MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player-Chapter 91: PK Gone Wrong
The two Dreamland Gems were a solid find, but the Stone Golem Captain had also left behind a massive, spiked club that gleamed with a golden hue.
Black Iron Spiked Club
Golden Weapon
Requirements: Level 30 Warrior, Two-Handed Weapon.
Effects: Unknown (Appraisal Required)
Marcus looted the Captain’s remains.
"Ding! Congratulations, player Stonehaven. You have obtained: Low-Grade Earth Core. Gathering proficiency increased."
The regular Shaker Golems were surprisingly decent, dropping five pieces of Level 30 Blue gear, which he promptly scooped into his inventory.
Then came the real prize: the loot from the three Shadowfall clowns.
’Not bad at all.’ The Knight’s shield and armor were Blue tier, but with perfect, maxed-out stats. They’d sell for a fortune.
His grin widened as he examined the Archer’s and the Sorcerer’s contributions.
’God, I love it when people try to jump me. Especially cocky, geared-up idiots. Keep it coming.’
He let out a low, appreciative whistle, holding up the two weapons.
Skeleton Bow:
Golden Equipment
Requirements: Level 20 Fighter Class, Two-Handed Weapon.
A longbow fashioned from the hardened bones and sinew of a powerful undead creature, thrumming with dark energy.
Attack: 150
Critical Hit Chance: +20%
Attack Speed: +2
Additional Effects: Movement Speed +2, Health Regeneration +1, Mana Regeneration +1. Attacks deal 10 bonus Ice damage with a chance to Freeze, and 20 bonus Poison damage.
Stormstrike Staff:
Golden Equipment
Requirements: Level 20 Sorcerer. One-Handed Weapon.
Forged from rare alloys and the core of a Storm Leopard, crackling with latent lightning.
Attack: 130
Mana Regeneration: +3
Additional Effects: Health Regeneration +1, Mana Regeneration +1. Attacks deal 30 bonus Fire damage. All Level 20 Lightning skill ranks +1. 5% chance to trigger the intermediate skill ’Lightning Flash.’
Two pieces of Golden gear from a single, stupid ambush. This beat grinding monsters for days.
These Shadowfall guys weren’t just any random griefers; they were well-equipped and presumably skilled. And he’d wiped the floor with them without breaking a sweat.
A wave of fierce satisfaction washed over him. ’Marcus, you absolute monster,’ he thought, chuckling to himself.
"Stone? Why are you smiling like a villain who just won the lottery?"
"Villain? This is the smile of a man who just got a massive, undeserved bonus. Check these out." He presented the two golden weapons.
"Whoa! They dropped those?"
"Yep. I’d pay to see their faces right about now."
"Serves them right," FreshwindElara said, her brow still furrowed. The memory of their cheap shot clearly still irked her.
"Hey, don’t let them rent space in your head. They’re not worth the energy. We’ll just smack them down again if we see them. Come on, let’s get back to it."
"Yeah, you’re right."
She took two steps before pausing. "Oh, shoot, it’s already past eleven. I’ve gotta log, Stone. Early start tomorrow."
"Alright. Catch you tomorrow."
"Get some rest soon, okay?"
"Will do."
With a final wave, FreshwindElara’s avatar shimmered and vanished. Once she was gone, Marcus summoned the Shadow-Stained Gryphon King. Man and beast turned back to the desolate landscape, ready to continue the hunt.
—
"MY BOW!"
A raw, agonized scream shattered the relative calm of the Dragon’s Peak Citadel respawn point, drawing stares from every player nearby.
The source was the Archer, ’Shadowfall_Four’, the one Marcus had killed with a single Desperate Strike.
After the respawn timer cleared, his hands felt unnaturally, terribly light. He looked down. Empty. A cold dread shot through him.
’No. No way.’
Frantically, he tore open his inventory menu, searching for the familiar icon of his prized Skeleton Bow.
Gone. His Golden bow was just... gone. Looted by that Knight. A sound, halfway between a shriek and a groan, ripped from his throat.
"Ding! Player Shadowfall_Four. Your vocal output has exceeded permitted decibel levels and constitutes a public nuisance. A fine of 2000 Gold has been deducted from your account."
"I—you son of a—!"
The fine was the final blow. He was about to unleash a furious tirade when the threat of another deduction made him choke it back, his rage dissolving into a strained, miserable whisper. "My gold... all my gold..."
He’d scrimped and saved to get just over two thousand gold. Now he was penniless.
’This can’t be happening.’ Two and Three must have finished that rabbit-masked guy off. They’d have his bow. Confidence, brittle and desperate, flickered back to life. He went to message his team.
"Two, did you guys—"
His words died as a familiar, slumped figure trudged out of the teleportation glow. It was the Knight, Shadowfall_Two. But his shield was missing, his armor gone. He looked utterly defeated.
Shadowfall_Four’s stomach dropped. Don’t tell me... It’s not possible. Three on one...
"Two... what happened?" he asked, voice barely audible.
"Got one-shot. Lost my gear." The Knight’s reply was flat, hollow with shock. "Dropped three levels. You?"
Levels! In his panic over the bow, he’d forgotten. He pulled up his status screen.
"I—!"
"I’ll kill that motherf—"
"Agh, damn it!"
The sight of his level; five whole levels gone, made him want to scream again. He bit his tongue, the curse dying into a choked gasp before morphing into loud, helpless sobs.
Player A: "What’s with that guy? Yelling, now crying. Did he forget his meds?"
Player B: "Girlfriend trouble?"
Player C: "Are you kidding? If his girl dumped him, he’d be celebrating. That’s freedom, man."
Player D (Girl): "Ugh, is that a grown man crying? That’s just pathetic."
Player E (Girl): "It’s kind of sad, I guess. But he’s also kind of gross-looking."
Newbie Player: "Mister, what’s wrong? You can tell me!"
The crowd’s running commentary only poured salt on the wound.
"Four, get a grip. What’s the deal?" Shadowfall_Two asked, irritation cutting through his own gloom. It was a PK gone wrong. You win some, you lose some. They’d just have to grind back and get payback.
"Two... I lost five levels," ShadowfallFour wailed, the grief raw and real.
He’d always been the fastest leveler in their crew. That’s why the boss had trusted him with the Skeleton Bow. With that bow, he’d felt unstoppable, his eyes on the Top Ten leaderboards. Now, because of one moment of greedy, stupid opportunism, it was all gone. The ambition, the status, the gear.
How could he not cry?
