As soon as Ethan's voice sounded, everyone turned around without thinking. They saw Ethan walking toward them, looking calm, with a long blade in his hand.
The tip of the blade scraped along the floor of the sewer, making a sharp, grating noise. Together with Ethan's cold eyes, it gave off a strange sense of danger.
The Coffin Guild players were stunned for a second. Then, realizing who he was, one of them said excitedly:
"So you're [Windchaser]? You're really asking for trouble, haha!"
[Tank] stared at Ethan as he walked over, his eyes wide. He tried to signal Ethan to leave quickly, and shouted, "No, he's not [Windchaser], he's just one of our friends!"
"Go! These guys are here for [Windchaser], not you!"
[Tank] was trying to make up an excuse for Ethan, hoping he could get away safely. In his mind, even if Ethan showed up, it wouldn't change anything—they'd just all get killed by the Coffin Guild players together.
[Kayla] was also watching Ethan at that moment. She knew perfectly well that Ethan was alone, while there were four Coffin Guild players. No matter what, Ethan wouldn't stand a chance against them.
Ethan must have seen the two of them getting bullied by the Coffin Guild earlier. He couldn't just run away and leave them behind, so he stepped forward to face the enemy with them.
Thinking of this, [Kayla] felt a lot less afraid. She looked at Ethan, deeply moved, and whispered, "You could have just escaped on your own."
But Ethan, who was watching the four Coffin Guild players, didn't notice [Tank] or [Kayla]'s expression at all.
All his focus was on the enemies in front of him. If he could kill them in the next second, he would. If they were too strong to kill now, he'd get stronger first—then come back and finish them off. Every extra minute the enemy stayed alive was a minute too long.
Justice that comes late isn't justice. The same goes for revenge.
The next moment, Ethan slowly raised his blade to his chest, looked at the Coffin Guild players, and said quietly, "That way of dying you mentioned just now—I'm actually pretty interested."
"I hope you won't be too scared to keep playing the game. If I get a chance, I'd love to kill you a few more times."
The four Coffin Guild players glanced at each other, then burst out laughing. They mocked Ethan:"Are you stupid? There are four of us and only one of you."
"On the sewer map, high-level players can't come in. Even if you killed a bunch of monsters and leveled up, there's no way you can beat us. Besides, we've already called for backup."
"[Windchaser], you're not getting away!"
Run?
A small smile appeared at the corner of Ethan's mouth.
Running away wasn't an option. If he wasn't strong enough yet, hiding and getting stronger was a smart move.
But now, he actually hoped that more Coffin Guild players would show up. Every player who came into the sewers to hunt him—they all deserved to die.
He wouldn't let a single one escape.
With these thoughts in mind, Ethan took a deep breath. He didn't waste any more words—he just acted.
He bent his knees a little, pushed hard off the ground, and shot toward the nearest enemy. That enemy was the one holding a dagger—the same one who had stabbed [Tank].
Right then, that player was caught off guard. He thought [Windchaser] would talk back some more after their mocking, so he never expected Ethan to attack so suddenly.
And Ethan was much faster than he'd imagined—no level 7 player should move like that.
The four Coffin Guild players reacted quickly and gripped their weapons, charging at Ethan. They were definitely stronger than most regular players.
But even as he faced all four of them, Ethan stayed calm. His stats were higher than theirs—he was quicker and stronger.
And in a real fight, the most important thing is to keep a cool head. Even while attacking, Ethan saved some focus to watch the others and catch any sudden moves.
So, under [Tank] and [Kayla]'s shocked gaze, Ethan not only dodged the attacks from the other three players, but also managed to swing his blade down, cutting the dagger-wielder's right arm.
The player stared at his severed arm on the ground and let out a terrible scream, clutching the wound and stumbling backward without thinking.
With that one backing away, things got easier for Ethan. As the other three attacked, he slipped through their strikes like a slick fish, always moving and countering.
The three remaining Coffin Guild players were starting to realize Ethan wasn't as weak as they'd thought.
In the early stages of Dawnfall Online, before players choose a class, they don't have any skills to use. Fights between players are all about awareness and how well you control your character.
There's another big factor—pain tolerance.
The pain in Dawnfall Online feels just like real life. Most players react when they get hurt, and that affects their fighting.
A true expert can ignore the pain and keep a clear mind.
Right now, everyone could see that Ethan was exactly that kind of expert—he wasn't an ordinary player at all!
Ethan didn't think much of it. For him, fighting was all about using his head and trusting his instincts. In real life, he was just an ordinary guy—he never really had a chance to fight anyone.
It wasn't until he entered Dawnfall Online that Ethan realized some of his moves and reactions were far beyond what a normal person could do.
No matter what the three Coffin Guild players tried, they couldn't get the upper hand. One of them finally snapped, realizing things couldn't go on like this. With a roar, he charged at Ethan, swinging his weapon, hoping to trade blows.
But when the attack came at him, Ethan didn't even blink. His calmness was almost scary.
There was a sharp sound as the blade cut through flesh.
A fresh wound appeared on Ethan's arm, but his sword had already stabbed through the enemy's chest. The player gasped for air, but with a pierced lung, bloody foam started coming out of his mouth.
Now, out of the four Coffin Guild players, only two were left. Fear started to show in their eyes—they wanted to run.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He activated the special effect of his blue-quality sword.
[Weapon Skill 2]: Spend 2 energy to release a freezing aura from the blade, slowing all enemies within two meters by 10%—both their movement and attack speed.
A faint blue light flashed, and a bone-chilling cold filled the air. The last two Coffin Guild players fell into complete despair.
They weren't Ethan's match before, and now, slowed down, they were basically helpless.
Under [Tank] and [Kayla]'s shocked gaze, Ethan started doing exactly what these four had threatened to do earlier—avoiding vital spots and instead drawing out their pain as much as possible.
[Kayla] couldn't stand the bloody scene. She closed her eyes, wanting to say something.
[Tank] reached out to stop her. "If it wasn't for [Windchaser], the ones being tortured right now would be you and me. They brought this on themselves—it's nobody else's fault."
After hearing [Tank]'s words, the pity disappeared from [Kayla]'s face.
The screaming slowly faded away. Ethan calmly shook the blood off his sword.
He didn't enjoy torturing his enemies. He just wanted them to feel the same pain they had tried to give others.
...
Safe Zone 9527, at the "Noob Nest" respawn point, [Overlord] stood there, waiting eagerly for [Windchaser] to show up.
Just then, four beams of light lit up in a row.