What a harrowing realization. The thought crossed him before yet it was never an extensive idea. He thought it was nigh impossible. He assumed no one would be insane enough to do it in the afterlife, where gods and prophets existed and lived. He should have figured otherwise.

'No one would be able to tell whether a player was killed by a monster or their fellow player. Any players that have died, it's possible it was not in fact because of the mission objective or the enemies, but an ally.'

William stood by, awkward and expression dropped in sympathy. Itzel barely managed to get back on her feet, her cheeks stained with her tears.

Kazi tilted towards William and whispered in his ear, "The invaders are us. Other players." William went wide-eyed and side-eyed him. "Think about it: players hunt these witches down, defeat or kill them to finish the objective, and then move on. But in this case, it was a batshit crazy guy that killed them."

"Jesus, it's like a hunting ground," William muttered. "What do we do about it? Should we stop all players from killing these women? I mean, clearly they are people, right? A-and this guy, are we dealing with Jack the Ripper 2.0?"

He shut his mouth, his ears twitched. Step, step, step, emerging from the fleet of stairs behind them. Kazi's eyes narrowed. "Someone's coming."

Shoulder-length blond hair, black earrings climbing the upper area of his ears, with a long hanging cross on the left ear. The individual who arrived onto the platform carried themselves with unbridled swagger. Level 19, a swordsman, and with a name that Kazi recognized on the spot.

"Nash," Kazi said.

The blue-eyed squinted and then snickered, putting a hand on his hip. "You're the bastard from the stall. Colour me surprised, I did not expect to see you again."

Kazi hid his emotions with a small smile. "What happened to your cohorts?"

"We split to look for clues, Scooby-Doo style. On my way here, I encountered a witch." The words that followed caused the Kaloomte' to clench her fist. "Killed her and found myself here."

'So it's not him.' Kazi wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. He was level 19 and by the look of it he struggled in his fight against the witch. His green tailored tweed blazer ripped at the left shoulder and splinters on his cheek.

"So you killed one of our sisters," said the Kaloomte'. Magic flickered in the air, like electricity. She was going to kill him.

Nash did not exhibit a tinge of fear. Kazi assumed it was because of his presence. The mini boss might have been level 25 but with two strong players the advantage would tip in his favour, in a battle or otherwise. "So…" Nash's accent drawled. "Gonna kill those witches? Or is something else going on?"

"So you're not an idiot," said William.

"Of course not." Nash lifted his hands in a shrug. "There's a mini boss, one guy with a higher levle than me, and one guy with a level that I can't even see. To be honest, I had a feeling you were strong. You got those hunter eyes. I respect that. Can I join?"

"You admitted to killing our sister," Xochutl interjected.

"I didn't know that," Nash replied. "How about we make bygones bygones?"

Hands in his pocket, Nash's easygoing reply triggered the hell out of everyone, including William. Even as the sole person of calmness, Kazi couldn't blame them. With that smirk on his face, anger was the rational response.

"You foolish man. Bygone be bygones, you say that after killing one of our own?" Kaloomte' Yuritzi's intense glare caused Nash's smirk to grow by half an inch. "And you have no remorse. We should kill you where you stand."

"No killing," Kazi stated firmly. "Nash, your party members are all over the map, correct?"

"Uh-huh. What, we want me to send him a text? Get the chaps together?"

"Tell them there's a dangerous man to look out for. A player, specifically."

"No problem, mate." Nash waved his hand to open up his party screen, fingers flying across the invisible keyboard.

William pursed his lips and said in a low whisper. "I know his type. They think because they got a bit of muscle and personality that they can do whatever they want. He's a bully. Are we really letting him join us?"

Xochutl was not as shy. "I agree. We should kill him as the Kaloomte' said."

"I heard that," Nash said.

"I hope you did," Xochutl replied.

"How long does it take for you girls to resurrect?" Kazi asked.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"For us," said Xochutl, mentally counting, "five minutes."

"For me," Kaloomte' Yuritzi continued, "it is less than a minute."

"Nash," Kazi called over, making pointed eye contact with him. "We're going to be killing the boss of this gate. You're joining me."

Nash raised his arms in surrender. "Alright, man. No complaints here as long as I get my fair share of XP."

William glared at Nash, then back to Kazi, exasperated. "Dude…!"

"Don't worry. He knows that as long as I'm around that he can't do anything." Eye contact unbroken with the smirking blond, Kazi continued, "William, you have something more important to do."

Confusion followed the young teen. "What? What is it?"

Kazi didn't speak for a good ten seconds. He checked the party and sent the two female members a message. He waited, arms crossed.

"I messaged Marta and Sun-young and got nothing. I already told them not to engage the witches, so if they're still not messaging me back..." He waited to emphasize his point. "Still nothing. There's a high probability they're being occupied by him." Fear flashed William when he understood what Kazi was saying. "You have to go after them. If you, Sun-young, and Marta are together, you should be fine."

William's tongue rolled around his cheek. He really didn't like Nash. It wasn't a personal grudge, it seemed. Kazi suspected William encountered slimes like Nash in the past at the gym and had a terrible experience with him. In that case…

"You can count on me to kick his butt," Kazi reassured. "Plus, as much as you might dislike Nash, it's not worth jeopardising our party safety."

