Chapter 18: Trap and Team Battles

Because EthanArk’s identity wasn’t very clear, Jill hadn’t decided yet whether she could trust him or not.

He might know a lot, but he could also be just a fanatic fan of EthanAsh666 who took it too far and started stalking him.

After all, Jill had never met EthanAsh666 in real life. They only met inside the game, and even then, Ethan used an avatar that looked nothing like his real face.

So when EthanArk showed up with a face she didn’t recognize, Jill had no idea who he was.

“Your origin is unclear. I can’t just let you join,” Jill explained.

“Sorry, this conversation ends here. Because of your PK status, you’re not allowed to join the tournament,” she said firmly.

She stood up, and her two aides smiled when they heard Jill reject Ethan. Ethan looked shocked.

After all, if he told them he was Ethan Arkwright, they probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Jill wasn’t helping. It seemed the only solution now was to meet Ashley directly.

Jill pointed her magic staff forward, casting a golden spell that released the bindings around Ethan’s body.

In an instant, the spell vanished, and Ethan was completely free.

“I understand,” Ethan said softly, feeling down.

She didn’t answer. After returning Ethan’s Flamefang sword, she and her two aides left the inn.

Ethan had failed to join the tournament just because of the PK status he received.

The duration left was only three weeks, but there was no telling if there would be another tournament once the status expired.

Disappointment and sadness filled his heart. Still, there was a faint hope left —if he could meet Ashley.

After all, only Ashley, Rick, and Gordon knew what Ethan Arkwright’s real face looked like.

He was the last to step out of the inn. The rumor about EthanArk being a wanted player in Nile had made many players curious.

When Ethan arrived at the front of the inn, he clearly saw a crowd of players holding their weapons, ready to kill him. The tension was thick.

Ethan narrowed his eyes coldly, watching the players surrounding him, leaving him no room to escape.

The Flamefang sword appeared in his hand. He stabbed it into the ground and leaned on the hilt with both hands.

“So, you all came to kill me?” Ethan asked.

“You! Your head’s worth 1000 EXP. Of course we’re gonna kill you!”

Ethan glanced to the side and noticed Jill from afar. She seemed curious about his strength, standing beside the guild stand with her arms crossed, her eyes focused on him.

“All right, how about we do a Team Battle?” Ethan asked.

“Team Battle?” several people repeated.

Jill smiled. Things were getting more interesting —Ethan had just challenged the players who came to kill him to a team battle.

“The Battle feature!”

“That feature’s been open since the start. It lets you challenge someone to a fair fight. There’s a special reward if you win, whether solo or in a team,” Ethan explained.

He opened his personal system menu and brought up the battle feature, then selected the team battle option because of the better rewards for winning.

[BATTLES!]

[Party A!]

[1. EthanArk (Lv. ?)]

[Send challenge invitation?] [Y/N]

He sent out challenge invitations to all nearby players. A panel appeared in front of each of them, and their excitement grew.

“You can form a group of four players. Don’t worry, I’ll go solo against you all,” Ethan said proudly.

“You’re arrogant! Let’s see that smug face after I beat you!” one player shouted.

[DING! You received 8 battle challenges]

A system panel appeared in front of Ethan, showing eight party battles, each with four players.

Jill saw them too —she even received a challenge invitation, but she wasn’t interested.

“Don’t you want to fight him?” one of Jill’s aides asked.

“That’s just a beginner’s match. It wouldn’t be right for us to interfere,” Jill replied, declining the challenge.

Ethan smiled and chose the first party that had accepted his challenge. The reward system was set by whoever issued the challenge.

Once both sides agreed, the battle could begin.

[TEAM BATTLES!]

[Party A] [1. EthanArk (Lv.?)]

[VS]

[Party EthanArk Slayer] [1. Jacques1on (Lv.14)] [2. MirelliaGon (Lv.13)] [3. GustavoNor (Lv.14)] [4. AsepMurdin (Lv.12)]

[Reward: 1000 EXP || 1000 Gold]

“What’s this reward?” Jacques asked.

“A bet.”

“I’m putting 1000 EXP from my total EXP. If you win, my EXP will decrease and I’ll lose a level — and if I win, it’s the other way around.”

Jacques and the others were shocked. They had never done a battle before, and three of the four members of Party EthanArk Slayer were beginners.

They only played Tower of Ascension because of FOMO —the VR Full-Drive game had gone viral on social media, and they didn’t want to miss the trend.

“If your party has four players, the reward will be split among you. That means each of you gets 250 EXP and 250 Gold.”

