The Mahrgas took position on the flank and behind the trio, waiting for orders. As Yushin expected, it was planned beforehand. Moreover, all those that came are adepts at sneaking, since their presence couldn’t be felt. With the ten party members in front and seven Mahrgas Warriors behind, the situation was looking dire.

“You! How dare you be this treacherous to a guildie!” Bitter Cat roared loud, her forehead veins about to explode.

“Heh, so many of you need to go this far against a small party? How brave!” Shum looked mad but still teased.

Yushin smiles, this one is cold incomparable, pointing spear at Goldclaw he says, “No matter what, you are not worthy of being Guild Leader. Free Forest’s next leader will be Rain Falls!”

Goldclaw is infuriated. Rain is still ahead for now, but with the rewards from this quest, he is sure to soar, “Hah, that little girl? She isn’t good enough to carry my shoes.”

“All of you better remember this: either take a step back right now or suffer the same fate as this fool!” Yushin is overbearing, his presence expands forward, every word carrying a powerful force.

Goldclaw is a bit startled, the others are pondering on what to do. This man in front of them is a bit special, looks like a sharp and strong player, even possibly has a relationship with the guild leader candidate. Inside the dungeon, they didn’t know about the duel with Sinkred. Right now, Yushin’s name is a hot topic on Red Clay. Why did they come anyway? To be close to someone that could become guild leader and reap profits! If they choose a side, it better win, otherwise Free Forest will not be their future but graveyard.

Goldclaw notices their hesitation and must rally their determination back, talks to the party, “Friends, there is no need to hesitate. Free Forest’s guild leader will definitely be me! Did you forget how far we’ve come together? Are you gonna let this stranger bully you into giving up great rewards?! Who the hell does this guy think he is!”

Their mood is better, a determined look sprouts in their eyes and many agree out loud. With hesitation gone, Goldclaw points the swords at Yushin and Co and yells, “Kill them all.”

Goldclaw rushes ahead first, wants to clash with Yushin directly. Aside from the healer, everyone else also went forward while the Mahrgas struck from behind. Yushin used the tag system to show a hole in their formation to break through, and so Bitter Cat and Shum focused on fending off the Mahrgas while he held the rear.

The spear weaved back and forth with great speed, controlling the advance of the enemy party with mastery. Goldclaw tried to go forward, but Yushin spear was always at the right point to stop his assault. The surroundings also prevented the lot of them to attack at the same time, many branches and leaves made the terrain uneven and unpredictable. Yushin’s party was much better off since they had already surveyed and tagged it.

Bitter Cat was entangled with four Mahrgas, Shum fought three. While he struggled with them, the beasts had no way of contending with BC’s raw power. She compensated their difference in speed with skill, a natural born talent to fight. One of the Mahrgas attacked sloppily and the heavy Warhammer was the last thing he saw, bone-shattering sound spreading far.

The enemy also had two spear users but against Yushin they might as well be children with sticks, failing to provide range and breaking up everyone else’s rhythm. Goldclaw loses his temper, goes forward to [Quick Cut] twice in a row!

[Parry!]

[Parry!]

Yushin parries, then steps sideways and [Strong Kick] Goldclaw on the side. He loses balance and falls, the whole party stunned. His skill in their view is undeniable, the best of them and even top three in Free Forest. In Yushin’s view, Goldclaw is not bad, but also much below Rain, Bitter Cat and Aurei!

Before Shum can get into a sticky situation, Aurei and Gron intervened. Gron casts [Binding Vines] on a Mahrgas, then comes forward and [Spear Thrust] another. Aurei uses [Chain Strike], buying time for Shum to break through the last.

“Now!” Entire party screams, Bitter Cat also forces a breakthrough and starts running besides Shum. Yushin goes behind them, holds the rear. This terrain they have surveyed, there are many tags of good and bad places. Even viscous sap can be avoided!

Goldclaw laughs, he expected a few tricks, “I knew these useless Mahrgas wouldn’t find an ambush. Everyone, it’s time to hunt! After them!”

They are chasing madly, now there’s no turning back. Those common players, not only have they angered the Scarlet Giant but also that skilled spear master. If they cannot get some good rewards this dungeon run will be a nightmare.

Yushin and Co keep running ahead, sometimes changing directions. The Mahrgas are faster but repelled with some trouble, one even killed. After a while, the enemy party is catching up in full, the group finally arrives at an unusual place: a sap-river with a temporary frail looking branch bridge.

This bridge was hastily built under Yushin’s orders. Aside from taking a long detour, it is the only way across aside from swimming on an unknown property sap. Yushin whole party crosses and they stop running, turning back to face their chasers. Goldclaw makes the sign for them to stop, looks ugly.

Yushin smiles and points his spear, “Well, well, do you dare?”

Two archers are pissed, they draw and shoot a few arrows towards Yushin. He laughs, deflecting them effortlessly with the spear, “Come on now, don’t tell me that’s all?”

‘This guy is a devil!’ Bitter Cat tells herself not to make too much fun of him after this. Even though he looks soft, inside is definitely very devious!

