Shua! Shua! Shua!
In the middle of wide space, there is a circular arch made of neatly stacked stones, when suddenly, in the middle of the stone arch, the air itself began to distort in a circle particle of pale blue lights like a portal.
Then, after a second, the particle of lights eventually fades away, showing a handsome man in a white cloak with a pale white puppy on his head, and beside him is a hunch back old dressed in a long black robe.
[Congratulations on reaching the 9th floor!]
[The administrator of the Killer's Tower added a new function upon reaching the 9th floor]
New Function:
- Every participant on the 9th floor will be able to use 'Scan' for 2 seconds.
[Scan all the living being 500-meter radius around the user.
Duration: 2 seconds.
Cooldown: 2 minutes.]
Additional Party System:
- Every participant will be able to use the beta party system.
[Party System]
You can create a party of 10-members.
Unable to damage party members.
Able to make mental communication by just thinking about your party member's name with a distance of 100 yards.
"Wah! What is this?!" Victor exclaimed in surprised after the System's window announcement popped up, blocking his vision.
"New function? Hmm.." Kim Shin murmured, who's beside the surprised Victor as he carefully read the new function of the event and the additional on the system.
'Isn't this supposed to be added after the tutorial end?' He thought after he read about the additional function in the system.
In the gamers point of view, they are still on the closed-beta where there's still a lot of missing functions in the system.
And this Party System was supposed to show up on open-beta, which is after the tutorial.
After reading the announcement, he then opened his system and clicked the party tab under the Status tab.
Click!
Then, a green blinking radar appeared before him with a word scan on the bottom right of it and unhesitatingly clicked it.
[Scanning..]
Ding!
After 3 seconds of scanning, a name appeared before him.
1. Victor Sins
'How far this System's Party Scanner could reach?' Kim Shin thought. Since, the party scanner he knew before was could reach 20-meters. However, this beta party scanner is currently unknown to him.
Then, he focused his eyes on Victor's name and found a green flag beside it.
'There's still missing function.' Kim Shin thought. He then clicked the green flag beside Victor's name.
Ding!
[Kim Shin invite you to a party. Would you like to accept? (Yes|No)]
"Wah!" Victor, who's seriously reading the announcement freaked out by the popped up window.
"What is this?" Victor confusedly asked as he looked at Kim Shin. He couldn't understand anything.
From the sudden announcement and party invitation, he couldn't understand anything. Since he's just a typical grandfather before on earth, who's only taking care of his lovely grandchildren and doesn't have any idea about games.
"Just accept it! I bet you already read the announcement. We need to move now before they could find us and surround." Kim Shin ordered and explained.
He needs to be more careful now. Since, he's certain that those participants who managed to reach the 9th floor will be an exceptional and skilled person.
"Oh okay.." Victor replied softly with a nod as he clicked the yes button.
Then, instantly Kim Shin's name with health and magic power bar appeared on top-right of his vision under his name.
"Hoh! I can see your name here with violet and azure bar under your name." Victor said.
Violet is the health bar while the azure is the magic power bar.
"Let's go!" Kim Shin commanded as he walked ahead.
"Roger!" Victor subconsciously replied as he followed behind without even noticing that Kim Shin didn't open his mouth.
*****
"Damn! How big this floor is?!" A man clad in exquisite light armor sworn in frustration.
Yes, the new scan function was a really pleasant addition in the event. However, the maze labyrinth field was hindering them to face each other, even with just a wall that separating them.
Hence, because of that, he only has a small chance to stumble across with other participants. Then, while he was bored walking, he heard a shrill cry begging for help.
"H-HELP!!!"
'Hmm. It seems like there's a fight occurring there.' He thought as he slightly frowned and cautiously advanced towards the direction of the scream while clenching his steel rapier by his left-side of his waist.
"N-No, please don't kill me. I didn't do anything with your uncles. I-I don't have any idea about your problem!" A woman voiced echoed once again, pleading and denying herself from the accusation of her assailant.
"Hehehe... That's what criminals would always say!" A raspy voice retorted the woman's denial.
'A man this time?' The man in exquisite light armor thought after he heard the raspy voice of the man, causing him to knit his eyebrows even more.
