Four players surrounded Arsen, each of them with the same thought: take everything he had especially the blade he wielded. It was unlike anything they had seen before, and in their minds, that meant it had to be valuable.
Despite being outnumbered, Arsen showed no sign of fear or retreat. He stood firm, his grip steady. One thing was certain: no matter what happened, he would fight back.
The man wielding an axe furrowed his brow, clearly displeased by Arsen's words. "You've got some guts, huh?"
With that, all four of them shifted into fighting stances, ready to strike.
Arsen knew full well that, while these players were still only level one, their experience percentages told a different story. The gap between them was wide, too wide. And that could only mean one thing: his strength was inferior.
Suddenly, a burst of red-orange light flared in Arsen's eyes—the mage among the adventurers had just cast her Fireball skill. The blazing orb, about the size of a tennis ball, shot toward him with deadly intent.
Bam!
Despite its small size, the fireball exploded with enough force to obliterate a nearby tree. Luckily, thanks to Arsen's speed, none of the magical attacks had managed to land a hit.
Swoosh!
In a flash, Arsen activated his Dash skill, widening the gap between himself and the group. He knew that engaging them in close combat would be suicidal. Maintaining distance was the smarter move. After all, as an assassin, striking from the shadows was his true specialty.
Parry!
Arsen was forced to activate his defensive skill as the swordsman swung his blade at him. Though he managed to block the strike, the sheer difference in strength drove him back two steps.
He stared at his opponent with a cold, unreadable expression, his eyes quickly scanning the area.
I'm at a disadvantage.
Originally, his plan was to complete the quest by eliminating the monsters one by one, silently and without being noticed. But the sudden appearance of these players had thrown everything off course.
Boom!
Suddenly, the party leader lunged forward and brought his massive axe crashing down onto the ground. The impact shook the earth, sending Arsen flying several meters backward.
"You've got some nerve acting tough with strength like that," the man growled. "You're all offense, no defense. Hand over the blade, and everything else you've got, and I'll let you walk away."
Arsen rose to his feet, his expression unchanged—cold, composed.
"Come take it," he said flatly.
In the next breath, he dashed toward the monster's location. A new plan was forming in his mind: he'd use the players as tools to complete the quest, and as a perfect distraction.
Soon, Arsen reached the location. But the other players weren't so clueless they quickly realized what he was trying to pull.
"Did you really think a cheap trick like that would work on us?" the party leader scoffed, then swung his axe at the monster.
Perfect Strike!
Suddenly, his axe glowed with a yellow light, sharpening the blade's edge. As soon as his weapon touched its target, sound of ripping flesh and cracking bones went to their ears.
Boom!
A small explosion erupted, and cracks spidered across the ground. A malicious smile curled on his lips as he reveled in the feeling of domination over the battle. Around him, his party members were still engaged with the remaining monsters. But unlike him, they couldn't take down their foes in a single strike.
"Take down all the monsters and gather their cores afterward!" he commanded. His party members nodded in agreement. He then glanced back to the spot where Arsen had been. "Where is he?"
Several minutes had passed, and seven boars lay slain on the ground—victims of the players' efforts. In exchange, they were exhausted and still hadn't located their target.
"Let's finish off these monsters. Once we're done, we'll hunt that bastard," the leader growled, clearly furious. Arsen had forced them into a tight spot.
It was true that the four of them were far stronger than Arsen, but the key issue was that they were still in the early stages of the game. They couldn't unleash their most powerful skills without draining their energy.
Soon, the four of them resumed attacking the boars, only stopping when a magical boar entered the fray.
Standing at five feet tall with a bulky frame, the creature's sheer power was enough to demolish a thirty-story building with a single charge. The party, however, was unaware that this magical boar was no ordinary foe.
"Get its attention!" the leader commanded.
The tank immediately rushed forward, drawing the boar's aggro onto himself. With this tactic in play, his comrades could now attack freely from the sides.
Shield!
To withstand the monster's aggression, the tank activated one of his skills. Instantly, his body was enveloped in a blue light. "Leave the defense to me," he said, his voice steady. "I'll do my best to keep the monster from reaching you."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rocked the battlefield as the party unleashed their skills, each attack aimed at the monstrous foe. Somehow, they managed to land a blow, and the monster let out a deep, painful groan.
Magical Boar HP 82%
Thanks to their tank, landing a hit on the monster would have been impossible without taking damage. But he wasn't invincible. The constant movement was beginning to wear him down.
"The monster's health is still at 82%. We're still far from killing it," he muttered, sipping his Energy Drink. But the problem was that his fatigue wasn't recovering quickly enough, especially while he kept moving.
His movements grew stiffer, and he began to lag in blocking the monster's attacks. While it didn't harm his comrades, it was starting to disrupt their coordination.
"What are you doing? Blocking the monster's attacks is your only job, and yet you can't even do that properly!" the leader snapped, frustration evident in his voice.
"Sorry, Leader. But this monster is too tough and relentless. One hit destroyed my barrier," the tank responded, his voice strained.
"F*ck! Just do your job, or this will be your last time in this party!" the leader barked.
After thirty minutes of continuous battle, the monster's health had dropped to 40%, but the four adventurers were near exhaustion. Of course, the idea of retreating crossed their minds, but they quickly dismissed it. Why? Because they had already made significant progress, and this magical boar wasn't just any monster. They were convinced the rewards would be well worth the effort once it was slain.
"Just keep doing what we're doing, and victory will be ours," the leader said, his voice firm.
The battle raged on, the monster absorbing countless attacks from all sides—left, right, and above. As the monster's health dropped to 30%, the group took a few steps back, sensing that the creature was about to enter its berserk state.
"Be careful!" the leader warned. "When monsters enter berserk mode, their offensive power increases, but their defense drops. We just need to dodge their attacks and counter when we can."
Everyone nodded, understanding the simple but crucial strategy. They turned their attention back to the monster, now enveloped in a glowing magical aura. It was only a matter of time before it launched its next attack.
"I'm totally beat… my legs are shaking," the tank muttered to himself, struggling to regain his strength.
"But you're also a problem…"
Suddenly, the tank's head snapped left and right, trying to pinpoint where the voice had come from.
"Show yourself—"
The tank was not able to complete his words as his cheek was stabbed and penetrated to the other side. Tears welled up in his eyes mixing to the blood.
The players believed Arsen had left the area. The moment they lowered their guards, he reappeared, creating a significant problem for them. It was especially devastating, as the tank was the key to keeping them in the fight.
Arsen knew all too well that if the tank were in good condition, landing any damage would have been impossible.
"You!!!"
"Kill him!"
Bang!
Arsen left the battlefield once more, looking at the monster who charged at the tank like a bullet.
Splash!
Despite his high vitality and armor, the tank turned into minced meat, his blood splashed overall the place.
"No! No! No! We should kill him! We will hunt him no matter what!" Leader angrily said releasing his killing intent.
"If that's the case, then I will hunt you first."
Swish!
Splash!