New Game Plus: I crave challenges

A trap… intresting

A fleeting grin flashed on Liam's face as he readied his mind for combat. At this moment a faint rustling could be heard from his back.

Liam swiftly stepped to the side. A few leaves were cut apart as a sharp dagger barely missed his back.

[Stance -6]

"Nice try."

Sneering at the amateurish thief, Liam turned around, his swords appearing in his hand. The weapon in his offhand cut down, aiming for the attacker's neck.

The thief instantly felt the pressure. With no time to think he threw his body to the right. But miraculously a sword was already waiting for him.

[-510!]

The thief felt stifled as his HP were almost gone with a single attack.

"Guys! Where are you?!"

An angry shout left his mouth, blaming his comrades.

Not far away Sharp Eagle was hiding behind a tree, his expression conflicted, cursing the thief inwardly. Since their target didn't step into the trap, why did this idiot attack anyways?!

Liam eyed the surrounding trees. He dodged the thief's attack again. Just as he was about to end the man's life, a rather short warrior with a large shield jumped before his sword.

"Didn't expect this, hm? Mirage, it's time to leave your life behind!"

The warrior spoke confidently but a drop of sweat was running down his neck looking at the huge amount of stance he lost from a single attack.

"F*ck it! Attack!"

Seeing another guild member step out, Sharp Eagle knew that it was too late for a retreat. With an angry shout he ordered the attack.

Suddenly the forest seemed to come alive as a team of ten players revealed themselves.

Even Liam felt the pressure. He instantly used [Holy Tempest]. A golden light engulfed his skin as he circled the warrior with a smooth movement.

Multiple ranged attacks struck the spot which Liam just left.

"Judging from your names you are those guys from Beast Den? Quite daring!"

Liam's voice didn't sound strained. Before the thief's dagger could reach him, his swords flashed. The thief died with an unwilling expression and even the tank didn't manage to avoid the hit.

[-347!]

Seeing multiple people closing in on him, Liam quickly sent out a wave of brilliant light. Holy marks appeared above everyone's hearts.

Some of the players were taken aback, apprehensive because of the unknown status.

But Sharp Eagle ignored everything around himself. Knowing the importance the boss placed on Bleary Mirage, he was eager to show his worth and finally get the recognition he deserves.

The warrior only took a moment to close the distance, his sword drawing a graceful arc.

Liam's leg twitched. But he held himself back, crossing his swords to defend instead of dodging.

He's trying to get me into the trap…

"Flurry!"

A shout came from a bow-wielding player, letting everyone's eyes twitch.

"Idiot! What are you doing, announcing your skills?!", shouted Sharp Eagle angrily.

Liam couldn't help but grin as he used a cross slash.

Sharp Eagle had good senses. He felt a glimmer running along Liam's swords. But it was too late to dodge as the attack landed squarely on his chest.

[-618!]

[-61!]

Liam leaned his body into the attack. With a strong push he shoved Sharp Eagle away, once more placing the hostile tank between himself and the ranged attackers.

"Elk, you idiot! Whose side are you on?!"

The tank called Elk gritted his teeth.

"Stay still!"

With an angry shout he hacked his sword at Liam's head, using [Brutal Strike].

Liam knew that getting stunned would be fatal. Dread crept into his mind as he saw two other warriors arriving, blocking his path.

But instead of falling into despair, Liam's mind cleared up under the pressure. Mana erupted abruptly, circling through his body at immense speeds.

Every single cell felt energized, longing for an outlet.

Suddenly a few sparks played around Liam's body as the veteran vanished, reappearing behind the backs of the incoming warriors.

"What?!"

"What happened?"

"What skill is this?"

The opponents weren't able to comprehend the situation as flash step was still an unknown concept.

But Liam didn't think much of it. Everything felt incredibly familiar to him, not able to divert his attention from the fight.

He only furrowed his brows as he noticed his stance running out.

While everyone was distracted Liam made use of the situation. He turned swiftly, his swords moving like the wind as a perfectly executed [Double Slash] hit the two warriors.

