CHAPTER 86: ENCOUNTERING THREATS

"When you swing a weapon, you’re not just swinging the weapon in your hands, you’re using your entire body to either attack, defend, or counter." Ziggy was giving advice to the weapon users among the newbie group that he was training today.

They were in the second-floor forest area, in a camp that the association had secured a while ago, resting along with a few other association companies.

He wasn’t the only team captain present at this camp, there were others as well. However, the biggest crowd was present right where he was teaching right now.

"Using your entire body for each of the movements is the basics of weapon-wielding. Those of you who have reached the 3rd floor in the game might remember how the instructors on the 3rd floor teach you weapon usage, right?

We have to use the same things we used in the game— using the shoulder as a reinforcer, legs as the base, and the core as the bracher, we actually Use a weapon instead of just swinging it around."

Ziggy showed them a demonstration.

First, he showed them what a simple sword swing without the proper technique looked like.

He swung his sword and there was no particular reaction. The sword was swung and it cut through the air while making some sound.

Some people even found this interesting. However, he then changed his grip and held the sword from around the lower handle.

The grip looked a little loose compared to before, however, he had somehow changed his body position as well. Not all of them could figure out how this body position was different compared to the previous one, but those of a higher Rank could see the difference clearly.

He wasn’t just holding his sword anymore. He was wielding the sword here.

"This is how you swing a weapon."

-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!

The motion of swinging the sword was the same this time as well, however, the simple swing created a gust of wind that made the newbies open their eyes wide.

The difference was clear. They couldn’t believe how proper technique could make so much difference but right now, they wanted nothing more than to learn this.

They wanted to swing their weapons the right way and use the strengths that they had in a better, more efficient way.

"Everyone will get the chance to learn new things on the next floor, however, you can practice the motion and technique as you go—...!" Ziggy was speaking, teaching the students right when something made him stop in his tracks.

[Ding!]

He received a message on the forum, a message that all of the higher-ranked people present in the camp received simultaneously at that moment.

[ "Attention all personnel at [Rank-6] and above present! There has been a simultaneous attack on players in various regions on the floor! I repeat! There has been an Ambush on players!" ]

Right after the notifications were received, an announcement was also made throughout the camp, notifying all the units of the association that the criminals, the PKers, had attacked the player parties throughout the second floor once again.

This was an emergency.

"All units! Gather around your party leaders! All units! Prepare for battle!"

It was the first time the common association parties were receiving a message like this. It wasn’t their job to deal with the criminals around the floors since they had other squads for that, but this was no simple attack.

The PKers had appeared all around the floor and the information centers of the association were being overwhelmed with support requests.

A few dozen deaths were already recognised but that was just the start. The criminals that had appeared were also strong, and not all of them seemed to be normal players.

They had received reports that many of them possessed strange energy, something that those of the association had recognized as Corruption energy.

The fact that these PKers had something like that made the situation even more terrifying since the chances they would lose prominent players to these attackers were higher now.

Also, since they were attacking places with more players, the Association research campsites were not safe either.

They were practically everywhere right now.

The association’s higher-ups could not understand how they came here all of a sudden. There were many of them present here right now and they were taking down the players.

Which meant they needed to fight back with everything they had and take care of them as quickly as possible.

{ "Party 1 will move to the north! Party 2 and 3, march west and help the research units. Party 4,5,6 will go to the southern area and meet up with the professor. Party 7 and 8 will go to the eastern area and regroup with the other units. Party 9! Focus on evacuation! Now!" }

Ziggy did not have any authority but he still instructed all the units on what they needed to do right now.

He was currently the strongest person in the camp, as well as the one who had led the party that cleared the 1st floor, making his words heavier than anyone else present.

"YES!"

They did not question him, and everyone from the association parties moved in unison, scattering out into the forest, hills, and valley to rescue and support the players who were in grave danger right now.

-Clank! Clank! Clank!

Battles were happening with the criminals that did not seem human anymore. Unlike the PKers that they had faced until now, these individuals seemed to be under the effects of some kind of drug or spell.

They behaved like monsters, they attacked with the intent to kill and not harm and savor their prey.

"Help! Someone help!!!"

When the association members reached the locations mentioned in the reports, they did not see some PKers playing with the players. All they saw were monsters in human skins with eyes devoid of any emotions, and bodies that smelled as disgusting as the decomposing trash.

"Aghhhhhhhhh!"

They were everywhere right now. So many of them had appeared out of the blue and the association, even with their large numbers, might not have been sufficient for them had they been by themselves.

Thankfully, the association was not the only entity fighting against these damned criminal monsters.

-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!!

There was a dark energy user, a young lady in black who sliced through the monsters with her scythe.

-Booooom!

-Tang! Tang! Tang!

There were twins powerful enough to hold off a group of eight such PKers all by themselves.

"Tsk! Where the hell did these pieces of trash come from?!" There was also the eastern alliance and the people from the eastern nations who were defending themselves and the ones around them in the larger fields.

"We will move north now."

"YES, DAME!"

And then there was the northern knight order guided by the representative of the north, the Holy Sword of the North.

She had already cut down two dozen of these criminals and yet, there were more. Far more than she had ever come across until now... which confused her since these weren’t criminals from the north.

She did not have any data on any of the ones she had killed right now. And, the same was the case for the association and northern alliance.

They had yet to identify any of these people, but they knew for sure they were players. They weren’t in their system, but they were killing even the higher-ranking players, making them a threat more significant than the usual PKers.

"What the hell is going on here?"

All of this was confusing to him as well. But he focused on running and reaching the vulnerable groups in the northern part of the forest.

The largest number of assailants were present there, so it was only right that the most experienced of the party should go to that dangerous area...