Chapter 113
PK. It is short for player killer, referring to people who kill players and take their experience points and dropped items.
In FSW, PKing can hardly be called profitable. The experience gained from killing a player is less than that gained from killing a monster of the same level, and the dropped items are randomly selected from the victim's belongings, with a maximum of three.
There are also major disadvantages. Ordinary players have green markers, but a player who commits a crime such as theft has their marker turn orange, and killing a player or NPC turns it red. Once that happens, walking through a city becomes difficult, and they are captured immediately if discovered.
The 【Disguise】 on my mask can fool people, but it is not perfect. There is a specialized Skill called 【See Through】 that can expose it.
What's more, crimes committed in cities provoke the goddess's golems into seriously trying to kill the culprit. They apparently do not respond to every criminal act, and there are various loopholes, but even so, the risks seemed too great compared to the rewards. I have killed some of them instantly with magic before, but players willing to go that far are quite rare overall.
"A red marker... You were attacked by PKs?"
"That's right. We barely managed to escape, but their markers were bright red."
I treated Sei's familiars with 【Soul Arts】 while listening to his story. Apparently, they had transferred in somewhere farther north than here. They had been wandering around when they were attacked by a four-person party consisting of two Humans, an Elf, and a Beastman, all with red markers.
"Hmm... This is information I'm glad we learned early."
"What do you mean?"
Perhaps he had heard me muttering, because Eiji stared at me curiously. After looking around, I saw that Usaji, Shiitake, Nanako, and Moss-san were the only ones who seemed to understand. As one might expect from the older members, they were able to grasp the situation immediately.
"It seems I was being conceited. I thought the players who wanted Humans and monsters to live together in harmony had gathered for the surface event, while the monster players who had been left out had flowed into the hidden event. But I was wrong."
Eiji and Wool seemed to understand by the time I said that. I continued without pause.
"The hidden event also contained a faction of human players who had been left out of that friendly crowd."
Most players, whether Human or monster, apparently favored being friendly. Thus, I had assumed that the players participating in the hidden event would mostly be monster players, aside from unusual people who had wanted to join the surface event but had been unable to because of some circumstance, only to have that obstacle disappear and finally become able to participate.
But reality seemed to be different. A fair number of players were outlaws who specialized in PKing and other crimes, and they had apparently joined the hidden event as well. Then intuition struck me. This could work.
"Sei-kun. When you say you want revenge, how far do you mean to go? Do you want to kill them?"
Sei thought about my question for a moment, then shook his head.
"At first, I wanted to kill the bastards, but you healed Phil's injuries, so... I don't feel that way anymore. Just giving them one good punch should be enough."
"I see. That's good to hear."
Everyone looked at me suspiciously after hearing my strange way of putting it. They were probably wondering what on earth I was talking about.
"To ensure the success of our plan, I propose that we form an alliance with some of those PKs."
Everyone present, not just Sei, held their breath.
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"We haven't found them, have we? Those PKs, I mean."
"Of course not. They must be good at hiding, after all."
Moss-san and Nanako were grumbling above my head. We were currently heading even farther north than Sei's starting location, since he had told us that this was the direction in which he had encountered the PKs.
Incidentally, moving as a large group of eleven, including our familiars, would make us difficult to maneuver, so we had split into two parties. One consisted of me, Moss-san, Nanako, Sei, and his familiars. The other five were exploring the area while leveling up Shifune and Wool and gathering items available nearby.
"Stop. The trees over there are shaking. It looks like a battle is taking place nearby."
"Oh? I see. Let's proceed carefully from here."
As a Big Monkey, Sei was exceptionally good at climbing trees. He had been moving through the treetops while surveying the area from above.
Since he had noticed something strange, we advanced with our weapons ready, prepared to fight at any moment. Now then, would we be able to meet the PKs we were looking for?
"Guaaah!"
"Soji! Damn it!"
"You bastard! You did it! That was dirty!"
As we drew closer, the battle gradually came into view. It seemed to be a fight between players, with three against one. All four had red markers, naturally. Every one of them was a PK.
At a glance, the three-person group looked like ordinary players: a Human warrior in light leather armor designed for ease of movement, carrying a sword and shield; an Elf mage in a black robe with a wooden staff; and a wolf Beastman swinging a greatsword in both hands. It was a party somewhat biased toward offense.
Opposing them was a small warrior dressed entirely in black. Like the enemy warrior, the fighter wore leather armor, but wielded a large ice-pick-like weapon in each hand. A cat-shaped mask concealed the face, making both the face and Race impossible to identify.
"What's with that guy...? He's insanely strong."
Amazingly, the lone fighter had the upper hand. There seemed to be a level difference, but even more than that, the fighter seemed incredibly accustomed to battle. The three-person group's coordination was by no means poor, yet they were constantly being toyed with. There was no doubt that the masked fighter was highly skilled.
"There they are! They're the ones who hurt Phil!"
Sei pointed at the three-person group, whose defeat seemed all but certain, while keeping his voice low. I see, so those were the culprits. According to Sei, there had been four of them, so one had presumably already been killed. The hunters had become the hunted. We would have to be careful, too...
"...I'm bored. I'll just kill you."
"Eek!"
"Gah!"
Amazingly, the voice that came from behind the mask belonged to a girl. It was a clear, beautiful voice, like the sound of a ringing bell.
What she did, however, was anything but ordinary. She moved swiftly to a point between the two frontliners, then leaped into the air. Twisting her body midair, she drove a slender sword into each of their napes. Naturally, both died instantly.
"...Useless idiots. Can't you even serve as a wall?"
"...Is it over?"
