Deep within the shadows of a dimly lit cave, torches clung to the walls, casting dancing flames that barely pierced the thick veil of darkness. The air was pregnant with pure silence, broken only by the haunting echo of Lucian's laughter reverberating throughout the cavernous depths.
"What can you do now? Can you defeat an enemy you can't see?" Lucian's triumphant scream shattered the tranquility, his words carrying an air of confident challenge.
Unveiling the true prowess of his Unique Skill, Lucian harnessed the power to enhance the special effects of his non-offensive skills. In this ominous encounter, the mystifying capabilities bestowed upon him by his Unique Skill manifested in a formidable manner. The invisibility effect of his Conceal, when coupled with Lucian's relentless attacks, defied conventional expectations.
Remarkably, due to the arcane influence of his Unique Skill, the invisibility cloak persisted seamlessly even amidst his aggressive onslaught. Lucian, a phantom assailant, emerged as an enigmatic force, forever elusive and shrouded in the perpetual veil of concealment, making him a spectral adversary capable of striking from the shadows at all times.
Lucian arrogantly assumed that he lurked undetected, invisible to John's scrutiny. A confidence that, in his conviction, demanded validation. Yet, reality scorned Lucian's illusion as John's piercing gaze cut through the shadows, a relentless sentinel refusing deception.
A malevolent grin etched across Lucian's face as he unleashed a venom-laden arrow, convinced that the cloak of surprise would secure his triumph.
However, John's battle-hardened reflexes proved a steel-clad defense. With ruthless precision, he eviscerated the poisoned projectile mid-flight, rendering it impotent against his skill.
"You're an incessant annoyance," John sneered, his words slashing through the charged air. Undeterred by the failed assassination, he shifted focus to the scattered arsenal at his feet. Amid the chaos, his eyes locked onto a prized possession—a flintlock, its silver and brown frame a testament to its lethal potential.
Gripping the firearm, John's fingers traced the cold steel, a manifestation of his unyielding resolve. The weight of the weapon hinted at the impending storm, a harbinger of destruction ready to be unleashed.
Lucian, reveling in the chaos he believed he sowed, couldn't resist needling, "Are you paralyzed with shock? Just as I anticipated!"
Yet, John's stoic countenance betrayed no hint of fear, his mind a tactical battlefield preparing for the inevitable clash.
John sneered, his disdain evident. "You possess quite the audacity for someone on the brink of defeat," he retorted with a smirk.
With a swift, calculated motion, John engaged the formidable special effects concealed within his mask, unleashing an aura of mystique.
The shadows enveloping Lucian stirred, orchestrating a deceptive dance that conjured the illusion of an impending assailant, playing tricks on his senses.
Caught off guard, Lucian stood frozen, his astonishment palpable, as the unexpected specter of an imminent threat gripped him in suspense.
In a fleeting instance, Lucian found himself in a stupefied state, a vulnerability that John had been patiently awaiting. Swiftly, John directed his flintlocks towards Lucian with unwavering determination. Although the barrel appeared empty, it held no significance for John, who relied not on conventional ammunition but on a connection to his potent mana reservoir.
With a seamless integration of magic and machinery, John harnessed the energy from his mana reservoir to charge his flintlock. The resounding blast echoed as John unleashed a vibrant blue magic bullet, precisely aimed at Lucian's stomach. The impact was palpable, causing Lucian to crumple to the ground, subdued by the force of the mystical projectile.
Lucian's anguished scream reverberated relentlessly within the desolate cave, its haunting echoes a testament to the pain that gripped him. Clutching his stomach, blood oozing through his trembling fingers, Lucian found himself ensnared in the throes of a dire predicament.
In the midst of his agony, Lucian's voice cracked through the cavern, a desperate inquiry born of bewilderment. "What transpired?" he cried, a palpable sense of confusion contorting his features as he endeavored to drag his battered body to safety.
Amidst the shadows, John's deliberate footsteps resonated with an air of enigma, a silent approach that heightened the tension in the dimly lit enclosure. The gravity of Lucian's suffering seemed to draw John nearer, his gaze unwavering and inscrutable.
A revelation punctuated the air as Lucian, still grappling with the torment wracking his form, voiced a disbelief-laden accusation. "That flintlock harbors no bullet! How, in the throes of this calamity, did you manage to utilize it?"
With steely determination, John leveled his flintlock directly at Lucian, his voice cutting through the tense air, "I don't require a bullet," he declared.
In a swift motion, the firearm discharged, sending a searing pain through Lucian's right leg.
