Chapter 19

One week since the start of the post, we've reached 4th place in the weekly rankings.

Thanks to everyone's support. Thank you!

(=ↀωↀ=) <That said, this time it's from a different perspective>

(￣(エ)￣) <From now on, there will be different perspectives and bird's-eye views at various times. It's for the sake of the performance.>

■ PK Clan <Fierce Castle> Owner 【Armored Giant】Barbaroi Bad Burn

In the game <Infinite Dendrogram>, there are two ways for players to fight each other.

One is dueling.

In the arena, players set conditions, rules, and items to bet on, and engage in battle. Even if HP drops to 0, the player doesn't die, and all damage is reset after the battle—a kind of "play."

The other is PK (Player Killing).

Players attack and ultimately kill other players outside the arena, leading to a death penalty.

When a player dies, they randomly drop gold and items, just like monsters.

Whether you lose a bet in a duel or drop items in a PK, the loss is not much different (though there is a difference between voluntary and random).

Therefore, the main difference between dueling and PK is whether the defeated player dies or not.

That's why there are those who specialize in dueling.

"Which is why there are those of us who specialize in PK."

I, the leader of the PK clan <Fierce Castle>—【Barbaroi Bad Burn】—love PK.

I'm currently enjoying PK with my comrades.

"Uwaaa! Uwaaaaa!"

A beginner player, who looks like an elementary school student—probably around that age in real life—cried while swinging their initial equipment, repeatedly slashing at me.

But no matter how many times they tried, the damage was 0.

*Khaha, what's the matter? If you can deal even 1 damage, I'll let you off!*

It's impossible, though.

I'm a high-level class specialized in durability, the 【Armored Giant】.

I have both *Damage Reduction* and *Damage Mitigation* stacked, so even a critical hit from a low-level beginner deals 0 damage.

*Damage Reduction* reduces damage by a percentage, while *Damage Mitigation* reduces it by a fixed amount.

To be more specific, it's a 20% reduction and 500 mitigation, but this beginner can't deal 500 damage no matter what, so *Mitigation* alone is enough.

"Uu! Uuuu!"

The beginner kept attacking while desperately trying to escape.

But even if they tried to run, I was faster, blocking their escape route.

I'm a slow class, but still much faster than a beginner, and I have my <Embryo>'s ability.

I also don't let them log out.

Logging out in this game takes about 30 seconds.

You can't log out unless you're untouched and not attacked for 30 seconds.

It's meant to prevent crime, but it's also used for crime.

PK isn't a prohibited act, so it's not a crime, though.

Incidentally, "self-harm" is possible as a measure against harassment.

Even if you can't move a finger, you can instantly receive a death penalty if you want to.

However, the penalty is more severe, with more items and gold dropped, so almost no one does it.

We don't let beginners escape and don't give them 30 seconds of leeway.

After toying with them, I got bored.

*Okay, time's up!*

"Ah!"

I brought down the large shields in both my hands on the struggling beginner.

The circular shield, over two meters tall and one meter in diameter, left a huge imprint on the ground.

The ink is the player. They disappear without a trace after the death penalty.

But despite that, it's pretty gross if it's not CG.

What are the people with a real-life perspective thinking? It gets really bad with undead.

"Yeehaha! You're really evil! That kid is so pitiful!"

*Khaha, it's so bad, I can't eat tomatoes today!*

*Then how about cheese burgers for dinner? I can prepare minced meat.*

"Please spare me (laughs)."

I responded to the clan members' cheers with typical scumbag words.

Playing the role of a villain is fun.

Maybe it's bringing out a side of me that I can't show in real life.

Even the guy who's laughing and heckling, Blue, is a civil servant with a wife and kids in real life... but that real life doesn't matter now.

"Forget the real world and enjoy and get excited with PK."

That's the motto of <Fierce Castle>.

It's very enjoyable.

I don't care if the other side isn't having fun.

In a game where combat power is competed, it's the weak player's fault.

"Some players get so traumatized by PK that they quit the game."

*It doesn't matter to me.*

It really doesn't matter.

Killing and being killed are all part of the game, after all.

"How many have you killed here, including that kid, Boss?"

*I counted up to fifty, including the ones I did myself.*

I and my <Fierce Castle> have set up a trap on the <Sauda Mountain Path> south of the Alter Kingdom's capital, and we're beating up passing players.

We're only killing players we can kill, but so far, everyone is at a level I can handle.

We've killed everyone, including those who came to hunt PKs, with my clan members and me.

"Man, this job is great. You can make a ton of money just by PKing."

