'What? What's this?'
Dong Pao was completely confused.
The road from Rolling Village to the Vatican was supposed to be one of the safest routes on the continent. Paladins patrolled it regularly, and because of that, thieves, monsters, and wild beasts were rarely seen. It was known as a true safe zone.
Yet today was different.
Monsters appeared without any hesitation.
Like water bursting from a broken dam, they poured out from the forest, the hills, and even the roadside—charging straight at Alan and Dong Pao.
"Pant… pant…" Dong Pao gasped, gripping his staff tightly.
"There are way too many monsters in the vicinity…!"
Just a bit further, Dong Pao thought as yet another wave of monsters rushed them.
Alan cut them down effortlessly once again.
With each kill, light enveloped Dong Pao's body as he leveled up repeatedly, gaining free experience simply by healing Alan.
Priest class level up by being healers also aside from monster killing.
They soon entered Dran Valley.
It was a beautiful valley filled with lush greenery and crystal-clear streams. Under normal circumstances, it would've been a sightseeing spot—but the monsters here were all Level 190 and above, and they attacked in dense hordes.
Because of this, Alan gained a massive amount of experience, and Dong Pao—who continuously healed him—also leveled up at an alarming speed.
After hours of nonstop fighting, they finally reached their destination.
Crime Forest
Originally, they should've arrived here just three hours after leaving Rolling Village. Instead, it took them twelve.
Dong Pao felt uneasy. He wondered if the assassins he had arranged were already tired or resentful from waiting so long. Anxiety crept into his chest, and he hurriedly spoke up.
"Brother, let's take a break in that cave over there."
Alan turned his head and noticed a dark cave entrance hidden among twisted roots and rocks. He frowned slightly.
"Do we really need to rest?" Alan said reluctantly.
"Shouldn't we go straight to the Vatican while we still have momentum?"
Dong Pao shook his head and forced a tired smile.
"Unlike you, Brother, my stamina has hit its limit several times already. My mana regeneration is way too slow right now… I can barely cast Heal a few more times."
Alan paused for a moment.
"…It can't be helped."
"Thank you for your consideration," Dong Pao said quickly.
Following Dong Pao's guidance, Alan stepped into the cave.
The moment he crossed the threshold, a notification window flashed before his eyes.
[The Vampire Countess Marie Rose is sealed in this space.]
[Marie Rose's evil influence makes your magic power turbid.]
[All types of spells and skills are unavailable.]
[You have resisted.]
Alan's lips curved upward slightly.
Found you.
"I guess this is a trap," Alan said.
Dong Pao simply smiled. "You figured it out pretty quickly."
"Most players are wary of the Vampire Countess, but you saw through me," Dong Pao continued as three more people emerged from the shadows.
"Why did you take so much time?" the lead player asked. His ID read Sniffer.
Dong Pao explained, "Strangely, monsters kept showing up. We were forced to slow down while handling them."
The 13th-ranked assassin, Sniffer, couldn't believe it.
"Monsters? If you're going to lie, at least do it properly. Isn't it hard to find even one wolf in this area, let alone monsters? This is why I hate the Chinese—you bluff every time you open your mouth!"
"It's not a lie. If you don't believe me, check it out yourself later."
"Alright, I get it. Enough."
The 11th-ranked assassin, Kerb, stepped in, unwilling to waste any more time. He calmed the situation and pointed two daggers at Alan.
"Hey. If you don't want to die and lose experience, hand over your money. We'll spare your life."
Assassins specialized in killing players.
Their class-change quest revolved around assassination, and they received additional rewards based on the number of people they killed. By steadily carrying out assassinations, they gained massive experience through PvP.
Here, where all types of skills were suppressed due to Marie Rose, assassins could truly display their unique presence. With numerical superiority on their side, Kerb had no doubt they could handle Alan.
Alan smiled in response and said, "Come and take it."
"Let's just kill him," said Shay, the 7th-ranked assassin.
The others nodded. Dong Pao stepped aside, his eyes flickering with greed.
I hope he drops that flame sword. It's very powerful, Dong Pao thought.
The three assassins rushed toward Alan.
Alan calmly raised the flame sword and met them head-on. He blocked Shay, the fastest among them, and the blade ignited.
"Flame Wave."
In an instant, five blazing slashes tore through Shay. He didn't even have time to scream before collapsing, dead.
Assassins had low health to begin with. Shay died from a single skill—without even considering the level gap. Shay was only in the early 200s, while Alan was already in the late 200s, backed by his absurd stats. Even a few normal attacks would've been enough, let alone a skill.
"…What?"
"How can he use skills here?"
The remaining assassins staggered back, staring at Dong Pao in shock.
"What the hell is this?"
How is he able to use skills here? Dong Pao stumbled backward in disbelief.
They had lured players here countless times—places where skills couldn't be used and even logging out was impossible—forcing victims to hand over money or equipment.
But this…
This was the first time they had ever seen something like this.
"Now, counteroffer," Alan said, smiling evilly. "Drop all of your equipment, and I won't kill you."
Kerb and Sniffer exchanged glances.
"So what if you can use skills?" Kerb sneered. "Against our agility, you'll still die."
They roared and charged at him.
"Death it is," Alan shrugged.
He raised his hand and spoke calmly.
"Flame Tornado."
A spiraling pillar of fire erupted instantly, swallowing Kerb, Sniffer, and even Dong Pao's line of sight. The raging flames tore through them mercilessly.
There was no scream.
No resistance.
All three were wiped out in seconds.
As Alan stepped forward and picked up the loot, a faint smile curved his lips. They were PKers—player killers—so their drop rate was significantly higher.
One item dropped from each of them.
A clean sweep.