Agony wracked Lucian's body as he crumpled onto the cold cave floor, convulsing with each pulsating wave of pain. His anguished groans echoed in the cavern, a stark contrast to the darkness enveloping them.
In the midst of Lucian's torment, his disbelief erupted into desperate words, "I am invisible! How can you see me?" he screamed, his voice a mix of incredulity and agony.
A sardonic smile played on John's lips as he calmly responded, "That's the interesting part; I've always possessed the ability to perceive you."
His words lingered, emphasizing a mysterious insight that transcended the physical realm, leaving Lucian grappling with the unnerving realization that his supposed invisibility had been an illusion shattered by an unwavering gaze.
Lucian glared at John, his eyes ablaze with seething rage. With a swift, deliberate motion, he raised his bow, accusing words dripping with contempt. "You are cheating! You are a despicable, loathsome cheater!" The tension in the air intensified as he strained to pull the string, intent on launching an attack.
In stoic silence, John met Lucian's accusations with an unwavering gaze. Without uttering a single word, he skillfully aimed his flintlock and fired, the deafening blast echoing through the confrontation. The searing pain shot through Lucian's arm as the projectile found its mark.
The bow, once held defiantly, slipped from Lucian's grasp, now tainted and covered in a gruesome tapestry of his own blood. The battleground bore witness to the visceral consequences of their conflict.
Lucian writhed in agony, contorting his body on the unforgiving stone floor of the damp cave. His anguished cries reverberated within the suffocating darkness, a stark contrast to the cold, indifferent eyes of John, who observed the scene with a stoic demeanor, devoid of any discernible emotion.
In a chilling monotone, John broke the silence, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Do you harbor any final sentiments?" He aimed his flintlock with chilling precision at Lucian's vulnerable head, the metallic click echoing the gravity of the impending doom.
Lucian's visage betrayed the terror that gripped his soul, his face a canvas of fear painted by the impending threat. Desperation crept into his voice as he pleaded, "Wait! Hold on!" His trembling hand instinctively rose to shield his head, a feeble attempt to ward off the impending danger that loomed above him.
John's lips curled into a sardonic smirk. "Those aren't exactly honorable last words," he remarked, his finger assertively on the trigger of the flintlock, a lethal gleam in his eye.
"Are you truly prepared to snuff out a fellow human life so callously? Where is your sense of morality?" Lucian endeavored to reason, attempting to sway John from his grim intent.
John, pausing to consider, finally nodded. "You make a valid point. This course of action may be morally reprehensible, even for me." With a decisive shift, he lowered his flintlock. "Tell me, where do you hail from?" he inquired, a sudden change in tone catching Lucian off guard.
Lucian, sensing a glimmer of opportunity, spoke with newfound hope. "I am from the esteemed kingdom of Amalta, within the world of Ghihida," he declared, raising his hand in a gesture of peace. "Just like you, I am a human. Instead of fighting each other, we should unite and work together."
John cocked his flintlock, tilting his head as he considered the proposal. "In most situations, your suggestion makes a lot of sense and proves quite advantageous," he acknowledged, a shrewd glint in his eyes. Suddenly, he deftly retrieved a crimson potion from his Dimensional Storage. "Care for a sip?"
"I'm pleased you're a rational person too," Lucian remarked, wearing a confident smile.
While engaging in negotiations with John, Lucian's sinister gaze roamed, searching for something—anything that could tip the scales in his favor.
Lucian's ego, a formidable force, refused to concede defeat, driving him to explore every avenue for leverage.
In the depths of Lucian's gaze, an unmistakable desperation smoldered, driven by the relentless pursuit of a strategy to catch John off guard and engineer a betrayal. The air thickened with tension as Lucian plotted his moves, a sinister glint surfacing in his eyes.
"Then, start licking it," John commanded, his voice cutting through the dim cavern. A malevolent grin played on his lips as he deliberately poured the potion onto the rugged cave floor, the glass bottle still held firmly in his grasp.
Lucian fixated on the potion's contents, the liquid pooling on the uneven surface.
However, paralyzed, Lucian found himself unable to carry out even the most instinctual act of self-preservation – licking the potion. The seconds stretched into an eternity as the potion lay tantalizingly out of reach, its potential antidote mocking Lucian's helpless state.
"You are a monster!" Lucian's anguished scream reverberated through the cavern, a raw outburst of emotions aimed at the orchestrator of his plight. The accusation hung in the air, a damning verdict on John's malevolent actions that had left Lucian trapped in a web of deceit and treachery.
