Chapter 3: PlayerKiller
I used the wooden stick as a cane to hit the enemy.
When I did, a very realistic sensation was transmitted to my hand. While scattering body fluids all over the place, the bee's body was split in half.
Gross! This is so pointlessly realistic!
「Oh, Hind! I leveled up!」
「Yup, you are right. We have reached level 3」
When I looked downwards while listening to Yumir's high spirited voice, a ring of light ascended from under my feet signaling that I had leveled up.
After equipping the wooden branch, everything went well.
There being no restriction to the number of times you could use the beginner potions, we earnestly kept fighting monsters without returning to the village.
Because there are many players in the field we had to keep moving, but we have been able to level up without much trouble.
I was wondering how launch day would be, but it seems like everyone is pretty well mannered.
We were taking a break after defeating the monster, while I was playing around with the wooden stick Yumir began talking to me.
「Shall we go to the next area? I'm getting tired of fighting these bees」
「No, let's keep fighting here for a bit longer. Judging from the displayed levels, the monsters here are up to level 5」
「So, you mean that's a reasonable level to move on?」
「I think so...wait, why is a gamer like you listening to me? What about the other online games you've played?」
「No idea! I usually just kept going in high spirits!」
「Where have I heard those words before? I somehow feel a strange sensation...」
Feeling that it was something troublesome I stopped thinking about it.
...When it comes to monster information, their levels are displayed on top of them the same way player levels are displayed.
The monster from a while ago seems to be called 「Killer bee」.
There are slight differences in levels, as far as I've seen in this forest, they seem to be in the range of level 15.
You could tell the level of a specimen was high because they were bigger than others and it seems like their HP increases accordingly to their level too.
Anyway, it's like that. After talking about it, we have decided to stick around in this place called 「Dondery Forest」 but...
「Hyaha! Die!」
「Uwah, what!?」
「Hind!」
Suddenly, a player wearing a ski mask attempted to hit me with a club.
I was unable to dodge it and it hit me, taking away a third of my HP.
Judging from his build and voice it seems like he's a guy...but why is a player attacking me!?
In order to protect me, Yumir stepped in the middle.
「What are you trying to do!?」
「No need for talking! Normies should die!」
「Nor-...eh?」
The man continued to attack and Yumir defended herself with the wooden stick.
Wanting to understand the situation even if it was just a little bit, I looked at the top of the man's head.
...Player name, 「Poker Face」.
Where is the poker face! Wait, it's not like I can see his face because of the mask though! I can't see it but...!
He's level 5 and his player name...is yellow!?
Probably having noticed that,Yumir looked at me and gave me a warning.
「Hind, this guy is a PK! His name still hasn't turned orange, but he's an evil player!」
「What's tha-...That was dangerous!」
「Stop running awayyyyy!」
「It's the abbreviation for player killers! They do stuff like stealing from others, or they just commit crimes for fun...geez, that doesn't matter right now! What do we do!?」
Even if you ask me that...it doesn't look like he will listen to us.
So in this game players can attack other players?
While healing Yumir who was defending against the continuous attacks from the man, I exchanged words quickly with her.
「What happens if we defeat this guy!?」
「There's no penalty if we defeat a player whose name color is other than blue! Are we going to do it!?」
「Alright, beat him up, Yumir!」
「Alright!」
「Buheh!?」
Having received Yumir's attack with the side of his face, the man was blown away energetically.
However, maybe it was because he was wearing a leather armor that wasn't part of the beginner equipment, he didn't seem to have taken much damage.
He stood up immediately and confronted us again.
「That was nothing! Until I beat all the couples around the world to death, I won't be defeated!」
「I don't get what you are talking about...」
「I don't either, this is bad Yumir. There's too much of a difference between our gear and levels!」
Yumir started to exchange blows with the masked man again.
When it comes to physical ability Yumir had the upper hand, but because her character stats were inferior she's losing.
Each time she takes damage, I'm healing her with potions and healing magic, but the healing can't keep up with the damage!
In his case, even if we keep inflicting small damage onto him, he heals entirely with a single healing item, I can't see how we are going to win this!
