Chapter 52- Taking Out Trash

Abel barely got back to the periphery of the Hollow Forest when he saw the muscular man jogging in the distance.

'So back up really was coming, though it's only one thankfully. Should be simple enough to take care of.'

He retreated slightly, waiting for the muscular man to enter the range of his bow. When the man was just 50 meters away, he suddenly stopped.

'Looks like he realized his friend is dead. Although he's at the edge of my range, I'll take it as practice and bait him into getting closer.'

Whooooooosh

Due to the distance between them and Abel's low-grade bow, Grimfist was able to dodge the opening shots made at him.

Whoooooooosh

Whoooooooosh

-30

Whoooooooosh

-30

-30

Although he was able to dodge the first few arrows but as he got closer, he found it more difficult to evade them. He didn't have the high agility that his skinny friend loved as a thief. He was a heavy hitting warrior that enjoyed wielding a heavy axe. He loved the feeling of obliterating an enemy with a massive swing of his axe.

After he passed the obstacle course, he was hesitant whether to learn Axe Proficiency or Hammer Proficiency. He was torn between crushing someone's bones with a heavy hammer or slashing them in half with a big axe!

Eventually, he chose the axe after his boss told him a sharp weapon would be better than a blunt one. He liked both weapon types so he didn't regret it in the end. Being an axe warrior, he had immense strength, vitality and endurance but his agility was lagging behind. He figured he'd be able to cleave this guy in half when he got close but his opponent suddenly put away his bow and swiftly appeared at his side with his sword drawn.

-50

-48

Clang

-30

-32

Clang

His opponents slashes came quickly, not much slower than Slick Mick's own attacks.

While Grimfist managed to block some attacks with the body of his wide axe, the man would simply revert to stabbing when a slash was blocked.

A third of his HP was down before he could even land a hit on the guy. What was even more shocking was that this seemingly random guy had as much strength as he did.

He activated a combo, the cheapest skill-essence crystal he could buy for his profession, wanting to end this guy in a single move. It was barely considered a skill as it constituted of 3 successive and quick swings. The higher the skill level, the greater the amount of swings once could achieve.

It was a skill that retained the damage of an attack to produce a faster attack speed but the guy was able to block them all. Worse yet, he retaliated with a sword skill of his own!

Clang

Clang

Clang

-140

He had less than 40% HP left and he started getting anxious. Their latest mark was a much tougher opponent than the newbie fodder they'd been preying on for the past few days. He had great strength, decent speed and strong active skills to boot!

Grimfist's anxiousness induced him into making more mistakes while these mistakes allowed Abel to whittle down his HP even more, causing the former to panic even further. It was a relentless negative feedback loop that Abel took full advantage of.

With a torrent of fierce slashes and quick stabs, he made quick work of the muscular man's remaining HP bar.

*Ding*

+ 750 EXP

You have killed a tainted individual- Grimfist. +MAX coins granted.

'What the heck! This guy was even poorer than the skinny rogue… and probably lower leveled too.'

He saw the increase of 13 copper coins and was even more confused about why these players were so poor. If he remembered correctly, one of them bought out all the remaining stock of rat poison Chronelix had refined so they shouldn't be so destitute.

'Whatever, I'll take his axe and everything else I can from him.'

He quickly took off the man's arm bracers and chest armor, they were the only useable equipment he could take from him besides the axe. He didn't have any rings or other accessories on him like his friend.

"Inspect"

*Ding*

[Skullsplitter Axe]

Attack: 48-51

+5 STR

Durability: 38/50

Requirement: Level 5, +45 STR

Description: This formidable two-handed axe boasts a menacing design, its wickedly sharp, double-bladed head featuring jagged edges give it a fearsome appearance. Crafted from darkened steel, the Skullsplitter Axe exudes an aura of raw power.

[Beserker Bracers]

Defense: 12

+4 Strength

Requirement: Level 5

Description: Dark leather bracers adorned with cryptic symbols, the Berserker Bracers whisper promises of heightened strength to their wearer.

While the chest armor was below average, the arm bracer was better than the current piece he had on so he equipped them right away.

He stuffed the axe, armor and his old bracer into his spacial bag and was about to get up when an arrow came whizzing from the distance.

-35

Abel frantically rolled forward to dodge the following attack and ran into the Hollow forest the second he got up.

He turned back a few tens of meters away to take a look at his attacker and saw the archer that Coinweaver told him about. He guessed the guy next to him was the man that purchased the rat poison and started this whole farce.

He saw the two men walk up to Grimfists corpse. The man that bought the poison seemed to be angry and was shouting a bunch of expletives to the archer.

