Chapter 13 – Player Killers
Dan's POV
Hey there, folks! Name's Dan Mendoza, though most people in Enigma Online PH know me as SlicerDM. I'm one of Zeke's closest friends—you might know him better as Zaphro. We go to the same school, and he actually started playing EOP a bit ahead of me. Said he got "too excited" to wait for me. What a guy, right? (Tch. So annoying~)
Anyway, we're now partners in crime in this game. And our synergy? Off the charts. We became a legendary duo pretty fast—people started calling us Dark Shadow and Blue Lightning. A lot has happened since. Heck, we even got PKed by a mob once. Zero chance of fighting back. (sigh)
Right now, I'm waiting on a few members of the party. Just Zaphro and Jin are missing. When I logged in, Ayana, Shion, Aryus, Erenir, and Erik were already there. Verillion logged in not long after me. Zaphro's online, but his status shows Unknown. No clue what that means—and honestly, we're all a bit worried.
"I saw the talk show last night," Ayana said, her voice laced with concern. "They were clearly talking about Zaphro. What if the admins delete or reset his character?"
"Don't worry. I doubt the admins would do something like that," Verillion replied calmly. "Besides, it's not Zaphro's fault his character turned out the way it did."
He had a point. No one wants weird stuff happening to their avatar, especially without explanation.
"I hope so. Let's just stay positive," I said.
"I've tried PMing him but I can't get through," Shion added, pacing. "Even teleporting to his location gives me a system error."
No wonder the guy couldn't sit still. We only met Shion recently, but he's proven reliable. A bit cocky at first, but hey—he's a decent guy.
To lighten the mood, I suggested grabbing food at a nearby in-game restaurant while waiting. Everyone agreed, and we ended up having a fun little hangout.
About thirty minutes later, I got a PM from Zaphro—he was on his way. And just like that, he teleported in. Right on time, Jin logged in as well.
"Sorry I'm late," Zaphro said with a sheepish smile. "Had to deal with a few things."
He's hiding something. I'll figure it out eventually. (grin)
We formed a party and got ready to start our boss hunting run.
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[EOP Mechanics – Party System 101]
Standard party size: 7 players
Party Charm: Item that expands the limit (40M gold each, lasts 3 days)
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Since there were nine of us, we bought two Party Charms. Everyone chipped in for the cost. Verillion, being our highest-level player, took the role of Party Leader and also held onto the charms.
Zaphro bought two more charm items: Heaven's Blessing and Perceive. These are passive party buffs that work just by keeping them in your inventory. They last only a day, so we had to make the most of it. Zaphro kept them himself.
Our first destination? Cyther Outpost—a deserted canyon map with a difficulty range of Level 70–80.
Common Mobs:
Dragna (Earth Dragon – Lv. 70)
Giant Tarantula (Lv. 75)
Metallic Lion (Lv. 80)
Zaphro teleported in first since he had the map scroll. The rest of us followed via buddy TP. The sun was blazing over the canyon, and it was hot. Sweat was pouring down my face like a waterfall. Not a problem for Zaphro though—his frost aura armor gave him natural heat resistance.
"Ugh... It's too hot!" Jin complained.
"You think you're the only one sweating?" Aryus shot back, equally armored and annoyed.
I kept quiet, but Verillion must've noticed. He cast Frost Aura, a party-wide buff, and the heat vanished instantly. I'd always thought buffs were just for combat—but apparently, they're good for temperature control too.
We weren't heading straight for the boss yet. The forest beyond this canyon was our goal, and since no one in our group had unlocked the teleport point there, we had to travel by foot. Most of us didn't have flying items either—those are expensive.
Suddenly, Zaphro activated something.
"PET System Activate: Sky Dragon Freyla."
A small box appeared in his hand, which he threw into the air. A baby blue dragon emerged—about pony-sized, with gleaming golden eyes.
"Whoa…" everyone gasped in unison.
The dragon landed beside Zaphro and nuzzled him.
"Looks like you still need some growing up, huh?" he said affectionately.
So that was the pet he got. In the hatchery, pets don't reveal their form unless you summon them. Curious, I summoned mine too: Arcanus, a grey wolf with a glowing blue gem on its forehead and a tail wreathed in color-shifting flames. About the same size as Freyla.
Our teammates were stunned—it was their first time seeing pets. That's not surprising. Pet drops are ridiculously rare, and they cost 500M if bought from an NPC merchant.
Pets can gain XP from combat and grow stronger over time. This run was going to be great for them.
