MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

A dozen of shadowy creatures circled a man as they kept screeching at him. Their shrill cry echoed in the area as if a promise of death.

— Screech!! —

<Soul-Devouring Exalted Hunter lv 24 ??>

Their level was even higher than at the beginning as the Corruption Rate had increased. By now, it was already at freaking 78%! This was going way too fast!

As for how Jack was still alive….well, it was pretty damn obvious as he stood in a literal sea of fire!

He just "chilled" there like:

??? !_! ????

ゴゴゴゴ Menacing!

Knowing that he was slower than the creatures, he had chosen to hold his ground and had sprayed fire all over.

Jack was definitely working that Fire Manipulation!

The inferno engulfed a large area near him as it burned so damn brightly! But, it had been generated using the same trick as at the party.

It was all show and no substance!— Mostly anyway.

Right now, he was cackling madly as he gazed at the monsters, seemingly taunting them, daring them to approach. But they were hesitant as the few that had tried had been burned pretty badly.

He was mixing the fake and the true akin to a godlike illusionist:

99% of the fire —> Harmless and barely taking mana

1% of the fire —> Would char one's skin pretty badly

Oh, neither had the potential to kill, but they did believe it could. None dared call out his bluff!

As for convincing them: Jack had used a burst skill and made them think it was DoT from walking in his sea of fire. #Totally Real #Not Fake

Now, the creatures were too scared to charge forward, leaving him to play the paper dragon as he sent fire all over the place! Was it dangerous? Nope! Was it scary? Hell yeah!

That's how began a prolonged stalemate. Since most of it was fake, he could sustain the illusion for a while by relying on his blood magic.

Jack could only inwardly wish that they would keep their distance. Alas, it seemed like that was nothing but wishful thinking.

[World Corruption Has Increased To 81%!]

[The Devil Gains Newfound Powers!]

[The Hunters Grow Stronger!]

[Almost Out of Time!]

That's when he felt the presence of the Devil appear. But, it wasn't weak anymore. It had seemingly absorbed some of the energy to become stronger and was happily cackling:

"Haha, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm almost freed! I'm a changed devil now! At this rate, this place will be mine! MINE!! Mine truly, and not with the bullshit conditions you offered me!! Hahahaha!"

Then the Devil addressed the Hunters:

"Fools! The fire is obviously all fake! What are you all waiting for?! Go get back the part of my soul that he stole!!!" the Devil screamed at its minions.

Tch— Now that they had a commander, they would not fall for such deception.

Jack sighed as he took his Aegis out. Even if there was no hope left, he would still fight back:

"C'mon, you faceless bastards! Come and try me!! Muahahahaha!"

He was laughing in the face of death, eager to annoy the Devil that was spectating. He wouldn't give it the satisfaction to see him lose his spirit.

As the first creature reached him, it took him everything he had to block. He had the feeling of being a toddler in a contest of strength with a minotaur on steroids!

— CLANG! —

He got pushed back, only to be instantly sandwiched by another monster. This time he barely dodged the claws, but he had to lose his balance to do so.

— MISS! —

That's when the third shadow came and— just as Jack was convinced he'd die, a fiery chicken suddenly spawned above his head, distracting the monster, rendering it confused.

Sadly, the Devil had it covered:

"It's his wolf! A goddamn wolf! Just disregard it entirely and focus on that bastard! Hurry!"

But as it turned out, it wasn't just the wolf. Using the short time the enemies were confused, the Village Chief suddenly zoomed by!

"You vile creatures, your reign of terror ends now! You're not welcome in this village!" He thundered, as loud as usual!

His fist glowed the light of Justice as he landed a powerful uppercut on the nearest shadow. His fist was so mighty that the entire wraith-like body trembled, seemingly about to disappear!

"How's that! Get wrecked!" He shouted victoriously.

But his shout was cut short as he had to defend himself from three enemies at once. Luckily, he could handle it with relative ease, pushing them back!

That's when the Chief suddenly gasped in shock:

"How the heck is it that they're easier to get rid of compared to you?!" The Chief remarked as he kept punching and pushing them back.

He looked at Jack in confusion. It didn't make sense! These creatures were obviously more powerful than him, then why?!

"You use technique and power to fight, right?"

"Of course, every warrior does!"

"Technique loses some of its effectiveness if the opponent instantly sees through it," Jack explained.

The village chief finally understood. There was no trick: it was experience! But he was quickly brought back to his senses as the creatures charged back!

Jack didn't waste any time and planted himself solidly at the front along with his shield! As long as he focused 100% on defense, he'd be able to barely handle himself. #Shield Hero Time!

"Punch them all. I got you covered!" He shouted at the Chief.

"Alright! It's time to beat up some devils!!"

Thus began their fight…

One had to admit that this guy was great when only power was concerned! He was a motherfucking bull!

One blocked, and the other punched as they quickly gained the upper hand. At this moment, there was no sign that they were once mortal enemies.

The oath prevented the man from rebelling, so Jack was 100% at ease. He wasn't like that annoying Devil who had already found a loophole!

"Crush their souls! Murder them!" Even now the Devil was encouraging its troops.

As for the Chief, he was defending the village with the same persistence he had defended his title. He wasn't showing any mercy!!

There was no need for them to talk as both found a rhythm that worked for them. Before long, they had managed to eradicate half of the dozen devils with the others fleeing.

They regained their breathing as the mastermind pouted in the background:

"Just you wait! I'll make you both pay! You'll regret this!" The Devil cursed as it went to do more scheming.

But things just weren't over just yet. Jack could feel its gaze on them!

Still, for now, they had to get ready! They had to find a method to end the corruption!

Were there even players left alive? As for the hunters, they would most likely infinitely spawn.

At least Jack was finally able to roam around. The only thing was that the messages were still disabled.

He rubbed his pet behind the ears, scratched its back, and solemnly declared:

"Private Moon Moon, you've performed wonderfully! But, the battlefield isn't a place for a small wolf like you. You can go back home and eat chips and bubblegums if you want.

"Woo!" (Nodding!)

Moon Moon had obviously understood the meaning. Master could count on it to deliver the letter now hidden in its fur!

It was time to counterattack!…

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[A/N] Hype! Feb Mass Release Time! ??

Day 6: Time traveling like a Boss! ^_^v ?? (3/4)