Chapter 17

The Killing Zone

It was a chaotic scene. While looking at the sight of the now unorganized all out brawl of the TGG and the Sylphs, Cramer felt that this was all the fault of the masked intruder.

He was fighting the Masked Organization now, with nothing to defend himself.

Basing on the display of abilities he had earlier, he assumed that he was a Mage. No weapons, not even a single knife in him. The man was just wearing formal clothes as if going into a conglomerate party.

He was an S-ranked hunter himself, but he had never seen a Mage who did not use any visible medium to cast his magic.

Is that even possible?

For Mages, it was common to use wand, a scepter, a staff, or an orb as the medium to cast magic. That will be the Weapon at which the Talismans that had the spells will be linked to take its effect on the physical world.

Talismans hosts the Ability, at which in a Mage’s case, their Magic Spells. Every player are only allowed to have a maximum of 10 abilities/magic spells/skills and it was up to them how they will use it and improve themselves until they reach this point.

But for normal players, having five abilities in their arsenals are already considered lucky, in addition to being brave.

Talismans and Accessories take the same maximum 15 slot limitations (both hands, the earrings, bracelets, headgear/eyeglass). Creating them means one had to hunt strong monsters, find the rare materials that make up the components, and actually find the right Temple that can create them (since temples and NPC shops are not the same and they are separated by their respective facility’s grade).

Simply put, high grade items and materials requires high end facilities to create high end equipments and gears. And not all walled cities hosts the same facilities.

There are cities, like Aarun and Hagonoy, who are more prominent on their Tech Shops (NPC Shops) than their Magic Temples (Enchantment Temples). And so even if the player has the right materials to create the equipment they want, they also must find the right place to create that desired equipment. Terroa was designed so as to not spoon feed the power to those players and also force them to experience adventure by going out to seek these facilities and materials themselves.

And putting all of these facts, along the simple logic of “a medium” for the Mage to use to be able to release the magic spell, the masked man with the red and black mask does magic without actually using any medium!

Cramer is an Archer, with his DEX +40% from the time when he first played the game.

He had a tendency to be arrogant since in real life, he was an esteemed huntsman from Colorado, an expert on using a bow and a gun at the same time. He had won contests after contests and his games are always top notch.

On Terroa’s first three months of release, he bought the console and software as soon as it became available in his hometown. His reason for playing the game is because he wanted to challenge himself.

Hunting wild animals had become so boring and so with the monsters roaming around the hunting fields, he had found the perfect hunting spot to test the limits of his hunting skills. And then, after five in-game years in being one of the best Archers in Terroa, and also one of the first real players to ever design and use guns, about a year ago, with a stroke of 70% luck and 30% skills and resources, he obtained a MOD, Light of Artemis.

It’s a Legendary MOD (Magic Ornamental Device), once used, allows one to harness the moon’s blessings to power an ability called Transcendence.

—The ability to triple all stats for two minutes.

—In exchange for 35MP and 35SP.

—An ability that can be used every three days after the last use.

He received this Legendary MOD after a deadly fight against a mysterious boss-level creature that has an ox’s four hooves and a human upper body. The monster who could use a monstrously large bow that fires arrows the size of his legs was so strong he fought it in two days straight without rest.

He did not log out for 16hrs and ate his meals even when they were fighting. Just to survive their fight in that mountainous forest, he even went as far as stopping his bowel movements.

It was a legendary fight, if he had to put it in words, that actually made him happy and looking for the same thrill of fighting the same level of that fight again.

But alas, after a year of continuously looking for the one person who could give him the thrill of that long lost experience, he still never found it. Maybe not until this day that the intruder with a weird style of fighting, with a mysteriously weird ability that can put enemy’s defenses down by 70%, showed him moves a person with only a clear experience in fights can give.

He felt his bones shaking within his body that made his muscles tremble with excitement.

The guy’s hands moved like a composer doing a live play in front of an orchestra and every masked men that attacked him either burned, get stunned, or knocked out their feet, unable to get up again.

His movements were the most mysterious. Cramer is an experienced brawler, even in his hometown, and he was someone who even led a gang during his prime years. He knew how to be cruel and he most especially knew how someone who’s showing mercy looked like.

But this man, he wasn’t sure what he was thinking for his aim and motives were either conflicting.

He would either knock them off cold or stun them, then there are also those who were unlucky enough to get burnt by his electrifying ability. Dodging a simple frontal attack from the Swordmages, even from Manna Blade users, wasn’t that easy and yet he can somehow do them both from two attackers at the same time.

The archers, personally, are the pests on PVP fights for they can attack from afar and snipe their targets without them knowing they’ve already been targeted.

And yet, somehow, it seems that he was better on fighting them than the other kinds of players.