'I should finish the job… can't stop halfway when I'm taking out the trash.'

Abel got his bow out of his bag and took aim at the archer that shot at him earlier. He wasn't sure about the other man's profession but he judged him to be a swordsman due to the sword he was holding and how he was dressed.

He put him aside for now as he wanted to take out the long-ranged damage dealer first. Archers, like most rogues, had low health so he was the easier target to take out.

Whooooooosh

-70

"Watch out he's still here!"

The disparity between his attack and the archers was obvious. Even if the archer had a better bow, Abel's overall stats were much stronger so he dealt much more damage.

Abel quickly backed away into the forest and tried circling around, he wanted to bait them towards some monsters but he wasn't sure they'd follow him in. If they didn't, then he'd slowly nibble away at their health from a distance.

"DAMN IT! I'm gunna kill this bastard."

The boss's face contorted in anger, he couldn't understand how 2 of his guys were dead and this young man still dared to stay around to attack them when he was outnumbered.

Whooooooosh

-70

Another arrow came from a different angle, also striking the archer and bringing his health further down.

"Boss, his attack is pretty high. I can't use any ointment or bandages under combat status and we don't have any potions. If we wanna kill him, we'll need to follow him inside but I can't see so far at night and the trees would block my vision. Not to mention… there's bound to be some small monsters around."

"SHUT UP! Let me think for a minute"

Too bad for them, Abel wouldn't give them any reprieve and fired another arrow from a different angle this time.

Whoooooosh

This time, the archer was able to roll out of the way but before he could rejoice, another arrow came flying at him from the same direction as before.

-70

"COME OUT AND FIGHT YOU COWARD"

The boss was simmering in rage, he didn't dare venture blindly in to the forest and his useless friend was down to 30% health. He shouted out in anger and tried goading Abel out. He thought he succeeded when a few moments later, he surprisingly saw the young man make his way out of the woods.

"So, you're not a complete coward after all."

The boss spoke with a voice of disdain, trying to induce the young man to step closer.

"Are you an idiot?" Abel replied calmly but his voiced carried a chill that wasn't usually present.

The boss didn't refute him as his earlier statements were quite idiotic. They had tried ganging up on him 4 to 1 and even now Abel was outnumbered 2 to 1.

"Why are you guys following me?"

Although he knew why, he wanted to ask just to make sure. He didn't know what else these guys were thinking and he doubted they'd be truthful but it didn't hurt to ask. He was planning on lulling them into a different tempo and spring for a deadly attack.

"Tell us where the dungeon with Rat Meat is and we'll leave you alone."

Abel let out a sigh, it was as he expected but he obviously didn't believe the latter part of the sentence. These guys were tainted so they obviously had no qualms about killing other players, whether it was for fun or for cash, Abel didn't know and he didn't care.

"So, you really are an idiot huh?"

Abel's calm tone and natural response struck a nerve and the boss nearly lost his head in a rage. He was about to refute when Abel suddenly sprung forth.

'Harmonic Breath'

'Serpents Dance'

The 40-meter distance between them was covered in mere seconds, the boss lifted his sword, ready to parry the strike coming his way. He was inwardly shocked at the young man's speed that wasn't any slower than Slick Mick.

The archer had barely lifted his notched bow when he saw a gleaming sword strike come his way. Abel was positioned at an angle where he'd be able to strike both men with his ecliptic slash's 3-meter radius.

-210

-160

*Ding*

+850 EXP

You have killed a tainted individual- Arrowstream. +MAX coins granted.

Abel ignored the notification that silently popped up and took another big step forward after swinging out with his sword skill. He came to the boss's side and swung out with a slash.

-60

Clang

Surprisingly, the guy had decent sword skills and tried to cross-parry the second strike but his strength failed him. There wasn't as big of a difference between their strength, with Abel actually having a little more but it wasn't enough to overpower the other.

Clang

Clang

Clang

The man's sword seemed to be special as it would produce fiery sparks when they clashed at times. They kept trading blows with neither coming out on top, the mans agility was actually higher than Abel's and it began to show when Serpents Steps entered cooldown.

The boss figured his opponent had used a speed enhancing skills of some kind and that his chance had finally come now that it entered cooldown. He was imagining the joy he'd feel after killing this bastard that took out his boys, unaware that since Serpents Steps entered cooldown, this meant ecliptic slash had now refreshed.

Just as he got closer to sidestep his opponents attack and carry out his combo, he saw the same gleaming crescent slash cover his sight as his HP dropped to 20%.

