Strategy game? Then I'll have to control you properly.

While Lillie was catching her breath, Lin Miao, whose stamina was completely depleted, controlled her character to step forward and rescue the victims entangled in the spider webs, including the blacksmith's daughter, Sophia.

"Now that the armor issue is resolved, the only thing we can repeatedly farm in Chapter 2 is skill points."

Lin Miao was thinking that he and Lillie would escort the rescued victims back to the city. Once they received their payment from the blacksmith, the mission would be completely over.

He then planned to go to other areas to look for new opportunities. After all, no matter what the reality was, the reward he could get was the most important thing to him.

But the road back was not peaceful.

"Where did you come from? The grasslands? Such a faraway place? Ah, what is your relationship with that sir?!"

Even though she had been drained of most of her life force and was on the verge of collapse, the girl named Sophia was still full of curiosity about the two demon hunters who had saved her.

Those sparkling eyes were glued to Lillie, making her, who was never good at handling such situations, feel inexplicably pressured.

Because Lin Miao's character remained taciturn throughout, almost all the rescued people's attention was focused on Lillie.

Lillie felt dizzy and at a loss when stared at with such enthusiasm by this girl whose upbringing was so different from her own.

"I once said that all those horrific disappearances in the city recently were the work of the devil, and everyone thought I was talking nonsense and kicked me out. At that time, I was really desperate, thinking that no one would believe me. It seems that the world has not completely lost its light after all."

Sofia held Lillie's hand, her voice choked with the sobs of someone who had survived a disaster.

Back at the workshop, the blacksmith finally found his daughter.

Those eyes, which were once tired and dull, filled with cynicism towards the world, finally rekindled the light of hope.

Seeing the father and daughter embracing and weeping, Lillie felt a surge of warmth in her heart and casually said, "I just did what I was supposed to do."

If Lin Miao, who came here solely for the reward from the beginning, heard this, she would probably be furious.

"It is only right and proper to repay kindness; we must not let you work in vain."

The blacksmith didn't just offer empty thanks; he led the two to a secret room deep within the workshop and brought out a gift he had prepared beforehand: a special suit of armor that he had personally crafted.

"There really is only one piece. But it's alright, it'll fit Lillie perfectly." Looking at the armor wrapped in a dust cloth, Lin Miao smiled helplessly.

He had hoped there might be two, but unlike the twin blessings he had unexpectedly received, the blacksmith's gift of gratitude was originally planned to be just one.

"This is the only suit of armor I have; it might seem a bit meager. However, there's something else I'd like to give you."

At that very moment, the game's predetermined flow was completely disrupted.

Lillie never treated this commission as a simple game task, and the blacksmith, who valued his daughter's safety above all else, naturally didn't treat this rescue as an ordinary transaction.

"There's even a reward like this?"

Lin Miao stared at the screen, feeling somewhat dazed.

This was a reward that completely exceeded his expectations and was something he had never even imagined.

Even if you search through all the strategy videos of top players online, it's impossible for anyone to obtain such an item.

Because this isn't a fixed reward written into the program by the developer, but rather a heartfelt expression of gratitude from a real person.

[Hermit's Cloak]

"Actually, this armor is just part of the thank-you gift."

The blacksmith picked up a neatly folded gray cloak and handed it to Lin Miao's character.

"This thing wasn't made by me. It's a special item I obtained by chance about ten years ago. All these years, I still haven't been able to figure out what it is. But I think if it were you, you might be able to understand it."

This gray cloak with dark gold thread decorations is clearly an item that does not exist in the original game, but it was automatically identified by the system as a special item that can be equipped, and it is suitable for Lin Miao's character.

The power that the blacksmith had been studying for ten years without being able to figure out was, in Lin Miao's eyes, clearly listed all its functions in the form of a system prompt box.

"Comes with built-in stealth..."

Just one glance at the effect description told him that this was an extremely useful piece of equipment. For him, who needed to constantly coordinate with the rapidly growing Lillie and strengthen his own character, this was undoubtedly the perfect aid.

[First Achievement Completed: Sincere Heart]

[Optional Rewards]

"what?"

Lin Miao froze on the spot as soon as she saw the prompt.

This reward is not simply an opportunity to strengthen your game character.

The system message that popped up shocked him. This was not a normal task settlement in the game, but a global achievement certified by the system, and the reward content completely exceeded his expectations.

[Optional Reward: Hermit's Cloak]

The mouse pointer hovered over the option, trembling slightly out of control.