Then, as he reached the corner of the path where the path is going left, he stopped and carefully looked towards the two other participants.
He then discovered a tall, white-haired man whose body is a bit bent forward with a sword dripping with blood on his right hand, standing few yards away from the woman on the ground who's shivering and crying in fear while looking at her assailant, obviously terrified.
And then, he looked around the man and woman just to found four more corpses lying on the ground.
How could he said that they are corpses?
Because, their head was cleanly separated from their body!
'This man is dangerous.' He seriously thought, as he focused his mind, thinking for a way to kill both of them.
Thus, he eventually came to a decision. 'I will sneak on him after he killed that woman when he lowered his guard.'
Then, he looked intently, once again on the white-haired man.
"N-No, please believe me! I don't even know who's your uncles!" The woman loudly said, seemingly desperate to explained her innocence.
"Hehehehaha. Deny it as longs as you want! Deny it even if you're already burning in hell!" The white-haired man insanely laughed as he glared sharply on the woman, causing the woman to subconsciously moved backward in fear.
"Hic!! P-Please, don't kill me. I-I can be your woman, just please have mercy. I don't care what you want to do with my body, just let me live!" The woman shrieked in terror as she pleaded once more. However, despite her pleads, the white-haired man was obviously uninterested by it.
"Hahahaha. Since your fine with anything, I want to do with your body. Then, prepare yourself…" The white-haired man laughed softly and spoke while grinning, and then slowly approach the woman.
Hearing the white-haired man's words, the woman heaved a sighed of relieved while thanking her sexy body in her mind for saving her life once again.
'Hmph! Just as I thought, no one could decline my alluring body' She thought as she began to remove her armor dress slowly, showing her pale and rosy skin that almost on par with the skin of those skincare models. However, before she could take off all her dress, the slowly approaching white-haired man suddenly said something that shook her to the core.
"Prepare yourself because I will cut you to pieces! Hehehehahaha…" The white-haired man said as he laughed madly.
"You— Psycho!!!" The woman furiously screamed out of her lungs. Then, he immediately grabbed her wooden staff on the ground beside her and without hesitation, she pointed it to the white-haired man.
"FIREBALL!" The woman uttered strongly.
Whoosh!
A red glowing magic circle appeared, and 60 inches burning ball flew straight towards the head of white-haired man.
"Hahaha, die you scumbag!" The woman burst in laughing when she felt that her fireball was enough to slay the man on her front.
Alas, before she could continue laughing, she saw the white-haired man, easily avoided the fireball by just tilting his head on the left side, and then the fiery ball passed through the man and exploded when it hit on the red wall of the labyrinth.
"You ungracious slut!" The white-haired man spine-chillingly said as his eyes turned sharp and glared at the woman.
"No, I-I— "
Whoosh!
SLASH!
The woman who's about to say something was instantly decapitated with the white-haired man swift movement.
Swish!
Thud!
The white-haired man swung his sword on the right to brushed off the blood on his sword, at the same time, the woman's body fell on the ground while her blood is bursting out of her neck.
"Did you saw that uncles? I killed another criminal. Hehehehahaha…" The white-haired man who's currently leaning his body forward muttered as he raised his head and laughed madly.
'Now!' The man who's watching on the corner exclaimed in his mind and immediately advanced forward thrusting his rapier to the laughing white-haired man.
"Linear Flash!" The man voiced out, as his rapier glowed with white light and thrust forward with double speed.
"Die!!!" He screamed out.
"You finally came out…" Despite the sneak attack, the white-haired man unsurprisingly commented.
"H-How—" The man said in shock. As, his rapier smoothly got parried with a sword that glowing with a red light of the white-haired man who's already facing and grinning on him.
CLANG!
"I couldn't believe this. Triangular Stinger!" In spite of the failed sneak attack, he reflexively activated his rare skill.
His rapier glowed with yellow light as it thrust directly to the head of white-haired man.
Whoosh!
BOOOM!
Shockwave erupted in the air when he's first strike missed the head of his target.
