The swords stabbed into the ground and blew a crater there. Dust rose and debris flew all around.
That attack acted as the trigger to get going—everyone that was hiding came lunging at them from their hiding places. Swords and daggers, staves and wands, everything was out and ready to go.
Zane landed a few meters away. He barely took a breath when a sword came for his neck, but he reacted fast, moving to the side and dodging the attack. Then he grabbed the player by the arm and dislocated the wrist bone.
"Arghhhhhhh!" the man screamed and dropped the sword. Zane immediately sent a kick to follow up, throwing the man back through a window and into a random house.
"This is going to be a serious hassle," he muttered. A mage came from behind him. She pointed her staff and cast a spell.
"Lightning Arrow!" she yelled, and a bolt of lightning shaped like an arrow fired toward him. It was fast, but not enough to even graze him, he stepped to the side and dodged. Her eyes widened in shock.
She tried to cast again, but he had already covered the distance between them. He grabbed her by the head and slammed her into the ground.
He didn’t really want to kill players here, despite the many benefits of doing that, but he wouldn’t mind at all if they pushed him too far.
As he stood back up, he looked around as three dudes were already rushing at him, two with swords and one with a spear.
The man with the spear thrust first. Zane sidestepped, caught the spear, and snapped it. The two men attacked with slashes. He stepped back, yanked the second end of the spear from the man, and using both halves of the broken spear, he parried the slashes.
He followed up with a quick counter, hitting both men on the head hard with the spear parts in his hands. Their bodies spun and slammed into the ground.
The man that had come with the spear panicked and tried to retreat, but Zane sent a kick into his chest, shattering several bones and sending him flying.
Zane stood, waiting for who would come next, and then a shadow formed over him. He looked up and saw a fully armoured knight with a massive battle axe, and above his head was a bright and bold Level 8.
The axe glowed red, energy pulsing around it. Zane pulled back fast, getting out of the way. The axe hit the ground.
A massive gash in the ground formed. Debris flew all around, the shockwave of the attack spreading out.
Zane stared at the man. This man was a Level Eight, a level higher than even Zane. Zane was shocked to see this. How could there be a player at Level Eight only three days into the game?
The man in full armor rose to his feet. He locked eyes with Zane. All other players saw the man and immediately changed their focus to Lucy or Grey, not wanting anything to do with him.
From their actions alone, Zane knew that he had come in contact with someone who had already established their standing in this city in only a day.
The man looked at Zane, his breathing sounding heavy through the metal of his helmet. He raised his hands and grabbed the helmet, pulling it off.
He shook his head, and it seemed to go in slow motion as his long black hair moved from side to side. His perfectly sculpted face showed, sea-blue eyes and perfectly smooth skin.
His face would definitely draw attention, well, if he wasn’t standing beside someone like Zane, because Zane would take the win every single time.
"Who the hell is that good looking dude?" Zane muttered.
The man grabbed his axe and raised it up, resting it on his shoulder. "I’m Lewen, with the bloodline of the great Axe God Drakarok. And I’m here to serve justice," he spoke in a voice full of justice and pride.
"Shut up, bruh. Nobody asked for that interrogation, and also stop with the justice talk, it gets old quick.
If you want to attack me and fight for the chance to win that reward, then go ahead. But you’ll find it really hard to accomplish," Zane said.
Lewen frowned when he heard Zane speak. He looked at Zane’s level, seeing that it was Seven. He sneered, lifting his axe into the air. The axe glowed red, and his blue eyes changed red as well.
He lunged forward, moving so fast that he became a blur. He leapt into the air and slashed down. He cut right through Zane, a smile forming on his face as he saw how easy it was to win.
"Was that your best?" Suddenly he heard a voice beside him. He turned only to see Zane standing there. He was shocked. He tried to move, but a punch met his face, shattered his nose, and sent him flying right into a wall.
Zane walked toward the house at a steady pace. "Is that really your best?" Zane asked.
Lewen came shooting out like a bullet. He moved fast and hacked down as fast as he could.
Zane blocked the axe with his dagger. Lewen was shocked seeing that. "How are you doing this? You’re a Level Seven NPC?" Lewen roared.
"Your façade broke really quick. That’s pathetic," Zane said. He pushed the axe back. Lewen tried to get in close quick, but Zane was already behind him. He kicked him in the knees, sending him to the ground, and then spun and sent a powerful kick to his head.
Lewen flew through the air, slammed into the ground, rolled, and tossed until he finally came to a stop, unconscious.
"He was quite strong for a player. They’re growing really fast," Zane said. He turned around to see the rest of the players, only to see all of them on the ground. Lucy stood there nonchalant, while Grey was on the ground, breathing heavily after that whole ordeal.