300 Sebastian
Sebastian finally arrived. Ren initially thought that he wouldn’t come.
Sebastian was the protector of the natural world and was also the guardian of the meek. With the amount of damage Jibblinplip had caused to the natural world, it had enough and wanted to end the menace once and for all.
Eager to help, Sebastian agreed to assist the party in any way he could. He was blessed by the goddess of nature, so he had the ability to curb the damage done by the World Boss. With him, they could find a way to kill the ooze for good.
“And you are?” asked the generals to the newly arrived creature.
“My name is Sebastian, and I am the guardian of nature. It has come to my attention that a giant Ooze is wreaking havoc across the lands. I have come to offer you my aid to eliminate Jibblinplip once and for all.”
The generals eyed the centaur from top to bottom. “Pardon us, but . . . what can a single creature do that an entire army can’t accomplish?”
Hearing the general say those words, Ren sharply inhaled. If only they could look into his screen and see the monster’s ATP.
Sebastian was nearly a World Boss himself. Armed with powerful spells of Plant and Life Magic, he could never be killed nor does he contain a quest to be accomplished.
But despite his one-of-a-kind power, he still wouldn’t unleash magic devastating enough to kill the Ooze. At most, he would cast support spells that could heal a wide area or restrict Jibblinplip’s movement.
However, the most notable thing about him was the reward for raising the relationship level with him to MAX. Once achieved, the player could summon him once a day to provide aid in battles—like Boss Fights, PvP, and even Guild Wars.
Though raising the relationship level with Sebastian was an entirely different matter. The stoic and no-nonsense centaur preferred solace, which meant being alone in Lone Valley, above anything else.
If anyone dared to venture to Lone Valley in pursuit of him, that person would find themselves in a world of pain before they could even reach the centaur’s lair.
Sebastian’s eyes briefly passed Evie before addressing those who doubted his prowess. “I know an item that would let you hurt Jibblinplip without you being absorbed into its body.”
His words instantly caught the generals’ and the Princess’s attention. But before they could utter something, they spotted players congregating behind them, and even more of them coming to their location.
“What do you want?” asked the Princess, flexing the Demonsbane in her hand, and the players took a step back.
The guilds were merely curious about what Ren and the generals were talking about. Although some players had conversed with the inhabitants, Ren’s long, serious discussion with the higher-up NPCs piqued their interest.
Most of them sent a scout to eavesdrop on their topic, but the scouts they sent soon found themselves surrounded by the Kingdoms’ Armies and questioned by Generals.
“Ah . . .” reacted the players who didn’t know what to say.
“If you have nothing to contribute to the war, then leave! The air had grown still with you crowding the place.”
The thunderous and hostile voice of the Generals scared the players into taking a step back.
Some of the braver players pointed at Ren and roared in reply, “But what’s he doing there?”
“Ren and his companions offered suggestions to slow the Continental Ooze. You lot are merely standing there and dabbing your ears for gossip. Men, remove them!”
When the armies raised their weapons and pointed them against the players’ throats, some quickly strode away in a hurry, but most of them kept arguing.
“Wait. We have something to contribute too!” they said.
The Princess raised her hand to stop the Generals from ordering the outsiders’ removal. She tilted her head to the side and said, “Pray tell. We’re all ears.”
There was a silent pause before a voice spoke amongst the players. “While you hold the Ooze down, we’ll finish it off. Together, we can slay it!”
…
Ren shook his head in dismay. He couldn’t even laugh at the plan they brought up. The inhabitants didn’t even need their help in the first place. They could kill the Ooze even without the players’ help. The only reason why the armies tolerated their presence was that they couldn’t kill the players unless their relationship level with them fell below Ruffian.
While anyone could interfere when the Generals and the Princess were discussing, their suggestions must be something worthy enough to be included in their conversation. Failure to do that would result in a total removal from the scene and blockade of the area.
However, the reward of sharing an idea that was worth considering would grant an item that would let its user kill the Ooze without them being absorbed by it.
The Princess took a step forward. Her face was hidden behind her helmet, but everyone could feel the oppressive air that enveloped her body.
As she approached with steady steps, the players subconsciously took a step back.
“Are you suggesting that . . . we become cannon fodder for you guys? Is that it?”
The players’ caught their tongues, and those who had the luck to stand right before the Princess almost wet their pants from fear.
“Scram before I cut you myself.”
[Your relationship level with ???? dropped from Strangers to Ruffian!]
[WARNING!
Any further conversation might result in your death!]
The others turned pale and ran away at the Princess’s threat, while the hard-headed ones remained. The latter players’ resolve only got stronger with the Princess’s threat.
“If he can stay, then so can we,” they said with a resolute voice.
Without another word, the Princess cut their heads off on the spot. Whatever remaining resolve the others had melted the moment they were faced with such power. They immediately scrammed back to their guilds.
With her remarkable silver hair and purple eyes, the Princess was a harsh, austere beauty. Even the ones who loved her couldn’t deny that Princess Lorelai was stern, serious, and unforgiving.
‘Well, it was fun while it lasted,’ mused Ren.