Star Gazer seemingly noticed someone looking at him. He moved his eyes, finding Bleary Mirage.
A jolt went through his body. His eyes narrowed as he branded the faces of the ten party members in his mind.
Suddenly though a loud shout interrupted him.
"Finally, you dare to show your faces! Who among you is Cyclone?! Do you dare to fight me?!"
Earthquake's voice was deafening, true to his name. But the content left many players with awkward looks.
As a professional shouldn't he know what the top players looked like? Especially if he wanted to challenge one of them?
But the answer left everyone similarly baffled.
"Huh? Who are you? Why would I fight you?"
Cyclone was taken aback as many eyes stared at her with mixed emotions.
Balm felt embarrassed, quickly whispering something into her ear.
On the other side Earthquake couldn't believe his own ears. This was the first time someone showed him such disregard!
"If you are trying to anger me, you succeeded! Come over here, so I can beat you up!"
"Stopp hollering over there! If you want a fight, you can have one!"
After understanding the situation Cyclone didn't back down. She was fairly confident with her high level and powerful class.
On the other hand, Liam felt his stomach sink. He didn't rate Cyclone's chances high. Without mastering flash step mages were rather disadvantaged in PvP. Especially those relying on skills with long cast time.
Luckily another voice suddenly chimed in:
"Gentlemen and -women. Why don't we put aside out disagreements for now? We have a world boss to deal with."
A tall woman stepped out of the crowd, drawing everyone's attention. She was followed by a group of about thirty people.
Wearing an airy black leather armor and a brown head atop her short blond hair she looked free and easy. Her name was openly displayed. 'Miss I never miss'.
From the various reactions it was obvious that a few players among the crowd recognized her.
"Don't tell me what to do Missmiss!"
Instantly the newcomer glared angrily at Earthquake, wishing to stuff his mouth so that he would stop spreading this awful nickname of hers.
Just as she wanted to retour, movement once again came into the crowd. To everyone's surprise a group of people straightforwardly walked into the valley.
"Haha, everyone talks so much. We will go ahead."
Liam squinted his eyes staring at the familiar figures of Fat Tiger and Glorious Sunshine.
Still the same move…
Liam didn't believe for a second that Fat Tiger would scout the situation for others. He was surely trying to agitate the crowd.
However, the result was lackluster as no one expected that Fat Tiger actually had the ability to take down the world boss.
Fat Tiger's group walked slower and slower. Finally, they stood still. Mocking gazes fell on them.
But the chubby guild leader wasn't discouraged. He sneered inwardly as he nodded at a hunter in his group.
The man quickly readied his bow.
Liam instantly opened his eyes wide. A bad feeling overcame him.
"Retreat!"
"Fall back!"
Liam and Silver Blade looked at each other for a moment as they both gave the same order.
Next, they moved quickly, pushing through the dense crowd together with the party.
"Why are we running away?"
Cyclone asked in confusion but complied, nevertheless.
"You'll see in a second."
Suddenly a hair-raising screech could be heard, sending a shiver down everyone's spines.
In the valley Fat Tiger's party abruptly dispersed in all directions. The chubby man glanced up, scoffing as he couldn't find Liam's group anymore.
Suddenly a gust of wind came from behind. The corrupted hawk lifted its body into their air, chasing after those annoying pests.
Fat Tiger inwardly apologized to his hunter as he watched him being grabbed by an incredibly sharp claw.
"AhhH!"
The hunter cried as he learned to fly. But it was over as soon as he crashed into the ground.
The crowd grew chaotic, dodging in all directions, not daring to catch the falling player.
Losing its initial target the hawk's eyes glinted dangerously, scanning the crowd of players.
No one could stay calm under the murderous gaze. The organized players like Star Gazer and Earthquake directly ordered a retreat.
The casual players weren't this united though. While some of them turned to flee, others felt that they had the advantage in numbers.
