50 - Ventus Occultus and Worm Guts
---Logan's POV---
Three days had passed since the task to explore Honeyvale was announced.
Yet, none of us had managed to find any books or written records in the abandoned houses.
The clues my team and I uncovered only pointed to one thing: the magic tide had arrived far too quickly.
Honeyvale Town had no time to mount a defense and fell in a very short span. And those who fled didn't even have time to take valuable jewelry or ornaments.
Although the daily necessities were significantly damaged, they remained in abundance, showing no signs of being packed or taken.
With no progress in the investigation, I decided not to waste further effort.
We collected any valuables we had found and shifted our focus from exploring the town itself to the surrounding areas.
After all, we had learned two spells already—how could we not test them out?
Still, I made sure we remained cautious.
I had us deliberately hover around the outskirts of the newbie village, only seeking traces of red-scaled worms.
After all, if we encountered a real magical beast and were wiped out, it'd be a disgrace to our veteran status.
Our patience eventually paid off.
After a few days of rain, puddles where all over the place.
Drawing on the knowledge Viktor had once shared about the habits of red-scaled worms, we prepared plenty of wild fruits as bait.
In one of the puddles, we finally found our target!
Fortunately, Garble and I were nearby at the time.
When we heard the commotion, we arrived just in time to prevent the worm from escaping the trap we had set.
However, despite learning magic, we had practically no combat experience. Our battle performance was even worse than our first skirmish in the rain!
After three rounds of attacks, we had achieved nothing but increasing the worms' numbers.
I felt my face turn serious as I announced, "All the fruit trees in the area have been chopped down."
"If we don't end this today, they'll run out of food by evening and leave the area!"
Our ability to keep the red-scaled worms in the swamp for two days was solely because of the abundant food supply we provided.
Worms lacked brains; feeding was their instinct.
The four of us logged in at regular intervals to throw wild fruits into the swamp, keeping the worms in the vicinity.
"What? That fast?!" ProGamer_Daddy exclaimed, his mouth wide open in disbelief. "Didn't we say yesterday we had two more days?"
Hedgehog cast a sidelong glance at him. "When there are more mouths to feed, food runs out faster. Who was it that didn't follow the plan yesterday, hmm?"
"Alright, alright, my bad!" ProGamer_Daddy clasped his hands in a pleading gesture.
"My mistake! If I use Holy Light on the worms again today, I'll change my name to ProHandjob_Daddy!"
"?!"
I nearly choked trying to hold back my laughter.
An weird mental image flashed through my mind of his Holy Light spell creating a glowing, stroking motion, and suddenly the new name seemed horrifyingly appropriate.
Great, now I'd never be able to watch him cast that spell again without thinking about this.
The Holy Light skill, which both its description and every NPC claimed was an all-purpose attack-and-defense spell, somehow only functioned as a healing ability in his hands. It had actually restored health to the worms three times during our fight—up and down motions included.
I shook my head, trying to banish the cursed mental image.
Initially hopeful that he could pivot to becoming a warrior with the skill's versatility, he had to face a brutal reality.
Unconvinced, ProGamer_Daddy kept experimenting with the spell's offensive potential.
Yesterday, a bisected worm, perfectly motionless, was revived by his misused Holy Light.
And because it had been cut lengthwise, the resulting worm was twice as long as the others.
After a day of feeding, it was now healthier than the worms that had split earlier.
Garble coughed awkwardly.
"In a way, His Holy Light has made the most progress among us."
"Absolutely. Healing a two-meter-long worm to full health is no small feat," Hedgehog quipped.
I cast another glance at the swamp and spoke in a low voice.
"Alright, I just threw a basket of freshly picked wild fruits into the swamp. They won't last long. Is everyone ready?"
"All weapons accounted for and ready to go. Not a single one missing," Garble replied with composure.
He then pulled out several Thornleaf Blades and distributed them to us.
Hedgehog raised his hand in assurance. "I'm in peak condition! I can use my skills three times, no problem!"
"I'm good to go. I can tell what skill those worms are about to use just by how they twitch their tails!" ProGamer_Daddy boasted, brimming with confidence.
Despite his enthusiasm, he was arguably the unluckiest among us.
Even with skills at his disposal, he had to rely mostly on physical strength and combat techniques.
I narrowed my eyes, fixing my gaze on the writhing swamp ahead.
"Alright. From my observations, the worms surface to breathe after feeding. Time is short, so everyone, stay focused!"
