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6.31% Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player / Chapter 40: A Cold Warning, Tread Carefully

Chapter 40: A Cold Warning, Tread Carefully

For Kieran to contend against Altair in PvP, he understood that he could only accomplish it one of two ways or even both. However, he somewhat ignored the first option since he felt these opponents were not worth the usage of UAP. 

Instead, he could wait to see how he fared against the Field Boss. He would then allot his points based on what he lacked.

Thus, in this case, Kieran opted for the only other option—to increase a skill powerful enough to bridge the class disadvantage. Regarding skills that fit the criteria, there was only one—Force Slash.

Its damage was commendable, but better yet, its cooldown was low and allowed for frequent spammage. 

After consistently using the skill against all of his enemies, it had undergone quite a startling change, especially after Kieran dumped his remaining SP into it.

〈System: You are using 4 SP to increase «Force Slash» from Lv.6 to Lv.8. Continue? [ Y | N ]〉

「 Force Slash (Lv.8)

Skill Rank: E 

Skill Type: Active

Mastery (00.00%)

Skill Description: Allows the user to produce a forceful gale of wind by amassing power in their arm and releasing it through a powerful slash. The direct attack deals 365% of the user's Attack Power while the forceful wind deals 50% of the calculated damage within a 4-meter radius. The gale and direct blow may produce a «Knockback» effect based on the user's STR. 

Consumption: 3 Mana Points

Prerequisites: Warrior Class, «Warrior's Aura»

Cooldown: 7 seconds 」

Even though Kieran understood that SP should be a last resort in most cases, he couldn't overlook the practicality of Force Slash. 

Not only did it obtain an enhanced AoE effect, which was rare for the Warrior Class, but the number of times he could activate it in a minute had also similarly increased, which meant his DPS capabilities rose dramatically.

Thanks to this change, Kieran didn't entertain the idea of touching his remaining UAP.

At the time, Kieran's stream similarly went online, delivering an alert to all of his followers that were online within the GRC platform. If they were on do not disturb or inactive, they still would receive an alert, but there would be no physical notification.

Such a thing would be delayed until they changed their activity status.

When people pooled to his stream and saw the level of his Force Slash, they gawked.

How much monster killing did Kieran engage in, and how much SP did he dump to acquire an E Rank Skill that reached Lv.8 this early on?!

The people present in Kieran's stream gradually began to understand why he cleared the Forest of Beast without suffering any deaths and why he could unleash so much damage against "formidable" enemies.

Unfortunately, many of his viewers weren't aware that he possessed a skill that directly increased his damage by 30%! If they learned of this information, the likelihood of them fainting was abnormally high.

The two skills in conjunction were truly an unfair advantage.

With Savage Break's DEF-shredding and Force Slash's AoE damage, Kieran's PK abilities could match the raw speed of a Thief.

That was a testament to Kieran's current skill since Thieves were considered the banes of tanks and rulers of PK/PvP.

'Perfect,' Kieran thought in his mind.

Now that everything was situated, Kieran rushed toward where the Shadow Cartel's strike force was stationed, particularly their healers.

A gust of wind circulated his Novice Greatsword as the muscles in his arms tensed more than before. The higher Force Slash's skill level became, the more frightening the visual aspect of it became.

"Force Slash!"

Swoosh!

Kieran unleashed the attack in a swift horizontal arc. It caused quite a commotion, but the healer's location was truly precarious, existing just outside the senses of many other first responders within the Shadow Cartel.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Given that Priests were as fragile as glass dolls and possessed pitiful Health, Kieran only needed one Force Slash to slay several of them instantly. Thanks to Force Slash's upgraded AoE effect, that number fluctuated between six and ten people.

However, because he attacked a group of players that didn't target him first, rather than the PK Defender System, Kieran activated its counterpart. 

