"Hey there."
As Shadowfall_Three turned around, Marcus gave him a small smile and a casual nod, almost friendly in a way that made the sudden recognition hit even harder.
"Ah!"
The Sorcerer stiffened immediately, his face draining of color as he stumbled back a step.
"Itâs you..."
The moment he saw the rabbit mask, Shadowfall_Three recognized him. There was no hesitation, no doubt. To him, that mask might as well have belonged to a nightmare.
Sure, plenty of players had started copying the Rabbit Knightâs appearance lately, trying to imitate the mysterious player whoâd become infamous across the region, but Shadowfall_Three knew better than anyone that this one was real. What had happened in the Stone Carving Forest was something he and his brothers would never forget for the rest of their gaming careers. The way the Rabbit Knight had turned the fight around and butchered all three of them after being ambushed was burned permanently into their memories.
Earlier, when Marcus came charging in from a distance, Shadowfall_Three hadnât gotten a clear look at the mask. But now they were standing face to face, and there was no way he could mistake it.
Not that rabbit mask. Not ever.
"Heh."
Marcus nodded with satisfaction. Good. Heâd honestly been a little worried Shadowfall_Three wouldnât recognize him. If that happened, killing him wouldâve felt a lot less entertaining.
"Oh crap..."
"Itâs the Rabbit Knight!"
For the first time in a long while, genuine fear crept into Shadowfall_Threeâs chest. Even remembering what this guy was capable of made his scalp tingle.
Still, he wasnât some clueless newbie. As a veteran player, he reacted immediately, retreating backward while trying to widen the distance between them so he could prepare a spell.
Unfortunately for him, Marcus had no intention of giving him that opportunity.
Still smiling beneath the mask, Marcus urged the Flame Charger forward. His Bat Dragon Cloud Sword flashed out in a vicious thrust.
"Triple Surge!"
Three strikes exploded forward almost simultaneously.
-1800, -1900, -1700.
The damage numbers burst above Shadowfall_Threeâs head one after another. His eyes widened in disbelief before his body slammed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
"So heâs still this broken..."
That was Shadowfall_Threeâs final thought before dying.
The last time theyâd met, he, Shadowfall_Two, and Shadowfall_Four had tried to ambush the Rabbit Knight while Marcus was occupied fighting monsters. In theory, it shouldâve been an easy kill. Instead, the Rabbit Knight had turned around after barely taking a single hit and completely wiped them out.
Not only had the ambush failed, theyâd even lost two pieces of Golden equipment in the process. Worse still, to this day, they still didnât know the Rabbit Knightâs actual player name.
It was humiliating.
No, humiliating wasnât even enough to describe it.
Ever since then, the three brothers had imagined getting revenge countless times, replaying the scene over and over in their heads. But every time they seriously thought about how terrifying the Rabbit Knight actually was, that desire for revenge always came mixed with a deep sense of dread.
And now they had confirmation all over again. The Rabbit Knight was still absurdly overpowered.
Getting revenge on him was going to be far harder than theyâd hoped.
At this point, fighting fairly probably wasnât an option anymore. If they really wanted payback, they might have to rely on the methods they specialized in best: dirty tricks, ambushes, cheap tactics, anything they could get away with.
As long as they won, who cared how it happened?
They had to get revenge eventually.
By the time Shadowfall_Three died, his hatred for the Rabbit Knight had already reached its peak, yet even now, he still hadnât learned the manâs in-game name.
It was maddening.
"Second! Fourth! Be careful, itâs that Rabbit Knight!"
Even in death, Shadowfall_Three kept enough composure to send a warning through the mercenary group chat.
At almost the same moment, the stun effect from SavageBearâs Fake Tremor Hammer finally wore off. Shadowfall_Two and Shadowfall_Four both turned toward Marcus.
"Second... itâs really him."
Shadowfall_Fourâs voice nearly cracked.
Just like Shadowfall_Three, the two of them would never forget the face of the player they hated most, and feared most.
"Venom Arrow!"
Without hesitation, Shadowfall_Four abandoned the Yellow-Tusk Boar King and fired directly at Marcus, who was carving through Shadowfallâs members one after another.
Miss.
"What the hell?!"
His expression twisted instantly.
The Rabbit Knightâs dodge rate was still outrageously high. Gritting his teeth, Shadowfall_Four immediately fired again.
"Double Shot!"
Miss.
Miss.
Both arrows failed to connect.
Shadowfall_Four stared blankly for a second, looking like his brain had stopped functioning.
"Are you kidding me...?"
By every normal standard in the game, Knights were supposed to have terrible Agility. Low dodge, low accuracy, slow movement. That was basic common sense.
But the Rabbit Knight completely overturned all of it.
An Archer, a class known for precision and ranged superiority, couldnât land a single hit on him.
Not one.
And that wasnât even the worst part.
While Shadowfall_Four desperately kept firing arrows that never connected, Marcus was casually slaughtering Shadowfallâs remaining members one after another. Every swing of his sword looked effortless, clean, almost relaxed. No flashy combos. No wasted movement. Just one strike per target, and another player dropped dead.
To outsiders, it probably wouldâve looked incredible, the kind of overwhelming performance that got clipped into highlight videos.
But to Shadowfall_Two and Shadowfall_Four, it felt suffocating.
"Second... heâs even stronger than before."
There was helplessness in Shadowfall_Fourâs voice now, as if he couldnât even think of a way to fight back anymore.
Shadowfall_Two scanned the battlefield rapidly before forcing himself to stay calm.
"Ignore him. Focus everything on the Yellow-Tusk Boar King."
He immediately issued the command through the guild chat.
At this point, there were barely ten Shadowfall members left alive. After witnessing Marcusâs strength firsthand, Shadowfall_Two knew they had no chance of beating him head-on.
On top of that, SavageBear had already dragged the Yellow-Tusk Boar King directly into the middle of their formation, and the boss monster was wreaking havoc everywhere it charged. They couldnât afford to ignore it either.
Their only realistic option now was to kill the boss as quickly as possible, grab whatever loot dropped, and escape before the Rabbit Knight wiped them out completely.
After all, between the damage dealt by Savage Tribe and Shadowfall together, the Yellow-Tusk Boar Kingâs health couldnât have much left. Maybe one or two more concentrated attacks would finish it off.
But as Shadowfall_Two watched Marcus slowly cut through players one by one without even bothering to use major skills, an uneasy feeling suddenly crept into his chest.
Something felt off.
Why was the Rabbit Knight taking his time? Why did he look so relaxed? Shadowfall_Two frowned deeply.
The Rabbit Knight wasnât the type to show mercy.