Second World Online

The wooden door of the "Waterwheel" shop creaked shut, followed by the double click of the safety lock. Outside, the night sky over Silvergrass Village remained as peaceful as usual, yet inside my head a storm of anger had just been ignited.

Alya's short message confirmed the worst-case scenario that Arthur had briefly discussed last night. The Obsidian Forest was a Level 35–40 transition zone located east of Echoing Canyon. The place was famous for its sharp glass-rock materials and shadow-type monsters. The fact that Alya and Yuna were being attacked by players there, in the middle of the night, indicated this was not a random robbery. This was a planned ambush.

Without wasting time, I ran toward the Waypoint disc in the center of the village.

"Teleportation: Eastern Canyon Border Post!" I called to the stone pillar.

Blue light swallowed my body. A second later, I arrived at a small guard post that bordered directly on the red cliffs of Echoing Canyon. The Obsidian Forest was about a fifteen-minute journey from here.

"Not fast enough," I hissed.

I cast [Wind Walk]. A whirlwind instantly formed beneath my boots. With the agility supported by a massive Dexterity stat at the number 76, I shot through the rocky footpath. The night wind slapped my face from behind the Gargoyle's Visage mask, while my gray cloak fluttered wildly behind me. I ran cutting across cliffs, leaping over small ravine gaps, ignoring packs of Rock Golems that tried to block me. My focus was only one: the coordinates of Alya's party that blinked red at the edge of my holographic map.

In the real world, that cursed disease had stolen my ability to protect my little sister physically. But in this world, with a mechanical bow in my hands and dozens of lethal potions on my belt, I was the god of death for anyone who dared touch even a single strand of her fox fur.

A fifteen-minute journey I completed in only five minutes. The scenery of red stone cliffs gradually changed into a forest of glossy black trees. Their leaves were formed from sharp glass crystal formations that reflected the moonlight into a gloomy monochrome glow. The sound of glass scraping against glass was heard every time the wind blew.

I deactivated Wind Walk and activated [Stealth] along with [Slow Walking]. My figure immediately faded, blending into the shadows of the obsidian trees. I moved almost without sound, leaping from one glass branch to another, approaching the source of the battle sounds that were beginning to become clear.

In a clearing surrounded by jagged crystal formations, a sight that made my blood boil was presented below.

Yuna stood on the front line, planting her [Dragonscale Heavy Shield] into the ground. Her dragon scales radiated a dim red glow, a sign that her stamina was already extremely critical. Behind her, Yuuki the white two-tailed fox was trying to cast protective magic; her breathing was ragged and her virtual pajamas were torn in several places. Lumina and Flora were not visible; most likely they had not logged in tonight.

Surrounding them were ten fully armored players. From the emblem of a snake coiled eating its own tail engraved on their breastplates, I immediately recognized their identity.

Ouroboros. One of the Three Largest Guilds, the eternal rival of Knights of the Round.

"Surrender, dragon girl," mocked the leader of the group, a large-bodied Knight with heavy steel plate armor and a round shield that radiated a golden Epic glow. His name was [SteelFang – Lv 38]. "You have good defense, I'll admit that. But without DPS, you're just a walking punching bag. Hand over the fox girl. The high-tier Beastkin evolution quest item she just obtained has an insane selling value on the black market. Hand over the item, and we'll let the two of you die without being PK'd repeatedly."

"In your dreams, Iron Lizard!" Yuna spat, swinging her battleaxe forward to drive away two Assassins who were trying to circle from the left side. "Step over my corpse first!"

"Hahaha! Foolish courage," SteelFang laughed contemptuously. He tapped his Epic shield with the tip of his sword. "You think that bone axe of yours can pierce my [Aegis of the Fallen]? My shield absorbs 40% physical damage and reflects magic! You have no hope! Finish them slowly!"

Two Ouroboros mages began casting ice elemental spells to slow Yuna, while the Warriors prepared to charge in unison.

High on an obsidian branch more than ten meters up, my eyes turned as cold as ice.

An Epic shield that absorbs 40% physical damage and reflects magic?

Perfect. The testing stage had been prepared, and the most arrogant experimental rat had just volunteered itself.

I drew the arrow with the most terrifying form from the tube at my waist. Its steel tip was long and hollow like a syringe needle, while at its neck a small glass tube filled with purple mercury liquid trembled softly. [Venom-Fang Injector Arrow].

