A Shattered Perimeter

Upon setting up the stream on a delayed announcement, Kieran approached the perimeter that the Shadow Cartel and Sunset Triad formed in the distance. 

Thanks to his Inspect skill, Kieran could see that the perimeters made by these two guilds consisted of players ranging from Lv.12 to Lv.15. 

It was somewhat above average, but in Kieran's opinion, it wasn't worth much, not when combat amounted to more than just activating skills and having a decent amount of attributes.

In addition to grasping their level, Kieran also realized that many of the players that formed the perimeter maintained at least Second Degree Infamy. This was evident by the red color of their names.

A pale and almost nonexistent reddish-pink shade would symbolize First Degree Infamy, but the dull yet somewhat deeper red color clearly indicated Second Degree Infamy.

'Looking at them now... I feel like killing. That'd definitely be a service to this entire area, especially because of their Infamy. They'll be hit with a massive penalty,' Kieran thought.

Convinced he should act upon this impulse, Kieran stepped beyond the perimeter formed through the joint efforts of the Shadow Cartel and Sunset Triad.

When his advance was sensed, one of the members that formed the perimeter reacted by stepping forward, raising a sword up to his chin. 

A second later, they issued a despotic command. "I advise that you turn back from this location and venture elsewhere. This zone has officially become the Sunset Triad and Shadow Cartel hunting ground. Don't blame us for being ruthless if you refuse to comply."

The claims of this nobody truly amused Kieran, evident by how he smirked with an arched brow. "Oh? You? Becoming ruthless? I didn't know the Shadow Cartel also employed comedians. By all means, become ruthless then."

Kieran naturally didn't retreat, going so far as to take a bold step forward. 

However, before his foot touched the ground, the pale blue yet forceful pressure of the Warrior's Aura billowed off Kieran's body imperiously.

Not only did he find their threats amusing, but Kieran also paid no heed to their existence!

The opposing party naturally didn't like his lack of acknowledgment and blatant disregard. However, Kieran didn't make the first move. 

Instead, he waited for this Warrior to rush toward him.

Clang!

The Warrior directed a Heavy Slash toward Kieran, but he retaliated by simply swinging his Novice Greatsword upward. It resulted in Kieran suffering a slight loss, but this was precisely what he sought.

〈System: …Initiating Player Conflict Protocols. The situation has been judged.〉

〈System: …Role: Defender. The Player Conflict Protocols have activated the following: «PK Defender System».〉

〈System: As long as your retaliation is limited to those marked as an «Aggressor», you will not acquire «Infamy».〉

Kieran didn't even glance at the notification before swiping it aside.

His patient behavior was a product of this system, so there was no reason to waste time reading through the particulars.

All of a sudden, Kieran stepped back and executed another strike from his current position, followed by landing a blow on the Warrior's wrist. 

When the Warrior froze, petrified by the fact he couldn't move his arm, Kieran abruptly accelerated.

"Force Slash!"

Bang!

The Warrior was tossed aside like a rag doll, slamming into a nearby tree before slumping lifelessly. A few seconds later, their body dissipated into motes of light replaced by dropped items. 

"Come on now. You think you can take me? You're not able," Kieran scoffed.

With the amount of Infamy that person possessed, Kieran wouldn't be surprised if they lost a few levels on top of the items they just dropped. Walking over the items, Kieran nonchalantly tossed them within his inventory and continued his advance.

As he moved further ahead, Kieran's eyebrow twitched. 

Upon turning his head, Kieran noticed four incoming players with darkened expressions. This incoming party consisted of one Hunter, two Thieves, and one Fighter all Lv.13 and above.

"Who do you think you are dumbass? Confidently killing one of my members? Surely you must think the Shadow Cartel is air!" The Fighter roared. 

They slammed their gauntlet-covered fists together and lunged at Kieran.

"In fact, I do," Kieran replied, similarly lunging. 

After skillfully avoiding the Fighter's fist, Kieran kicked their elbow and followed up his actions with a swift kick to the Fighter's jaw. The nature of Kieran's attack stunned the player, allowing Kieran to end it with his next attack.

"Directional Slash!"

Whoosh!

Just as Kieran claimed the fighter's life, an arrow whizzed past his face, which he narrowly dodged. The Hunter nocked another arrow on his bow and quickly released it, making Kieran backstep several times.

