Dexter observed the unfolding betrayal with grim fascination. This was the true face of Eldrion — a world where treachery thrived, where players schemed without remorse, caring only for loot and coin, regardless of who perished in the process.
But now, death carried finality.
'Lucky for me,' Dexter thought, flexing the bracers Gridlock had given him — an artifact that defied both logic and Eldrion's very laws.
"D-don't come any closer!" the healer begged, backing against the cavern wall.
The PKers only laughed harder, their amusement echoing through the dungeon as they advanced.
"I don't want to die!"
They tormented him mercilessly — kicking, punching, deliberately avoiding lethal blows. The healer couldn't even mend his own wounds, his mana long depleted.
He struggled weakly, watching his HP bar dwindle.
"I'll drop everything! Just let me live!"
"Fuck you!" one PKer spat. "After all that effort, you think we'd let you walk away?"
For many, this was Eldrion's twisted appeal: the adrenaline of player-killing, the sadistic joy of bullying. Dexter knew it well — he'd once been the same, slaughtering indiscriminately, resurrecting endlessly to continue the hunt.
'This is why I chose this game. And now, thanks to Gridlock's gift, I can indulge that thrill without fear of permanent death — just like the old days.'
Dexter's sword shimmered and reformed into a Tier II crossbow — his bracers' current limit. He stepped forward, weapon pointed at the players.
"Hey... pick on someone your own size. Bullying healers is just pathetic."
The PKers spun around, startled by his sudden appearance, their weapons flashing into ready positions.
"H-help me!" the healer cried.
"Yeah..." Dexter said, finger resting on the trigger.
"That's why I'm here."
As the healer scrambled toward him on hands and knees—
THUNK.
The bolt pierced his forehead before "thank y—" could leave his lips. The body collapsed with a dull thud.
Dexter exhaled through a grin.
"I should be thanking you... for the XP."
The healer's high-value gear flooded Dexter with so much XP that his level skyrocketed to 5, instantly maxing all his gear masteries and specializations.
'Holy shit! This is Beyond Divinity-tier Equipment for you!' His hands trembled with adrenaline.
'God, slaughtering AI Players gives insane XP compared to mobs... Better keep this from Stella. If she finds out I'm farming her kind...'
His betrayal had been so swift that the PKers stood frozen, still processing how he'd executed the very healer they'd been toying with.
"FUCK! YOU STEAL OUR KILL, YOU SON OF A—"
Dexter twirled the now-transformed Firestaff.
"Problem?"
The PKers' jaws dropped as flames licked the dungeon walls.
"...Is that a fucking bug?" the tank whispered.
"Pretty cool, right?" Dexter smirked.
He swung his firestaff, unleashing an explosion that barely scratched the PKers' high-tier defenses. The two claw users lunged forward, chains materializing in their hands as they activated Chain Leap — a generic claw technique.
Dexter parried the first chain and sidestepped the second, countering with a lightning-fast katana strike. But these were no ordinary newbie hunters — they fought like seasoned PvP veterans. One blocked his blade while the other drove a claw deep into his gut.
Poof!
Dexter's sword transformed into teleportation sandals just in time, leaving the attackers gaping at empty air.
"How the hell did he—?"
"Shut up and cast Root!"
Vines erupted beneath Dexter's feet—only for him to casually lift one boot and chuckle.
'Status immunity is so broken. Who gets rooted these days?'
"Boring," he yawned. "Let me show you real crazy."
His robes shimmered into a staff that shouldn't exist in Eldrion — a Necromancer's Bone Scepter, its very presence warping the dungeon's mana. He pointed it at the healer's fresh corpse.
"Arise."
The skeleton twitched.
Then it erupted in a violet aura, hollow eye sockets blazing with ghostly flames as it stood motionless.
"Attack, Skelly!"
The PKers froze mid-swing, their weapons slipping from stunned fingers.
"WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT NECROMANCY IS THIS?!" one screamed as bone claws raked across his armor.
Dexter's laughter echoed through the cavern. Maintaining the Necromancer's Bone Scepter form locked the spell's effects — reverting it would dissolve his undead minion.
With his free hand, he popped a rolled dry leaf between his teeth. His sandals shimmered into a Firestaff, igniting the leaf with a thought.
"Now this is entertainment..." he mused, watching his MP tick upward. The staff swung toward the panicking PKers.
"Fireball!"
"Fireball!"
"FIREBALL!"
The dungeon walls trembled with their final, agonized shrieks.
…
After slaughtering everyone in the dungeon, Dexter watched his Combat Mastery surge to Level 8 across all equipment types, though Specializations only reached Level 6. He scavenged the corpses, stripping them of gear and coins.
"Pathetic," he muttered, counting the loot. "Not even a million combined, items included."
Now dressed in a black cloak and leather boots, he exited the dungeon — only to find a Tier V Sabertooth mount waiting outside.
"Tsk... Overkill for travel, I can't even use it. Might as well sell it." He reached out, experimentally visualizing the beast as storable inventory.
A swirling black vortex consumed the Sabertooth, depositing it neatly in his storage.
"HOLY SHIT! AWESOME! I LOVE YOU GRIDLOCK!"
His triumph faded upon reaching the spot where he'd left his mule. Only hoofprints remained.
"Fantastic. Now I'm trekking back on foot."
...
Dexter strolled leisurely through the sun-baked dunes, the desert's afternoon heat rolling off him harmlessly thanks to his status immunity. He activated his messaging system:
/w Stella Arzois Hey Perverted Princess... Heading back now.
(This early? What did you bring me?)
'/r A cat. Thought you'd love it.'
(Really?! I'll meet you at North Gate!)
'/r Might need to level up first before you can ride it though.'
Dexter then gazed at the blazing afternoon sky and exhaled slowly, his breath stirring the desert heat.
'Damn, my SP's almost drained. Gotta rest now and walk later — still three zones to Sunscar Kingdom.'
After walking for a while, he decided to check his character profile.
'/Character.'
[Name: FlyHighLikeAButterfly]
[Title: Player Killer (New)]
[Guild: N/A]
[Disposition: Neutral]
[Kill: 5]
[Death: 1]
"I should create a guild, buy a guild island, and set up all crafting stations there so I won't have to pay taxes when using facilities in the Kingdoms. Now, what should I name it?"