Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-144

The main reason the players banded together despite knowing that only a select few could reap the rewards of the Kill Order was the rumors of Kieran's strength.

Before the First Metamorphosis occurred, most players regarded Kieran as the strongest Warrior in Gena Village. After that, further review of his earlier streams against the Forest of Beasts and Scarlet Flame Wolf earned him recognition as an undisputed expert.

However, players assumed Kieran would be in a similarly precarious position, with the First Metamorphosis affecting everyone. Still, they couldn't ignore the possibility that he was still much more powerful than average players.

Thus, the current situation surfaced.

Countless players teamed together to take down Kieran and his teammates, but aside from Altair, who walked into the battle with Kieran, Bastion, Nemean, Alice, Cyr, and the rest of the party remained safe inside the city's walls, secure from being targetted.

Although many powers ignored this petty conflict, that didn't remain the case once rumors of the significant battle spread.

The first to receive word was Ezra, Guild Master of Eclipse. Since obtaining property and territory was impossible, she used her remaining funds to rent rooms in a decent inn.

This inn was located in the central commercial area, so they offered excellent buffs for an admittedly high price.

"Are you seeing this Lux?" Ezra questioned with a partially astonished expression.

"I do. That man is a Berserker but moves like an Assassin while wielding that gigantic blade. How does this make any sense? Those movements should be impossible while wielding such a large weapon," Lux commented after carefully analyzing the stream video before them.

Lux found it tough to grasp how Kieran's movements were possible. Large weapons and heavy armors generally reduced movement speed and made it so heavy classes would always be at a speed disadvantage.

"No, look closer," Ezra said, correcting Lux's observation.

Lux's analysis was accurate, but he focused on the wrong detail. Ezra wanted him to pay attention to Kieran's minute actions.

"Wait, WHAT?! I have seen that before, but professional fighters, mainly boxers, only employ it." Lux gasped after grasping the action Ezra referred to.

"Correct. That movement pattern is abnormal but extremely practical for closing distance in an instant. It happens in a fraction of the time it takes to blink but takes normal people years to master. We call it a Burst Step," Ezra explained.

From how Ezra spoke, it seemed she was familiar and even skilled in this particular technique.

"Burst Step… but isn't it faster here than in real life?"

"Well, of course. Our characters are infinitely stronger than our real bodies. What do you expect? I've used X-hancers for years to strengthen my body, but my character has already surpassed my actual limits," Ezra said.

Considering that they were only regarded as Tier 1 existence revealed the disparity between this world's power structure and what was possible on Earth even with their current strengthening.

"Speaking of which, didn't you recently switch to consuming 50% X-hancers?"

"I have, but the effect of insane. I estimate I'll reach a new realm of physical might if I continue with it for a week more," Ezra revealed.

Lux looked at her in astonishment before pondering the limits of these X-hancers. 'If the Guild Master becomes any stronger… she'll turn inhuman. I wonder what the effects of a 100% X-hancer are. Furthermore, if anyone has consumed one.'

X-hancers were a relatively new topic with less than 12 years of history. Most people in Ezra's circle didn't come in contact with X-hancers until eight years ago, when rumors of a refined gaming title first surfaced.

All of a sudden, Ezra's eyes widened while almost planting her face through the virtual screen. "I was wrong; that's not just a Burst Step. It's something fundamentally similar but different in execution."

"What do you mean?" Lux had keen eyes, but he wasn't experienced with any particular fighting style because he was skilled with long-distance weapons. But, because no gunman class was present at the time, he chose an Archer to implement his skills.

"Right there," Ezra slowed the frames to a hundredth of their original rate and highlighted the movement. Kieran pivoted on one foot without moving while rotating from an x to y-axis.

"This is a type of shifting motion, not a bursting one. It's designed to elude, not close distances. This guy is implementing several variations of one movement!"

"We must get in contact with him," Ezra suddenly declared. "A fluent implementation of these skills in a difficult setting indicates extreme skill. This nobody will most likely become the objective of several first-class gaming organizations."

"So… you want to be the first to move then? You might be the Guild Master, but you aren't authorized to main these decisions without the board's approval," Lux warned.

Ezra wasn't the type to make hasty decisions without ample research, but she understood Kieran's immense value.

"Then get in contact with them right away. If we can't draw Aatrox to our side, we need to foster a decent relationship with him at least. He might be the impetus Eclipse requires."

