In an instant, black light erupted. Out of nowhere, Liana’s left arm was severed, the appendage falling listlessly from her shoulder. It was a grotesque display of violence. The sight shocked Liana, but it was the momentary lapse of reality that rendered her motionless.
“Unfeeling?” Markus retorted, his voice laced with disbelief. His [End Sword] flickered into existence at his side, its blade glinting ominously in the dim light of the forest. “You are mistaken. I am merely… aghast at how low you would stoop. If you are a healer, as you say, then you should be able to reattach your limb with healing magic.”
Liana stared emotionlessly at her left shoulder, where her arm had once been. And then slowly, horror set in her eyes. The shock registered on her face— her eyes were wide with disbelief as the reality of her predicament settled in. The blood flowed freely, soaking her vestment and the forest floor beneath her.
Markus's laughter broke the tension. It was a sharp and unsettling sound that echoed through the oppressive silence. It was a happy laughter, one that seemed utterly out of place amid the grim tableau before him.
The absurdity of the situation overwhelmed Liana—the healer, a supposed guardian of life, now rendered helpless and maimed in an instant.
Markus needed this. He felt a simmering rage boil inside him at the truth that he had been transmigrated into this parallel reality. ‘You are going to become my punching bag, you fake healer…’ he thought, his fists clenching as he desperately needed to punch someone—or, in this case, slash someone.
“What is the meaning of this?” Liana demanded, raising one hand in a defensive gesture.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’ll decide after I saw the bodies… and I’ve decided you are the culprit.” His voice dripped with accusation, fueled by the anger he could hardly contain.
In this world, part of the game mechanics allowed players to see the levels of monsters and NPCs, but since this reality operated differently, Markus had to rely solely on intuition and observation to gauge his foe’s strength. Judging by the scale of the pit filled with dead Dark Elves and the roaming wraiths that circled ominously, the woman standing before him appeared to possess considerable power.
“W-wait… can you please tell me how I’ve offended you? P-please spare me…” Liana insisted, her tone laced with panic as she attempted to maintain her innocent facade.
Markus could see through her act; her trembling hands and wide eyes betrayed the confidence she had tried to project. He advanced, his sword glimmering in the muted light of the forest, eager to exact some semblance of justice for the lives that had been lost.
IED. Intermittent Explosive Disorder manifested as sudden episodes of uncontrollable rage that far exceeded the reasons behind them. These explosive outbursts often led to physical harm, not only to Markus himself but also to those around him, and even to innocent creatures caught in the crossfire.
Playing MMORPGs had helped Markus quell a large part of his anger issues, largely due to how adept he was at crushing opponents in PvP. Over time, the volcanic fury that usually roiled within him had cooled to something akin to the Arctic—still volatile, but less likely to erupt. Frankly, it wasn’t much of an improvement.
“Stop with the innocent act; it disgusts me,” Markus snapped, activating [Black Flash] and disappearing from view. An illusory, electric dark streak sliced through the air before colliding with something solid.
“See? You can do it after all.”
In Liana’s right hand, she wielded a dark staff adorned with a horned skull. Surrounding her was a shimmering purple barrier that glimmered ominously. “[Chaos Bolt]!” she shouted, raising her hand and unleashing a bolt of chaotic energy.
“[Dark Parry],” Markus countered, the bolt of energy rebounding harmlessly off his defense.
Though it wasn’t strictly necessary to utter the names of their moves, it had become somewhat of a cultural norm in this world. There was a belief that ‘voicing’ a skill lent it greater power. Some S-tier skills even required the name to be called out for activation—like my [Mourning Star].
“[Mourning Star].”
Markus’s sword darkened, the blade absorbing the shadows around it. As he swung, it ignited into a deep shade of blue, resembling a shooting star erupting in the night sky.
“[Aegis]~!” Liana screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing through the forest.
In response, her barrier transformed into an illusory shield shaped like a gorgon’s head, complete with snakes writhing from its edges. When Markus’s sword collided with it, the impact reverberated through the air, yet Liana remained unharmed behind her formidable defense.