-180

-60

Abel closed in right after, going for a quick stab while his opponent was dazed from the bright crescent sword attack. He was wondering how this swordsman's health so high, it didn't make any sense.

-40

Unfortunately, his musings disrupted his tempo and he got slashed in return. When Abel realized the disparity in their agility after Serpents Steps went on cooldown, he decided to disregard defense and go all out!

*Ding*

You have been poisoned -5 HP every 5 seconds for 1 minute.

'I actually got poisoned by my own poison… He has much greater speed, I should discard defense and go for an all-out attack'

 'Sturdy Defense'

-30

-32

-5

He felt frustrated at the turn of events but he decided to go through with his earlier strategy. He got struck multiple times by his opponents' fiery sword but he struck back even harder. Thankfully, such a low-grade poison couldn't be stacked more than once otherwise he would have been in serious trouble.

-50

-60

When his opponent realized Abel's thought process, he tried to entangle their swords to buy himself more time for the poison to eat at his HP, but it was this decision that ended up bringing forth his death. While their swords were tangled, Abel reached for one of the daggers behind his back and stabbed at the guy repeatedly.

-45

-45

All it took was one stab to bring down his opponents HP to 0. Abel's own HP had been brought down to 27% and it was still decreasing but he had managed to kill his foes in the end.

*Ding*

+900 EXP

You have killed a tainted individual- Swordboss. +MAX coins granted.

'Arrowstream and Swordboss. So, this guy really did have boss in his name hah… I need a potion before I become the first player to die by his own product.'

+200 HP…

Abel quickly gulped down a potion as he thought in amusement about this guy's name. Just as he had guessed, both of these guys were also tainted but they were a little richer than the first 2 he killed.

Arrowstream was kind enough to donate 1 silver and 12 copper coins while the so-called swordboss gave much more. He generously spat out 8 silver and 23 copper coins upon death. He crouched down and started taking off the equipment after he refilled his health. Even though the poison was still active, it would wear off in a few seconds while he had the remnant HP recovery of the potion along with his Harmonic Breath adding HP.

The archer's bow and arrows were scooped up along with his chest armor. He didn't have anything else on him while the boss had a bit more. Other than his sword, he also had a ring on his hand and a necklace equipped behind his chest armor.

"Inspect"

*Ding*

[Shadowstep Short Bow]

Damage: 32-36

+5 DEX

+3 AGI

Range: 65 meters

Durability: 25/30

Requirement: Level 5

Description: Crafted from the obsidian wood of the elusive Shadow Grove, the Shadowstep Shortbow is an unassuming yet enigmatic weapon. A favored companion for stealthy archers.

The archer's weapon was a short bow, it was Abel's first time dealing with such a weapon. He was surprised at the range that was greater than his longbow but he still remembered what the instructor had taught him.

He put it in his spacial bag along with the arrows and ordinary chest armor. He started checking out the other loot he got.

[Flameforged Longsword]

Attack: 40-44

+3 STR

Special Bonus: On a critical hit, the Flameforged Longsword deals additional 50 fire damage.

Durability: 32/40

Description: The Flameforged Longsword's Fiery Strike embodies the essence of its creation, delivering destructive power. As the blade critically connects with its target, a burst of searing heat leaves adversaries scorched and wary.

[Amulet of Vital Harmony]

+100 HP

Requirement: Level 5

Description: The Amulet of Vital Harmony, forged from a radiant crystal cradled in an ornate silver setting. When clasped around the neck, it immediately establishes a serene connection with the wearer's life force.

[Ring of Agile Grace]

+ 10 Agility (AGI)

+Swift Reflexes +20% attack speed

Restriction: Level 5

Description: The Ring of Agile Grace is a delicate yet resilient band adorned with intricate elven runes. When worn, it immediately imparts a sense of weightlessness, as if the very air around the wearer responds to their movements with heightened sensitivity.

'No wonder that bastard had such high HP and was so agile and fast. If it wasn't for my Harmonic Breath increasing all my stats, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with him.'

He finally understood how that boss had such high HP and high agility. These pieces of equipment were top-notch for low level goods. Besides their ordinary armor, every single piece was an expensive accessory or weapon.

Abel was confused as to how these guys had gotten all this equipment. He actually had an inkling as to how, seeing as they were all tainted, but he didn't want to waste any further time thinking about them.

'I've already wasted enough time dealing with these bastards.'

He equipped the sword, ring and necklace and started putting away the rest of the loot. Once he checked that he took everything that he could possibly take, he swiftly made his way to the dungeon.