'At times like this, I'll go with the usual plan.'
Lokan glanced back at them with a crooked smile, then turned his sharp gaze to the prey ahead.
"Throwing!"
Even the so-called Leaf Attack was blocked, but Lokan's next move was a sudden hatchet throw. Their arrows were fast, but the speed of a hatchet propelled by Lokan's overwhelming strength was just as terrifying.
Whoosh—Thwack!
The spinning blade pierced the monster's head with precision, cutting a deep wound and reducing its health bar in an instant. Yet the inevitable followed.
Pabababa!
"Ouch, sorry! I thought I got the first hit!"
Of course. Arrows and magic streaked toward the same target, shamelessly stealing experience points. Their mocking smiles made the fake apologies even more infuriating.
And it didn't stop there. Each time Lokan marked a new target, arrows and spells rained down like daggers, carving away his kills and stealing a share of the experience.
"What are you planning to do now?"
The loot itself didn't matter—Lokan was already rich. But leveling up while constantly losing kill credit would take far too long.
As if angered, he hardened his expression and strode toward them.
It wasn't a direct attack on him, so the system wouldn't register self-defense. If he struck first, he would become a PK.
That was exactly the excuse they wanted.
"What's this about? Didn't you apologize just a moment ago?"
They knew the rules too well; smug smiles lingered on their lips as they scolded him.
"Aren't you deliberately sniping the monsters I'm targeting? There are plenty of mobs around here."
Lokan forced his temper down. He wanted nothing more than to split them in half, but he started with words.
Not because he expected reason—but because every plan needs a proper opening move.
"Don't you think it's just a coincidence?" one of them said with a mock-innocent tilt of his head.
"A coincidence, obviously," another chimed in.
"Of course. We'd never do something like that."
Their shameless laughter made the claim all the more absurd. Lokan simply nodded as if he understood.
"Fine. Hunt hard, then. I don't want to argue over trivial matters, so I'll move to another hunting ground."
His growling voice carried a quiet menace as he announced his departure.
They would follow, of course—that was exactly what he wanted.
"Oh, what a coincidence," one said, pretending surprise. "We were just thinking of moving too."
"Alright, we'll head that way," added another.
"Hmm, maybe we'll hunt here a bit longer," said a third with a sly grin.
Now it was clear. They weren't here to hunt monsters; they were here to torment him.
Seeing that, Lokan's bitter smile widened.
They bared their teeth in mocking laughter, but their arrogance only proved how little they truly knew.
Had they understood what had happened to those who crossed Lokan in his previous life, they would never have dared.
"A final warning," Lokan said, his tone dropping like a blade. "If you follow me or steal mobs beyond this point, I will treat it as open hostility—no matter the excuse. That means not only you, but the pathetic guild you hide behind. If you don't have the authority to face that, stay out of my way."
His voice carried an unmistakable weight, a dominance that froze even the boldest of them.
"Chi—are you trying to start a fight?!"
Under the pressure of his absolute presence, they trembled but forced out the words they'd rehearsed.
If they hadn't prepared that script, they might have fled without a sound.
"The only ones picking a fight are you," Lokan replied coldly. "Remember this warning—you'll be held accountable."
No further words were needed. Lokan turned and walked toward a higher-level hunting ground, a place slightly stronger than the Forest Lizardman habitat.
But even there, his true target waited.
If he had truly wanted to escape them, he could have gone to a level-90 hunting zone like the Bandit's Den, where few players could survive.
There he would have found endless prey, and these pests would never have managed to hunt at all.
Instead, he chose an area in the early level-80 range—still within their reach.
For Lokan, it was a trivial battlefield. For them, it was the perfect trap.
And they took the bait.
"Snapshot!"
The moment Lokan approached his first monster, an arrow whistled past him once more.
Naturally, it belonged to one of the MP Guild members who had tailed him.
"Oh my, what a surprise to meet again by chance—ugh!"
Thunk!
A hatchet split the air and buried itself in the archer's skull. Lokan spun around with lethal grace, already moving before the man could finish his fake greeting.
"The conversation is over."
