The sun went down over the industrial district of Seoul. Three teenagers walked through a narrow alleyway. They were players. Their nas were Jiro, Hana, and Kael. Jiro was seventeen years old. He carried a heavy iron sword. Hana was sixteen. She held a wooden staff with a small blue crystal. Kael was eighteen. He had a pair of iron knuckles. They had just finished a session in a low-level dungeon. They were talking about the loot they had found.
"We only got three copper ores," Kael said. He looked at his inventory screen. "That ans we wasted five hours for nothing. I want to buy new gear. But I cannot buy anything with three copper ores."
"I agree," Hana said. She tapped her staff against the brick wall. "The dungeon was too easy. As a result, the rewards were small. We should try the Floor 12 outskirts tomorrow. I heard the drops there are better."
Jiro stopped walking. He looked at the end of the alley. A figure stood there. The person was covered from head to toe in white cloth. The cloth was clean. It did not have a single speck of dirt. There were no holes for eyes or a mouth. The figure did not move. It did not breathe loudly.
"Who is that?" Jiro asked. He gripped the handle of his sword.
The White Figure did not answer. It stepped forward. Its feet made no sound on the pavent.
"Hey! We are talking to you," Kael shouted. He raised his fists. "This is our territory. We’re already in a bad mood, so don’t make it worse. Move out of the way or we will make you."
The White Figure tilted its head. Then it moved. It did not run. It blurred. It moved across the ten-ter gap in less than a second.
"So fast!" Jiro thought. In response, he tried to swing his sword. He swung it in a wide arc.
The White Figure leaned back. The sword passed through the air. The White Figure reached out with a hand. The hand was also covered in a white glove. It grabbed Jiro’s wrist. It squeezed.
Crack.
The bones in Jiro’s wrist broke. He dropped his sword.
"Ah!" Jiro scread. "My hand! He broke my hand!"
Hana raised her staff. "Ice Bolt!" she shouted.
A small shard of ice flew from her crystal. The White Figure caught the ice shard with its free hand. It crushed the ice into powder. Then it kicked Jiro in the chest. Jiro flew backward and hit a trash bin.
"A sharp pain shot through my ribs," Jiro thought as he lay on the ground. "I think they are broken. I cannot breathe well. Because of this, I cannot stand up."
Kael ran forward. He swung a punch at the White Figure’s head. The White Figure caught Kael’s fist. It twisted Kael’s arm. Kael’s shoulder popped out of its socket. Kael fell to his knees.
"Please stop!" Hana cried. She was shaking. "We will give you the copper ores! Just leave us alone!"
The White Figure pulled a long, thin blade from under its white cloak. The blade was silver. It did not reflect the light.
The figure stepped toward Hana. She tried to run. The figure grabbed her hair. It pulled her head back. It moved the blade across her throat. Blood sprayed onto the white cloth. The figure did not care.
Kael tried to crawl away. "I have to get out of here," he thought. "I tried to move my legs, but they are too heavy. At this rate, I am going to die."
The White Figure walked over to Kael. It drove the blade through Kael’s back. The blade ca out of his chest. Kael coughed blood. His eyes went dull.
Finally, the figure walked to Jiro. Jiro was still gasping for air. He looked up at the white face of the killer.
"Why?" Jiro whispered.
The White Figure did not speak. It swung the blade. Jiro’s head fell onto the pavent.
The alley beca silent again. The White Figure put its blade away. It reached into its cloak and pulled out three long red ribbons. It picked up the heads of the three teenagers. It used the ribbons to wrap the necks of the heads. It tied neat bows at the top. It lined the heads up against the wall. Then it walked away. It vanished into the darkness.
The Scene of the Cri
Two hours later, blue and red lights filled the alleyway. The police had arrived. Detective Park stood over the bodies. He looked at the heads against the wall. He saw the red ribbons.