〈System: …Initiating Player Conflict Protocols. …Judging the user's current situation!〉

〈System: The situation has been judged and a verdict determined.〉

〈System: …Role: Aggressor. The Player Conflict Protocols have activated the following: «PK Agressor System».〉

〈System: Continued targeting or killing of «Defenders» or «Innocents» will increase your «Infamy» rating. The higher your «Infamy» rating, the harsher the penalties you'll face in the event of death.〉

〈System: Due to the number of «Defenders» you have killed, you have acquired «First Degree Infamy».〉

Kieran's previously white name adopted a pale red color as he ignored the stipulation of rising Infamy. Though it could lead to severe consequences if a player allowed it to rise too high, Kieran wasn't particularly worried about this outcome. 

In addition to being familiar with some ways of neutralizing Infamy, Kieran also understood that it could be beneficial in some cases, but that depended on the nature of the opportunity related to Infamy.

A few steps ahead, Altair weaved through the ranks of several of Shadow Cartel's Priests. Although he lacked AoE skills, his swift daggers reaped the lives of many, especially when the AGI boost of his Quicksilver Daggers activated.

The kill counter beside Altair's name quickly reached 8 as well, simply because he moved much faster than Kieran could currently muster.

'Without Force Slash, it's truly an unfair matchup to go against a Thief in a PvP competition,' Kieran thought to himself. However, this thought heightened Kieran's desire to emerge as the victor of the best.

The presence of an advantage didn't mean Kieran would shy away from being challenged. After all, overcoming stacked odds was the most fulfilling accomplishment in Kieran's eyes.

As they watched these two compete to see who could kill the most players, Aspaira and the others could only shake their heads with wry smiles.

"Boys will be boys," Aspaira sighed exaggeratedly. "Despite having just resolved his Infamy, Altair is acquiring more at a frightening rate."

Nevertheless, her expression occasionally sparkled with excitement and gratitude that she didn't openly express.

"True. I can't disagree with you there," Cygnus approved.

"True, true, very true. Trueing, actually," Sithik agreed as well.

Both of the lovely ladies looked at Sithik and blinked wordlessly. The first thought that came to their minds was simple. This boy was undoubtedly a memer that spent his days on the GRC platform watching several streams.

Approximately two minutes later…

"Healers, heal up the Knights," Despot commanded furiously. 

However, his brows furrowed when he noticed the volumes of the heals had dropped dramatically. At first, he thought this was due to poor Mana management, resulting in the inevitable consumption of Mana Potions. 

But, when it persisted, Despot felt something was amiss.

After turning to his distant rear, where the healers were positioned, Despot noticed the numbers had thinned. 'That definitely isn't the boss's doing. We haven't experienced any long-range attacks. Have some healers branched off to heal the perimeter parties?'

Regrettably, after asking around, he learned the parties didn't utter a single request. In fact, a large part of the perimeter was radio silent. This made his expression incredibly gloomy.

Due to the nature of Zenith Online's communication system, dead players couldn't send messages to members who were alive and there was a timer between death dependent upon one's Infamy rating.

Seeing as the Shadow Cartel was notorious for acquiring Infamy, it wasn't difficult to understand that those who died in battle were mute for quite some time, unable to alert Despot to the current situation.

One could be revived by a Cleric after the limbo timer elapsed, but that was a Lv.20 and above class. Furthermore, one had to be extremely lucky to stumble across the cherished Resurrection Skill Book. 

Sadly, finding that Skill Book was virtually impossible. The preconditions to getting it to drop would make any player despair.

Of course, players could also choose a heavier penalty and revive in a Shrine within their respective town, village, or city but that didn't mean their message would reach its destination.

Depending on the situation at hand, contact with players that were embroiled in combat could be potentially delayed until the matter at hand was dealt with. 

While one could bypass this by triggering Zenith Online's emergency function, accepting the emergency contact would automatically eject the recipient from the game.

Moreover, if this emergency contact request was accepted, both sides would face an hour-long bar from re-entry into Zenith Online. Thus, this feature was reserved for true emergencies.

