Oliver moved through the forest for a while, walking slowly as he was in no rush to get back to the Town.
According to his calculations, he still had time. At least a little more.
While he moved, he did so carefully, stepping over fallen branches and avoiding patches of dry leaves that might crunch beneath his boots. At times he encountered other players moving through the forest in groups. Whenever that happened, he would quietly shift his path, disappearing behind thick tree trunks or lowering himself into the tall grass before they could ever spot him.
'I remember how other players treat people from different groups, especially solo players. They would want my loot and Karma Points… and even try to kill me for it,' Oliver thought.
Right now he was at a good level, but against a number of level three players, there was little to nothing he could do except take a horrid beating.
So he continued forward, doing his best to avoid the sights of other players.
To this, his new skill Eye of Another became very useful. Through his crow's gaze, he was able to scout meters ahead of himself, seeing the landscape from above as if he were flying through the air.
He could see players along the way battling monsters, and others dying from their inability to properly work together.
He ignored all of it.
Up until the moment he saw, through the eyes of his Dark Crow, two players who were on their last legs after heavily injuring a massive Minotaur.
He studied the battle for a while, observing from afar like a silent predator watching prey weaken itself. After seeing one of them die from exhaustion and wounds, Oliver finally decided to intervene.
"Ahhhhhh!"
The last man groaned, falling onto his bottom as sweat poured down his face. His hand gripped tightly to the grass beneath him while his body ached from the unending battle against the monstrous Minotaur.
They had been a team of seven.
A few mages. Two healers. Tankers standing in the front.
With their level of skill and coordination, they should not have lost.
No… not like this.
Just when they had fatally injured the beast, just when victory was finally within reach, the bloody game had decided to add a Berserker Mode to the Minotaur.
In one swift moment it had killed two of their own.
Within the next few seconds, the rest followed.
Now it towered over him, its eyes glowing crimson with murderous intent. Its massive body oozed blood endlessly, yet it still stood like an unmovable mountain of muscle and fury.
Its fist tightened as it prepared to descend upon the lowly player beneath it.
'Damn it… I am going to die—'
SWISSSH!
A red dagger flew out of nowhere and sliced directly into the throat of the monstrous fiend. It struck with such terrifying force that the hilt slammed flush against the monster's thick hide.
"KAYHAA—!"
The Minotaur tried to scream, but all that came out was a pathetic gurgle as blood flooded its throat and its life rapidly drained away.
[You have put all Evolution Karma Points into your skill Blood Drinking Daggers]
[Blood Drinking Daggers has reached C Rank]
[Damage has increased to 3 per second]
The Minotaur staggered several times, its massive body swaying aimlessly in the air as though it still struggled to fight.
But with the amount of blood it had lost from the earlier battle, and with the soul-eating effect of the blood dagger devouring what little remained, resistance was impossible.
Its body finally crumbled to the ground with a thunderous thud, the last drops of its blood disappearing into the crimson blade as if the weapon itself was alive.
The wounded player's face twisted into confusion.
"How in hell…?" he whispered to himself, his eyes frantically searching the surroundings for where the dagger had come from.
His question did not take long to be answered.
Oliver appeared between him and the beast, silently pulling his dagger out from the dried, shriveled corpse of the Minotaur.
A second later, several golden lights floated up from the body and flew toward him. The loot left behind by the Minotaur.
"Not even a decent amount of EXP."
The injured player watched the mysterious masked assassin say this with clear disappointment before sighing and turning away as if none of this mattered.
The man groaned, forcing himself to sit upright.
He opened his mouth to say something, yet nothing came out. For a moment he only stuttered before the obvious question finally escaped his lips.
"Who… who are you?"
Oliver gave no reply at first, continuing his walk forward without even glancing back.
"I have no time for diplomatic conversations," he finally said coldly. "If you want to talk to me, give me half of your Karma Points."
The player's face fell at the statement.
He had no more Karma Points. Not even enough to supply himself with an extra life.
'He saved me… and he doesn't even know he did…'
The player smiled bitterly.
Then he stared at the Minotaur's corpse one more time.
"I know it was already injured… but to bring down a D-Rank monster with a single hit…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"That guy… he must be the Crow."
---
Old Man Mukari stood guard at the Town's western gate.
However, this was not like the usual times.
Mukari was not sitting comfortably inside the town, collecting his due tax and preying on the weak.
Instead, he stood several meters outside the protection barrier of the town alongside three dangerous-looking men equipped with gruesome weapons: swords, a spear, and a massive warhammer.
They were players from the look of their gear. Not the best materials, but decent equipment for surviving the Alkarya Forest.
Old Man Mukari growled, his white mustache trembling in anger as he paced across the dirt path.
"Where the hell is that arrogant masked man?!" he raged, kicking small rocks off the road.
"Calm down, boss," one man warned carefully.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Mukari snapped, turning on him instantly. "I have been waiting here for hours for that idiot to return! Do you know how many Karma Points I have lost leaving the gates for this long?!"
The player holding the sledgehammer slowly lowered it and yawned.
"We have also been waiting—"
"Shut the hell up!" Mukari roared. "I paid you to wait! Since when does the employee start questioning the boss? Do you want me to throw you out of town?!"
The man immediately shut his mouth.
From the way the others visibly trembled at the mention of being thrown out of town, it was clear the threat was no bluff.
Seeing his words had finally sunk in, Mukari spat resentfully onto the ground.
"I'm losing wealth, standing here with a bunch of fools… and he's making a fool of me."
SPLOOOSH!
Mukari's vision collapsed.
At least half of it did.
A jagged piece of blunt wood had violently forced itself into his eye socket.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He shrieked at the top of his lungs.
"Are you alright—?!"
One of the men rushed toward him, but before he could even reach Mukari—
His throat split open.
Blood sprayed violently into the air.
The man staggered.
Then his body shattered into rays of light.
"Holy shit! He's fucking invisible! That cunt can turn invisible!"
The man with the spear panicked, wildly jabbing his weapon around in desperate attempts to strike something—anything.
But his attempts were pathetic.
Oliver used Burst.
In a blink he reached the man.
His red dagger stabbed straight into the player's temple, the blade piercing through and sticking out the other side of his skull.
"KAYAAAHK!"
The second man shattered into scattered rays of light.
At that moment Oliver's stealth skill finally reached its limit.
His body reappeared.
The leader of the group could now finally see the threat standing before him.
But instead of attacking…
His fingers loosened around his weapon, sweat began to pour down his face uncontrollably...
He trembled in fear.
"What the hell is this…? This isn't in my pay grade— KUYUUCK!"
His words ended in a choking gasp as Oliver's dagger ripped cleanly through his throat.
'He's so fast…'
With that final thought, the last man shattered into waves of light like the others, his body disappearing as he respawned back in town.
Now all that remained was Oliver…
And Mukari.
The old man trembled on his knees, drowning in pain and terror.
"A nice welcome party you prepared for me," Oliver said calmly.
His eyes glowed faintly red, filled with a cold killing intent as they locked onto Mukari.
"Please…" Mukari begged weakly.
"Now," Oliver said, stepping closer, "first of all… I want your Karma Points."
Mukari paled, his remaining eye twitching violently in confusion and fear.
"Are you deaf… or do you want me to make you deaf?" Oliver asked coldly.
His voice dripped with dangerous animosity.
"All your Karma Points. Now."