Dark Magician Isekai: Return and make Fantasy World into a VR Game

The arrival of the Radiant Sun Church's cavalry unit brought about a significant boost in business to the entertainment establishments lining both sides of the road leading to Indahl's church.

These well-off church knights were much more generous with their spending than the locals and didn't hesitate to give out silver coins even to table boys and gatekeepers, though these guests from the Kenyan Empire were rather hard to please.

However, within just a few days, the ladies prominent in Indahl's social scene had lost their appeal to them.

Ultimately, Indahl was merely a small inland city. No matter how carefully well the socialites of this place portrayed themselves, they would still seem rustic in the eyes of the knights of the Radiant Sun Church; their mannerisms were nowhere near as refined as those of the women from the Kenyan Empire. Once the novelty had worn off, these knights became miserly and hardly even willing to part with a single copper coin.

The manager of the club was reluctant to lose these high-paying guests, and after discreetly consulting Lieutenant Regan, who held a position second only to the commander of the cavalry unit, a mysterious smile played on his lips.

That very day, the club's manager acted in person and led a few knights most enthusiastic about indulging in "curiosity," guiding them discreetly out of the city aboard horse-drawn carriages when the sky grew dark.

Two hours later, four carriages appeared in the small town of Weisshem, located approximately 60 kilometers away from the city of Indahl.

Weisshem was a small town with a population of roughly six thousand, though it boasted a wide main road that was more impressive than towns with double or triple its population. Electric poles flanked both sides of this main street, dense with power lines running through them, which was a sight most inhabitants of a city like Indahl would deem rare.

The buildings lining the main road were no less impressive than the Indahl's commercial district itself. Every establishment and shop front was adorned with colorful neon lights.

Considering that this small town had a less-than-ideal geographic location, devoid of fertile lands, minerals, or noteworthy craftsmanship, one might wonder where the financial resources to construct such an extravagant "townscape" came from.

With regards to this, any man entering Weisshem would instantly understand…

As the carriages entered the town's gates, the eyes of the Kenyan knights lit up. When the club manager instructed the coachmen to halt the four carriages in front of an exotic-looking building, the Kenyan knights seemed to forget their usual dignity as knights of the Radiant Sun Church and eagerly dismounted from the carriages in a hurry.

Before the resplendent golden gates, scantily clad "attendants" bowed respectfully to the Kenyan knights, striving to showcase their primal allure and assets.

This might seem like a shady establishment in the eyes of ordinary folk, but to special groups of people, this was a place of extravagant indulgence. All sorts of different guests, ranging from renowned merchants, business owners, mercenaries, and more, filled the main hall.

The well-off Kenyan knights certainly didn't indulge in the main hall's "offerings." Guided by the club manager, they ascended to the most exclusive VIP rooms, and the establishment's owner came to personally usher them to their selection.

Compared to the clubs in Indahl, this establishment in Weisshem had complete "resources." There were male attendants, female attendants, youths, young girls, humans, orcs…

The Kenyan knights couldn't contain their excitement as they eagerly chose attendants for company.

Four hundred years ago, during the Age of Discovery, when the gold rush from sea trade swept through Navalon, orcish slaves, spices, and various fabrics produced by the Kenyan Empire became hot commodities in the continent. Other than a few countries or regions that rejected the use of orc slaves due to their doctrines, slavery was considered a legal trade in most places.

It was also rather "unfortunate" that the doctrines of Lady Gold Coin also prohibited slavery. Not just a prohibition of orcish slaves, it extended to human ones as well.

Although there was criticism for being "unscrupulous and shameless," Lady Gold Coin was, after all, a lawful goddess; money and trade were her doctrines, but the kind of goods for such transactions didn't include intelligent races.

It wasn't just Lady Gold Coin; the neighboring Goddess of Prosperity had similar rules. While the noblemen of Camore did everything in their power to turn the common folks into serfs, they didn't dare treat them as slaves. Even if the townspeople of Camore lived no differently from serfs, these noblemen would always make public declarations that the people were "free citizens."

Actions could be taken, but not spoken of. This was an unspoken rule amongst the "civilized" of this world—a tacit understanding.

Be it in the Goddess of Propserity's Duchy of Shiga or the Rhine Kingdom where Lady Gold Coin presided, there were absolutely no serfs, just tenants and laborers. Slavery, too, was strictly nonexistent; everyone was officially classified as a "contract worker," having signed agreements with their respective employers.

Of course, regardless of how this infuriating unspoken rule was widely accepted, minors under 16 and unruly orcs who had to be subjected to restraints were still considered illegal if they appeared in places of vice, regardless of whether they were being bought or sold. It would be a breach of written laws.

In a bustling city like Indahl, even the shrewdest of club owners couldn't openly display "merchandise" that violated the law. But when it came to the remote town of Weisshem, there were far fewer reservations about creating an unrestricted red-light district.