「H-Hind! Do something please!」
「L-let's run away for now! Take this, sand to the eyes!」
「Uwoh! My eyes! My eyes! D-don't you dare run away, you normies!」
I grabbed some sand and threw it at him, without deciding on a direction we just started to run away.
As a result, we exited Dondery Forest and came to an area called Homa Plains.
That guy is so persistent! I don't know what kind of misunderstanding he had, but we are not a couple!
「Dieeeeeeee!」
「Geez! Stop getting in the way of our time together!」
「Hah!? Haaaah!? You said your time together!? A-ah!? That's even more unforgivable!」
「What did you even hear!? Hind!」
「I'm thinking!」
I was searching for players that could save us from being pursued, but unfortunately, there was no one around.
I thought that if there were players that loathed PKs around they would help us but...
Is there any other way....oh!
「Yumir, endure for a minute!」
「Nu! I got it!」
「I don't know why you are getting along so well! Die peacefully and get into an argument later!」
What I had found, was a being other than a player that could probably defeat that guy.
After using a healing item and healing magic on Yumir, I left that place.
Then I proceeded to deal some damage to 「that」 while being careful to not get too far from them, I increased their numbers.
Because of my negligence, an attack hit me...that hurts!
So scary, if I take several blows at this level, my HP will just disappear!
Seeing a third of my HP go away in a single hit, I started to get nervous and my back felt cold.
Besides, they smell terrible! Why do the developers fuss over these pointless small details!
Before long, I was being chased by many of them and I forced myself to run at full speed.
This is so tiring!
「Move awayyy!, Yumir! Left, to the left!」
「!? H-Hind, you!」
「An opening! I got y-!?」
The level 6 monsters I had gathered while running around the plains...the goblins were accompanying me, guided by me, the group collided with the masked man.
Because he was absorbed in his fight with Yumir, he was not able to avoid my arm and fell down.
I proceeded to jump over him.
「Gyaaaa! Guheh! Gohah!?」
After he was run over by the group of monsters, they changed their target to the man and started to beat him to a pulp.
The HP we had so much trouble shaving off, decreased rapidly with the goblins' attacks.
While looking dumbfounded at the situation, Yumir got closer to me.
「Uwah...incredible. Hind, where did you learn about MPK?」
「Ah, this was a method that already existed? Since PK means player killer...」
「MPK only has monster attached at the start. It can also be called train」
「Ah, it's true that it gives the impression of being followed by someone」
「You really did it without knowing about it!? You are quite the scary guy...」
True, the question would be if it was really necessary for us to do this.
Even if we died, we would only have returned to the village after all...
If I had to say, it was just a matter of how we felt about it.
「Don't say that. Even if it's a game, being killed in that way is something I'd absolutely hate. There's no way I could accept it」
「That goes for me too! Eh, uh...than-」
「I sense a love comedy event! I won't allo-gyaaaa!」
His last effort being in vain, the masked man's HP reached 0 points.
Having verified that, we took a great distance from the goblins since we would be their next targets.
The man turned gray and was unable to move from that spot.
Not having any enemies within their range, the goblins left. The man's dead body turned into particles of light and disappeared.
He probably returned to the starter village.
Being released from that feeling of tension, we fell on our backs.
「Phew, I'm so tired...」
「Me too...I had to run for some pointless reason」
「To PK on launch day while ignoring what people say...they are so hardcore」
I don't believe that PKs don't share the same restrictions as us until level 10...
Or, should I think that it was good that I came to know about their existence before I amassed a fortune?
According to the details of the death penalty, it seems like you'll lose some items if you get PK'd after all...
Yumir who was using healing items while leaning on my back suddenly stopped moving as if she had remembered something.
What happened?
「Hind, that guy was a member of a guild, you know?」
「Eh, is that so?」
「Umu. Under his player name, 「Normie Extermination Committee」 was displayed」
「What's with that name?...there are other people like that? At the very least, it's not something you'd do on launch day...」
「You are completely right. ...H-however, that thing he said! I-it's troubling! You and me, eh, huh...t-that we are lov-」
「Ah. That was so bothersome...」
「...」
Yumir, who turned around quickly after hearing my words, started to pull my cheeks while looking really angry.
Why!? I've only said that PKs were bothersome!
...Anyway, having repelled the PK, we continued to raise our levels.