'Tch… low rungs players. They don't understand the skill needed for proper PvP. This is why it's all so easy,' Kieran thought to himself.

Though the Hunter's firing speed wasn't bad, they couldn't manage to touch Kieran thanks to his nimble movements. With every successful dodge, Kieran inched closer.

Once they noticed that this Warrior before them was quite unusual, the two Thieves moved to intercept Kieran simultaneously. 

"This superior belief of yours is a fallacy, dipshit. It's a shame that your delusions have blinded you to the truth. Any smart individual would know when they've been outmatched," Kieran replied in a cold tone.

Whoosh!

"Damn it!" The Hunter snarled, nocking three arrows on to his bow at once. This practice was one of the Hunter Class' best skills for restricting and damaging enemies, it was known as Triple Shot.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Rather than becoming overwhelmed, Kieran read the three incoming arrows and the two Thieves. After falling motionless for a moment, that's when he made his move.

Tang! Tang! Tang!

Without activating a skill, Kieran timed his slashes to parry the three arrows. Due to his precise timing, neither his momentum nor his Health Bar was affected by his actions.

On the contrary, the Thieves were bewildered, momentarily freezing. 'Did he just parry three arrows in that tiny window between each shot? No way… not even a Thief could do that without suffering damage!'

When he realized that the Thieves were taken aback by his actions, Kieran's necklace emitted a strange glow. 

A moment later, a powerful soundwave spread from Kieran's body, putting the three nearby players in a Fainted State.

At that moment, Kieran had Aspaira handle all three players at once by unleashing a Flame Wave.

Whereas other players struggled to overcome the perimeter, Kieran shattered it in an instant! All the while, Kieran bore a faintly amused expression.

"They have far too much trust in their weak members judging by these textbook formations," Kieran commented.

"What do you mean?" Aspaira asked with a slightly confused expression. 

She didn't quite see what Kieran saw, so she needed help understanding what these "textbook formations" referred to.

"Take a look. Both of these guilds have their healers positioned toward the back. Sure, many employ this tactic, but that's only true when ample ability is involved, which many organizations of this standard lack. This confidence is misplaced because all it takes is one enemy approaching from the rear to wipe out all of their healers," Kieran explained.

Upon listening to Kieran's explanation, Aspaira's eyes radiated with understanding. "Ah! This is only a viable strategy for a frontward assault. Leaving the rear vulnerable is not ideal in a battle like this!"

"Precisely. Hence, I said they foolishly placed too much faith in their slipshod perimeter. Ah, something else to note, what happens if all their healers were to be disposed of?"

This time, it was Cygnus who interjected. "Without their healers, the Boss Raid would inevitably fail. With how quickly the Field Boss kills players, consuming Health Potions won't suffice because of their cooldowns," Cygnus interjected.

"There you have it. And that's exactly where we'll begin—eliminate all of their healers. And once everyone else is properly dealt with… we'll move on to handling the Field Boss," Kieran instructed.

Even though they felt it might be pretty hard to kill this boss if it didn't decrease to a further manageable level, the others readily agreed. 

Setting aside the matter of the Field Boss, Kieran estimated that the healers present numbered between 80 and 100. Although it was a substantial number to deal with, Kieran was confident.

After all, he and Altair could similarly eliminate players quickly with their PvP skill, and Aspaira possessed AoE skills like Flame Wave to dispose of many healers at once.

"Heh, I bet I'll have more eliminations than you in the end," Altair said, looking at Kieran with a competitive smirk.

"Is that so?" Kieran responded by raising his eyebrow, similarly interested in the prospect of competition. 

"How about a friendly bet between us? The contents of the bet will be extremely simple. We'll use this PK System Kill Counter to see who can eliminate more. The loser will naturally owe the winner a favor that can be redeemed at any point in the future."

Any reasonable player would immediately decline this bet. Unlike Warriors, Thieves, especially skilled ones,  were regarded as the undisputed gods of PvP combat. 

Therefore, Altair felt confident that his overall superior attack and movement speed would surpass the raw damage Kieran could unleash in short bursts.

Although Kieran understood this fact about Thieves of Altair's potential, Kieran displayed zero intentions of backing down. The class disadvantage meant absolutely nothing to him.

'At least he's still as addicted to PvP as I remember. That's exactly what we need right now," Kieran inwardly thought. 

Nevertheless, Kieran prepared to go against the PvP ability of a Thief.