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Aeroblade6: It’s been a while since Sanaa last streamed
Schmerpin: WOOOO SANAA STREAM!!!
Fisheads: what is she doing today?
~
Messages flew by in a chat window as viewers watched a group of players huddled by a rock explaining a plan of attack on a dungeon boss. It seemed like the streamer’s party was teaching a new player the ropes.
The streamer spoke, “I'll give you a speed buff for the whole fight so you'll be about as fast as a mid-iron tier player. So don’t worry about being too slow. Also, I’ll be recording your fight as I support you so that the guild can give you some pointers afterward.”
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Skulhart: Uh is she supposed to be streaming this? I thought it was taboo to stream new member dungeon runs.
Apesamura1: Sanaa you are streaming not recording!
Schmerpin: Do you want her to stop the stream? Keep watching
~
The gaze of the streamer shifted upward and the viewers got a clear view of where the party was located.
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Drolif: This is the Silk Trap Dungeon!
Ge3emi: Isn’t this dungeon high iron to low silver tier?
Aeroblade6: They must really be teaching a new player… this is too easy for their party…
~
The party walked into a clearing and they got a clear view of a giant 16-legged spider. An Australian man explained the relevant information to the new player as the party geared up to attack. It seemed the new player was in charge of initiating and the viewers saw him draw back the bow.
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Thesirdino: That is one handsome fella, a ranger too? How entertaining
Apesamura1: A new player is on initiating? Does he have some sort of special skill?
Jeragonz: Didn’t Sanaa say that she would buff his speed to mid-iron level? Did the Pillars of the Sun take a copper-tier player or is Sanaa limiting herself?
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The Magic Arrow started to turn pitch black with specks within and the new player spoke with urgency to the Australian man.
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Schmerpin: Changing the plan last second? That new player has some nerve.
RangerWill: Has anyone seen that type of arrow before?
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Suddenly the streamer stabbed their thigh with their sword. The blood flew from the wound into the other player's bodies. The Australian man shot forward and struck the giant spider with his palm causing a projection to launch out of its body before he grabbed and twisted it back into place.
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DownB4d: That thigh should’ve been me, not it!
MonkEyMan: Truly masterful use of Distorted Palm
Drolif: I always forget Liam is now low-gold tier, he is a beast!
~
The new player released the arrow and in a mere instant one of the legs of the giant spider evaporated into thin air and instead, the ranger appeared where the leg used to be.
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RangerWill: WHAT IS THAT SKILL?!?!?!
Ge3emi: Holy shit…
Schmerpin: Are we sure that guy is a new player?
~
The fight continued and the streamer kept a close watch on the fight occurring with the giant spider while assisting the other members of the team with timely heals and necessary buffs. Occasionally the streamer would cut down an enemy with her sword rather than herself cleaving their bodies in half and sending their blood directly at the other enemies. The chat remained focused on the fight with the giant spider as they watched the new player adeptly dodge and strike in a fluid manner.
Eventually, the new player cleaved off another limb from the giant spider.
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Drolif: @Schmerpin he has to be new, he is only using Serrated Aura and Relentless Strikes and his base damage is low.
Schmerpin: You make a good point…
RangerWill: Does anyone know what that skill he used at the beginning was?
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The giant spider cast a wide net of web over the new player in retaliation but the ranger shot an arrow through the netting and reappeared right next to the arrow moments later.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
~
RangerWill: He used it again! It has to be a latent talent surely.
Fisheads: That was cool!
~
Over the next five minutes, the viewers watched the new player systematically dismantle every single upper appendage with fierce and swift movements. They watched as the spider launched itself toward the ceiling where a black light flowed down like a waterfall, beheading the beast.
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Schmerpin: @Drolif hard to believe that movements like that are from a new player, also he looks on the older side.
Drolif: I’m confident man, an older player wouldn't have needed to ramp up Relentless strikes that long for a boss like this.
~
The chat debated whether the ranger was new or not as the Streamer looked towards the ceiling seeing the spider’s head stuck to its surface. As they looked back down the ranger pointed their bow at the streamer and launched an arrow past her face before disappearing and reappearing behind them.
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DownB4d: That was too close to hurting Sanaa’s flawless skin!!!
LeviatanBlade: Interesting… will the boy lose it?
RangerWill: God I want that skill…
~
“Wow, Carn that was a spectac- '' The Australian man abruptly stopped his praise as the ranger’s eyes locked onto the group. The ranger looked up at the party and the viewers saw that the whites of his eyes were now black. They marveled at the seemingly endless depth they could see within the galaxies that floated within them.
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LeviatanBlade: There is no way…
Thesirdino: So the boy’s name is Carn, damn he is good-looking! Just imagine the things he could do with those thighs…
Drolif: Shut it dino.
~
----------------------------------------
Carn's dagger dripped with the final spider's yellow blood, the thrill of the kill coursing through his veins. He lowered his blade and looked up, only to see a group of strangers staring back at him. Were they friend or foe? His mind raced, but the adrenaline of the fight still pulsed through him, blurring his thoughts.
"Better not to chance it," he thought, raising his dagger in defense.
The strangers seemed confused and spoke words that were lost in the ringing of his ears. Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through his chest, as if icy tendrils were piercing his heart. The pain jolted him back to reality, and he recognized the strangers as his new party. Gasping for breath, he fell to the ground, clutching at his chest.
"Please heal me," he managed to choke out between gritted teeth. "Curse... damaging... me."
As soon as he spoke, the pain subsided just as quickly as it had come, and the party rushed over to help. Liam offered a shoulder to lean on as Carn struggled to stand.
"You scared us for a second there, mate," Liam said, grinning. "I have a lot of questions and comments about your performance, but we can go over that in the recording later. For a mid-copper tier, that fight was fantastic. You should be proud of yourself, Carn."
