"Kill!"
But this time, the enemies were not ordinary foes. They were the elite of the MP Guild, men said to be of the highest rank. Each one possessed a deep understanding of his job and skills, and above all, their physical abilities were nothing short of excellent.
In reality, even though they relied on martial arts, some adopted a boxer's footwork while others charged forward with heavy, crushing steps, all attacking Lokan at once.
"Heh heh heh heh heh!"
A War Cry erupted, but this time it barely mattered. His attributes might have been slightly reduced, and their movements felt somewhat slowed, but no one was stunned. Perhaps it was because of the level difference, but something seemed to neutralize the effect.
"Not through, bastard!"
Even that wasn't enough to deter them—they raised their weapons and swung at Lokan.
"Whatever!"
Boom!
But Lokan was not the type to allow an attack so easily. He swung his battle-axe and shattered their swords in a heartbeat. Three blades, stabbed toward him with brutal force, were all knocked aside at the same instant.
It was a motion bordering on divine, yet to Lokan it was nothing more than natural.
So the shout gives them a buff, huh? he thought.
He didn't care that War Cry failed. Debuffs could always be countered or weakened by other skill effects. Besides, War Cry was nothing but a minor nuisance. Lokan trusted only in his own raw power.
"Take this too! Fire Enchantment!"
This time, one opponent invoked an enchantment skill to strengthen his weapon. A longsword, wreathed in brilliant flames, sliced the air in a dazzling arc.
"Pathetic."
Lokan's response was cold and simple. He sneered at the opponent's wild swing and delivered a short, controlled slash of his Battle-Axe.
No matter how heavy an axe may be, swinging it wildly in a desperate situation was a rookie's mistake. The lighter longsword and the heavier axe clashed almost simultaneously, but it was the Battle-Axe that landed first. Simple movements and overwhelming power made all the difference.
"Gah!"
And with that, the duel ended.
"Crazy! His strength isn't his only weapon!"
"Scatter!"
The survivors misunderstood what they were facing. They believed Lokan had drastically raised his agility as well as his strength, assuming that attack speed was influenced only by agility.
That might be true in an ordinary game, but The Lord was different. Like in baseball, where you can't tell whether bat speed comes from lightness or pure force, attack speed in close combat was far more affected by raw strength than they realized.
And that misunderstanding proved fatal.
"Leaf Attack!"
"Argh!"
Convinced that Lokan's agility would be low, the plan of those who tried to rely on mobility and magical firepower collapsed. Fear that they would be caught if they ran slowed their movements and broke their coordination. Lokan slipped through the gaps like a shadow, reducing their numbers with ruthless precision.
For a while, he darted through the battlefield like a predator—until something burst from behind him.
A thief, hidden and waiting for the perfect moment, finally struck.
"A sneaky attack! Twist the blade!"
"… …"
Slash!
Most attacks had bounced harmlessly off Lokan's hardened body, but not this time. The blade pierced his back and twisted cruelly, opening a wound that bled profusely.
"Strike!"
Slash!
The thief followed up immediately, forcing Lokan to swing his arm to shake him off, but the damage was significant.
Bleeding—a status ailment among the worst. Unless one poured a potion or received a priest's healing spell, the bleeding would never stop on its own.
"Great job!"
His enemies knew it too. Determined not to give him time to take a potion, they launched a relentless barrage of attacks.
Clang! Clang!
Lokan swung his battle-axe, smashing weapons aside, but the situation left him no chance to pull out a potion.
"Heh heh! Die slowly!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"… …"
But then, as if by miracle, the blood pouring from Lokan's back stopped abruptly.
It was the power of the Emerald Necklace of Tears, obtained through the Love Letter quest. The magic-grade necklace carried a delayed hemostatic effect. As soon as it activated, the blood dried rapidly, and the bleeding status vanished.
"Did you think that would work?"
What remained was Lokan, growling like an enraged lion.
Elite Defeat!
The elite squad secretly dispatched by the MP Guild had inflicted some damage, but in the end, they were annihilated.
Though they were not officially PKs, attacking Lokan made them temporary "criminals," and because Lokan was granted self-defense rights, they suffered penalties equivalent to those of true player killers.
"These fools… delightful!"
Massive experience loss and item drops followed.
At a time when every coin mattered, seven of them dropped their equipped items. Pyria had initially intended to send only three, but fear of Lokan's growing reputation had driven her to dispatch a larger force—only for them to be utterly crushed.
The original plan was to trample Lokan, record the humiliation on video, and post it to the bulletin board while regaining lost status. Instead, they were wiped out by a single opponent and lost major equipment—an absolute disaster for Pyria.
Fortunately for them, their guild still maintained influence and could rally members, but they lacked the gold to immediately restore their gear. To obtain proper equipment again, they would need to grind endlessly or resort to buying gold with real cash.