Goldclaw breathes in, looks at Yushin, “Fool. You got me on this, but we can fall back and prepare to annihilate the Mutal. Where will you hide then?”

“Can you?” Yushin’s devious smile is getting even more unbridled, “Right now our main force is striking at your Mahrgas allies in full. Without your party there, can they even survive?”

Goldclaw freezes, ‘This bastard, is this true? Crap…’

The enemy leader is indecisive, stands there thinking about what to do. His Mahrga allies are restless, they understood and believed Yushin. Suddenly they ran back into the forest and straight to their camp!

“Wait, you fools!” Goldclaw screams, his body involuntary steps forward towards the forest.

“Oh, you know, the second you turn your back on us our fates will be reversed. I hope you like being the one chased this time.” Yushin kindly reminded them.

‘Brutal!’ His party thought.

“You will regret this. You have no idea where you are getting into,” Goldclaw was furious, his eyes bloodshot. He could not cross the sap as that would make them easy targets for whatever more they had planned. If he still had the Mahrga, he could simply order them to rush ahead and then follow behind safely. With them, he had safety in numbers. Now he is not sure if they can deal with the enemy. That is all because of Yushin!

Even though it seemed he had some options, none of them were good. Should he run back to the camp and help deal with the attackers? What if the Mahrgas were already dead and his party had to deal with the enemy and Yushin’s party from behind? But what if they are still in a deadlock? Shouldn’t rushing there allow him to avoid the worst case scenario?

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But if they have to run back and fend off Yushin and Co casualties will be high. If they wait too long then the Mutal might come. What a nightmare!

“Listen, let’s do this. Let’s call it a draw. We’ll take out the Mahrgas and share the rewards,” Goldclaw proposed.

“Shameless!!!” Bitter Cat added.

“Oh? You sure you can do that and not hold a grudge?” Yushin said.

“Think about it. If we run, there’s no way you can catch all of us. Also, some of you will die. If we can make a deal, you said yourself, it’s the best way,” Goldclaw tried to convince them.

“That’ some change, bro,” Shum laughed.

“Rejected,” Yushin answered with a smile.

“Then, good luck catching us,” Goldclaw made clear his intention to run, even signaling his friends.

But then Yushin and Party laugh incomparably loud and hit their palms on the foreheads. All five players draw their weapons at the same time and say in unison, “You chose to come, but who says you can leave?”

All of a sudden, from their flanks, many Mutal came forward, cutting off their escape. They are all warriors comparable to the Mahrgas and the one leading the ambush is Cella!

Goldclaw looks deathly pale, “T-those, didn’t you send them to attack the camp…?”

“Heh. Bro, you kinda slow,” Shum teased.

“...You coward… You fooled me again…” Goldclaw now had lost all of his former composure, an unsightly look on his face.

“Don’t worry. They are there to keep you from running away. We’re the ones you have to defeat, if you want to leave,” Yushin smiled. Five against ten.

“Yushin bro, shouldn’t we make the leaf people fight too?” Shum asked via party chat. Bitter Cat was also curious, but she didn’t think it was needed.

“I want to save their numbers as much as we can. I’ll take the leader, you guys work in pairs and deal with the rest. Don’t die on me, heh. Cella, if they try to run, order the Mutal to kill without mercy.” Cella agreed.

Now that confrontation was inevitable, Goldclaw’s party also steadied themselves to fight. They did not have to agree on where it would take place: when fighting in front of a bridge, either both parties fight in the middle or one of them will wait for the other to cross and strike while they do. If they waited for Yushin and Co to cross, there is always the fear that the Mutal will strike from behind. After all, it is exactly what Goldclaw would do.

His most attractive option was to force a confrontation and break through Yushin’s party, running away from the Mutal behind. Yushin could wait for them to cross while he held the ground, but he was also facing the possibility of the Mahrgas returning after finding out their camp was safe. They might even bring reinforcements.

With this in mind, both parties rushed forward, decided to fight on the bridge!

Goldclaw’s strategy is to overwhelm the opponent with numbers in a desperate effort. Yushin adopted a control strategy, removing the biggest obstacle, Goldclaw. That leaves the deciding factor in the hands of the remaining combatants, Aurei and Bitter Cat, Shum and Gron!

The first ones to clash were Yushin and Goldclaw. Having range advantage, Yushin pressed forward with thrusts, and Goldclaw dodged and parried them. The bridge had enough space to fight in but couldn’t fit several battles side by side, so the other members went ahead and clashed with their respective matches.

The pairs were Aurei and Bitter Cat, fighting five opponents, and Shum and Gron fighting four. Yushin knew those pairings were efficient since they normally played together. The five enemies consisted of one archer, one healer and three warriors with a two-handed sword, mace, and spear. The other four had the remaining archer and three warriors, one with a longsword, one with a spear and the last one with daggers.

Bitter Cat stepped forward, weight behind the heavy Warhammer, a thunderous strike from above hitting the ground and breaking it apart. The Mace-wielding warrior dodged in a hurry, sweat still dripping down his face. The archer did a follow-up attack, aiming with [Quick Draw] at her head. But she did not fear. Aurei stepped forward, his chain deflecting the arrow midway.