The establishment's owner led several dozen attendants into the VIP room, but even with their extravagance, the Kenyan knights couldn't keep them all. Over ten attendants were "eliminated" and followed the owner out.

These "eliminated" attendants followed the stern owner back to the waiting area and were continuously berated with phrases like "trash," "money-losing," and "worthless" for over half an hour. It wasn't until a server called the owner away did the room finally fall silent.

In a corner of the waiting area, a young human boy with dark hair watched the establishment's owner storm out in anger. He then reached out and gently tugged the young orc girl seated to his left.

This orc girl had slightly green skin, pointed ears, and protruding canines that jutted out of her lips. Shackles bounded her hands and feet, and an iron muzzle was forcibly fitted over her mouth to prevent her from biting. Despite being an orc, she had been starved to the point that she was nearly as thin as a human girl.

The dark-haired boy tugged her tail, and the starving orc girl turned and met him with a weak, powerless gaze.

Lowering his head, the boy used his fingers to trace two words on her side, "Escape, Lyka."

Lyka's golden eyes hovered blankly over this boy for a moment, then she turned away silently.

She didn't refuse… but she didn't agree either.

She knew this boy had been captured and sold into slavery by a slave merchant caravan; he still had a place he could return to.

Lyka, though, didn't know where she could go even if she escaped the hell that was Weisshem.

The orc girl, Lyka, was not born in the homeland of the orcs but was a "native" of the Navalon continent. Her ancestors had been seized and taken into Navalon some four hundred years ago, and she was a "nth generation slave."

Lyka didn't know the orcish language; she could only speak the common tongue. This was because her father had once been favored by an estate's steward and assigned clerical work, so Lyka could also write in the beautiful script of the Navalon continent's common language.

Before the age of twelve, Lyka's life on the estate was no different from the children of other human servant families. She played hide-and-seek in the stables and warehouses with other human children, ran and played in the fields after the autumn harvest, caught grasshoppers, climbed trees to pick fruits, and caught fish in the river.

Shortly after she turned twelve, Lyka's life changed.

The old steward of the estate, who had favored Lyka's father, was replaced by a man who was the estate owner's valet. This man drove the old steward away, and all that were previously employed by the old steward were dismissed.

It was at this point that Lyka realized that she and her family were different from the human servant families—human servants were merely dismissed, but Lyka and her family, despite having contracts, could be sold off.

Her father was the first to go. The new steward sold him off to a passing merchant caravan.

Next was Lyka's mother, then brother, before Lyka herself.

Seeing her family locked inside iron cages meant for domesticated animals, Lyka thought her world had collapsed. Only after being sold to Weisshem did she realize how naive she had been.

Scoldings, beatings, solitary confinement, starvation, torture… In less than three months, Lyka had transformed from a lively young orc girl into this lifeless shell of her old self.

The boy got a little anxious when he didn't receive a response from Lyka. Not caring about exposing himself anymore, he leaned close to Lyka and whispered in her ear, "Lyka, let's escape together. It won't end well if we stay here."

Her beautiful golden pupils shifted slowly and focused on him once more.

Lyka didn't really want to live anymore. She thought she could try to help this human who resembled her former playmates… Even if she died, if this person could escape, it would still count as a tiny, final victory.

Thus, Lyka nodded and croaked hoarsely, "Alright."

The dark-haired boy's face lit up, and he was just about to tell her a secret—

BOOM—!!

The waiting area where the attendants were housed was located deep within the establishment. For the sake of preventing them (especially orcs) from escaping, the waiting area had thick walls and the windows were sealed with steel plates. The entire room was like a giant jail cell.

But even so, following the loud boom coming from an unknown source, even the waiting area's sturdiest wall swayed slightly.

The waiting area, previously only filled with soft whispers and quiet sobbing, suddenly erupted in commotion.

Even the seemingly confident dark-haired boy was taken aback as he gazed at the main doors of the waiting area in uncertainty.

From outside came the sounds of hurried footsteps, clashing of weapons, and shouting as if a fracas had broken out in the corridor. And from time to time, this was accompanied by cries of pain.

The attendants near the door exchanged glances, some inched toward the back in fear, while others quickly rushed to the door, pressing their ears against it to listen. Someone even knelt down to try and peek through the gap at the bottom of the door.

"Ah!" The male human attendant who had knelt down cried out in alarm and jumped to his feet after a quick glance. "Blood! There's a lot of blood outside!"

A female human attendant hurriedly bent down and strained to get a look outside.

Soon, she, too, exclaimed in shock and staggered up weakly.

Compared to the generally emaciated orcs wearing muzzles, shackles, and handcuffs, human attendants seemed somewhat plumper, and both men and women had a healthy complexion.

