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n—-

nEven as he looked at this holographic watch, the device continued to buzz and emit strange alerts continuously. Kieran tapped on the device, causing a holographic projection.

nMany of the alerts came from his teammates. However, the majority came from his streaming account’s private message. One such person was Luna; the Tempest Rogue Kieran partied with inside the Underground Labyrinth.

nKieran read her message while in deep thought.

n“Aatrox, the Shadow Cartel, and Sunset Triad have issued a joint Kill Order. I believe it has something to do with the update upsetting their leveling progress that you ruined. I would advise you to be careful because there is now a target on not just yours but your entire party’s back.”

n‘A Kill Order?’ Kieran muttered to himself.

nHe brought up Zenith Online’s official forum and browsed it for information regarding this situation. He soon found the original post and read through it.

nAfter gaining a general understanding of the situation at hand, Kieran held a deepening frown. “Are you sure your pockets are deep enough to honor this kill order? This will essentially cost you millions.”

nThrough the joint efforts of the Sunset Triad and Shadow Cartel, they arranged a medium-priority Kill Order.

nA medium-priority Kill Order delivered a reward based on how many times the targeted party died.

nThe stipulations and number of skulls on a Kill Order determined its priority. Medium priority possessed 2 or 3 skulls. However, after a Kill Order’s initial priority was designated, it could be only increased by increasing the bounty price.

nThe particular Kill Order rewarded $10,000 for the death of low-importance party members, $100,000 if players succeeded in killing Aatrox or Altair, and $200,000 per each level lost. The chances of these two organizations reneging on their promise were absolutely zero.

nAfter all, sufficient funds had to be placed into the bounty pool to create the Kill Order. This Kill Order was attractive to most fledgling players and gradeless teams, but other organizations would ignore it for the most part.

nEstablishing their foundation took precedence over involving themselves in petty conflicts.

nDespite the danger this Kill Order posed, Kieran cracked his knuckles with an amused expression. ‘Whoever is foolish enough to enact this kill order will inevitably regret their decision.’

nWhile Kieran wouldn’t respond in kind, seeing it as a waste of money, he would undoubtedly retaliate. Whether the people who carried out the Kill Order were just pawns didn’t matter to him.

nHumans were capable of reasoning, so they were responsible for their decisions.

nDr. Riley noticed Kieran’s icy expression and gulped. ‘H-he’s not normal at all. This is the presence of someone who has already taken a life; I’ve sensed this from the Drake Family’s hired arms.’

nKieran reined in his murderous presence and looked toward the shivering Dr. Riley. “My apologies, Lilian. I didn’t mean to scare you. However, I need to return to the game right now.”

n“Okay. Will you be consuming another X-hancer or going as is?” Dr. Riley questioned while gripping the X-hancer vial in her palm.

nKieran ultimately decided to consume it because he wasn’t sure when he would log out next due to the active Kill Order. As long as his teammates were online, he would have to do everything he could to ensure their safety.

nAfter consuming the X-hancer, he placed the VR Helmet on his head and exhaled.

nDr. Riley’s somewhat worried voice sounded not too far away. “Good luck. I’ll be here when you return.”

nKieran gave a faint smile before his body went limp. The consciousness transference initiated at that moment, and Kieran returned to the world of Zenith Online a few seconds later.

nWhoosh!

nKieran’s character materialized in the Training Hall, where Altair and the rest rushed up to him.

n“Did you see the message I sent you?” Altair

n“I did,” Kieran tersely responded as he sorted through his current status screen.

nKieran allocated 109 of his remaining 209 Unassigned Attribute Points to stats that directly affected the Accel Shift’s speed ceiling.

n〈System: Control has risen to 353.〉

n〈System: Agility has risen to 400.〉

nFinally, Kieran paid attention to a skill with notable effect, worth leveling up.

n〈System: Berserker’s Burden has increased to Lv.5!〉

n「 Berserker’s Burden (Lv.5)

nSkill Rank: B

nSkill Type: Passive

nMastery (00.00%)

nDescription: This passive increases the True Berserker’s resiliency. The negative effects attributed to heavy armor are decreased by 50%. Movement speed while wearing heavy armor increases by 100%. 」

nThis passive was essentially a cheat code for ignoring heavy armor’s burden. Furthermore, it complemented Tormented Beliefs by compounding movement speed.

n“What’s the plan then? The large bounty will entice countless players, more than we’ve ever faced,” Altair asked. He didn’t fear combat but felt they should proceed with caution given their current situation.

n“The plan?” Kieran stared at his party with a cold expression. “Annihilate all who step before us.”

nThe entire party inhaled sharply because Kieran radiated a pure murderous intent that originated from the depths of his soul. The presence of Blood Mania seemed to thrive despite its inactive state.

