Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-39

After opening the stream menu, Kieran made it so he could talk directly to the stream for a moment. During that time, he used the opportunity to reveal the reason behind this stream. Simply put, he covered the general topic without going into great detail.

Still, anyone with impressive information gathering skills would be privy to why Kieran made this particular stream.

The Shadow Cartel already possessed a notorious reputation. Moreover, some witnessed the conflict between Kieran's party members and the Shadow Cartel but didn't interfere in the dispute out of fear of being targeted as well.

Once that happened, Kieran came across the dense perimeter that the Shadow Cartel had set. Each of them were at least Lv.14, and their names at this point were growing increasingly red, symbolizing they had killed enough players to step into 2nd Degree Infamy but were quickly accruing more.

One of the members raised their sword at Kieran's party and issued a despotic command. "Turn back now. This is territory claimed by the Shadow Cartel. If you step beyond this point, don't blame us for being ruthless."

"Ruthless?" Kieran chuckled softly.

The Warrior's Aura seeped from his body while he continued to walk forward. He paid no heed to their words because they simply weren't able in his eyes.

Noticing this lack of acknowledgment, the Warrior's expression darkened. They were still in the beginner village, yet someone had the gall to ignore one of their direct commands? It was unacceptable in his eyes.

Therefore, the Warrior raised his sword and dashed forward. He executed a Heavy Slash that seemed to be backed by considerable Strength. Still, it was an attack performed by a player who had yet to escape the ineptitude of a Basic Class.

〈Alert: The PK Defender System has been activated. You won't generate Infamy by retaliating against the culprit or their party.〉

Kieran didn't even glance at the notification before swiping it aside.

Part of the reason he decided to deal with the Shadow Cartel in such a way originated from this responsive system. As long as he could pinpoint those who acted as a party, he could reduce the total Infamy generated.

However, Kieran also understood that there would be times when he couldn't wait for this situation to activate. He would simply have to resolve the Infamy at a later date.

Kieran merely glanced up in response to the incoming attack and knocked it aside with an average strike. Despite the lack of skill to meet the Heavy Slash, Kieran lost zero Health in this exchange, but the opposing Warrior was knocked back and staggered.

While he struggled to regain his footing after having his strike utterly overpowered, Kieran's large physique appeared before the Warrior casting a great shadow.

"Come on now. You think you can murder me? You're not able," Kieran scoffed. Afterward, he slashed his sword horizontally, executing a Force Slash!

Bang!

-188!

The Warrior was tossed aside like a ragdoll, flying into a nearby tree with a sliver of Health remaining. If it weren't for the fact player vs. player (PvP) was judged differently from combatting a monster, Kieran would have killed this warrior in one strike.

Once a PK system was activated, only 10% of the involved parties' stats would be applied. So, while Kieran could easily defeat this player in one strike, it was difficult to accomplish unless there was an insurmountable difference in attributes.

Nevertheless, the Critical left this individual with no more than 32 Health remaining.

Kieran claimed this by thrusting his Novice Greatsword into the Warrior's torso. Their body slumped over lifelessly, soon turning into motes of light as ample coins and two pieces of Heavy Armor dropped. They were Lv.15 and could fetch a pretty penny, so Kieran tossed them into his inventory.

Because the Warrior had 2nd Degree Infamy, their Death Penality was much more severe than normal. However, they needed to pay for their actions. It was the cost of committing their vindictive deeds. Once caught, they would suffer at least equal punishment.

Judging by the loot Kieran received, the poor fellow would have lost at least two levels in the process. This number would increase further if he was barely Lv.15. This kill alone was already payback for one of his team members.

Suddenly, Kieran's eyebrow twitched when he felt a change in the presence nearby.

"Fool! Did you just kill the Team Leader? Who do you think you are, dumbass?" A Hunter nearby roared.

Two Thieves and a Fighter charged Kieran with infuriated expressions, but Kieran seemed carefree.

He lifted his hand when he noticed Altair preparing to intervene. He instructed him not to in the party chat. For now, the PK System wasn't refined enough to include the defender's entire party. It was only limited to the Defender. Only after the next update would that become plausible.

