2
My Villains Chapter 2
1. Hardcore PvP (2)
As I was chuckling for a while.
[A new hero has joined. Shake hands to become allies, or fight to kill them.]
The one that appeared in the town with the alert sound was a beautiful blonde boy.
An Elemental Mage wearing a true silver crown and a demon lord's robe.
It's the Trickster old man.
"Huh, what's this."
I had closed the room to pick up items, didn't I? Is it a bug?
[Trickster: Come at me.]
[Pique Application Note: Huh???? How did you get in?]
[Trickster: I said come at me.]
[Pique Application Note: Did you use a hack?]
[Pique Application Note: I'm reporting you]
[Trickster: It's not a hack.]
[Pique Application Note: But isn't that your main character?]
[Trickster: What does it matter?]
[Trickster: Just come at me.]
"Is he serious?"
Trickster.
It's probably the most famous character name among Dark World players in our country, no, maybe even worldwide.
First, looking at the character info:
<Trickster>
-Level 100 Elemental Mage
Creation Date: June 28, 1999
For reference, June 28, 1999, is the release date of Dark World.
In other words, this Elemental Mage character named Trickster has existed for over 20 years since Dark World's release date.
And that too, in hardcore mode!
What's even more surprising is this character's play log.
Heroes killed: 10,000
For reference, PvP in Dark World is always a duel. You can't ambush someone unilaterally, nor can you fight with users who don't want to.
This means that those 10,000 kills were achieved by killing users who were confident in winning a duel 10,000 times. And with just this one Elemental Mage character!
Such a character has now sent me a PvP request.
[Pique Application Note: Didn't you retire that character from PvP?]
[Trickster: Your account record is 9,999 kills, right? Don't you want to reach 10,000 kills?]
[Pique Application Note: So you're going to burn your 10k kill character? You're going to let me make a 10k kill account?]
[Trickster: Burn what? I'm going to win.]
[Pique Application Note: Heh heh heh heh old man your fingers must have had a stroke]
[Pique Application Note: Everyone knows you're washed up, where's this confidence coming from heh heh heh heh]
Being quite a veteran myself, I've known the Trickster old man for quite a long time.
I started Dark World when I was in 3rd grade of elementary school, and started hardcore mode in high school.
I started challenging the Trickster old man without knowing any better around my second year of high school? Wow, it's been over ten years already.
I still grind my teeth when I think about the characters I lost to the old man when I was a noob. I must have lost well over twenty.
...Oh, but wait.
[Pique Application Note: Old man]
[Pique Application Note: How do you know my account has 9,999 kills?]
[Trickster: It shows up when you search.]
[Pique Application Note: You mean the overall play log, not the character play log]
[Pique Application Note: You can't see other people's]
...What's with this old man? Why isn't he answering?
[Trickster: I told you to come at me.]
[Pique Application Note: Are you really going to PvP?]
[Trickster: Yes.]
[Pique Application Note: You're really crazy]
[Pique Application Note: Are you trying to bury your character and commit suicide?]
[Trickster: Don't worry, I can't commit suicide.]
I hesitated for a moment, but then grinned and typed on the keyboard.
[Pique Application Note: Don't cry for the items later heh heh]
A 10k kill character?
Looking at 'Trickster's' kill log, the last duel was ten years ago.
That means he's washed up.
As for me?
I'm a veteran widely known as the 'Blood Knight Master' in Dark World-related communities. You could say I'm the top PvP user among active players.
And above all, at one point, my ultimate goal in playing Dark World was to kill that character, 'Trickster'.
I can't run away scared when such a good opportunity has come.
"Phew." I dusted off my hands and applied full buffs. Then I quickly entered the equipment window and changed my accessories.
'With this, I have full resistance to ice and electricity. It's cheap, but I can't help it.'
Of course, having full resistance doesn't guarantee victory.
The opponent is a 20-year-old 10k kill character after all. The penetration damage will be enormous too.
[Trickster: Are you ready?]
[Pique Application Note: oo-i I]
[Trickster has requested a duel.]
