"We still need two badges! Damn it! Time is running out!"
"Hey! Look over there! People!"
"Hahaha! Our luck is turning!"
"Shh! Quiet! The usual formation!"
Three figures moved through the jungle.
A few bees hovered nearby, watching.
[East Coast - Extraction Zone]
"It's that kid? He's still alive? Hey brat! Hand over your badge if you want to live!"
"And the girl too!"
"Consider yourselves unlucky to meet the Three Brothers!"
Three candidates surrounded Ryker and Ponzu in a triangle formation.
The Amori Brothers.
Amori (#197), Imori (#198), Umori (#199).
They moved with practiced synchronization.
Ryker scanned them.
Trash, trash, and trash.
Only one Blue trait among them. The rest were Green and White.
Trait: [Synchronicity] (Blue)
Effect: Triplets possess innate telepathy and coordination. Battle efficiency increases when fighting together.
Useless for a solo player like me, Ryker thought. But I see how 1+1+1 equals 5 for them. No wonder they survived.
"Ah! It's the Amori Brothers! They're famous for their teamwork! Ryker-sama!" Ponzu panicked, clutching her hat.
"Hahahaha! You've heard of us? Then be good and hand over the badges! Or die!" Amori, the eldest, sneered.
They needed two badges. Ryker and Ponzu were the perfect meal.
Hiss... Hiss...
Suddenly, the sound of scales sliding on grass filled the air.
The brothers froze.
They looked down.
Snakes.
Hundreds of them.
Vipers, cobras, even golden pythons. They were everywhere, slithering out of the bushes, cutting off every escape route.
"Shit! It's an ambush! This kid set us up!"
"Damn! Why are there so many snakes?!"
"Careful! Those are venomous! One bite and we're done!"
The brothers panicked. They thought Ryker had summoned them.
"Hehe. One, two, three, four, five... a bit overkill, but it doesn't matter. Hand over your badges. Or I can't guarantee my babies won't eat you."
A man stepped out of the shadows, playing a snake flute.
Bourbon the Snake Charmer (#103).
Name: Bourbon
Traits: [Beast Taming (Talent)] (Blue), [Snake Charming (Skill)] (Blue), [Poison Creation] (Blue), [Camouflage] (Blue), [Martial Arts] (Green)...
Interesting! Ryker's eyes lit up.
[Beast Taming] is a Talent, not a Skill. That's rare.
Bourbon didn't even know he had a natural affinity for animals; he just used it to control snakes. What a waste.
In the canon, Bourbon died a pathetic death, stung by Ponzu's bees in a cave.
But here, he was the King of the Jungle.
He had spent the week gathering every snake on the island and setting a massive trap at the extraction point.
"Damn it!! Damn it!!"
"Kid! Remember this! If you survive, we'll kill you next year!"
"Brother! Help! The snakes are climbing on me!!"
"We give up! We surrender!!"
The Amori Brothers threw their badges on the ground.
They had no choice. Dying in the exam meant nothing. No law protected them here.
Bourbon chuckled, walking closer but keeping a safe distance of 100 meters behind his wall of snakes.
"Smart choice. Now... you, the spawn-camping kid. You must have a lot of badges, right? They're all mine now."
Bourbon grinned greedily.
With his snake army, he believed he was invincible. He had the ultimate AoE control.
"According to the rules, you only need 3 points if you keep your own badge. You have enough already, don't you?" Ryker asked calmly.
"Of course I have enough. But... maybe someone else needs them? I can sell a badge for a few million Jenny. No one hates money, right?" Bourbon laughed.
The Amori Brothers' faces twisted.
Greedy bastard!
Wait.
Money?
"Hey! Big brother! Can we buy our badges back?" Amori shouted.
"Yeah! We'll pay!"
"Genius!"
"Oh? Sure. 1.5 million Jenny each. Cash or valuables only," Bourbon said smoothly.
The brothers looked like they had swallowed a fly.
That's robbery!
"And you, kid," Bourbon sneered at Ryker. "Since you were so arrogant at the start, your price is 3 million per badge. How about it?"
He played a note on his flute.
The swarm of snakes turned toward Ryker, hissing.
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