Chapter 13 : Red Flag
The player was a level 3 berserker.
Naturally, he would be boastful, enough to match the traits of the character that he embodied.
Nevertheless, Nash was not lacking in confidence either and fired right back.
"Don't be surprised when you have to start all over again to grind," Nash retorted with a mocking smile.
"Being big doesn't equate to strength or skill, you know."
The level 3 player ground his teeth bitterly.
Now, he felt more enraged, wanting to crush Nash's skull in for that singular reason.
Without wasting any time, Nash equipped the bone dagger that he had gotten from Bismarck.
Clearly, this player meant them harm from his statement and Nash was not going to be caught lacking.
Since he didn't know what type of abilities or items were in his opponent's arsenal, Nash had to act first and fast as well.
Nash did not withdraw even one point from the bone dagger's attack power, pouring all the 13 points the weapon offered into his charge.
The berserker class player saw Nash charging towards him and his face twisted with anger.
He replied by equipping a weapon of his own—a large knife, one that he could use freely.
He kept his grip firm around the handle of the knife, swinging it freely before pushing forward to match Nash's charge.
"You die today, noob!" he cried out.
Just when they were a few metres from each other, Nash pulled a surprise move that forced the berserker to come to a stop in an instant.
[Stealth]
Nash's very essence vanished from sight and all the level 3 player could see was Eileen who was standing in the distance.
His opponent was nowhere to be found and this shocked him to the marrow.
"Th-That guy… how?" the level 3 player muttered as his lips trembled in shock.
Nash was overly confident about beating this guy and that was what pushed him to take the lead in their battle.
With the calibre of skills he had, plus the additional attack power from his bone dagger, it was clear to him that he would win as long as he didn't make any mistake.
His attack power would rise remarkably if he combine [Stun Strike] plus the full power of bone dagger while in stealth mode and that was exactly what Nash did in his very first strike.
It was an overkill for the level 3 berserker!
Nash, on the other hand, did not hold back as he cut him cleanly across the chest.
*Slash*
He was still stunned from the effect of [Stun Strike] when Nash followed up with a second dagger slash, landing the final devastating blow that ended the fight.
His body started to shatter like ice smashed on a hard floor, and he was terrified.
At the same time, he was angry at both himself and Nash.
How could a noob have beat him so easily at level 3?
There was nothing he could do now than to accept his fate as his body crumbled into particles.
Eileen, who had clasped her hands in prayer for Nash, was happy seeing how he easily defeated his opponent.
He couldn't believe that Nash was just starting to play the game like he claimed since his skill spoke otherwise.
Regardless, she found comfort around him and felt safe.
With the level 3 stalker gone, she can finally rest easy.
Unfortunately, Nash was not going to rest that easily.
*Ding*
[You have been red flagged]
[Punishment: Red Flag]
[Crime: Killed a player]
[Your fame has decreased by 1 point]
[You have committed the act of killing another player with the intent to do so. You will be tagged with a red flag for one hour]
[Bounty assignment on your character has been opened. Players or groups can now assign a bounty on your head without repercussions]
[You are now a candidate for the wanted list. Players and groups will not be penalised for killing you during the time of your punishment]
"No! No! No!" Nash cried out. "No!"
He didn't want this.
He was carried away and now he has killed a player, becoming the one with a target on his back for one hour.
Nash smacked his forehead and hissed.
A red flag, all for what? Nothing.
Even with [Plunder] showing him what he could pick off his dead opponent, Nash was not satisfied as the level 3 berserker had nothing of particular interest except a handful of low level potions, which he barely got to use, and his large knife, which Nash was certainly going to sell off.
After groaning over his current situation, Nash equipped the berserker's weapon and potions, storing them in his inventory until when he was ready to sell.
His priority now was to survive one hour of being red flagged.
Nash's in-game name, [Neon], suddenly became visible and written in red, with a red flag icon floating on top of it.
There were many disadvantages that came with being red flagged but what bothered him the most was the penalty that came with dying.
Dying as a red flagged player meant that you stood a high chance of losing everything you worked for, either to the game system or the player that kills you, whatever the case may be.
Fortunately, not many players at this stage were bothered with bounty hunting and stealing items off other players.
This was mostly because the items or weapons were still very weak and most of them would make little to no difference in their characters.
Notwithstanding, there were players who also liked to hunt and those were the ones that Nash was wary of.
He thought about his situation for a few minutes before coming up with a plan to get this dent off his character.
He looked at Eileen and said, "Let's go."
They were going to the [Animal Farm] dungeon when the berserker stopped them and that was Nash's plan—to enter the dungeon and stay there for one hour.
By the time one hour elapsed, Eileen would have gathered enough experience and coins, and his punishment would be lifted.