As a feeling of uneasiness crept into Despot's mind, he narrowed his gaze and detected movement at the back of his formation. The movement was quick, but Despot caught glimpses.

'Silver armor and quick movements? Is this…'

Despot immediately pulled up the stream menu and sifted through the emerging Zenith Online streams until he located the most popular one. Reading the stream's title made his eyes redden with fury.

"Damn it!" Despot screeched frantically. "It's him!"

Despot's eyes reddened as he read the stream contents and realized how easily his healers were being picked off. 

"Healers, fall back! Hunters and Mages, attack the rear and get rid of those rats scurrying amidst our flank!" Despot ordered. 

His furious voice came across as a snarl that made his members shift their attention toward Kieran and Altair.

All of the Shadow Cartel's members immediately became enraged.

"Vermin! You dare?!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A rain of arrows and spells fired upon Kieran and Altair once Despot ordered an attack on them.

"Hahaha," Kieran chuckled softly.

Though exposed by the separation of the healers, Kieran and Altair nodded to one another. 

Swoosh!

They separated instantly and while Altair employed his weapon effect and Swift Steps to weave through the falling projectile like a ghastly revenant, Kieran took a more simplistic approach.

"Force Slash!"

The strong gale from his sword's swing knocked a considerable amount of projectiles away. For those that made it past, Kieran sidestepped or executed some fancy footwork that resembled him dancing.

Not all of them could be handled this way, so Kieran sometimes waved his sword to knock away the projectile while suffering minimal damage.

Fortunately, when his Health grew low, a heal from Cygnus came in as she smiled charmingly.

After realizing that Kieran's movement and deflection skills were a problem, Despot could only look toward the Sunset Triad for assistance. "Horizon Break, I need your help! If not, it won't be possible to clear the boss raid!"

"Oh? I'll help you, alright! But, that's only possible if we alter the ratio to a 25-75 split," Horizon Break grinned.

"Motherfucker! And you call my Shadow Cartel dogs? You're a damned bandit!" Despot snarled.

"Yes, and you're in quite the predicament. So, can a beggar really be a chooser right now?" Horizon Break chuckled whimsically.

Despot could only concede and agree to the new terms upon watching his members get mowed down. Once he did so, Horizon Break sent over his minions without fail.

However, Kieran looked over with a cold gaze. "I'll give you three seconds to tread carefully and recall your minions. Otherwise, you'll be treated just like the Shadow Cartel—an enemy that must unmistakably perish!"


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ApexPen ApexPen

Make sure to point out any spelling errors, grammar errors, or numbers/information that wasn't properly updated so I can immediately rectify those issues.

Thank you, guys!

P.S: A LOT of game terminology will appear in the novel, because well, I'm a gamer. :shrug:

Chapter 41: Successful Taunt, Rising Fame

As it stood, Kieran had no enmity with the Sunset Triad. However, they were a guild of similar notoriety to the Shadow Cartel, which was why Kieran was so impolite and ill-mannered.

He understood that the universal language in the Underworld was violence, particularly threats of an obscene nature. 

Because of this, however, Horizon Break chuckled as if he had heard the most amusing joke on Earth.

Horizon Break's chuckle soon grew into boisterous laughter as he clutched his stomach. "Kid, you're really full of jokes! I guess you feel powerful because you avoided some arrows, broke some binding spells, and eliminated players of admittedly shitty skill."

At the end of Horizon Break's words, his expression grew serious before darkening. "Unfortunately, as a member of the Underworld and the Guild Master of Sunset Triad that has endeavored in many VR Titles, I feel like I should respond to this threat."

Unlike Despot, who was a Thief, Horizon Break was a Hunter, partially because he favored guns in the real world. Sadly, there was no gunman option amongst the basic classes. 

With that said, Horizon Break lifted his bow toward Kieran and drew back on its bowstring. 

"Kyakakaa!" Despot cackled, his eyes flashing with wicked pleasure. 'You damned fool. Did you think you could handle two guilds on your own? Not possible!'

