With a nod, I left the GPA building and flew off using Grim Mantle, heading into the direction where I sensed the most Player energy. Huh, it was a few streets down from my apartment.

I landed in the crowd of Players, seeing a couple of white system messages.

[Dungeon: Village of the Wicked]

[Level: 30]

[Requirements: Access granted to Players higher than level 30.]

[Time Remaining: 00:05:00]

"Holy crap, a five hour duration?" I heard one of the Players murmur.

It seemed as though a lot of them were getting excited, both at the fact that the restriction was more or less something many of us had already achieved and that the duration was one of the longest we'd ever seen.

I glanced around, noticing that the crowd was mostly made up of Players around my level or higher, along with a few veterans from higher tier guilds. There were a few GPA-affiliated members scattered about, too, but they weren't as numerous as I'd expected.

"Yo, Luke!" I heard Tommy's voice call out behind me. "You gonna try and clear this one by yourself again, bro?"

"With so many Players joining in?" I grinned at him. "It'll be hard, but I can just farm mobs, if anything."

"I'll help you out, man," Tommy said, nodding. "I could use the EXP, too. Maybe we can team up and get through this together."

Using me as an experience farm again? I couldn't blame Tommy though; I'd do the same in a heartbeat if I didn't have my current playstyle. "Sure, I'm down."

I clicked yes to join Tommy's party as we walked up to the giant portal. Already, some of the other groups of Players were lined up, raring to enter as soon as the GPA officials gave us the clear. While we stood in line, I turned to Tommy.

"Everything okay?" I decided to ask, unable to ignore the fact that he wasn't with Sarah. I'd have figured something as important as a dungeon break would warrant a higher priority than studying.

"In both video games and in real life, nothing gets by you, huh?" Tommy wryly replied, seeming to catch on to my unspoken question. "It's a bit rough right now, but I think things will be fine once I sort things out."

I nodded, not wanting to press any further. "Hope everything works out man. After clearing this dungeon, wanna go eat?"

Tommy smiled. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks."

As soon as the GPA members gave the clear, a surge of Players leapt through the portal, ready to clear it. With such a light restriction and a long duration, I shared the same sentiment of a relatively smooth dungeon clear along with the other Players.

When my eyes adjusted, we found ourselves in an old, fantasy-like village, with cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses. The air smelled of rotting garbage and smoke from fires in brick hearths. A few NPCs wandered around, some giving us suspicious glances. A few tough-looking guys in leather armor stood at strategic points, apparently keeping watch.

Compared to the vibrant and generally peaceful atmosphere of the tower Safe Zones, this village was the complete opposite: the air dreary and dull, the people hunched over and weary, as if they had all been dragged through the mud. Even the sky itself seemed to be weeping, great gray clouds hovering overhead, obscuring the sunlight and casting the world into a perpetual twilight.

[Village of the Wicked]

[Quest: Defend against or eliminate all enemies before sunrise.]

[Time Remaining: 00:04:30]

[Upon failure, receive another quest.]

"What the... a quest with a penalty continuation and the first one is multi-path?" Tommy murmured at the white screens that appeared to every Player. "Then what happens if we fail…?"

"I'm assuming this place is going to be under siege soon?" I mused to myself, pulling the Soultaker out from my inventory. "The whole theme screams vampires or something like that. Maybe the penalty continuation would be to eliminate turned vampires?" My question was answered when a haggard-looking soldier staggered up to us.

"Adventurers from another world!" He gasped, his eyes wild with desperation. "You must help us! The enemy forces plan to wipe us all out!"

The Players exchanged glances, then turned to the soldier. "We're here to help," A burly Player with cropped hair assured him. "What do you need us to do?"

"The enemy forces are gathering at the edge of the forest, preparing to attack," the soldier explained, pointing in the direction of the forest. "We have enough men to defend ourselves, but we fear that we won't be able to stop them all. We need you to help us hold them off until the sun rises, when our allies from another world will arrive to assist us."

Allies from another world? Weren't we the only ones who could come here?

I shook my head clear as swarms of Players moved to the front main gate. Perhaps I'd figure out what he meant after we clear the dungeon.

Tommy and I followed the crowd towards the opened gate, where NPC soldiers were gathered. With a start, I noticed they didn't seem like proper soldiers; in fact, many of them wore rags, like commoners. The armor they had was worn and rusted, barely holding together. They didn't even have proper weapons, using makeshift spears and shields instead. It was a pitiful sight.

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"The break of dawn falls in two hours!" One of the NPC soldiers shouted, rallying the defense force. "Let us hold them off until then! Our village lord shall bring us prosperity then!"

Players and NPC soldiers alike cheered at the rallying cry. I shot a glance towards Tommy.

"Should I do what I did back in the simulation room right now?" I grinned at him. "Freeze all the monsters into place for easy pickings?"

"If you do that, that might not leave anything for the other Players," Tommy snickered. "Not that I'm going to tell you not to, since I also get a share of the experience points."

"Ah wait, but then what if it might be useful for the second part of the quest?"

"Up to you. Either way, I'm sure you'll breeze through it."

As Tommy and I joked, we suddenly heard a far off horn sound from the direction of the forest. In high spirits, the other Players and I prepared ourselves to go to war. A dark wave of figures burst out from the trees, racing towards us.

"Huh?"

One of the Players sounded confused. The confusion quickly spread through us, once we realized what we were looking at.

