Chapter 25: Reward Calculation (Part 1)
"Now?" Ian's first instinct was to continue his ambush operation near the salt pans.
Unlike the hesitation and fear he'd felt before drawing steel against the Brotherhood archer who'd attacked Harry, Ian no longer felt any psychological burden about hunting players.
Just as that nameless archer had silently loosed an arrow into Harry's double's chest, so too had Harry—upon discovering Ian was a player—unhesitatingly ordered his sellswords to kill him.
Players were inherently in a kill-or-be-killed relationship. From the moment they'd signed the agreement and entered this world, they'd become mortal enemies.
Although Ian still felt his stomach turn at the sight of corpses strewn across the ground, he understood now more than ever.
Had he shown even the slightest hesitation during their previous encounter, Harry would now be standing beside Ian's corpse, contemplating his next move.
Therefore, continuing to hunt merchants near the salt pans was a viable option. After all, he'd already made detailed plans, and now with two knights under his command, his odds of success were undoubtedly much higher.
But for someone like me, who already commands two elite knights and possesses over three thousand gold dragons, this doesn't seem like the most efficient use of resources, Ian suddenly thought.
After all, his salt pans hunting plan only targeted traveling merchants, and he'd expected to catch perhaps one per month.
Admittedly, this had seemed ideal before—as long as he earned kill points, he could buy himself time to grow without facing immediate assassination threats.
But now he was no longer threatened by the leaderboard, so finding a way to grow quickly was paramount. And the fastest path to growth remained the trade routes.
"Let's find an inn to rest for the night and decide tomorrow," Ian said. He wanted to settle his rewards first and analyze the new missions.
"For an inn, the closest is the Crossroads Inn. We're at most a two-hour ride away," Rolf nodded. "We can rest there for the night, resupply food and wine, then make plans."
"The Crossroads Inn?" Ian's pulse quickened at the familiar name.
"Though the Crossroads Inn isn't far from here, we've eliminated all the witnesses. Even if bodies are discovered tomorrow, no one will connect them to us." Seeing Ian's expression, Rolf assumed he was concerned about that.
Ian shook his head, indicating that wasn't his worry.
The name simply stirred memories.
The Crossroads Inn—that had been his original hunting ground.
Unlike the salt pans, where only traveling merchants could be found, the Crossroads Inn—with its unique position at the junction of four regions—was probably among the top three locations in all of Westeros for player encounters. (The first was Pentos, where players flocked hoping to meet the Mother of Dragons. The second... well, Ian wasn't sure. He'd said "top three" to sound impressive.)
In short, for Ian—who had already discovered the critical flaw in players' starting equipment—the Crossroads Inn was a near-perfect hunting ground.
He'd originally chosen the salt pans over the Crossroads Inn simply because he'd worried he couldn't defeat players who might have possessed superior combat skills in their previous lives.
But now he commanded two elite NPCs and substantial funds.
He only needed to confirm with mercenary captains that there were no veterans in their companies when hiring—just as Harry had done—and he could safely employ a sellsword company and gain an overwhelming advantage in military strength.
Therefore, the plan to hunt at the Crossroads Inn crept back into his thoughts.
But the cost-effectiveness still seemed questionable.
Early on, each player was worth only 4 points, and only 2 points if he didn't deliver the killing blow himself. And there was virtually no additional benefit. Perhaps spending two months here killing a few players wouldn't yield as much reward as a single trade expedition.
Thinking this, Ian shook his head again, dismissing the notion.
While points earned from hunting players weren't substantial, other players had no way to earn them at all. If he could climb to the top of the leaderboard, those rewards—combined with the attribute points earned from hunting players—would likely surpass the value of a single trade journey.
And even without leaderboard rewards, eliminating players early would definitely prove beneficial. After all, one never knew how powerful players might become later.
Take Harry, for instance. Given his demonstrated cunning, if he'd survived and progressed to the later stages, how much of a threat might he have posed?
The optimal solution was to leverage his current advantage and eliminate as many of these threats as possible while they were still vulnerable.
"To the Crossroads Inn," Ian ordered. He planned to enjoy a proper meal and a good night's rest before making his decision.
Before departing, Ian—claiming exhaustion—ordered Rolf to take his armor so he could ride unburdened. After all, they'd captured three spare horses that would be perfect for carrying gear.
Of course, the real reason was that this damn system required eye contact to log in, and he couldn't ride with his eyes closed for long.
After officially setting off, Ian closed his eyes and accessed the system, beginning the day's reward calculations.
The first thing that caught Ian's attention was the notification icon on his inbox. With his mild case of completionism, Ian clicked it without hesitation and began reading the messages one by one according to their timestamps.
[Bounty Mission 1 'First Blood' Complete: Received 3 attribute points, 3 skill points, 3,000 gold dragons, and two S-rank NPCs of your choice (claimed)]
[Successfully eliminated a player: Gained 4 points, 1 point for equipment looted, and 2 bonus Strength]
[Subordinate successfully eliminated a player: Gained 2 points, 1 point for equipment looted, and 1 bonus Spirit]
"Huh? My subordinates also get 1 point for equipment looted? Is that rounding up?" Ian smiled. While half a point isn't much, free rewards are always satisfying.
Pleased with this, he continued reading.
[Achieved a D-rank Highlight Play: Gained 1 point]
"Highlight Play? How is that calculated?" Ian recalled that Annie had mentioned this during the mechanics introduction, but he'd been so overwhelmed by information that he'd temporarily filed it away.
Unexpectedly, he'd accidentally earned points this way.
"A Highlight Play primarily refers to a player making an exceptional decision in planning or execution, resulting in significant benefits. Highlight Plays are determined by the system's built-in AI algorithm, with the highest rank being S and the lowest being D," Annie answered Ian's question immediately.
"So it's like... MVP moments in sports?" Ian mused. "Or clutch plays?"
"An apt comparison," Annie confirmed.
Ian nodded, satisfied with the explanation. In gaming terms, it was essentially a bonus for skillful or creative play—rewarding not just success, but style.
He continued scrolling through his notifications.
[Current Kill Count: 2] [Current Leaderboard Position: 1st] [Points Balance: 15]
Ian's eyebrows rose. Fifteen points already, and it was only day one. At this rate, he could rapidly accelerate his growth.
But then reality tempered his excitement. These early kills were the easiest—surprised players with minimal preparation. As time passed and everyone grew more cautious, more skilled, more established, the difficulty would increase exponentially.
He needed to press his advantage while he had it.
"Annie, show me the current leaderboard standings," Ian requested.
A translucent display appeared before his closed eyes:
Ian Hill - 15 points[PLAYER DECEASED] - 0 pointsMarcus Webb - 0 pointsSarah Chen - 0 points[PLAYER DECEASED] - 0 points
Ian stared at the list. Two players already dead, and the game had barely begun. How many would survive the first month? The first year?
"What happens when a player dies?" Ian asked quietly.
"They die," Annie replied simply. "This isn't a simulation. Death here is permanent."
Ian had known this intellectually, but seeing the confirmation still sent a chill through him. Somewhere, in the real world, two families had just lost someone. Two people who'd signed up for what they thought was the adventure of a lifetime had instead found their end.
And he'd been responsible for one of those deaths.
No, Ian corrected himself. Harry made his choice when he tried to have me killed. This is survival. Nothing more, nothing less.
He pushed the thought aside and focused on the present. Guilt was a luxury he couldn't afford.
"Show me available missions," Ian commanded.
It was time to plan his next move.
(End of Chapter)
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