I began the countdown. "Three, two, one—let's go!"
At my command, we leapt from the bushes, charging straight at the red-scaled worms that had just surfaced.
The sudden attack caught the eight massive worms completely off guard.
After a moment of hesitation, they were drawn to us by the lingering scent of wild fruits.
The basket of fruit, barely enough for eight worms, only stoked their hunger.
One after another, the worms wriggled toward the swamp.
We didn't hesitate. With deft rolls along the swamp's edge, we narrowly dodged the blood-red maws that emerged from the mud.
After battling the worms three times, we had memorized their predictable attack patterns. Failing to dodge now would've been embarrassing.
Using the momentum from his roll, Hedgehog leapt into the air, his Thornleaf Blade tracing a green arc as he shouted, "Watch my aerial strike!"
His dramatic move immediately drew the attention of all eight worms.
Like dumbstruck sunflowers, they all turned toward him in unison.
Seizing the opportunity, Garble dropped to one knee, clasping his hands together as he began chanting.
"Whispers of winds that dance through shadow's veil, heed my plea in darkness pale. Let the breeze of deception flow through mortal form, weave the cloak of stealth that transforms!"
"Ventus Occultus... Wind Concealment!"
The spell had a long cast time and required precise teamwork to execute without interruption. If disrupted, not only would the spell fail, but it could also backfire.
As the chant ended, Garble vanished from sight.
Two seconds later.
A small, one-meter-long worm suddenly let out a silent screech.
Multiple gashes rapidly appeared across its body before it split lengthwise and collapsed into the swamp, lifeless.
Then came the second worm...
After taking down two worms, Garble, now covered in mud, reappeared at the swamp's edge.
"Showtime, ShowBro!"
"Ancient flames that dance in midnight's breath, hear my call through ember's depths.
Let the fire of creation flow through mortal hands, ignite the spark of power that commands!
Ignis Spiritus... Fireball!"
A pea-sized fireball shot from my fingertip, leaving a fiery trail as it struck a worm trying to burrow into the mud.
The worm's body instantly charred, a massive, blackened crater emitting a faintly appetizing aroma.
At that moment, ProGamer_Daddy stepped up, ready for the finishing blow.
With a twist of his wrist and a sharp pull, a worm was split in two, its blood mixing with the muddy water around them.
Through seamless teamwork—one focused on ambush, the others taking turns to attack—we managed to whittle down the red-scaled worms, even though they were outnumbered two to one.
By the end, the only ones left standing were us four players.
But we dared not relax at all.
The real trouble with the red-scaled worms wasn't their attack or defense—it was their vitality!
We had failed at this very spot three times before.
The four of us cautiously dragged the seemingly dead colossal creatures out of the swamp.
Then, we continued to land finishing blows on the corpses.
"Crystal streams that pierce the dawning sky, heed my will as waters fly, Let liquid force through fingertips soar, unleash the tide that nature bore!"
"Aqua Sagitta... Water Arrow!"
"... Fireball!"
"Omnipotent Normal Punch!"
We relentlessly exhausted all our skills, slicing the worms vertically into a chaotic mess, but still, we didn't stop.
---Third POV---
The clearing outside the chapel.
While Viktor appeared to be sunbathing among the corpses, he was actually using GM privileges to remotely observe the Lucky Stars Squad's progress.
Seeing the worms being minced into pulp and the four players still not stopping, he averted his gaze in pity.
The scene was too much to bear.
Compared to the red-scaled worm corpses on the ground, the four players, now mud-covered and grinning like maniacs with blades in hand, looked far more like monsters!
"If they keep chopping, it's going to turn into worm paste," Viktor remarked.
It seemed that their previous defeats had really taken a toll on them.
Still, caution was a good thing.
The red-scaled worms were notoriously resilient, and it wasn't until just now that all eight were confirmed dead.
Now it was his turn to act.
Viktor tapped twice on his control panel.
Pre-written messages instantly popped up as notifications for the four players.
---
[Ding! Congratulations to players NeverShowOff, Garble, ProGamer_Daddy, and Hedgehog for becoming the first players to defeat the Red-Scaled Worm!]
[Each player is rewarded with 100 experience points and 20 magicoins!]
[The first battle footage will be included in the Compendium: Creatures—Ordinary—Red-Scaled Worm module.]
[A server-wide announcement will follow. Do you wish to remain anonymous?]
