Mist's Deceptive Lure
A PK criminal who had already slain hundreds.
He was immensely proud of himself.
Kekeke.
This next prey was something he looked forward to as well.
I wonder just how much stronger I'll get.
"Mr. Mist?"
"Ah, yes."
Mist quickly schooled his expression and looked at the woman in front of him.
"Is there something behind you?"
"Pardon?"
"You keep falling back."
"Ah, my steps must have slowed down."
He smiled and took the lead.
Nosy bitch.
I'll kill her first.
How far had they gone?
"Kandera over there."
"Two of them."
"Yeah, means we've gone pretty deep."
Mist glanced at his party members.
"I'll hold one, so take out the other and then back me up."
"You sure?"
"Of course."
As he spoke, he subtly scanned the surroundings.
No one around.
Time to put the plan into action.
"Alright, I'm going first."
"Got it."
Mist advanced, luring one Kandera away.
"Take care of that one!"
"No worries!"
He handled the Kandera with ease.
"Just hold on a bit longer, Mr. Mist!"
"Got it!"
After responding, he took in the sight of his party members focusing on their Kandera, then slowly led his own toward their rear.
The party was too absorbed in hunting the Kandera in front to pay any mind to Mist or the monster he was blocking.
Then the priest sensed something off and turned around.
"Uh, Mr. Mist. You okay?"
Mist didn't panic.
Naturally.
"Ah, yeah. No worries. It's a bit rough, but not too threatening. Oh, since you're looking, could you hit me with a heal?"
"Got it, Heal!"
Mist smiled as he watched his HP rise.
"Alright, hurry and finish that one, then come help."
"Yes!"
The moment the priest turned back to the front.
Mist moved.
Flash.
Toward the priest's exposed back.
You're done in one.
He drew a red dagger from a hidden compartment in his shield and swung.
Slash.
The priest's head fell in an instant.
The malice accumulated in the Red Dagger transfers to your character.
A hologram popped up, drawing a smile across his face.
Kehehe.
He quickly hid the red dagger back in his shield.
"Th-this! Big trouble! Disaster!"
He launched into his act.
"What happened?!"
"The priest...!"
Those ahead turned. They frowned at the dead priest. Mist hardened his expression too, blocking his Kandera.
"What the hell?!"
"S-sorry. I lost the Kandera for a second, and this one went straight for the priest..."
"Ah, damn it!"
"Why the priest of all people!"
Losing the priest was a real catastrophe.
"What do we do?"
"HP status?"
"One more at least..."
"We're good?"
"Yeah."
"Can't really run now, so let's take out the monsters first!"
The party refocused on the hunt.
No priest.
They had to take even one less hit.
Heh.
Mist dodged his Kandera's attacks deftly while steadily observing the party.
Without a priest, their HP would be draining steadily. Sure enough, the knight up front frowned and fell back.
"Hyun-seong, cover for a sec!"
"Me?"
"Just 30 seconds."
"Haa..."
The thief-class user took over the Kandera.
"How long?!"
"A bit more!"
The thief-class user, Hyun-seong, held for 30 seconds but took heavy damage.
Only when his HP was nearly halved did the knight step up again. Neither the retreating Hyun-seong nor the advancing knight looked pleased.
Only then did Mist cautiously approach the party. When he reached a certain distance, he rolled on the ground as if he couldn't hold any longer, slipping between the party members.
"What the?!"
"S-sorry. HP hit rock bottom..."
"Ah, screw it!"
"Seriously, are you insane?"
In the end, the party was facing two Kanderas without a priest. It was precarious, death looming right around the corner.
"Fuck, just do something!"
Mist responded to the shout.
"I-I'll hold it again!"
Party eyes locked on him instantly.
All wore displeased expressions.
"And how?!"
"W-well, for now..."
He approached the low-HP thief-class user.
"Like this."
Aimed for the gap with the red dagger.
Whish.
Armor would blunt normal damage, but he aimed for the gap to fish for a critical.
As expected.
Damage Explodes!
The damage ballooned massively.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"You said do something."
Mist grinned grotesquely.
"You son of a...!"
They'd finally caught on.
Player killer.
But too late.
"Just die."
Mist's full assault had begun.
The remaining two party members.
The knight and mage stood stunned, still processing.
In that interval, Mist finished the thief-class user and laughed at the rising hologram.