"Whew."
As soon as I clicked the accept button after taking a light sigh.
Boom
The Elemental Mage used the 'Frozen Earth' skill.
It's the ultimate ice-type skill that deals massive cold damage over an area thirteen times the screen size.
Damage came in suddenly, but there was no reason to panic.
I was well aware that this character had focused on learning ice and lightning attribute magic, being an ice-lightning mage.
I had also anticipated that he would use an ultimate skill right from the start of the duel.
So, as if I had been waiting for this, I used the 'Blood Descent' skill.
Whoosh.
My Blood Knight transformed into a blood mist and quickly flew towards the Elemental Mage to attack.
Tsk tsk tsk
Oh, the cold damage is coming in really strong. If I hadn't changed my accessories, I would've lost half my HP.
Fortunately, thanks to the equipment effects and the passive skill 'Boiling Blood', I wasn't slowed down or frozen.
My Blood Knight regained his physical form even in front of the Elemental Mage.
Immediately following were 'Blood Thorn', 'Blood Whip', 'Blood Wind'. These were some of the few ranged skills of the Blood Knight.
Slash, clang! Oh, I didn't expect much, but I succeeded in stripping off the 'Ice Armor'.
As I was about to cheer and swing my 'Blood Blade' to really beat them up, the monitor flickered.
"Shit, my eyes are getting blurry."
Boom!
With a loud sound effect, lightning struck my Blood Knight. It was 'Thunderbolt Strike', which inflicts massive damage accompanied by paralysis on a single target.
Ugh, even with full resistance, the damage is this high? The specs are really insane.
Well, I guess I should be thankful I didn't get paralyzed or stunned?
Just as my Blood Knight was about to pounce again after a brief pause.
"Alaimos!"
The Elemental Mage chanted a spell and transformed into a lightning spirit, quickly escaping.
"Ah, you dog..."
A boring chase ensued.
The Elemental Mage attacked with all sorts of magic while fleeing... But one of the Blood Knight's nicknames is 'Blood Wheel'. It means I'm confident in enduring.
I used the Blood Knight's few ranged skills whenever the cooldown was up, draining life force.
While enduring the attacks, I mentally checked the types and numbers of spells the Elemental Mage cast.
Lightning Chain, Frost Spike, Ice Armor, Cold Cloud, Thunderbolt Strike, Frost Spike again, White Storm...
Ugh, it's confusing. But by now, his magic should be almost depleted, and he should have used up all his movement-hindering skills.
So, now!
Whoosh!
I used the effect of the shoes, and my Blood Knight kicked the ground while engulfed in wind.
But the Elemental Mage hastily retreated.
Gotcha.
I calmly used the 'Blood Grasp' skill to grab the fleeing mage's neck.
"It's over!"
Cheering quietly, I quickly executed the ultimate combo.
I use 'Incarnation' to create a clone, and 'Blood Storm' to splatter blood. I use the 'Red Ice' skill to freeze the Elemental Mage, followed by the ultimate skill.
Swoosh.
A red storm whirls around the Blood Knight's body. It was 'Vampirism Vortex'.
On top of this, I quickly inserted normal attacks to maximize damage.
The Elemental Mage's life bar was being shredded in chunks.
In contrast, my Blood Knight's life, which was barely at 10%, started to fill up rapidly.
Then, suddenly, the mage chanted a spell. I was about to ignore it, thinking he'd be out of magic anyway, but.
"Draconis!"
Whoosh!
"Huh? What, what!"
A red dragon's head appeared above the mage caught in my Blood Knight's grasp and started spewing fierce flames.
Wait, this? No way, impossible!
"Dragon's Breath?"
The final fire-type skill, 'Dragon's Breath'.
Originally a skill that attacks a wide area, but because the two characters were so close, the flames concentrated on a single point.
"Uh, uhhh!"
While I was making a high-pitched noise, my character, who didn't have enough fire resistance due to changing accessories, turned to ashes in an instant.
"Oh, f*ck!"
