The Villainess with a Heroine Harem



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Although the 'Anchor Crystals' were harmless by themselves, in reality, a lot of players in the previous timeline had ended up suffering miserably before everyone realized the 'proper' way to use them.

Since the Crystals only needed to be out of the inventory to function, it might seem extremely convenient to just drop them at the last explored point before logging out, and then continue from there the next day, but that would only be possible if no one 'misplaced' them in the owner's absence.

Contrary to what most believed at the moment, the world of Arcadia didn't actually 'pause' while the players weren't allowed to log in, which meant that their 'Anchor Crystals' would actually be 'abandoned' for quite a while as they progressed through the dungeon.

This meant that even if someone didn't have any malicious teammates, they might still find themselves spawning surrounded by a horde of goblins all alone. At that time, losing some experience points and equipment or going down a level would be the least of their worries.

Of course, while the boss kept an eye on everything within the dungeon, it wasn't without limits. Once a certain number of teams were inside, it was impossible to keep track of all of their actions, and there would be an element of luck to encountering misfortune.

Most of the time, it would only instruct its 'minions' to search for the Crystals by themselves, and play around as they wished. Which meant that if they were hidden well enough, there shouldn't be an issue.

But Emilia wanted her team to at least realize the 'threat', and try to come up with countermeasures on their own. That way, they would at least be more prepared when some things happened later.

Fortunately, while Danielle failed to realize the key points, she still arrived at a good 'conclusion' soon.

"Well, it's not impossible for us to run into some trouble or emergency, delaying us for a few minutes. It does seem like a good idea not to leave them in plain sight."

Not to mention what would happen if some malicious player stumbled upon them while they had yet to log in, giving them an opportunity for a 'prank', Danielle and the others were actually the most worried about what the goblins would do.

"If those disgusting little things ate our Crystals, wouldn't we spawn in surrounded by goblin gore? Ugh…" Robin gagged.

"Just thinking about it makes me sick."

Obviously, Emilia knew that goblins weren't as dumb as the girls seemed to believe. At least, they wouldn't be so completely unaware of how the anchor crystals worked with the boss around.

The crimson-haired elf couldn't help but giggle. "I wonder if we'll get any loot in that case."

Of course, since time was tight, Sylvia and Robin were looking for a good place to hide the crystals even as they continued to chat. Luckily, with her new skills, the yellow-eyed heroine had been keeping note of potential 'hiding spots' along the way.

Although it was supposed to be for herself, it would serve their purpose just the same.

"There are better spots further back, but I don't think it would be worth it to fight through those camps again, in case they respawn."

The small crack in the wall was actually deep enough for someone to completely crawl in, though they couldn't stand up or even crouch. But the tight space did give the team some worries.

"Wouldn't we be all squished to death if we spawn in there?"

Nico's concern was valid, but since there wasn't much time left, Danielle could only frown and make a decision on the spot. "I guess we can try logging in one by one next time and see. Throw them in."

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Back in the 'real world', everyone had been expecting the news of the new 'event' and the dungeon to explode, but while those discussions were 'hot topics' for a while, things soon took a strange turn.

Emilia knew that each time the 'pillars' descended, it signified the world will taking a step forward with the integration of Arcadia with this world. And while the step would only be 'completed' when someone conquered the dungeon once, just raising the first step was enough for people to notice some shocking changes.

"Today, at the gym, the weights felt as light as a feather, and I couldn't believe that I got so much stronger than I'd been yesterday! Is this the beginning of my legend?"

"I've always been physically weak, but today I performed the best in class, even though it was the long jump I hated so much before!"

At first, people were only ecstatic to 'confirm' that the claims and rumors about the game boosting people's physique were true, but soon, the trend took a turn for the worse.

Since even 'regular' players could benefit so much from only about five percent of their in-game stats, what the 'exceptional' gained would naturally be on another level.

And among those who were 'gifted', not everyone knew how to keep it under wraps.

Looking at the news on her phone, Emilia could only lean back on her chair with a sigh. "It happened again, after all."

Unfortunately, she knew that even if she took action to 'eliminate' one or two such hidden dangers, it wouldn't matter much in the end.

Several 'high-profile' bank robberies on the same day were already enough to alarm those in power, and when a certain video broke out of an impoverished country, they finally realized why some things weren't making sense till then.

"Did I see it right? That guy just conjured a fireball exactly like I would do in the game!"

Of course, although it was all captured on video, some people still found it a little absurd.

"How is that possible? It must be some special effect."

But no matter how it was denied, the news of the arson incident was officially confirmed by the authorities of the area. And when the captured man was finally forced to demonstrate his abilities for all to see, even the most stubborn had to accept it as a fact.

The world had changed, and it was all because of 'Arcadia'.

Almost immediately, a huge wave of resistance against the game was ignited, and people called for its ban and boycott all over the world. After all, with one 'anarchist' as an example, it was clear to see that the world might descend into chaos if things were left to ferment.

Of course, many yearned to get stronger and 'change their fate' themselves, but they didn't dare to speak out against the overwhelmingly negative public wave, and simply kept silent.

Maybe the society struggling so hard to resist the change wouldn't last long, after all.

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