"No. Better to greet our lovely whale," Lokan mused with a cruel smile.
He never doubted they would become his cherished Hogaeng—easy prey. Recovering honestly through hunting would take too long.
Forming parties to grind might help, but for those already knee-deep in the PK group Blood Chaser, such opportunities were rare.
He was certain they would instead try to kill him by any means and reclaim their place in the MP Guild.
And that decision would only feed Lokan's profits.
Gold prices were already rising, and he had no intention of releasing all his stock. The value would climb higher and higher.
"Now, where to next…?"
Recalling the saying paddle while the tide runs high, Lokan moved to his next target. He looted Blood Chasers desperate to recover the gold they had burned through PK activities, fattening his own purse.
Though elite reinforcements occasionally appeared, poorly equipped and predictable, they were no match for Lokan—especially now that he was familiar with their fighting style. He crushed them swiftly, not even bothering to activate Berserk.
"Thanks for the donation. Keep working hard," he muttered after each kill.
For a while, Lokan hunted PKs relentlessly. When encounters became scarce, he used identity camouflage to sell gold.
No special service was needed. With gold drying up, buyers now bowed just for the chance to purchase.
The total gold sold reached twenty, split into two ten-gold transactions. He enjoyed easy money but preferred balance; letting only one group grow stronger was never wise.
Naturally, neither Blood Chaser nor the MP Guild were among the buyers. The more desperate they became, the higher the market price climbed.
Lokan planned to sell again tomorrow and logged out for the night.
"I think the time has come."
It was rare for Youngmin to log out before the time limit expired, a sign that something important awaited.
Brrr!
His smartphone vibrated violently—KakaoTalk.
[Suhee♡: Maybe your brother is Lokan?]
Straightforward as ever. It was Lim Soo-hee, his ex-girlfriend who hadn't cared about him since their breakup. She must have blocked his number, yet here she was, sending this message.
"Perfect timing."
Lim Soo-hee loved games. She had probably played with Youngmin many times and recognized the IDs he often used. She wasn't entirely certain, but she clearly suspected the truth.
She knew Youngmin's old gaming skills, yet she couldn't reconcile them with the terrifying ability Lokan now displayed.
In his previous life, Youngmin had never possessed this level of strength or control.
Then the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong!
"Already here?"
No one usually visited, but today was different. Youngmin had called for them himself.
They were Falcon engineers, arriving to provide capsule transfer service. Today was moving day.
[Me: I'm talking about the Metalier ID.]
Youngmin replied casually while greeting the Falcon staff, hiding a quiet satisfaction.
His physique had improved, but his appearance remained mostly the same. Even if someone eventually connected Youngmin to Lokan, he only needed a little time. No one knew the address of his new home.
Even if someone tried to track him down through Lim Soo-hee, who knew the location of his old apartment, it would be impossible.
He moved not because of earnings from The Lord—which were still modest—but to escape the dangerous ties he had formed with Blood Chaser and the MP Guild.
Given the damage he had inflicted, pursuit was inevitable.
"Let's go."
The small studio contained little to move. One small truck was enough, and the new location wasn't far. The move was quick and simple.
Most of his belongings were trivial; the only essentials were some clothes and the gaming capsule—the true lifeline.
"Now then, shall we start hunting again?"
After just a few hours, Youngmin settled into his new home and entered the capsule once more.
And during those few hours, the world inside The Lord had changed dramatically.
"Wow, these guys are insane."
The Blood Chasers had grown reckless. Lokan had robbed them several times, sweeping through hunting grounds like a storm, and after losing gear to him repeatedly, their finances no longer balanced.
So they turned their malice on the wrong targets.
"Do they not realize this is suicide?"
They began attacking guild members.
Until now, an unspoken non-aggression pact existed. Guilds avoided interfering with each other's growth, while Blood Chasers refrained from provoking guilds outright.
But that fragile balance had shattered. Whether from desperation or the belief that open competition had begun, the Blood Chasers invaded guild hunting grounds.
Their true targets were, of course, not the monsters—but the players.
The MP Guild elites who had once come for Lokan now organized raids to rob other guild members.
The results were mixed. Though guild players were strong, they were often mid-fight with monsters, allowing the Blood Chasers to ambush and win several skirmishes.
But this victory came at a terrible price.
The attacked guilds erupted in fury. Not only the victims, but nearly every guild in Trinshik rose in unison.
They resolved to crush the Blood Chasers completely before the threat could spread.
Tacit agreements no longer mattered. Fear of future harm united them in a common cause.
Guild after guild joined the hunt, turning the entire city into a battlefield. Hunting stopped altogether as players mobilized to exterminate the Blood Chasers.
Thanks to this massive retaliation, Lokan didn't even need to act.
"Tsk. Guess it'll be harder to leech honey for a while."
Without him lifting a finger, the Blood Chasers began to crumble.
This was Pyria's fatal miscalculation.