Chapter 101: Raiding The Bandit Camp (Parr 1)
Chapter 101: Raiding The Bandit Camp (Parr 1)
Such a great game still being in beta test phase?
And having to wait and see if you get selected to play?
That's pretty tough!
But the harder it is to get in, the more people want to play.
In a way, Hanjun (the game developer) has pulled off a kind of reverse marketing by making the game seem scarce.
After Master PungPong finished explaining, he noticed their squad leader, Pork Rib Boss, stepping forward.
He addressed the live streaming audience, saying, "Everyone, the show is about to start. This should be over soon."
The viewers were still wondering what was happening when they saw a strong-looking man walk past Master PungPong.
With his arms crossed, he stood in front of the group of noisy newcomers, frowning.
Maybe it was Pork Rib Boss's imposing presence, or perhaps it was the authority that seemed to emanate from his frown, but gradually, the noisy chatter died down, and the buzzing of voices disappeared.
Pork Rib Boss looked at them with satisfaction, then suddenly shouted, "Did you all skip breakfast this morning?"
Everyone was startled by his loud voice, and as he stood there like a drill sergeant, even the few who had been complaining quickly quieted down.
Pork Rib Boss shouted again, "Answer me!"
The new players knew what to do now, and they quietly responded, "We ate."
Pork Rib Boss frowned, "Louder!"
Thirty players shouted, "We ate!"
Their voices were so loud that Master PungPong looked up and saw a flock of birds flying away from the trees above.
Only then did Pork Rib Boss relax his frown.
Standing in front of the players, he said, "Before we set out, the NPCs already warned you that the bandit camp is pretty far away. It might take a whole day to reach it. If you don't feel like walking and want to slack off, you can quit now. But keep in mind, this is a group quest. The final rewards are based on your contributions during the quest.
If you don't contribute anything, then congratulations—you won't get anything."
After saying that, he looked at everyone in front of him and added, "Now that you understand, it's up to you to decide what to do."
The new players discussed among themselves.
Their request was simple—they just wanted some monsters to fight.
Just walking was too boring.
Their bodies didn't feel tired, so there was no physical reason to stop walking.
Hearing that the quest rewards were based on contributions, and realizing they'd come this far, they knew they couldn't quit halfway.
After deciding, no one complained anymore.
Master PungPong gave Pork Rib Boss a thumbs up and praised him, saying, "So cool!"
The viewers in the live streaming chat also thought Pork Rib Boss was really cool.
They weren't surprised, since he had a military background, and his style was definitely bold and commanding.
Pork Rib Boss shyly returned to his position.
Every time he acted on instinct like that, he felt a little bit embarrassed afterward when he thought about it.
Owell was also sitting nearby, resting.
After hearing Pork Rib Boss's speech, he came over and said admiringly, "What you just said was so cool! Are all heroes as awesome as you?"
When Owell first saw the players, they were building houses and doing hard labor.
So when Hanjun asked Owell to lead them to the bandit camp, he was worried about whether these heroes were strong enough to defeat the bandits.
But after seeing Pork Rib Boss's commanding presence while giving orders, Owell looked at him with admiration and instantly regarded him as his role model.
When Owell left Ulon Town, he had formed a small team.
He had wanted to recruit Father Barry because he could use two light-type magic spells, thinking they might take down a couple of demons along the way.
However, he didn't expect to be caught by bandits before even reaching Lindblum City.
If not for one of his friends quickly coming up with a plan to escape, they would still be stuck in the bandit camp.
After seeing Pork Rib Boss's strong leadership, Owell felt inspired again.
He eagerly stayed close to Pork Rib Boss, wanting to learn how he got everyone to follow his orders so effectively.
When Pork Rib Boss realized what Owell was thinking, he exchanged glances with his teammates, surprised that the NPCs had noticed everything they did so clearly.
They hadn't really paid attention before, but now they realized that the NPCs had been observing all their unusual actions without commenting on them.
Could it be that the NPCs were smart enough to join in on conversations outside of the usual missions?
An NPC that could react like this was incredibly advanced!
Owell tilted his head and asked a couple of questions, but when he saw the heroes exchanging glances and not saying anything, he started to get worried and asked, "Why isn't anyone talking? Did I say something wrong?"
Spicy Flavor Fairy gave Pork Rib Boss a look, trying to communicate something without speaking since they didn't have a private message function.
He hoped Pork Rib Boss could understand what he meant.
Pork Rib Boss understood Spicy Flavor Fairy's message.
Owell was their guide NPC, and if he was as intelligent as they suspected, their words might influence Owell's attitude.
A slight change in attitude could lead to the mission failing.
They had already spent half a day traveling, and if Owell suddenly decided to leave, they could waste a whole day and have no idea how to get him back.
It was best to speak to Owell kindly now.
Realizing this, Pork Rib Boss calmed himself and said, "Thank you, it's just a difference in habit. I used to do a similar job."
Pork Rib Boss almost revealed his real-world profession, but then he remembered they were supposed to be heroes summoned by the God of Light.
It didn't seem right to mention his actual job, so he quickly changed his words.