Day 3: An area in the Sansara World far away from any of the safe zones.
This area was a barren desert with view-blocking sand dunes. The star-studded, moonless night was as gloomy as it could be. The midnight winds carried with them a bone-freezing chill that was unique to this region.
There was a smell of blood in the air. A group of injured people was seen running away from their pursuers. Their injuries were serious but not mortal, preventing them from activating Sansara World's defense mechanism.
The rankers within the group had ashen faces as they used their movement spells to their fullest to run away from unknown forces. It seemed that they had lost some of their members forever.
Members of the same group couldn't hurt one another. Self-injury was also prohibited within the Sansara World, preventing anyone from running away from the fights. The rule acted as a death sentence for some rankers who had died both in the event as well as in real life.
Whoever was targeting this fleeing group, they were trying to kill them in such a way that the Sansara World's defense mechanism wouldn't be enough to save them. Hence, a sense of desperation was written on everyone's faces as they ran.
"Fuck!"
Roody Jr, who was the younger brother of Roody and looked just like him, couldn't help but exclaim in fury as he felt his enemies closing in on him from every direction. He looked around him with fury in his eyes as if he was ready to give it his all in his next attack.
Ken had a grim expression on his face as well. He looked at everyone who was running with him and clenched his fists. He got close to Roody Jr before speaking in a serious tone.
"Brother, use the Team Jump Perk one more time."
Sansara World offered various perks for rankers who could avail of them through a special spectral screen by spending Karma points. The Team Jump perk was one such perk on the list. It allowed the team's captain to teleport his entire team of rankers far away from their existing positions.
Roody Jr looked at Ken with frustration written all over his face.
"What the fuck are you saying, Ken? They'll follow us right away using their Team Jump perk. And this is the last teleportation perk we have. We need to get close to the nearest safe zone so that we can…"
Ken shook his head before cutting Roody Jr off mid-sentence.
"That isn't possible, brother. We'll get ambushed before that happens. Time is running out."
Ken narrowed his eyes before speaking with conviction.
"Besides… they won't be following any of you when you use Team Jump this time."
Roody Jr didn't understand what Ken was saying at first. But it didn't take long for him to understand what Ken was trying to tell him.
"You mean…"
Ken nodded at Roody Jr and smiled before confirming the latter's assumption.
"Yep… I'm asking you to leave me behind. These infiltrators from Layos are after me. So obviously, they'll stop following you if they see that I haven't gone with you."
The presence of Ken at the border shared by both kingdoms had become an eyesore for the forces of Layos. They had plans to kill him before he became a serious threat to them.
It didn't look like these forces had infiltrated the Sansara World to take care of Ken specifically. However, now that they were here, they decided to dispose of him in this world where he was most vulnerable.
Everyone on Roody's team was listening to the duo's conversation. They looked at each other after hearing Ken's determination. Some of them hesitated but there were a few rankers who were very impressed with Ken. They voiced their dissatisfaction right away.
"Ken… you fucking moron, this is no time for your heroic acts. We'll face these bastards together and that'll be the end of it."
"That's right. Fist Saint my ass. Your class is nothing but a show-off, you muscle-headed buffoon. Let these fuckers from Layos come… I'll fucking show you that assassins are more equipped to kill in a frontal confrontation than you."
"Ken…"
Ken laughed cheerfully before speaking up.
"Hahahaha. Thank you for trying to support me, brothers. I know this is no time to play the hero. And I never considered myself to be one. At least not anymore.
A hero is someone who can save the day no matter how many stand against him. A hero is a miracle worker. And no matter how crazy my accomplishments might seem to you, they are certainly not miracles.
I… I now realize that an ideal hero is nothing but a fantasy."
Ken clenched his fists and made a pair of gauntlets appear covering his hands. He clashed his fists against each other before speaking in a confident tone.
"But… It's not like I consider myself to be weak.
We have already lost two members of our team forever. Their lives have been forfeited just because they belong to my team. I don't want any more deaths weighing me down on my conscience.
This is why I'm saying… Use Team Jump to get away from this ambush. Let me handle these pursuers on my own."
***
Roody Jr knew Ken would say something like this ever since the pursuers started attacking his team. It's been more than 14 hours since the first attack on their team took place.
Roody Jr and his team had been battered by their relentless pursuit after that. They were only allowed a small window of respite before the pursuit resumed.
What was more? The enemy had used a special perk from the Sansara World on them which prevented them from entering any of the safe zones on the way. They could see the timer of the special perk acting on them through their spectral screen. It would take another hour for the perk's effects to wear out.
It felt like the forces of Layos had not only infiltrated the Sansara World but they had also rigged the Sansara interface in some way. This allowed them to use special perks in a limited capacity. They couldn't break the rules of this world but they had a few methods to bend them to their advantage to a certain extent.
