Lord Of The Lost

"Did you know you can gain experience points by killing people?"

The thief's voice trembled with hysteria as he glared at William.

"Do you have any idea how quickly we level up as thieves? Do you know the rewards we get?"

He pointed to the axe lying on the ground, his hands shaking.

"Look at this! Frenzy Axe—an excellent weapon! Do you think the guards would ever give us something like this? No! I begged them for gear, over and over again, but they treated me like a madman, even threatened to lock me up!"

His tone turned desperate, his words spilling out in a frantic rush.

"They want us to defend Border Town, but how? Look at you! You're the top player on the server. You have flying gear, you're powerful, you look so cool... but what do we have? Nothing! No weapons, no resources. How are we supposed to fight like this?"

He clenched his fists, his voice rising.

"Why must players stick to Border Town's rules? Why can't we think outside the box? We're players; we can do whatever it takes to win. If we slaughter a village and loot the guards' bodies, we get powerful gear! With every village we burn, we grow stronger!"

He paused, breathing heavily, his eyes wild with fanaticism.

"Don't you see? If we destroy everything; kill everyone, burn every building, we can ascend to Rogue Extraordinary! I'm already at level 8, almost level 9. That's ten times faster than the normal leveling speed! You take your easy road, but we'll take our hard path. Just... don't stop us, okay?"

The desperation in his voice turned into pleading, his bloodied face full of anguish.

William's Response

William's icy gaze locked onto him. "I don't know what you're trying to justify," he said coldly.

The thief's despair turned to rage.

"Why?!" he roared. "We finally found a shortcut, and you want to take it from us? It's not fair!"

Grabbing the Frenzy Axe, his eyes burned red, his body surging with energy as his stats increased by 30%. With a roar, he lunged at William, swinging the axe with all his might.

William sidestepped effortlessly and delivered a devastating kick.

CRACK!

The man was sent flying over ten meters. His chest caved in, his back twisted unnaturally, and he let out one final twitch before disappearing into a flash of white light.

"Life isn't fair," William said coldly, "get used to it."

Facing the Rest

The other thieves froze, panic written across their faces. They knew attacking would be suicide, but running wasn't an option either; not against someone with flying gear. The atmosphere was thick with fear, their hesitation palpable.

A Villager's Accusation

Suddenly, an elderly woman emerged from the shadows, her frail body hunched, her white hair wild in the chaos. In her arms, she carried a bloodied child, his wounds so deep that bones were visible. Her clothes were soaked in blood, her face streaked with tears.

She pointed a trembling finger at one of the thieves and screamed.

"It's you! I recognize your face! You came to our village not long ago, claiming you were just a wanderer. We gave you food, water; everything you asked for. You said you weren't a thief!" Her voice cracked. "But now you've joined them? Why?!"

The thief, still clutching his hood, lowered his head in shame, silent under her accusations. The old woman slapped him repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, but he remained still, refusing to answer.

William's expression hardened. Without a word, he stepped forward and unleashed his fury, cutting down the other thieves in a whirlwind of precise, lethal strikes.

Some tried to fight back, but it was futile. In mere moments, the ground was littered with white flashes as they disappeared, leaving only the hooded thief alive.

William stood over him, his voice sharp. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

The thief finally spoke, his voice bitter.

"Thieves used to be unable to infiltrate Border Town like this. But something changed. I heard Snow Wind City has fallen into chaos, and now the leader of the thieves is on his way here, bringing more extraordinary thieves with him. We... we weighed our options and decided the thieves had the better chance of winning."

He paused, his voice trembling. "That's why we joined them."

William's expression didn't soften. His voice was cold and final.

"Go repent."

With one swift motion, William's blade struck. The thief fell, disappearing in a flash of light.

Retrieving his spear from the ground, William turned toward the next battlefield. In the distance, the extraordinary thief leading the attack on Kite Village realized the tide had turned. Without hesitation, he turned and fled.

But William moved faster.

The Demon Wolf Unleashed

After transforming into a demon wolf, William's agility soared to incredible heights. While his strength had also improved, it was his speed that truly became his weapon. Swift as the wind, he intercepted the extraordinary thief; a tall, thin figure with a sinister grin.

The thief chuckled darkly, his voice mocking. "Well, well. Someone like you in Border Town? Impressive. Why not join us? The commander-in-chief has a soft spot for talented young blood."

William's expression was icy. He gripped his spear tightly.

"Three moves," he said coldly.

The thief's grin faltered, replaced by a sharp focus. This was no ordinary opponent.

The battle erupted in an instant.

William swung his spear, aiming straight for the thief's elite-grade scimitar.

Clang!

The first clash sent the thief staggering back, his arm trembling from the impact. His face hardened. He had fought countless battles and honed his skills, yet this opponent was unlike any he had faced before. Even with his extraordinary thief abilities, he couldn't counter William's overwhelming power.

"I can't win in a direct fight," the thief realized, his instincts screaming at him to stay sharp.

William advanced with the grace of a predator; half wolf, half tiger. His spear blurred, its silver-white gleam vanishing from the thief's sight.

"Where—?!"

Before the thief could react, a cold, metallic sting pierced his throat. The spear's blood-stained tip emerged from the back of his neck.

William withdrew the weapon, watching as the thief collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

"Wrong," William muttered, his voice calm. "Two moves were enough."

Hidden Power: [Secret]

William's spear had activated its [Secret] feature, concealing its attack trajectory to deliver a fatal blow. As the thief's body fell limp, William felt a faint warmth in his chest. Reaching inside, he pulled out a rare card—[Rashomon].

The card's design was ominous, depicting grotesque spirits from hell forming the shape of a dark, foreboding gate.

[Rashomon] was no ordinary item. It had a unique sealing ability, allowing William to replicate and wield five high-quality versions of the card. When used on enemies, it could strip low-level extraordinary individuals of their special abilities, rendering them powerless.

But William's original [Rashomon] was even more potent. It absorbed extraordinary traits directly into his body, a process akin to tearing off something deeply embedded in one's flesh. Excess traits could then be re-sealed into [Rashomon] for later use.

This made William a living weapon, combining [Rashomon] with his ultimate technique: [Killing to Prove the Way].

As William activated the card, he absorbed the extraordinary traits of the thief he had just slain.

The thief's abilities merged with those of other rogue players William had defeated, forming a composite of the Thief's Path.

The process was seamless, and William felt his power grow. But the cost for the rogue players was devastating.

The Real World

In a dim, run-down rental house, an anguished scream shattered the silence.

"No! This can't be happening! My level—LEVEL 8! I worked so hard! Why am I back to LEVEL 1?! NOOO!"

The wails of despair were piercing, chilling anyone who heard them. Neighbors and passersby froze, breaking into cold sweats as the screams echoed through the walls.

Meanwhile, other rogue players who had survived the battle discovered the same horrifying truth.

Their levels had plummeted. Their hard-earned progress was gone, ripped away by an unseen force.

Wide-eyed and trembling, they stared into the void, consumed by disbelief and dread. It was as though a nightmare had clawed its way into reality, suffocating their minds and filling their hearts with fear.