CHAPTER 76: MICHELLE AND HER GUILD TEAM

Luna heard what Ethan said to her. Even though many players looked at her with contempt, none of them dared to harm her.

The reason they held back was fear of uncertainty. That’s right—Ethan was a stranger to them. No one had ever seen him before, which meant none of them knew how strong he was.

"Look at him! Doesn’t he realize there are so many people who want to chop his head off?"

"If I were him, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to enter this village."

"He’s clearly challenging death by coming here."

Ethan heard their words too, not just Luna. He couldn’t blame them—after all, what they said was true.

To deny the truth and facts would only make me a hypocrite.

Ethan and Luna stopped walking when they arrived in front of one of the three inns in the village.

People were still watching them, both those outside and those inside the inn.

They only stared but didn’t attack. What exactly were they afraid of?

A woman, curious about the commotion outside, opened her room window and saw a crowd of people looking toward the lobby.

Clearly, they were watching someone who had just entered, though she didn’t know who it was.

"What’s going on, Elle?" asked a woman named Helena.

"There’s a lot of noise outside the inn. It seems something happened," said the woman named Michelle—her college friends used to call her Elle.

"Really?" asked Helena.

She looked out the same window. They could only see the crowd, not the person everyone was staring at.

Helena grew more curious than Elle. She grabbed Elle’s hand and pulled her toward the stairs to see who it was.

"There’s a reason those people are watching him. Don’t be careless," warned Arnold, their guild leader and teammate.

"I know... I’m not stupid."

Ethan received the room key, and the innkeeper explained that his regular room was on the second floor, as those were the only rooms still available.

Even though Ethan was a PK, the innkeeper still treated him kindly. After all, what they saw wasn’t a murderer, but a guest.

As Helena and Elle walked through the hallway, Ethan and Luna were climbing the stairs.

By accident, they bumped into each other. Ethan didn’t fall, but Helena did.

Instinctively, Ethan reached out and caught her hand, stopping her from hitting the floor.

"Are you alright?" Ethan asked, his face still hidden behind a white mask.

Helena turned to look at him. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she could read the username above his head—and the PK status beside it.

That shocked her. She jumped back quickly and drew her weapon. Elle followed her lead, until she suddenly remembered and recognized the name EthanArk.

"EthanArk... is that you, Ethan?" Elle asked.

Ethan went silent for a moment, then focused his eyes forward. There, he clearly saw Elle—the priest who had helped him back when he was still new to the game.

Now, she had grown much stronger, just like the guild she was part of.

Judging by where they were, she must have joined a mid-ranked guild instead of staying in the southern area.

"Elle?" Ethan said.

Helena froze, glancing back and forth between Ethan and Michelle. Curious, she opened her old chat logs and found the name EthanArk.

Back then, Ethan was the one who had saved and protected Michelle. Her guildmates had taken her to the city afterward, while Ethan had gone on alone.

"You’re... the Ethan who saved Elle before?" Helena asked.

Elle nodded. She still remembered the name EthanArk clearly. She wasn’t mistaken—it really was him.

"It’s good to see you’re safe, Elle."

"I’m glad to see you too, Ethan."

"The last time we met, you already had PK status. Looks like you’re still holding onto that title by killing other players, huh?" Helena said.

"You have no right to meddle in my business," Ethan replied firmly.

Without removing his white mask, he started walking toward his room. Helena and Elle stepped aside, though Elle looked saddened seeing that he still carried that cursed title.

"I think I understand now why people keep staring at you out there," Helena said.

"They’re not looking at your PK status—they’re waiting for the right moment to kill you."

"Helen," Elle said softly, asking her not to keep insulting and provoking Ethan.

Ethan didn’t care. He opened his door, stepped inside, and finally rested in peace.

The door locked behind him, and Luna also settled in, trying to forget everything that had happened earlier.

"So, one of those two women was your friend?" Luna asked.

Ethan cleared his throat but didn’t intend to explain much. He didn’t think it was the right time for Luna to know too much about this game.

There would be a time for that—but not now. For now, Ethan would teach her the most basic thing: manners.

With proper manners and good etiquette, Luna would be seen as a refined and respectable woman in the future.

Time passed quickly. Luna spent her time resting on the bed, undisturbed by anything.

Ethan, however, was still awake, organizing his attribute points and sorting the items he planned to sell.

He needed to decide which items to sell to increase his gold. With enough gold, he could buy equipment and supplies for both himself and Luna.

Just as Ethan was busy preparing the items, he heard knocking on his door—not just once, but over and over, dozens of times.

Luckily, the knocks weren’t loud enough to wake Luna. If she woke up because of their stupidity, Ethan might have killed them all.

"Ethan... it’s me, Elle."

"What is it, Elle? If you stay near me, people will start seeing you as an enemy too."

"It’s fine. I just wanted to check on you. It’s been months since we last met, and it seems something has changed your life, hasn’t it?"

Ethan went still, his eyes fixed on the door.

"It’s alright if you don’t want to talk. I understand."

Soon after, Elle went back to her room and rested for the night. Ethan remained seated in silence, thinking about her words.

I don’t even know what’s changed my life so completely.

Power? I don’t think so. Revenge? Maybe.

No.

The will to survive—that’s what changed my life.