The further Horizon Break drew back the string on his bow, the more Kieran felt it was undoubtedly a Rare Weapon. The quality and light shimmer of the material it was made from somewhat caught Kieran's eyes.

'It would appear the wicked are sometimes rewarded well. Unfortunately for these fools, my rustiness continues to dissipate. That's not ideal for them,' Kieran thought.

In response to Horizon Break's actions, Kieran lifted his Novice Greatsword with a calm expression, unperturbed by his surroundings.

Though the bow seemed exceptional to current players, Kieran understood that a powerful weapon meant nothing if the damage it could muster never met a target.

"You speak as if the Underworld, or more specifically, the insignificant lackeys of it, are meant to be feared. Perhaps you should let go of your pipedreams as a washed-up old man. This isn't the realm of skeletons. Your brain must already be deteriorating now that you've become a senile bastard," Kieran mocked with a derisive sneer.

Kieran was far from being an amateur when it came to being venomous with words. As someone skilled in mental warfare, Kieran understood what kind of remark was most effective against his opponent.

In this case, Kieran mentioning Horizon Break's age was a sore spot.

It was no speculation that Horizon Break's age had reached a point where his cognitive abilities would start declining. In fact, this was one of the reasons why he was merely regarded as an elite and couldn't step into the realm of Rankers.

Horizon Break would lose every time against a young Ranker in their prime.

Needless to say, against someone like Kieran, he simply wasn't a match. Alas, this wasn't something Horizon Break would admit without at least mending his bruised ego. 

"Snot-nosed little brat! I'll for damn sure put you in your place," Horizon Break shouted. 

All of a sudden, his bowstring vibrated as Horizon Break plucked it. 

Not long after, an arrow sped toward Kieran, eventually gaining two additional copies of inferior presence. 

The copies were the special abilities of this bow, which consumed the user's Mana to create two doppelgangers of the arrow that was shot out, each dealing 20% of the original arrow's damage.

As Kieran analyzed the incoming attack, Kieran shook his head and sighed. 

"The only one to blame in this situation will be you. I warned you not to be a nosy geezer and stick your unsightly nose where it doesn't belong, but very well. I understand that you people of the Underworld lack basic comprehension skills."

A second later, Kieran unleashed the reason he taunted Horizon Break in the first place. Force Slash had a few seconds left on its cooldown period, so Kieran had to ensure Horizon Break didn't immediately attack after Despot requested aid.

"Damn you! Don't you know how to shut that big mouth of yours?!" Horizon Break roared.

However, this incensed response only served to make Kieran chuckle.

Though, as Kieran studied the incoming arrow further, he noticed a thin air shell around the leading arrow. This phenomenon usually meant the arrow in question was incredibly fast and possibly augmented.

'Oh? What a nasty guy he is. He must have used Accel Shot, which lacks any indicators of its activation. Anyhow… let's entertain him for a bit. For opponents like these, it's best to give them false hope.'

Rather than waste his skill, Kieran raised Novice Greatsword and defended as if he had no other options.

Tang!

-128! «Critical»

[Aatrox's Health: 300/535]

After defending against this Accel Shot, Kieran took a few steps back. 

"Hahaha! All that talk, and you couldn't even dodge that arrow?" Horizon Break reacted smugly, immediately moving to mock Kieran as the latter had expected.

'I swear, people like this are of one corroded mind. It's as if they're senseless buffoons—a uniform cog in an otherwise redundant and foolish machine,' Kieran inwardly thought.

However, Horizon Break's laughter was abruptly cut short after looking at his battle log. 'That's it?! What the hell is that monstrous DEF?!'

Though it was an admittedly basic skill, Accel Shot was known for being a Hunter's most practical skill. Not only did the attack have an increased chance of inflicting a Critical Hit, but the attack itself ignored 40% of the user's DEF.

Based on this effect, the damage should have been much higher than 120. This left Horizon Break to believe Kieran's DEF was on par with some Knights.

