Mina, the healer, rolled her eyes at this sight.

She also did not say anything and stood on the side.

"Alright then. I will leave you all to get accustomed to each other. I have some things to do so I will be on my way." Liam stood up to leave.

"Liam, one second." Mia stopped him. "Can I speak with you privately?"

Instantly, every single eye in the room looked at Liam and then at the ice goddess in shock. Only Shen Yue and Mei Mei had a different kind of look on their faces.

"Alright. Let's head out." The two of them then walked out of the room in front of everyone else and sat down at a table in the inn.

"Is this fine?" Liam asked.

"Yes." Mia nodded. "So what should we do now?"

"You wanted to ask me this? We can discuss this in front of the team. Each and every single one of them is trustworthy." Liam smiled.

"Oh?" Mia looked surprised, but then she remembered the contracts and nodded.

"Just talk to them. Get to know them and then make the decisions on your own. I trust you." Liam casually delegated some responsibilities to her.

"I suggest you disband your old guild and start a new one. You will be the sole guild leader and put Berat as management. He is good at that stuff."

"Also, if you trust some people from your old guild, you can bring them over. I mean your guild was targeted a lot right?"

"So if some players still stuck it out with you, then I think they are pretty trustworthy. But remember they will be at the outer circle."

"Only the people you saw here today and one more person will be on the inner circle. This concerns our life and death inside the game and also in the real world."

Keep that in mind while making decisions. Be careful about whom you trust. Sometimes people change when faced with adversities."

"Also, it is a bit inconvenient for me to be in the Xion realm at the moment. So take care of the new guild set up and other things."

"This is my insignia. As you know, I am a Duke in the Kingdom so use it to your advantage." Liam passed over his token and gave Mia a bunch of instructions.

She also took a mental note of everything and only asked very few questions in response. She was a born leader so he knew that she would handle it well.

They continued discussing a bunch of things and a few minutes later, Mia hesitantly brought up a topic.

"Liam, one more thing… I want to become stronger… faster… do you still want to…"

"Huh?" Liam was confused for a second as he had forgotten about this part.

"I don't want you to force yourself. I don't want you to do anything that you are uncomfortable with. For now, I have some other suggestions that can bring up your strength."

"Why don't we discuss this specific thing later? I mean if you still want to do this?" He explained.

"Ummm. ok." Mia nodded with a dazed look on her face. She honestly did not know what to expect after the 'special' contract.

A part of her was even scared that she might be forced to do some things in-game, but she definitely did not expect this.

The same guy who was so ruthless and heartless earlier was now treating her with respect and care. So from the beginning, everything was about trust?

She couldn't help but wonder just what might have happened in his life that he had such big trust issues.

Seeing how well he was treating her, the resentment she harbored for him, considerably lessened.

When all was said and done, in the bottom of her heart, she felt a sort of relief that this person was no longer against her but he was now standing with her.

She followed him in a daze as the two of them walked back to the room where the others were present.