Even so, Mavelard was a big city with lots of players living inside it. The more players settled there, the more the city expanded with player houses being built everywhere.
That's right! The housing feature unlocked at level 60. Since so many players lived there, Ethan was sure the average player level in that city was around 40 to 50.
Right now, Ethan had reached level 52, which meant he was about equal to most players there. Still, he needed to stay alert.
He had to be ready for whatever trouble might come his way.
Since I'm already in one of the central region cities, I should start buying better gear and items.
Moving carefully, Ethan left the inn and followed the main street. There were lots of players around, and many turned to look at him—especially because of the PK status floating above his head.
"That's Ethan," someone whispered.
"Killing him gives 5,000 EXP," another replied.
"I'll be the first to take him down," said another player.
Ethan glanced behind him. The players he had passed were now turning around and following him. He knew right away they were coming to kill him.
Not wanting to fight in the open, Ethan decided to slip into a narrow alley, leading to an empty field far from the city center.
Luckily, the three players followed him. Ethan walked deeper into the alley, and they followed close behind.
When he reached the open field, they arrived right after him.
"You guys followed me all this way. Aren't you afraid of dying?" Ethan asked, turning to face them.
"HAHA! You're alone, and there are three of us!" one of them shouted.
"You don't stand a chance!" another yelled.
Ethan smiled, crossing his arms while keeping his eyes locked on them.
"So? You guys interested in a team battle?" he asked.
"HAHA! Sure. You sound pretty confident in yourself, Ethan!"
[Team Battles]
[Party A]
[EthanArk (Lv. 52)] [+]
[VS]
[Party B]
[LuisMorr (Lv. 35)] [Kahunagon (Lv. 38)] [Kawaichan (Lv. 36)]
"What? He's level 52?" Luis said, shocked.
"This is insane. He can wipe us out," Luis added, making the other two listen up.
"No, he can't. We still have the numbers advantage," Kahuna said.
"He's right. The three of us together can beat him."
They sounded confident, thinking that their numbers would make up for the level gap.
The bet was set. Ethan wanted to make the most out of this team battle. Since their combined EXP was decent, he went big.
[Reward: 20,000 EXP || 20,000 Gold]
Once everyone agreed to the terms, the fight began. Two of them were warriors, and the third was an assassin. Ethan readied himself, summoning his Flamefang sword.
Spinning to dodge their first attacks, Ethan moved smoothly, blocking the few strikes aimed directly at him.
[EthanArk (Lv. 52) || HP: 11,250 / 13,850]
He was pushed back a few meters but managed to stay on his feet. Still, their attacks grew faster and heavier. He had to stay sharp.
"HAHA! You can't handle us!" Luis shouted.
"Really? Your skill attacks were pathetic. I'm not impressed," Ethan replied calmly.
"Come on then! Show me what you've got!" Luis yelled, taunting him.
Ethan grinned, satisfied with the challenge. Still gripping his sword tightly, he faced them head-on.
With a wide swing, he released a crimson slash infused with lightning, cutting toward them.
Luis froze—shocked by how strong Ethan's base skill was. He and Kahuna immediately activated their defense skills, powered by their skill tokens.
A glowing magic shield appeared in front of them, clashing against the crimson energy slash. But Ethan's eyes saw it clearly.
That shield… a warrior's defense skill. It reduces incoming damage by 25%. But that won't matter if my skill power is higher than their HP.
The surface of the shield began to crack, enough to make Luis and the others panic.
"W-What's going on?" Luis shouted.
"Just so you know… my Skill 1 isn't that weak," Ethan said flatly.
CLANK!
The magic shield shattered into pieces like broken glass. Luis and the others gasped in shock, trying to dodge the crimson slash—but it was too late.
A blast exploded where they stood. The assassin was the first to fall, killed instantly. Luis and Kahuna were thrown to the sides, their HP bars dropping hard.
[LuisMorr (Lv. 35) || HP: 1,450 / 8,500]
[Kahunagon (Lv. 38) || HP: 850 / 9,500]
"A-Ahh!"
"H-How the hell is he that strong?" Luis shouted.
Ethan stood at the edge of the arena, his HP still at 11,250. That alone made Luis and Kahuna lose hope—they knew there was no way they could beat him.
"This is crazy! We can't win!" Luis said.
