MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

— Throw! —

The "hyena" bait drew an arc in the air, landing a distance away. A little wolf followed its course with longing eyes, while not that filling this thing tasted great!

"Alright, let's go!"

Jack's party had been smoothly progressing since they obtained these little brown juicy patties. They released a scent in the air attracting all Canyon monsters.

Countless monster patrols? Avoided!

They had the opportunity to see the wildlife from a safe distance while it fought for the "delicacies". Hyenas, Rocky Giant Worms, Royal Rock-Peckers, and others.

Even then, they were walking on eggshells. Jack sometimes brought them to make considerable detours but also had them pass right next to slumbering monsters.

Derek watched every single of his master's decisions eagerly.

"See this? Worm tunnel, few crimson drops of true blood, and patches of gray fur. There's recently been a fight here, and the monsters will be busy recovering. We go right through!"

"See that rocky wall in the distance? This is the perfect nesting area for Rock-Peckers, and there will be countless of them. If they spot us, it's over: we go around!"

One look at their surroundings was all it took him to determine the best course of action. His explanations were always simple and logical, almost making it sound easy— it wasn't!

Jack guided them under the blazing sun, at a moderate pace not to exhaust themselves. They'd notice fissures in the rock from time to time, but he always disdained them.

"Master, shouldn't we try exploring some of those?" Derek asked, perplexed. Wouldn't a lich be hiding in the darkness somewhere?

"Nope." Jack chuckled as he glanced at his pets.

Moon Moon was feeling really good right now. Even after all this, the little wolf was still as energetic as ever, if not more. The sun felt so good on its fur!

As for the skeleton and macabre, they were clearly showing signs of annoyance. This place was way too sunny for their taste.

Those three had one thing in common. They were all related to Demonic Energy in one way or another. They were the reason he did not fear getting lost.

As long as he kept a close tab on them, their instincts would lead him to his destination.

"Don't worry, we'll know when we get there," Jack reassured.

— About an hour later —

"We're here." Jack's murmur broke the silence.

"We are?"

"Of course." The three pets hadn't realized it, but they were all staring at a small fissure in the wall with longing, their very being drawing them to it.

It looked just like any other random hole in the Canyon, but that was it. He was sure of it! A large grin adorned his face as he disappeared into the darkness…

━━━━━━ POV ━━━━━━━

"This is insane!!!" Forsaken Hero sighed as he glanced at yet another report of failure. No matter where and how they sent scouts, they'd always end up as hyenas' happy meals!

The mighty player army's momentum had long been stopped. They had been drunk on the euphoria of victory…only to get eaten by wild beasts! This Canyon was merciless.

Even then, the Demon King's party was nowhere to be seen. The bastard was treating this place as his backyard, or so it seemed. How?!

They had followed his trail to another goblin "bastion", not that there was anything other than rocks. Still, there were far too many goblins for them to tackle.

"Perhaps we ought to simply leave." The one called the Amber Princess was ready for them to cut their losses and move on.

"Tch— This is humiliating. Are you telling me all our gaming history is useless against one guy?" The Epoch Elder sighed in disappointment.

Give up? Accept mediocrity? Hell the fuck no! Forsaken would never agree to this. The more Forsaken Hero racked his brain, the muddier the path to victory seemed.

Their target knew more than them, from faking a magic circle to surviving a goblin-infested area and leaving it even stronger.

Fighting the goblins? This was a dead-end.

Fighting the hyenas? They might as well serve themselves on a silver platter. The more they were, the more of the creatures would gather.

No, they needed more information. That was the issue!

While all the other factions were slowly exploring the Canyon, looking for clues or grinding XP, Forsaken spent their efforts elsewhere.

They scoured Sprigfield, the Canyon entrance, and even the Eternal Mines. Jack had talked to the paladins right before coming here, right? There had to be a reason!

"I want to know everything, even the most insignificant details!" He ordered his minions, resolved to overturn Infinite whole if necessary.

Soon his message window was filled to the brim. Rumors, rumors, even more rumors, it was all useless! Even then, he kept reading relentlessly.

Forsaken Hero remained silent, analyzing the enormous quantity of information, his eyes already bloodshot and showing clear traces of obsession.

That's when the army kinda crumbled on itself. Hyenas in the front, goblins on the side, and sweet XP behind them: the choice wasn't too hard.

Only a few remained, glancing at the man with worry, sighing.

"Is he alright?"