The malice accumulated in the Red Dagger transfers to your character.
Strength +0.1
Agility +0.2
Vitality +0.1
He charged straight at the mage.
"B-block him!"
The knight and mage snapped to belatedly and teamed up, but they were already damaged from the Kandera hunt.
In that state, they couldn't stop Mist. Even at full health, it would have been tough.
His stats had risen considerably from killing over 100 users with the red dagger.
*
He dispatched the users cleanly.
"Ahh."
A satisfied sigh escaped him. His Strength had finally hit 1, causing a change in his status window.
Just 1 might seem trivial, but these tiny gains had built his current power. He never took them lightly.
Quite the opposite—satisfaction flooded him to the tips of his hair.
Smooth.
He removed his helmet, which hid the red eyes symbolizing PK infamy.
This is the thrill.
The stifling thirst quenched refreshingly. After basking in the breeze for a while, Mist donned his helmet again.
Now, time to find the next prey.
He stepped forward.
To escape the heart of the Kandera den.
After moving a suitable distance, he spotted a party of users. Five members, good composition and numbers—he passed them by.
No need to worry; player numbers increased toward the outskirts anyway.
"Hm?"
Then two users caught his eye.
Just two.
Pity it was only two, but guaranteed safe prey.
Should be fine.
He watched their hunt for now.
One was a martial artist.
The other seemed like an archer.
Hmm.
As he observed, an itch nagged at his solar plexus.
Why do they feel familiar?
The thought flashed, but they weren't anyone he recognized.
Talking to them should tell.
If they knew him, it'd show.
He approached slowly.
"Uh, excuse me..."
"Hm?"
"S-sorry to bother you."
Mu-hyuk stared straight at him.
"What is it?"
"W-well, my party member said they had urgent business and left while we were hunting."
"..."
"Going back alone wastes too much time. Any chance we could party up, even briefly? I'm level 117, so I can pull my weight..."
"Pretty high level."
"Th-thanks."
"Hm, a party though..."
"Too much to ask?"
Mu-hyuk glanced at Sung Min-woo.
They exchanged looks.
In that short moment, volumes passed between them. Still, for a firmer read, Mu-hyuk excused himself from the approaching man.
"We'll discuss it between ourselves."
"O-of course."
"Be right back."
Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo put distance between themselves and the man.
"What do you think?"
"Helmet hides his face and eyes."
"Still suspicious, right?"
"Yeah, feels off. Sudden disband right here where that PK guy's active."
"Coming to just us two is weird too."
"Right? A four-man party would make hunting easier."
"Targeting us specifically means..."
An ulterior motive.
Whether that was PK needed confirming.
"Let's play along."
"Roger."
They decided and approached the man. Mist, seeing their lengthy exchange, confirmed they were strangers.
Victims of his PK would never act that naturally amid their rage.
"What's your name?"
"Ah, Mist."
"We thought about it—three's better than two for hunting."
"So..."
"Yeah, let's party."
"Thank you!"
They formed the party.
"Shall we hunt?"
"Sure."
They immediately began hunting Kanderas. With Mist tanking up front, Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo could hunt comfortably. After downing one, Mist looked at the two.
"Easier now?"
"Much better."
Mist laughed inwardly at the response.
Keke, falling for it just like that.
The hunt continued for a while longer.
Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo chatted audibly, as if for his benefit.
"Man, this is so easy."
"Totally."
About 30 minutes later.
"At this rate, we could handle two, right?"
"Two?"
"Think we can't?"
"Hm, not impossible."
Sung Min-woo and Mu-hyuk grew more overt.
Mist, who'd been listening, finally stepped in.
"Uh, hey."
"Yeah?"
"Hunting just one gets boring for me too. Two doesn't seem that hard. I can fully handle one..."
"You can?"
"Yes."
"So, let's try two?"
"Exactly."
Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo pretended to mull it over. Mist figured this was the moment to pull back. In games, users who thought themselves strong would chase if you retreated.
"No, no. I got greedy. Pushing too hard's bad. Let's stick to one."
This would prick their pride.
The reaction came as expected.
"Nah, if you can really handle one, no problem."
"R-really?"
"Totally."
"Hm, but it might be risky..."
Mu-hyuk smiled inwardly.
This guy's even more suspicious?
Throwing bait and reeling wildly, practically begging them to bite.
So they did.
"No. We're heading to the center."
Hook, line, and sinker.