Glancing over the surrounding players, Wilbert quickly evaluated the situation.

'There's enough room for me to stun one, but I'll only have time to make one attack.'

Naturally, when surrounded and only having one opportunity to attack, Wilbert's mind immediately went to the newly discovered [Wind Cleaver].

'But…' He glanced at the announcements in the bottom left of his vision. 'I can't guarantee that it'll work.'

With a grit of his teeth, Wilbert muttered, "I can't take the risk…"

Unlike players, Wilbert would not come back to life when he died—the memory of his parents' warm corpses was enough to remind him of that.

'Fine, I can only hope the weaker version will work.'

A vicious glint flashed across his eyes as he steeled his resolve.

Roaring, Wilbert dashed towards the player who looked the weakest. This player had scrawny arms, patchy armour, and a rusty sword. Although the other players had lacking equipment as well, this one had the weediest body.

[Shield Bash]!

The moment [Shield Bash] was executed, Wilbert stabbed his sword into the ground and selected the training staff. It instantly materialised in his empty hand, and he cast [Wind Slash].

Two of the players were relatively close together after closing in on Wilbert, so they were both caught by the attack. Neither was killed, but they were knocked back, losing their momentum and delaying them for a few seconds.

As Wilbert cast aside his staff and picked his sword back up, he remaining player moved close to Wilbert and activated his skill. The man with the hammer swung from above his head, seemingly aiming to crush Wilbert's head like a tomato. The speed at which the heavy hammer was descending was fast enough frighten a fully armed knight, let alone some small village boy without any armour.

However, Wilbert had not neglected him and activated [Wind Barrier]. The skill would not completely negate an attack, but it would reduce its speed and power. Thus, although he did not have time to properly activate [Basic Block], the attack was weak enough that he could resist it without properly bracing himself.

The expression of the brute with the hammer did not change, but Wilbert got the feeling that he was confused by his combination of skills. He took advantage of this momentary confusion to launch [Basic Jab], his skill of choice when attacking one enemy.

Unfortunately, that attack did not instantly kill him.

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With a frown, Wilbert thought, 'That attack didn't feel as good as the previous ones. Did I not execute it correctly, or is there something else I'm missing?'

As Wilbert was preparing to launch a follow-up attack, the brute before him pulled out a glass vial filled with a red liquid from behind him.

'A potion!'

Having only heard about such magical medication from the elders in his village, Wilbert was shocked to see this player in possession of one.

Before he could send the second attack to finish off the man, the brute raised his hand towards his face and… smashed the vial against his face!

'Eh?' Almost forgetting the situation he was in, Wilbert was flabbergasted. 'I'm pretty sure… that's not how you use a potion.'

To think that such a valuable medication would be squandered by a moron!

Shaking his head to rid the useless thoughts from his mind, Wilbert launched his attack on the player.

[You have killed GenericName69 - Human (Level 12).]

[You have gained 1,406 XP.]

Despite using a potion, it seemed that it was not as effective as Wilbert had imagined.

By now, the man who had been stunned by [Basic Shield Bash] had come to and was rushing at Wilbert with his sword raised, and the two who had been knocked back by his magic attack had also started running towards him.

Wilbert chose to quickly attack the single enemy so that he would only have to worry about enemies on one front.

With a low stance, he scurried up to the man.

The man swung his sword down at his head, but Wilbert stepped to the side while nudging the sword with his shield. He steadied his footing and sent a [Basic Jab] at the man's neck.

[You have killed GenericName33 - Human (Level 11).]

[You have gained 1,155 XP.]

With three of the original five having been dispatched, Wilbert eyed up the last two. There seemed to be a moment of hesitation before they charged forward, still with their expressionless faces.

'Even after seeing the state of their companions, they're insisting on attacking, and it doesn't look like there's a hint of fear in their eyes. Does death not scare them? Do they not care for their lives? Even if they come back to life, a sword cutting their flesh will still hurt, right?'

He tutted at the stupidity of these monsters as he separated his feet, adopting a mid-stance. As soon as the two 'stupid' players were within range, he executed [Basic Slash].

Given that they had already been wounded by his earlier magic attack, the players instantly dropped dead.

[You have killed GenericName25 - Human (Level 11).]

[You have gained 1,155 XP.]

[You have killed GenericName96 - Human (Level 12).]

[You have gained 1,406 XP.]

A deep sigh escaped Wilbert's lips as his shoulders sagged. He glanced over the dead bodies that littered the ground, and he felt sickened. Rather than feeling remorse for killing these people, it was more that he was sickened that such fools existed in the world.

'Just how many people have suffered like I have because of them, and how many more people will suffer because of them?'

After waiting a few more minutes, it became apparent that the players were not going to respawn there.

'It seems they didn't use "login", or perhaps they've lived all their lives. I wonder, is it six deaths for all of them, or was does it vary?'

At that moment, he remembered the trio of players who had acted as bait and kept him busy while others came to their position. He immediately raised his guard and scoured the bushes with his gaze, expecting an ambush. He moved to a safer position against a thick tree, keeping his shield raised all the while.

However, after several minutes of heightened alert, there was no sign of any players.

'I should go and deal with those bastards. If not for them, I wouldn't have had to kill again.'

When he was about to make his way away from the area, he heard a rustle in the bushes to his right.