[Pique Application Note has died. His bravery will be remembered forever.]
Faced with the red text filling the screen, I let out a scream.
"Aaaaargh!"
►To Trickster: You hacking bastard
►To Trickster: Using Lightning Spirit and Frozen Earth
►To Trickster: And even Dragon's Breath?
►To Trickster: Do you get 2 skill points every time you level up?
►To Trickster: You f*cking cheater?
[>Trickster: .......]
►To Trickster: ...... Saying the same thing, you hacking bastard.
►To Trickster: Getting old and doing such shitty things.
>Trickster: Just come in first.
I grudgingly accepted the invitation message he sent.
[Nuke Kid: Hey you nuclear bastard]
[Trickster: Calm down.]
[Nuke Kid: You're telling me to calm down]
[Nuke Kid: Where do you live, you son of a bitch]
[Trickster: Calm down.]
"Argh!"
Unable to contain my anger, I pounded on the desk and screamed.
As I said before, if I lined up all the characters I've sent to America while playing Dark World, it would wrap around the parade ground five and a half times.
If I had lost fair and square, I wouldn't be this angry.
Of course, someone might say I have no right to talk since I used tricks like swapping accessories. But that's an in-game trick, not a hack like inflating skill points, right?
For that reason, I was raging in the chat when Trickster approached and requested a trade.
[Nuke Kid: What is it?]
The items that appeared in the trade window were my equipment.
Half of the equipment worn by 'Pique Application Note' was 'soul-bound equipment' that disappeared when the character died, but the chest piece, belt, shoes, and accessories remained.
I accepted the trade readily but didn't stop chatting.
[Nuke Kid: What's this?]
[Nuke Kid: Where's the magic sword]
[Nuke Kid: Where's the all-resistance shield]
[Nuke Kid: Where's the 3-skill helmet]
[Trickster: I'm sorry about that.]
After spewing profanities for a while, my head cooled down a bit. I sighed and typed on the keyboard.
[Nuke Kid: An old man who has aged this much and still using hacks]
[Trickster: It's not a hack.]
[Nuke Kid: Bull-freaking-shit it's not]
[Nuke Kid: Then did you pull the SP from Team Leader Kim Mi-young?]
[Trickster: I'm telling you it's not.]
[Nuke Kid: Then what is it?]
[Nuke Kid: What?]
[Trickster: ...... It's like a hidden quest.]
"Bullshit..."
I muttered irritably as I gulped down some water.
A hidden element? In a game that's been out for 20 years?
[Nuke Kid: I must be a moron for not knowing that after grinding thousands of characters]
[Nuke Kid: Tell me too, I want to max out my ultimate and go berserk]
[Trickster: I can't tell you.]
[Nuke Kid: Of course you can't, it's probably some virus-ridden hack]
[Trickster: It's not a hack.]
[Nuke Kid: Then what is it, you parrot bastard saying it's not a hack]
[Trickster: Even if I tell you, it's useless. It's not something you can solve.]
"I really want to kill him..." I gritted my teeth as I typed.
[Nuke Kid: Why the hell can't I solve it]
[Nuke Kid: Cut the crap about hidden quests]
[Trickster: It's not something you can find so easily. You need to receive an invitation.]
[Nuke Kid: What invitation? An invitation to the hackers' club?]
[Nuke Kid: Send me one too, let me make a cheat character and have fun]
[Trickster: Do you want to be invited? You might regret it.]
[Nuke Kid: Screw regret]
[Nuke Kid: I regret Piquing with a hacker, you bastard]
[Trickster: Alright. Then I'll send it.]
[Trickster: It will arrive before today ends.]
"What is he talking about?"
I tried to type another chat message, but he had already left the room.
"This bastard..."
I wrote all kinds of profanities in a note and sent it, but...
[Player does not exist.]
"...Huh?"
I frowned and checked the name.
"T, R, I, C, K, S, T, E, R, Trickster. It's correct, right?"
[Player does not exist.]
"Huh? What's going on?"
No matter how many times I tried, the note wouldn't send.