With Great Power

[<Dragon Raider> Cui Ju Lvl. 14]

"That one is normal as well," I said to Mordo.

The two of us were going through the houses of the village one by one. In most homes, the villagers were cowering, scared for their lives and that of their families.

In some of the houses, the Dragon Raiders, as they called themselves, were stationed to watch over the villagers. That was due to some of them trying to revolt against the bandits. Now they were being carefully monitored.

The normal bandits had a level of no more than 15, but two who had a magical item were of a higher level.

[<Empowered Dragon Raider> Kong Ming Lvl. 35]

[Enchanted Bracer(Rare - Cursed): A bracer enchanted by the Olympian God Apollon. When equipped, it increases the wearer's Dexterity by 25, Attack Speed by 25%, and damage done by a Bow by 50%. The item has been cursed by the chthonic enemy of Apollon, the earth Dragon God, Python. The curse warps the wearer's mind, making him numb and cruel, but doubles his strength.]

Yes, Gods apparently existed and were real. Not just the Greek Gods, but the Norse, the Egyptians, and even Heaven existed. All of them resided in pocket dimensions close to Earth.

From what I read in the book, I learned that they have existed for a long time. However, at some point, the Gods were forbidden from interfering with human lives.

Sorcerers are mostly on good terms with the various Gods as they even draw energy from them to cast some of their spells. The Vishanti, a group of three Gods, even grant a Sorcerer, who they deem worthy, incredible powers so they can protect Earth. One of the perks of that was an extended lifespan, which explains why she is called the Ancient One.

I feel like that was a bit of a flex on her part, telling me not to get on her bad side. Not like I planned on doing that. My Observe still didn't provide me with any information about the Ancient One, and every time I used it, she would look at me with a smile as if she knew what I was doing. Stinky old woman.

Speaking of Observe, it leveled up to 7 while I was identifying the bandits with magical items.

We checked all the houses with Mordo, but we only managed to find four bandits that had magical items. The last and most important one was nowhere to be found in the village.

"We have to secure the villagers and get them to safety," Mordo said.

I had to agree with him, even though I was sad that we still haven't found Artifact-level item.

"Fine. We can safely knock out the bandits that are in the houses, and then teleport the villagers to safety."

"We can move them a bit further from the village. I can alter the villager's memories with a simple spell, and they can return to their lives after we handle the bandits," Mordo said.

Yeah, yeah, flaunt your magical knowledge and the vast number of spells that you know.

We found a suitable spot nearby and agreed that he will stay there while I will be the one to teleport them. Mordo might know more spells, but my casting speed was faster, and he trusted in my ability to silently knock out the bandits. Of course, I also had an ulterior motive for doing this.

I returned back to the village and entered a house while hidden in the Mirror Dimension.

I was greeted with the cliche situation of the bandit trying to take advantage of a poor woman there. It wasn't his lucky day, however.

I exited the Mirror Dimension while also casting Eldritch Magic to conjure cloth-like constructs to cover the mouths of the villagers and stop them from screaming. I couldn't cast spells that affect the real world from the Mirror Dimension, so I had to do it this way.

At the same time, my hands reached out, grabbing the bandit in a chokehold with a hand over his mouth.

The villager's eyes widened in fear and were ready to scream, but I already prevented that from happening.

The bandit struggled, but I was far stronger than him. Shortly, he fell unconscious, and I dropped him on the floor. Without explaining myself to the villagers, I made a portal that led to where Mordo was waiting and pushed them inside before entering the Mirror Dimension.

One by one, I started going through the houses, silently knocking out the bandits and teleporting the villagers to safety.

I felt the nickname that Peter gave me, Mr. Ninja Magician Dude, was more than fitting for this situation. I had no idea how he had foreseen this happening.

It took me about an hour to go through all the houses, but I managed to get all of the villagers to safety.

Now, it was time for me to get my prize.

Safely hidden in the Mirror Dimension, I stalked a bandit wearing an item I was very interested in.

[Enchanted Earring (Rare - Cursed): An earring enchanted by the Olympian God Apollon. When equipped, increases the wearer's Intelligence by 25, Wisdom by 25, MP by 500, and MP regen by 15%. The item has been cursed by the chthonic enemy of Apollon, the earth Dragon God, Python. The curse warps the wearer's mind, making him numb and cruel, but doubles his strength.]

