I checked every existing trace at this place.
Needless to say, these guys didn't even bother erasing their tracks, so finding them was ridiculously easy.
"Uhm… Where are we going?" the girl spoke up, sounding a bit worried.
After dying once and respawning, she ended up in debt and had her earned Exp reduced, making leveling up even harder.
Worse yet, the game simulated pain so realistically that it gave her chills.
Surely, this game would be criticized for its violence and the trauma it could cause players.
"…You want to know?"
The deep voice, muffled by a gas mask, made it sound rather intimidating.
He might be just a quest-giving NPC, but does he have to scare players like this??
"Uhm well… The more I know, the easier it'll be to complete the mission, right?" she blurted out.
"You're not wrong. And I have a surprise for you."
That didn't sound good at all…
The two stopped in front of a door, and Ezren turned to look at her.
"…Ready?"
"R-Ready for wha—"
Ezren suddenly kicked the door hard, blasting it open and startling her.
Inside, a few gang members were resting when they suddenly panicked and went on alert.
But before they could draw their weapons, Ezren rushed in, pulled out a Glock, and shot the one in front.
BANG!
The bullet went straight into the guy's head. Ezren grabbed him and used his body as a shield.
Several others fired their guns, but the corpse blocked all the bullets.
BANG! BANG!
Ezren fired two shots—one enemy dropped dead, the other got injured.
He then pulled out a grenade, shoved it into the corpse's mouth, and hurled it toward the remaining group.
Then, he raised his gun, making the whole group panic as they realized his intent.
BANG!
He shot the grenade, which exploded instantly.
People often mistakenly think grenades explode with fire.
But no, they explode by spraying deadly fragments in all directions.
Which meant—the head of the corpse exploded, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere.
The grenade shards tore into those trying to flee.
Some dropped dead, others got hit in the eyes or other parts by flying gore.
Basically, it was the perfect chance for Ezren to massacre.
He pulled out a knife, slit someone's throat, and sprayed the blood toward the others—terrifying them with his grotesque brutality.
"Gahhh!!!" one panicked enemy tried to shoot Ezren.
Ezren stomped forward and kicked the guy's leg hard, making him fall in pain.
He then grabbed the enemy's pistol and didn't hesitate to empty the whole mag.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
In just seconds, the entire group was down, blood flooding the room.
All of this played out right before the female player's eyes.
"T-Too violent…"
She was horrified by the gruesome realism of the blood and flesh.
What scared her most was how grotesquely detailed the fight was.
This NPC showed no hesitation in killing—worse, he was cruel about it.
Is he really supposed to be a good guy???
Then, the NPC turned to her—
And rushed toward her at high speed.
"H-Huh?!!"
She didn't expect the NPC to try to kill her right here??
Like, what did she even do to him??
Terrified, she raised her gun and fired.
BANG!
Ezren easily dodged the bullet and kicked her leg, knocking her down.
dammit!! Dying a second time because of some evil NPC!!!
She closed her eyes, bracing for the worst.
Ezren drew his knife—
And stabbed it straight into someone else's jaw.
"Huh?"
She opened her eyes wide, seeing a big guy getting stabbed in the chin.
Then Ezren kicked the knife, slicing off the guy's nose.
One more kick—he drove the blade deep into the skull, hitting the brain.
Blood splattered onto her face.
The guy collapsed, dropping his hammer.
She gasped, stunned by what just happened.
"Are you stupid?"
The harsh voice rang out—she turned to Ezren.
"Next time, check your surroundings. I can't always be there to save you. Your life is your own responsibility."
She said nothing—just stared.
Everything felt too real—she didn't know how to react.
Sure, she could respawn, but the fear of death wasn't gone. If anything, it just got worse.
She seriously wanted to quit the game now.
Ezren walked over to the only survivor—who was now utterly terrified.
"Now then… I've got a few questions, and I hope you'll answer them."
***
After finishing that guy off, the two of them stood staring at the staircase.
Ezren had intended to head up, but noticing that she wasn't mentally okay, he stopped to give her a moment to rest and collect herself.
They're still not ready, huh? I can understand that.
Ezren thought for a while, then made a decision.
She, still trying to stay calm, was suddenly startled by a system message.
[NPC Ezren is considering letting you leave. You're not required to follow him.
Some rewards will be retained for you.
Do you accept?]
"H-Huh??"
She looked at the system in confusion, then at Ezren, who was staring straight at her.
Ezren knew nothing about the system, nor even what they were.
So the fact that the system revealed his thoughts to the player had nothing to do with him.
"You don't need to follow me anymore. Everything from here on is yours," Ezren said calmly, sounding much gentler than before.
"…Can I ask why not?"
Ezren looked at her.
"You're naïve and still value your life, even though you have the ability to respawn. That makes you useless. And I don't need useless."
A cold line like that…
Too bad the player system wasn't fooled.
[Reason: Ezren doesn't want you to witness things you shouldn't see. He's intentionally acting distant to give you a reason to leave. He actually cares about you.]
Wow. A male tsundere? That's rare.
Hearing that, she was about to press "Accept."
After all, she didn't want to see another hyper-detailed corpse ever again. It was too gross.
But then Ezren added:
"Oh, and one more thing—
Next time, be more careful. Even if you can respawn, from what I've seen, you should value it more.
Or if you're going to die, make it mean something.
Every choice affects your life. As long as you're satisfied with the way you live, that's what matters."
It was a long speech—he clearly hoped it would convince her to leave.
But instead, her resolve began to shift.
…He's right, isn't he? When did I become so weak?
The game warned everyone from the beginning how insanely violent it was. And I still chose to enter.
Choosing to play was my decision. Why regret it now?
If I look at the positives, there are still things worth seeing.
Like this NPC Ezren—he's trying to convince me to drop the mission because he cares.
That's really different from his scary exterior.
So he must have a reason for wiping these guys out, right?
"…Can I ask one more thing?"
"Ask."
"Your target… Who is it?"
Huh? Why's she asking me this?
"My target is Jason Rod. He's got a bounty on him for drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, and a lot more. He's part of this gang."
"So… you're doing all this for the money, right?"
"Of course. Money is why I'm after him."
"Then… do you regret choosing the path of killing?"
Ezren looked into her eyes.
"No regrets."
She stood there quietly for a while.
Then suddenly slapped her own face and looked at him seriously.
"I'm not giving up! I want money! I want weapons! I want to try fighting—and I want a boyfriend!"
"…"
Behind the gas mask, Ezren smiled.
I like her spirit.
Another reason to recruit them as allies.