[-0!]
The moment that white damage number appeared,
the entire scene fell silent.
Everyone's eyes went wide with disbelief.
"Is that really the same Novice Robe we're all wearing?"
"Damn it, it even sparked on impact, and you're calling that cloth armor?"
"This guy has to be cheating!"
Out of everyone present, the most shocked was undoubtedly Sein.
Staring at the completely unharmed John, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"How is that possible?!"
Among everyone there,
only John knew just how absurd the defense of his modified cloth robe really was.
Forget a mere dagger—
even an F-rank weapon might not be able to break his defense.
Woooo—!!!
At that moment,
a shrill warning sound suddenly rang out beside John's ears.
[You have been maliciously attacked by another player. The attacker has been marked with a red name. You may retaliate freely!]
[Player "Sein" has been marked with a red name and will now be wanted by the NPC authorities!]
In John's vision, Sein's name turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The game mechanics in Zone 5 were more unique compared to the other four zones.
That was because Zone 5 was the gathering place for unaffiliated players.
In the wilderness, player killing was unrestricted and would not result in a red name.
That was why John had killed twelve people in the wild earlier without being marked red.
But inside Novice Village or any main city, using any weapon to attack another player was strictly forbidden.
Once violated, the offender would be punished with a wanted status.
No matter which main city they went to, they would be hunted down by guards throughout the entire city.
Then why was it that John, despite clearly being the one who struck first earlier,
had not received any red-name penalty?
That was because he had made use of a little-known mechanic.
Inside Novice Village or a main city, as long as you did not use weapons and only fought others barehanded, it would not be treated as PvP.
Of course, it also meant you could not kill other players inside Novice Village or a main city.
The victim's HP would be locked at 1 point.
As for why John knew this so clearly—
he had to thank those people from the Opportunists Guild in his previous life.
Whenever trouble came up, they would always push the blame onto him.
In his past life, John had been forced out many times to take the beatings and humiliation for them.
Over time, he had naturally become extremely familiar with this mechanic.
"To thank you all, it's about time you got a taste of being beaten yourselves."
John let out a cold laugh.
The next instant,
he lunged forward and drove a kick straight into Sein's chest.
Sein staggered back two steps and fell to the ground.
John pressed the advantage. One foot pinned Sein to the floor by the chest while he crouched down and clenched his fist.
Bang!
A heavy punch smashed into Sein's face,
sending several teeth flying.
His HP instantly plummeted to 1, entering the forced lock state.
"So this is you pretending to be the good guy?"
Bang!
Sein's cheek swelled up high.
"Aren't you usually so good at acting? Go on—keep acting!"
Bang!
Punch after punch,
John was like a tireless machine, hammering his fists into Sein's face over and over.
By the end, Sein's face was nearly ruined, reduced to a bloody mess.
And the pain simulation in the game was extremely realistic.
Sein screamed miserably in agony.
"Stop! How dare you hit me—ahhh!
Stop hitting me! Stop!"
John had no intention of stopping.
Even after Sein's face had become so mangled it barely looked human anymore, he kept punching with the same steady rhythm and force.
Sein completely broke down.
He struggled to roar at the guild members nearby,
"What the hell are you all staring at?! Save me!
If he's using his fists, then use yours too!"
The guild members over there exchanged looks, only then realizing that the one getting beaten was their own guild leader.
"Bastard! Let go of our leader!"
Vice Guild Leader Hansen roared and was just about to make a move.
But from behind the crowd, a neat, synchronized series of footsteps suddenly rang out.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The crowd immediately scattered, making way.
A squad of guards in matching standard armor strode forward.
The long spears in their hands gleamed coldly, filling the onlookers with fear.
At the front was a blonde, blue-eyed female knight.
Her voice was icy and commanding.
"Everyone, step back!"
The captain of the guards had spoken, and the crowd immediately retreated.
At that same moment, John decisively stopped beating Sein and let go of the man, who had already been pummeled into a swollen pig's head.
The female knight stepped forward slowly, her gaze sweeping over Sein on the ground and the dagger lying beside him.
Under everyone's watchful eyes,
she announced in a clear voice:
"Player Sein, you have violated Articles One and Two of the Apocalypse Novice Code!
First, you used a weapon to attack another player within the safe zone of Novice Village!
Second, you stole an NPC's personal weapon, aggravating the offense!
The two crimes will now be punished together!"
The female knight pronounced the sentence in public.
"In the name of a knight, I hereby pass judgment upon Player Sein.
You are sentenced to imprisonment in the dungeon for seventy-two hours.
Furthermore, after your release, your red-name status will remain for forty-eight hours!
The sentence will be carried out immediately!"
As soon as her words fell,
two fully armed guards stepped forward and hauled Sein to his feet.
The moment Sein heard the punishment,
his face turned deathly pale.
Seventy-two hours in prison during the novice phase?
Inside the dungeon cell, he would not be able to do anything at all.
Seventy-two hours in the beginner stage was enough to leave him far behind everyone else!
Worst of all, Sein was still only Level 1.
By the time he got out, other players might already have started raiding dungeons!
"No! I refuse to admit guilt! You can't do this to me!
He was clearly the one who struck first! Why am I the only one being imprisoned?!"
Sein roared in powerless berserk rage.
He wanted his guild members to save him.
But when he turned his head to look—
those people had already scattered like frightened birds the moment the guards appeared.
At that moment, the selfish nature of the Opportunists Guild was fully exposed.
The female knight gave a cold snort.
"Take him away!"
Sein's screams gradually faded into the distance.
For the next seventy-two hours, that man would be spending his time in a dark, damp prison cell.
John watched the scene expressionlessly.
He knew Sein's personality well.
Once released, the man would definitely resort to any means possible to take revenge on him.
But—
so what?
If John could kill him once, then he could kill him countless times!
What was more, seventy-two hours later, whether Sein would still even be the guild leader of Opportunists was hard to say.
"What a pity. This time I only got revenge on Sein."
John swept his gaze across the crowd but found no trace of the other guild members.
A little regretful, he dusted off his hands and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
A cool, crisp voice stopped him.
John halted and turned back.
It was the female knight.
A sharp light flickered in her beautiful eyes as she looked him up and down.
Her gaze lingered for a long time on the dagger at his waist and the cloth robe he was wearing.
Given the intelligence level of NPCs in the world of Apocalypse, she had clearly realized that the attributes of John's equipment were far from ordinary.
"Your strength… is impressive."
The female knight's tone had softened considerably.
She stared straight at John.
"As it happens, our village has recently encountered some trouble, and we need someone strong like you to deal with it.
I wonder if you'd be interested?"
When John heard that, his pupils contracted slightly.
Had he triggered a hidden quest?