My Demons

After a long day at work, feeling exhausted, I promptly powered on the computer.

Once I had taken off my work clothes and completed a speedy wash, the computer had already completed its startup process.

A yawn escaped my lips as I stretched my weary body.

“Argh…”

A natural groan escaped my lips.

I turned my neck from side to side and double-clicked on the icon at the center of my desktop.

‘Dark World.’

Despite its stunning graphics and immersive sound, boasting a massive player base of hundreds of thousands, it wasn’t just any game.

Perhaps it was because the game had been around for over 20 years. It had gradually gained the status of a classic.

Nevertheless, due to its exceptional quality, there were still people, myself included, who enjoyed playing it.

In fact, calling me ‘one of them’ would be an understatement. I was a special case because I had been playing this game since just a week or two after its release.

Of course, I couldn’t boast about being the ‘Number 1 in playtime’ since I hadn’t been playing continuously for those 20 years. I took breaks from gaming during my senior year of high school, my military service, and when I was deeply in love.

“Now, who will be today’s victim…” I quickly hit the space bar to skip the painstakingly crafted dot graphics in the opening sequence.

A line of low-level characters with meager gear stood before me, while my main character, emitting a vibrant red aura, greeted me.

My main character’s name was ‘PkApplyMemo,’ level 95, and classed as a Blood Knight.

Despite being a seasoned Dark World player, I only had one character that had completed the campaign—the Blood Knight.

This was the result of my playstyle.

I was a true hardcore player.

In hardcore mode, if your character died during gameplay, there was no way to resurrect them—a penalty that most casual players didn’t even consider.

But for me, hardcore mode was a grateful mode that allowed me to experience the thrill even after playing the game for a long time.

Of course, I had long surpassed that level. But why did I only have one character that had completed the campaign?

Among hardcore players, I was considered a pervert, a hardcore PvP player.

Can you guess what happened to my campaign completion characters? That’s right. They were all lost in PvP battles.

No matter how skilled you are in PvP, if you fight until the bitter end, eventually you’ll meet your demise.

There aren’t many brave souls who enjoy PvP (Player versus Player) in hardcore mode, where levels and items are lost all at once upon death. Particularly rare are those who engage in PvP with characters that have conquered the incredibly challenging campaign.

In my case… I must have lost at least a thousand characters permanently in PvP battles.

Among them, a few had reached the coveted ‘maximum level’ of 100, and the characters surpassing level 90 are countless. The ‘Graveyard’ tab, where I gather my fallen characters, seems never-ending no matter how much I scroll.

There likely aren’t many Dark World users worldwide as obsessed with hardcore PvP as I am.

The brief loading screen faded, revealing the familiar village scenery and my Blood Knight. I immediately checked my messages.

‘Oh.’

Unusually, I had received two messages. Naturally, both were PvP requests.

I carefully read the first message and replied.

► To SuriSuriJuSuri: I’ve read your message. Are you available now?

＞ SuriSuriJuSuri: Oh, you’re online.

＞ SuriSuriJuSuri: I’m ready.

＞ SuriSuriJuSuri: But are you really okay with a 3:1 match?

“Are you a newbie?”

For a moment, I pondered if they were newcomers… but no, probably not. Newcomers are a rarity in a game that has been around for 20 years.

Most likely, they were regular mode players who decided to give hardcore mode a try.

They would soon get accustomed to the thrill and seek a place to lay their characters to rest.

► To SuriSuriJuSuri: So, it’s an 80-level Summoning Shaman, 76 Battle Stance Warlord, and 79 Tatooed Berserker, right?

＞ SuriSuriJuSuri: Yes.

＞ SuriSuriJuSuri: Oh, about the Warlord…

► To SuriSuriJuSuri: You leveled him up, right?

► To SuriSuriJuSuri: ??

＞ SuriSuriJuSuri: He’s now at level 77.

► To SuriSuriJuSuri: Alright then.

► To SuriSuriJuSuri: Would you like to come to the room?

＞ SuriSuriJuSuri: Yes, please.

As mentioned earlier, my Blood Knight, ‘PkApplyMemo,’ stood at an impressive level 95.

Surviving numerous PvP battles throughout the past year, it held the title of the strongest character in my entire Dark World gaming history.

Although not at the maximum level, it was well-equipped and specialized in PvP, making it a formidable force.

Once you surpassed level 90, finding opponents at a similar level became exceedingly difficult. After all, most people couldn’t bear to discard a high-level character they had spent months nurturing for a fleeting thrill.

So, I devised a solution: multiplayer PvP.

Two opponents if they were above level 80, three if they were above level 70, five if they were above level 60… I relished the challenge of facing multiple adversaries at once.

Even so, once ‘PkApplyMemo’ had accumulated over 500 kill logs, there were hardly any users who dared to engage in PvP with me.

