Chương 4: Willowed Forest
As soon as the system alert went off Mick, Ryder, and Tina all looked at each other as though they understood. A condescending smirk appeared on all their faces. Now that they were no longer in the safe zone, this Combat Master noob only had one of two choices: obey or die.
Though they understood the situation very well. If they were to cause a commotion near the beginning of the forest there was still a small chance he could escape. But more importantly, it might draw the attention of others. If some of the bigger guilds got involved after figuring out this noob had a rare weapon, it could turn really ugly and they would have no place to even comment.
While rare weapons are not the strongest of weapons, having one this early could give top players a huge advantage over others. They would be able to clear monsters and level up faster and get first clears for dungeons and bosses! Imagine the potential of a rare weapon at this stage of the game, it was almost cheating! One had to know that even Uncommon weapons were extremely hard to find at these stages.
Weapons and armor pieces alike in this game had seven total ranks: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Unique and Divine. So people would go insane if they found out a noob was carrying such a precious treasure!
In fact, that noob could even offer it up to the big guilds and make a fortune while getting revenge on them for trying to attack him! This thought sent small shivers down Mick's spine, but he still remained calm. The plan was simple, lure him deep into the forest and then when his guard is down, that's when they would make their move!
Izroth shook his head within his mind, these guys were amateurs at best. They did not even know how to hide their intentions and believed him to be just another gullible noob, while it's true that Izroth has never played a video game before, he absorbed the soul of a hardcore gamer and had thousands of years of actual combat experience! If he was to claim to be the second best fighter in this realm with its lack of spiritual essence, then no one would dare claim to be first!
Not too long after entering into the forest, some bushes around 5 meters ahead of the group shook. Immediately Mick had a serious look on his face and became alert, slowly taking out his sword and shield while taking his position at the very front of the group as a tank.
A deep squealing sound came from within the bushes as something rushed out at a fast speed towards the group!
"Squeeeeeeal! Grrr...!"
"It's a boar! Not just a beast though, it's a monster demonic boar!" Mick was a bit shocked to run into such an aggressive monster so soon. But he still gritted his teeth and held his ground firmly against the demonic boar's sudden charge!
Izroth silently observed the boar from behind, he looked unsurprised and quite calm while watching the three in front of him scramble into position. They did not even try communicating with him because they figured he would be useless and in the way regardless. After all, he was just a Combat Master who probably did not even have any useful skills.
Name: Demonic Boar
Level: 5
HP: 500/500
ATK: 100
DEF: 15
AGI: 30
Skills:
Charge(Active): Charges at a high speed towards their target dealing 200% of its attack as damage. If the target is successfully hit, they are stunned for 2 seconds.
Mick could not manage to get his shield up in time, the charge was just too abrupt! Suddenly he was knocked back some and became unable to move before a chunk of his HP dropped!
-188 HP!
262/450 HP Remaining! (Mick)
"Quick use Cure!" Mick said in a state of panic, he had lost a lot of his HP from just that surprise attack alone! The boar had a really high attack for its level and he did not even get a chance to block!
Tina quickly nodded her head, "Cure!" a pale green light surrounded Mick's body, he felt a feeling of warmth overcome him.
Skill Name: Cure
Skill Level: 1/3
Skill Rank: E
Mana Cost: 40
Cast Time: 1 second
Active: Heals an ally target for 50% of the user 'Healing Factor'.
Cooldown: 1 second
'Healing Factor' was a special stat that only healers possessed. It was determined based on their magic stat.
+50 HP!
312/450 HP Remaining! (Mick)
Mick still had 1 second before he could move again, but just when he was about to get out of his stunned state, the demonic boar rammed its tusk right into Mick's gut!
-88 HP!
224/450 HP Remaining! (Mick)
Mick honestly felt like crying at this point, a stupid demonic boar gave him so much trouble all because he was too excited about getting a new piece of rare equipment and let his guard down!
The stun was finally lifted and in a fit of rage, Mick swung his sword towards the boar hitting up against its side!
-30 HP!
