Chapter 61: Chapter 61: A Chance Encounter with Malina, and The World Guild’s Bounty

The three thugs froze for a moment and turned toward the direction of the voice.They saw a young man in a white T-shirt, carrying groceries, walking calmly toward them.

"Kid, I'd advise you not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, or else our blades might not be so forgiving," the yellow-haired thug threatened, his eyes cold as he pulled a knife from his pocket.

The other two pulled out collapsible batons, their menacing posture enough to make an average person back off in fear.

But Luca's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"Oh? And what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?" he replied calmly.

To Luca, these thugs were nothing. Even hardened criminals wouldn't faze him.

After surviving in an apocalypse for so many years. If he couldn't handle a few lowlifes like this, he wouldn't have made it this far.

The tall, thin thug sneered, "This kid's got guts!"

The tattooed, bulky thug cracked his neck, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Hero complex, huh? You'd better be sure you can play the part, or you'll be giving up your life for nothing."

At that moment, the lanky thug and the yellow-haired one began to advance toward Luca, their eyes filled with malice.

"You... you should run..." Malina whispered, trying to warn Luca, but her voice was so faint from fear and exhaustion that it barely made a sound.

Luca glanced at her and spat out the plastic stick from his lollipop. "Lucky for you, you bumped into me."

By now, the three thugs had surrounded Luca.

They loomed over him with smirks on their faces, clearly imagining the scene of this cocky kid soon begging for mercy.

The yellow-haired thug opened his mouth to taunt Luca, but in the next instant, his face contorted in shock.

Luca swung his grocery bag straight into the yellow-haired thug's face.

Sending a mix of carrots and cabbages flying at him. The impact made him howl in pain, blood gushing from his nose.

No one expected Luca to strike first. The tattooed thug, his expression twisted with rage, raised his baton high, aiming for Luca's head—a blow that, if landed, would leave him either dead or in a coma.

"Look out!" Malina cried out, terrified.

But before the baton could land, the tattooed thug froze, his eyes bulging wide as an excruciating pain shot through his groin. It was so intense, he felt as if his soul had left his body.

The tattooed thug screamed in agony, clutching his crotch, tears and snot streaming down his face as he rolled on the ground, his cries echoing through the narrow alley.

The lanky thug felt a shiver run down his spine and instinctively pulled his legs back.

What a ruthless kid!

Everyone stood frozen in shock, but Luca didn't pause. With a swift movement, he stepped back and, to everyone's disbelief, delivered a powerful kick that sent the 200-pound tattooed thug flying several meters, crashing into a trash bin with a loud thud.

The man's wailing ceased abruptly, leaving his fate uncertain.

Gasps filled the alley as everyone's eyes widened in shock.

This was a guy who weighed over 200 pounds, and he had been kicked through the air with a single blow!

How could this teenager possess such strength?!

Not giving them any time to react, Luca stepped forward again. With a quick turn, he slammed his shoulder into the lanky thug's chest. The sickening crack of bones snapping echoed through the alley.

"Crack!" The lanky thug spat out a mouthful of blood as he flew backward, his chest caving in with a horrifying dent.

The yellow-haired thug, watching as his two companions were taken down in mere seconds, was utterly dumbfounded.

What the hell?! Are high schoolers this terrifying nowadays?

"You still not running?" Luca asked calmly, his expression unchanged throughout the whole ordeal. At some point, he had even popped another lollipop into his mouth.

The yellow-haired thug glanced at his unconscious companions.

He hesitated for half a second, and then bolted without looking back.

"T-thank you..." Malina stammered, staring at Luca in shock. Something about him seemed familiar, like she had seen him before, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Get home quickly," Luca said, waving dismissively as he turned to leave.

To him, this had just been a small, trivial matter—not worth a second thought. Searᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

By the time Malina snapped out of her daze, Luca had already disappeared at the end of the alley.

She rushed after him.

But with the crowded streets outside, there was no trace of him anywhere.

Luca didn't give the incident any further thought either.

After leaving the alley, he hailed a cab and headed straight home.

On his way home, Luca pulled out his phone and scrolled through the Eternal Game forums.

As expected, the Riverfall City monster horde event was plastered all over the hottest headlines.

[Riverfall City Overrun by Tens of Thousands of Monsters – An Immortal Giant Monster Appears, Diamond-Level Warriors Join the Battle, Suspected Cult Behind It All!]

The title was certainly eye-catching, so Luca clicked on it to take a closer look.

It turned out the post was made by none other than ShadowCat.

The thread was packed with photos of the Iron Mountain Army and players fighting the monster horde.