"This is the fourth ti this month," Detective Park said. He wrote in his notebook. "Three victims. All players. All under the age of twenty. The killer uses a sharp blade. The cuts are clean. This suggests the killer has high strength and agility stats."
A forensic officer took photos. "Look at the ribbons, Detective. They are tied perfectly. This killer is not in a rush. That suggests the killer enjoys the process. This is a ssage."
"I know," Park said. "This has caused a lot of fear in the community. If we do not catch this person, the parents will stop letting their kids enter the Tower. The economy will suffer. For that reason, we have to find this White Killer."
The bodies were placed in black bags. The heads were placed in separate containers. The police taped off the alley. But it was too late. A bystander had already taken a photo from a nearby window. The image was uploaded to the internet soon after.
The news spread through the player community in minutes. The forums were full of posts.
---
[Platform: Bnet]
Thread: [URGENT] The White Killer strikes again in the Industrial District
Poster: NewsBot99
> Three teenagers were found dead tonight. They were beheaded. The killer left red ribbons on their heads. This is the sa pattern as the murders on Floor 3 last week.
[Comnts]
@Player_X:
> This is terrifying. I was just in that district yesterday. I am eighteen years old. I fit the target. For that reason, I am staying inside my apartnt. I will not go out to hunt for a week.
@BladeMaster:
> The police are useless. They say they have high stats, but they cannot catch one guy in a white suit? This has made lose faith in the Association. We should form a vigilante group. If we find this guy, we should do the sa to him.
@TruthSeeker:
> Look at the ribbons. It is a ritual. This is not just a random Player Killer (PK). This is soone following a code. Maybe they think they are cleaning the Tower of "trash" players. Those kids only had copper ores. They were weak.
@AngryMama:
> My son is a player. I am crying right now. This made tell him he cannot go to the dungeon tomorrow. As a result, he is mad at , but I do not care. I want him to stay alive. This world is becoming a nightmare.
@Troll_King:
> LOL. They probably deserved it. Why were they in a dark alley at night? That’s how they ended up getting cornered. If you are weak, stay in the safe zones. Don’t go crying to the police when a high-ranker decides to play with you.
@JusticeForAll:
> @Troll_King You are disgusting. They were kids. This has destroyed their families. I hope the White Killer finds you next. Let’s see if you are still laughing then.
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[Platform: Chirp
Trending: #WhiteKiller #SeoulPlayers #RedRibbons
@HunterNews:
> Report: The White Killer has now claid 12 victims in total. All are low-level players. The Association has raised the danger level for the Industrial District to ’Level 4’. Avoid the area after dark.
@KimchiWarrior:
> I saw a person in white near the Floor 5 gate today. I thought it was a priest. Now I am shaking. I had to run to the nearest guard. Because of this, the guard laughed at . They are not taking this seriously!
@Slayer_Pro:
> The way the heads were wrapped... that takes ti. The killer stayed at the scene for at least ten minutes after the murder. The police arrived two hours later. This gave the killer plenty of ti to escape. We are dealing with a professional.
---
[Platform: Player-Nexus (Professional Forum)]
Topic: Analysis of the White Killer’s Stats
Poster: Analyst_Jin
> Based on the photos of the cri scene, the cuts on the necks were made with a single swing. This allows for a calculation of the required Strength stat. The killer must have at least 150 points in Strength. The victims were moved and posed. This shows the killer was not tired after the fight. I judge this person to be at least Level 60. As a result, normal police officers cannot stop him. We need a specialized team of Rankers to handle this.
@User_A:
> I agree. But why target teenagers? If he is Level 60, he should be on the higher floors. This leads to a theory that the killer is soone who failed to climb higher. He is taking his anger out on the new generation. He wants to feel poweviewer
@User_B:
> Or it is a sponsorship quest. So evil constellations give rewards for PK actions. Maybe the red ribbon is a requirent for the quest. That makes think about the "God of Gifting" or sothing similar. It is a twisted ga for the viewers.
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