Chapter Forty-Eight: PK! A Massive Brawl!

“What did you say? There’s no safe zone here?”
“That’s right. If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.”
“Damn! Are you kidding me? Then this place is way too freaking dangerous!”
“This is a neutral city. Not having a safe zone seems normal enough, but there are plenty of guards around. Just keep a low profile and don’t stir up trouble.”
“Yeah, you’re right. As long as we don’t mess with anyone, we’ll be fine. Damn this place, sigh!”

Similar conversations echoed among the players, but nearly everyone ignored the fact that even if they didn’t provoke others, there would always be someone out there looking to stir up trouble with them. Even if one endures it once, it only makes the troublemakers more reckless. Eventually, someone won’t want to put up with it anymore. Not to mention, among the players, there are always those who gamble on luck or have a twisted desire for chaos.

Before the words had even faded, a burst of curses erupted from a nearby crowd, drawing the two men’s attention. They saw the crowd splitting into two factions, faces flushed, necks bulging with anger, arguing so fiercely that it was impossible to tell what had sparked it. Regardless, it had nothing to do with them—watching the drama unfold was entertaining enough, and they were curious to see how Cloudfall City would respond to such commotion.

Many players shared this mindset. As soon as the argument began, the surrounding players instinctively formed a circle, eager spectators to the brewing conflict. This kind of onlooking always attracted a crowd. The two opposing groups, already on edge, found themselves unable to back down under so many watchful eyes, no matter how much they wanted to.

Among them, inevitably, were hot-blooded types who decided to go all out. After all, it was just a bit of experience and equipment—why shouldn’t they vent their anger after being bullied? No one knew who threw the first punch, but with a thunderous crash, a full-blown brawl erupted. Anyone who wasn’t a friend became a target amidst the chaos—who cared who was who?

Worse yet, some mages unleashed powerful area-of-effect spells, catching many innocent bystanders in the crossfire. Those with higher levels or defenses managed to withstand the onslaught, but the lower-level or weaker ones fell dead on the spot.

Among the fallen were friends and close companions—who could keep their cool after being attacked for no reason? The chaos only escalated.

“Master, isn’t this enough? If this goes on any longer…”
“No rush, no rush. Let’s wait a bit longer. Our guards are already in position nearby—do you think they’ll get away?” Li Ren chuckled, his expression making Shadow’s eye twitch.

Even after being reborn, Shadow still couldn’t get used to his master’s infuriating yet strangely effective sense of mischief. While it certainly worked when it came to making money, as someone who considered himself honest, Shadow found it utterly absurd.

Granted, Li Ren’s personality was risky for a leader, but for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Shadow felt more motivated working for someone like him. He thought back to the days when, even in the midst of war, Li Ren would fearlessly lead his brothers into battle, always standing up for them no matter the situation. Shadow shook his head—perhaps only someone nicknamed “the Madman” in private could gather so many heroes under one banner. Maybe that, too, was a kind of charisma.

Lost in his thoughts, Shadow only snapped back to reality when someone patted him on the shoulder.

“Hey, I called you twice already. What’s got you so deep in thought? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for some girl?” Li Ren eyed him with a peculiar look, staring until Shadow started to feel uneasy and his expression began to change. Suddenly, Li Ren burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, never mind. You’re really no fun to tease,” he said, his laughter fading as he leaned in conspiratorially. “So what if you like a girl? Who cares?”

Shadow was furious, glaring at Li Ren, who quickly shouted, “Look, look! They’re fighting again! Go call the guards to break it up! Take their gear! Grab their money!”

As expected, at Li Ren’s shout, Shadow—who had gradually developed an obsession with money under Li Ren’s influence—immediately focused on the commotion. The scene before him had become a complete mess; it was impossible to tell who was fighting whom. Every visible player seemed to be an enemy. Magic spells flew in every direction, warriors charged and crashed, and the ground was littered with equipment that no one dared to pick up amidst the chaos—a spectacle Li Ren found particularly “pleasing to the eye.”

Three hundred level-one-hundred Skeleton Guards swept onto the field, quelling the chaos instantly.

Under Shadow’s direction, the Skeleton Guards—already deployed and lying in wait by Li Ren’s earlier orders—charged in from both ends of the battlefield. Players not caught up in the fighting quickly retreated, watching in awe as these question-mark-ranked guards radiating a terrifying aura restored order.

Some delighted in the spectacle: “Hey, this is a rare sight! Get it on video and upload it—this is epic!”

So was born the famous video of three hundred Skeleton Guards slaughtering players in Cloudfall City, a testament to the city’s ironclad rules. The entire video lasted less than three minutes, most of which was self-promotion by the uploader; the actual battle was over in under a minute.

A hundred Skeleton Guards remained to maintain order, while the other two hundred swept the field, gathering up all the equipment and items left behind. The players who’d been killed and lost their gear rushed back from the teleportation circle, only to watch in despair as the Skeleton Guards bent down to collect their equipment. Some were nearly in tears.

“What kind of NPCs are these?! They even pick up loot! Damn it! Damn it all!” Wails and curses filled the air, but no one paid them any mind.

When everything was finally cleaned up, Li Ren smiled in satisfaction at the newly expanded stockpile of player-usable gear in Cloudfall City’s warehouse.

Now this was satisfying—making money off their own equipment! The high-level gear had nearly reached market saturation and wasn’t selling well, but now, with this new influx of items, the players would surely be eager to buy.

Entrusting this glorious task to Shadow once again, Li Ren instructed him to sell at a premium, then turned his attention to analyzing the situation in Cloudfall City. Having tasted success, he wasn’t about to let the players off so easily.

Unfortunately for him, he found no further sparks of conflict elsewhere, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. At least the city enjoyed a period of peace and order—much to the merchants’ delight, who relished doing business in such a secure environment.

Especially now, with two Skeleton Guards stationed at every shopfront, satisfaction among the merchants was at an all-time high.

Meanwhile, Li Ren, still holed up in the lord’s castle looking to set an example, was oblivious to the strange gleam that flashed in the western Misty Mountains outside Cloudfall City. The light swiftly spread into a ripple that engulfed the entire mountain range, and a heavy, ominous aura began to emanate from the depths of the Misty Mountains.

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