Even from a perfectly blind spot behind his head, the man can still dodge the attack. And that’s what’s actually bugging him. What kind of technique in Terroa can allow a person to do such impossible feat? Almost six years inside the game, this was the first time he saw this kind of fighting style. And from where he stood, he almost looked like an invincible player.

…almost.

Three masked men, two were high level Mages, and an Archer teamed up and cast an attack. The right Mage cast fire magic that burnt the ground while the left one used a magic that summoned wind blades from the burning ground and threw it.

A large fire blade came right at the masked intruder and Cramer knew that this spell is a strong one as he braced his arms cross and waited for the impact.

Its sheer size measured around ten meters high and Cramer could tell that even him, with all his experience on fighting bad guys of this level since his membership in the Tower of Sol, would get a really hard time on avoiding such attack. He knew it himself, but what of the masked intruder?

As he asked this question, the man, who he thought was bracing himself, actually waved his crossed arms and the illusion of a bluish version of the “Fire Blade” hit and met the attack.

The two forces collided and it exploded right at the middle but then the Archer who was charging an attack released a large arrow made up of pure energy from a distance of 60m away.

He won’t be able to block it!

Cramer’s mind thought as the image seemed so fast as it happened. The arrow of energy passed through the after image of the man who was then teleported like a blue lightning ten meters away from the archer’s left.

The Archer, who was taken aback, was punched in the face by the man. The Archer was mysteriously got knocked off his feet as he fell five meters on his back.

Upon falling, the archer never stood up again.

Dead? In one punch?!

Cramer was utterly surprised, but what was more surprising was the sight of countless black something converging towards the masked intruder. Those black something came from everywhere and began to take shape on his limbs. Cramer realized that he was actually looking at some sort of black themed weapon made for Martial Artists.

It has a black luster, with scaly texture with blue and red lines and smooth, elegant form. From below the knee down to his feet were of the same grade and kind, with what looked like a bladed edge on the ankle area, obviously made for a slicing reverse kick attack.

He wouldn’t be fooled, this person is definitely a melee combatant.

—No.

That isn’t enough to describe the vibe this masked intruder gave. He can feel it, that this man is definitely an extreme battler, a brawler, a pure fighter. And as the man who had summoned his armor stood like a dark clad demon with black hair, silver and black armor, and a weird bluish and…orange aura seeping out of his body, he knew then what it was.

Could it be…?!

“That man is in danger…” He uttered.

The other members of the Tower of Sol only watched as the things developed around them. Their group wasn’t touched, as small as their numbers are, all members of the Tower of Sol guild are superb A-ranked hunters and high.

And at that, the few who came with Cramer and was separated by the fight against the Masked Org from the main force all heard his comment.

“What do you mean?” asked the person nearest him.

Then he motioned for them to look up front. “See the aura seeping from his body? That’s definitely a MOD.”

“You don’t say…”

“It’s a Legendary MOD…just like mine.”

The people gasped as they all heard it and them, as a secluded group 100 meters away and elevated a few meters from the clashing Sylphs and Titans, poised a defensive stance against the many numbers of Masked Men.

The Masked Org will hunt him down!

He had been warned of his existence, a presence that their Guild Leader had warned to never make contact.

The Fire and Wind Mages regained their composures as they both cast the same combination spells. And while the other party dealt with two attacking masked men, knocking them off, the Fire Blade burned and cut through the surprised Titans and Sylphs, unmercifully scourging towards the masked intruder.

Dodge it! Come on!

Cramer thought as he awaited for the man to do the same technique he did when he attacked the Archer before. But the bluish after image didn’t come and he was instead knocked off his feet as he crossed his arms to defend himself.

He knew by his experience that it was the cooldown period that prohibited him from doing that blue after image technique and automatically realized that what he just saw was actually a magical ability.

So he was a Mage after all…?

The man was knocked off, and landed on his feet. He had a shoulder pad and some sort of blue and red design on his left sleeve that wasn’t on the right. On his left chest was a dark blue area, somehow hidden through the reflection of his silver colored formal polo shirt.

He punched as retaliation on the melee attackers and dodged and blocked with his best on the Archer and the Mage back ups.

Is this the extent of your ability?

A few more seconds passed but the high speed dodge and attack of the man against tens of Masked Men had brought him towards the midst of the TGG fighters.

It was here that Cramer noticed an approaching girl who was running like a wind, an obvious skill from those who had countless experiences fighting and even running away against monsters and aliens.

“No!” Cramer shouted and he ran down the shallow hill. “That is my prey!”

He jumped high on an inclined rock and used an arrow like a dagger seemingly going to stab the girl upon when he lands. But the girl saw him too, moved her right hand, and Cramer instinctively materialized a shield, in replacement for his bow, to defend that black something that came from his left side.

He was thrown ten meters away and landed on fours but immediately stood up, rolled left, and let go of an arrow that the other person parried with the Dark Spear before hiding behind a rock.

“Lookie here…I think I might get two thrills today.”