I Obtained The Abyssal Harbinger Mythical Class At Level 1

The forest felt different that morning. The once soothing chirps of birds were gone, replaced by an eerie silence that gnawed at Ethan's nerves. He walked cautiously beside Brandon, the two of them combing through the outskirts of Red Leaf Village for more Redleaf Orcs to farm.

"You feel that?" Brandon muttered, gripping his broadsword tightly.

Ethan nodded. His Abyssal Harbinger senses had been on edge since they left the village. Something was watching them.

Suddenly, a rustle in the underbrush snapped their attention forward. Three players emerged, stepping into the clearing with weapons drawn.

"Well, well," the leader of the group sneered. A tall, wiry man with a scar running down his left cheek, he wielded twin daggers that glimmered ominously. "If it isn't the Abyss Dungeon clear champion."

Brandon tensed. "Who the hell are you?"

The leader chuckled. "Names don't matter. What matters is that you're carrying items worth more than any of us could hope to farm in a lifetime. So here's the deal: hand them over, and we might let you walk away alive."

Ethan stepped forward, trying to keep his composure. "Listen, we're all stuck in this hell together. Fighting each other isn't going to help anyone. Let's work together—"

The leader interrupted with a laugh. "Work together? That's rich coming from the guy hogging all the best loot. No, kid, the only way out of this game is through power, and you're just a stepping stone."

The two players behind him, a bulky man with a warhammer and a lithe woman with a bow, shifted into attack stances.

Brandon glanced at Ethan. "This isn't going to end peacefully."

Ethan gritted his teeth. "I was afraid of that."

The leader moved first, his twin daggers gleaming as he dashed toward Ethan with blinding speed.

[Evasive Blink]

Ethan sidestepped just in time, the daggers slicing through the air where he'd been standing.

Brandon charged the warhammer wielder, their weapons clashing with a deafening crash. The archer loosed a volley of arrows toward Ethan, who activated [Abyssal Barrier], a dark shield erupting around him.

[Damage Blocked: 320 HP]

"You're outnumbered and outmatched!" the leader snarled, lunging again.

Ethan countered with [Abyssal Strike], his gauntlets glowing with dark energy as he punched the leader square in the chest.

[Damage Dealt: 650 HP]

[Enemy HP: 1,350 / 2,000]

The leader staggered but quickly recovered. "You're gonna regret that."

Brandon was locked in a brutal duel with the warhammer wielder. The larger man's strikes were slow but powerful, forcing Brandon to stay on the defensive.

"Could use a hand here!" Brandon yelled, narrowly dodging a crushing blow.

Ethan moved to assist, but the archer fired another arrow, this time hitting his shoulder.

[Damage Taken: 400 HP]

[HP: 1,600 / 2,000]

He winced, the pain more real than he was prepared for. This isn't a game anymore. If I hold back, we're dead.

Ethan activated [Abyssal Rupture], dark tendrils erupting from the ground and striking both the leader and the archer.

[Damage Dealt: 800 HP (Leader)]

[Enemy HP: 550 / 2,000]

[Damage Dealt: 1,000 HP (Archer)]

[Enemy HP: 1,000 / 2,000]

The leader fell to his knees, coughing blood. "You bastard…"

"Stay down!" Ethan shouted, his voice trembling.

The archer, however, wasn't done. She fired another arrow, this time aiming for Brandon, who was too focused on the warhammer wielder to see it coming.

Ethan lunged forward, using [Abyssal Blink] to intercept the arrow. It embedded itself in his side, and he cried out in pain.

[Damage Taken: 450 HP]

[HP: 1,150 / 2,000]

Brandon seized the opportunity, delivering a devastating blow to the warhammer wielder's head.

[Critical Hit! Damage Dealt: 1,200 HP]

[Enemy HP: 0 / 2,000]

The man crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The leader tried to crawl away, but Ethan stood over him, gauntlets glowing with ominous energy. "You didn't give us a choice."

The leader looked up, fear finally breaking through his defiant expression. "Wait—"

Ethan didn't wait. He brought his fist down with all his strength.

[Critical Hit! Damage Dealt: 1,500 HP]

[Enemy HP: 0 / 2,000]

The leader's body fell limp, his items scattering around him.

The archer dropped her bow, her hands trembling. "Please… don't kill me. I was just following orders."

Brandon stepped forward, his face pale. "Ethan…"

Ethan hesitated, the weight of what he'd just done hitting him like a tidal wave. "Get out of here. Now."

The archer didn't need to be told twice. She ran, disappearing into the forest.

The clearing was silent except for the sound of Ethan's heavy breathing. He looked down at his bloodstained gauntlets, his hands shaking.

"We just… killed someone," Brandon said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"They gave us no choice," Ethan replied, though the words felt hollow.

Brandon knelt, picking up some of the loot left behind by the leader. "This… this is insane. We're supposed to be fighting monsters, not each other."

Ethan nodded, his jaw tight. "Welcome to The New World. It's kill or be killed now."

As they made their way back to the village, the weight of their actions hung heavy over them. They had crossed a line, one they couldn't step back from.

"This changes everything," Brandon said.

"I know," Ethan replied. "And it's only going to get worse."

He clenched his fists, the dark aura of his class flaring faintly. If he was going to survive this world, he couldn't afford to hesitate again.