"Right?"

It's a job. That's how we're doing PK here.

A reward of 10,000 rils for each player death penalty.

The deadline is one in-game month.

It's a good deal. The fact that this is a beginner hunting ground with only weak players makes it even better.

On the first day, it was a feeding frenzy, and we made over a million rils that day. That's ten million yen. It's laughable.

It was also interesting that it became a major news story.

We're not like "the guy in the north," who hides his identity, so we're known, but that's part of the fun of being a villain.

"But lately, not many players are coming. I guess they're all scared. Oh, I heard at the bar yesterday that the guys in the east are also idle."

<Fierce Castle> uses this <Sauda Mountain Path> as our hunting ground, but the other three hunting grounds around the capital are also set up by other PKs.

We and the clans in the east and west are all PK enthusiasts who don't care about others' inconvenience.

"But the <Goblin Street> in the west seems to be making money from side jobs."

"They target NPCs as well, you know."

"Isn't that scary?"

"Maybe."

PK isn't a crime.

According to the legal settings of <Infinite Dendrogram>, conflicts between <Masters> are not regulated.

However, targeting NPCs is a crime.

If you kill an NPC without a reason, such as the target being a criminal or you being attacked, you'll be wanted by the state, just like a criminal in the NPC world.

If you're wanted in a country, you can't use save points in that country.

If that's the case, you can just change your base to another country, but if you do it too much, you'll be wanted in all countries.

If you're wanted in all seven countries, you're done. You can't set save points in any country.

If you can't return to a save point when you receive a death penalty, you'll be sent to "that place" without question.

Considering the risk, it's too high.

The guys in <Goblin Street> probably have save points in places like Cardina, but we don't plan to target NPCs to that extent.

Besides, targeting NPCs doesn't feel good.

I've done it before with criminal NPCs, but it felt like breaking a high-level pot, and it was unpleasant.

That's why our hunting ground is NPC-free.

Well, NPCs are probably too scared to pass through anyway.

*Still, PK alone is the most carefree and fun.*

"Right? <Goblin Street> is scary. I don't want to get close to them, even though they're the same PK."

*...*

However, from my perspective, the west, which targets NPCs without hesitation, is less scary than the north.

The one setting up a trap in the <Noz Forest> in the north is the scariest.

It's not a clan but a single PK in the north.

I don't know his name.

He's good at hiding his identity and methods, and I only know his daily routine.

Daily routine, yes, daily routine.

He's been playing as an "assassin" in this <Infinite Dendrogram> all along.

There are players who have a grudge against other players for being killed or harassed.

He kills players on behalf of such players.

I heard he was even asked to assassinate a <Superior>.

<Superiors> are the strongest players who have evolved their <Embryo> to the seventh form. No one would normally challenge such a player. I wouldn't either.

However, he inflicted significant damage on himself but still managed to send a <Superior> to "that place" with a death penalty.

That's how he got the nickname <Superior Killer>.

He's a colleague now, but I don't want to meet him.

I don't think I'd lose, but assassins are more persistent than regular PKs or NPC killers.

It's best not to get involved.

*Boss, we've got another target!*

I received a message from a clan member.

It's through a communication item that only works among clan members.

We form six six-person parties, disperse the members, and then reorganize them into six-person groups to cover six areas in this region.

This way, if one area is ambushed and wiped out, the original party members can immediately detect the anomaly from their simplified status.

It's a familiar tactic for large-scale battles.

*Wow, this one has some pretty good equipment.*

*Hmm, not a beginner, so is he here to hunt us?*

*Seems like it. But he's alone.*

*Alone? Then it's fine. Let's ambush him, scare him, take his equipment, and kill him.*

*Hiihihi, that's good. Let's have a big party today with that equipment.*

[PT member <Jordan Alpha> has died.]

[Resurrection possible time has expired.]

[<Jordan Alpha> has been logged out due to death penalty.]

Huh?

*H-Hey! Jordan, don't do that! You scared me!*

[PT member <Roward Beltmars> has died.]

[Resurrection possible time has expired.]

[<Roward Beltmars> has been logged out due to death penalty.]

Another PT member died during the call.

The "resurrection possible time" is the period during which resurrection items or spells can be used.

If you can be resurrected within this time, you won't receive a death penalty.

However, the duration of this grace period varies depending on the state of the corpse.

The last two deaths were almost instantaneous.

How badly were they destroyed in an instant?

I asked the clan members at the same point, but they all had pale faces.

It seems that all the members stationed at the same point as the last two are dead.