The holy marks above their heads exploded. Shocking damage numbers popped up. The warriors stood no chance. They died without being able to land a single attack on Liam.

Watching all this play out, the others were shocked to their cores. Without understanding Liam's Holy Tempest class, they couldn't comprehend what was going on.

But Liam had no mercy. He instantly darted to the right, swinging his swords at a seemingly inconspicuous bush. But a thief was directly forced out of stealth as Liam's swords landed on him.

Finally, Sharp Eagle got out of his stupor, yelling angrily at his group:

"Damn it! Attack, attack! Use everything you have! I can't believe we don't get that guy killed!"

Sharp Eagle gritted his teeth as he glanced at the trap not far away. If they wanted to have a chance, they needed Liam to step in it.

Fat Tiger didn't forget that Liam had a way to fly. Thus, he had been asking around for a countermeasure for a few days.

Eventually the crafty guild leader found a trap preventing the use of consumable items.

Everyone was confident that this trap was enough to kill Bleary Mirage. But now Sharp Eagle felt his confidence crumble. It was questionable if they would be able to kill the opponent even if he walked into the trap voluntarily.

But we are already riding the tiger now and can't get off!

Sharp Eagle shook his head rapidly as an image of his guild leader appeared in his mind.

Damn, I'm never going to use this idiom again!

Although the warrior's thoughts were chaotic, he still followed the fight closely.

Watching Liam reveal their thief as if stealth didn't exist for him, Sharp Eagle gritted his teeth, taking out a small bomb, and throwing it towards the opponent.

Sorry!

Liam suddenly felt his instincts screaming at him. He didn't care about finishing the thief off as he lunged to the side.

Boom!

An explosion went off, shaking the trees and splashing dirt in all directions.

The thief was barely able to throw an accusatory gaze at Sharp Eagle before being sent to the graveyard.

However, his sacrifice was worth it in his comrade's eyes as Liam finally took some damage while rolling awkwardly on the ground.

[-400!]

The veteran took a sharp breath feeling his back in pain. But it was no time to relax. Multiple ranged attacks rained down on him, eager to take his life.

Sharp Eagle sighed as Liam stopped before entering the trap's range. But seeing the latter's precarious condition with multiple attacks shooting towards him, Sharp Eagle suddenly felt hope.

However, Liam wasn't defeated yet. Mana once more ran through his body as he vanished from the spot.

"Careful!"

Sharp Eagle gritted his teeth, cursing the game for allowing such an overpowered ability to exist.

He naturally couldn't know that Liam's smooth execution was the result of years of training. When people first learned flash step, it was already not bad if they could dodge a skill with multiple seconds preparation time.

Liam made use of his advanced skills to appear next to an unsuspecting mage. Both players looked dumbly at each other for a moment until Liam's attack was ready. His swords stabbed into the mage's chest, ending the frail opponent's life.

"Get away!"

Sharp Eagle bellowed angrily as he and the tank tried to catch up with Liam.

By now only the two warriors and three ranged fighters were left. Thus, a strange situation ensued.

The ranged fighters tried to get away while Liam chased after them, followed by the warriors.

After a short couple of seconds Liam had caught up to another mage, felling him quickly.

Meanwhile the rest of the guild members gathered together. The two warriors stood at the front, glaring angrily at Liam while doing their best to hide the fear in their hearts.

"Mirage, come! Attack us if you're a man!"

Liam chuckled, glancing at his cooldowns.

"Sure!"

A moment later his skill was ready again, a wave of light spreading from Liam. While the guild members were still apprehensive, Liam raised his hand, a progress bar appearing before his eyes.

1… 2!

Two seconds passed quickly.

Boom!

Suddenly multiple small explosions went off. The holy marks erupted, shaking the opponents. Shock clouded their eyes as they dropped lifelessly to the floor.

Liam slowly lowered his hand. His face was grim. Obviously, he didn't appreciate being ambushed. He could've escaped the entire time but chose to eliminate the other party as a lesson.

It was questionable, however, if Fat Tiger would learn from it.