Although the prompt asked him to choose a reward, the only option available was the Hermit Cloak he had just acquired.

"Could it be... that we can bring it into reality?"

Lin Miao's heart suddenly raced. The choice of which item to use wasn't important at all; what mattered was that, just like before, he had bestowed Lillie's traits upon himself as a reward.

Now, the game items on the screen seem to be directly manifested in the real world.

He had no choice. With her heart pounding like a drum, Lin Miao chose the hermit's cloak.

The next second, the monitor screen in front of him suddenly distorted, and without warning, a large piece of cloth was spat out towards his face with a "smack".

Lin Miao hurriedly caught the gray fabric that was flying towards her, and thanks to her previously enhanced motor skills, she barely managed not to be knocked to the ground.

"...It's true."

Lin Miao let out a soft, slightly cool laugh as she felt the soft fabric against her fingertips.

The items from the game actually jumped into his real world.

"Ha." He suddenly let out a dry laugh.

Something that pops out of the monitor can't just be an ordinary piece of cloth, right?

With the thought that he had actually brought the game item out, Lin Miao hurriedly got up and unfolded the cloak in his hand.

The cloak was enormous, enough to cover most of his tall figure. It felt a little awkward to put it on for the first time, but he managed to put it on successfully.

It's not difficult to activate the mysterious power within the cloak.

Lin Miao could intuitively sense that it didn't need any special triggering conditions and could operate entirely according to his will.

With a subtle sensation, as if one's vital energy were being slightly drawn away, the cloak draped over the shoulders began to tremble gently.

How can I verify the results?

The item description clearly stated that it provided movement assistance and stealth capabilities, but when Lin Miao held up her phone and looked at the reflection of the black screen, her own image was still clearly visible, without any change.

It seems to be visible to the user themselves; otherwise, it would be too inconvenient not being able to find where you are.

Lin Miao quickly came up with the idea of ​​using a mobile phone to take photos for testing. In modern society, stealth techniques that could be captured by surveillance cameras are completely worthless.

"It actually worked!"

Seeing the results of the photos in her phone's album, Lin Miao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Even though the front-facing camera was pointed directly at me, the image was completely empty; I couldn't see even half a person.

The "stealth" ability, which is described in the item's description, actually works in the real world.

Although it still needs to be verified whether it can evade various sensors, thermal imagers, or infrared cameras, what Lin Miao realized first was an even more important fact—the props in the game can actually be used in reality.

Whether or not this cloak can be used for anything is actually not important.

The important thing is that he will continue to receive these kinds of rewards in the future, and each time, they will make him a little safer in this world full of unknown dangers. That's the most crucial thing.

◆◆◆

When Lin Miao frantically caught the materialized cloak in the real world.

The blacksmith in the game was holding the armor, staring at Lin Miao's character who was standing motionless like a mannequin, and scratched his head in confusion: "What's wrong all of a sudden? This is something I've been working so hard to give you."

"He does that sometimes."

Lillie, who was already used to his strange behavior of suddenly losing her mind from time to time, was no longer surprised and calmly looked away.

Anyway, after spacing out like this for a while, he immediately returns to normal.

"The armor I wish to present to you is my life's work. Simply selling it for money would not satisfy me, so I have treasured it until now. I do not wish for it to be bought by some ignorant rich man; I only hope that a true knight will wear it."

The blacksmith lifted the dust cover from the armor, a smile of both relief and regret on his face.

"...I am extremely grateful."

Although this was a gift to thank her for saving the girl, Lillie was still a little flustered when she received such a solemn gift for the first time, and could only keep bowing and thanking her.

"Looking back now, deciding to create a set of women's armor was a wise choice."

"This, this is..."

"This is a masterpiece that could only be created on this land; it is the culmination of my life's work."

The blacksmith proudly pounded on his work, but Lillie froze when she saw what the armor looked like.

Although the material, functionality, and decorative details were impeccable, making it a perfect knight's armor, it still had subtle differences from the seamless heavy armor she had imagined.

"Was the armor here originally like this?"

"What's wrong? Is there a problem? I think it's perfect for you."

When Lillie finally couldn't help but point at the armor and ask a question, the blacksmith was gushing over the masterpiece's greatness:

It is powered by the wearer's magic, has an automatic repair function, can be freely adjusted in size, and also comes with extremely strong magic resistance.

"Does one really need to wear this kind of armor in a place where one has to fight demons?"

