I began assessing the other players—looking for the fastest way to eliminate them, minimizing mistakes and making sure I took as little damage as possible.
…I really am a genius.
Carefully, I moved into position, standing on a cliff. My eyes tracked their movements as I waited for the perfect moment to strike.
The opportunity came.
"Now… you're finished."
Three targets. All careless. Just what I needed.
A tanker. A mage. An archer.
I launched my attack, gripping my spear—my prized weapon that took me so long to obtain.
[Decaying Spear].
Pretty cool, right?
"A standard party, huh…?"
I muttered in surprise when one of them actually managed to block my opening strike.
That shouldn't have been possible.
It was a surprise attack.
…Looks like I've run into trouble.
Of course I did—my luck must be in the negatives.
Lowering my body, all six legs dug firmly into the rocky surface. My wings trembled slightly, preparing to burst forward.
In close combat like this, speed and precision decide everything.
—[Silent Flutter]—
My body shot forward like a phantom, slipping past the tanker with precision. My target—
The mage.
If I left him alive, things would get bad fast.
"First target: the mage."
Of course, I wanted the archer too—but he was too far. The mage was closer.
So… sorry, buddy.
The player screamed as my speed suddenly spiked, trying to call the tanker back to protect him.
Too late.
Right now, he was nothing more than meat on a chopping board.
"Damn it! Duve, you idiot! How did you let him get to me?!"
"Shit—!"
SLASH!!
My spear swung across his body, carrying the rotting effect along with multiple buffs enhancing my strength.
The impact sent him flying backward.
His HP dropped by more than half in a single hit.
"Nice."
I could've killed him in one strike… but it looked like he had some high-tier defensive gear.
…Which would soon be mine.
A greedy smile spread across my face.
"Damn it, what kind of messed-up playstyle is this?! That hurt, you freak!"
I ignored him.
No hesitation.
I lunged again, aiming to finish him off before he could use any recovery item.
—[Multi-Limb Coordination]—
CRACK!
A dry, sharp sound echoed.
"…What the hell?!"
I clicked my tongue in frustration.
"[Fortress Guard]!"
The tanker had reacted in time, intercepting my attack.
A barrier of light formed between me and the mage.
"…Tch."
"[Inferno Bind]!"
The ground beneath me erupted into flames.
"Shit—!"
Lava burst upward like chains, binding my body in place.
—Warning: FIRE—
My body began to burn. A burn status effect applied.
And the mage… he was almost fully recovered.
Damn it.
My HP slowly started dropping.
"Got you!"
The archer stepped back, drawing his bow—and he was even smiling.
"[Piercing Rain]!"
Dozens of glowing arrows rained down.
They struck relentlessly—shoulders, abdomen, wings.
At this point, I looked like a damn pincushion.
I quickly activated several items to reduce the damage, preventing my HP from dropping too low.
These guys… they'd completely taken control of the battle tempo.
"…It's not over yet, you bastards."
I smirked.
Honestly, I don't even know why I was still smiling.
My tail curled upward.
—[Venom Sting]—
I lunged straight at the tanker, unleashing a series of heavy strikes. I didn't dodge the attacks from the other two.
I had already activated my ring:
[Endurance]
I was determined.
If I couldn't win—
Then I'd at least take one of them down with me.
THRUST!
My venomous stinger pierced through his shield, stabbing into his shoulder.
"Guh—?! A debuff?!"
His status shifted to Poison.
I heard the mage shouting:
"I'm almost done! That freak is finished!"
He raised his hand.
A massive magic circle appeared above me.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
High-tier magic?
How the hell did they even get that?!
I'm screwed.
"[Flame Cataclysm]."
The space around me shattered like broken glass.
A pillar of fire descended.
"…Am I really going to lose?"
Damn it.
I don't want to lose my gear.
That tanker is almost dead—
I have to gamble.
BOOOOOOM!!!
My body shattered into millions of data fragments—
…Yeah right.
As if.
I had already killed the tanker at the last second.
Thanks to [Gluttony], I recovered a large amount of HP, and I activated my ring:
[Cockroach]
That's how I survived.
You think I'd go hunting without insurance?
I wanted to go back and finish off the other two…
…but my HP was low, I was stacked with debuffs, and both my MANA and HP were nearly depleted.
Lucky bastards.
Still—
not bad.
Even though I couldn't take the mage's gear, I did get something good from the tanker.
A ring.
It boosts stats temporarily—but more importantly:
+30% instant HP recovery when health is critically low
+20% damage increase
If I didn't have that ring earlier…
…I'd be dead.
Heh.
I looked back at the two of them and mocked them—raising my middle finger before leaving.
I could still hear them cursing behind me.
Hahaha.
I didn't kill them…
…but making them mad?
That's fun too.