William seethed, "You're right. You're absolutely right."

"Good man." Kazi patted him on the shoulder. "Keep messaging Ms. Sun-young. There's a tiny chance it could be a misunderstanding with a witch or a local monster. If you're lucky and nothing happens, then try not to engage, um…" He turned to Kaloomte' Yuritzi and urged her to describe the masked killer.

"A strange black hat, dastardly clothes akin to the blond slime, and a white mask with two black dots serving as eyes," Kaloomte' Yuritzi said. "He controls the darkness. Be weary of that. Once you are engulfed, it is impossible to escape."

Kazi's brows furrowed. "Wait, no holes in the mask? Just completely black dots?"

"Yes. Why?"

'This guy…it's possible he might have an echolocation skill like Drona.'

Merely a possibility, but a harrowing one. The more he heard of this masked killer, the greater his worry.

"William, go. Now."

Resolute, the young man ran off, purposely bumping into Nash's shoulder.

Nash pretended William hadn't just tried to hurt him. "You mentioned a boss? What's the plan?"

Instantly, Kazi equipped his weapons. "I'll be over in ten seconds. You'll be on standby."

***

Ninety-six steps up the Temple of Kukulcán and they arrived at the peak—a small chamber with absolutely nothing inside. Its size did not impress either. It couldn't have fit twenty people, much less a massive jaguar.

"What are we waiting for exactly? I see nothing here," Nash said.

Kaloomte' Yuritzi explained, "This is the Hall of Offerings. Unless we give an offering, the king will not see us."

"King?" Nash scoffed. "What an arrogant little shit. Anybody got catnip? I'm sure it'll act like a king when it sniffs that."

"No need. Step back, everyone." Kazi's wooden sceptre touched the stone ground and glowed a hot red. "Fire Dart."

With no space in between, the floor exploded from the red burst of flames and began to crumble. Kazi blinked. "I miscalculated," he said, and the floor completely gave out. The drop lasted three seconds and they landed in a pool of water. Splash!

Except it was only Nash that had fallen. Kaloomte' Yuritzi had used her magic to create a magical platform made of wind. Kazi waved down at him.

"Really?" Nash had a lock on his emotions, yet a slip of irritation came through him.

"It's good exercise," Kazi said.

"You're just wasting time," Nash shot back.

"Take it as your punishment for killing one of our own," said Kaloomte' Yuritizi, sneering down at him. Xochutl also mocked him by sticking her tongue out while Itzel giggled. Nash scowled and swam to the rocky surface.

That was when they heard the noises of battle. Intense battle, full of screams and roars.

"It's here!" The Kaloomte' threw her hands forward and the platform underneath Kazi moved along with. Forward they went, very quickly reaching another section of the cenote.

[ Warning! Boss in vicinity! ]

'It's here—'

Bam!

The entire cave system shook and the Kaloomte' nearly lost control of her wind spell. The section contained a giant jaguar that had slapped aside a knight wielding a shield and proceeded to roar to intimidate the other. Suffice to say, it worked and the knight's legs trembled.

Four Templar Knights were engaging the Giant Red Balam. Judging by the feeble swings of the last man standing, he was taught decently well. Better than Kazi expected. 'That's a guild member for you. They have the training and the weaponry.'

He glanced over the jaguar's seven-foot tall body till he reached its head. HP-wise, it was already halfway down.

[ Name: Giant Red Balam

Level: 27

Class: Jaguar ]

Under them, Nash let out a whistle. "That's a lot bigger than what I was expecting. So what's your plan again—"

"I'm going to kill it in ten seconds."

By equipping the Intermediate Swordsman Class, Kazi was given the Intermediate Sword Proficiency Class Skill. The giant jaguar failed to react in time as Kazi burst onto the scene, ignoring the engaged party, and jumped to Super Spark Strike its upper gums. It had been trying to bite one of the knights and now...

'Main method of attack, teeth, gone.'

The jaguar recoiled back, bleeding profusely. Kazi landed on the ground and pointed his staff up at its left eye.

"Fire Dart."

[ Critical hit landed! ]

Fire in its left eye, Kazi was already moving and slashed its arms and legs without mercy. His speed was too much and the jaguar could neither attack nor defend as he darted between each limb like a perfectly controlled manic. Slash, slash, slash! Dart. Slash, slash, slash! Dart. He reached the tail which he willingly sparred to be able to give himself the chance to run up it.

The delicate combination of equilibrium and speed was flawless. Olympic athletes specializing in tightrope would envy Kazi's dedication. The end of the tail arrived and he leaped forward, ignoring the jaguar's swaying body and howls of pain and stabbing it in the head.

'Super Spark Strike!'

[ Critical hit landed! ]

[ You have defeated Boss: Giant Red Balam ]

[ Receive:

150,000 XP ]

Just like that, it was over. The almighty servant of the underworld disappeared. By casting Lucky Break in his head he received bonuses.

[ Receive:

1x Red Jaguar Throne ]

"I told you, didn't I? It'll be over in ten seconds."

Kazi swung his sword to the side and let the blood of the animal splatter on stone.