The angles were well-chosen, and even from the still images, you could feel the overwhelming chaos of the battle.

Luca also noticed images and videos of Hydra, Lucia, Ryan, and even himself, captured in action.

The comment section had already blown up, with thousands of replies piling up.

[Comment 1: WTF! How come you guys in Riverfall City get an epic siege battle while we in Redwind City get nothing?!]

[Comment 2: These scenes are insane! Just looking at the pictures makes my legs weak!]

[Comment 3: Isn't that guy with the spear Luca? Looks like the big man himself!]

[Comment 4: Damn, charging straight into the monster horde like that? That's crazy cool!]

[Comment 5: Ugh, why wasn't I born in Riverfall City?!]

[Comment 6: This is so unfair! I'm reporting this. I want my own monster horde siege too!]

...

Luca chuckled as he read the envious comments.

These goofy players were always good for a laugh!

Just as he was about to close the forum, something caught his eye — a second post standing out from the rest.

[The World Guild Offers a 1 Million Bounty for Any Useful Information on Riverfall City's Luca!]

This thread also had thousands of comments.

Most discussing how Luca dared to take on the Celephais Guild.

"A bounty on me?" Luca's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile tugged at his lips.

Can't win in the game, so now they're trying to bring it into real life, huh?

Classic James Family behavior.

He thought to himself, James better hope I don't run into him in-game again. If I do, I'll make sure he drops a few more items.

The scenery outside shifted as the taxi sped along the streets.

Before long, Luca had arrived back at his apartment complex.

After paying the fare, he walked inside, only to discover that his mom wasn't home.

A note was left on the table. Luca picked it up and read it.

Turns out his mom had gone shopping with Aunt Louise and wouldn't be back for a while. She left instructions for him to make dinner on his own.

"Another day of fending for myself," Luca muttered, shaking his head as he stashed the groceries in the fridge.

He then pulled out a check for a million dollars from his pocket and placed it on his parents' bedside table.

That should surprise them when they get back.

Knock, knock, knock!

"I'm with the Eternal Game installation team. Is Mr. Luca home?" A voice called from outside the door. The game pod delivery team had arrived.

"Come in, the door's open," Luca shouted back.

The team of installers entered the apartment.

And as they looked around at the modest furnishings, they couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Who would have thought that someone who could drop over a million dollars like it was nothing lived in such an ordinary place?

"Mr. Luca, where would you like the game pod installed?" the lead technician asked respectfully. No matter where he lived, money was money, and they were there to do their job.

"In the room next door," Luca replied, pointing to his bedroom without paying much attention to their reactions.

The staff assigned to set up the game pod acknowledged his request and began bringing in the assembled parts.

They worked quickly, completing the installation in about an hour.

Once the installation team left, Luca prepared a meal and finished eating, but he still hadn't seen Sini return.

Deciding not to wait any longer, he logged into the game.

[Ding! Connection to the game established!]

[Welcome, player Luca, to Eternal Game!]

A flash of blue light flickered.

When Luca opened his eyes again, he found himself back in Riverfall City.

The city, once deserted, had regained its usual vibrancy. Bustling crowds filled the streets.

Apart from groups of people gathering to chat, things seemed much like they had always been.

The players, however, were busier than ever.

Excitement filled the air as groups worked together to haul away the corpses of monsters.

Though the meat from these creatures couldn't be eaten, it was valuable for crafting potions.

NPCs had posted numerous tasks, hiring players to help with the cleanup, ensuring no one was left idle.

Luca's appearance caused quite a stir.

His actions during the monster horde battle had been recorded and uploaded online by Malina.

Now Luca had gained a fair bit of fame in the Eternal Game community.

But fame wasn't something Luca particularly enjoyed—especially when it meant being mobbed by groups of excited newbies, all clamoring for him to help them level up.

Far from giving him a sense of superiority, it just felt noisy.

After successfully shaking off the crowd of players, Luca headed straight for the Mages' Association.

As he walked through the city, he noticed several people still looking a bit dazed. He wondered if, when he had prepared the potions earlier, he had diluted them too much, leaving some of the nightmare curse lingering.

He made a mental note to ask his mentor to prepare more potions. Lost in thought, Luca soon found himself at the entrance of the Mages' Association.

Once again, his arrival turned heads.

Though this time, it was the NPCs staring.

Luca let out a small sigh.

This was the first time he realized that having maxed-out charm wasn't always a good thing.

It made him far too noticeable. Everywhere he went, it felt like he was walking around with a giant spotlight on him.