Kael crept to the edge of the doorway and peered inside.

  About twenty players, all level 17 or 18, were carefully fighting a single Frost Spider and a Frostfang Rat. They were positioning themselves with extreme caution, clearly trying not to pull the other mobs clustered in the corners of the room. At the far end of the chamber sat three treasure chests. From the looks of it, there was no way to reach them without clearing out every spider and rat.

  Orion took in the scene, then glanced at Kael’s notorious red name. A manic grin spread across his face. He pulled out a bundle of rune-carved rods, brandishing them like a weapon.

  “Boss, let’s wipe ‘em!” he said with giddy excitement.

  Kael shot him a look like he was an idiot. “Do I look like a murder hobo to you?”

  “Huh!? You’re… not?” Orion stared at him, genuinely baffled.

  Kael was speechless. The truth was, every time he’d killed another player, it had been a last resort.

  The first time, outside The Abandoned Mine, the entrance to the Dungeons had been completely blockaded. To complete Cole’s dual wanted quests, he’d had no choice but to slaughter his way through.

  The second time, outside Stonehaven, a swarm of players had come after him for the bounty. He’d killed them in self-defense.

  The third time, outside the starting village, more Bounty Hunters had tried to gank him. More self-defense.

  As for the Blackwind Brotherhood, that was a faction conflict, a matter of pure PvP. No good or bad guys involved.

  Kael knew he wasn’t a saint, but he wasn’t some monster who killed people just for loot.

  And yet, when he tried to explain all this to Orion, all he got back was a look of pure disbelief. In Orion’s eyes, Kael was just making excuses—after all, he’d one-shot him on sight not half an hour ago. If it weren’t for his revival sigil, he’d be back in the graveyard.

  Kael saw the look on his face and knew there was no point in arguing. With a sigh, he turned away from the room. Orion glanced back at the players fighting inside, then at Kael, and hurried to catch up.

  “Boss, what about the three chests?”

  “They’re just three standard chests,” Kael said. “Not worth becoming a ganker over.”

  “What if they were high-tier chests?” Orion pressed.

  “…” Kael just gave him a look, letting him figure it out.

  Orion’s eyes lit up in understanding. “As the archives foretold! A true master. Such common trifles are beneath your notice.”

  Kael shook his head. That wasn’t it, not entirely. His goal was Blackheart Legacy. Killing this group could attract more enemies. If they were from Dustwind, it wouldn’t be a problem; they’d respawn in the safe zone and get stuck behind the sandstorm.

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  But if they were from the nearby towns, the group that came back for revenge might be a lot bigger than this one.

  But sometimes, things just didn't go according to plan.

  Just as the two of them were about to move on and clear the next pack of spiders, the group from the other room backed out into the hallway. The sounds of Kael’s own fighting nearby instantly alerted them.

  “Who’s up there?” one of them shouted into the darkness ahead. From their perspective, the tunnel was pitch-black.

  Suddenly, a glowing arrow shot past them and embedded itself in the ceiling, illuminating Kael and Orion in its brilliant light. It was an archer’s skill.

  [Flare Arrow]: Illuminates a 25-yard radius for 3 minutes.

  “Boss, there are two of them! They must be the ones who stole our chests!”

  “Someone actually has the balls to mess with us!”

  A player holding a massive greatsword charged out from the group. “Who is it? Who dared to touch our stuff?!”

  Kael saw the player’s ID and froze for a second. It’s him!

  The man wielding the greatsword was [Dreadfang], guildmaster of [Serpent’s Coil], and in the real world, Lila’s fiancé—Caleb Mordant!

  What a small world.

  Caleb wasn’t from Crescent City. His guild was based out of Frostfall Ridge, a town near the Oasis of Zafira, not far from here.

  The moment Caleb saw Kael’s ID, his arrogant demeanor evaporated. His expression turned strange, a mixture of shock and uncertainty.

  His minions, however, were still shouting.

  “Boss! It’s gotta be them! They’re the ones who looted our chests!”

  “Kill them, boss!”

  Orion clutched his bundle of rune-carved rods, his other hand reaching into his pocket, readying himself for a fight.

  Caleb Mordant stared at Kael, his mind racing. Abruptly, he spun around and slapped the loudest of his followers across the face. “Shut up! Show some respect!”

  He turned back to Kael, his face now plastered with a wide, friendly smile. “Sir Dawnbreaker, I’ve heard so much about you. What brings you to our neck of the woods today?” Though the tone was polite, the implication was clear: Kael was on their turf.

  “Oh, just bored. Roaming around,” Kael replied coolly. “It’s a game, right? No real borders between Crescent City and your territory. You should come visit our side sometime. Grind mobs, level up. No one will stop you.”

  “True, true,” Caleb said. “But there’s really nothing special here in Blackheart Grotto. The mobs are weak, and they don’t even drop gear. Tell you what, I know a much better spot. Epic gear, high-level skill books… you’d get a much better haul there than in this dump.”

  “Haha, thanks for the offer.” Kael smiled faintly. “But I’m just looking around. I’ll head back when I’m bored.”

  A flash of malice crossed Caleb’s face, gone in an instant. He spoke through gritted teeth. “Well, I won’t disturb your stroll then.”

  Kael gave a slight nod. “You guys get back to it. See you around.”

  With that, he turned and led Orion deeper into the cave.

  As Kael walked away, one of Caleb’s lieutenants sidled up to him. “Boss, you’re just letting him go? Why didn’t we just take him out?”

  “Our formation was too tight,” Caleb said. “He has an AoE skill with insane damage. If he’d used it, we could’ve been wiped out.”

  “But what if he’s the one who took our treasure?” the minion asked.

  A cold, cruel smile spread across Caleb’s face. “Heh. You can’t win this game with brute force alone. You gotta use your brain. I have a plan. Griz, did you get a mark on him?”

  A stout player stepped forward. “Don’t worry, boss. He’s not getting away.”

  “Good. Very good.”

  Orion followed Kael, nervously glancing over his shoulder every few seconds. After they had walked about a hundred yards, he finally saw that the torchlight from the other group was staying put. He let out a sigh of relief.

  “Boss, why didn’t you just smoke them back there? With your attack power, it would’ve been easy, right?”

  Kael didn’t answer him. The ceiling in Blackheart Grotto was too low. The icon for his Phantom Barrage skill was grayed out; he couldn’t use it here.

  Besides, something else was bothering him.

  Their treasure chests were looted. But if it wasn't us… then who was it?

  Kael scanned the dark corners of the cavern, but saw no one.