However, in truth, these seemingly ample human attendants were no healthier than the orcs. Human attendants were also kept in a state of prolonged hunger, weakening them to reduce the risk of harming guests. Moreover, both male and female attendants were fed with fattening drugs originally intended for livestock so that the appearance of their bodies satisfied guests.

In the eyes of Weisshem dealers, merchandise was just merchandise, and no mercy was shown just because the goods were fellow humans.

After several minutes of commotion outside, the screams began to subside, and the urgent footsteps resumed.

Click.

The door to the waiting room, which could only be opened from the outside, was pushed open.

Outside stood a group of fierce-looking strangers wielding various weapons and dressed in different styles of armor that were drenched in blood.

"Those who wish to escape, hurry up and run!" shouted the man who had opened the door to the waiting area as he tossed a bunch of keys inside before hastily leaving with his companions.

The attendants in the waiting area were momentarily stunned, but several human attendants closest to the door rushed out without any hesitation.

Several orcs ecstatically pounced on the bunch of keys on the ground.

Seeing this, the dark-haired boy quickly led Lyka toward the orcs who were helping each other remove their restraints.

There were no unique keys for each shackle the orcs wore, just four different models, and the correct key size would unlock them. These orcs, who had not seen the open sky for months, or even years, hurriedly released the shackles. Some ran out alone, while others huddled together with familiar faces.

The dark-haired boy found the right key to unlock Lyka's shackles, and after releasing the chains, he grabbed her arm and ran.

As the two ran out of the holding area, they saw at least a dozen bodies of enforcers strewn in disarray along the corridor.

The corpses were still there, but the enforcers' weapons were nowhere to be seen, and it was unclear who had taken them.

The two continued further down the corridor and saw an enforcer lying on the ground, still breathing, with wounds all over his body and a sword by his side. The dark-haired boy wasted no time and picked up the sword. Seeing this, Lyka picked up a dropped round shield as well.

Continuing their desperate escape, the pair turned several corners and came upon a human attendant who had collapsed in exhaustion.

As they passed by this human attendant, who was gasping for breath after running through a few corridors, the dark-haired boy hesitated for a bit. But, in the end, he steeled himself and pulled Lyka… Only she would be of use to him in escape.

The visibly plump figures of human attendants, a result of the "fattening drugs," couldn't hide the fact that they, too, had suffered from hunger and deprivation. Relying on their own legs to run was a challenging endeavor for them.

The pair weaved through a labyrinth of corridors until they neared the end. The dark-haired youth's expression turned grave when he saw the situation in the lobby and swiftly pulled Lyka back into the corridor to hide.

After catching his breath, the dark-haired youth carefully peeked out.

Chaotic fighting still reigned supreme in the lobby!

A group of mercenaries, unmistakably so by their attire and demeanor, had taken control of most of the hall. Currently, they were besieging a dozen or so noblemen dressed in elegant finery, who were armed with longswords.

On top of that, these mercenaries had intentionally left an escape route open for the fleeing attendants!

The black-haired youth's face twitched. Gritting his teeth, he turned around, grabbing Lyka's hand once more and leading her back the way they had come.

Lyka looked back in confusion as they retreated. "Why are we going back?"

The boy didn't reply and only let go of Lyka when they were two corridors away from the lobby. "Those people aren't here to rescue us; they're here to abduct slaves. If we take the path they've left for us, we'll just fall into their hands!"

Lyka was stupefied.

"Trust me. Mercenaries don't act without reason," the boy said firmly. "We will escape. The customer who bought me last week is actually a comrade of mine; they've scouted a route for me. There's a large ventilation opening in the kitchen on the first floor. We can climb out from there!"

As they backtracked to the third corridor, a mercenary drenched in blood emerged from another passageway, brandishing a knife. Upon seeing the pair running in the opposite direction, he instinctively reached out to halt them and shouted loudly, "Hey, you're going the wrong way!"

Lyka had initially wondered if the boy was being overly anxious, but when she saw this man shouting at them, her heart sank… The boy was right!

The dark-haired boy came to a halt. His palms, one grasping Lyka's hand and the other gripping the sword, began to get clammy.

This establishment controlled their slaves through abuse and hunger, but the enforcers of this place were far from weak.

The dark-haired boy wasn't confident that he could take down this mercenary and escape in one piece!

Lyka was just a 12-year-old girl, and he was merely a trainee warrior. Moreover, the two of them were weakened by starvation and abuse they had received!

Upon noticing the pair's cautious and alarmed looks, the mercenary realized that he had been seen through. Thus, he abandoned any pretense of being a helpful passerby and advanced toward them grimly.

The boy made a grave decision. He let go of Lyka and clutched the sword with both hands, preparing to fight to the death.

At that moment… the door to one of the private rooms along the corridor swung open.

An adult orc, who had been hiding inside for some time, sprang out like a cat and, with astonishing speed, thrust a fruit knife into the mercenary's neck from the side.