470/500 HP Remaining! (Demonic Boar)
Ryder did not let this chance slip away, he was waiting for the right opportunity to strike the boar, hitting it from behind with his dagger using the 'Backstab' ability of rogues! Ding!
Skill Name: Backstab
Skill Level: 2/5
Skill Rank: D
Active: Deals 120% of the user attack as damage. Has a great chance to Critical Hit if the opponent is caught off guard. Requires being behind the target to use.
Description: A deadly technique that strikes with precision from behind a target, many have fallen under its edge.
Critical Hit! 'Backstab' effect activated!
-70 HP!
400/500 HP Remaining! (Demonic Boar)
As soon as his attack struck, Ryder quickly retreated to the side and did not follow up with another attack. Ultimately, Mick still did not have full aggro control over the demonic boar. This meant that if he accidentally did too much damage it would turn its attention onto him. While he was somewhat confident in his ability to dodge, that demonic boar could almost one shot him if it used that Charge ability!
Izroth was just observing the battle quietly from the back with his arms folded. He was just about to draw his weapon to step out and help when suddenly, Tina was backing up trying to gain some distance to be in a safe area to heal from bumped into him.
She glared coldly at Izroth before losing her composure for a moment and shouting at him, "If you are not going to be useful, then at least do not get in the way noob!" she was furious at the fact they ran into one of the more troublesome demonic monsters in this area so when she found a source to redirect her anger, she let loose.
Izroth was a bit shocked, he was just getting ready to lend a helping hand but before he could even draw his weapon he was already told that he was in the way! Izroth slightly nodded before stepping to the side and calmly watching the battle!
...
Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated 'Demonic Boar'!
Ding! You have been awarded 150 Experience!
You have leveled up to level 3!
You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up!
Loot Drop:
-80 bronze coins
-4 Demonic Boar Hide
After a few minutes, they finally managed to defeat the demonic boar without Izroth lifting a single finger. This made the other three furious! Mick had almost died a few times and even had to use a precious HP potion just to stay alive! It cost him 1 silver to buy it! What a waste! But, at least with the drops they got, they would be able to regain some loses and even make a bit of a profit.
Mick grit his teeth as he spoke to Izroth, "You, why did you not help out?!" Mick had a grim face as he glared towards Izroth.
Ryder and Tina's eyes fell upon him too, they both had an equally grim face.
Izroth blinked a few times confused, was not it the Cleric that said to not get in the way? Did not they say that he was a noob and not useful? Yet now they were asking why he failed to step in and help them? Izroth's heart grew cold as he looked at the three of them. Their looks of disdain and contempt from before he could ignore, but now they were also trying to pressure him and make him feel guilty?
Who was he? He was Izroth! The greatest cultivator in the seven realms! While he was humble by nature, he would not constantly allow himself to be looked down upon!
"Wasn't it that Cleric that said not to get in the way since I was not useful? Why should I help out if you think that I will just be in the way" Izroth said coldly glaring at Tina.
"Y-You...!" Tina looked absolutely livid. This noob had the nerve to try and point a finger at her! She as just was about to snap at Izroth when a voice sounded next to her.
"Enough!" it was Mick who spoke and Tina did not continue on further. Even though she was fuming at the moment, she knew that they had something valuable at stake here and so calmed down.
"It was just a misunderstanding. We were all just a bit worked up because of the battle is all. Right?" Tina and Ryder looked at each other before lightly nodding. Mick had a seemingly friendly smile on his face, but his eyes looked cold and ruthless. His words sounded like they contained not a hint of truth to it.
"Come, let's continue on further into the forest. Who knows? We may find ourselves some valuable treasure there." Mick then started to divide the loot into three parts to split between himself, Tina and Ryder. While the demonic boar was not a boss monster, it was one of the stronger monsters in this area so it dropped pretty decent stuff.
"Hold on a second, we have to divide everything evenly, that's what we agreed on after all." a sudden voice sounded out from behind Mick, it was Izroth who spoke.
Mick, Ryder, and Tina all pulled a long face as they were trying their best to hold themselves back. First, he does not lift a finger to help them and now he's asking to be rewarded for standing there?! Screw him! Screw his entire family! So many vicious thoughts were going through their minds at that moment, it was almost impossible to control them.
