[2020] PK'ed at level 18 by a high level player - why is this allowed?

Got PK'ed three times while killing undead in Tristezza. I literally had no idea what happened the first couple of times. I was fighting undead one second and dead the next. Figured a mob or two had come up behind me - the level 22/23 mobs can kill my weakling priest in 3 or 4 hits. Moved to a different part and the same thing happened.

Finally saw the high level player that one-shot my priest walking away the third time. It was probably the same person each time, but who knows since the game logs don't show who kills you. How is it ok to force new players into PvP situations where they can be one-shot and griefed by near max level players?

I can understand forced PvP similar to BDO where everyone starts from the same high level and actually has a chance to defend themselves, but throwing low level players into an open PvP zone with no level restrictions serves no purpose other than to suck every drop of fun out of the game for the new player that gets PK'ed without warning. The quest "A Rare Bloom" brought me to the area and I believe it started at level 17.