Clutching his throat, the mercenary slumped to the wall in astonishment at the sudden appearance of this assailant, and his pupils slowly lost their luster.

The orc who had launched the surprise attack also stumbled and had to use the wall to steady himself.

"Y-you know a way to escape?" The near-exhausted orc, with amber-colored eyes, stared fixedly at the black-haired youth.

Orcs had excellent hearing, and the boy had said those comforting words to Lyka only a corridor away from where that adult orc had hidden.

The boy assessed the orc's gaunt frame and nodded resolutely. "I do."

Due to the forced fattening by drugs, adult human attendants couldn't fit through the ventilation ducts, but orcs could.

None of the three had the strength to support each other, so the adult orc took a few seconds to catch his breath before forcing himself to stand and follow after the two youngsters.

Weisshem had only one street, and after climbing out of the kitchen's ventilation duct at the back of the establishment, all that greeted the three escapees was the barren wasteland beyond Weisshem.

Normally, there would be enforcers patrolling the area around the establishment, but the mercenaries who had stormed the place had drawn them away. The trio rested briefly where they had emerged before disappearing into the barren wasteland.

Upon leaving Weisshem, the three of them unwittingly fled in the direction of the Taranthan Wasteland… On the other side was Sorensen, but they didn't have the luxury of such a choice. The caravans that dared to cross through the Sorensen Mountains were known to occasionally engage in slave hunting as a means of extra earnings.

During their hasty escape, the black-haired youth continually encouraged the two orcs, "My comrades had planned to cause a disturbance in the next few days to give me a chance to escape. They've set up a temporary camp in the direction of Taranthan. Finding them will ensure our safety."

Lyka nodded blankly, while the adult orc remained silent. It was evident that he didn't entirely trust the young human but had no better options, given his lack of knowledge about the world outside the establishment and his current physical state.

Their desperate flight continued deep into the night until the three of them could no longer go on. With no other choice, they found a large rock, climbed on top of it, and promptly fell asleep.

October 30, Wednesday, 2 a.m., Earth time.

Taking advantage of night in-game, when advanced NPCs camped for the night to rest, Blossoming Strokes called along Give Me Medicine and a few other comrades to explore the area around the campsite and gather herbs.

"This game is really a pain without maps. Every time I post in the forum asking about it, the official reply is that the game's features will be improved in future updates, but there's absolutely no indication as to when that will happen. It's not that bad in Exile Town as you get familiar with the few streets after a couple of days, but once you're out here, it's all a real mess!" grumbled Give Me Medicine.

Because Blossoming Strokes had taken up apothecary as a lifestyle class, while Give Me Medicine and Qin Guan were honing gathering, Give Me Medicine was currently squatting down on the ground digging while complaining.

"Yeah, the outside maps are huge." A gatherer player nodded in agreement. "Going all the way to Desolate Outpost to pick up civilians the previous time was far enough, but it's even further this time around. And there's still no respawn/teleportation point we can use."

Another player chimed in, "Yeah, not having a respawn point is the worst part. Right now, even Brother Lahong's undead horse express isn't operating. They said the rider got lost when delivering remains the previous time and had to return back to town. And now they can't find the route we took. What the heck, man!"

Venting frustrations about the game and the developers had long become a common pastime for players. Blossoming Strokes, who had brought up the apothecary interface to memorize potion recipes, chuckled when she heard what was said. "Well, since no one dares to run out rampantly for fear of not being able to return if we get logged out, it's at least a good opportunity to practice life skills. Meds, how far are you from Level 2 Gathering?"

"I'm still a long way off. Haven't had much time to practice. Damn, just mentioning it pisses me off. In a normal game, you'd just press the button to interact and wait for the progress to fill. But in this darn game, you have to personally dig, clean the mud off, remove dead leaves and twigs… It's downright inhumane!"

Blossoming Strokes chuckled. "Hey, as an apothecary, I have to memorize recipes myself, you know?"

"S-S-Sis Blossom—!" Another player suddenly jumped up and pointed at a large rock the size of a truck in the near distance. "Look, quick! What is that?!"

Blossoming Strokes gave a casual glance. "Isn't it just a hand, why the big fuss… What the, wait! A hand?!"

Blossoming Strokes immediately closed her apothecary panel, Give Me Medicine hung his trowel back on his waist, and the entire team dashed toward that huge stone.

Climbing a boulder taller than a person posed no challenge to players with their "nimble bodies." In just a few seconds, the team reached the top of the boulder.

On the relatively smooth surface of this boulder lay three individuals.

One was an ordinary human, while the other two were orcs with their greenish skin, pointed ears, and exposed canines.

Blossoming Strokes stared fixedly at the two distinct orcs and clenched her fist excitedly. "—New race unlocked!"