The Perfect Bluff

The server-wide system announcement faded, leaving a heavy silence in its wake. The Gibbon Boss lay dead upon the crushed grass, its precious loot already secured inside Night Dreamer’s inventory. The remaining enemies, agitated and battered from the grueling fight, rapidly formed a tight encirclement around AuraApex and his exhausted five-man team. The enemy leader spat blood onto the trampled dirt and struggled to his feet. Embarrassment twisted his soot-stained features. His formidable alliance had been humiliated in front of their own members. He glared at the small squad standing before him.

The leader sneered. "There are just a few of you. Do you honestly think you can just leave after stealing our kill?"

AuraApex met his furious gaze with zero fear. He gripped the cold metal of his heavy iron stick, his posture relaxed but ready to strike at a microsecond's notice.

"You will have to try it to find out." AuraApex replied coldly.

Without a single microsecond of hesitation, AuraApex stepped forward and drove his iron stick directly into the leader's chest. The blunt force impact crushed the man's breastplate with a sickening crunch. The sudden strike instantly drained the leader's remaining sliver of health. The man's eyes widened in disbelief before his avatar shattered, turning his body into a fading void of digital pixels that drifted into the night sky.

The brutal execution shattered the fragile standoff. The enraged, leaderless mob roared in unison. They raised their rusted swords and splintered shields, rushing forward to slaughter the five intruders.

Night Dreamer moved swiftly. She hurled a pre-planned flare skill high into the dark sky. A blinding crimson light cut across the forest canopy, illuminating the tree line.

Almost immediately, a wave of dark shadows surged across the distant horizon. The silhouettes kicked up clouds of dirt, obscuring their actual numbers. The thundering sound of approaching footsteps echoed menacingly through the dense woods.

The charging enemy frontlines slammed on the brakes. Terror rippled through their disorganized ranks. They were exhausted of mana from the agonizing boss fight, and their health bars were dangerously low. They stared wide-eyed at the incoming foreign aid rushing toward their flank.

A frontline knight yelled in panic. "They have reinforcements! Fall back before we wipe!"

Believing they were about to be slaughtered by a well-organized rival guild, the alliance broke formation. Without their commander to maintain discipline, panic took over. They hastily retreated, scrambling desperately into the safety of the deeper woods and abandoning the clearing.

Only after the enemy had scattered did the mysterious reinforcements reveal themselves to the squad. They broke through the tree line, panting heavily and wielding basic wooden weapons. It was merely a large, uncoordinated group of under-geared, low-level newbies.

One of the fresh players jogged up to the group and waved. "Miss, did we arrive in time?"

Night Dreamer let out a long sigh of relief. "Timely, so timely!"

Aegis Shield, Ghosting, and the Warlock stared at the ragged newcomers in confusion. The supposed terrifying army was nothing more than a handful of beginners wearing cloth tunics.

Aegis Shield rubbed the back of his neck. "Sister Night, what is going on here? Are these our elite reinforcements?"

Night Dreamer smiled brightly and explained the elaborate setup. When she and AuraApex had first entered the dense forest, he had anticipated the fierce backlash from stealing the boss. AuraApex casually suggested she gather the newbies she usually carried for leveling. He never intended for these fresh players to fight the geared alliance members. It was a brilliant, calculated bluff orchestrated by AuraApex. These players were brought over solely to visually intimidate the exhausted enemy into fleeing.

Aegis Shield erupted into booming laughter, slapping his thigh. "If those guys find out they ran away from a bunch of fresh spawns, they will be pissed to death!"

AuraApex scanned the quiet woods. "It is not appropriate to stay here for long. Let us evacuate to a safe area first."

Safe inside the bustling limits of Ethereal City, Night Dreamer dismissed the newbies with generous coin rewards for their excellent acting skills. The five core members walked away from the crowded main square and found a secluded corner behind a grand stone fountain.

The Warlock rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Nighty, is it time for us to see the results of our battle?"

Night Dreamer excitedly opened her inventory. She laid out the glittering spoils stripped from the hidden copy upon a stone bench. The sheer quality of the haul left them stunned. Three pieces of top-tier orange equipment radiated a faint, warm glow. Beside them sat a rare, exclusive orange weapon tailored specifically for a musician class. Next to the gear sat a heavy, clinking pouch containing ten thousand valuable crystal soul coins. Rare crafting materials and high-tier medicinal potions filled the remaining space.

In the brutal economy of Omni Gods, crystal soul coins held immense purchasing power. Ten thousand coins could easily buy two pieces of orange gear on the open market. It was a king's ransom.

Night Dreamer looked directly at the rogue. "AuraApex, you have done the most credit this time. You should distribute the rewards."

Aegis Shield nodded emphatically. "Boss, you distribute it. We do not have any objections."

The Warlock crossed his arms and smiled. "That is right. If it were not for you leading the charge, we would not be standing here dividing anything today."

Acknowledging Kaelen's undeniable contribution to the heist, the team insisted he take control. Acting with fairness, AuraApex did not waste time with false modesty. He stepped forward and picked up the glowing armor.

AuraApex handed the heavy plated shoulders, the silk robes, and the leather boots to his teammates. "Three orange pieces. Warlock, Aegis Shield, and Ghosting. You guys take one each."