Yes, please.

Since I no longer needed to stop villagers from screaming, I used Exit ID before grabbing the bandit and using Create ID.

I used the same move I did with the other bandits, grabbing him in a chokehold and trying to knock him out. This one, however, was empowered by the magical item.

He struggled hard, trying to get out of my grasp, and I activated Mana Strengthening to make sure that didn't happen. That was a mistake.

At this point, Mana Strengthening was at level 77 from me constantly having it on while training, and it boosted my physical stats by 231%. That resulted in me having just over 200 Strength.

A crack was heard, and the bandit stopped struggling. I dropped him on the floor, eyes wide, realizing what I've just done. I killed a man! I actually killed a man!

Holy fuck! I was starting to panic before Gamer's Mind kicked in, trying to calm me down. However, my mind kept reeling back to when I heard his neck snap like a twig, which sounded like a thunderbolt to my ears.

Again, Gamer's Mind continued trying to calm me down before I can get a panic attack.

I'm not sure if the situation got better or worse when the bandit's body dissolved, leaving a stack of cash and the earring behind.

Robotically, I bent down and picked up the loot as that has become a habit to me at this point. I stored them in my inventory while trying to understand what I've just done.

Gamer's Mind kept doing its job, calming me down and making me think about it logically. The bandit was not only an evil man, but his mind had also been warped by the cursed item.

Could he have been saved from the curse? Maybe. Did he deserve to be saved from the curse? I don't know, I'm not the one that decides that. What I did know from my Observe was that he had pillaged, killed, and raped.

However... was I the one with the power to decide his fate?

I don't know how long I pondered on that, but I heard Mordo call out to me. "William?"

He must've come since I stopped sending villagers to him for some time now.

"What happened?" Mordo asked, seeing me stare at nothing.

I turned to look at him and said, "I killed a man."

"Why?" Mordo asked me and stepped closer.

"It wasn't on purpose," I said.

Mordo walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "How do you feel about it?"

"I... my ability makes me feel calm." I truly was calm, I just wasn't sure what to think about it.

"But how do you feel about it?" Mordo asked.

"I don't know." I wasn't sure. Gamer's Mind was interfering and making me calm.

"Let us handle the rest of the bandits, and we can discuss this afterward," Mordo urged, and I nodded.

We exited the Mirror Dimension and confronted the rest of the bandits. It was a simple matter for us. There were about three dozen with three of the bandits who had magical items empowering them, but they were still normal humans. They were simply no match for us.

We knocked them all out, using conjured chains or whips to tie them down. The empowered ones got punched in the face by Mordo a few times before they fell unconscious. I let him do that since I wasn't sure if I won't kill them like the previous one.

Mordo picked up the magical items, which were the pair of bracers, a sword, and an axe. He stored them all in a bag he carried with him.

All the bandits were knocked out, but there was still one missing. The one that had the Artifact-level equipment. That's when Sense Danger activated.

[Sense Danger increased to 4.]

I turned towards a hill overlooking the village where I saw a bright red light illuminating the night. Mordo felt the surge of energy as well and looked at the hill just as the bright light was fired at us.

[Sense Danger increased to 5.]

My skill increased once more, informing me this attack could very well end my life if it hits me. I wasn't ready for that, so I raised my hand and quickly created a portal in front of the red light. It flew inside and exited out of another portal that led towards the night sky.

The light was so bright, it looked like a miniature sun, shining down on us. It was a pretty sight. It exploded in air like a fireworks, making the sight even prettier.

Mordo didn't hesitate to open a portal leading to that hill, and I followed after him. However, it didn't seem like I was needed.

[<Wielder of the Arrow> Jiao Zhanshi Lvl. 55]

The man had a high level, but Mordo had an even higher one. He was also trained in the Mystical Arts, unlike the bandit.

Mordo captured the man with his staff and started thrashing him around. Seeing someone else being slammed around felt nice. I've had to experience that more than once.

The bandit leader held a golden bow in his hands as if his life depended on it, but he didn't last long. Soon enough, Jiao got knocked out and dropped the bow.

[Bow and Arrow of Apollon(Artifact - Cursed): The bow and arrow of the Olympian God Apollon, created by Hephaestus. When equipped, increases the user's Dexterity by 200, Intelligence by 100, Attack Speed by 200%, and Fire Damage dealt by 200%. Once per day, the user can use the skill, Arrow of Apollon: Shoots an arrow that deals 100 x Intelligence fire damage. Requires level 55 to equip.]

