Alex sees his opponent take something from his inventory, and suddenly a green block appears above the man. "What the hell is this? Is he Mario now?” Alex mutters, baffled.
His opponent jumps up and hits the block, and a metal cap flies out, which he quickly dons. In an instant, the man’s body and clothes shift color, now gleaming like metal.
Instead of standing by, Alex uses those precious seconds to launch three swift attacks.
You have dealt 6 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 3 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 5 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 2 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 7 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 3 damage to Player 7
Alex stares, surprised. His damage is cut to barely 10% of its usual strength, with frost damage reduced to 20%.
The giant uses a healing item, and Alex watches as his wounds heal almost instantly. Seeing his chance, Alex presses the attack again, then darts back, using Basic Footwork lvl 2 to escape melee range.
You have dealt 5 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 2 damage to Player 7
"You damn freak, I’ve wasted so much on you already. NOW DIE!" the giant yells, throwing a kunai with an angry thrust. Alex raises his shield but can’t block it in time; the kunai strikes his chest, though it glances off his armor. “Your toys from Naruto don’t work against this armor," Alex thinks, noting the kunai did barely scratch his armor.
Icewing Embrace Durability -1
Suddenly, Alex notices something burning. Glancing down, he sees not one, not two, but three explosive tags on the kunai, flames licking closer with every second. Barely in time, he raises his shield in front of his face as the tags detonate, throwing him back through the air, easily 20 meters, until he crashes onto a car. His Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 2 shatters instantly.
Icewing Embrace Durability -5
You have taken 25 damage
Icewing Embrace Durability -5
You have taken 25 damage
Icewing Embrace Durability -4
Icewing Embrace broken
You have taken 57 damage
Alex Kerber: Lvl 2
HP: 51/158, MP: 80/138
Barely surviving, Alex, shocked and injured, decides he needs everything he has to recover. He gulps down both of his [Potion]’s and a generic [Healing Potion], then eats a [Navalia Wolf Jerky] as he stumbles away to catch a breather.
You have recovered 15 HP
You have recovered 15 HP
You have recovered 20 HP
Alex Kerber: Lvl 2
HP: 101/158, MP: 80/138
Alex leaps behind a car as the giant chases him, shotgun in hand. The shots hit him once more, but thanks to the distance and Alex's armor, he manages to slip away behind a car, only taking moderate damage.
You have taken 14 damage
Alex Kerber: Lvl 2
HP: 87/158, MP: 80/138
"Guess I’ve got no choice. Think that’s all I’ve got?" Alex mutters, conjuring another Annihilation Grenade lvl 2 and reactivating Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 2, nearly depleting his entire MP pool.
As the giant charges, Alex meets him head-on, catching him off-guard with the powerful frost aura. The giant lands a series of punches before Alex manages to leap back, feeling each impact despite his reinforced armor. Even so, the giant takes small amounts of damage from the ice spikes, though his metal-enhanced body reduces it.
Icewing Embrace Durability -2
You have taken 7 damage
You have dealt 3 damage to Player 7
Icewing Embrace Durability -2
You have taken 6 damage
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
You have dealt 4 damage to Player 7
Icewing Embrace Durability -2
You have taken 5 damage
You have dealt 3 damage to Player 7
With a quick dodge, Alex jumps back, then suddenly rushes forward again. He slams his shield into the giant’s face, then leaps onto a nearby car and glides away using his icy wings.
You have dealt 2 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 2 damage to Player 7
The giant laughs mockingly. “Is running away all you’ve got, COWARD!” But just then, he feels an explosion rock the ground beneath him, Alex had secretly dropped the freshly conjured grenade at his feet before gliding away.
You have dealt 12 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 1 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 1 damage to Player 7
…
You have dealt 1 damage to Player 7
You have dealt 22 damage to Player 7
You have ignited Player 7
The burning effect deals 2 damage to Player 7
The burning effect deals 2 damage to Player 7
The burning effect deals 2 damage to Player 7
The burning effect deals 2 damage to Player 7
…
The burning effect deals 2 damage to Player 7
The shrapnel and explosion, while heavily reduced, set the giant ablaze. His metallic body glows fiery red, trapping the heat and intensifying the agony as the fire roasts him alive. His screams echo across the bridge, each one filled with raw pain and terror, his voice a continuous, horrific wail of suffering.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Alex sees the smoke clearing and decides to ignore his screaming enemy. "He's done for. I have an ingenious idea, and that guy better reward me if this works. Let him cook for a while. Doesn’t look like he can fight anymore," Alex thinks, giving his burning foe one last glance before moving.