The three men beamed with excitement. They thanked him repeatedly as they eagerly equipped their massive upgrades, watching their character stats skyrocket.

AuraApex picked up the slender, intricately carved instrument next. He held it out toward the female streamer. "This exclusive orange weapon happens to belong to the Demonic Musician class. Please accept it, Night Dreamer."

She took the weapon, her eyes tracing the glowing runes etched into the polished wood. Night Dreamer looked up at him, feeling a sudden wave of guilt. "We have all the good equipment now. What about you?"

AuraApex calmly grabbed a handful of the glittering currency. "If everyone has no objections, I will just take five thousand crystal soul coins."

He left the other half of the coins resting on the stone bench. The team protested loudly. They attempted to force him to take the entire stash of treasure. Letting him walk away with just half the coin drop after he masterminded the entire operation felt like highway robbery against him.

AuraApex firmly and repeatedly refused their desperate attempts. "I only take what I need."

Night Dreamer felt a deep pang of shame wash over her. She had set him up earlier for stream views, secretly recording his gameplay, yet he still treated her and her friends with generosity and fairness. After confirming their plans for tomorrow, the three other male players waved goodbye and logged off for the night. Night Dreamer and AuraApex were left alone in the quiet alley.

AuraApex opened his translucent system menu to log out.

Night Dreamer stepped forward. "Wait, I want to ask you something."

He paused, lowering his hand from the interface. "Hmm?"

She tilted her head, curious about his actions in the forest. "Why did you not explode the leader's equipment back there?"

He had the chance to ruin the man. He could have forced the Crimson Blaze commander to drop his valuable gear upon death, crippling his character's progression.

AuraApex explained calmly, his tone even. "Robbing a boss is, at best, an acceptable means of fierce competition within the game's mechanics. Everyone competes for resources. However, maliciously exploding people's hard-earned equipment out of spite is another matter of character."

Night Dreamer stared at him, appreciative of his honorable stance. The gaming world was infested with toxic players who thrived on ruining others, but he operated on a strict, personal code of conduct.

Night Dreamer smiled warmly. "I understand. By the way, I have transferred the real-world payment I promised you. It should be in your account now."

AuraApex nodded. "Thanks."

He genuinely did not expect her to handle the financial transaction so quickly.

She added softly, her voice carrying genuine gratitude. "And... thank you, AuraApex."

AuraApex chuckled lightly. "It is getting late. I will get off first."

His avatar dissolved into fragmented rays of light. Night Dreamer stood quietly in the empty city square, watching him fade away, lost in her own thoughts.

Meanwhile, unbridled fury consumed the rival alliance's private chat channel.

A guild member typed furiously into the interface. "Boss, I have written down all the names of those people! The highest level among them is seventeen. We will block them outside the city tomorrow!"

Another enraged member replied instantly. "Yes! Block them! Hunt them down until they quit the game!"

Enraged members clamored loudly to form hunting parties and blockade the level-17 intruders out of all known leveling zones. The chat scrolled so fast it became a dizzying blur of threats and anger.

The defeated, humiliated commander finally spoke up, hanging his head in shame. "Boss, it is my fault this time. If you want to punish me, punish me."

The chaotic uproar in the chat ceased the exact moment a specific name appeared on the screen. Crimsonfrost, the legendary and feared leader of the Crimson Blaze Alliance, suddenly logged on and entered the voice channel. The digital silence was deafening.

Crimsonfrost demanded coldly. "Explain the process to me in detail."

Siltflow took a deep breath. He delivered a detailed, embarrassing account of exactly how forty armed men were outplayed, manipulated, and routed by a mere squad of five.

A low chuckle echoed through the alliance channel.

Crimsonfrost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. "Five people. And what about you? You had forty or fifty people, and you were completely arranged by a squad of five. It is ridiculous to even tell this story."

Instead of radiating anger, his tone carried intense amusement.

Assuming the worst, Siltflow eagerly promised to fix the catastrophic failure. "Boss, I will take people to find them tomorrow. I will make up for the mistakes I made."

Crimsonfrost ignored the apology. He questioned Siltflow specifically about the enemy rogue. "You just said the person in command there is a man named AuraApex, right? The stalker he uses, are you sure he utilizes a warrior-type combat style?"

Siltflow replied rapidly. "Confirmed! When he saw me, he started to fight head-on. His stick skills are so fast that I cannot handle it. He fights unlike a normal stalker."

Crimsonfrost did not say anything for a long time. The channel remained quiet, thick with tension.

Siltflow could not hold it any longer. He broke the heavy silence. "Boss? Do you mean we should marshal our forces to target him first and wipe him off the server?"

Crimsonfrost replied with a statement that stunned the entire channel into silence. "Who said we are going to retaliate?"

The alliance members stared at their screens in disbelief.

Crimsonfrost declared boldly. "This man is extraordinary. He possesses a terrifying tactical mind and immense mechanical skill. Not only will I not retaliate against him, but I intend to personally recruit him into our alliance."

The chat interface boiled over again. No one understood why the powerful alliance leader would make such a controversial decision after a humiliating defeat.

Siltflow asked in disbelief. "Boss, are you serious?"

Crimsonfrost finalized the discussion, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Of course I am. Listen to me. A few lost items and a bruised ego mean nothing. In the brutal world of Omni Gods, only two words truly matter: pure talent."