John dismissed Lucian's disbelief with a casual shrug. "Am I the monster in this tale?" he questioned, a wry grin playing on his lips. "Yet, you actively seek betrayal." His laughter echoed through the cavern, a chilling soundtrack to the impending confrontation. "Regrettably for you, our origins belong to divergent realms."
A menacing glint adorned John's eyes as he leveled his flintlock at the incapacitated Lucian. "I harbor no remorse for extinguishing your existence," he declared coldly, his resolve unwavering. The air thickened with tension as the weight of his words settled.
Lucian's eyes betrayed a mixture of fear and disbelief, their once confident gleam now replaced by a quivering vulnerability. Attempting to drag his battered body across the cave floor, he found his efforts futile. "I can't fathom it," he muttered, each word strained. "You're sick! Is my life to be forfeit merely for a near transgression against your Builder—a sentient homunculus crafted by a malevolent game?"
Lucian's fingers clenched around a jagged pebble strewn across the rocky floor. The air was thick with tension as he hurled the stone toward John. However, John effortlessly sidestepped the projectile, his movements fluid and calculated.
"For such trivial vengeance, you plunge into chaos?" Lucian scoffed, seizing another pebble. With a swift motion, he sent it hurtling towards John. "Have you become sentimentally attached to them? How pitiful!"
Lucian's laughter echoed through the cavern, a haunting sound that mirrored the unraveling of his sanity. John observed in silence, his gaze unwavering.
"What if the Builder met his demise? Or worse, if the one I dispatched was the girl with the pink hair?" Lucian sneered, a visceral disgust etched across his face. "Do you harbor romantic sentiments for her?"
Lucian relentlessly endeavored to shatter John's mental fortitude, strategically exploiting the intricate bonds he shared with his summoned characters. Unyielding in his pursuit, Lucian sought to sow seeds of doubt, attempting to prompt John to question the very fabric of his reality.
Yet, John remained impervious to Lucian's psychological onslaught. Unfazed, he responded with a serene smile, gently lowering his flintlock as a testament to his unwavering resolve.
With a sincerity that cut through the tension, John confessed, "Do you know what's truly amusing? I perceive them not as mere creations, but as my own children." He continued, "I am akin to a proud father, ready to exact vengeance upon anyone who dares harm my cherished offspring."
Undeterred, Lucian, unable to grasp the depth of John's connection, lashed out, "They will erase your existence from their memory the moment you draw your final breath!"
Lucian seized a formidable stone, its weight resonating with the gravity of his intent. With unyielding determination etched across his face, he raised it, poised to hurl it menacingly toward John.
In a swift response, John skillfully aimed his flintlock at Lucian, the cold steel of the firearm reflecting the intense impending clash. A resounding shot pierced the air, and Lucian's life abruptly ended as the bullet found its mark, ruthlessly extinguishing the spark within him.
The stone plummeted, mirroring the descent of Lucian's lifeless form to the unforgiving ground below.
Undeterred, John declared with chilling resolve, "Then, I won't perish, ensuring they never forget the indelible mark I've left upon their memories," his words hanging in the cavernous silence that enveloped the haunting scene.
Within the confines of the cave, an eerie hush descended, amplifying the weight of John's proclamation. Left alone with the echoes of his actions, John found solace in the solitude of his own contemplations.
Fixing his indifferent gaze upon Lucian's lifeless corpse, John's eyes bore witness to the aftermath of his decisive choice. Slowly exhaling, he sought to reclaim a semblance of composure, attempting to connect with the core of his being amid the chilling stillness that permeated the cave's depths.
"Congratulations on eliminating a player."
"You have received rewards: three Ascension Orbs, one Skill Draw, one Equipment Draw, and one Character Draw."
The number of Ascension Orb rewards was based on the eliminated player's kill count.
"And, as a result of defeating the player, you have acquired the following skills."
"Conceal (Common): Allow silent steps and temporary invisibility."
"Bullet Shot (Common): Fire using a flintlock."
"Fire Arrow (Common): Shoot a fire arrow."
"Arrow Shot (Common): Shoot an arrow."
"Howl (Common): Howl to intimidate."
"Tail Attack (Common): Attack the target using the tail."
"Toxic Marksmanship (Uncommon): Empower the archer's arrows with a potent toxin, inflicting a gradual and debilitating poison on the target, gradually sapping their health over time."
"That's an impressive array of skills," John remarked.
