CHAPTER 67: STONE GOLEM MONSTERS

"You?"

The warrior clearly saw the PK status glowing above Ethan’s title. That alone was enough proof that Ethan was a criminal.

"We won’t hand over our weapons, no matter what," said the man, the guild leader.

"In that case, you’re not giving me a choice," Ethan replied.

Just as Ethan was about to attack the tired guild team, he suddenly stopped when he saw a group coming out of the western forest —Lara’s group, coming from the direction of Duqu Village.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, watching them sharply even though no one could see his face behind the white mask.

"Tch!"

Ethan put away his sword and leaped back fast, jumping up to the top of the waterfall and leaving the guild team behind.

They sighed in relief, grateful that the criminal didn’t have time to kill them.

From above, Ethan stood and watched as two guild teams met each other. Lara and her team greeted them, and they greeted her back.

There was no hostility between them, as if both sides had the same goal —not to fight each other, but to hunt monsters.

What have I done? I’ve become a monster to so many people these past five days.

I took their weapons, stole their money, and robbed their Star Essence just because I was stronger.

The kindness Lara and her team showed toward another guild slowly opened Ethan’s eyes.

There were other, more rational ways to collect Star Essence instead of stealing it from others.

Killing monsters, finding hidden caves, and completing side quests —those are better ways to get Star Essence.

Ethan realized he had been walking the wrong path all this time. He couldn’t deny that his strength came from taking what belonged to others.

Without all that, he was just another player, no different from them.

Sigh!

There are still six hours before sunset. I should start focusing on hunting monsters and finding secret caves.

It’ll take longer, but it’s better than taking what’s not mine.

Ethan lifted the hood of his black cloak, covering his head again. Turning around, he walked away while summoning the Fire-Pillar Sword in his hand.

He walked calmly through the forest, listening to the wind and the sound of insects echoing in his ears. It was a soothing sound for him.

Ethan stopped when he faintly heard groans and clashing swords somewhere far from the waterfall.

The sound came from the east. Ethan saw flashes of magic light coming from that direction —a sign of battle.

It could be an opportunity for Ethan, but it would be troublesome if he had to face two sides at once.

He ignored it at first and chose to head the other way. But then he heard a loud scream from the east —someone was shouting for help.

Ethan turned around and looked from afar. The magical flashes were fading, meaning the battle was almost over.

But who had won? Ethan didn’t know. What he did know was that the scream he heard earlier came from a guild team.

Curiosity got the better of him. Ethan decided to go and check the situation himself.

He stepped deeper into the forest, moving past the trees until he reached the area. There, he saw a guild team of six people.

He quickly hid behind a tree, his eyes locked on the scene ahead.

Three people were fighting in close range —two warriors and one assassin.

The other three were in the back: a priest healing a wounded warrior, and a mage helping with both attack and defense.

The monster they were fighting was a Stone Golem, level 53, while their average team level was only 44.

That difference was huge, even with more members on their side.

Stone Golems were known to be tough monsters, and Ethan noticed a Star Essence floating above the main golem’s head, right below its red cursor.

He kept watching carefully. The Stone Golem slammed its hand into the ground, summoning two smaller golems, each level 46.

Now there were three golems against six players —still a big gap in level and power.

"What do we do now?" the female mage asked.

"Heal Jacob. Once he’s fine, we retreat," one of the warriors said.

"But that monster has a Star Essence," the mage replied.

"It’s useless if we die," the warrior snapped as he kept fighting one of the level 46 golems.

Ethan overheard their words, and they caught his attention. He started to consider helping them.

With his strength, it would be easy and fast for Ethan to kill all three golems.

He drew his sword and ran straight into the battle. His sudden appearance —a man in a black hooded cloak, wearing a white mask, and showing a PK status —shocked everyone.

The guild team was from Porco City, and they immediately recognized the username floating above the masked man’s head.

"That’s... EthanArk."

"EthanArk?! Wait! How did he get into this event?" another warrior asked.

"Maybe some guild recruited him because of his skill," said the mage.

"Damn it! Now our opponent’s even worse."

Before they could react, Ethan launched his second skill —a forward thrust— followed by his first skill, a crimson slash. The damage was huge, enough to kill all three golems instantly.

[Congratulations, you killed the monster]

[Name: Stone Golem (Lv. 53) || New Record]

[+1150 EXP || +1150 Gold]

[You obtained the following items:]

[100x Star Essence] [1x Stone Core (Rare) || 1x Stone Chestplate (Epic) || 10x Silver Key || 2x Golden Key]

Ethan got the kill instead of the guild team. Slowly, the golem corpses turned into glowing particles that rose to the sky.

The guild members glared at Ethan, raising their weapons, ready to attack if he made a wrong move.

"I’m not here to kill you," Ethan said calmly.

"Then what do you want?"

Before the system could record the event, Ethan offered them the 100 Star Essence and the other items he’d just obtained from killing the Stone Golem.

Those were valuable items, especially compared to their own gear. Ethan’s behavior was strange —instead of attacking them, he chose to negotiate.

"What do you want in return?" one of them asked.

"Two hundred thousand gold."

"Money?" the warrior asked, shocked.

"Yes, money."

"Ha! You’re the most feared man in this game, and now you’re begging for money?" the warrior mocked, laughing at Ethan.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, summoning his sword and calling out Hissy.

The serpent familiar shot a poisonous spine toward the man’s neck.

The venom pierced him, spreading fast through his veins.

The man convulsed, coughed blood, and weakened. His teammates panicked —the priest tried to cleanse the poison, but it failed.

"Only Hissy can neutralize Venomfang poison," Ethan said.

"I’m negotiating, not asking to be insulted," he added coldly.

The female mage looked at her suffering friend. She knew he wouldn’t last long without help.

Finally, she gave in —after all, 200,000 gold wasn’t much when split among five people.

Ethan accepted five payments of forty thousand gold. In exchange, they received all the items, and Ethan promised to remove the poison from their friend.

A promise was a promise. Ethan crouched and placed his hand on the ground, letting Hissy crawl toward the man and suck the poison back out.

Slowly, the man’s face returned to normal. The bleeding stopped, and the shaking faded, though his breathing was still rough from the venom’s side effects.

"W-What... Did you do?" the man asked angrily.

"I just taught you a lesson —to know when to be thankful," Ethan said.