Thanks to various Dark World community websites, my character’s name had become well-known.

I had even earned an impressive nickname, the ‘Blood Armor Craftsman,’ which should give you an idea.

Therefore, a day like today was a stroke of luck.

“Phew… Bring it on, rookies.”

While inspecting my items and skill shortcuts, warming up my hands, a notification sound chimed.

[New heroes have joined. You can either shake hands and become allies or fight to the death.]

I disregarded the notification and typed my response. After a few brief agreements, it was finally time for the duel.

Maintaining a safe distance from my opponent, I expended a portion of my life force to activate several buffs.

The ‘Iron Blood Armor,’ which granted healing whenever I dealt damage.

The ‘Blood Blade,’ which grew stronger by absorbing the blood in my surroundings.

‘Blood Thirst,’ enhancing my accuracy and attack power.

Even the ‘Embryo,’ conjuring a clone made of blood.

Immediately after utilizing these auxiliary skills, I consumed a health potion.

For the next minute, I wouldn’t be able to use another potion, but it didn’t concern me. My opponent charged toward me with unwavering energy.

While my Blood Knight applied buffs, my adversaries were not idle.

The shaman summoned an assortment of spirits, the Warlord bestowed buffs upon their allies.

The berserker, adorned with enigmatic tattoos, sprinted toward me, his tattoos ominously glowing.

Ahead of him, a semi-transparent giant eagle and a pack of wolves raced at incredible speed.

Remaining composed, I unleashed the ‘Bloodwind’ skill, dispersing the summoned creatures, followed by casting the ‘Blood Swamp’ skill upon the blood splattered on the ground.

Gurgle.

With a peculiar sound, the crimson blood darkened, ensnaring the enemies’ feet.

Then, with a resounding cry of ‘Kwaak!,’ the berserker lunged forward, wildly swinging his colossal axe.

Clad in blood armor, I managed to endure the berserker’s assault and executed a skill beneath the feet of the Warlord, who charged at me from the side.

It was ‘Blood Feast,’ one of the Blood Knight’s ultimate skills.

The screen became awash with a dazzling burst of blood, inflicting considerable damage upon the Warlord.

The Warlord, imbibing potions and attempting to flee. Disregarding them, I surged straight toward the shaman.

The shaman evaded hastily, but thanks to the speed buff from my boots, my Blood Knight closed the distance swiftly.

The berserker aimed to dive in with a raging skill, only to be impeded by my resolute clone.

‘Soaked Berserker? It will take at least thirty seconds to defeat.’

Thinking as such, a bear spirit beside the shaman swelled its body and swiped its front paws.

The moment the bear spirit’s claws tore through my blood armor, a tiger spirit materialized from the ground, launching a surprise attack.

Creak!

“Uh,”

The damage was staggering. 

‘Where did that come from? Is the shaman at level 80?’

My life bar dwindled drastically, as if struck by a critical blow.

If I endured a few more hits like that, the ‘PkApplyMemo,’ would face permanent death.

Phew, a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

My fingers instinctively became more frantic as they danced across the keyboard and mouse.

Blending the ‘Blood Thorn’ skill with regular attacks, I swiftly dispatched the tiger spirit.

After healing myself, I employed the ‘Red Ice’ skill to slow down the charging Warlord, then resumed my assault on the shaman.

At that moment, the Warlord shattered my defense using the ‘Fanaticism’ skill, launching forward with the ‘Charge of Glory.’

‘Charge of Glory’ was a fearsome skill, capable of stunning the opponent for a staggering 5 seconds at the master level.

Although my character possessed high stun resistance, it was likely that I would be stunned for at least 3 seconds.

In other words, if I were struck by that ‘Charge of Glory’ now, it would be a fatal blow.

‘One, two!’

With bated breath, I carefully timed the activation of the ‘Grasp of Blood’ skill.

Just before the Warlord’s shield made contact, my character swiftly extended his arm and seized the Warlord by the neck.

It was a high-level technique capable of nullifying the opponent’s skill activation, if executed flawlessly, even if just by a few frames.

Each convulsive movement of my Blood Knight’s arm triggered successive blood explosions on the Warlord’s body.

“Argh, ugh, eek!”

[BoyKnightKimJeonTae: Insane]

[SuriSuriJusuri: WTF]

[BoyKnightKimJeonTae: Bug]

“Eek! Eek! Ugh.”

The Warlord let out a series of distinct and pained cries.

Employing regular attacks, I shattered the Warlord’s shield and inflicted damage with the ‘Blood Thorn’ skill. Simultaneously, the Grasp of Blood effect triggered additional damage.

[BoyKnightKimJeonTae: Wait]

[SuriSuriJusuri: WTF, Very strong]

[BoyKnightKimJeonTae: Damn□it]

[BoyKnightKimJeonTae: You]

[SuriSuriJusuri: You can do it]

[BoyKnightKimJeonTae: Understood]

[SuriSuriJusuri: Seriously]

[BoyKnightKimJeonTae: You]

Texts continued to flood the chat window, but I paid them no mind and delivered the final blow to the Warlord with a regular attack.