Spotting Rishi and Tereza caught in a heated 2-on-2 battle against the sibling duo, Alex quickly remembers the grudge he has against these two from their attempt to manipulate him through the trade system. Knowing it’s his chance to repay the favor, he surprises them, pulling out his pair of Glocks and firing mercilessly at them from behind, each bullet striking with the added force of his icy conjuration spell.
The 2 last survivors are hopelessly bombarded with bullets and instantly collapse, looking up at Alex in shock and disbelief.
"Tereza, kill one of them. Rishi, you finish the other!" Alex commands.
Tereza and Rishi glance at him, their expressions frozen in surprise as they realize their brutal showdown has just ended in an unexpected twist. Tereza pulls out her pistol, firing a quick shot into the man’s chest. Rishi, on the other hand, conjures his "Fire" spell, igniting the woman in a quick, searing blaze.
"Now, hurry, both of you!" Alex calls, motioning for them to follow. "The giant's still barely alive. Let’s finish this before he burns out!"
They sprint over and find the giant lying prone, his iron-clad body glowing red-hot, barely clinging to life. Alex nods at Rishi. “Finish him off, now!”
Rishi doesn’t hesitate this time, casting a swift Mind Strike to bypass the giant’s iron defense, delivering a fatal blow directly to his mind. The giant’s body shudders, then falls still.
"Why tell me to take the kills?” Rishi asks, before realization dawns on him. "Wait! Oh, I see! You’re a genius, my friend!" he exclaims, grinning widely. "How rare that I didn’t think of that… I must be getting too caught up in the thrill."
Tereza looks at them both, puzzled. "What are you two on about?"
"Take a look at the rankings," Rishi says, gesturing with a smirk.
[Current ranking:
1. Player 13 - 13
1. Player 3 - 13
3. Player 2 - 7]
“So, you’re both tied… ah, I see. Both tied at first? Maybe you’ll both get the top reward!” Tereza muses, catching onto Alex and Rishi’s idea. "Could be that Alex gets it since he reached his kills earlier… but the ranking does show you both in first place. Interesting."
Alex, meanwhile, retrieves the chest from the giant, making it an impressive total of twelve chests for himself. He considers asking the others to hand over their chests as well, but he knows the contents were set when the chests appeared, meaning who opens them doesn’t actually affect the loot.
You received Bloody Chest (Player 7)
A few minutes later, a system message flashes:
[It is now 4 AM. Remaining players: 3
Remaining players’ locations will be revealed in 5 seconds for the duration of 60 seconds.]
“What a bummer,” Rishi says, smiling. “Two hours to go with nothing to do… next time, we should try a 100-player mission. One that doesn’t end so quickly!”
“Madman,” Alex thinks, though he’s not sure if Rishi’s kidding or dead serious. The sheer carnage, 47 people gone, leaves a bad taste in his mouth. While Alex knows he can’t save anyone here, the extent of it still hits him.
“Let’s take a look around,” he suggests. “I know that killing NPCs won’t impact our rating, and they don’t drop anything, but I have a feeling this mission offers more than just a flimsy backstory for a PvP bloodfest. The Realm usually has hidden quests and items; maybe we can find something.”
“I’ve never seen this one,” Rishi admits. “I think I only watched the first movie, The Purge.”
Tereza shrugs, “Me neither.”
Alex adds, “I’ve seen it once… years ago, while playing Warcraft III custom maps on my second screen…”
Rishi laughs, “This is hopeless. Don’t worry, we’ve achieved a lot already. As long as we keep moving, the system won’t penalize us for ‘hiding,’ and we’re set for now.”
While they head to a nearby car that still works, Alex takes a seat in the back, and Tereza decides to drive. As they pull away, Alex’s thoughts linger on the remaining hours. “Killing NPCs doesn't affect the rating, and they don’t drop anything useful, but I still feel like there's more to uncover here...maybe some hidden quests or items we missed.” With the mission’s main goal complete, Alex can't help but feel curious about any secrets this world might still be hiding, eager to dig deeper before the clock runs out.