There was nothing left to say. Among the startled guild members, Lokan unleashed a leaf-splitting strike and dived in.
"I—he's trying to PK…!"
"Stop! If you kill us—!"
They panicked, waving their arms, but Lokan didn't hesitate.
"Strike!"
He poured raw power into his axe, cleaving them apart.
[Critical!]
The full potential of his newly enhanced gear roared to life—not against monsters, but against humans.
Against lower-level opponents the critical rate was nearly 30%, and even higher against equals.
Every swing of his axe shattered armor, drained durability, and split flesh with terrifying force.
"You—you can't just kill us! You'll be flagged as a PK!" one desperate archer shouted, scrambling with evasive footwork.
It was clear what frame they hoped to trap him in.
Crack!
Recognizing their ploy, Lokan laughed—a sharp, refreshing sound.
"Don't just flap your mouths. If you don't like it, come at me, cowards!"
With a final villainous taunt, he split the last one in two.
[The Murderer count has risen.]
[You are now a Murderer.]
[Death penalties increased: greater experience loss and higher drop rate for equipped items.]
[To reduce Murderer count, either wait a set period or destroy entities of great evil.]
[Accumulating further Murderer counts will increase penalties.]
Because the system did not recognize self-defense, Lokan was officially marked as a Murderer.
His eyes glowed a sinister red as the penalty activated.
"What a nuisance."
It was annoying, yes—but nothing more.
For Lokan, being flagged as a PK or Murderer was merely an inconvenience.
He couldn't enter a city immediately, but the early Murderer count was low enough to clear quickly.
Hunting high-level monsters would reduce it even faster than killing low-level players.
Of course, if these pests kept returning like moths to a flame, it might become more troublesome—but Lokan was confident he could erase the status long before reaching level 100.
"Now, let's see how this plays out."
He left the hunting ground and set his sights on the Bandit's Den, where level-90 raiders roamed.
He hadn't marked the location on his map, so he traveled on foot, but no monsters dared block his path.
Knowing the shortcuts, he crossed the zones with ease.
A day or two of hunting there would be enough to clear his Murderer count.
But first, there was something to check.
"Homepage, open."
He accessed the regional forum to gauge public opinion.
If his prediction was correct, the MP Guild's smear campaign had already begun.
"There it is."
He quickly found a post that was gaining views at alarming speed—its popularity clearly driven by coordinated guild activity.
[ I Condemn the Two-Faced User Lokan ]
Written by: Pyria
If you are active in Trinsic, you've probably heard the name Lokan at least once.
He is the famous user who recently challenged the PK guild, Blood Chaser.
Many may mistakenly believe this user to be a righteous protector of the weak.
Until recently, our MP Guild believed that as well.
However, here is the truth: although he fought Blood Chasers several times, he never once aided ordinary players.
He fought only for the experience and items left by their guild members.
He never truly helped beginners or casual users.
Of course, no one is obligated to help others like our MP Guild does.
But not long ago, we received an anonymous report claiming he uses a nuclear program and engages in unsportsmanlike play.
As proof, we present the following video of an arrow-snatching incident… (video edited) …
In addition, we condemn Lokan, a user suspected of using illegal programs, for committing atrocities such as indiscriminately PK'ing our guild members who merely requested a conversation.
Of course, this might all be a misunderstanding.
The truth is for you to judge.
—MP (Manner Play) Guild Leader, Pyria
"Pfft. A masterpiece."
Exactly as he expected.
The post twisted facts with subtle wording, cleverly edited footage, and an air of false neutrality—
painting Lokan as a cheater and a murderer while pretending to "leave the judgment to the audience."
The video even captured his eyes turning red as the Murderer status activated, lending false credibility to their accusations.
"They're skilled, I'll give them that."
No matter what Lokan said, overturning public opinion would be difficult.
The MP Guild had spent months building a reputation for helping newcomers, offering buffs, and escorting weak players.
Against that image, any denial from Lokan would seem hollow.
And yet, Lokan merely smirked.
Because he knew exactly how to turn their own reputation against them.
People, after all, are far colder toward hypocritical saints than toward openly powerful tyrants.