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At his command, the wolf squad moved in, sending the trained wolves slowly advancing toward the white-eyed monster. Xiao Po hoped this might rattle their enemy, but it only seemed to amuse him.
For a moment, watching the approaching wolves, the white-eyed monster's eyes gleamed with what looked likeā¦ pride?
"Well, guess I've still got my acting skills," he murmured to himself.
Xu Yuan looked around at the pack of wolves, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"Oh, I can't wait to see their faces in a bit~"
Right now, those wolf pups were the players' last hope.
They knew, without a doubt, that they were no match for the white-eyed monster's brute strength. So they'd pinned their hopes on the wolves.
If these pups could scare off, or better yet, take down the white-eyed monster, they'd actually have a shot at victory.
Of course, Xu Yuan was well aware of this. He knew the players would try to use the wolves against him.
What he hadn't expected was just how many they'd gathered and how boldly they launched the wolves to attack first.
Seems like his previous "acting" had really left an impression.
The thought of this made Xu Yuan's desire to mess with them even stronger.
"Well, if you're all so eager to see a showā¦ it'd be rude of me not to give you one."
āāā
The wolf pups moved closer, inch by inch, toward the white-eyed monster.
And the white-eyed monster, in turn, kept moving forward with his army of creatures.
The closer they got, the more tense the players grew.
20 metersā¦
15 metersā¦
10 metersā¦
They were just about to clash, but the white-eyed monster kept advancing.
The players' hearts sank.
"What's going on?!!! Why's he still moving forward?!"
"Isn't he supposed to be afraid of wolves?! Why hasn't he backed off?!"
"Is it because he's got so many other creatures behind him that he's not scared?"
"Damn it, was he faking it before?!"
"ā¦"
The players' hearts were in their throats.
Seeing that the white-eyed monster wasn't the least bit afraid of the wolves, any hope they had was quickly smothered.
But when the white-eyed monster was just five meters away from the wolvesā
Something changed.
Just like the first time he'd seen them, the white-eyed monster wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight of the pups.
Then, he finally stopped moving forward, standing right where he was!
Seeing the look in his eyes, the players felt a weight lift off their chests.
"He's scared! He's actually scared!!"
"Damn it! Scared me half to death; I thought he was faking it all along!"
"So, the wolves do work after all!"
"Afraid now, huh? Go on, take your little minions and scram!"
"Wait, is this monster just really nearsighted or something? Why's he only reacting now that he's so close?"
"ā¦"
The players watching the livestream relaxed as well.
"If he's scared, then that means the Victory Guild has it in the bagā¦"
"But it's strange, thoughā¦ Why did he only look scared when he got so close?"
"Maybe the wolves can only really intimidate him at close range?"
"ā¦"
Even though the monster looked visibly afraid, something still didn't sit right with them. Why did he only seem to react once he was right up close? Was this monster just nearsighted or something?
Victory Guild's players, though slightly suspicious, didn't have time to dwell on it.
Seeing that the white-eyed monster had shown fear, the players ordered the wolf pups to attack.
"Fifteen bonesāthis time, feast away!"
"Little leg, you remember him, don't you? Go, bite him!"
"Look at your dinner! Go get him!!"
"ā¦"
One by one, the players barked orders to their wolves.
Normally, the wolves would have jumped to obey.
But instead, the entire field remained eerily still.
A full minute passed, and yet the pups didn't budge from their spots.
Victory Guild players were dumbfounded.
"What's going on?!"
"Er Gou, don't you want meat anymore? Get in there, already!"
"Fifteen Bones, you ungrateful mutt! After all the bones I've given you, and you won't even work for it?!"
"ā¦"
While the players frantically tried to get their wolves to move, the white-eyed monster casually walked up to the pack of pups.
Before anyone could react, the monster scanned the wolves, then gave a subtle downward flick of his hand.
And, in unison, all the wolves sat down obediently.
The players stared in shock, their eyes widening as if they'd just seen a ghost.
"W-Whatā¦?!"
"What's happening?! WHAT'S HAPPENING?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"
"What are these mutts doing?!"
"Wasn't he supposed to be afraid of wolves?!!!"
"What the hell?! Are these wolves traitors now?!"
"How's this even possible? We trained them ourselves! Why would they follow his orders?!"
"ā¦"
The livestream chat exploded.
"What the heck?! Is this even real?!"
"What??? What???? WHAT?!?!?"
"Iā¦ I'm dumbfounded. He's not afraid of wolves? And the wolves listen to him?!"
"I feel likeā¦ we've been playedā¦" (no shit)
"ā¦"
Out on the field, a tense silence settled over the players, who stared at the monster, dumbstruck.
The white-eyed monster slowly crouched, patting a wolf pup's head with a satisfied smile.
Then he lifted his gaze toward the players on the city wall.
In his eyes was pure contempt, and a crooked smile crept across his face.
Seeing the monster's expression, the players felt a chill run down their spines.
At that moment, they finally realizedāthey'd been tricked!
The white-eyed monster's "fear" of wolves? All an act.
He was never afraid of wolves. In fact, he could control them.
Now, seeing that wicked smile on his face, the players felt their legs go weak.
"It's overā¦ It's all overā¦"
"I'm such an idiot!! How could a monster this powerful be afraid of wolves?!"
"Damn it! He fooled every single one of us!!"
"ā¦"
In the livestream, the scene left Steve speechless.
He'd had an idea of what was coming.
But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the white-eyed monster would play the players for foolsāagain.
He had everyone's reactions wrapped around his finger.
He'd given them hope, only to snuff it out mercilessly.
With his power, he could have destroyed the players outright, no need for theatrics.
But he'd chosen to go this route. And the reason was clearāto shatter their spirit.
To make them realize that the hope they clung to was just a trick he'd dangled before them.
That hopeā¦ it had never even existed. (Womp womp)
As Steve thought about this, he couldn't help but tremble.
If he'd been fooled from the start, facing down this monster now, how hopeless would he feel?
"A devilā¦ He's nothing short of a devil!"
āāā
The once lively livestream had gone deathly quiet.
No one dared type in chat.
When the players finally processed what had happened, a chill ran down their spines.
"Did I see that right? Was heā¦ smiling?!"
"Yeahā¦ you saw it right. He was definitely smilingā¦"
"We couldn't see his face clearly, but that expressionāabsolute scorn and disdainā¦"
"This is terrifying!! Did he set up his 'fear of wolves' from the very beginning?!"
"I can't even imagineā¦ If I were in their shoes right now, I'd be utterly crushedā¦"
"Getting insta-killed and dropping items isn't the worst part. The worst part isā¦ he played us allā¦ Damn it, this feeling sucksā¦"
"He's been leading us by the nose this whole time! That white-eyed monster's mind games are insane!"
āāāāāāāāāāāāā
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