nKieran suddenly pointed to Altair. “Come.”

nKieran guided Altair to the middle of the training area before retrieving dual blades typically used by the Thief class. However, dual blades were essentially twin swords just slightly shorter, so they weren’t a class-locked weapon.

n“Spar with me seriously. Ignore the limits placed upon you and just fight,” Kieran said. He brandished the duals blades and immediately closed the distance separating him and Altair with an Accel Shift.

nThe sudden burst of speed alarmed Altair, causing him to activate Swift Steps. The movement speed boost from Swift Step encouraged Altair to partake in this spar.

nHowever, Kieran didn’t pull his punches because of their friendship.

nGiven their circumstances, Kieran initiated the fight at an extremely high level. He employed the full extent of his base speed, releasing rapid attacks comparable to that of a Rogue or Assassin.

nKieran’s relentless onslaught soon triggered Altair’s instincts because they were not only quick attacks but also aimed at Altair’s vital areas. With the change to Combat Realism, these areas would inflict Critical Hits with 100% certainty.

nOf course, this only worked on targets with human-like weaknesses.

nNevertheless, Kieran’s attacks grasped the essence of an Assassin by emulating Altair’s future style.

nThis upcoming battle was one where he would require a partner, so he was forced to do something that may have repercussions—awakening Altair’s slumbering darkness far too early.

n“Move faster!” Kieran barked.

nClank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

nAltair retreated with each exchange, but he suddenly froze when Kieran disappeared from his sights.

nA voice dripping with killing intent whispered past Altair’s ear as Kieran spoke. “If you fail to become stronger, you will die. The Wiyans will swallow you whole, and you will disappear without fulfilling your goals. Is this all you’re capable of? Is your vengeance not enough?”

nKieran spoke in a voice only these two could hear, but madness surfaced in Altair’s eyes as he suddenly ducked and whiplashed his leg toward Kieran’s jaw.

nKieran jumped and used the bottom of Altair’s foot to propel himself backward.

nAltair released a bestial roar and chased behind Kieran while unleashing a whirlwind of slashes, but Kieran deflected every one.

n“Still too slow!” Kieran reprimanded Altair and kicked him in the chest.

nAltair slid backward but ultimately came to a stop. He stood still for a moment before switching his style altogether. He leaned forward while bringing his arms towards his center.

nAltair held the daggers in a reverse grip as the disposition of an emotionless killer surfaced.

nWhoosh!

nAltair partially succeeded in incorporating acceleration into his movement.

nTang! Tang! Tang!

nThe two engaged in several exchanges, each providing a lesson to Altair. He abruptly released his daggers and snaked around Kieran as if he were dancing. The transient release of his daggers happened so fast it was as if it didn’t occur.

nA pleased smile gradually appeared on Kieran’s pace as he continued to increase his movement speed with Accel Shift.

n“What the **!” Bastion exclaimed in awe.

nThe rapid exchanges appeared as nothing more than blurs in their eyes as Kieran forcibly expedited the creation of the Altair’s Darkness Excursion Steps.

n‘We need to get him the Shadow Dancer Class as soon as possible, and it’ll all be complete,’ Kieran thought.

nKieran only ended the training once Altair could no longer continue due to his utterly depleted Stamina. The forced usage of incomplete Accel Shift left him on the verge of collapse.

n“Those are the instincts we need. With more realistic combat, instincts are our advantage. Do not let yours dull,” Kieran said. The update produced a sort of mental barrier that made players doubt themselves.

nIf one wanted to make quick progress, the first step was the renewal of confidence that they could excel in combat no matter the circumstance.

nAltair lifted his head and nodded with a solemn expression.

nHe was familiar with the tactic Kieran had just employed. Invoke emotions to spur results, essentially drawing might from the reason they sought power in the first place.

nHowever, because Kieran wasn’t this familiar with Nemean or Bastion, it wouldn’t work on them.

nNevertheless, their current progress was acceptable. They no longer stumbled or collided with one another. The last remaining flaw was their Mana Control.

nKieran considered a solution for this issue and approached both of them.

n“Have you familiarized yourself with the skill road maps?” Kieran asked.

n“I have,” Bastion and Nemean answered in unison.

nUpon receiving this answer, Kieran placed one hand on both of their chests before relying on his acute Perception. He gradually sensed their mana paths by injecting minute amounts of Mana into them.

n“Prepare yourselves,” Kieran cautioned. He then injected a large amount of Mana through what seemed to be their most essential mana paths. However, after gaining unique properties from Argexes’ Blood, Kieran’s Mana was absurd.

nBastion and Nemean inhaled sharply at the sudden discomfort but bore with it.

nA few seconds later, Bastion and Nemean’s eyes widened in shock due to their received notification.

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