“Ugh.”

‘You should use your skills when you have time to chat.’

While affected by ‘Grasp of Blood,’ one couldn’t move, but they weren’t stunned. So if they had used several skills during the hold, they might have survived…

Well, maintaining composure in the heat of hardcore PvP is no easy task. Even I occasionally falter.

And thus, the level 77 Warlord met a permanent demise. A character that had been tirelessly developed for months vanished in vain.

Meanwhile, my character had regained health thanks to the ‘Vampirism’ passive while pummeling the Warlord. Even if they were to resurrect, the remaining two would stand no chance against me.

Perhaps realizing this, a brief message appeared just as I prepared to unleash a skill.

[BigHardAxe: 三三]

With that message as their final words, the berserker and shaman characters vanished in sequence.

[A Hero has left.]

[A Hero has left.]

“Aish, LAN-pull (Unplug the LAN cable),” I murmured with a tinge of regret, my hand still trembling.

“Ahwoo.”

Though the outcome may appear as an easy victory at a glance, it was a perilous situation.

The ‘Battle Stance-Warlord’ and ‘Tattooed-Berserker’ were both renowned PvP classes, and the ‘Summoning-Shaman,’ capable of summoning formidable spirits, likely possessed potent items.

Had the Warlord been more composed and refrained from utilizing their skills, my Blood Knight might have succumbed under the combined onslaught of the berserker and shaman’s attacks.

＞KimJeonTae12 : Sir

＞KimJeonTae12 : Sir

＞KimJeonTae12 : I’m the Warlord from before

＞KimJeonTae12 : Please give me items

＞KimJeonTae12 : Just the shield and ring

＞KimJeonTae12 : Please

＞KimJeonTae12 : Please

＞KimJeonTae12 : Sir

“What’s this, so obnoxious.”

I scoffed and dismissed the whispers, then proceeded to collect the loot from the slain Warlord’s body.

Most of the items were sold at the store, but the shield and ring seemed decent, so I sent them via mail to one of my secondary characters.

For a moment, a sense of triumph washed over me, but I took a sip from my water bottle and checked another message.

Upon seeing the sender’s name, I chuckled and typed a response in the chat.

“Damn, that old man is quite cunning.”

►To Trickster29: You made a new one again?

|>From Trickster29: Yeah.

|>From Trickster29: I’m on my way.

►To Trickster29: Well, well.

Alright then.

Before the chat ended, a Marital Artist character appeared in the village.

Upon seeing the character’s level, I was taken aback, my mouth agape.

“Wow, level 93? When did he level up?”

In Dark World, it wasn’t possible to view another player’s equipment, so one had to infer their gear based on their character’s appearance.

And the outfit the Marital Artist was currently donning, emanating a white aura, was undoubtedly the top-tier set item known as the ‘Preserver of Eastern Divinity.’

[PkApplyMemo: Wow, old man]

[PkApplyMemo: Did you spend some cash?]

[Trickster29: Just attack.]

It suddenly dawned on me that it had only been around ten days since my last PvP encounter with the old man.

[PkApplyMemo: Your level is ridiculously high]

[PkApplyMemo: Did you grind like crazy?]

To my knowledge, even with extensive grinding, reaching level 93 in just ten days was implausible. Did he have a secret alt character?

[Trickster29: You talk too much.]

[Trickster29: Just attack.]

The user with the ID ‘Trickster29’ had been playing Dark World alongside me for quite some time.

Based on his curt style of communication and a decline in his control proficiency, he seemed to be quite elderly… but to me, he had long become a loyal follower who frequently donated items.

[PkApplyMemo: You chose a Monk]

[PkApplyMemo: Good for you]

I was about to tease him a bit further, but the old man ignored my chat and began moving outside the village. I snickered and trailed behind him.

As expected, I emerged victorious in the ensuing duel.

“Damn, what’s up with this old man? His skills are deteriorating day by day.”

Despite leveling up a ‘Storm Monk’ (a Marital Artist specializing in one hundred steps divine fist), it was impossible to defeat me in close combat.

“Wow, witnessing a hardcore player with the Divinity set is quite a sight.”

Amidst my laughter, while rummaging through the Monk’s belongings, a whisper reached me.

|>Trickster: You evil brat!

I chuckled and swiftly typed a response.

►To Trickster: Hehehehe

►To Trickster: That was hilarious, my stomach hurts from laughing, hehe

[>Trickster: Open the room.

►To Trickster: It’s chilly hehehe

►To Trickster: How about coming after raising another Monk

Trickster: Youuuuuu!

I continued chuckling for a while when suddenly, something peculiar occurred.