Of course, Horizon Break wasn't aware that Kieran's level had almost reached the minimum required to attempt his Class Promotion.

Once he dealt with the aftermath of the Accel Shot, Kieran shook off the damage and smiled. Thanks to Horizon Break's initial attack, Kieran was locked in "PK Defender" mode.

Which meant any move he made in retaliation wouldn't contribute to elevating his Infamy.

As Kieran enjoyed this advantage, a thought crossed Horizon Break's mind. 'If he's a Warrior that focuses on STR, END, and perhaps also VIT given his Health, wouldn't that mean AGI is his weakness? As long as I keep him at range…'

Before Horizon Break could think any further, his eyes widened as he witnessed Kieran rushing toward him at incredible speeds. This didn't seem like the AGI of a Warrior that didn't focus on the stat.

"What the hell?!" Horizon Break exclaimed, instinctively nocking another arrow on his bow. He considered directing more of his lackeys to deal with Kieran, but they couldn't ignore the threat of the Colossal Scarlet Wolf.

If too much of the strike force was repositioned to take out Kieran, who was being supported by Sithik and Cygnus in the distance, the Field Boss would be free to do as it pleased, reaping the lives of many players with little difficulty.

All of a sudden, as Horizon Break prepared for Kieran to rush him, Kieran immediately altered directions, cutting toward the remaining Healers that attempted to flee. 

Soon, a strong gale encompassed his blade before Kieran unhesitantly released it. 

The message embedded in this action was clear—even with all of you present, I will do as I please.

"This asshole! Get him! I don't care how many of you it needs to be, kill that Warrior and that Thief! Now!" Horizon Break bellowed.

He felt as if Kieran had just made a fool of him, belittling him in the presence of his lackeys and, ostensibly, his peer. 

Another wave of attacks, spells, and projectiles aimed at Kieran and Altair graced the battlefield, but Kieran used the terrain to his advantage.

With great skill, he dashed behind large rocks to shield himself and weaved through some of the close-range Fighters and Thieves that approached him.

Because of this, it led to many of the attacks damaging their allied forces. As mentioned before, there was no such thing as friendly fire protection in Zenith Online. All attacks carried a risk of damaging allies on the battlefield.

For this reason, many forces took their time to train coordination to avoid these amateurish mistakes. 

Unfortunately, Sunset Triad and Shadow Cartel could only be considered a ragtag group of ruffians who lacked the proper skill to be called veteran, skilled players.

Altair was a similarly hard-to-reach target, utilizing his augmented AGI at times to suddenly claim the lives of many like a grim reaper.

The effects of his dagger triggering its effect when Swift Steps were active led to a truly astonishing amount of speed for a Starter Character.

Eventually, Despot and Horizon Break decided that, with the threat of the Colossal Scarlet Wolf behind them and the mage on Kieran's side, Aspaira, occasionally unleashing commendable Flame Waves, a suicidal tactic was in order.

"We'll never be able to defeat the Field Boss like this. These two idiots are too much of a nuisance. We'll have to sacrifice our people and regroup here when all is said and done," Despot voiced.

"I agree. If we cause everyone to get wiped, we can regroup and try again before the others," Horizon Break consented.

However, right as these two decided to make a suicidal move. A loud voice sounded from behind Kieran.

"Haha! We meet again, you famous madlad. I couldn't help but notice that you might need some assistance. You've gotten embroiled in quite the conflict, eh? Perhaps we can be of some help?"

'This familiar voice?' Kieran thought, subtly turning his head. 'Ah… it's that Knight from before.'

Meanwhile, Despot furrowed his brows.

Had Kieran already grown to the point that newcomers would instead render aid to him rather than their organizations? Then again, it was understandable because their notorious reputation didn't paint them in the best light.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ApexPen ApexPen

Make sure to point out any spelling errors, grammar errors, or numbers/information that wasn't properly updated so I can immediately rectify those issues.

Thank you, guys!

P.S: A LOT of game terminology will appear in the novel, because well, I'm a gamer. :shrug:

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