Broken Arsenal

Hunkered down behind the pillar of the wrecked building, gunfire echoed in the hall, smack in the middle of a night brawl.

The other player, let's call her Becky (ugh, hated that name), was on the opposite side, still shooting fire at me. Lucky for me, it was just the normal attack – she was probably running low on MP.

We'd been at this for a good ten minutes. Why not unleash my OP skills, you ask? Well, it got boring fast, and I was all about honing my own skills.

I pulled out my Blaze Revolver, whispering, "Inferno Blast," to another side of the crumbling building. The bullet hit, pillars blew up, the building shook – the usual chaos of a showdown in this apocalyptic world.

Everything would crumble, and it was either you died because of your enemy or because the building fell on you, and that sucked.

Despite the pillar being obliterated, the player was still standing. I could tell because the system hadn't declared her demise yet. Time to bolt and hit her with a surprise attack to wrap this up.

But before I could make a run for it, I caught someone sneaking up behind me. Another player with a ghost mask, part of the package deal, I guess. Let's call him Buck.

"Come here, champ. Let me school you for messing with our gang," he taunted, probably referring to the Malevolent Marauder. We'd crossed paths a couple of days back, and now I was the marked target.

I just shrugged and said, "Sure, let's see who bites it first."

Buck swung at me with his fiery gauntlet, but I dodged like my life depended on it – because it did. Swiftly running to his blind side, I muttered, "Triple Bullets," landing shots on his armored limbs.

Three bullets hit his armored limbs, but he was unfazed. A spin kick came my way, I bobbed and weaved, seizing the opportunity to shoot him again and again.

The dude was still standing – Martial Arts Class, resistant as heck.

"You think you can defeat me with that lame skill? You must be joking!" he taunted again. Now, that ticked me off.

Focused on Buck, I forgot about Bucky. Suddenly, another shot rang out. I dodged the bullets, but it kept following me, these were not normal bullets!

I sprinted to a narrow hallway, let the bullet plow through another wall, and blew up. But Buck decided to make a grand entrance, now armed with some electrifying move that he used to sucker-punch me right in the gut.

"Suck it, bastard!" he gloated, thinking he had the upper hand.

"Shit!"

That lightning move hurt like hell. My body went rigid, and before I knew it, the partner-in-crime fired another shot my way.

Fueled by frustration, I switched to my Morphic Arsenal, while Bucky fired at me behind Buck, some bullets found their mark, and I could feel the blood oozing from my body.

It was painful! Darn it! The notification pops up telling me that my HP keeps depleting.

Buck, of course, wouldn't let my vulnerability pass, he swung his gauntlet and aimed for my jaw. I darted, given the lightning was making me move like molasses.

In the midst of it, I transformed Morphic Arsenal into the shoulder mini-launcher and blasted the two enemies, the building crumbled, shock, smoke everywhere.

I couldn't see the two bodies, because the ceiling of the building fell on them, buried their body.

The two players seemed toast – notifications popped up:

[You received 6500 killing points and 450 EXP for killing two players.]

[Killing count: 65 players]

Well, those two players weren't exactly powerhouses, but they did manage to entertain me for the day.

Unexpectedly, the ground beneath me crumbled, sending me into the void. Thankful for my flying skills, I flew away from that ruin and observed the collapsed building beneath.

Guess our little skirmish was the last straw for that structure. I soared toward another building's rooftop.

Lounging on the rooftop, I take in a deep breath, relishing the cool night breeze. Sipping on a healing potion, I was grateful that today wasn't as bone-chilling as yesterday, despite the city being draped in a blanket of white snow.

This adrenaline rush has me hooked. Strange, huh? Maybe it's because of my strength that I find all this oddly enjoyable. No more guilt; I know those I've taken down were no different from me. A sinner wiping out another sinner.

It also had been three days since I tangled with the Malevolent Marauders group after I took a break from the killing spree. One thing was for sure – they were a breeze to track, especially at night.

If they were hunting in packs of three or more, you could bet they weren't the heavy hitters. The real forces usually went solo.

I was curious about the one with the wolf mask, though. Wondering just how potent they were, considering Tiamat kept denying devouring many of my targets.

Maybe she would want to eat the wolf mask one. I hope so because I need my skills to be updated!

Utilizing my Night Vision and Enhanced Perception skills, I embarked on my final hunt for the night. Then, I spotted one – the wolf-masked player with black cloak.

Based on Jacob's information, they had to be the top dog of the Malevolent Marauders. A grin crept across my face. It was time to uncover the secrets of this PK powerhouse.

The players strolled along the road, seemingly carefree, unaware of the impending threat looming over them.

Summoning my Morphic Arsenal, I transformed the weapon into a sniper rifle. Peering through the scope, I aimed it directly at their faces.

A red laser marked their head, signaling the readiness to shoot. However, they were astute, because they swiftly took flight toward me—an unexpected twist.

Adapting to their rapid movement, I morphed my weapon into a more agile carbine. In the blink of an eye, they were standing before me.

With no gender clues from the wolf mask, let's go with Wolfy. Unlike the chatty players I had offed, Wolfy was the strong, silent type. We were locked in a stare-down, waiting for one of us to make the first move.

Out of nowhere, they whipped out their weapon – a scythe straight out of a nightmare. Black as the void, adorned with red carvings, and boasting a skull at the edge, this thing sent shivers down my spine.

First time encountered a player with such a weapon, and it triggered some eerie flashbacks to the demon in the first game. Weapon trauma, great.

But hey, Wolfy wasn't a demon, right? Of course, I could win this fight. Their weapon screamed Warrior Class with heavy weaponry like a Claymore and Ax – slow and cumbersome. Perfect for a Ranger like me.

Well, wrong. Wolfy pulled off moves at warp speed, appearing in front of me in a flash, scythe raised, and slashed my chest. A massive wound opened up, and armor fell to pieces. This was not good.

I couldn't even see their movement and dodge their attack.

[Danger!]

[Your HP would decrease by -5 every minute]

Shit! It hurt like hell. I grabbed my chest, feeling the blood flowing to my hand non-stop. This was the first time, in a couple of weeks, that I felt this kind of wound in my body. This was the worst!

I staggered back, trying to create some distance, but Wolfy's movement was so fast, darting left and right.

I couldn't predict where the next attack was coming from. It makes me disorientated since I saw not only one but two or more Wolfy.

How could they move that fast!? Look at that damn weapon, it was big ass hell. It must be one of their skills.

In the midst of the chaos, I forced myself to calm down. Inhale, exhale, focusing on the sounds around me – even catching the steps of Wolfy in the snow. I sensed their presence right behind me.

Swiftly, I turned, ready to deflect the impending strike with my weapon. But upon impact, my Morphic Arsenal split into two, slipping away from my grasp.

Holy shit! My weapon was SSS class, and it just crumbled like a house of cards!? What kind of monstrous weapon was Wolfy wielding? This was next-level insanity.

[Your weapon "Morphic Arsenal" is broken]

[You can't use it for at least 24 hours]

[After 24 hours, the weapon "Morphic Arsenal" will get back to normal, but the basic attributes will decrease by -10]

Damn it! Picked the wrong opponent here. Turns out, I was facing the one who pushed me to play my trump card – the Tiamat System: Architect.