Another chapter shall be posted after this one, so if you're occupied, don't worry, give it some time!
This chapter is a bit smaller than most, but the next one is bigger, so yeah, I hope you enjoy it.
Peace!
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/Silence…/
As the dust slowly cleared, the scene of a knight standing in front of the Giant masked monsters was revealed for all payers to see.
/Grr.../
The Karkavan simply stared down at Dale, thinking he was just another 'challenger' like the others...
But against their expectations, the knight did not attack the monster, and instead…
"Who are you?" Dale asked in a low tone
The other players were unable to hear him due to the distance, but they were ready to but in at any minute.
From their perspective, as long as they had a strong NPC to tank the hits then this would be a walk in the park...
It was clear to them that Dale was taking a defensive stance against this creature.
But his reason to do so was completely different from what they thought.
Dale was simply on the defensive because he didn't want to get ambushed by either the guy in front of him or the players.
He had already experienced his fair share of annoyances during these past few days.
As a Hardcore player, he had no room for blunders, a single life meant just that.
He could die if his arteries were cut and he didn't have first aid in time, albeit right now, his body's natural regeneration was strong enough to offset such kinds of injuries.
However, it was better to not get hurt in the first place.
"..."
The warrior lowered his cleaver, resting it on the ground as he dropped his head in the form of a nod.
"... Corps… Warrior… Muddan greets." He said in an odd accent, rough and loud, strong yet... Indecisive?
"?"
At first, Dale was confused, but he knew that silence wasn't the answer, so he quickly thought of something to say.
"Did you come here for me?"
'That would be weird, but deeming what happened recently, it wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary.'
'I wouldn't be surprised if the Demons decided to invade again...'
"..."
Muddan raised his head to think deeply as if trying to make sense of the words he just heard, and trying to find the appropriate ones to use as a reply…
And finally, after a few seconds of thinking, he said:
"Indeed."
"May I ask why?"
'He seems friendly. But if that's the case... How did he start to fight with the players?'
'Did they attack him first?'
'That does seem in line with the average player behavior of attacking any monster... Shooting before asking.'
"!"
Muddan's eyes sparkled. He recognized that word, he was told to pay attention to it… "Why"…
So like reading a script, he mumbled, "*&%&*" but noticing his blunder, he opened his mouth to say:
"I was… Tasked with scouting… &$#^%..."
"Hum… Beyond the agreed borders… In search of the remnants… Of the Great #@$@%... Corps."
Muddan didn't seem dumb, but he was struggling very much in speaking the common tongue.
It would make sense since he's from another species, one that lives in complete seclusion, already being able to speak something cohesive is impressive.
"So you came here to search for the Southern Corps?" Dale asked with a frown
But with his armor, no one could see his face expressions.
Muddan had to once again think for a moment before scratching his head full of thick black hair.
"Muddan was tasked by… By the Jier Xac… Warriors!"
But he didn't stop there, he raised his hands, clenching them in agony.
"%^#%$! Fallen! Equality… Broken!"
"Inability to deal ^%&*... So… Muddan was tasked with… Warriors from beyond the %$%&."
"..."
Muddan stopped talking, waiting for Dale to reply.
'Urg… I understand close to nothing from this…'
'Can't the game do something for me and translate his words? How vexing.'
Dale scratched his head, it seemed things were more complex than he initially imagined.
While he thought, Muddan looked beyond Dale, raising his head and staring at the players in the distance.
His eyes sparkled inside the mask, bloodlust rising as his fists clenched…
"!"
Dale felt the hairs on his body rising…
Amidst this tense atmosphere, Muddan said:
"F-Friend… Allow Muddan to P… Partake in Uoo Fra!"
"Uoo… Fra?" Dale asked, extremely confused
'Perhaps I should've studied a bit of language as well?...'
'There should be...'
/THUD!/
"UOO FRA!" Muddan exclaimed loudly as he smashed his chest with his left hand
/CRACK!/
Muddan jumped into the sky, holding his cleaver as he flew towards the crowd of players in the back, leaving Dale with his mouth open and eyelids twitching…
[DING!]
But while Dale tried to make sense of the situation, the players started despairing…
[Disclaimer, the Unique Event, Ritual Combat has started]
[Karkavan Warrior Muddan has issued a challenge to all players!]
[Until Muddan's defeat, all participants are blocked from leaving the Field, this includes logging off or using other escape items]
[In exchange, the greatest contributors during the fight shall receive additional rewards after Muddan's fall]
[Failing is applied if:
The participant dies
The participant tries to escape]
[In case of failure:
The participant loses 20 Reputation points with the Karkavan
The participant will receive either the Mark of defeat, or the Mark of Cowardice]
[Current Rankings:
1:...
2:...
3:...
…
]
/BOOM!/
Muddan fell like a meteor crashing onto the Earth, he stared at the players in a similar way a child stares at food after starving for a few hours…
It wasn't possible to see it due to his mask, but beneath it, Muddan was smiling widely.
He raised his clever, blocking the sun.
"Mo... Mommy..." The player said as he raised his head to look at the sharp cleaver
"RUOOOO!"
/FWOOSH!/
He swung his great cleaver with a mighty cry, and with it, chaos broke loose!
Screams, wails, cursing, and more escaped the players' mouths as Muddan went on his killing spree.
"..."
'Damn…'
Dale did receive a notification, but his was a tad different from the players…
[Your quest has updated]
[Visitor of the Wooden Heart
Many creatures…
>Requirements:
Meet with this foreign being and understand its motives behind its visit 1/1
Or put a short end to its trespassing 0/1 /Not possible/
Wait for Muddan to partake in his Ritual fight 0/1
*Optional* Challenge Muddan into a Ritual fight and win 0/1
]
After he finished reading it, Dae cracked his neck in annoyance.
"Can't I have a moment to rest…"
'At this point, I'm starting to miss the last two weeks of hard work…'
/BOOM!/
"AHHHHHH!"
Dale looked at the screaming players with some pity, this was a classic display of biting more than they could chew…
They came here thinking they would get some rare items, but instead, they lost theirs...
"Oh my..."
But when he looked at the sparkling items on the ground, his expression turned back to normal, all guilt vanishing, as if water had washed it away...
Their fallen loot would be put to good use…
/Screams…/
And as they fell like flies, Dale did a silent prayer, thanking them for their items.
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Notes