"The superior belief of yours is a fallacy, dipshit. Do you really think you guys can act as you please and suffer no repercussions? You all must be delusional," Kieran replied in a cold tone.

Whoosh!

In the next moment, Kieran tilted his head to the side, dodging the arrow of the Hunter towards the back. At first, the Hunter felt this was a fluke as they looked at Kieran with widened eyes. But, what happened next made the Hunter gulp in fright.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Hunter used one of its skills, Triple Shot which fired three arrows in quick succession. The delay between fired arrows was minimal, appearing to be shot simultaneously. However, while advancing toward the incoming Thieves and Fighter, Kieran waved his greatsword effortlessly.

Tang! Tang! Tang!

Kieran parried the arrows without wasting his energy. At this point in the game, most players were weaker than monsters. So, when pinned against someone who was akin to a beast in human skin, these players were negligible!

Once in the range of the party, Kieran's necklace shimmered, followed by a clear chime of some sort of a bell. A moment later, a powerful soundwave spread from Kieran's body that put all of the nearby players in a Fainted state.

All of those affected by this action possessed names of a deepening red color. So, Kieran killed all three of the newcomers before they could even recover from the Fainted state. A splendid addition of coins and armor arrived in Kieran's inventory as he gestured for the rest to continue following him.

Soon enough, he arrived at the end of the trees. The clearing before them was where the World Boss battle currently raged. However, after taking a gander at their formation, Kieran felt these two organizations were laughable.

"They have far too much trust in their weak members judging by these textbook formations," Kieran commented.

"What do you mean?" Aspaira asked with a slightly confused expression. She didn't quite see what Kieran saw, so she needed help understanding what these "textbook formations" referred to.

"Take a look; all of their healers are positioned towards the back. One would only do this when they're confident that no one else would show up. On the other hand, having their healers at the rear of the formation protects them from any unforeseen large-scale damage. Even if their movement speed is lacking, they'll be given time to retreat," Kieran explained.

Upon listening to Kieran's explanation, Aspaira's eyes radiated with understanding. "But, that also leaves them exposed as well!"

"Precisely. Now, what would happen if these parties all lost their healers against such a frightening boss?"

"Even if they consume many Health Potions, they'll inevitably die with the cooldown on the items," Cygnus interjected.

"There you have it. That's exactly where we'll begin—eliminate all of their healers, and once these parties crumble, we'll leave only those who can properly contribute to the death of this World Boss," Kieran instructed.

Even though they felt it may be quite hard to kill this boss if it didn't decrease to a further manageable level, the others readily agreed. The fact his boss regenerated Health alarmed the party.

Based on what Kieran saw, the Healers present numbered no more than 80. While the majority of them would be taken out by him and Altair, the stragglers who managed to slip past their assault would be left up to Aspaira to kill.

For this, Kieran instructed Aspaira to use her superior Magic Attack to kill them as soon as possible with a Flame Wave.

After properly disclosing the plan to his teammates, Kieran broke apart from the others, running beside Altair. The Healers were located far enough away that it wouldn't arouse suspicion unless they generated far too much clamor. After all, the boss battle was already incredibly loud.

"I wish you luck," Kieran smirked.

Surprisingly, Altair raised his hand. The two high-fived each other while Altair turned this endeavor into a more interesting one. "Wanna make a bet—the higher kill count is the winner, and the loser will have to do whatever the winner says at least once."

Unlike typical Warriors, a skilled Thief was the undisputed god of player vs. player combat. Therefore, Altair felt confident that his overall superior attack and movement speed would surpass the raw damage Kieran could unleash in short bursts.

Although Kieran understood the reason for Altair's bet, he still agreed to it nonetheless. Even if his base class was at a disadvantage, Kieran didn't believe his combat standard couldn't make up the difference.

'At least he's still as addicted to PvP as I remember. That's exactly what we need right now," Kieran inwardly thought. Naturally, he agreed to Altair's bet.

At the same time, he prepared for what was to come. The four Skill Points in his possession vanished!

However, there was no change in his aura, so it was evident he used these points on a physical skill instead.