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They were a veteran group of players who had previously dedicated their time to a classic full-dive VRMMOFPS.

Eventually, the company behind that game announced its impending shutdown, prompting the group to come together and decide on their next venture. By pure coincidence, Destiny Unchain Online announced an expansion of their server capacity at the same time.

A fully skill-based game.
PK allowed, PvP encouraged.

The entire group was drawn in by those enticing descriptions. It didn’t take long for them to make a decision. And then…

“Why don’t we try being the bad guys for once?”

Their clan leader’s suggestion came out of nowhere. The sentiment resonated with everyone. After spending so much time adhering to the rules and maintaining good sportsmanship, they were tired of always playing the hero.

Besides, their experience had taught them that being kind and having good manners often left them at a disadvantage.

The idea quickly gained momentum, and the entire group made up their minds.

Eventually, they even set a goal: to become a terrifying guild, led by a true Demon Lord.

As soon as they joined Destiny Unchain Online, they methodically gathered all the gear they needed, chasing down rare guns and refining their Skills.

Then the event arrived—one where PK was enabled.

This was their perfect opportunity to become the fearsome entity they aimed to be, a guild truly worthy of the “Demon Lord” title.

“…What’s that?”

One of my partners asked, pointing down the street.

We’re part of Platoon Alpha, and I’m the leader, responsible for sniping support for our guild, Twilight Jaeger. Our plan is to become notorious as a PK guild.

Curious, I turned to look where he was pointing.

A girl with pure white skin, wearing a black bikini that somehow managed to be both cute and sexy, had just turned the corner, surrounded by a small group of players.

“Ohh, it’s an egirl. I’ve never seen one of those before.”
“I mean, there were basically no cute girls in the game we played before.”

The only “girls” in that game were more like female gorillas—tough and rugged. But they had to be, or no one would take them seriously.

“Oh well, she’ll be our main target for the day. She seems pretty popular, so it’s perfect to get our name out.”
“…Alright, sounds good enough. Let’s move into position.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. But, did you see that elf chick with the huge rack? She’s more my type.”
“Ah… I think I’d rather go for the one next to her, with the long green hair.”

We bantered casually as we headed back to the sniping spot we’d found earlier.

◇◇◇

That was supposed to be our first major move as Twilight Jaeger—to establish ourselves.

But we made plenty of mistakes.

First, we missed our main target—the girl with white skin. It was probably just bad luck, but it still stung, especially since I’d always prided myself on my sniping accuracy.

Second, we hadn’t anticipated the presence of a skilled enemy sniper, making it far trickier for us to reposition.

Still, we managed to catch plenty of other players, their screams echoing through the submerged city.

Then, out of nowhere, someone stepped out from behind a corner—a white silhouette… It was the girl everyone had been talking about earlier, the one we’d marked as our primary target.

I’ve always despised players like that, ones who play just to attract attention—egirls, as we call them.

They’re rarely good at the game, relying on compliments and empty flattery to get others to do the hard work for them. They put in minimal effort but always demand the most.

Feeling a surge of frustration, I lined up my sights on her… and then something felt off.

I’d assumed she’d walked out because she couldn’t handle the pressure, but she was way too calm for that.

“Heh, at least in fantasy worlds, you get to shoot something way better than gorillas!”
“Wait, something’s not right…”

To be honest, I understood his feelings.

Simply put, the game we used to play was a Western title that only focused on making player avatars look “strong” regardless of gender. I get why my partner got sick of that aesthetic.

But DUO had been developed locally, and there were plenty of beautiful and cute female avatars, especially the one we were targeting now.

Though, personally, I’m not as excited about shooting cute girls as my partner seems to be…

Let’s just leave it at that.

My partner was clearly excited about his prey, licking his lips as he pulled the trigger without hesitation. He fired before I could stop him. What happened next made me doubt my own eyes.

The girl raised her hand, and there was a flash. That was all that happened after he fired. There was no blood, no death visual effects—she just stood there, completely unscathed.

“…Huh? Wait, I swear I didn’t miss that shot, did I?”

My partner was just as confused. He forgot to change positions and fired again, then a third time out of desperation. Each time, the result was the same. The girl moved her hand rapidly, and this time I saw the bullets, sliced clean by her nails, rolling on the floor behind her.

“What…the hell?!”
“She cut them…with her bare hands?!”

We muttered in disbelief. The pale-skinned girl, standing out starkly in the dark, submerged city, turned her crimson eyes toward us. Her lips parted into a grin, revealing small fangs.

“There you are.”

I couldn’t hear her, but that’s probably what she said. Her smile widened, and before I knew it, both my partner and I were running for our lives, retreating instinctively.

“Wh-Wh-What the hell is wrong with that girl?!”
“Delta, this is Alpha. Our position’s been compromised, we’re pulling—”

I couldn’t finish.

“Ghahh?!”

I heard my partner groan in confusion. Turning my head, I saw a black dagger protruding from his chest—and the girl from earlier standing right there. My mind raced to catch up with the situation.

“You…?!”

I threw my sniper rifle at her—it would just slow me down now—and unsheathed my machete as I kept running.

“Ah, I realize it’s a bit late, but I must warn thee, Player Killers. Wilt thou lend an ear?” she called, her voice unnervingly calm as she chased me, using old-fashioned words for some reason.

I had no idea what she was going to say, but I had no choice but to listen.

“We are currently live streaming this. It is not our desire to mar thy reputation or appearance; we shall do our utmost to keep everything out of frame. However, we will oblige any request to temporarily cut the stream as well.”

She grinned after saying that.

Basically, she was offering to tear us apart off-camera as a mercy.

“Screw that, do whatever you want, you *****!!”
“Oh? Well then, I won’t hold back either.”

She sounded almost surprised by my response. I could feel her gaining on me, but I had managed to lure her to the spot I wanted. My comrades were stationed just ahead, waiting in case of an emergency. The moment I reached them, they would turn her into Swiss cheese.

I couldn’t see them, so at least they were hiding well. I’d managed to lure her all the way here, and now I just had to contact my comrades to finish the job. Still… she might look cute, but she’s a monster on the inside. Knowing this, I definitely preferred the “gorillas” we used to face—at least they were human.

These thoughts swirled in my head as I called for backup.

“Delta, this is Alpha. Things went south. Let’s regroup with the main forces… Delta, are you there?”

Hiee, who’s this kid? What’s wrong with her?!
Damn it, another casualty! How is she in so many places at once?!

The only response I received were the agonizing cries of my comrades and the sounds of battle. A cold chill crept down my spine as I listened.

“Ughraaaaaaaa! This is Delta. Are you alive, Alpha?! We need assistance! The butterflies…the butterflies are…ghah?!”
“Ohoh, were you talking with someone?”
“…Eek?!”

After the dying cry of Delta’s leader, I heard a cutesy voice. That only made everything worse. Fear gripped my heart, and I let out a terrified whimper.

It seemed we had poked a sleeping bear. We realized too late how badly we had underestimated this world—and we were about to pay the price.