I nocked it onto the steel cable string of the [Titan's Ironbark Compound Bow]. I drew it to the maximum, allowing the asymmetrical cam mechanism to lock with a soft click, holding the heavy draw weight as light as cotton.

One second. Two seconds.

[Sub-Skill: Focus] activated.

The sound of scraping glass trees and SteelFang's laughter faded. My world became silent. My vision locked onto the golden Epic shield that was the pride of that arrogant Knight. A bright red point the system's structural weakness blinked precisely in the center of the engraved plate of that shield.

I injected every bit of energy I had. [Charged Shot] for maximum kinetic thrust. [Lethal Shot] for guaranteed armor ignore. [Piercing Gale Arrow] for invisible flight stability.

Injection begins.

I released my finger grip.

DZHAAAANG!

The air in front of my bow shattered, creating a shockwave that stripped the obsidian leaves around me. The needle arrow shot beyond the speed of sound. A roaring wind vortex covered the form of the projectile, making it look like a spatial distortion sweeping down from the sky.

SteelFang, with the instinct of a Level 38 Tanker, only managed to look up and raise his Epic shield overhead when he heard that sonic sound. An arrogant smile still remained on his lips, confident that his shield could not be destroyed by an arrow attack from that far a distance.

CRAAAAK-TRANG!

The impact did not sound like iron striking iron, but rather like a cannon slamming into a glass window.

The Bodkin tip of my steel needle arrow slammed precisely into the center of the Aegis of the Fallen. The kinetic force from Charged Shot and my INT/DEX stats of 76 forced that steel needle to pierce the Epic shield plate by five centimeters.

Exactly at that second, my mechanical mechanism worked. The glass tube at the neck of the arrow was pushed forward by the momentum. Its seal shattered. The metal spring inside launched, pumping the entire purple mercury liquid of Empress's Malice at extreme speed through the needle's cavities, spraying it directly into the interior structure of the shield and piercing through to the steel glove of SteelFang that held the shield's handle.

"What…?!"

SteelFang's words were cut off by a terrifying hissing sound.

Thick purple smoke instantly exploded from his golden shield. The system effect Armor Degradation -25% worked instantly and brutally. The golden plate claimed to be impenetrable, suddenly blistered, lost its luster, and began melting like butter poured with molten metal.

Yet the true horror was in the liquid that had successfully pierced into his glove.

The effect Melting Inside: 1500 Acid Damage per second.

[-1,500 Acid Damage!]

[-1,500 Acid Damage!]

"AAAAARRRGGGHHH!" SteelFang's scream shattered the silence of the Obsidian Forest.

His scream was so heart-rending that the other Ouroboros members reflexively stopped their attacks. They stared in horror at their leader who now dropped his melting shield to the ground, clutching his right arm whose armor was also beginning to be riddled with black holes, releasing corrosive smoke. SteelFang's thick HP bar plummeted with the speed of gravity.

"Heal! Heal me now, you idiots!" he screamed while thrashing on the ground; his steel armor was beginning to melt and fuse with his virtual flesh.

Two support mages (Healers) from Ouroboros immediately recovered from their shock. They raised their magic staffs and cast [Greater Heal] simultaneously. Sacred green light enveloped SteelFang's body.

[-1,500 Acid Damage!]

[+150 Heal (Blocked 80%)]

[-1,500 Acid Damage!]

The Healer's eyes widened perfectly. "I-it doesn't work! My Heal is blocked! What kind of debuff is this?!"

In less than seven seconds, SteelFang, a Level 38 Knight with a total of 10,000 HP died melting inside his own armor. His scream was cut off when his body shattered into a swirl of digital particles, leaving a scorched, shapeless golden plate the remains of the Epic shield that now possessed no Durability at all.

Absolute silence blanketed the area. The ten Ouroboros players froze; their jaws dropped watching their leader annihilated by only a single arrow.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Attack from above!" shouted one of the Assassins who finally realized the trajectory of the earlier wind vortex. He pointed toward the branch where I stood. "That's… the Gargoyle mask! That's Syl! The Crazy Alchemist who massacred Black Wolf!"

Panic instantly exploded in their ranks. My reputation on the forum was apparently far more effective than I had estimated. Their formation collapsed into chaos.