Carn's exhaustion was palpable, but a smile spread across his face. "Thanks," he said, the words carrying the weight of his triumph. "That means a lot, really."
Liam gestured to Sanaa, "You can stop the recording now. Also, can you send me the video file right away? I want to look at a couple of things as I gather my thoughts.”
Sanaa nodded and waved her hand to turn off the video, but her expression changed in an instant. Her face contorted in shock and dismay, causing Liam to grow suspicious. "What is it? Did you forget to record?" he demanded.
Sanaa swallowed hard, her face flushing with embarrassment as she spoke. "No, uhm, I might've. How do I put this… I accidentally streamed the whole fight instead of recording it!"
“WHAT! You streamed the whole thing?” Liam bellowed, his voice echoing through the clearing. “We have ONE rule about streaming in this guild, Sanaa! ONE rule! And you couldn’t even follow that?”
Sanaa recoiled under Liam’s wrath, her face flushing with embarrassment. She shrunk back, looking like a frightened mouse before a predator.
“I’m sorry, Liam,” she stammered, her voice barely audible. “It was an accident.”
“An accident?!” Liam roared. “It doesn’t matter if it was an accident or not! You KNOW the rule, Sanaa! What is it? Tell me!”
Liam's eyes blazed with fury as he strode forward, his finger jabbing accusingly at Sanaa's chest. The intensity of his aura was palpable, and the air around them seemed to crackle with electricity.
Sanaa's stoic demeanor had shrunk before Liam's unbridled rage, her voice barely a whisper, "Don't stream guild-specific activities unless given permission prior to the event."
"And what event, in particular, are we never supposed to stream?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing.
Sanaa's voice shook as she quietly responded, "New member dungeon runs."
Liam's voice thundered, "Say it again, louder!"
“NEW MEMBER DUNGEON RUNS, SIR!” she shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.
Sanaa's tears were now flowing freely as Liam's icy gaze bore into her. The rest of the party was trying to distance themselves from the argument, but Carn attempted to defuse the situation.
“Liam, if this is about my privacy, I don’t really care. Really, it looks like it was an honest mistake,” Carn said.
“Respectfully, Carn, shut up,” Liam said, his tone deadly serious.
Carn didn’t know what to say, he had never seen Liam get this angry before and didn’t know what to do. The rest of the party busied themselves with harvesting the bodies of the spiders.
Liam's voice was icy as he spoke, "Sanaa, please remind me why we don’t stream dungeon runs for new members. I must be getting old as I don’t seem to remember."
Sanaa hiccupped, "Exposing new members to the public can put them in danger before they can properly protect themselves. Also, it lets guilds know the new talent we acquire, allowing them to prevent countermeasures."
"Thanks for reminding me," Liam said curtly. "Your pay is getting docked for a month, and you are to pay 20,000 gold to the guild as reparation. Also, streaming privileges in God’s Paradise are revoked for a month. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Liam," Sanaa replied, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Now go dismantle the corpses and get in contact with Jenna from public relations. She will help you formulate a public response," Liam ordered, massaging his temples, his eyes deep in thought, "How am I gonna explain this to Shaun?"
Carn, still shaken by Liam's intense anger, followed him silently as they made their way through the dungeon's corridors. Finally, Liam spoke up, adjusting his monk attire, "Well, thanks to her blunder, you are going to need to make a PR appearance. I'll get you in contact with Jenna, and she will help you prepare."
As they walked, Carn couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that big of a deal?"
Liam stopped abruptly, his thousand-yard stare piercing into Carn's soul, "Let me tell you a story, Carn. I once knew an Aussie kid named Cameron, about 16 years old. He showed good talent in God's Paradise, and our guild scouted him. On his first dungeon run, someone from another guild recorded the whole thing in secret."
Liam's eyes grew distant and pained, and Carn could tell this story was going to take a dark turn. "The kid was an outstanding sorcerer and easily kept up with the main party, kind of like you. The whole dungeon went quite well, and Cameron showed great talent. I was tasked with meeting the kid on Earth the next day, so we said our goodbyes, and I drove to his house when I returned to Earth."
Carn felt a chill run down his spine as Liam's voice grew quieter. "When I got there, I saw his body ripped in half on his front porch… All it took for a rival guild to view Cameron as a potential threat was seeing the first dungeon run he did with us."
Carn was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to Liam, who had just shared such a tragic story. Liam's eyes met his, and for a moment, Carn saw the pain and loss etched into them. "I'm sorry," Carn finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.
Liam's voice was somber as he spoke to Carn, his words carrying a weight of responsibility. "It's not your fault, kid. It's just the way the world works." His gaze was intense, and Carn couldn't help but feel the gravity of the situation. "For no reason other than our team's carelessness, you have a giant target on your back," Liam continued, his sigh slowly trailing off.
Carn tried to shake off the unease that was settling over him. "I live in a pretty safe area, though. I think I'll be fine," he said with a forced chuckle.
Liam's expression shifted, a mixture of concern and frustration. "It doesn't matter, Carn. You have no idea just how powerful some people are. The captains in our guild could give that Weaver cunt a sideways glance, and it would be atomized."
The memory of Fen and his helplessness flooded back to Carn, making his heart race. "Then what can I do?" he asked, feeling powerless.
Liam gave him a pat on the back, a small gesture of comfort. "There are a couple of options that the PR team can go over with. The most common is to have you speak to the media and go into protective custody for a while. I'm not an expert, though. The PR team might have a better solution for you."
Carn looked down, still trying to process everything. Liam's forced smile caught his attention, and he turned to see the monk walking towards the corpse of the Weaver. "Well, that is a problem for later today. Let's get a look at the loot first," Liam said, his voice regaining some of its usual confidence.