Slashblade froze mid-step, staring at the whirlwind of motion ahead.
Ethan, in his panther form, barreled toward the Shield Tank like a storm.
The Shield Tank smirked, confident in his plan. Ethan would undoubtedly eat a Shield Bash, get knocked back, and become an easy target for Birdsoar and the others charging in from behind. It was an sharp strategy, or so they thought.
They didn't understand the mechanics of Shield Bash. The knockback effect didn't just trigger automatically; it depended on the relative strength of the attacker and defender. If the target's strength surpassed the Shield Tank's, the knockback wouldn't even activate.
Ethan, of course, knew this. His forced stat allocation balanced growth points across all attributes, and with his Bloodline effect, it still gave him power equivalent to a player specializing solely in strength. Meanwhile, Shield Tanks prioritized endurance and vitality over raw power, strength was an afterthought at best.
BANG!
As Ethan approached, his rolling form extended, snapping back into panther shape. His momentum carried him headfirst into the bottom edge of the Shield Tank's shield.
"Ow… damn, that hurt," Ethan muttered, gritting his teeth through the pain.
The impact wasn't just brute force, it was precision. His aim forced the shield upward, wrenching the Shield Tank's arm high and exposing his vulnerable chest.
The Shield Tank reacted quickly, swinging his one-handed sword in a desperate counterattack. But Ethan's panther form granted him a 20% attack speed bonus. He was faster, much faster.
Shred!
-193!
The hit didn't finish the Tank off, he was a blood-soaked juggernaut of durability. But his health bar now hovered precariously low.
Without hesitation, Ethan followed up with Rake, slashing the Tank across the chest before deftly dodging the retaliatory swing. Leaving the groaning Tank behind, Ethan lunged for the Warlock standing just beyond him.
The Warlock's face drained of color as he watched Ethan tear through his team in just seven seconds. His spellcasting faltered, and his Destruction Bolt fizzled mid-chant. Panic consumed him as he stumbled back, desperately trying to escape.
Ethan wasn't about to give him the chance. Pouncing mid-air, he pinned the Warlock to the ground, sinking his fangs into the back of his neck.
Savage Bite!
-262! (Critical Hit!)
The Warlock dissolved into a lifeless corpse, his summoned Imps vanishing into thin air.
"Damn, broke and useless," Ethan grumbled, glaring at the Warlock's empty loot drop.
The Warlock's death triggered chaos. Moments later, the bloodied Shield Tank and the Rogue, despite downing a slow-regen potion and an instant-heal potion, collapsed in quick succession.
Birdsoar, the final opponent, froze. Realizing he was outnumbered, he turned to flee.
But just as he pivoted, a Judgement skill slammed into him, staggering his retreat. Slashblade and the nearby Paladin cut off his escape.
Ethan grabbed the discarded shield left behind by the Tank and leapt into action. Slipping behind Birdsoar, he unleashed another Rake, carving a deep gash into his back. Blood poured from the wound as Birdsoar yelped in pain, hastily chugging a slow-regen potion.
"You can kill me now," Birdsoar spat, glaring at Ethan and the rest, "but mark my words, when we're out of the Starter Zone, you'll regret this. None of you will survive!"
-34, +16, -32, +16…
His health continued to decline, his bravado slowly draining along with it. Yet, even on the brink, he couldn't help but issue empty threats.
"Hey, give him a heal. Don't let him die so soon," Ethan said, glancing at Slashblade.
Before Ethan had collided with the Shield Tank earlier, he had noticed Slashblade holding a staff, a faint glow of white light gathering in his hands, the telltale sign of Basic Heal. When Ethan had emerged unscathed, Slashblade had canceled the spell mid-cast.
Slashblade hesitated for a moment before nodding and casting Basic Heal on Birdsoar.
Birdsoar's health bar shot back to full instantly. Early-game Priests were absurdly powerful, one spell was all it took to restore a nearly dead tank.
Seeing his health restored, Birdsoar smirked mockingly. "Oh, youre actually a Priest, huh? You hid it quite well. Well, lucky for you, you'requite smart."
He gestured toward Ethan with forced confidence, masking his unease. "Still, your little trick doesn't change the facts. That gear you just picked up, it's worth more than you know. Hand it over and let's forget about this whole mess with our dignity intact."
Ethan chuckled, "You think we're negotiating? His panther form twisted his grin into something chilling, his fangs glinting with a bloodthirsty light.
Birdsoar flinched. "Uh… on second thought, you can keep it. Consider it a gift!" He began inching backward, clearly preparing to bolt.
Too late.
Ethan surged forward, a streak of black lightning, tackling Birdsoar to the ground. Two swift Rake attacks slashed deep into his face, carving an "X" across his features as blood sprayed violently.
Birdsoar's screams filled the air, interspersed with curses and threats.
Ethan wasn't finished. He kept slashing.
Rake. Rake.
Even though the bleed effect didn't stack, the scars did. His claws shredded Birdsoar's chest, leaving crisscrossing wounds so deep that chunks of flesh began to peel away.
"Hey, uh, I'm running low on mana!" Slashblade voice called out hesitantly, his forehead glistening with sweat.
Nearby, the Paladin was crouched, his face etched with obvious shock.
Slashblade continued tossing Basic Heals on Birdsoar, terrified that if Ethan wasn't satisfied, he might turn on them next. He didn't want to find out how far Ethan's sadism extended.
"Keep it up, I'm almost done." Ethan said, not even glancing back.
Slashblade reluctantly pulled out a mana potion, grimacing as he downed it. In the early game, mana potions cost 5 silver apiece, an outrageous price. This one had dropped from a kill earlier, and Slashblade would have never spent the money otherwise.
Ethan swapped out his weapon, replacing his +10 Bronze-tier Heavy Warhammer with a basic starter mace. Though it dealt less damage, the pain it inflicted was no less severe.
He aimed a vicious swipe at Birdsoar's most sensitive region.
A piercing shriek, ten times louder than before, tore through the area. Players nearby stopped what they were doing, glancing toward the source of the noise, but the dense underbrush concealed the carnage.
Ethan struck again and again until Birdsoar's screams ceased entirely. A 20-second countdown timer appeared above his head, forced logout.
"Guess he called for help," Ethan muttered, realizing someone had forcibly removed Birdsoar's VR headset in the real world. If Birdsoar had been using a high-end VR capsule, he would have logged out instantly, escaping with his gear intact.
"That wasn't enough," Ethan grumbled, quickly executing two Shred attacks to finish Birdsoar off.
With a final gasp, Birdsoar's body crumpled into white light.
Clatter.
His gear spilled across the ground, a glittering pile of loot.