Liam looked at the children, their eyes wide with a mixture of fear and hope. He needed to free them quickly. He placed his hand on the bright red bars, the cold metal humming with energy as he applied his [Mark]. After meticulously covering each section of the bars, he whispered, "[Mark Trigger] [Corrosion]."
Instantly, the unyielding bars began to crack, the fractures slowly spreading across the once-impenetrable surface. Liam watched intently as the cracks expanded, weakening the structure. When he felt it was time, he touched the bars again. This time, they crumbled to dust at his fingertips, leaving nothing but a fine red powder in their wake.
Simultaneously, far away in the cave where he had slain the two men earlier, their bodies, already marked by Liam, began to suffer the same fate. The [Corrosion] curse he had just triggered spread through their corpses, reducing them to dust as well, leaving no trace of the encounter behind.
The imprisoned women and children hesitated for a moment, unsure if this was real, but then began to shuffle out of the cage, their movements timid and uncertain. They looked to Liam, their savior, with a mixture of awe and disbelief. He knew their escape wouldn't be easy, especially with the bandits still nearby. Liam quickly realized that trying to protect them all with his [Divine Shield] would be impossible due to their numbers.
He turned to them, speaking softly but firmly, "Stay here for now. Do not touch anything that glows. I'll take care of the rest." His tone left no room for argument. The children and women nodded, huddling together as they watched him leave the room.
Outside, Liam swiftly cast [Divine Shield] over the entrance of the room, embedding the attribute [Camouflage] into the barrier, causing it to blend seamlessly into the stone wall of the cave. He then layered it with another attribute, one he was hesitant to use but had no choice: [Decay].
"It'll decay anything that touches it... even me," Liam muttered under his breath, his expression grim. He had warned them, and now they had to trust his judgment.
With a sigh, Liam moved back to the treasure room. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small snake he had tamed earlier. Removing the shield that surrounded it, he watched as the snake coiled itself in front of him, bowing its head in a show of submission.
"Guard this room until I return," Liam instructed, his voice steady. "But don't attack unless they threaten the women and children. Wait for them to strike first, then do what you need to do."
The snake nodded as if fully understanding the command. With surprising speed, it slithered into a pile of coins, disappearing completely from view, its black scales blending into the shadows of the treasure.
Satisfied, Liam turned and sprinted down the dimly lit hallway, his footsteps barely making a sound as he made his way toward the room where he had heard the laughter earlier. The bandits were unaware of what awaited them, and Liam's heart raced with anticipation, knowing the fight ahead would be swift—and merciless.
Liam sprinted down the dimly lit cave hallway, the walls narrowing around him as the sound of laughter and conversation echoed louder from ahead. His heart raced, not out of fear, but from the thrill of confrontation. Each step was silent, his body shrouded in the effects of his [Stealth] barrier. As he neared the room where the bandits gathered, he slowed his pace, slipping into the shadows just outside the entrance.
The room was large, filled with a ragged group of men who appeared to be drinking and celebrating, their weapons scattered casually on the ground. Torches on the walls cast flickering shadows over the grimy faces of the bandits, who seemed oblivious to the danger creeping toward them.
Liam took a deep breath, his mind calculating the best approach. A direct attack could be risky, but given the element of surprise, he knew he had the advantage. He scanned the room, noting the positions of the bandits, their relaxed posture, and their poorly guarded state. There were at least thirty of them, all seated around a central fire, laughing and drinking.
Liam stepped into the large room where the bandits had gathered, his [Divine Shield] surrounding him like an invisible aura. As soon as the bandits spotted him, the room's drunken revelry came to an abrupt halt. Thirty-one pairs of eyes locked onto him, their expressions twisting from confusion to rage.
"An intruder!" one of the larger bandits snarled, brandishing a sword. "Get him!"
Without hesitation, the bandits surged forward, weapons raised. Blades slashed through the air, clubs swung down, and arrows were loosed, all aiming for Liam. But he remained calm, standing still as the weapons clashed against his invisible shield. Sparks flew as swords bounced off the barrier, arrows disintegrated upon contact, and clubs splintered without so much as scratching him.
Liam smirked. Every strike, every ounce of damage absorbed by the [Divine Shield], was being stored, waiting for the right moment. The passive effect of [Retribution] began to charge within him. He felt the energy of their attacks swirling, building, waiting to lash out.
The bandits grew more frantic, their attacks more desperate as they saw nothing getting through. The largest bandit, a brute with a scar across his face, roared and swung a massive axe with both hands, but even that was deflected by the shield. Sweat dripped from his brow as he backed away, eyes wide with disbelief.
"What is this? Some kind of magic?" another bandit muttered, panic setting in.
Liam waited until his shield had absorbed enough, feeling the energy building like a coiled spring. He gave a final glance at the bandits, some of them retreating, others readying for another round of attacks. Then, with a small nod to himself, he whispered, "[Retribution]."
Suddenly, the damage stored in the shield burst out in a violent wave. The room filled with screams as invisible slashes, stabs, and blows struck the bandits with the same force they had unleashed on him. The bandit with the massive axe stumbled back, his chest suddenly gashed wide open as if an axe had struck him—his own attack reflected back at him. Another bandit screamed as an arrow appeared in his shoulder, the same arrow he had shot at Liam moments ago.
All across the room, chaos reigned. Bandits were cut down by their own sword strikes, stabbed by invisible daggers, and slashed by phantom blades. One by one, they fell, their bodies hitting the ground as they bled out from the very attacks they had unleashed in vain. The large brute with the axe collapsed last, a look of shock frozen on his face as the life drained from him.
Liam stood in the center of the carnage, unfazed, watching as the final bandits fell. He let out a slow breath, the [Divine Shield] still shimmering around him, now dissipating as the threat had been neutralized.
Before he could move further, a voice echoed in his mind.
[You have earned the title [Heroic].]
Liam frowned, then muttered, "[Profile]." A translucent tab appeared before him, detailing the new title.
[Heroic]
Effect:
Increases Luck by 10%.
Increases Charm by 15%.
He chuckled softly. "Luck and charm, huh? Not bad."
Satisfied, Liam turned and made his way toward the treasure room, knowing there were still more matters to attend to—and enemies to deal with.