Whatever happened earlier was quickly forgotten after I used Observe.

This weapon was incredible. If I was able to equip it right now, I would be able to do more than 60 000 dmg with the skill. That's 60 times my current HP.

I picked it up as fast as possible and put in my Inventory before Mordo can get ahold of it. I also used Observe on the Staff of the Living Tribunal and found out the interesting fact that it was in a sealed state.

"William," Mordo said with his hand out.

"Mine!" You are not taking this away from me!

Mordo stared at me for a moment before he let out a sigh, realizing he wasn't taking it away from me.

"Let us return the villagers back to their homes."

We did just that with him using spells to alter their memories, removing our involvement from their minds. After that, he beckoned me over to sit on a hill that overlooked the village.

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. Calm, I guess."

"All the Masters studying under the Ancient One have killed," Mordo started. "A lot of people come to Kamar-Taj for various reasons. Some come seeking ways to get revenge. I was one just like that."

"I realized that wasn't the correct choice before I followed through with my desire, but not all are like me. Many do walk that path, and when they go an even darker path, it is up to us to stop them and put them down."

"Josip Horvat was one such man. He sought power for his revenge, but he wasn't satisfied with what the Ancient One taught us. That was his first mistake. Josip wanted more power and ended up making a deal with Satannish. That was his second mistake. Never make a deal with demonic/evil beings, they never end up the way you want them to."

"Josip used a ritual provided to him by Satannish, and he transported Kamart-Taj to the demon's realm. We stayed there for a month since time moves slower there. We fought day and night, trying to survive until we managed to escape. However, Josip had to be put down."

"He wasn't the first, nor will he be the last man we will have to kill. Situations like this, although not common, do happen every few years where we have to put down a man that led power get to his head."

"The person you killed was an evil man. Your ability probably told you so. You didn't even kill him on purpose, and you even reflected on that. You are not a bad man, William."

"I trust you will not go around killing people wantonly. That is not who you are. That much I've learned from the little time I've known you. However, should you ever go down that dark path, I promise you, I will be the one to personally hunt you down." Mordo finished his long speech.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.

Mordo stared at me like a gaping fish before he closed his mouth.

"I was trying to tell you that killing, although not the optimal choice, is the one you have to make at times. You have great powers, with great potential, and with that comes great responsibility. There will be times where you will have to make a choice, and killing might be the only one."

"However, I warn you once more, I will personally hunt you down if you deliberately start killing people!"

"Thanks, Mordo," I said, and he smiled.

"You almost made me feel better." And the smile disappeared.

Mordo let out a sigh and said, "Let us return to Kamar-Taj."

We did that, and the Ancient One greeted us. We explained what had happened in Guizhou, and I decided to return home after that. I had some stuff to think over.

"William, the magical items," Mordo said, expecting me to give them away.

"Oh, yeah," I turned to the Ancient One. "Can you remove the curse on them for me? I have my ability, but I don't want to risk them affecting me."

"Certainly," The Ancient One complied with Mordo staring like a gaping fish at us.

She took them from me, removed their curses, and returned them back.

"Thank you!"

"You will give them to him?" Mordo asked in surprise.

"I gave you your weapon," The Ancient One said with a smile.

I made a portal leading to my home, but before I entered, I turned around. I appreciate that you tried making me feel better, Mordo, but you tried taking my loot away, and I'm petty. So, I took a deep breath.

"MORDO FORGOT THE BASIC ABILITIES OF THE MIRROR DIMENSION! IF HE CAN BECOME A MASTER, SO CAN ALL OF YOU!"

[Name: William Williamson

Mutant Power: The Gamer

Level: 36 Next Level: 64%

Title: Sorcerer]

[HP: 1050

MP: 3,563]

[Strength: 30 + 31.2

Vitality: 35 + 36.4

Dexterity: 39 + 40.56

Intelligence: 101 + 109.08

Wisdom: 101 + 109.08

Luck: 22]

[Stat Points: 13

Cash: $40 694.70]

[Skills:

Observe(Active) Lvl. 7/10 (+1)

Sense Danger(Passive) Lvl. 5/50 (+2)]