Bab 14: A Perfect Summer's Day

[You have killed ajskbdnks - Human (Level 2).]

[You have gained 45 XP.]

[You have killed DastardlyDashing - Human (Level 2).]

[You have gained 45 XP.]

After killing the duo with one slash, Wilbert had immediately jumped back to ready himself for their counter, but the expected counter never came.

Instead, two lifeless corpses rested on the ground. A neat red line cut across their chests, out of which blood was seeping.

'I just killed two people…' That thought lingered in Wilbert's mind more a few seconds before he shook his head. 'No, not people, monsters. Only monsters could kill a mother and her newborn child and show no remorse.'

Knowing that it was ridiculous to feel guilty about killing two heinous criminals, Wilbert instead turned his attention to what would come next. 'They did not even try to block or defend, as if they do not fear death in the slightest… I suppose that's a side effect of this "respawning".

'Anyway, they should be coming soon.'

Wilbert retreated several metres away and got into a defensive stance. He did not know where they would appear exactly or if they were able to vary where they respawned, so he decided that it was best to remain cautious.

Negligence after a small victory would be a terrible way to die.

Soon, the enemy appeared again. However, it was only the one—the bland-looking man named ajskbdnks.

'It seems because the other man didn't use that "login" spell or skill.'

Without giving his opponent chance to think, Wilbert charged forward and activated [Basic Jab], aiming for the man's head.

[Critical hit.]

[You have killed ajskbdnks - Human (Level 2).]

[You have gained 45 XP.]

…

[You have killed ajskbdnks - Human (Level 2).]

[You have gained 45 XP.]

…

After killing the man three times, Wilbert could not help but feel a real sense of fear building up in his heart. 'What kind of monsters can come back to life endlessly? Surely, there must be a limit!'

As he thought that, he sent a sword slashing once more.

[You have killed ajskbdnks - Human (Level 1).]

[You have gained 20 XP.]

'Oh? His level is different now. Do they perhaps have to pay for their respawns with spells? What happens if it reaches zero?'

Upon noticing the difference in the man's level, Wilbert quickly came up with a reasonable theory that was not far from the truth.

'That reminds me, that box with my information said something about a level.'

"Stats," he muttered, and the familiar box opened up in front of his eyes.

—————

Name: Wilbert

Level: 18

Race: Human

Class: Villager

Attributes: 1 STR, 1 DEF, 2 DEX, 2 INT, 0 (2) WIS, 2 LUK

Unassigned Attribute Points: 22

Abnormal Statuses:

- [Bug]: The developers have been told of your changes.

- [Moderate Madness]: Tragedy has warped your mind. -2 WIS

Titles:

- [First Blood]: Killed your first player. +50% Damage to Players.

- [Crown Jewels Collector]: Dealt grievous damage to a man's crown jewels. +50% Damage to 'That' Critical Spot.

Skills:

- Melee: [Basic Slash], [Basic Jab], [Basic Block], [Basic Shield Bash], [Basic Thwack]

- Range: [Quick Shot], [Balanced Shot], [Long Shot]

- Magic: [Wind Barrier], [Wind Cutter]

—————

After glancing at the box, he thought, 'I'm level 18. Is that why these two can't put up a fight? But that can't be. A person's life and death are not decided by some number.'

Annoyed that he had thought of something that made the lives of humans feel meaningless in his mind, Wilbert closed the box.

'Oh… he's running away.'

While Wilbert had been looking at his stats, ajskbdnks had respawned and started running away.

'Well, no matter.' He dropped his sword and shield to the floor before clicking on the backpack icon and selecting the bow and quiver.

With a deep breath, Wilbert drew the bowstring as his muscles remembered and launched a [Long Shot].

[You have killed ajskbdnks - Human (Level 1).]

[You have gained 20 XP.]

…

"Fuck this! Some villager is actually spawn trapping me!"

Since they were in different locations, ajskbdnks and DastardlyDashing had slid into the direct messaging channel.

"He's still there? How many times have you died now?"

"I don't know. I've lost count. It should be more than five times."

"And the NPC still hasn't left? Do you think this is a bug?"

"Yeah, it must be." ajskbdnks rubbed his weary eyes as he looked out the window. He took a sip of water from the bottle beside his computer before continuing. "NPCs should lose their aggro—aggro's basically their anger toward a player and how much they want to attack said player—when a player dies."

ajskbdnks sighed. "This really is annoying. I think I'll head off for now. If you want, I can switch onto my main or make another account."

"No, don't worry. I think I'll go off for a bit as well. Want to try again tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll try after work. Hopefully we'll be able to start a real quest or something."

"I look forward to it. Thanks for your help so far."

"No prob. See ya."

…

'Hmm… it seems they're not truly invincible. He's stopped coming back after six deaths.'

With a frown, Wilbert sat on the grass next to his equipment as he stared at the spot that the player had came appearing from.

'Although, I don't know if the rate at which he kept dying or other factors affected that. Well, it doesn't matter. I will find out if six deaths is the limit of all of these bastards when I encounter my next one—maybe that will be OldestAndWisest, maybe that will be someone else. But all I know is that I have eliminated one of them.

'Killing is wrong, but on this occasion, the world is a better place for it.'

Feeling pleased with himself, Wilbert lay in the warm, dazzling sunlight. The clean grass surrounding him, the bees buzzing around the flowers that peppered the area, the white, fluffy clouds that floated gently through the sky above him—it felt like the perfect summer's day to Wilbert.

The surroundings showed absolutely no evidence that he had just killed the same man six times in a row.