In a short time, twelve members in two areas have been killed.

Different groups of people were killed simultaneously and quickly.

A simultaneous attack by a group of players?

Impossible. We have at least one member with excellent *Detection* skills at each point.

Could they all fail to notice an attack being prepared?

However, if they were already detected and... if it was just one person.

*P-Player! A player from the Alter Kingdom! I saw chains! Chains are wrapping around Marlo!*

[PT member <Mudoo> has died.]

[Resurrection possible time has expired.]

[<Mudoo> has been logged out due to death penalty.]

Another member's scream and death announced the third point's destruction.

However, the dead member left useful information.

Chains, a chain user.

And it's most likely the "good equipment target" we just found.

Someone who can slaughter our members like this is not just anyone.

And there is a famous player in the Alter Kingdom who uses chains.

His name is...

*F-Figaro!?! <Super Fighter> Figaro is here?! Why here?!*

[PT member <Mohican X> has died.]

[Resurrection possible time has expired.]

[<Mohican X> has been logged out due to death penalty.]

<Figaro the Super Fighter>.

"Infinite Chain," one of the "Three Giants of the Alter Kingdom," the absent king of the Duel City, etc... He is known by various nicknames as one of the strongest players in the Alter Kingdom and the game.

A peculiar player who is rumored to continue solo diving in god-made dungeons and is one of the <Superiors>.

Such a player is here in the mountains.

Clearly with hostile intent towards us.

It's not impossible.

We were terrorizing players in the kingdom.

It wouldn't be strange for a top player from the same kingdom to come to crush us.

However, the rumors about the player Figaro suggested he was far from such actions.

A man who only delves into dungeons endlessly or duels in the Colosseum.

A man who didn't even participate in that war...

[PT member <Dream Color Gorou> has died.]

[Resurrection possible time has expired.]

[<Dream Color Gorou> has been logged out due to death penalty.]

---Zaza

*!*

The announcement of the destruction of the last point, excluding this one, coincided with the activation of my *Killer Sense* skill, which detected the intent to attack.

I couldn't tell from where it was coming.

But if I knew it was coming, I could handle it.

The object that flew at me next was a chain with protrusions similar to a square hammer.

*<Astro Guard>!*

I instantly activated the unique defensive skill of the 【Armored Giant】.

A skill that increases defense fivefold at the cost of immobilization, it is the strongest defensive skill of the 【Armored Giant】.

With this, my defense exceeded 15,000, making me the hardest target.

The chain collided with my shield with a terrifying force.

*...Hoo!*

My HP is decreasing.

To penetrate through a defense of over 15,000, with a 20% reduction and 500 mitigation, is no small feat.

It makes sense that the members I placed elsewhere were killed without a chance to recover.

The chain that was deflected by me,

"Guu!?"

attacked and crushed the nearby Blue.

Not only Blue, but all the members at this point, except for me, were shredded and disappeared by the chain.

Sorry. I can't move, so I can't protect you. You were just unlucky.

With that, there were no survivors around, and no more communication from anyone.

It seems that all the members have been wiped out... and sent to the death penalty, leaving only me.

I maintained the <Astro Guard> stance without moving.

The only things moving were the chain, which made a metallic impact sound and dealt a small amount of damage, and the one at the other end of the chain—<Super Fighter> Figaro.

Figaro appeared from the other side of the mountain path, following the chain.

He was a man with narrow eyes.

His face was handsome, and if he hadn't modified it during character creation, he must have been quite good-looking to begin with.

He was dressed in a bizarre outfit: light armor, hakama, greaves, rings, a feather hat, and a long coat. With my *Appraisal Eye* skill, I could tell that all of these were powerful rare items.

So rare that I couldn't determine the performance of some of them with my current *Appraisal Eye* level.

*Of course, he's wearing multiple MVP rewards from <UBM>...*

The MVP rewards from <UBM—Unique Boss Monsters> are non-transferable and don't drop randomly... They are tough but not very rewarding.

However, there was an important element in Figaro's current state that I couldn't ignore.

It was the several red chains wrapped around his arms.

There is a limit to the number of weapons and equipment a player can equip in this game.

Weapons are usually one, or one in each hand like my shield.

In addition, using throwing weapons or gems is the usual limit for the number of weapons that can be used.

However, he had three chains on each arm, a total of six.

It looked like six, but it wasn't one, and each chain was an independent weapon called "Warden of Scarlet Chain Prison."

Figaro's hands didn't seem to be moving, but the six chains were moving automatically, extending to attack me.

Of course.

According to the appraisal results