The Overpowered Novice Book 1: An OP MC Isekai LitRPG by Epsyl04

Author:Epsyl04 [Epsyl04]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

The lanternlight swayed, the shadows of armed men stretching long across the cavern walls. Ryo’s grip on the Fang never wavered, but he did not strike. He watched. Waited.

The bandits didn’t slow. Their laughter echoed off the stone as they passed through the passage ahead, boots scraping in loose rhythm. They carried themselves like they owned the dark, as if the monsters here weren’t threat enough.

Ryo tilted his head slightly. They weren’t looking for a fight. Not here. Not now. They were heading deeper.

Darren’s whisper was a growl at his side. “Bastards.” His shield tightened against his arm. “Bandits don’t come to the Hallow unless they’ve got a reason.”

Ryo’s voice was low beneath the mask. “What reason?”

Darren shook his head, eyes never leaving the dark where the bandits disappeared. “Could be hunting stray adventurers. Could be after cores. Or worse—they might be looking for something the dungeon shouldn’t give them.”

Silence pressed in after the bandits’ laughter faded, the only sound the faint drip of water from the cavern roof.

Ryo’s mind ran sharp and fast. Bandits here meant more than danger to stray travelers. If they were diving into the Hallow, it meant the dungeon offered something worth the risk. And if the dungeon was already stirring, that meant whatever they were after would not be small.

Behind them, back in the camp, Maren and Fenn slept on, unaware.

Ryo exhaled slowly. “Do we wake them?”

Darren hesitated, jaw working. His eyes flicked once toward the campfire’s glow, then back to the shadows. “Not yet. Let them rest. We’ll keep this between us, for now.” His voice was quiet, but hard. “They’ll know soon enough if those cutthroats circle back.”

Ryo said nothing. He weighed the Fang in his grip, the way it seemed to hum faintly whenever he imagined driving it into flesh. Overkill itched beneath his skin, eager, hungry. But he didn’t move. Not yet.

The choice pressed at him: strike now and silence them, or let them go and risk whatever their presence meant.

Darren must have read his posture. “Don’t,” he muttered. “Not yet. We’re not ready for that kind of fight. You saw their number. Six, seven, maybe more. And if they’ve made it this deep, their levels won’t be low.”

Ryo gave the faintest nod. The logic was sound. His blood still burned against it.

The silence stretched, the distant echoes of the bandits finally swallowed by the dungeon’s endless dark.

Only then did Darren lower his shield, exhaling through his nose. “Come on. Back to the fire. We’ll keep this between us.”

Ryo followed, his mask turning back once to the passage where the bandits had gone. The stone there looked darker, hungrier.

When they returned to camp, Maren stirred faintly but did not wake. Fenn rolled over, muttering in his sleep. Darren eased back against the wall, his shield propped within arm’s reach.

Ryo sat again at the edge of the firelight, Fang across his knees.

But this time, he did not try to rest. His thoughts kept circling the bandits, their swagger, their purpose.

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