Now that I had completed my task, I needed to quickly return to my two party members. Toro moved faster when he focused only on slashing, so we planned to meet up with Sukrucuk and level up our fragile girl.
When I got to the Social Media zone, I saw a big crowd inside the shield. Everyone was watching someone cut through the Fallen like a combine harvester.
That someone, standing under the spotlights, was none other than Sukrucuk. He was fighting off the enemies with Rimel right behind him, clearing the path.
"Look at that beast!" someone shouted.
As I moved closer, ignoring the shocked stares, I saw that our team had already cleared a wide area. With no mobs in the way, I would reach them soon.
"Dude, his armor is amazing! Look at those carvings!" another voice said.
A middle-aged man grimaced at this, and when I finally got close enough to examine the gear, I realized why.
Inside the village's protective shield, the ground was made of black earth. But even though we were barefoot, our feet and the ground stayed clean. Outside the shield, though, it was a different story. The ground was cracked from the heat, and the air was full of dust and smoke. It was tough to breathe.
Despite the rough environment, Sukrucuk's shiny gray armor gleamed in the sun. It made him look like a noble knight. But when I got a better look at the carvings on his chest, I realized something weird.
The armor had a huge crying face on it—yes, the face of that overly dramatic character everyone in Turkey knows from sad old movies. That's when it hit me.
"Man, his features are kinda beautiful… I don't care about the name, but the vibe is off," someone commented.
"Imagine someone shouting, 'Run, Emrah!' in the middle of a fight," someone else joked.
They weren't wrong. Who would want to wear armor with the face of Turkey's most melodramatic film character?
"Don't worry, man," I said, trying to keep things chill. "Once you level up, you'll change armor anyway."
I was trying to calm everyone down and keep the peace. But just when I thought the drama was over, two strange-looking guys started approaching Rimel.
"Hey! You two!" I shouted.
They had been sneaking forward through the cleared path, but when I called out, they turned and gave me a nasty once-over.
"You've got a nice setup here," one of them sneered. "The girl does all the work, and your boy here slices through enemies without blinking."
He had the word Unnecessary floating above his head. His hair was soaking wet and stuck to his head like a cow had licked it.
"We're taking the girl now. You guys can leave," he added.
His sidekick, a skinny guy with the word Sidekick above his head, chimed in. His arms looked broken, like he had a rash spreading under his armpits.
I sighed. Here they come—the classic losers you always find in online games.
I started planning how to get rid of them. The best move? Grab Rimel and head further in. Eventually, mobs would respawn, and these two idiots would get what they deserved.
"What did you say?" I said, stepping forward. "Get lost before you get hurt."
I was hoping to solve the problem without violence, but then I heard a deep voice full of anger right behind me.
"Shut up, Little Emrah. Go cry to your mama," the wet-haired guy said.
Big mistake.
Sukrucuk couldn't take that insult. He grabbed the guy by the collar and slammed his head with both hands.
It was too late now. My right fist had already clenched. I breathed in and launched a punch like an arrow. My skill activated instantly.
The blow landed hard. Unnecessary's head bounced like a rubber ball across the cracked ground. His buddy Sidekick just stood there with a blank face.
Then, as if the world was waiting for this moment, a strong wind blew through. The two bandits' bodies turned to ash and scattered in the breeze.
Evil Points Gained: +5
First Sinner Kill Bonus: +5
Good Points Earned: +5
Party Protection Bonus: +5
The game notifications flew past my eyes. I realized we had just done something major. Only I could see the alerts, but then an announcement echoed through the entire village.
"Players Max and Sukrucuk have gained Fugitive status by killing other sinners. For the next 24 hours, they can be hunted like the Fallen. Anyone who kills them will reset their torment timer and gain one week of immunity from punishment."
I looked at Sukrucuk. His name above his head was glowing red. Mine probably looked the same.
"Dude, it's not safe here. We need to get back inside the shield," I said quickly.
We were exposed. Anyone could target us now. But if I was right, no one could hurt us while we were inside the protected zone.
"Attack!" someone shouted.
"They're fugitives! Let's get 'em!"
"I'm not going back to that torture. Kill them now!"
The crowd went wild. We were like fresh meat to them.
"Run deeper!" I yelled.
"Rimel, go straight into the shield! They won't touch you!"
We couldn't drag her into this mess. If we had to die, we'd do it ourselves. But as we ran, Rimel didn't stay behind. She suddenly picked up speed and followed us.
"Rimel, go back! Don't follow us!" Sukrucuk shouted, sounding like a protective dad.
Tears welled up in Rimel's eyes. She started crying and shouting at us.
"You'll die without me! You're not immune here!"
She was right. We knew it. But we hadn't wanted to say it out loud.
"Okay, okay! Don't cry. We're going together," I said.
Rimel's face lit up like the sun after a storm. Her smile was so bright, it could melt a stone.
"I'm coming, brothers! Get out of my way, losers!"
Just as we were escaping, we heard a loud voice from behind the shield.
We all froze.
It was Toraman, another one of our teammates. And he was charging straight at us like a runaway truck.
"Move aside!" he yelled, swinging his arm like a giant shovel.
"Player Toraman has gained Fugitive status by killing other sinners. For the next 24 hours, they can be hunted like the Fallen. Anyone who kills them will reset their torment timer and gain one week of immunity from punishment."
I was shocked. I hadn't expected him to jump in like that. But he had.
The crowd paused, trying to process what just happened. That's when Toraman, still running full speed, finally reached us.
He was out of breath. He must've dashed out the moment he heard the announcement. As soon as he caught his breath, the three of us looked at each other.
They were waiting for me to say something.
What now?