A human warrior stood at the front of the crowd wearing a brilliant white armor and a large shield. His voice was the loudest, rallying players around him:
"Don't give in, brave heroes! If we retreat now this beast will only cause more damage to the lands we live on!
Gather your courage and raises your voice! Together we can slay this monster!"
The man's long black hair swayed in the wind, giving him an air of confidence and majesty. Many players looked at him with admiring eyes, willing to follow.
"He is right! Even if we lose a life here, so be it!"
"Friends, we didn't know each other until this day. But I am willing to die for you!"
"A flame is burning in my heart!"
"Ehm, friend. That mage over there threw a fireball at you."
"What?! Tom, I told you to train you aim! Damn it!"
Laughter and excitement could be felt from the spontaneously gathered group.
Radiant Shield looked at the man called Knight of Honor with reverent eyes. This was the kind of heroic air he wanted to achieve as well.
At this point the corrupted hawk let out another deafening screech. Its violet fathers darkened while a strange wind formed around them.
A second later a large area was marker on the ground. Knight of Honor felt his scalp growing numb. He instantly waved his sword:
"Disperse! Get out of danger!"
The disorganized players couldn't react quick enough. Only those close to the edges managed to build up some distance.
They turned around and watched in horror as shadowy violet feathers rushed from the sky, shooting into the crowd.
"No! Defend, defend!"
"Dodge!"
"Hey! Don't push!"
"Ahh! Help be up!"
The scene was miserable to look at. One feather didn't deal too much damage but in large numbers they quickly began to harvest lives. Thieves and mages fell first but even warriors had to struggle.
"Angel of Mercy!"
A shout rang out. Immediately a bright light spread form Knight of Honor. The image of a benevolent angel appeared above the players. She raised her hands towards the sky, conjuring a barrier of light and blocking the hawk's attack.
After a second Silver Blade frowned and couldn't help but question:
"How can it be so strong?"
She turned towards Liam, noticing the obvious surprise in his eyes.
"I never expected that someone could get this class so fast!"
"What class?"
"Herold of Mercy! It is one of the classes leading to the exclusive class of humans, Hero.
What you see there is his ultimate skill [Angel of Mercy]. It conjures a barrier which is stronger the more people it protects."
"What? That sounds so strong! Do you think we can win him for the guild?", asked Cyclone with an expectant voice.
"No idea. But you have to move quickly, before others understand how special he is."
"He accepted my friend request. We'll see how it goes."
While Liam and his friends were talking, the hawk's attack subsided slowly.
At the end Knight of Honor's skill couldn't hold on the entire time. A few more players died under the sharp feathers.
However, the survivors felt even more respect for Knight of Honor. They couldn't understand how a single skill was enough to block the world boss's relentless assault.
The corrupted hawk swayed in the air. The violet color tinging the white stripe on its back became a bit more prominent.
A dizziness assaulted its head, forcing it to land on the ground.
"That's our chance! Attack, everyone!"
Knight of Honor shouted loudly as he led the assault.
"For honor!"
"Slay the beast!"
"I will revenge you, Tom!"
Chaotic yelling accompanied the group of more than a hundred players as they jumped at the hawk.
Seeing this scene some others who escaped previously also gritted their teeth and turned around.
Even Star Gazer and his peers looked contemplative.
"Send a small group to test the damage. Five people should be enough."
"Yes, sir!"
A stern-looking warrior with black armor and dark green skin relayed the order to the guild. He was a trusted confidant of Star Gazer called Spiked Pen. In the real world he was a boring high-ranked manager but in the game, he played an intimidating orc almost entirely made up of muscles.
Quickly small teams separated from the players gathered behind Star Gazer, Earthquake, Phoenix Feather, and a few others.
Hundreds of attacks rained down on the corrupted hawk. Fire, lightning, poison, sword, spears, or daggers. It was a chaotic scene, but it gave the crowd unprecedented excitement.
The world boss screeched angrily perceiving its energy draining at a steady pace.
But compared to its 60.000 HP this wave of attacks barely made a dent.