The Devil’s Cage

After a side roll, Kieran landed on the ground single-handed, clenching the muscles of his arm.

The sudden boost of strength turned into strong force as he pushed himself back towards the spot he had just gotten away from.

Bang!

The bullets were a fraction of a second too late, but the sniper, who was hidden far away, did not give up.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three more shots were fired. When Kieran made his way behind a wall, the firing stopped.

The tremendous destructive force of the sniper was like a mini cannon, blasting the ground where Kieran stood. It was inferior compared to a real cannon though.

Still, Kieran was astonished by what he saw from his new hiding spot. The wall that he had just been taking cover behind a moment ago had been blasted into pieces along with a big chunk of the building.

It was not a rocket launcher, but a real cannon.

”There are players that can use cannons?”

Kieran could not imagine how a player could even use a cannon inside the dungeon world.

The sheer size and weight of them was not something a single person could handle. There had to be a whole team.

This was the only possible explanation.

Kieran’s speculations made his heart tremble with delayed panic.

If he had not been thinking about counterattacking, he might have taken a cannon blast on the face.

Kieran knew what would have happened to him if he had still been at the spot when the almost eight-meter wide cannon crater had eliminated all obstacles.

Even with [Primus Scale], he would have still been crushed to bits. The attackers would not have prepared just a single shot after all.

Kieran took out his [Jagdtiger-X1] and tried to spot the sniper through the scope. He believed the sniper was also looking for him.

The Musou Level [Firearm Weapon (Light Firearm)]’s special effect [Unparalleled Aim] boosted his Intuition to B- rank in an instant.

Kieran’s view was becoming clearer by the second, his enemies now more obvious than ever.

Bang!

Kieran pulled the trigger before quickly moving away from his current spot.

[Shooting: Lethal Attack, Inflicts 400 Damage to Target HP (200 Firearm Weapon (Light Firearm)(Pro) X2), Target has Magnetic Force Field, Bullets are ineffective, 0 True Damage inflicted to Target…]

...

The notification that popped up shocked Kieran, but he did not dare stop just because he was surprised.

The roaring sound of the cannon was heard again.

Boom!

The huge shockwave sent Kieran flying.

The moment he fell on the ground, he rolled quickly to the side and stood up. He kept running towards his original destination to take cover.

Musou Level [Evading] not only allowed him to dodge incoming fire, but it also helped him minimize damage if he could not avoid it.

”Magnetic Force Field? What the hell is that?”

Kieran was not familiar with the term, but he understood what it could do. The Magnetic Force Field had negated his lethal attack and rendered his bullets useless.

Kieran was in awe of the attacker’s equipment.

This new wave of attacks was completely different from the previous two, otherwise they would have taken the chance when Kieran and Shielder brawled it out with brute strength.

The strength of this new wave of enemies shed light on the situation.

Kieran was hiding in a dark corner checking his own wounds.

[Shock Wave: Target inflicts 150 Damage to your HP, Protective Tessirot Blessing resisted a portion of Damage, 100 True Damage inflicted to HP…]

...

The damage from the cannon shockwave exceeded Kieran’s wildest expectations.

Even though Kieran had gotten away from the blasting range, he was still affected by the after wave and had suffered an amount of damage.

The high damage and the negation of his attacks left him only once choice. He had to call reinforcements.

He would need at least one more person to help him locate the cannon.

”2567: Under attack, help!”

Kieran quickly messaged Lawless for help, but it was not Lawless who came to his aid first.

It was a squad of a dozen cyber law enforcers in black and blue, with an obvious police badge on them.

The cyber law enforcers appeared out of thin air and approached Kieran. One of them spoke in a mechanical voice, ”Please remain calm. Your safety is our priority.”

It seemed to be establishing its credibility.

The robot opened its hands and a 10-inch hologram appeared before Kieran.

The projection was showing two scenes at once.

One of them was someone carrying a sniper rifle and running for their life, and the second one was four men swiftly dismantling a cannon.

No matter how quick they were though, the cyber law enforcers were one step ahead.

In the projections, Kieran could clearly see two squads of cyber law enforcers surrounding the sniper and the players dismantling the cannon.

The sniper put his hands up in the air, but two of the four players around the cannon tried to resist.

The cyber law enforcers fired a bright red laser beam from their eyes and pierced the players’ bodies with ease.

”Laser weapons?” Kieran shivered a bit.

Back in the real world, the Union’s most elite force of law enforcers were using laser weapons as well.

Kieran kept an eye on the news because his army service would be due soon, but he would never have thought he would get to see a laser weapon in the game.

”Player 2567, the attackers assaulting you have been captured. Any resistance has been eliminated.”

”You are safe again. You have 3 Honor Kill Points, and you will receive 3% of their total wealth as compensation!”

After the mechanical voice finished speaking, the squad of cyber law enforcers left.

[Authenticated player has 3 Honor Kill Points, Player will receive 3% of the attacker’s total wealth as compensation (including but not limited to equipment, items, Points, and Skill Points)]

[Calculating Compensation…]

[Player’s Final Compensation: 15,000 Points.]

...

”Is this what Honor Kill Points are for?”

Kieran was extremely surprised when he found out what the real use of the mysterious Honor Kill Points was.

With a sudden heartache, he realized that if 3% of the players’ total wealth equaled 15,000 Points of compensation, then 100% would have equaled 500,000 Points.

Ugh! The thought alone made Kieran’s heartache stronger. He was having trouble breathing. He felt as if something important was just beyond his grasp.

”Honor kill... Honor kill...” Kieran mumbled softly.

When Lawless rushed to the scene, Kieran looked at him with an immensely serious expression.

”When you go after the Killer Organization, you have to take me with you!” he said, emphasizing each word.

”Wh… what? Are you okay, 2567?” Lawless asked worriedly, baffled by Kieran’s sudden gibberish.

”I’m fine, just a little hurt. So, any news from the Harvest Inn?” Kieran shook his head, asking a random question.

”A couple of my buddies searched the area, but nothing!” Lawless sighed.

Kieran frowned. If the attackers had known where to find him, then there had to be someone following him, not only at his own house, but at the Harvest Inn as well. A spy from the Killer Organization had to be somewhere around.

This was the conclusion he had reached, yet he did not suspect Lawless.

If Lawless said so, then his team must have been searching hard, but not come up with anything.

If the Organization was out there though, its members must have left some traces.

”I want to go have a look. Is that okay?” Kieran asked.

He believed Lawless, but that did not mean that he would not use his [Tracking] to his advantage.

Kieran was sure his special skill would be particularly useful in this case.

”Sure, of course. Let’s walk over. I’m curious about what happened here though.”

Lawless nodded with a smile before pointing at the blasted ruins and debris all around them.

He did not mind Kieran volunteering to join his crusade. It was what he wished for as well.

Even though Kieran had a low dungeon entry number, he had seen his formidable strength with his own eyes.

Lawless was about to turn around and leave.

”Hold on, there’s also something else!”

Kieran went inside his room. He had not forgotten the methods the first wave of attackers had used.

He was curious about how Correy and Shielder had rigged up his door.

Before Kieran could venture another step deeper though, he was pulled back by Lawless hard.

”Wait!” Lawless said with furrowed eyebrows.

His eyes were locked on the entrance to Kieran’s room.

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

Lasers...