The Elf mage threw away their staff while berating the companions who had died, left behind dropped items, and dissolved into motes of light. Apparently, they had given up. What admirable decisiveness. I would have struggled while racking my brain for a way to turn the tables, but perhaps that was just me.
The girl, by contrast, tilted her head cutely as she asked the question. Her childish gesture made it difficult to believe that she was the same person who had just demonstrated a method of killing that ordinary players could never reproduce.
"Huh? You're a member of the 'Persona,' aren't you? There's no way a small-time thug like me, who only picks on beginners, could beat a member of the top PK clan."
"...I see."
The masked girl approached carelessly, holding her sword loosely at her side. Hmm. If it were me, I would have...
"Got you, you little brat!"
So it was as I thought. The mage drew a double-edged knife concealed inside the robe and lunged. For all their talk, they had apparently been patiently waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
The movement was fast and sharp. They probably had the 【Dagger Arts】 Skill, and seemed to be using a combat technique as well. Some sort of liquid coated the knife, too. It was almost certainly poison or something similar.
"...That was too soon. You should have drawn her in a little closer."
"Huh?"
Yes, I had been thinking the same thing. They should have waited until she came closer. Had they become impatient? No, if their claim that they specialized in hunting beginners was true, perhaps they had driven others into corners many times but had never been cornered themselves. They probably did not know the proper distance from which to strike back.
The girl knocked the knife away with the sword in her right hand, then drove the sword in her left hand into the mage's eye. With a backhand stroke, she stabbed the sword in her right hand into the other eye as well. Ugh, that was the stuff of nightmares. Having a blade coming toward your own eye would inspire nothing but terror!
"...Don't insult your companions. Punishment."
As a spectator, I wondered whether that was not rather extreme for a punishment, but the target would never hear my complaint anyway. They had already died, leaving behind a few items.
"...I know you're hiding. Come out."
"Hmm, so you noticed."
I had a feeling she had known all along. During the battle, she had never once moved into a position that turned her back to us. Thus, I stepped out in the open. The other three and Sei's familiars hurriedly emerged from the shadows as well.
"...A tamer?"
"No. Everyone except this wolf and fairy is a player."
"...Monster players? That's a surprise."
The girl said she was surprised, but her voice had no inflection. She spoke so flatly that I could not tell whether she was genuinely surprised.
"...What do you want?"
"First, allow me to thank you. It seems the four-person group you defeated attacked our companion earlier. You ended up avenging our companion for us, quite unintentionally. Thank you."
"Th-thank you!"
Sei bowed as well. The girl responded by gently shaking her head.
"...You don't need to thank me. Just tell me what you want."
"Then I shall be direct. I would like to make a deal with your boss, the leader of the 'Persona.'"
To be honest, more than half of this was a gamble. I had no idea what ideals held the group called 'Persona' together.
However, judging by the way the mage who had just died spoke, they seemed to be a skilled PK group. Since I was plotting to join forces with people like that, even if only for the duration of this event, meeting this girl was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It was completely improvised, but if it worked, it would be worth a fortune! Work your brain and your tongue, Izamu!
"...The boss? Why?"
"I want to make this event even more exciting. Whether it ends in a simple 'defense success' or 'defense failure,' it would not be very interesting, would it? I want to create a different kind of ending. For that, I would like to borrow your strength."
"...All right. Boss, what do you think?"
"What?"
The girl turned around as she asked that. Then, just as a heat haze seemed to rise from a spot where there had been nothing, a slender figure appeared. The outfit was the same as the cat-masked girl's, but this figure wore a mask shaped like a grinning clown. It was fairly creepy—enough to make someone freeze if they encountered it on a dark road at night.
No, appearances were not important right now! Wait a second, had this person been there from the beginning? I had not noticed them at all!
"I have heard everything. I am Usuba, the clan leader of the 'Persona.'"
"I am Izamu, leader of the clan 'Nightwalker.' I assume you heard my objective. What is your answer?"
I was extremely surprised, but I suppressed my agitation and replied. Since the other party was a PK, this level of skill was not implausible. I managed to stay calm by convincing myself of that.
"Heeheeheehee. How very interesting. You want to turn this into a more entertaining game rather than a simple defense battle—and do so through the efforts of players? I would be delighted to have a hand in it. However, I have one condition."
There it was! Now came the negotiations. We would probably be discussing how to divide the spoils. They would surely start by making an outrageous demand, so how far would I be able to bargain them down?
"I want you to fight me."
"What?"
A fight? Did that mean a match?
"I want to know the strength of anyone I join forces with. We are one of the top clans in this line of work, after all. I would prefer not to entrust my back to a weak player who can only talk."
"I see. That is a reasonable judgment."
Usuba was right. Even I would not pay the slightest heed to the plans of someone lacking in ability. That was even more true for people who claimed to be the strongest in the field.
"From the looks of you, Izamu-san, you are a mage, aren't you?"
"That's right."
"Then let's do this. Akane?"
"...What?"
"Please call everyone here. If Izamu-san is still alive when everyone has gathered, I'll accept your proposal."
"...Oh?"
This is them looking down on me, isn't it? Because I'm a mage, they think I can't beat a player in a front-line Job? Heh... hehehehe...
"You intend to kill me?"
"Please rest assured. I will hold back. Still, if you die despite my holding back, I won't have any interest in teaming up with you."
"I see... Yes, that's right."
And on top of that, they were going to hold back? Ahaha... Ahahahaha!
"Summon, Skeleton Shielder! Summon, Skeleton Swordsman!"
"...Oh?"
Using 【Summoning】, I summoned two Skeleton Shielders and two Skeleton Swordsmen. I could not see Usuba's expression through the mask, but the voice that came from behind it sounded slightly surprised.
Don't underestimate a mage, you bastard! I'll turn the tables and kill you instead!