Chapter 5: Together

All three simultaneously logged in and Lim and Moruel both decided to play in the hardest most possible, which is "Impossible", although Moruel was hesitant at first. He still chose to lend a hand to Maverick. The two of them might not have any previously lasting connection with Maverick but they instantly adopted him.

Coincidentally, when the character loading finished, both Lim and Moruel spawned not that far from each other. About a kilometer from where Maverick first entered the game. They made a plan to rendezvous near Maverick's spawning point.

Yesterday, Maverick had changed his respawn point throughout his time in the game after every hour. However, he failed to escape the grasp of the Dark Froozbear, for it would always catch him with its rascals that consistently devoured him for hours after countless respawning. It was persistent and did not let Maverick getaway.

"Alright, we are here!"

"Moruel!" Exclaimed Lim from a distance after spotting his friend as he brushed off a branch with a little snow resting on it.

With the same clothes as Maverick, they were kept warm in the strict cold of the forest. Their plan to meet up early and find Maverick afterward was half accomplished.

Hurriedly, they sprinted on the snow pile and went directly North where the snowcapped mountain led them to the path Maverick took. After several minutes of striding without a stop, they stumbled upon the Ground Drillers' lair where Maverick got his first kill and death.

Unlike Maverick who is a complete amateur when it comes to gaming, Moruel and Lim are at a decent level with knowledge of fighting monsters and are able to recognize attack patterns.

[Ground Drillers' Lair]

"Just like how Maverick said, you won't recognize it without the system's notice," Moruel said, equipping his bow and arrow in his hands as he walked a bit away from the lair.

"I'm tired of being the bait, Moruel. We should sometimes change roles!" Lim grumbled and yet he materialized his longsword, putting himself in a position.

Their bond is built on trust and the challenges they faced together, which strengthen the pillar of their friendship.

"I'm expecting you to not miss, Moruel. You know damn well that the pain receptors here cannot be lowered," Moruel brushed the snow with his legs as he moved around. This came as a sign for the Ground Drillers to act as prey that had landed upon their home. "It will hurt like a bitch."

"Right, right," laughed Moruel. "How many times have we done this? You know damn well I won't let a single one slip through."

"Then we're good."

The Ground Drillers began to make their move, doing the same movements Maverick told them, drilling through the soft ground to move beneath the surface.

With careful observations and constant body language, which Moruel understands, Lim deliberately stopped and predicted three drillers to emerge from the ground. One was in front and two were behind him.

Standing firmly with an arrow ready to be fired from his bow, Moruel witnessed the emergence of the monsters behind his friend.

"Easy prey!" He mumbled with a smirk on his face as he instantaneously reloaded his bow with another arrow after he shot his first.

On the other hand, Lim's timed prediction came to fruit. The moment he stopped and the Ground Drillers popped up, Lim followed his action with a quick lunge with his longsword ready to strike. And a swift slash split the Ground Driller in half while the two that popped up behind dropped dead after Moruel accurately shot them with his arrows.

The bodies thudded on the snow and the movements underneath stopped for a moment. It was then that they saw a bizarre occurrence when the remaining Ground Drillers pulled the dead ones underneath the soft soil.

"I don't sense any hostility from them," said Lim as he swung his longsword to rid it of the blood. "Did they perhaps retreat to bury their kind?"

Moruel hastened near the lair, noticing the faint noise with his keen hearing sense.

"Gnawing... They are not going to bury the dead ones but eat them."

"Bastards resort to cannibalism, huh?"

[You earned EXP!]

"Sadly, we didn't get the loot from their bodies."

"Forget about that. It is Maverick we are trying to help here, Moruel."

Several more minutes passed before Moruel and Lim stumbled across the dried bloodstains on the pile of snow and the decaying bodies of monsters that crows feed.

"Caw, caw," flew the flock of crows away after they spotted the two approaching.

"Just a little more," Moruel tugged his left foot, slightly feeling uncomfortable. "These boots are so tight that it's making my foot kinda hurt."

"Stop complaining. We are almost there."

A resounding howl from a distance came, followed by more howling of wolves. Hearing this, Moruel and Lim knew that their objective was near and that they needed to hurry up. So they did, gearing up and cautiously watching their surroundings for a surprise attack.

"Stay a few feet away, Moruel."

"I know!"

In a chaotic spot where trees were broken down and blood had splattered everywhere, stood the Dark Froozbear and its pack of wolves in front as they cornered the person they were looking for.

"Maverick!"

All heads turned in their direction once Lim's voice echoed. He has their attention and Maverick did not even think of saying anything. He took the opportunity to escape, wobbling away as he balanced himself.

Being an intelligent monster the Dark Froozbear is, it immediately commanded its pack of wolves to attack Moruel and Lim as soon as he recognized the pair as a threat. The rascals jumped into it and ran across the snow seconds after they received instructions.

"Can we do this?!" Moruel backed away to give himself distance and support Lim with his bow and arrow. "They're massive!"

"50/50, Moruel. Just do what you always do!"