"Indeed. In contrast to Okata, this player willingly accepted the majority of the reward skills, resulting in a collection of abilities he couldn't utilize," elucidated the system voice.
John's gaze narrowed. "One can reject reward skills? Why don't I have that option?" he inquired.
"Because it's unnecessary for you," the system responded.
"You simply made that decision for me, without consulting," John retorted, nonchalantly shrugging.
The system voice maintained silence.
John shifted his focus to Lucian's lifeless body sprawled on the ground.
"I've just taken a human life for the first time. I anticipated being overwhelmed with shock or grappling with an existential crisis," John mused, raising his hand. Strangely, he remained remarkably composed. "Yet, I feel nothing."
John had remained oblivious to this aspect of himself until now, as if a veil had shrouded his true nature. His demeanor, ingrained over time, reflected an innate inability to extend compassion or empathy to those he deemed strangers or enemies.
The revelation unfolded through the intricacies of a game, exposing a truth that had long eluded him. It became starkly evident that John's capacity for sympathy was reserved exclusively for those he identified as allies and family. A void seemed to envelop him, shielding him from the weight of guilt that burdened others.
In this unfolding drama, John emerged as a man devoid of remorse, a hollowed figure perfectly suited for the challenges presented by the game. His lack of guilt became both his shield and weapon, granting him an advantage in a world where moral dilemmas abounded.
"I don't believe Lucian would take offense if I appropriated his belongings," John asserted as he surveyed the cave with a calculating gaze. "After all, he won't be requiring them any longer," he added nonchalantly, a reflection of the callous pragmatism that defined his character.
John's gaze swiftly shifted towards the wolfkin samurai sprawled on the ground.
"Oh, I had almost forgotten about you," John declared as he confidently approached the wounded warrior.
With a decisive motion, John activated the Circlet of Revitalization, casting a potent healing aura upon the samurai.
A resplendent golden magic circle materialized around them, emanating a luminous glow that enveloped the injured figure. The scorched remnants of the samurai's body began a gradual restoration, and his fur started to regenerate.
As the samurai reclaimed his strength, rather than rising in a display of dominance, he humbly knelt before John, an unmistakable sign of profound respect.
"This act of kindness will be repaid with my unwavering loyalty and servitude, my lord," the samurai expressed, his black wolf tail wagging in gratitude.
[Shogun (Uncommon).
Race: Wolfkin.
Class: Samurai.
Subclass: Aura Ronin
Skills: Slash (Common), Aura Sever (Uncommon).
Equipment: None.]
"Aura Sever (Uncommon): Unleashes a potent wave of energy with each sword swing, creating a cutting shockwave that extends beyond the blade's reach. This intermediate-level skill allows the Samurai to hit multiple enemies in a frontal arc, making it effective in crowd control situations."
John's reassuring smile conveyed an unwavering confidence. "Worry not," he uttered with a soothing tone. His hand, an embodiment of camaraderie, extended towards Shogun, bridging the gap between them.
In a display of profound respect, Shogun clasped John's hand, a firm grip reflecting the strength of their newfound alliance. With a seamless motion, John effortlessly lifted Shogun to his feet, a symbolic gesture of solidarity and shared purpose.
"You have my word," Shogun declared, his eyes ablaze with sincerity. He placed his hand over his heart, a solemn gesture befitting an honorable samurai. "Recruiting me is an honor I won't take lightly. I pledge to fight for your cause with unwavering dedication, even if it demands my last breath."
John nodded approvingly. "I eagerly anticipate working alongside you, Shogun." Raising his index finger, he added, "Shogun, quite a fitting name for you – a remarkable coincidence to possess such a distinctive name."
As John scanned his surroundings, he observed the base cluttered with an abundance of materials. "For a base of this scale, Lucian seems to have amassed an impressive stockpile of resources," he remarked.
Shogun chimed in, "Lord Lucian had a penchant for accumulating items he had no intention of using. Regrettably, most of these possessions are nothing more than mere scraps."
John folded his arms assertively, declaring, "I can't accommodate them all within my Dimensional Storage, but I'll seize what I can."
"Allow me to assist you, my lord," Shogun chimed in, his tongue protruding and wolf tail energetically wagging.
"You appear vastly different from the time you were under Lucian's rule—unrecognizable," John observed, narrowing his eyes. After a moment's contemplation, he nodded. "If you're inclined, you can aid me in pillaging and transporting items beyond my capacity."
Shogun erupted in a howl of excitement, the sound resonating within the cave.
"Please refrain from howling or barking," John requested, shaking his head but wearing a smile.