Chapter 16: The Crimson Sunset Guild (2)
Au was puzzled when he saw Kai's changed equipment.
When did he get that equipment?
At first, he thought Kai had spent real money, but as he looked closer, he realized that wasn't the case.
Wait, was there ever an equipment with that kind of appearance...?
It was armor that couldn't possibly be considered Cleric gear. Moreover, it looked really cool. So cool that he himself wanted it, and because of that, greed filled Au's eyes. Having dropped his helmet when killed by Zirukan, Au was desperate for a helmet.
Now that the Extermination order has been given, I'll kill him over and over until he drops all that equipment.
Kai's equipment already felt like it belonged to him.
He must be quite greedy, Kai thought to himself as he saw Au looking at him.
The foothills were illuminated by bright moonlight shining on all the players except for one. That was Kai. Blending into the darkness as if he was one with it, he was hard to notice without proper attention due to the Armor of the Undead set being a non-reflective matte black color.
"Just die quietly! I'll make good use of your equipment! Shield Dash!"
Au loudly used his skill. The next moment, his body surged through the foothills like he was on a motorcycle.
Watching him, Kai swung his mace with perfect timing.
Boom!
A massive explosion sounded, and a cloud of dirt shot up into the sky as if a bomb had exploded.
The Crimson Sunset guild members who were watching the scene opened their mouths in shock.
"Wh-what was that!?"
"I thought he was supposed to be a support Cleric!"
"Looks more like a battle Cleric, doesn't he?"
"What kind of bullshit is that? Even if he were a battle Cleric, his attack power can’t be that high!"
They then blamed Au's stupidity.
"That idiot! He kept saying he was a support Cleric!"
"Why would he rush in alone without signaling us?"
However, the person most taken aback by the charge was Au himself. Feeling a tingling sensation in the hand holding his shield, his eyes widened.
Gasp! I almost lost consciousness for a moment!
It was an incredibly powerful attack that nearly forced him to logout! Au quickly extracted himself from the pile of dirt and checked his HP bar.
My HP dropped by 30% in one hit!? But I’m a tank and he's a Cleric!
He immediately looked up at Kai.
"Wh-what kind of item is that... How much did you pay to get such a performance!?"
"No need for you to know."
This time, Kai made the first move. With all stats increased by Solaris Blessing, he showed movements far beyond a typical Cleric. His mace swirled dazzlingly.
Au, trying to block it with his shield, was repeatedly pushed back.
Here's the fake.
Kai, with eyes shining, pretended to swing his mace down from above, then suddenly kicked Au's abdomen.
"Argh!"
As Au wasn’t able to breathe momentarily, his shield dropped slightly, and Kai didn't miss the opportunity.
Crunch!
The mace struck directly on Au's temple!
Ding!
[Triple damage applied!]
Even the special skill embedded in the Skull Crusher of Darkness was activated.
"Argh!" Au screamed as his body flew from the force, breaking through several branches on the way.
It’s pretty good.
Kai's gaze shifted to the mace.
Normally, just swinging a mace wouldn't produce this much attack power.
It was the true value of the strike skill, which had the chance to inflict triple damage.
When Au was half-forcibly removed from the battlefield, the members of the Crimson Sunset guild drew their weapons and shouted.
"H-he's strong!"
"Don't let your guard down and slowly surround and kill him!"
"If he's really a battle Cleric, he'll be weak to ranged attacks. Rogues should use throwing stars or throw daggers instead! Wizards and Archers, keep looking for an opening!"
Among them, it seemed a Cleric was the most experienced player, quickly assessing the situation and issuing commands.
Smart. But the assumption is wrong.
Kai wasn’t a battle Cleric, so he was rather grateful for the distance.
"Holy Explosion."
Boom!
As Kai murmured quietly, the wilderness lit up as if it were broad daylight.
"Argh!"
"Wh-what is this power!?" the Crimson Sunset’s Cleric gaped in shock when his health evaporated by 40%
Being a Cleric himself, he knew best that there was no skill with such destructive power for clerics.
What kind of technique is this?
The Cleric's skill tree came to mind, but there was no such skill within it. What this meant was simple.
"A hidden skill!?" screamed the Cleric, to which Kai just stared silently with a calm expression.
It's easier for me if you misunderstand.
There was no need to agree explicitly. As Kai kept his mouth shut, the Cleric went from suspicion to certainty.
"H-hey! That's not what's urgent right now! Heal us!"
"I've been hit so my Stealth deactivated! Hurry up and heal...!"
From nearby, the two Rogues who had been caught in the Holy Explosion called for support.
"Oh, right. I’ll do it right now..."
The Cleric had been too distracted by Kai's skill, but he now hastily cast a heal skill.
Not a chance.
If the Cleric began to properly heal the others, the battle would turn into a long one.
The longer the fight, the more disadvantageous for me.
Kai quickly rushed at the Cleric and swung his mace forcefully.
"S-sacred Barrier!" The Cleric quickly tried to shield himself but it was of no use.
Shatter!
The delicate shield shattered hopelessly with one swing of the mace. What followed was easy.
Head, head, head...
Kai swung his mace calmly, aiming only for the Cleric's head.
Despite the Cleric's attempts to dodge by twisting his body, his inferior stats meant he couldn’t avoid Kai's attacks.
“D-damn it.”
"What kind of attack power for a Cleric..."
As the Cleric died in an instant, the Rogues clenched their teeth.
Our way to heal is gone.
We need to drink potions.
They hurriedly took potions out of their inventory, but Kai's Holy Explosion came flying and interrupted them.