Mick gnashed his teeth as he spoke withholding his anger, "Friend, do you really think it's fair to divide the loot with you when you did not contribute anything at all?" he was trying to intimidate Izroth.
Izroth shook his head, "We had a deal when I first joined and you told me that we would split the loot equally. You gave me your word so you must honor it." Izroth stood his ground firmly not intimidated at all.
"You...! Do you think that-!" as Tina was getting ready to snap, Mick held his hand up and she instantly stopped talking. She could tell that Mick was beyond infuriated by this point. Ryder also coldly stared at Izroth with killing intent, one could tell that he wanted to just rush over there and attack, but he knew that without Mick giving the orders it could ruin everything.
"He's right, I should honor my word. Down to the last detail" Mick suddenly looked calm, but it was a type of calm that hid an endless amount of anger. In his book, even if he got his hands on Izroth's weapon without any trouble. He was still going to make sure that Izroth would suffer for him having to swallow this humiliation.
Mick then divided the loot into four equal parts between all of them. Even though Ryder and Tina were visibly upset, there was a smile on Izroth's face as he nodded in thanks towards Mick. This made them almost want to cough up blood from anger!
Ding! You have gained 20 bronze coins!
Ding! You have gained x1 'Demonic Boar Hide'! It has been added to your inventory.
"Come, let's continue further into the forest to find some real treasure and experience" Mick, Ryder, and Tina all began to move deeper into the forest as Izroth followed behind them.
A slightly amused smile appeared on Izroth's lips, "You think you can bully me and not pay the consequences? Hmph, just wait and see your fate in the end" a cold look invaded Izroth's eyes. He had no feelings of the slightest remorse for those who would bully him, these people sooner or later would fall under his sword.
...
"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!" a loud howl shook the surroundings of the middle area of the forest!
"T-This boss is so strong, what is it doing here in this forest?!" said one of the party members in a panic. They had run across this boss by chance and thought it was the perfect opportunity to get some loot. But they knew they could not do it alone and so decided to team up with another party nearby. Even though they had 10 people, they could not defeat this monster!
"Gah!!!" a male warrior was swiped back with the claw of a giant demonic wolf instantly dying. It was about the size of a school bus on earth, it had silky black fur, ferocious red eyes gleaming with killing intent, razor-sharp teeth and claws. Its movements were almost like a blur.
4 people already died under this ferocious demonic wolf attacks. They did not even have time to properly respond or react!
"Regroup! As long as we stick together we can-!"
ZOOOOM! CRRRRRNCH!
The person who was talking looked dumbfounded, as they felt their entire body floating in midair. They had died. The remaining party members could not help being overcome with a sense of dread. All of them would probably die to this monstrous demonic beast.
...
Izroth and the others heard a loud howling sound out of nowhere that shocked them. That was the howl of a strong demonic monster! Judging by how noisy it was, it sounded like people were fighting against it!
Mick looked at Ryder and Tina as he nodded, "Let's go take a look, even if we can't get anything from it, it's still good to watch these kinds of battles. Who knows? We may even gain some benefits and be able to get a piece of the loot" Mick wasn't too optimistic about it, but it was not too far away from their current location and it would not hurt to look.
Izroth frowned slightly while still remaining towards the back of the group. His hearing was quite acute thanks to the 'Heavenly Golden Body' physique and the game allowing real-life advantages, of course, this was one of them! He could hear from the movement that at least 6... No, now 5 other people were fighting against something quite large and from the sound of things it seemed as though they were in a state of panic.
"Going there could be deadly so I must be careful, I've only recently reached level 3. I do not know how strong that huge monster is, but it definitely isn't weak. Well, if things get too bad, I can always use 'Flickering Steps' to make my escape" Izroth thought to himself as he followed the three of them towards the direction of the fighting sounds.
When they got there, they hid carefully within the trees making sure to not be seen, but what they saw shocked them greatly!
"T-this... This is an absolute massacre...!" Mick mumbled to himself.
Izroth eyes narrowed as he stared at the scene before him. While sweeping his eyes over the scene, something suddenly caught his attention.
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