บท 8: First Battle, First Kill!!

"Why in the world did you lead us down this path?" Poisonous Queen hissed, her voice a low, venomous whisper that belied her delicate features. The lush, verdant forest, once a promise of serene beauty, now felt like a suffocating trap.

"How could I have known there would be ten monsters here?" Supreme retorted, his tone a carefully crafted blend of surprise and innocence. In this treacherous world of AI Virtual Reality, deception was as vital as a sharp blade.

"Idiot," she muttered, her eyes narrowing, then asked, her voice laced with a forced calm, "What should we do now?"

"It's quite simple, kill them all," Supreme replied, his tone nonchalant, as if discussing the weather.

"Are you fucking mad?! Those are ten LV 2 monsters, and to remind you, we are both LV 1 players!" she exclaimed, her patience fraying. The stakes were high, and her survival instincts screamed at her to flee.

"Can't LV 1 players kill LV 2 monsters?" he asked, tilting his head with a feigned curiosity that grated on her nerves.

"We can, dumbbell, but we are only armed with daggers, and there are ten of those things," she clarified, her voice laced with a simmering frustration.

"I don't like being insulted," Supreme said, his voice suddenly cold, a stark contrast to his earlier playfulness. The shift in his demeanor sent a shiver down Poisonous Queen's spine.

"I'm sorry, but what should we do?" she apologized, her voice subdued, her eyes fixed on the monsters lurking in the shadows.

'You can keep pretending as much as you want, even apologizing to me,' Supreme thought, his gaze fixed on the ten Scavenger Wolves before them. He was playing a dangerous game, but he knew the rules, the hidden mechanics of this virtual world.

They were hidden behind a large, moss-covered rock, a temporary sanctuary in a field surrounded by towering trees. The Scavenger Wolves, their forms a grotesque blend of wolf and porcupine, prowled in the distance, their eyes gleaming with predatory hunger.

'Let's see what you guys are. AI, scan these monsters,' he commanded, his voice a silent whisper in his mind.

< Scanning... >

< Scavenger Wolves. >

< Health Point (HP): 200. >

< A dangerous pack of wolves that only know how to feed and hunt. >

< Note: They always move in packs of twenty or higher. >

'Twenty?! Why am I only seeing ten on the cheating map?!' he thought, his eyes scanning the surrounding forest for any sign of hidden threats.

The system provided an answer, its voice a disembodied whisper in his mind. { Ten of the wolves have already been killed. }

'Already been killed? It means someone or a team has passed through here,' Supreme deduced, his mind racing.

{ Quest activated. }

'What?'

{ Kill ten Scavenger Wolves. }

{ Reward: You will have a new cheat. }

'This is surprising,' he mused, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

"What is it? Why do you look shocked?" Poisonous Queen asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

"Nothing. I'm going out to kill all those monsters. Stay right here. I don't want anything to happen to you," Supreme said with a disarming smile, then stepped out from behind the rock, his dagger glinting in the dappled sunlight.

'What the hell is he doing?! He's going to get himself killed, and I will end up dead too!' Poisonous Queen thought, her hand reaching out to pull him back, but it was too late.

"Hey you fuckers! Come and get me!" Supreme yelled, his voice echoing through the forest, drawing the wolves' attention.

The ten Scavenger Wolves stood, their eyes fixed on the human who had just taunted them. They hesitated, their predatory instincts warring with caution, assessing the newcomer.

Seeing he was not the same dangerous human that had previously culled their numbers, they growled and lunged forward, their spines bristling.

'Whoa! They are fast,' Supreme thought, a smile playing on his lips.

{ Cheat: Speed boost activated. }

A yellow glow enveloped his legs, and he felt a surge of lightness, his movements becoming fluid and effortless.

"I need to get used to this," Supreme said, gripping his dagger tightly. He dashed forward, meeting the wolves head-on.

The first wolf lunged, its jaws wide, aiming for his throat. Supreme sidestepped, his dagger flashing in a downward arc, severing the wolf's head. The body thudded to the ground, its lifeless eyes staring into the void.

{ Cheat: High damage activated. }

{ Damage delivered: 500. Target health: 200. Instant death. }

He turned to the remaining wolves, a smirk playing on his face, his eyes glinting with a predatory light.

"What am I watching? Did he just kill a LV 2 monster with one strike?! Even separating the head from its body, with a dagger?!" Poisonous Queen muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief.

In a nearby tree, a figure with silver hair and green eyes, clad in a tight red outfit, watched with crossed arms. A large purple bow rested on her back, a silent testament to her skill.

'Is it me, or is that player fighting against ten LV 2 monsters and winning? I thought only Red Encounter and I could achieve this feat, and now I am seeing a LV 1 doing the same,' she thought, her eyes narrowed, her mind racing.