…

Meanwhile, Luna sat beside Luka in the Adventurers' Guild, bearing a deepening frown.

'He has gotten even stronger since then. I thought this metamorphosis would restrict us all, but it seems to have accomplished the opposite for Aatrox. It's as if his movements have been liberated to flow freely.'

After their experiences inside the Underground Labyrinth, Luna viewed Kieran as not just an ally but a goal. His every action exuded the bearing of an expert. Even when enraged, he exhibited a skill level well above the masses.

This was a level of attainment Luna sorely desired.

"Wait, isn't something wrong?" Luka watched the stream but felt something was amiss.

Luka continued after realizing the issue. "His skills! Aatrox hasn't activated any of his skills! Those defeats were purely mechanical, but don't you recall his absurd skills?"

"Ah!" A flash of realization hit Luna.

"You're right. Aatrox hasn't activated a single skill. I feel for those players. If they don't make it out alive, at least it was by the hand of someone much stronger. That should at least be some type of consolation for their bruised ego."

…

A few seconds later…

"What is going on?! Why isn't he affected like us? These movements are unreal!"

"No wonder that damned Sunset Triad and Shadow Cartel put out an outrageous bounty. This guy is a monster. But, there are several hundreds of us; pile up on him!"

Kieran's opponents attack in droves, hoping to overpower him, but they never estimated Kieran could fight unrestrictedly.

The sea of players arrived at a supposed solution—attacking Kieran at once. However, at that moment, screams sounded from the gathering's center.

"It's him! It's that damned Assassin! Get rid of that little eyesore."

Meanwhile, Kieran revealed an amused smirk while witnessing the sight of countless players charging at him.

"I took it easy on you all, but you have forced my hand."

Until now, Kieran hadn't activated a single skill, but that was about to change.

The iconic crimson aura of Blood Mania slowly seeped from Kieran's body while the crimson etching along Crimson Ashrune illuminated with a deadly presence.

"For all those Berserkers out there who have come here to target me—learn from your superior!"

Bang!

Unlike before, where Kieran employed Accel Shift for an instant burst of acceleration, he used his raw speed to perform his current astonishing dash.

Crimson Ashrune gained a breathtaking crimson existence that conformed to Kieran's will. Kieran arrived before a frozen Pugilist who gulped in fear after seeing Kieran's current state.

Bang!

Kieran cleaved the Pugilist in half cleanly, leaving a shallow crimson scar on the ground as his blade impacted it.

At the same time, dark tendrils fired in several different directions as Altair unleashed Darkness Flashes backed by his incomplete Darkness Excursion Steps.

The battlefield was plunged into chaos as two madmen went up against several hundred players without fear.

"T-they're literally insane! Are you seeing this right now? How is this possible?"

"Don't spread out! Condense your numbers and kill them. We can't go out this sadly! They are steamrolling us!"

The stream chat reacted to the frantic calls the polar sea of players made.

"Hahaha! That's right! Get rolled for messing with Aatrox! You were stupid enough to do the deed, so get fucked!"

The player's first instincts were to run away from the carnage and chaos, but the several voices encouraging them to stick together and possibly earn heaps of cash sounded reasonable.

Five players charged at Kieran at once, unleashing their skills to the best of their ability.

Arrows and spells flew toward Kieran, but Crimson Ashrune vibrated as Kieran indifferently slashed his sword, firing a large Blood Wave through their path of advance.

The Blood Wave shattered the spells and arrows alike before continuing with unstoppable momentum. The players were minced by the Blood Wave, the ghastliness leaving everyone frozen.

Meanwhile, a notification appeared before Kieran.

〈System: You have entered Second Degree Infamy. If you die, you will lose 1 level and suffer 50% reduced attributes for the next 2 hours.〉

Despite the severity of Second Degree Infamy, Kieran ignored the notification and instead looked at the players, now frozen in shock.

After witnessing the blaze of crimson glory surrounding Kieran, the players made a quick and effortless decision.

"Run!"

However, Kieran cared little about their opinion.

"You want to run now? No, you must stay and enjoy the spectacle!"

Bzzt! Bzzzt!

Crimson crackles flashed around Kieran's body as he chose to no longer limit his destruction. Everyone should learn to repercussions of targeting him. He was not a defenseless lamb prime for slaughter.