"Shit!”
That annoyed voice became the Rogue's last words.
There's one remaining Rogue. I'll finish this now.
Kai didn't miss the opportunity and immediately charged.
"How presumptuous... How dare you, you’re just a Cleric!"
The Rogue hastily drew his dagger, preparing for close combat with Kai. Though he thought his comrades had been careless, his job was a Rogue.
There's no way I'll be defeated in close combat with a Cleric.
Of course, this was a great misconception.
Thud! Thud!
"Wh-what’s happening...?"
Indeed, the Rogue's movements were swift. For every attack Kai landed, the Rogue managed to strike Kai's body three times. Yet, the one at a loss was the Rogue.
What’s up with this bastard’s defense?
It felt like fighting against a massive rampart. Typically, Clerics and Wizards were perceived as having weak defense, but Kai, who had used Solaris Armor, boasted a toughness comparable to that of a tank.
"Arghhh!"
In the end, Kai was the victor of the scuffle. Having won the head-to-head battle with the Rogue, Kai casually checked his HP.
32%...
His low health rose to 100% with just two uses of Sunlight’s Warmth. Truly, he had zombie-like health!
After breaking a sweat, Kai's eyes grew cold.
They came prepared.
Au had clearly declared his intent to kill him.
If he hadn’t become a Solaris Cleric, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid becoming prey every time he entered the field.
Thinking about it pisses me off.
Survival of the fittest. The law of nature where the weak died and the strong took everything was still prevalent in the 21st century.
What if they had targeted not me, but another ordinary player?
They would have to delete their character and start over or spend a fortune on Teleport Scrolls. That was the only option. At the same time, Kai's mind cleared.
This being my first PK in the game got me a bit excited, but there's no need for that.
His excitement quickly calmed as if showered with cold water. "If they had plans to rob the weak, they must have been prepared to become the weak themselves."
"What the hell…?"
Far away, Au appeared, biting on a potion bottle. He looked around at the polygons scattered around the foothill with a puzzled expression.
Did he really take them down? In that short time?
Unable to believe it, Au raised his hand. At the same moment, something sliced through the air.
Swoosh.
Kai looked down at the arrow embedded in his heart.
Was there more support?
As he glared at Au, two more people emerged from behind the trees.
"So you guys were here too."
It was the Archer and Wizard who had been in the party with him.
"Au, this is far from what we expected."
"Shit, this guy was hiding something when he was in our party." Au glared at Kai.
However, the Wizard nodded with a relaxed expression. "It seems he had kept a trick up his sleeve, but that's as far as it goes."
Thud.
The Wizard cast a spell with his staff.
There's no need to wait for that.
The moment Kai ran straight toward the Wizard, five arrows flew at him, hindering his movement. If he had been a typical Cleric, he would have retreated and dodged the arrows, but Kai took the hits and charged at the Wizard.
"You crazy bastard!” Shocked, Au raised his shield to protect the Wizard. “We won't be fooled twice! Iron Will!"
An aura flowed from Au as he anchored his shield to the ground, significantly increasing his defense by activating the skill.
Clang!
Kai's expression twisted as he struck Au's shield.
It’s stronger than I thought…!
Feeling like he was hammering on steel, Kai looked at his tingling wrist and then stepped back.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Afterall, staying in one place for even a moment meant arrows flew his way.
These guys must have worked together for a long time.
They were perfectly compensating for each other's weaknesses.
Then, the Wizard's lengthy spell was completed. Six magic circles drawn on the ground emitted bright light.
"Grrr."
"Krrr!"
Kai muttered as he saw the four summoned creatures appear above the magic circles, "Gnolls?"
"Hmph," the Wizard nodded with a triumphant expression. "It's hard to say it’s a hidden class, but I've completed the Summoner class quest that's known for its difficulty. That means I'm one of the few hundred Summoners in the country."
Kai closely observed the summoned gnolls.
Four gray gnolls. Level… merely 41.
A deep smile settled on Kai's lips.
"You smile, huh. I guess you haven’t come to your senses yet." The Wizard waved his hand and commanded, "Kill that Cleric!"
"Grrr!"
"Krrrr!"
The gray gnolls, drooling, charged at Kai.
"You seem to have some skill, but against overwhelming numbers, it's useless."
"Overwhelming numbers... Interesting."
Kai's eyes curved like crescent moons after hearing the wizard's mutter.
At the same time, his lips also moved. "Open Inventory. Summon the Staff of the Undead Gnoll Chieftain, equip in left hand."
Out of nowhere, a purple staff appeared, and Kai caught it with his left hand.
The Crimson Sunset guild trio laughed mockingly, shrugging their shoulders.
"Idiot. Does he think he can turn the situation around by equipping just another weapon?"
"His intellectual level is questionable."
Ignoring their mockery, Kai struck the ground hard with the staff. "Spin, round and round!"
Whrrrrrr!
A wheel appeared in front of him and spun fiercely.
Everyone tilted their heads and looked at the suddenly summoned wheel.
As the wheel slowly decelerated, it eventually stopped. The number pointed to by the wheel’s arrow was a shining golden 10.
Ding!
[10 gnoll skeletons are summoned.]
"Bingo." Kai grinned, revealing his teeth.
Fog began to rise from the ground in ten places. The wind in the dark, high-altitude wilderness was cold.
The moment the trio felt the wind brushing their cheeks turn cold they noticed the fog being carried away by it. Of course, where the fog had been, ten gnoll skeletons now stood proudly.
Flash!
Red light burst from their skulls.
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