The timing was difficult, but present Aurei is not the usual one. He currently forgot how to be shy and indecisive. Everyone around him is working hard, fighting many enemies and trying to improve. Even though he is always humble, but underneath the surface is proud, doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. His current self is not being burdened by thinking too much, his talent is on full display!

The two-handed sword warrior went against Bitter Cat, his skill [Power Slash] aiming at her chest. BC recovered fast, stepped sideways and was ready to counterattack, but a spear came aiming for her thigh. She dodged, then grabbed the spear barehanded, a bold move, and with a powerful pull, it came flying out of the opponent hands and straight to the sap!

Spear Warrior is startled, wants to take another spear out, but the Warhammer is already coming. He braces both arms to lower impact!

Yet Mace warrior came forward, hit with his mace on the Warhammer. The impact threw him backward, almost falling out the bridge and even shattering his weapon. Another arrow comes, Aurei intercepts again and his focus is on the archer. He goes forward against him, leaves his sister against the others!

Gron and Shum alternate very well. They haven’t been together long, but understand each other perfectly. Shum is always attacking, impatient and bold. Gron is always silent and composed, mix in his attacks and covers Shum’s shortcomings. Lacking in skill, they make up for it with team play and effort.

The player with the longsword trades blows with Shum, for a while are evenly matched, but soon the Half-Orc has the superiority. Gron casts [Binding Vines] on the archer, not only it avoids movement but also makes much harder to shoot. The spear player trades blows with Gron, [Quick Stab] from dagger comes, he dodges.

Shum hits [Power Strike] on the enemy, Longsword manages to block, his sword is completely broken. He presses forward and dodges a clumsy arrow, but enough for the opponent to take out another sword. Gron retreats a step, keeps Dagger at bay while fending off Spear as best as he could. As long as [Binding Vines] stay up the archer is not a huge threat.

Goldclaw is a lot more careful than before, his sword strikes are quick and precise. He tries to move around a lot more and won’t rush. He strikes with [Quick Cut] and [Double Quick Cut] but is not enough to hit Yushin. As the battle goes on, Goldclaw knits his brows, a realization hit him hard.

They move around, the bridge is very frail, is easy to misstep. He is always afraid of stepping on the wrong spot. But Yushin has been always confident, his steps secure, never loses balance. All around, Bitter, Cat, Aurei, Shum and Gron, they are the same, as if they already knew what spots to avoid!

“...You …You!!!!” Goldclaw curses, he again fell into a trap.

This bridge, Yushin surveyed before together with Mutal, he tagged which spots to avoid and which to use. Simply put, he had total control of the battlefield, while Goldclaw’s party are blindly stepping on mines!

“Oh, you noticed? One step too late again!” Yushin smiles, presses forward much harder than before. Around him, his party is starting to progress. Mace Warrior misstepped, his foot stuck in a broken path. Bitter Cat did not let this opportunity slip, the Warhammer falls straight to the enemy’s head for an overkill.

Aurei also dominates archer, a second ago the healer finally came over to help and now things are even. Aurei smiles for the first time, he switches targets, goes straight for the healer, aims for a swift kill!

Two arrows came with [Quick Draw], he took one of them to the shoulder, but kept pressing forward, hit a sequence of [Chain Strikes]. The healer could not stand, his death a huge blow. Spear and Two-handed warrior sees this, want to go and help, but Scarlet Giant is ferocious, one wrong step and death comes.

Aurei is aggressive, pulls archer down with [Chain Grab], finishes him on the ground. Now, he rushes back, joins his sister and thoroughly overwhelms the remaining warriors!

Shum and Gron fell back together, moving around is much easier than the opponents thanks to the tags. They are in a favorable position, Shum moves to block the three enemies, Gron runs towards archer with a smirk. Archer is desperate, shot arrows randomly, but only hits his dagger companion. Shum holds the line, Gron has no problem killing the archer with [Spear Thrust].

Longsword attacks Shum together with spear, dagger a bit behind since he is wounded. Shum fends them off, but takes a few hits, holds long enough until Gron comes back and binds daggers with [Binding Vines]. He holds spear and longsword at bay, switches the offensive to Shum, his axe easily chops off the Dagger Warrior head.

The remaining fight is not hard, long sword and spear are individually not their matches. Yushin sees his party victory is but a matter of time, strikes fiercely, mixes in [Spear Thrust], [Double Thrust] and [Spear Sweeping]. Goldclaw is overwhelmed, takes many hits and realizes Yushin is not only a lot more skilled than he is but holds all the advantages. He attacks desperately, but in vain.

Yushin juggles the spear, uses a feint to make Goldclaw retreat, and when the enemy is about to counterattack…

[Throw Hidden Weapon] attacks, his knife pierces through the enemy’s throat, he was unable to dodge. This is Yushin’s first time using this attack, how could he react fast enough?

“...You’ll pay for this!” Goldclaw curses again while on the ground, still able to send a message even with throat pierced. Yushin smiles and says nothing, spear impaled through the enemy’s heart, killing him. Around him, everyone else wrapped up their opponents.

This victory is theirs to take!