"Kill him! He's just a paper Archer! Archers can't fight in close range!" shouted a Berserker, trying to restore his troops' morale. Three melee players immediately shot toward the tree where I perched.

I snorted coldly. I stood upright on the obsidian branch.

"You're right. Archers indeed don't like close range," I said casually; my voice echoed downward.

My left hand quickly took a dense black steel ball from my belt bag, spun its lighter, and dropped it precisely toward the three players who were preparing to climb my tree.

That ball was an [Ironfang Siege Grenade].

"Grenade!" they shouted in panic, trying to leap backward.

Too late.

BLLLLAAAARRRR!

A concussive explosion designed to destroy castle stone walls detonated in the middle of the Ouroboros formation. The shockwave of fire and extreme thrusting force flung the three melee players like rag dolls. They were hurled and slammed into the obsidian trees so hard that their virtual bodies shattered into pieces.

Without giving them time to breathe, I leaped down from that fifteen-meter-high branch. In mid-air, I nocked three [Steel Bodkin] arrows at once onto my bowstring. Without bothering to use Focus, I drew the cams to the maximum limit and activated [Charged Shot Lv.1].

Wusss! Wusss! Wusss!

Three arrows shot simultaneously, piercing the chests of two Mages and one Healer who were trying to flee toward the canyon. All three died instantly, pierced by the insane penetration power of the Ironbark Compound Bow.

I landed smoothly on the glass ground; my cloak fluttered softly, damping the landing momentum. Only three Ouroboros players remained now. They stood trembling; their weapons slipped downward as they watched the one-sided massacre that had taken less than twenty seconds.

"Run! He's not a player! He's a system Glitch!" screamed one of them, spinning his body and running frantically through the obsidian thickets.

I did not allow a single one of my prey to escape if they had dared touch my little sister. I drew another Steel Bodkin, aimed quickly at their legs, and released it. Three accurate shots severed the hamstrings of their avatars, making them stumble and fall before I finally threw one ordinary [Toxic Mud Bomb] to poison their remaining HP until their screens turned gray.

The battle was finished. Ten dimly glowing tombstones decorated the clearing of the Obsidian Forest.

I exhaled a long breath, lowered my bow, and pressed the button on the side of my Gargoyle mask until its jaw cover opened. I walked closer to Yuna and Alya who were still frozen in their positions.

"Big… Big Sister Syl!" Alya was the first to recover. The white fox ran and flung herself at me, crashing into my waist and hugging me tightly. Her body trembled slightly. "I thought we were going to be forced to drop levels! They suddenly surrounded us right when I had just taken the crystal mushroom for my quest!"

I gently stroked Alya's head, caressing both of her fox ears that drooped limply. "No one is going to drop levels tonight, Alya. Big Sister is already here."

Yuna walked unsteadily toward us, pulling her dragon shield from the ground. Her armor was covered in sword scratches, yet her golden-yellow reptilian eyes radiated extraordinary relief.

"Teacher Syl… right on time as usual," Yuna smiled wearily, then glanced toward the pile of ash that remained of SteelFang's Epic armor. "What kind of arrow was that? I've never seen an acid debuff that melts high-level shields that fast. That man couldn't even be healed."

"That's the Venom-Fang Injector," I answered casually, patting the remaining injector arrows in my tube. "The poison is made from the Miasma Snake Queen's gland. Specifically designed to pierce the armor of arrogant people who think physical defense can save them from me."

Yuna swallowed; her eyes radiated both respect and dread. "I'm grateful we're on the same side, Teacher. If I had to block that arrow, I would rather log out by force."

I chuckled softly. "Don't worry. As long as you are at my side, none of these arrows will be aimed at you. Now, Alya," I gently shifted my little sister's body and looked at her face that had returned to cheerfulness. "You said you already obtained your quest item? Is the evolution ready?"

Alya's eyes instantly sparkled brightly; her trauma from the earlier ambush evaporated at once. She reached into her pocket and took out a black crystal mushroom that radiated pure magical light.

"Yes! I only need to eat it and confirm the quest in the system!" Alya exclaimed enthusiastically; her twin tails began swaying hard.

"Do it," I said while leaning against one of the obsidian tree trunks, folding my arms across my chest. "Let Big Sister and Yuna guard the area. Show me what the power of your three-tailed fox looks like."