"So? You guys still want to keep fighting?" Ethan asked.
"P-Please let us surrender. We won't bother you again," Kahuna pleaded.
Ethan smiled wide. It was too late for that. Their HP was already low, and letting them go would be risky.
They could warn others that Ethan was in Porco City.
"How about this?" Ethan said coldly.
"I think I'll just kill you both."
He moved fast, swinging his sword in a cross slash before thrusting forward. Both players took heavy damage, their bodies breaking under the force.
Within seconds, all three opponents were dead—covered in blood, their avatars fading out.
Ethan was the winner of today's Team Battle.
[DING! Congratulations, you won the Team Battle]
[Reward: 20,000 EXP || 20,000 Gold]
[DING! Congratulations, you leveled up]
[Level 52 → Level 54]
[EXP: 100,648 / 106,550] [AP: 20]
Hmm… 20,000 EXP for two levels. That's rough. Higher levels really do need way more EXP to grow.
Aside from the EXP and Gold, Ethan didn't get anything else—no items or gear. Still, it was worth it.
He'd avoided trouble and made sure no one would spread word of his location.
Not wanting to linger, Ethan quickly left the area through another alley and made his way to the nearest item shop.
Luckily, he found one that wasn't near the busy market streets. Fewer players meant fewer problems.
When he entered the shop, he went straight to the merchant and asked about equipment upgrades.
Ethan wanted to improve his gear quality by buying something stronger.
"Can I help you?" the merchant asked.
"Yes. I'm looking for Epic-rank equipment," Ethan replied.
The merchant nodded and opened the store's item panel. The list was long—gear ranged from Uncommon to Legendary.
But Legendary gear was expensive. One piece alone cost around 250,000 gold. Ethan couldn't afford that yet.
With what he had, Epic rank was the best option.
"Do you sell any Epic equipment sets with fire element affinity?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, you want to embed Fire Spirit Crystals into your gear?" the merchant asked.
"Yeah, something like that."
The merchant nodded and swiped through the store panel. He found three Epic-rank sets, none of which had Fire Spirit Crystals yet.
"One full set without a crystal costs 300,000 gold. With Fire Spirit Crystals installed, 500,000," the merchant explained.
Ethan nodded. During his three-week journey before reaching Porco, he had hunted countless monsters and sold tons of loot.
He had saved up around 675,000 gold—enough to buy what he needed.
"Alright. That's a fair price."
"Very well, sir. Would you like regular Fire Spirit Crystals or ones with buffs?"
"Show me the ones with buffs."
The merchant opened the panel again, showing several Fire Spirit Crystals, each with unique buffs.
Ethan's attention stopped at one crystal with a special burn effect.
"Ah, the burn effect?" the merchant asked.
"Exactly. It's great for both defense and offense. Enemies near me will burn and take 5% HP damage for seven seconds," Ethan said.
The merchant nodded in agreement. He also believed that burn-effect Fire Spirit Crystals were among the best choices.
"Wait a moment while I prepare your equipment," the merchant said.
[Loading!]
[10%]
Ethan waited while looking around the shop. Swords and armor hung on the walls—none of them low quality.
After a short while, the loading panel disappeared, and the merchant returned with the upgraded gear.
"All set."
Ethan nodded, paid the full price, and received the equipment set. A panel appeared before him with a [Use] button. He pressed it, and the new set replaced his old Rare gear.
[DING! Equipment equipped]
[Item: Flame Nova Set Equipment]
[Rank: Epic]
[ATK: 6397 || DEF: 5800]
Ethan noticed an immediate boost in his stats. It felt good—he didn't expect it to be this easy to get Epic gear.
After selling his Rare set, he got back around 80,000 gold. So basically, he upgraded to Epic gear and got a little cashback.
Not bad. Feels like a discount upgrade.
"How about a sword? Are you—"
"Looks like you're getting ready for something, Ethan," a voice said.
Ethan turned sharply. A man wearing a full armor set stood behind him. His appearance focused more on showing off his armor than his outfit.
The face looked familiar to Ethan—and so did the voice. He was sure he'd met this guy before.
"You…?" Ethan muttered.
"You don't remember me? That hurts," the player said, stepping into the light.
His face became clear under the shop's glow. Ethan's eyes widened, his jaw dropped.
"L-Leon?"