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As we entered the canyon, we saw the first group of mobs ahead.
Lv. 70 Dragna (Earth Dragon)
HP: 15,000
DEF: 2,500
Skills: Ground Drill, Rock Fall, Tremor (AOE)
Gold Drop: 180,000
Random Item Drops
They weren't that big—about the size of a car.
We sent the tanks ahead: Verillion, Zaphro, and myself. We tested the mobs with standard attacks, then the rest of the team joined in. The Dragnas were slow, but their skills hit hard. One used Rock Fall, and giant boulders started raining from above.
Ayana stepped up.
"Summon: Lightning Remnant!"
A magic circle appeared beneath her, and from it emerged a floating girl in white, with long silver hair and a sparking aura.
She was adorable. And deadly.
The summon darted into the battlefield, unleashing a storm of lightning bolts. In under two minutes, she cleared the area.
We advanced to the rocky part of the map—and that's when we saw it.
Webs. Cocoons. Giant shadows.
Level 75 Giant Tarantula
HP: 25,000
DEF: 2,000
Skills: Net Shooter, Venom Blast (AOE), Poison Needles
Gold Drop: 200,000
Random Item Drops
They were massive and straight-up terrifying.
We split into three groups:
Zaphro, Ayana, Erik
Verillion, Jin, Me
Shion, Aryus, Erenir
The tarantulas were aggressive and attacked first, shooting webs. Thankfully, we dodged.
"Burning Essence!" Zaphro cast a buff—everyone was suddenly cloaked in blue flames. It would burn any webs and inflict burn status on mobs.
I activated Guardian's Blessing, boosting everyone's DEF and regen stats.
"Ground Spikes!" Verillion slammed his staff into the earth. Jagged spikes erupted, striking four tarantulas. They survived, but Jin and Arcanus finished them off. Arcanus's tail extended, scorching enemies with each strike.
"That's my pet!" I blurted out. (hehe)
Verillion cast Earth Blockage, trapping respawned mobs in earthen walls. I dashed forward.
"Vanishing Strike!" I hit their weak spots. Their HP dropped by 35%. I flew up and charged my finisher.
"Guardian Push!"
The ground erupted, the walls shattered, and tarantulas were blown away.
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Zaphro's POV
Ayana and Erik were perfect long-range companions. With Freyla's glacial powers, we were clearing mobs efficiently.
"Freyla, Freezing Breath!" I commanded.
She unleashed a freezing storm, immobilizing the tarantulas. Ayana's summon followed up with lightning, while Erik launched orbs.
"Oceanic Wave!" Erik's attack stunned a dozen mobs.
"Lightning Storm!" Ayana screamed, raining thunder.
Freyla launched a massive Glacial Orb. It exploded like a blooming rose, covering the canyon in frost. Ice particles sparkled like snow.
The mobs were wiped, but respawns were quick.
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Shion's POV
I was blown away. These guys were strong. I'm lucky to have met them. For once... I felt like I belonged somewhere—even if it's just in a game.
"Twin Slash!" I sliced a tarantula's legs. Aryus leapt down for the finisher.
"Binding Array!" Erenir's dark spell immobilized and obliterated mobs in a straight line. One hit KO.
Aryus dashed ahead.
"Ground Break!"
Cracks split the earth, burying mobs in debris.
All around me—flashes, yells, battle cries. The party was thriving. And best of all, we leveled up:
Jin: Lv. 72
Erik: Lv. 70
Erenir: Lv. 71
Aryus: Lv. 73
Ayana: Lv. 75
Me (Slicer): Lv. 74
Verillion: Lv. 83
Shion: Lv. 76
Zaphro… unchanged. Low XP gain, he said.
But their pets? Already twice as big.
Then, everything shifted.
Zaphro tensed.
"There's something wrong," he muttered.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I sense players nearby... but their movements... feel off." He cast a frost field. "We need to move. Now."
"Wait, why are we running?" Jin asked.
"I've got a bad feeling. Just trust me."
We sensed it too—others were moving fast... toward us.
Verillion buffed everyone with speed. Ayana and he added Metallic Body, Vanguard, and Evade. Erik dropped a Rejuvenate buff.
"Could it be... PK players?" Aryus asked.
"Player Killers?" Verillion echoed.
"I heard rumors... They've taken down even veteran players," Ayana added grimly.
We ran faster—until something blocked our path.
Level 80 Metallic Lion
HP: 25,000
DEF: 3,000
Skills: Lion Roar, Claw of Fear, High Voltage
Gold Drop: 200,000
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