Axton didn't want to believe the thought that crossed his mind.

He shook his head, brushing it off immediately.

It didn't make sense.

He had never heard of a game whose effects could manifest in the real world.

That was impossible or at least, it was supposed to be.

But as he stood before the mirror, staring at his reflection, a sigh escaped him.

"Maybe I'm overthinking things."

Forcing himself to believe it was all just in his imagination, he turned away and walked to his bed.

He grabbed his phone, unlocked it, and quickly opened the forums.

He needed answers.

That strange sensation he felt while logging out… it wasn't normal.

The air, the pressure, the chilling energy… it had been too real.

Too familiar.

It reminded him of the Demonic Spire.

His brows furrowed as he sat on the edge of his bed, scrolling through posts.

He leaned back against the wall, his mind racing.

'Could it really be the same thing? Or am I just being paranoid?'

He narrowed his search to anything connected to novice village #666.

If anyone else had felt what he did, it would have been them.

And sure enough, his suspicion was right.

Only players from his novice village were talking about a strange black fog.

…

[Forum]

YourLordship: I dunno what that black stuff was but it stressed me the hell out. A boar I was fighting suddenly powered up and I had to run for my life.

KillerBee211: I know, right?! Where the hell did that thing even come from?

TheAvatar: I think I'll just log in tomorrow. If I go back in now, I'll probably spawn in the middle of a fight. I literally just died.

YourLordship: You have a point @TheAvatar.

TheAvatar: Unless that Khan guy can save us.

DevilSpawn01: Yeah! He's already level 10 and crazy strong!

ColdEmpress: Don't get your hopes up. He'll hit level 15 soon, and you know what that means. He'll leave the village.

…

Axton couldn't help but chuckle as he read through the chat.

'They're really relying on me, huh?'

They had no idea how serious the situation truly was.

ColdEmpress was right though.

Once he hit level 15, he'd move on to the city.

Without this black fog incident, Axton was confident he could reach that level by the end of the next day.

The thought made him oddly happy.

A few hours ago, he had been so bored that he wandered around aimlessly, looking for monsters to kill.

Leveling up was getting slower and duller.

But now?

He had an entire village filled with demonized beasts waiting for him.

A perfect hunting ground!

******

The next morning, many players hesitated to log in.

Some were too afraid, choosing to wait until things calmed down.

Others, curious or reckless, jumped back in despite the risk.

As for Axton, he didn't hesitate.

The moment his bracelet glowed, his vision blurred, and he found himself standing inside the village once again.

Immediately, he smelled it.

The suffocating stench of demonic mana.

The air was thick with it, and the entire village was shrouded in an eerie black mist.

He slowly looked around, his eyes narrowing.

The streets were chaotic.

Players scrambled in panic.

Guards struggled to fend off waves of monsters that had broken through the village's defenses.

The black fog spread everywhere, twisting even the weakest beasts into terrifying threats.

Axton clenched his fists.

He had known it would be bad, but not this bad.

******

Meanwhile…

Silva was on the move.

After calling for reinforcements, he successfully summoned more members of Grand Nexus from other villages.

Now, with a small army at his back, he marched toward novice village #666 like a tyrant returning to conquer his land.

His lips curled into a cruel grin.

At this moment, Silva felt like an evil overlord.

"Where's Khan?!" he roared, his voice echoing through the village streets. "Bring him to me now!"

The crowd of players turned in shock.

The sheer number of Grand Nexus members behind Silva was enough to send fear through anyone's heart.

No one dared stand in his way.

Confused whispers spread quickly among the players.

"Why would they pick a fight now?"

"Don't they see the monsters?"

"Are they crazy?"

Right now, everyone's priority should have been the demonized creatures tearing the village apart. And yet, Silva was hunting for Axton.

It made no sense.

All around them, players were dying.

Some didn't even survive long enough to fight—the moment they spawned in, demonized monsters consumed them.

Many players shook their heads in disbelief.

"These idiots… instead of joining forces, they're blinded by their egos."

"They've lost their damn minds."

Everyone knew Axton and Grand Nexus had bad blood after the auction, but this wasn't the time for personal vendettas.

They needed every hand on deck!

Yet Silva didn't care.

His bloodlust and obsession for revenge were overwhelming.

"Search every corner!" Silva ordered, his eyes flashing with hatred. "Find that bastard. Khan will not leave this place alive!"

His guild roared in response and spread out, terrorizing anyone who got in their way.

******

On another side of the village, Axton observed the chaos carefully.

He didn't rush into the fight blindly.

Instead, he opened the in-game message feature and sent a quick note to Hart.

…

Khan: Stay alert. The village is overrun. Get Dragon Claw ready. I may need your numbers.

…

Dragon Claw was the only group he had some level of trust in.

If things went south, he could count on them.

He then whispered a skill name.

[Doppelganger]

In an instant, another Axton appeared beside him, cloaked in the King Griffin's mantle.

The two shared a silent nod, as if they could read each other's intentions.

Without wasting time, they split.

One clone rushed toward the densest chaos in the village, fists clenched and ready to blow through monsters.

The other moved toward the village chief's residence.

If there was a quest tied to this black fog, the chief would know.

After all, it was the chief who had once sent him to the Demonic Spire.

*Shing*

The clone darted through the mist, taking down demonized beasts in his path with the Iron Fist skill

Each blow cleared space, scattering bodies and making way forward.

*Thud*

He landed on a rooftop, scanning the battlefield.

But what he saw made his eyes narrow.

Players weren't just fighting monsters.

They were fighting each other.

The air was filled with the clash of steel and skills.

Player vs player combat wasn't normally allowed in the village, but the guards were far too occupied with the invading monsters to enforce order.

Amidst the chaos, some players spotted him.

Their desperate voices carried through the noise.

"Khan! Over here!"

"It's Grand Nexus!"

"They're after you! Be careful!"

The clone's gaze sharpened instantly.

And then he heard it.

A voice of the person who despised him more than any other.

"Khan!!"

Silva's roar echoed as he spotted him from across the battlefield.

Their eyes locked.

Silva's expression twisted with rage.

"Today, you pay for what you did!"

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