"Just angry, reasonably so."

"The rats, the Invisible Deer, and now the goblins..the Demon King is really screwing with us."

Just as they were feeling bad for the man, he suddenly rose up, cackling devilishly. "Hehe, that's it! The Canyon, the town, and the Eternal Mines they're everywhere he is!"

They? What the heck was he talking about? No one understood him as he rushed away with incredible speed…all the while laughing?! Was he alright?!

Either way, it had to be big, right? This was because he had sent a message to all his faction members:

- Forsaken Hero: Get ready for war. We're taking the Demon King down for sure this time!

- Forsaken Bard: Really, Sir?! I'll be there ASAP! I'll compose songs about our heroics!

- Lil Forsaken: I've been waiting for this moment! What should we do, Boss?

- Forsaken Hero: Keep an eye on the mimes. I'll be right there.

Mimes?! Why?! Weren't they weak entertainers? Why would they….wait, something was odd!

The "simple" mimes were risking their lives in hunting grounds, why? It made no sense whatsoever. Still, what was the link between them and the Demon King?

Forsaken was akin to a poked beehive. They ran all over the place as Forsaken Hero quickly arrived at the Eternal Mines.

At the entrance awaited a sole paladin left behind to guard the way out while his colleagues delved into the place.

The man looked incredibly powerful and dashing, plenty of maiden observing him while giggling. The lively atmosphere was worlds apart from the usual desolate one.

Forsaken Hero earnestly stated his case: "… That's how it is, Sir paladin. Please help us!" He begged with hope plastered in his face.

"Mimes? Pfft— You're far too naive! You might not know this, but we of the Holy Light Church are inherently gifted at sensing evil, so rest assured. Everything is fine."

The holy man heartily laughed, his inscribed heavy plate armor bobbing up and down. "There's a mime right there, and I cannot sense any evil." He added.

"But!—" Forsaken Hero tried to argue. That's when the man's aura changed utterly. His benevolent facade went away, replaced by a stern face showing criticism.

"Are you doubting me?" The paladin's fist was already clenched hard, ready to punch the idiot who was wasting his time.

"No, it's just…." The player awkwardly protested.

"Fine, here, look…." The paladin saw the genuine worry in the man's eyes and finally relented. He approached the mime, shining holy light on him. "Everything's fine, see—"

— Holy Glow! —

This gesture was meant to be reassuring, but he had talked a little too soon. As soon as the light landed on the mime, the reaction was instantaneous.

"ARRGGGG!!!!" The mime's face contorted in agony from the surprise "attack", revealing its ghoulish nature: dark fangs, sharp claws, and a slightly burnt blemished face.

"…." There was a long moment of silence.

"AHHH! Monster!" A maiden who had come for the eye candy shrilly shrieked in horror.

"It's a ghoul, get it!!!!" The paladin bellowed.

The monster hurriedly fled, breaking through the Braves' encirclement, sending them flying.

A holy serenade echoed as the paladin started channeling his divine power. A gigantic energy hammer grew out of his weapon as he mercilessly smashed it at the creature.

— Smash! —

The ground trembled, making the surrounding players lose their footing. The hit also sent a shockwave in the air, one that was filled with the warm energy of light.

"ARRRGGG!" The ghoul was still alive, pushing itself to the limit. By now, it had completely given up on its human appearance.

The hunchback creature ran on all four, using its powerful limbs to propel itself faster. Its backside was utterly blistered from the previous attack.

"Stop it!!" The paladin shouted. Along with his shout came a mission.

[Stop the Ghoul or Help it Escape!]

They all chose to help the paladin out of righteous… self-preservation. He was obviously stronger!

Braves vs. Mad Ghoul!

Crowd vs. One Naked Undead

The undead kept swerving to safety over and over again. Sadly, it kept taking more and more damage, reaching Sprigfield a complete broken mess.

It barely reached the main gates that its legs finally gave out, faceplanting right before it could cause any trouble for the Town. The players cheered:

"We did it. We won!"

"This ghoul sure was a pervert. "

"Thank god we stopped it in time."

But just as they were rejoicing, the undead opened its maw wide, showing its blackish tongue. "SHRIEEEEKKK!!!!

"Pfft— You can shout all you want. It's useless!" Idiotic players ridiculed the creature, missing the grimace on the paladin's face.

This shriek had been a warning. Mimes started disappearing as they glanced toward the Deep Rock Canyon with worry in their inhuman eyes...