---
"No way!" ProGamer_Daddy declared without hesitation.
They'd worked so hard for this moment—what was the point of anonymity if they couldn't show off?
The others made the same choice.
After all, only they had the time to tackle the red-scaled worms. Anonymous or not, it wouldn't make a difference.
Plus, server-wide announcements were just plain cool!
Once the decision was finalized, every player, whether they were questing or slacking off, heard a crisp "Ding!" in their ears.
When they opened their game panels, they saw a notification in the usually blank corner of the lower right.
"Whoa! So this game has server-wide announcements?!"
"I always wondered why there was an empty space on the panel—turns out it's for this!"
"What's with the meager rewards? I wouldn't even bother!"
"Sure, if you weren't grinding your teeth as you said that, I might've believed you."
"No wonder I haven't seen those guys around lately!"
"I've got to keep grinding! Regular worms are nothing. I'll be the first to kill a boss monster!"
"So the red-scaled worm entry is getting updated again? Will it include a kill guide?"
"Looking for a guide? Ask the veteran players—they must know the worms' weaknesses!"
"That's a good idea. Let's find them!"
Unfortunately, to avoid scaring off the red-scaled worms with too many people, the Lucky Stars Squad had hidden the swamp's location well.
Even if other players knew to search outside the town, it would take time to find them.
This gave the four some precious moments to sort through their rewards.
---
ProGamer_Daddy gleefully examined the rewards on his game panel.
"An extra ten experience points! Haha, I've completed more than half my tasks for today!"
He knew there had to be some unlisted bonus rewards!
"Only ten points?" Hedgehog looked disappointed. "I thought we'd each get at least twenty!"
"Do you think bonus experience grows on trees?" Garble chuckled.
NeverShowOff nodded in agreement. "Garble is right. Even though we spent three days on this, those ten points came way easier than doing quests."
Everyone knew that extra experience points from quests were always pitifully small, no matter the character level. But the benefits from their combat training were tangible improvements in power.
Someday, when they could kill twice as many red-scaled worms in a single day, the bonus experience from fighting would far exceed that from quests.
The future held endless possibilities!
NeverShowOff shook off the mud clinging to his pants, which now felt heavy enough for weight training.
"We did go through a lot of equipment, though. Not just our clothes, but also the Thornleaf Blade we bought from Viktor."
Yes, the same thornleaves that were abundant during quests were shockingly expensive when purchased for modifications—one magicoin per leaf!
Even unprocessed leaves plucked straight from the tree could be sold for that much.
What a scam!
Once they found the original thornleaf tree, they'd make sure to drive the market price down!
Garble frowned. "The thornleaves are still manageable. But when I went to ask Viktor for resilient grass cloth this morning, something felt off about his tone."
"I think the warehouse is running low on stock. The price might go up tomorrow."
"What?!" ProGamer_Daddy's mud-covered face shot up. "Then shouldn't we hurry and stockpile some cloth?"
It was summer in the game, and he didn't mind running around in shorts.
But doing so would lower his SAN value and reduce NPC Alyanne's favorability—a cost too high to bear.
Hedgehog gave him a sideways glance. "You think you can exploit loopholes under Viktor's nose?"
"Uh… never mind." ProGamer_Daddy immediately backed down.
Perhaps to emphasize the faction leader's importance, Viktor's AI was a cut above the other NPCs.
He even understood internet slang and cryptic references, his dark eyes giving the impression he could read minds.
No one had successfully exploited a bug under his watch yet.
Plus, Viktor had a mischievous streak.
No one wanted to log in one day and wake up to find a blue-flamed skeleton staring them down.
The last player who crossed him had avoided his fishing pond for two whole days out of fear!
Who knew what they'd done to lower the faction leader's favorability?
"Our clothes are fine for now. Instead of worrying about that, why don't you come lend me a hand?"
NeverShowOff waved his Thornleaf Blade, gesturing for the idle ProGamer_Daddy to join him.
The others quickly gathered around.
"Help? What are you doing?" ProGamer_Daddy asked.
"Looking for drops, of course!" NeverShowOff replied matter-of-factly.
Using the thornleaves as tools, he rummaged through the red-scaled worms' corpses while explaining, "Even though red-scaled worms are low-tier mobs, they're part of a server-wide announcement."
"In most games, monsters with first-kill rewards usually drop items. If we all pitch in, we'll find it faster!"