"I must kill him, or he'll bring unnecessary trouble my way," she said, her voice cold, her eyes fixed on Supreme. With a flick of her wrist, her bow appeared in her hand. A blood-red arrow materialized on the string, and she aimed at Supreme, her eyes glinting with a deadly intent.

'Why are these guys so weak?' Supreme thought, dispatching the second wolf with a swift, brutal efficiency.

'Okay, time to end this,' he decided, gripping his dagger tighter.

'System, activate the speed boost to the highest stage.'

{ As you wish, host. }

{ Speed boost increased to LV 30. }

{ To increase the cheat level, you need to use it continuously. }

The yellow glow intensified, turning crimson red, and Supreme vanished, leaving a sonic boom in his wake.

"...."

Poisonous Queen and Blood-Arrow were stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"How did he? I thought LV 1 players couldn't use skills in the AI Virtual Reality game?" Poisonous Queen exclaimed, her voice laced with confusion.

"What am I seeing? Is he using a speed card or what?" Blood-Arrow muttered, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and suspicion.

'Who are you, Supreme?' she wondered, her mind filled with unanswered questions.

Supreme moved like a blur, his dagger a deadly extension of his will, a whirlwind of death amidst the startled wolves.

"Come! Let me send you to your maker!" he yelled, his voice a chilling echo in the forest, darting towards the remaining wolves.

Whoosh...

{ Damage delivered: 400. }

Whoosh...

{ Damage delivered: 500. }

Whoosh...

{ Damage delivered: 650. }

Whoosh...

{ Damage delivered: 300. }

He was so fast that even Blood-Arrow, a LV 5 player, couldn't follow his movements, her eyes straining to catch a glimpse of his fleeting form.

The wolves fell like flies, their cries of terror cut short by the swift, merciless strikes of Supreme's dagger.

'Hey, system. You aren't giving me any currency or anything I can use after killing all these?' Supreme asked, his voice a mental whisper.

{ Meaning...? }

'Like what I can use to buy something in your store,' he clarified, his brow furrowed.

{ I don't have a store because I am not a merchant. I give things to the host after the host completes a task. I don't sell things. }

'What the hell? I thought you were like the other systems I've read about in novels,' Supreme thought, surprised.

{ I am not like those systems because I am more than a system. }

'Okay,' Supreme nodded, landing on his feet. He faced the remaining three wolves, their eyes filled with a primal fear.

"Howl...!"

One wolf cried out in fear, and the others began to retreat, their spines bristling.

'First, a female with long silver hair killed ten of us, now a demon we can't even detect his movement appeared and killed seven of us. Why are we so unlucky?' the wolves thought, their minds filled with a desperate terror.

They turned and fled, their paws pounding against the earth, their cries echoing through the forest.

'Hey! I still need you to complete my quest!' he roared inwardly, dashing after them, his movements a blur.

With a swift slash of his dagger, one wolf fell, its body crumpling to the ground. He continued his assault, dispatching the remaining two with ruthless efficiency.

"That was easy," Supreme muttered, standing amidst the carnage, the bodies of the Scavenger Wolves scattered around him like discarded toys.

{ Quest completed. }

{ New cheat activated. }

A triumphant smirk spread across Supreme's face. 'Now I am a complete god in this game,' he thought, his confidence soaring.

"How did you...?" Poisonous Queen asked, her voice laced with a mixture of awe and suspicion as she emerged from behind the rock.

"Nothing much, I just learned some fighting skills," Supreme replied casually, his eyes fixed on one of the fallen wolves. He crouched down and began to methodically carve pieces of flesh from the carcass, careful to avoid the poisonous quills.

"What are you doing?" Poisonous Queen asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on his task.

'I can't feel hunger or thirst, but I need to pretend. Or she might notice something,' he thought, his mind calculating every move.

"You are right, I am starving," Poisonous Queen said, forcing a smile, though her eyes betrayed a hint of unease.

Supreme rolled his eyes inwardly. "Won't you help?" he asked, his tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.

"I don't want to get my hands stained with blood," she replied, turning away with a dismissive wave of her hand.

'Stained with blood? You freaking killed me!!' he thought, his anger simmering beneath the surface.

"Impossible! He managed to kill them all..." Blood-Arrow muttered, her green eyes wide with disbelief as she watched from her perch in the trees.

"No, I must kill him now!" she declared, her voice laced with a cold determination. She raised her purple bow, nocked a blood-red arrow, and aimed at Supreme, her movements swift and precise. Without hesitation, she released the shot.

The red arrow, a streak of crimson death, broke the sound barrier with a thunderous boom, hurtling towards Supreme with incredible speed.

BAM!!

"....."

"What the fuck!!" Blood-Arrow yelled, her voice filled with shock and disbelief.