“That’s too little. We each want at least 1000 EXP and 1000 Gold,” Jacques demanded.

“You’re greedy,” Ethan muttered.

[Reward: 1000 EXP || 1000 Gold → 5000 EXP || 5000 Gold]

“How about now?” Ethan asked.

Jill’s eyes widened when she saw the reward numbers displayed on the holographic board above the city arena.

Ethan was wagering around 5000 EXP and Gold —meaning his total EXP had to be much higher than 5000.

Not only that, but Ethan’s level was also hidden, so other players couldn’t see it. Jill suspected Ethan wasn’t just an average beginner anymore.

“5000 EXP? That’s about what a level-20 player would have, right?” her aide asked.

“I suspect EthanArk is above level 20,” Jill replied.

“This will be a death battle. Those four don’t stand a chance against him,” she added.

“Death battle?”

“Deaths that happen in team battles don’t affect a player’s status. It doesn’t make anyone a PK,” Jill explained.

“EthanArk is clever… and cunning.”

Both of Jill’s aides nodded. They warned her to be careful around Ethan, given his manipulative tactics and how he bent the system rules to kill others.

Jill understood that, but unfortunately, the beginner players didn’t.

They couldn’t blame Ethan if he killed someone in a team battle —the system itself allowed it.

[Reward confirmed]

[Battle starts in 3… 2… 1]

The fight began. The cheers of other players echoed outside the city arena. Many members of the Lionark Guild were curious and came to watch.

The four players in front of Ethan attacked with everything they had. Ethan drew his sword and moved swiftly, dodging every strike.

“His movement is fast and efficient, even though he’s a warrior,” Jill noted.

Ethan focused ahead, easily avoiding their attacks. His eyes locked onto Jacques.

The highest among them was level 14. Their HPs were below 1500.

Just one skill strike is enough to wipe them all out.

He jumped back to create distance while they kept throwing their skills at him. Jacques laughed loudly, mocking Ethan.

“You keep dodging! What’s wrong? Where’s that arrogance now, coward?!” Jacques yelled.

“You want to see my arrogance?” Ethan asked.

“Then take this.”

With a wide swing of his sword, Ethan unleashed a crimson maroon slash, followed by a booming thunder that tore through the air. The power was terrifying, creating a strong AoE impact.

“What kind of skill attack is that?” Jacques shouted, panicking.

He tried to counter Ethan’s skill with his own, but the moment their attacks collided, Jacques’s skill shattered instantly.

“W-What… is happening?”

BLAST!

A huge maroon explosion erupted where the four players stood. The shockwave shook the ground and sent strong winds across the arena.

Many players raised their arms to block the magical dust blowing toward them.

Jill did the same, shocked by the power Ethan had just shown —far beyond a beginner’s level.

“W-What kind of power is that?” one of her aides stammered.

Jill stayed silent, watching the aftermath. The ground trembled for a moment before calming. The dust cleared, revealing a horrifying scene.

The four players who had challenged Ethan were dead — their bodies torn apart, blood pooling under them.

“W-What?” one aide whispered.

“KYAAA!”

“You son of a bitch, Ethan! You killed players again!” someone shouted.

Jill stayed quiet, still processing the sight. Ethan’s strength was beyond logic — one single skill attack had killed four beginners at once.

He’s not someone who can be underestimated. Could he really help Lionark?

Ethan turned coldly toward the players who had mocked him earlier, stepping to the edge of the arena.

“Sorry, I forgot to mention something.”

“Death in Team Battles is normal. The system won’t punish me,” Ethan said.

“W-What?” several beginners gasped.

“This is crazy! I’m not fighting him!” one player said, opening their Team Battle panel.

As they hit the cancel challenge, notification panels appeared in front of Ethan —seven notifications from seven different parties.

After seeing what happened to Party EthanArk Slayer, the other challengers were terrified. They chose to run and forfeit their matches.

But the Battle System respected both sides, so Ethan had to confirm.

[Party Dragon Slayer has declined the challenge]

[Accept] [Reject]

“You’re backing out? What a shame.”

Ethan pressed the reject, forcing the parties to stay in the match. Panic spread among the players.

“What are you doing?! Please, accept our request!” some shouted.

“Please, spare us! We don’t want to die!” a few female players begged.

Ethan smiled. He needed to teach them a lesson —never underestimate others.

He selected the second party to start the next match.

In an instant, blue light surrounded the four members of the next party. They were teleported into the arena with pale, terrified faces.

“P-Please… don’t kill us, Ethan!”

“W-We’ll do anything! ANYTHING!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep