Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 63: At Last, Settling the Score

Affiliation: Adventures' Guild | Dragonsbane Guild

HP: 2155/2445 | MP: 287/338

Strength: 78 (+5) | Stamina: 65 (+4) | Agility: 25 (+5) | Intelligence: 42 (+7)

Stat Points: 0]

[Name: Callista (Criminal)

Species: Human

Level: 23 | EXP: 11,461/82,656 (13.86%)

Class: Mage

Title: None

Affiliation: Adventures' Guild | Dragonsbane Guild

HP: 1960/1962 | MP: 854/1049

Strength: 14 | Stamina: 32 (+2) | Agility: 21 (+4) | Intelligence: 163 (+15)

Stat Points: 0]

"...Show them who you've become," said Daisuke in a soft tone, much to the party's elation.

Just as Callista did, Elena completed a whispered incantation for her own spell. A sizable fireball materialized overhead, instantly shifting the power dynamic and dispelling Osten and his cronies' misconception that they were in complete control.

CRASHHHHHHH!

They were not the predators, nor had they trapped prey; these were vengeful tigers seeking long-overdue retribution.

The raging fireball effortlessly shattered the barrier, like a hard rock through glass, crashing into the trio with unrelenting force. The searing flames incinerated clothes and flesh as agonized screams erupted from scorched throats.

Elena stepped forward, looking over her nose at the individuals who had nearly inadvertently brought ruin upon her village by harming her and her companions.

Osten, Blitz, and Callista teetered on the brink of life. After losing over 50% of their health in a single attack, they had succumbed to a paralyzed state. Blitz evidently had some deterrent to the debuff, because he started to rise with difficulty, followed by Callista.

PHUSHHHH!

Rexar's armored fist collided with Blitz's stomach. The man's feet lifted clear off the ground, his body bending like a folding screen, his expression twisting in a combination of pain and shock.

THWACK!

THWACK-THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!

A flurry of arrows pierced Callista's back, sapping what was left of her strength. With a grunt, she fell face-first, both her and Blitz gradually being engulfed by a column of golden light signaling their demise.

While Zephyr found amusement in relieving himself on a subdued and protesting Osten, Daisuke approached slowly, his expression unreadable.

An advantageous aspect of being an NPC was their ability to punish a player—with no witnesses, they could slaughter a player and easily get away with it. Even if the crime was revealed, the justice system often sided with the NPC if they were deemed innocent. In the event that the jury found the perpetrator guilty, the resulting sentence was typically lenient.

Players, on the other hand, were under constant surveillance by the System without bias. No matter their whereabouts, even in the deepest depths of Tartarus confronting their archenemies, the moment they committed a transgression—such as eliminating said nemesis—they were swiftly labeled as criminals and relentlessly pursued by both players and NPCs alike.

Osten grabbed onto Daisuke's leg with what little stamina he had left, his eyes wide with malice and scorn. "Y-You bastard..."

"All the time you wasted lying in wait," said Daisuke patronizingly, his glare sharp and condescending, "you should have spent it leveling up."