Hayato logged into the game, immediately greeted by the message:

  "Hunter's Mark renewed."

  The mark was now green, indicating its continued presence.

  Of course they'd have more hunters in their guild to renew the mark, Hayato thought bitterly as he scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, he spotted someone from the Outlaws guild, likely stationed there to see if he would log in.

  Deciding to make a run for it, Hayato dashed out of the city, but the Outlaws member quickly pursued him, alerting the rest of the guild. The Outlaws had organized shifts to hunt Hayato 24/7, ensuring that at any given time, a group of 3 to 5 members—always including at least one player level 35 or higher—would be after him. This made leveling up nearly impossible. No matter the time of day or the map he tried, the relentless pursuit continued.

  Days passed, and the mark had turned red, signifying it had been maintained for a week or more. In all that time, Hayato had only managed to gain two levels, now sitting at level 14. Normally, he could have reached level 20 in two days with his level of dedication. The constant pressure had worn him down.

  One day, a message arrived in his in-game mailbox:

  "Hope you're enjoying the hunt. Just know it won’t stop. The more you run, the more I’ll take from you, hahaha. But I must admit, I admire your tenacity. Not just anyone could last this long without begging for mercy. You’ve got game sense and motivation… So, because I’m such a generous guy, I’m offering you a sweet deal. Leave that trash guild and join us, and I’ll forgive the debt you owe me. With your skills, after leveling up a bit, you could make it into our main PK team."

  The message was signed by KidFury.

  Hayato stared at the message for two seconds before quickly typing a response:

  "Fuck you!"

  He sent the message along with an emoji of a middle finger.

  When KidFury opened the message, he smiled, expecting that Hayato had finally given in. But as he read the reply, veins bulged in his forehead, and he clenched his fists in anger.

  He quickly sent another message:

  "Go ask your trash guild to protect you then!! Because I’m not stopping, and you’ll never level up in this game again—not even if you beg!"

  Hayato sent back a simple "ok" emoji, infuriating KidFury even more.

  I think I managed to piss him off. This is exhausting, but I refuse to bow down to someone like him, Hayato thought. Maybe I should head to the desert. It's a wide-open map, easy to escape.

  Meanwhile, Chisa noticed Hayato standing in the city and was puzzled by his lack of progress. Even she had leveled up more during this time, and she had been messaging him whenever she saw him online. He replied out of politeness, but Chisa assumed he had made a lot of new friends and was drifting away from her. Still, she was determined to reach out.

  It doesn’t matter how many new friends he’s made; I’m still in his guild. I’ll ask him to level up with me, Chisa thought, walking confidently toward Hayato.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  As she approached him, she seemed almost like she was about to confess her feelings, leaving Hayato completely bewildered by the situation. The Outlaws members watched from nearby.

  "Hayato, let’s go level up!" Chisa said brightly.

  WHAT?? Is she an idiot? She must be an idiot! Hayato thought, his mind racing. How can she not see the situation? I can barely protect myself—how am I supposed to protect her too?

  Before Hayato could process everything and respond, one of the Outlaws members approached.

  "Well, well, looks like we’ve got another one to hunt! Hahaha, this is going to be fun," one of them sneered.

  "Huh?" Chisa said, confused.

  "Even though she’s a higher level than him, she seems pretty useless, hahaha," another Outlaws member chimed in.

  Chisa stood frozen, unsure of how to respond.

  There’s no way I’m teaming up with her. My chances are better on my own, Hayato thought quickly.

  "Sorry, I prefer to level up alone," Hayato said flatly.

  As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.

  Damn, I could’ve used her as bait to slow them down, buying myself a few extra seconds. Too late now—I already turned her down.

  Chisa remained silent, looking downcast. Hayato glanced back at her as he left the city, recalling the time she had frozen up before. She looked like she was in a similar state now. He shook his head and headed out to the desert, hoping for a safer leveling spot.

  Meanwhile, KidFury issued a command to his guild:

  "I want everyone online here. Stop all other hunts!"

  The Outlaws members began gathering around their leader.

  Hayato found it strange that he had been leveling for some time without anyone coming after him. Something felt off.

  A short while later, Hayato spotted a group of Outlaws to the west. He began running east, searching for a town or the next map.

  But as he neared each exit, another group would appear, blocking his way. Although he had successfully escaped them for days, this time there were too many. More than he had ever seen before. Even their leader, KidFury, was part of the hunt for the first time.

  There was no way out—he was surrounded.

  The Outlaws kept their distance, not giving him any chance to escape but also not closing in. Every time Hayato tried to break through, their archers and mages would force him back.

  They herded him toward some ruins surrounded by tall dunes, then stopped pursuing, watching from a distance as if waiting for something.

  Unsure of their plan, Hayato decided to wait.

  Soon, a gap opened in the circle of players. KidFury stepped through, approaching Hayato with a smug grin. Hayato stood still, knowing there was no escape this time.

  "I’m not joining your guild," Hayato said defiantly.

  "And who said I’d let you in now? You lost your chance when you rejected my generosity," KidFury replied.

  "Oh yeah? What are you going to do? Kill me? I’ll just respawn and the hunt will start all over again," Hayato retorted.

  KidFury laughed.

  "HAHAHAHAHA!!! I don’t think you understand what’s about to happen. After today, you’re done. You’ll never be able to do anything in this game again."

  KidFury drew his sword and charged at Hayato.

  Hayato reacted out of pure pride, landing a few weak hits—all for just 1 damage each. But in his mind, he was already resigned to dying and respawning back in the city. His pride wouldn’t let him go down without a fight, even if it was pointless.

  KidFury easily cut him down.

  He rallied so many people… There’s no way he can keep this many chasing me… And he’ll get to brag about killing me… Damn it… I hate losing to a swordsman so inferior to me, Hayato thought as he died.

  But when Hayato respawned, he was still in the same place. Before he could react, he was killed again.

  And again.

  Huh? What’s going on? Why am I not respawning in the city?

  He soon realized that the Outlaws had healers reviving him before he could return to the city, allowing KidFury to kill him over and over while laughing maniacally.

  "What happened to all that arrogance, huh? HAHAHA! I love this game," KidFury taunted.

  I get it now. That’s why they stopped hunting me last time when they ran out of healers. This was their plan from the beginning, Hayato realized.

  "And you know the best part? This game doesn’t have forced logouts—except during maintenance. We can stay here all day, and you won’t even be able to log out. Isn’t this game amazing?" KidFury gloated.

  Hayato tried to log out, but there wasn’t enough time. He could only log out after reviving, but each time he was brought back to life, he was killed instantly.