Always relying on luck and the skills they honed throughout their years of gaming, Lim posed for a quick slash to meet the pack of wolves in the middle of their approach. His highly skilled move grazed a wolf and blood dripped on its black and white fur.

Bravely, he stood in the middle of the circling wolves who were bearing their fangs against Lim while Moruel made three instantaneous arrow shots toward the monsters.

[Lim invited you to join their party. Do you wish to join? Y/N]

A pop-up flashed in Maverick's eyes as he was resting for a bit behind a tree, not far from where they had Lim in the monsters' circle.

He clicked on the "yes" button and he was included in the party.

[You will now share a 30 percent increase in EXP and ETHEL.]

[You have unlocked an achievement!]

[First Party!]

[Passive: A 5 percent increase in both attack and magic damage.]

All three of them received the same achievement, thus having an increase in their physical and magic damage.

Grrr, grrr... Slowly circling around Lim, the pack of wolves vented their anger toward the person they see as a plaything. They were waiting for a slight opening to gnaw on his skin and bones. Lim was as conscious as ever, however.

"Tch!" Moruel clicked his tongue when his arrow shots did not even connect to one of the wolves. "They dodged..."

Even if it did not reach the wolves, a wide grin formed on Moruel's face and he did not even try to hide his excitement when the feint he did worked.

Because they avoided the arrows, three of them temporarily astray from their formation, which allowed Lim and Maverick to move and take advantage of the opportunity.

"Puny humans!"

The Dark Froozbear waved its paw and the other two wolves that did not need to evade jumped together and got in Lim's way while swiping with their sharp claws. It put a stop to Lim's movement but he still persisted nonetheless, doing a turnaround by leaping up in the air.

Running behind him before he jumped up in the air was Maverick with every bit of energy left.

"Take this!" Maverick screamed as he flung his Serrated Dagger to Lim who was in the air.

"He left his longsword sticking onto the ground and had his comrade throw that butchered cow his dagger?!"

The Dark Froozbear was agitated, for he understood the plan that had been cooked once the imbalance in the pack of wolves formation occurred. It was standing far from the wolves, so giving them assistance was a no-go. Instead, it delivered another command to defend themselves.

Those three that evaded were back in composure. Their eyes gleamed with intent as they set them towards the descending Lim prior to him spinning after a perfect catch at Maverick's Serrated Dagger.

"How adaptive!" Lim smiled as he prepared for an assault, then shouted at Moruel. "You know what to do!"

"You don't have to tell me every time!"

Four arrows remained and he needed three of them to help Lim as he went down together with the Serrated Dagger in his hand while Maverick reached for the longsword with both of his hands. What was once a one-handed longsword became a two-handed one due to the significant weight that forced the Entrant to use both his limbs to drag it.

"AHH!"

"GROWL!"

To warn the pair of wolves in front of Maverick, the Dark Froozbear used its oscillating voice.

"I've heard enough of that!"

[You have withstood the Dark Froozbear's skill, "Oscillating Yell."]

Maverick's adaptability to his surroundings and fighting kept him moving when he should have been glued to his spot as per the skill's effect. He pushed through the unnerving growl where every fiber of his body ached as it remembered all the pain he had to endure.

On his path, Maverick saw a black string, which seemed to guide him. He knew it was telling him something—to follow it; so he did.

"To the left!"

Each of the arrows that were heading in the open spot landed precisely where Moruel aimed. On each leg of the three wolves. These caused the wolves to feel pain and stopped them for a moment with Lim falling like a shooting star that blitzes through the defensive stance of the wolves, ultimately slicing into their vital spots as swiftly as a meteor disappears in the midnight sky.

Fangs and claws clang and shatter when the wolves did their best to defend themselves from a wide swing from Maverick using both of his hands—with all his might.

"Hell yeah!"

One of the remaining two wolves' heads split horizontally as the blade cut through even to its skull.

"I'm not done yet!"

[You've leveled up!]

[You have unlocked an achievement!]

[First Level Up]

[Your first attack doubles your damage. It refreshes every 10 seconds after you're out of combat.]

[You have gained an Exceptional Ability]

[Environmental Synchronization]

"Whoa, what is all this information all of a sudden?!" He mentioned, surprised as he swerved—avoiding an attack from the remaining wolf. "Trying to sneak an attack while I was busy? Stupid!"

Suddenly, as soon as he had his passive Exceptional Ability get to work, his movements and train of thought became magnificently clearer. He moved as though his body knew exactly what to do.

"This is payback!"

He didn't care about the abrupt change. All he wanted was to get his revenge against the roaring pack of wolves that tormented him for hours.

"He spins?!"

Lim and Moruel were caught off guard when they witnessed Maverick flawlessly spin to land a kick on the wolf's dome, which shook the monster to the ground.

"My creations!" Exclaimed the Dark Froozbear as it bears the role of a spectator in a death battle where none of its rascals survived, for the last wolf had its stomach split open.

"WAHAHAHAHA!"

"Has he lost it?"

The best friends watched in awe and disgust. They did not stop Maverick when he was flailing the wolf's insides after digging through with his blood-covered arms.

[You have earned EXP.]

~