His pupils turned golden as he scanned the empty air around him.
Soon, following the faint traces of magic, he found his target.
As expected.
Sshk!
"Guhh...!"
Out of the seemingly empty air, someone suddenly clutched their throat and collapsed.
Jhin's strike had landed cleanly.
[Player 'Jinx' has died from your attack.]
[You have acquired Player 'Jinx's "Shabby Shirt."]
The system messages echoed in his ears.
As expected, they were Red Players — their names glowing red.
"H-how could you...?"
The masked man gasped in shock, glaring warily at Jhin.
Jhin just shrugged.
It wasn't a hard deduction.
"Who else could freely control explosions around here?"
Even if someone had received a similar ability as a server shutdown compensation, it wouldn't have been easy.
Explosion magic was a far more advanced skill than they probably thought.
"But if there were two of you, it makes more sense. Combining 'Ignition' and 'Gas'? Clever idea."
Swinging his sword again, Jhin rushed at another spot in the air.
Someone tried to flee, but they couldn't avoid his attack.
[Player 'Mason' has died from your attack.]
[You have acquired Player 'Mason's "Birchwood Staff."]
"Add someone with a 'Separation' skill, and you could create even more stable explosions. Am I wrong?"
The masked man stayed silent.
"Now, it's your turn."
Jhin pointed his longsword at him and glared fiercely.
The masked man tried to back away, but he couldn't match Jhin's speed.
The masked man had ignition abilities — magic-based.
But Jhin charged in without hesitation.
"Even if you were a master of close combat, it wouldn't matter."
Did anyone think he survived the hell-difficulty trial nexus by sheer luck?
His ninety days of grueling struggle there weren't something a thug like Sam could possibly overcome.
"W-wait! Wait just a second—!"
As Jhin rushed at him, the masked man shouted desperately.
But—
"Did you ever wait just because someone else asked you to?"
"...."
"That's what responsibility means."
"Damn you! Die!!"
The masked man gritted his teeth and thrust his hands forward.
Ignition activated — a powerful flame about 1 meter in diameter burst forth.
But—
"Feels kinda warm."
To Jhin, who had once been chased by lava in the trial nexus, this was laughably mild.
Maybe good enough to roast some potatoes if he had any.
Easily dodging the flame, Jhin closed the distance.
Sshk!
Without hesitation, his sharp blade slashed across the masked man's throat.
Blood gushed, and the masked man's body crumbled.
Grabbing his own neck, the masked man muttered:
"S-so... easily..."
Meanwhile, Jhin calmly observed his own emotionless state.
Three kills already.
And yet, no turmoil within.
Maybe it was because he knew he'd only cut down evil.
Rather than guilt, it felt more like he'd exterminated a monster.
Maybe that feeling was correct.
Behold—
[Level Up!]
Gaining a level was proof that the system recognized this person as a monster —
because normally, you can't gain experience from killing players.
Only a Red Player killing a White Player, or vice versa, could generate EXP.
Jhin brushed off the remaining emotional residue while glancing at the corpse.
Yes.
There was no need for guilt.
This man had already killed numerous people — a Red Player, a serial killer even before the world collapsed.
He deserved this fate.
[Player 'Sam' has died from your attack.]
[You have acquired Player 'Sam's "Dungeon Grass."]
And most importantly, there was something else urgent.
The reward he gained:
'Dungeon Grass'...
Now he understood why dungeon breaks were accelerating.
With just a single item, all the strange happenings made sense.
"I don't know why this is here... but I'd better move quickly."
The policeman introduced himself as Caleb.
Looking down at the blood-soaked white mask, he said:
"Sam was the man who killed my sister."
It wasn't just a cop-and-criminal relationship, it seemed.
As Jhin pondered what words of comfort he could offer, he eventually turned his head.
This man wasn't speaking because he wanted a response.
"Thank you for saving my life."
"It's nothing. Bad people just got what they deserved."
Caleb, who had bowed his head, now looked up again and said:
"I know it's shameless, but I have a favor to ask."
Despite his stubborn-looking face, he looked genuinely worried.
"Our group was ambushed and scattered by thugs like Sam."
"Thugs? You mean there are more of them?"
"I saw at least ten."
"…They planned this from the beginning, huh?"
"Yes. And after seeing those guys up close, I'm even more certain of something."
Caleb looked over the corpses of Jinx and Mason — both tough, rough-looking men.
"They were all prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment. Inmates from the same prison."
"No way..."
"It looks like prison criminals have become players."
That criminal gang must have hidden themselves inside the dungeon and ambushed Caleb's group.
"Somehow, they weren't attacked by skeletons. They must have a special item."
And then he said:
"…Their real target is Millie.."
"Millie?"
"Yes. They mentioned aiming for the 'Gunslinger.'"
"Gunslinger..."
Hearing this, Jhin blinked and asked, puzzled:
"Wait a second. Who? The Gunslinger?"