Markus reassessed his opponent for the second time, noting the sudden appearance of Liana’s staff. Its presence suggested it was at least a soul-bound weapon; he recalled that [Inventory] couldn’t be used in the heat of battle, although some skills allowed for exceptions. However, since Liana wasn’t hastily consuming potions to restore her power, it was likely the former.
Markus concluded that he was up against someone at least Level 80.
The way Liana had conjured an S-tier defensive skill capable of withstanding his own S-tier offensive strike confirmed her formidable prowess.
Markus slipped into [Shadow Stance]. The familiar sensation of dark energy enveloped him as he empowered his next shadow-based attack. He followed this with the murmured incantation for [Dark Empowerment], infusing himself with even greater strength. In this world, skills were categorized into magical and martial types, each governed by different defenses, damage values, maneuvers, effects, and rules.
“Who are you?” Markus demanded, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Liana laughed, a sound that sent a chill down his spine.
There was no way that laughter belonged to someone of her name.
With a swift thump of her staff against the ground, Liana initiated a grotesque display of necromantic magic. Dark tar and remnants from the pit swirled around her stump, converging to form her missing arm in a nightmarish spectacle that only a Necromancer could conjure. The gruesome display was unmistakably [Dark Regeneration], narrowing down her class and capabilities considerably.
Liana observed him, her eyes sharp. "Your resistance to curses is unusually high," she remarked. "The Dark Knight... a figure born of strife, a shadow that terrorizes the world in its darkest hours. Every turbulent age brings forth a Dark Knight, an agent of dread. They say it’s the same Dark Knight in every iteration, reincarnated endlessly to carry on his work, bound to an eternity of darkness. What do you think of that?"
Markus eyed himself carefully, on guard. The [Aegis] skill she wielded might indeed carry a hidden curse effect, but he saw no immediate changes in himself. It was frustrating to be without the familiar interface, stripped of the clear indicators he could normally rely on.
He kept his focus on her, sidestepping her monologue. "Who are you?" he asked again, his mind working over strategies to bring her down.
Liana’s smile was coy. "It pains me that you don’t know my name. But I’m impressed you saw through my act so quickly. If you tell me how you figured it out, I might just reveal my name."
Markus shrugged. "This isn’t the first Dead Pit I’ve seen."
Dark Elves practiced a unique tradition, leaving their dead in open pits for three days before performing a sky burial. For the Dark Elves, with their strong resistance to curses and diseases, this ritual posed no real risk. But Dead Pits were different. The wraiths circling the area were a clue, but it was the dark tar coating the bodies that was the true giveaway.
Liana let out a disappointed huff. "Well, it’s not as if I was truly trying to hide it." She straightened, her voice swelling with authority.
"Tremble before me, Dark Knight! I am the Witch Queen, Lianaresel!"
Liana raised her staff high and brought it down forcefully. “[Summon Underworld]!”
The air grew heavy as shadows gathered, dark energy pooling at her feet. It was a formidable A-tier skill, one not easily countered.
But Markus merely laughed, louder and with renewed resolve. "You shouldn’t have told me your name... Now, I’m fully prepared to crush you!"
He thrust his sword into the ground, echoing her spell. “[Summon Underworld].”
In this world, if two identical spells clashed, the outcome would either cancel both or favor the caster with higher magical stats. A flicker of surprise crossed Liana’s face as her magic unraveled, nullified by his. It was a telling sign: Markus’s intelligence and wisdom stats were equal to hers, despite his martial-focused build.
Markus’s laughter filled the air. Few things thrilled him more than the chance to crush a worthy opponent, and Lianaresel—infamous as a World Boss back in the game—was the perfect challenge. There had even been a player who based their build on her, and Markus had defeated them too.
This was going to be satisfying.
Liana summoned a different barrier, this time one that shimmered with a reflective surface meant to repel his attacks. But Markus was relentless. Without missing a beat, he activated [Black Flash], vanishing in a streak of darkness only to reappear a breath later behind her, striking with deadly speed. His favored skill’s short cooldown let him hammer the barrier over and over.
