Julian's plan was simple: loot, find a safe place to hide, and repeat. He didn't want to encounter any enemies until most of the players had already been eliminated.
After discovering the Flying Dagger, he quietly left the small house and began searching for another shelter.
The map seemed to be set entirely within a forest, which worked in his favor. With so many trees and dense undergrowth, there were plenty of places to hide. Crouching behind a bush, he scanned the two-story house in front of him. Just like the last one, it looked abandoned and quiet. But Julian didn't let his guard down. He gripped his Flying Dagger tightly, ready for anything.
Inside, he found a small shelf, and something strange caught his eye: a glowing book.
He picked it up.
[You obtained
[Description: Allows the user to turn their physical body into water and hide within bodies of water.]
"A skill book… nice."
The book glowed faintly blue as he opened it, and a familiar message appeared in front of him:
[Do you wish to learn
"Learn it."
The moment he said the words, information flooded into his mind. It felt like something that should have taken months to master had been downloaded straight into his brain in seconds.
Curious, Julian tried activating the ability, but nothing happened. His body remained solid.
"So I need actual water nearby to use it?" he muttered. "Yeah… I guess it would be too overpowered if I could turn into water anytime I wanted."
Still, it was a useful skill. Turning into water could give him a huge advantage in the right situation, even if it was just for hiding. At least now, he had a way to escape or evade stronger enemies.
Suddenly—Boom!
A loud explosion rocked the forest.
Smoke rose into the sky not far from where he was. Even with the thick canopy of trees, Julian could see the smoke and hear the violent echoes of a fierce battle.
His expression turned serious. "Shit… someone's fighting nearby. Should I retreat or watch?"
He shook his head instantly—no way he was getting involved in that. Just from the sheer force of the sounds alone, whoever was fighting had to be powerful.
He turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
...
After a while, he stopped to catch his breath, leaning against a tree. The sounds of battle were now far behind him. He let himself rest.
[Player Fern defeated Player David.]
[Player Gun defeated Player John Wick.]
[Player Gang Ryong defeated Player Roberto.]
[Player…]
"So it's begun," he muttered.
A few hours had passed since the game started. Players were finally starting to run into each other. But what caught him off guard was the fact that Gun had already taken down John Wick.
Julian wasn't surprised by the outcome, though.
If this "Gun" was the same one from the Lookism universe, then yeah, John Wick didn't stand a chance.
In that world, people could punch through walls and toss grown men like rag dolls. Gun himself had insane strength, durability, and combat instincts that went far beyond anything realistic. John Wick might be a legendary assassin, but against someone like Gun, he was absolutely cooked.
"Fern and Gang Ryong... I know those two, too. Really hope I don't run into them," he sighed. "Where are you, Biscuit? My little savior…"
Just as he said that, his senses flared.
He narrowed his eyes and, without hesitation, activated his new ability. There was a pond nearby, and he slipped into it, his body turning to water and merging with the surface.
Moments later, a figure darted overhead, leaping through the trees like a blur. Julian watched silently from the pond.
It was a ninja.
And not just any ninja.
He was wearing a headband... one with a snail symbol engraved on it.
Chasing him was a girl with black hair and piercing red eyes. The young man in front of her was drenched in sweat, his face twisted in fear and desperation.
"That's Akame... and who is she chasing?" Julian whispered, still hidden within the water, watching from the pond's edge.
The man being hunted looked exhausted, stumbling as he tried to keep ahead of her. He raised a hand, clearly trying to counter or cast something, but his movements were sluggish.
Julian recognized the headband the man wore. It was from the Naruto world. But he didn't recognize the character himself.
'Must be a random player. Probably not someone important. Just unlucky enough to get targeted by Akame.'
He continued watching in silence as the chase unfolded.
'Should I kill him?' The thought came to him suddenly. 'Do I get a reward for eliminating other players?'
He frowned. It was tempting. The man looked weak, worn down and distracted. He would be an easy target.
But Julian quickly shook his head. Reward or not, exposing himself right now would be a stupid move. If Akame noticed him, he'd be dead in seconds.
His plan hadn't changed: survive until only a few players were left standing. No risks. No unnecessary fights.
Stay hidden. Stay alive.
Akame didn't hesitate. She closed the distance between them in a flash, her sword gleaming for just a second before slicing down.
"He's dead." That's what Julian thought.
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots cracked from the trees nearby, sharp and sudden. Akame halted mid-strike, twisting her body just in time to dodge one bullet and deflect another with her blade.
From the shadows stepped a woman with a cigarette between her lips and twin pistols spinning in her hands like toys. She had short brown hair, wore a tank top, and smirked like she'd been waiting for this.
"Yo, didn't think I'd run into a damn assassin this early. You were gonna hog all the fun for yourself?"
Revy cracked her neck and pointed a pistol at Akame. "Too bad, little girl. That item's mine."
The terrified ninja stumbled backward, caught between two killers who barely seemed to notice him at all.
Julian, hiding just below the surface of the nearby water, was filled with confusion. He recognized the woman, Revy, from Black Lagoon. A hardened mercenary. But to Akame, someone like Revy was nothing more than a warm-up. Akame was a true assassin, fast and deadly, with powers that defied logic.
Still, something about what Revy said stuck with him.
"They're fighting for an item," he thought. "That's the only reason Revy would interrupt Akame. But what kind of item could draw both of them here?"
While the two women locked eyes in a silent contest of wills, the ninja made a break for it.
Bang!
Revy shot him in the leg without even glancing his way. The man screamed and crumpled to the ground.
"You stay put," she said coolly.
As he fell, a small orb tumbled from his pocket and rolled across the ground, catching the attention of both women. It kept rolling until it stopped at the edge of the pond.
Their eyes locked on it, sharp and deadly. Then they turned their glares back on each other.
Revy fired first, lunging toward the orb.
"Shit," Julian whispered, but he stayed completely still.
Revy moved fast. Bullets flew, tearing through the clearing.
Akame darted sideways, avoiding the hail of gunfire with unnatural grace. Her body twisted and spun, her movements quick and precise. She ducked, leapt, and deflected a few rounds with her sword, slipping past others by inches. Trees exploded behind her from stray shots.
Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and flung her blade at the orb.
Revy leaned back, narrowly dodging the incoming blade, but before she could react further, Akame was there, hand on the hilt, her body materializing out of thin air. She swung upward in one clean arc, a moonlit slash through the chaos.
Revy barely dodged, the blade grazing her hand. She winced, but her grin didn't fade. She spat out the cigarette and jumped back, firing downward as she moved.
The two of them danced through the forest. One struck with ruthless precision, the other fired with relentless aggression.
For a moment, they both forgot why they were fighting.
Julian didn't.
He saw his chance, and took it.
[You have obtained
[Description: Permanently increases one attribute of your choice by 3.]
He didn't stop to read more. No time for that. He grabbed the orb and slipped away into the shadows.
Back in the clearing, Revy narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue. She'd seen him take the item. But as she shifted her gaze toward Julian, her foot caught on a tree root. She stumbled.
And Akame saw it.
One flash.
One clean strike.
Shhkk.
The sound was sharp, like it sliced the silence clean in half.
Revy froze. Her eyes widened as she looked down.
Akame's blade was buried deep in her side.
Revy coughed, blood spilling from her mouth, but the grin never left her face.
"You're good… too damn good."
She dropped to her knees. Her pistols slipped from her hands and hit the ground with a dull thud.
[Player Akame has defeated Player Revy.]