Don bent down and picked up the boots. They looked familiar, these were the Loess Mountain Leather Boots, except the unsealed attribute on this pair added a hundred HP instead of the movement speed bonus he’d gotten earlier. He tossed them straight into his inventory. He’d deal with them later.

A duel-to-the-death challenge arrived almost immediately. Damon Teague this time.

Don couldn’t help sighing. ’These kids really are courting death.’

He clicked confirm.

Damon Teague backed up a few steps into the crowd, clearly trying to avoid a direct melee attack. Don didn’t chase. Instead, he locked his gaze on him. The distance between them was about twenty meters, right at the effective range of a mage.

But just as the countdown ticked down to its final second, the situation shifted. Don whipped the Larsel Bow off his back, drew the string taut in a single motion, aimed, and released.

Damon had already completed half of his ice arrow spell.

The arrow whistled through the air, traced a clean arc, and landed squarely in his chest.

[1,790!]

The poor Level 16 mage couldn’t take that kind of damage with his fragile body. He died on the spot before his spell could even finish casting. Unfortunately for him, the staff in his hands dropped to the ground.

Don bent down and picked it up. Level 15 bronze-grade magic weapon with a magic attack of 145 to 170. The unsealed effect added forty points to the upper limit. Not bad at all. He could sell it back in town for another source of income.

Watching him casually pick up his teammate’s dropped gear, the Gon Alliance players were seething, but a pair of sharp eyes was watching their every move, preventing any of them from acting. Those eyes belonged to Elias Finch.

Having lost three good brothers in succession, Nolan Hart’s anger was almost incalculable. But beneath the fury, a hint of fear had crept into his eyes, fear born entirely from what Don had just done in less than a minute.

Still, he was cornered. Either he killed Don, or Don killed him. There was no other option left.

Don immediately challenged him to a duel to the death, pushing him to the edge of the cliff.

With no other choice, Nolan raised his longsword and charged forward, quickly closing the distance. He was clearly smarter than his teammates, having seen the power of Don’s long-range shot, he knew that if he wasn’t careful, Don would turn him into a kite.

Don had already burned through three red potions in three consecutive duels, and his HP was slowly climbing back from eighty percent. He immediately switched to his dagger and faced Nolan head-on.

He understood very well that in the early game, when everyone was playing low-level characters and equipment was roughly comparable, a PK battle could often be decided within ten seconds. Burst damage was especially important at this stage, and burst was exactly what Don had in spades.

They clicked confirm, locked eyes, and slowly began to circle. Nolan said nothing, his gaze fixed on Don with pure resentment.

The countdown ended.

He closed the distance in one step. At that exact moment, Don shook both arms and activated Evasion and Killing Intent simultaneously.

Realizing the situation had gone sideways, Nolan knew it was too late to retreat. All he could do was parry the expected strike. But it was that very defensive instinct that cost him his life.

Don slipped through his guard using Evasion, circled behind him, and with a flick of his wrist, his dagger sprang forward like a coiled spring and plunged straight through Nolan’s back.

[2,059!]

Incredibly, the swordsman was still alive, a small sliver of HP remaining. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

A smile curved on Don’s lips. He stepped forward, dagger already swinging. At the same instant, Nolan launched a desperate counter-strike. Don pulled his sword back mid-swing and stepped back twice, avoiding the fatal blow, then took advantage of the brief window while Nolan was locked in his skill animation. He ran backward, pulled the Larsel Bow from behind him in one motion, and fired.

Nolan’s face went pale with terror. He screamed and tried to flee, but Don had already released the bowstring. The arrow streaked through the air like a shooting star and pierced straight through his heart.

[896!]

Nolan Hart collapsed, his legs twitching for a brief moment before his body dissolved into white light.

In comparison to his underlings, the Gon Alliance leader turned out to be far more generous with his drops, two pieces of equipment this time. His breastplate and his helmet, both Level 15 bronze-grade pieces. These guys really knew how to hoard good gear.

The remaining dozens of Gon Alliance players were visibly unsettled now that they had lost their leader. One of the senior members, Gon Steve, didn’t dare address Elias Finch directly. Instead he cast a pleading look at the Debtborn. "Brother Lane?"

The Debtborn sneered. "You’re outmatched, what’s left to discuss? Go back and help your boss level up. And tell Nolly not to bother this kid again."

Steve was speechless and didn’t dare to respond. But behind him, one of his hot-blooded underlings couldn’t help shouting, "Brother Steve, are we really just leaving like this?"

Steve didn’t dare provoke the Debtborn, so he could only round on his underling. "Bastard! What else are we supposed to do?"

Lily sneered. "You could always crawl out of here."

Steve flushed with fury. Without another word, he pulled out a return scroll and tore it to shreds. His dejected subordinates followed, tearing their own scrolls and vanishing in streams of white light. Their retreat looked about as dignified as a losing football team trudging off the pitch.

After the group had disappeared, Elias Finch sighed. "Such poor manners. It’s just a bit of level and equipment, not worth all that drama."

Lily was overjoyed. She flew over like a little bird and jumped into Don’s arms, not even caring that her boobs were pressing against him as she patted his back gently. "Brother Don, you’re so cool! I love you so much! Those moves were incredible! I didn’t realize you were such a pro! I don’t care, you’ve been hiding your skills all along, so from now on you’re responsible for leveling me up!"

Realms Online’s immersion was extremely high, and the perception attribute played a rather... complicated role in moments like this. Lily was a professional model in real life, and her figure was voluptuous enough to make Don feel a little short of breath.

Behind him, the single male players in the war team had bloodshot eyes. Many of them were clearly Lily’s admirers, and right now they looked ready to hack him down with their swords out of sheer jealousy.

The Debtborn glanced at his boss. "President Finch, youth is truly wonderful."

Elias Finch teased, "Lane, are you in heat too? Want me to find you a pretty girl in Liverpool to vent your frustrations?"

The Debtborn shook his head. "Mr. Finch, my health isn’t great. Not suited for strenuous exercise."

"You old lecher."

The alluring War Fire Snow Fox clearly understood what Elias Finch was thinking. She glanced at Don, then leaned in and whispered something to Finch, who nodded repeatedly.