Chapter 8 : Out of Sight
The forest fell into a stunned silence as Straight's relentless assault temporarily stunned the 3 Horns Bear, freezing it in place. Onlookers marveled at the mesmerizing display of skill and power, their eyes wide with awe. Some whispered amongst themselves, wondering if Straight would take advantage of the moment to face the fearsome beast head-on and claim victory.
-700
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-804
...
Number of attacks kept on appearing above the Bear's head as the attacks from Straight landed on the 3 Horns Bear's body.
There were thousands of players at the moment. Seeing that and with the basic math with the comparison of 300.000 health points with the number of players, it could be seen just how beatable the monster in front of them.
Realizing the situation, gleams appeared inside of their eyes. How could they choose not enjoy the benefit of killing such a boss monster?
Thus, the players decided to attack the 3 Horns Bear too, afraid of getting late to land a hit toward the monster. Without contribution, then the player would not get any rewards after the monster got killed. Such a big pie laid in front of him, how could they not be interested in getting a piece out of it?
-10
-7
-30
-2
-70
+3
...
Looking at the damage done by them, they realized that they were thinking too positively. The hope of defeating such formidable boss monster started to fade. They realized once again that they compared their damages to an expert player, Straight himself. What kind of a joke is that?
Speaking of a joke, who is that bastard that even healed the monster instead of dealing damage?
Noob ass f*****!
Don't let me know who it is!
Still, even though their hoped started to diminish, they realized that the hope was never zero. They got an expert to lead them, they could just mooch off him and got the reward from the shadow. More than that, there should be more than one expert from such caliber in this place, right? There were thousands of them after all.
But to their surprise, Straight seemed to have a different plan in mind. With the 3 Horns Bear incapacitated, he sprang into action, darting toward the young man who had been running for his life. In a flash, the masked spearman reached the man's side, and with a swift motion, he dragged the frightened individual using his left hand.
"What is he doing? Is he going to save that guy and leave?" one player exclaimed, bewildered by Straight's unexpected move.
"He's just running away with the guy! What's the point of all that show earlier?" another player added, equally confused.
The onlookers watched in puzzlement as Straight ignored the looming threat of the 3 Horns Bear and dashed through the forest, leaving the players behind in a state of bafflement. As he moved with astonishing speed and agility, the surrounding adventurers struggled to comprehend his actions.
For a moment, the players hesitated, unsure of what to do next. The idea of abandoning the quest and fleeing from the powerful Commander-ranked monster had been a logical choice earlier. But now, with Straight's bold and unexpected maneuver, a new sense of uncertainty and curiosity filled the air.
Most players had followed the lead of Straight, attacking the 3 Horns Bears thinking that they might have the chance. Who knew that the perpretator himself decided to abandon the task? How could they not be flabbergasted?
"Raaaaahhh!"
The 3 Horns Bear roared in anger as the puny little humans dare to attack him so brazenly. The bear swung his claws toward the players in front of them, catching them off guard because of the sheer speed of the attack.
*Greeeggg*
Sounds of meat getting sliced mixed with explosions from the sheer power of the bear reverberated through the forest. Tens of players got slaughtered immediately, turning into particles of light and swept away by the wind.
Fear crept out of their own wits as they witnessed the massacre. They saw drops of items appeared on the spot where the players who got massacred. When they realized that they might be the one who got killed, they begun to get panic.
"Graaaaarr!"
The bear didn't give a chance for the player to prepare themselves as it launched itself toward the players. Facing with such danger, they couldn't afford to be slacking and reckless.
Even though the bear looked very scary, they believed that with their combined strength, they could emerge victorious against the powerful Commander-ranked monster.
With hearts pounding with adrenaline, the players surrounded the 3 Horns Bear, ready to face the fearsome creature head-on. They unleashed a barrage of spells and attacks, their confidence bolstered by Straight's example.
But the 3 Horns Bear was not to be underestimated. As the players engaged in battle, they soon realized that the creature's strength and resilience far surpassed anything they had encountered before.
Its massive size and brute force made it a formidable adversary. It swiped and lunged with lightning speed, its sharp horns and claws tearing through the players' defenses with ease. Each blow was a crushing reminder of the danger they faced.
Despite their efforts, the players found it difficult to land significant hits on the 3 Horns Bear. Its thick hide seemed impervious to their attacks, and its relentless assaults left them struggling to keep their footing.
"Keep it together! Focus your attacks on its weak points!" one player shouted, trying to rally the group.
But the 3 Horns Bear seemed to anticipate their moves, dodging and weaving with an unnatural agility. Its roars echoed through the forest, causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet.
The players' confidence began to waver as the battle wore on. Spells and attacks that had been effective against other monsters barely scratched the surface of the 3 Horns Bear's defenses.
"Stay strong! We can do this!" another player called out, trying to boost their morale.
But their determination only carried them so far. As the minutes turned into what felt like an eternity, the players found themselves increasingly exhausted and disheartened.
One by one, they began to fall back, seeking to catch their breath and tend to their injuries. The forest floor was littered with fallen players, their spirits dampened by the realization that they were no match for the relentless strength of the 3 Horns Bear.
"We can't keep this up... it's too strong..." one player mumbled, frustration evident in their voice.
"We need a new plan... we can't defeat it head-on like this," another player admitted, their confidence shaken.
As they assessed their situation, the players realized that they had been played by their overconfidence. The belief that they could replicate Straight's success had blinded them to the reality of their limitations.
And another idea had appeared in their minds. That young man should be that old man's son!
Realization dawned upon the players that the young man Straight had saved was most likely Aiden, the son of the old man from the town. A wave of frustration washed over them. They cursed their luck for not connecting the dots earlier, their focus consumed by the tense situation with the 3 Horns Bear.
They had taken the aggro of the 3 Horns Bear as the monster now faced them instead of chasing after Straight!
They had intended to take advantage of the expert, but instead they themselves got taken advantage off!
F***!
How could they not be pissed!?
"That young man must be Aiden's son all along! We should have figured it out sooner!" one player exclaimed, kicking the ground in frustration.
"If only we had been more attentive," another player lamented, feeling regretful for not putting two and two together earlier.
But time was of the essence, and Straight had already dashed ahead with Aiden in his arms. Despite the mere moments that had passed since they realized the connection, Straight had put considerable distance between them, his swift movements leaving the players behind.
But only one thing now remained inside of their minds.
Retreat!
We need to run from this stinky animal!
...
Straight, aka Rylan, shake his head off when he thought that the people might be thinking that he was running after the unknown equipment that the old man Aiden had offered to be the reward of the quest beside some golds. People only knew that getting unknown rarity quests or unmentioned items was very rare, thus naturally the reward should be more than worth it.
But they didn't know that unknown rarity, items, or anything of the sort, was just like the name of it. Unknown. It was hard to determine. Many factors were behind the rarity of such quests or items, but most of the time, they were just normal.
Compared to the Epic rarity quest or items for example, the one who had done the quest would undoublty take the Epic rarity quest any day. Why? Because the reward of unknown rarity quest was not overwhelming and the people who had done the quest mostly thought that it was the NPC's way of doing to attract more players to finish the quest.
It was true that the reward was not so bad, but it was just mid.
There were naturally items of such amazing capabilities, such as his unknown rarity class, but Rylan knew just how hard it was to get such insane class after solving and completing clues after clues for years.
Straight looked at the young man that was out of breath, gaping for air either from terror or tiredness with an interested expression. Indeed, the young man himself was the reason why Straight was interested in this endeavour. Because that 3 Horns Bear was chasing after the young man, there might be a clue as to what kind of situation was currently going on.