Instead of a monster army, what emerged from the forest were soldiers in decorative and dignified armor, marching proudly. Even from a distance, they looked well-trained and disciplined. Their numbers were not as great as the defense force, but their quality more than made up for it.

"Sephera, what is this? I've never heard of Last Stand having human mobs."

[...This is only the start, Player.]

"What do you... mean?" I whispered back. As the village soldiers cried out, meeting to clash with what looked like a royal army, many of the Players hesitated to join. That was a given, considering the reality of the situation. We were so used to killing monsters that abruptly switching to humans just like us was a little... off-putting.

[The system prevents me from saying anything more, but Luquier... I really hope you don't fall into despair in the future.]

Before I could ask what Sephera meant, some of the royal army broke off, charging past the village army and straight towards the Players in front of the entrance. Even when faced with that, we were still paralyzed with confusion.

It was different for humanoid monsters, since they were just abnormal enough for us to look past the similarities. Hell, PvP between other Players was the closest we'd get to actually killing another human, but because death was disabled, we became numb to the idea.

That wasn't the case now. As the royal army drew closer, only a few Players stepped forward hesitantly, readying their weapons. I was pretty sure most of us had never killed another human before, much less an actual war.

"Those who came forth from another world!" One of the royal soldiers shouted to us as the unit came closer. "We will not harm you if you join us in wiping this accursed village or part for the kingdom's army. However, if you choose to stand with them, we have no choice but to eliminate you as well."

"Well, that's the dungeon quest!" Tommy declared loudly, probably to reassure himself. "These guys aren't from our world, and who knows if they really exist? Luke, we've got no choice but to help out the villagers."

He wasn't the only one who tried to reason about this dungeon. A couple of Players at the front had already started engaging with the royal army, crossing the line for the first time. With a grimace, I charged forward with the crowd, lingering towards the back. Forget farming damage, this would feel like a mass murder.

If whatever Tommy was going through seemed rough, he didn't hide it as he drew two swords from his Inventory and quickly cut down a royal soldier for the first time. Red blood gushed out, mingling with the spray of crimson that had begun to pour.

"Don't tell me you have a sense of morals," The Soultaker scoffed in my hand. I glanced at the blade, its blue runes glowing snobbishly. "They might be human like you, but they won't hesitate to do what you won't."

"Well, that's not completely it," I replied with a scowl. "I know this is just a game and it's life or death or whatever, but killing another human for the first time is a lot easier said than done."

"Then what are you going to do? Let the others kill them so that you won't stain your hands? Aside from wasting souls, that's still no better than killing them yourself," the sword countered, its words making me feel guilty. "You can't just stand there and do nothing. It's them or you. Besides, what if something happens and the other Players start dying because you don't join in?"

I gritted my teeth. It had a point. But there was something tugging at me that I couldn't explain, something that made me hesitant to cross the line. There was also a hint of fear, and not from the act of murder.

[As much as it pains me to admit, the sadist sword is right.]

"I know that," I snapped at both of them, trying to figure out another method. "I just... think about it from my perspective for a second. I've never killed another human before. How would you both feel about killing another Admin, or destroying another sword?"

[I've watched countless Admins get sacrificed.]

"I'm not actually a real sword, genius. I'm a fragment of Thanatos, and I quite literally exist as the concept of Death."

Right. Why did I think these two could relate to how I was feeling? I wished I had someone like Gigi right now.

"Wait a minute," I murmured, glancing down at my ring. Here was my answer.

[System alert: Ring of Echoed Whispers invoked. Summoning Awakened Herald Sea Serpent God, Levius.]

As blue smoke withered out from my ring in front of me, I tried to force the guilt down. Sure, it was still murder via a third party, but this way, I wouldn't have to feel what it was like to kill another person. For some reason, my guilt wasn't as strong as I thought it'd be, quickly vanishing without any effort.

The blue smoke condensed, forming a humanoid shape that solidified into a familiar figure. A man in flowing robes, deep-blue cold eyes, long dark hair, and thin smile stood before me. I expected the Levius specter to address me as its master or something of the sort.

"Immortal, was it? It is quite strange to be on the other side of our dynamic," Levius rumbled with a wicked grin. A chill ran through my body as some of the other Players near me stared at us in shock.

"You... still recognize me?" I whispered. Some that were still watching began to back away nervously. I didn't blame them. I was reconsidering whether summoning Levius had been a good idea or not. The ring's description never specified that the specter would be an ally.

"Of course," Levius continued with an air of amusement. "It seems that our roles have reversed, yet I believe you are the one who has bound me to servitude. I suppose you may command me as you please."

Holy fuck, it was a gamble and it paid off. Leaving the unnatural familiarity Levius had with me aside, I now had a very powerful servant I could summon.

"See those guys in better-looking clothing? Yeah, only eliminate them, and no one else," I instructed Levius, nodding at the royal army as I ignored the uncomfortable familiarness he was giving. Levius raised an eyebrow.

"Are you not participating, Immortal? I'd have expected you of all people to be at the frontline."

"Shut up and do what I said," I snapped, my patience with the specter's questioning already wearing thin. Levius shrugged, a playful grin playing across its lips.

He turned, immediately casting Flooded Kingdom and slowing down the royal army. He then split into four clones, each of them covering themselves in an armor of ice. From there, it was a slaughter, the four Levius clones traveling through the flood and decimating the royal army from within.