As he chipped away at it, he noted with satisfaction that Lianaresel’s battle style aligned with what he heard from the game. She favored high-powered magic with long cooldowns, formidable defenses, and sheer survivability. Yet despite her necromancer title, she lacked in the summoning department—a glaring vulnerability he intended to exploit.
Sticking close to her should be enough, but Markus was not content with simply winning.
Markus wanted to destroy her.
With a final strike, Markus shattered the barrier. His passive skill, [Dark Armor], absorbed the recoil from the reflective barrier, allowing him to press forward without losing momentum. With a brutal slash, he severed her arm again, his blade cutting clean through flesh and bone.
But Liana barely flinched. She let out a hiss and raised her staff, triggering [Dark Regeneration]. Dead, decayed chunks flew up from the surrounding Dead Pit, melding grotesquely onto her stump as her arm reformed. Once complete, she conjured another barrier—this one thicker, glowing faintly with a sturdier defense—and took a few steps back, putting distance between them. He could tell her mana was being constantly replenished by the Dead Pit, but the long cooldowns on her offensive spells were still hindering her options.
Markus’s laughter erupted, louder and more frenzied. “I will murder you!” he roared, the words tumbling out again and again, each one escalating in volume and intensity as he advanced. “I will murder you! I will murder you! I will murder you!”
With a manic glint in his eye, he prepared for his next strike, exhilarated by the thrill of dismantling his infamous foe. This was a hunt, and he intended to draw it out to the bitter end.
Markus entered [Shadow Stance], his form melding with the surrounding darkness. He watched as Liana, sensing the danger, attempted to retreat, vanishing in a swirl of dark energy. Likely [Greater Teleport] or [Teleport], he mused, but he was already a step ahead. In an instant, he activated [Shadow Step], a skill that let him traverse the shadows at will.
He reappeared right behind her, his blade poised to strike. “You made a mistake,” he remarked, his tone cold and cutting. With a swift glance, he noted their new surroundings: they were now deep within the forest, far from the Dead Pit that had bolstered her power.
Before Liana could react, Markus drove his sword forward in a powerful [Shadow Thrust], piercing her chest.
A look of utter shock flashed across Liana’s face as she stared down at the blade, disbelief clouding her features. She hadn’t expected him to follow her so precisely. But Markus wasn’t done. With a quick, decisive movement, he activated [Shadow Slash], his blade slicing through the air as he amputated her right arm, then her left. He took a step back, watching her with grim satisfaction as she stumbled.
Liana gritted her teeth, refusing to be beaten. Dark, corrupted energy seeped from the earth, crawling up her limbs as she invoked [Dark Regeneration] to restore her severed arms. In the same motion, she activated [Blink], a short-range teleportation skill, creating just enough distance to evade his immediate reach.
Markus let out a mocking laugh. “Running already? I thought the great Witch Queen would put up more of a fight,” he chided, his eyes flared with a fierce, flickering blue light as he prepared to close the distance once more. His words hung in the air, a taunt as sharp as the blade in his hand.
"Running won’t change anything," Markus taunted, his voice dripping with disdain. "You can keep healing yourself, but I will still find you."
He could see the toll her relentless [Dark Regeneration] was taking on her; though its cooldown was short, the skill devoured mana rapidly. Liana’s breaths grew shallow, her grip on her dark staff shaky as she met his gaze with a mixture of desperation and defiance.
Summoning what strength she had left, Liana attempted to cast another barrier, pouring her dwindling mana reserves into a last-ditch defense. Markus watched her struggle, unfazed, his shadow-infused energy rippling around him as he raised his sword for the next assault.
"[Shadowfall]," he murmured, his blade cloaked in darkness as it sliced down onto her fragile shield. The impact shattered her defense entirely, sending her sprawling onto the forest floor with a resounding thud.
“P-please, spare me…” Liana’s voice wavered, her red eyes glistening as she crawled backward, retreating from him. "I… I will serve you… I will be obedient to you… I can be of use to you. No, I will be of use to you. I’ll be your slave. Your toy."
Markus stared down at her, unmoved. "Nah," he replied dismissively, "Too much hassle."