His body seemed like out of control as he's glowed once again with yellow light and thrust to the white-haired man's right chest. However, before his hit could land, the white-haired man swiftly dodged it by twisting his waist clockwise.
His attack didn't stop there, it continued to the other side of the white-haired man's chest, which also evaded effortlessly by twisting his waist counter-clockwise.
BOOOM!
BOOOM!
His three combo attacks failed to hit his target but caused shockwaves in the air.
"N-No way!" He uttered in disbelief. He was extremely shocked by the white-haired man's agility.
"Too slow." The white-haired man commented after he easily dodged the combo attack. Then, without any hesitation, he raised his sword over his head and swung down to the left, slashing the dumbfounded man as it left a red trail of light.
SLASH!
BOOOM!
"Urgh!!!" The man grimaced in pain and forcefully flew backward by the powerful strike as he eventually crashed and rolled on the ground.
'It hurts!' The man thought, feeling the hot and unbelievable pain on his chest.
Looking at the corner of his vision, he saw his health bar was easily cut by half, which terrified him as he vomited a blood. 'This can't be true. Urghk!'
Cough! Cough!
'I need to get away from here. I can't win this fight. Damnit!' He thought as his eyes landed on the open wall that got blasted earlier by the woman fireball.
'That's it! I can survive from this guy!' Then without thinking twice, he immediately pushed his body up, activating his speed booster and forcefully ran to the open wall, enduring the pain.
"Agility Boost!"
Whoosh!
His legs glowed with faint green light as his speed doubled up.
While running, he took a quick peek on the white-haired man who's motionless and watching him running.
'Hahaha, he couldn't catch up to me now, with this distance!' He laughed in his mind and passed through the open wall.
Then after a few minutes of full-speed running, he's agility boost eventually timed-out.
"Huff! Huff! I'm quite far from that guy now. I'm certain that he couldn't follow me now." He gasped for air and muttered while leaning on the red-stone wall as he looked at the path behind him.
'I need to find a safe place to recuperate…' He decided as he slowly walked forward while holding on the wall.
Then, before he could walked far away, he heard a footstep behind him.
"Who?!" He called out as he immediately turned around. However, he didn't see anything.
'Did I misheard it?' He questioned himself, feeling unsure.
Phew!
He heaved a sighed of relieve when he finally assured that there's nothing behind him. Then, another number of footsteps resound behind him.
"Who's there?!" He shouted as he turned around, discovering two-man walking side by side. A young man in white cloak with a pale snow puppy on his head and hunch back elder beside him.
'Damn! I couldn't fight at this condition, and now two at the same time. I'm dead now.' He frustratedly thought.
'I'll try to talk to them and hopefully, they are not that merciless person, who killed for fun.'
"Man, c-could you guys be kind to have mercy with this dying man?" The man weakly said, acting like an almost dying person.
"What should we do, young man?" Victor whispered to Kim Shin.
Hearing the question of Victor, Kim Shin didn't have any reaction, he just kept his emotionless face as if he's in deep thought.
Yes, Kim Shin is currently thinking about all the events that happened on the 5th floor, but his actually aware of his surroundings.
"Let him be. We're only looking for the 10th floor entrance, but don't lower your guard." Kim Shin nonchalantly answered, he then walked forward.
Hearing Kim Shin's answer, the bleeding man smiled gleefully as he thanked Kim Shin and Victor. "Thank you for your mercy—"
His smile was instantly erased as he shivered in fear when he felt the dreadful aura behind him.
Kim Shin also stopped on his tracks and stared at the ball of white light behind the bleeding man.
Then, out of nowhere, the white ball of light become a figure of a man.
"Found ya!" The man that suddenly appeared said in a husky tone of voice.
"S-Save m—" The bleeding man wanted to called for help. However, his words were immediately cut when a flashed of light cut his neck, removing his head from his body.
Pssh!
Bloods sprayed out of the headless body.
Thud!
"Hehehehahaha. No one can escape from me. Hehahaha" The white-haired man laughed crazily as he glared at Kim Shin and Victor while sticking out his tongue.
'Isn't this the young man I saw on the 1st floor?' Kim Shin vividly remembered this white-haired young man.
'What happened to him?'