At least at this moment, neither the embarrassed Lillie nor the blacksmith, who was incredibly proud of his work, knew the truth.

This piece of armor, which exposes the thighs and part of the chest and doesn't resemble actual combat armor at all, was actually a player mod installed for Lin Miao by his friend.

There was no other choice. Lillie could only blush and accept the armor.

"Speaking of which, when my friend recommended this game, he also installed a few mods for me. I didn't even look at what they were before installing them; oh, so this is what they are."

Lin Miao carefully folded the cloak she had obtained from reality and placed it aside. She sat back down in front of the computer and looked at Lillie on the screen, who was holding the armor and looking helpless. She couldn't help but sigh and bury her face in her hands.

He installed the game because a friend recommended it to him. At the time, he was completely unaware of what was going on and installed all the included mods with one click, just as his friend had instructed. He never expected to cause such a blunder.

Is this the only module currently installed?

While Lillie went to the inner room to change her armor, Lin Miao checked the game files to see if there were any other variables that might affect the game.

After checking, he realized, to his dismay or frustration, that the module he installed only changed the appearance of some items and characters, and did not affect the actual attribute values.

"Wouldn't this design actually reduce the defensive capabilities? It doesn't seem very reliable."

Lillie, who had changed into her armor, still tugged at her skirt uncomfortably and muttered to herself.

"Don't worry. This is a structural design to maximize performance. With your capabilities, this level of protection gap is no problem at all."

Although Lillie was full of doubts, the blacksmith was convinced of the MOD's effects because they had become a reality, firmly believing that this was the perfect form that could maximize performance.

Lin Miao, watching this conversation on the other side of the screen, was completely dumbfounded.

For Lillie, who was encountering this special equipment for the first time, trusting the experienced blacksmith was the safest choice.

Moreover, the blacksmith was right; Lillie's current strength far surpasses the level at which she needs to rely on armor for defense.

"Is there anywhere else we need to go?" Lillie didn't even have time to feel embarrassed about the armor for long.

After leaving the workshop, Lin Miao controlled her character and headed straight for her destination, ignoring the stares from passersby and quickly following behind.

"How embarrassing!"

It definitely takes time to get used to this kind of attire.

Although she came from a grassland tribe and had a free and unrestrained personality, she didn't have much concern about exposing her skin. However, her experience of growing up as a warrior made her particularly embarrassed by this kind of attire, which lacked practicality in combat.

The only saving grace was that Lin Miao ended her journey for the day after arriving at her destination and completing her exploration objectives, without making her continue to travel while wearing the armor.

When Lillie returned to the village, Attila, who had been waiting at the village entrance, couldn't help but chuckle when she saw her new outfit: "You can tell she's been through a lot today. Looks like she's suffered quite a bit."

"Yes."

No matter how embarrassed Lillie looked, Attila didn't care at all, taking it as the decree of that lord and accepting it without question.

"Let's not talk about that, Lillie. We need to take down those guys' hideout near the village as soon as possible. We didn't dare to make any rash moves before, but the situation is different now. You have new equipment, and with Mista and the others, we have three more warriors."

Attila was really concerned about something else: eradicating the insect nest that had appeared near the village a few days earlier.

Lillie, who had previously gone to scout ahead, judged that a direct assault would be too risky given their current strength, but leaving that demonic cave unattended would obviously be the most foolish choice.

Attila believed that their strength had increased significantly since they first discovered the insect hive, and they were fully capable of trying again.

"I think we can give it a try."

Lillie, who also knew why she was fighting so hard in the game world, immediately agreed to Attila's suggestion.

Now that they have trustworthy comrades and better equipment, they should be able to defeat the giant spider-like creature in the lair.

"Once the scouts send back news, we will launch our attack the next day."

Having confirmed Lillie's resolve, Attila immediately made a decision.

He was certain it wouldn't be long. Just like how he could instantly teleport his companions back from their journeys, as soon as the scouts made a discovery, that man could send them back to the village in an instant.

"Shall we stop here for this exploration? Shall we send them back?"

In fact, while Attila and Lillie were discussing their battle plan, Lin Miao was staring at the screen, watching the scouts scattered throughout the grassland.

Once he discovers that someone can no longer proceed, he will immediately use the mouse to teleport them back to the village.

Occasionally, hostile monsters or beasts will suddenly appear along the way, interrupting the teleportation and threatening the exhausted villagers.

But whenever this happens, Lin Miao's giant hammer will fall from the sky, smashing those blind monsters into a pile of minced meat, bones and all.