"Hey, seriously—we don't even have a real grudge, right? Calm down, would you?!"
Lucas stood his ground, utterly baffled by the hostility coming from Leon Graves and his team.
What's this guy's problem?
It's not like Lucas had stolen Leon's girlfriend or anything. And Alexis Lane? Please. Leon never even stood a chance. She wasn't his girlfriend, she was just someone he kept fawning over with the dedication of a golden retriever.
Lucas had backed off long ago, anyway. That forced "dog-licking" behavior? That wasn't him—that was the system's influence during early integration. He had dropped that act the moment he regained his freedom.
But it was too late for words.
Leon's team was already mid-charge.
The first to reach him was a Shield Fighter—a frontline tank built to absorb damage. He lowered his head and sprinted forward, activating his Shield Bash skill.
> Shield Bash: Slam target with the shield, dealing 120% physical damage, interrupting casts, and 50% chance to stun for 1 second.
Lucas didn't want to test those odds.
Even though his status resistance was 25%, that still left a solid chance he'd get stunned. And if that happened—well, five people would be on him in an instant.
Too risky.
So Lucas blinked away, instantly vanishing from the Shield Fighter's field of view—and reappeared right behind a certain smug mage.
"Words of peace don't work on dead men," Lucas muttered coldly.
His dagger gleamed under the gray sky—and then it plunged straight into the side of Zach Darnell, the mage who had been preparing a spell.
The blade slipped past the mage's magic shield like it was made of wet paper. The spellcaster barely had time to turn.
> -23,644!!
A massive damage value exploded above Zach's head.
Lucas hadn't even used any special targeting skills. This was a clean basic attack, enhanced by his deadly stats and unique weapon.
Zach let out a strangled gasp.
He didn't even get to finish the incantation. His body lit up white—and he was eliminated on the spot.
"Zach?!" Leon's shout rang out in disbelief.
The other members of the team—Shield Fighter, Priest, Hunter, and Leon himself—were caught off guard. Their formation had barely settled, and now they were already down one man.
"How the hell did he get behind him that fast?!" the Shield Fighter growled.
"He was at least twenty meters away—what kind of teleport was that?!"
The answer was simple: Lucas hadn't used a standard Backstab.
He'd used the unique special effect from the Pale Blade—Instant Flash.
> Instant Flash: A shadowstep movement skill that allows teleportation up to 50 meters in any direction.
More than double the standard Backstab range. No one could have seen it coming.
Zach had tried to stay just outside the usual assassin range… and still paid the price.
Lucas turned his gaze to the stunned Priest standing nearby.
"Hey, sister," he said casually, pointing at Leon. "Follow a captain like that and you'll go nowhere in life. Might want to consider a transfer."
She froze in place.
But Lucas didn't show mercy. He knew the rules. They wouldn't die for real—just get ejected from the Secret Realm. So his blade flashed again.
> One clean strike. Another burst of white light.
The Priest was gone.
"Hold him off!" the Hunter shouted, rallying.
He released his beast companion—a sleek hound—and fired a marking shot toward Lucas. The pet lunged forward, snarling.
Lucas's lip curled.
"I hate when people send their dogs after me."
He vanished once again.
And then—stab!
He appeared behind the Hunter and buried his dagger deep into the man's back.
The Hunter's health bar disappeared in an instant.
Three people—mage, priest, and hunter—had fallen in under five seconds.
Leon's jaw dropped.
Even the Shield Fighter hesitated. "What... what the hell is this?!"
The plan had been simple: surround and destroy a solo target. But now, they were the ones getting dismantled. They were the ones panicking.
"Why is his damage so high?!" Leon blurted.
The Shield Fighter, still trying to regroup, could only shake his head in disbelief. "That wasn't even a skill—just a basic strike..."
And yet, that one swing had shattered Zach's shield and entire HP bar in one go.
And then—
Lucas turned toward them.
His dagger was stained red. Blood dripped to the ground. His eyes were calm, merciless.
"Why didn't you listen when I said to calm down?" he said softly.
The Shield Fighter took a deep breath, grit his teeth, and activated his last resort.
> Taunt: Forces nearby enemies to auto-attack for 5 seconds.
He added a personal shield too—worth 30% of his max HP.
With over 10,000 HP and 1,000 defense, this guy was built like a fortress.
"Come on then!" he bellowed.
Lucas sighed.
"Alright."
> Slash!
One strike.
The shield shattered. The health bar vanished.
The Shield Fighter disappeared in a burst of white light.
He didn't even last a single second.
Even as he vanished, he thought: I had 13,000 total defense with the shield... how did I still die in one hit?!
Now, only Leon Graves remained.
Lucas slowly approached him, each step echoing like a ticking clock.
"I told you," Lucas said calmly. "We don't have any personal hatred. I barely know you."
Leon's hand trembled as he tried to lift his thunder-imbued sword, but the energy was fading—the buff had expired. The lightning arcs sputtered and disappeared.
He was defenseless.
"I don't get it," Lucas continued. "We were classmates, barely exchanged words. Why the vendetta?"
Leon clenched his jaw and shouted, "Don't play dumb! You've always been competing with me for Alexis! You made me look bad in front of her! You ruined my shot at shining during the orientation!"
Lucas stared.
"...Excuse me?"
He had no idea what Leon was talking about.
Sure, he knew Alexis, but this was the first he was hearing of these so-called sabotage incidents. If anything, it sounded like someone else—maybe Mason—had been helping from behind the scenes.
Lucas didn't bother denying it. Let Leon think whatever he wanted.
"You're crazy," he muttered.
And then—
> Shhk!
Lucas struck.
Leon was gone.
---
He stood there alone in the aftermath, dagger still dripping.
"Five players eliminated. No monsters yet," Lucas murmured. "Well, that's one way to start."
He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders.
"Let's move on."
With that, he turned toward the center of the Secret Realm, where the boss monster and the real competition awaited.
---
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