MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

The peaceful village in the Wolf Den Dungeon was going through an incredible upheaval.

A man could be seen relaxedly sitting as he lazily barked orders all over the place. The NPCs would do their best to execute his wishes, no matter what they were. Ever since that weird speech of his, they kept shyly glancing his way in wonder.

It wasn’t as much about the speech itself as to how he had delivered it. Hell, they weren’t even sure what a brave was. But it had to be something impressive, right?!

If Jack remembered correctly, the next step of this quest involved hunting wolves until they eventually found the Mini-Boss. This one was the total opposite of the hunter in the fox Grove: it ran and hid!

This village here was one that the players could use as a base of operation….if they could convince the NPCs to welcome them. After all, it wasn’t always easy to get them to accept strangers— or so that’s how it was supposed to be.

Right now, he had a literal army at his command! How amazing was that?! Hella!

Jack happily smirked while watching them prepare weapons and rations for an expedition. The little wolf did the same, sometimes hopping around them, playing supervisor.

It only took an hour for the 30 or so NPCs to be ready to walk for war. They were now lining up akin to professional soldiers. This included the so-called elders.

“Good job on gathering, all of you! We will now be marching for glory. Today, you all aren’t simple villagers but proud heroes. In years to come, you will tell the tale of this moment to your descendants! Now let’s depart!” Jack enthusiastically shouted.

Moon Moon led the way. Its small head hung highly with pride. This was a grand march that typically would have never happened in the beginner village. Jack could already smell the profit that this highlight would bring him.

He could even picture the title:

< WTF?! The Demon King Has an Actual Army?!>

This would be so much fun!

They all began marching, with incredible solemnness, one that wasn’t dampened by the young wolf’s antics. They were progressing quickly: this ought to be good!

The farther they went from the village, and the more uneasy the NPCs became. They were akin to homesick and worried children. C’mon! It wasn’t like that palisade they had at home would be super helpful anyway.

“Before you all know it, we’ll be back….and we’ll have enough pelts and meat to build a goddamn castle!!” Jack shouted excitingly.

They were first flabbergasted but then began to repeat “castle” all until it turned into a full-blown chant, akin to a day camp song.

“What are we gonna make?!” Jack shouted.

“A castle!”

“What are we gonna make?!” He repeated.

“A goddamn castle!”

“Why do we want it?” Jack kept going.

“….” they blanked.

“Because we fucking can!” He happily shouted.

“Because we fucking can!”

A few of them seemed to remember the meat part as they showed disgusted expressions, but the majority were burning with fighting spirit. This was especially true for the wolf, whose eyes were almost laser-like with how much they glowed.

Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! It kept mentally chanting over and over while licking its lips.

That’s when echoed a cry everyone here was very familiar with.

— Howl! —

— Howl! —

— Howl! —

Jack was grinning. They were about the encounter the deadly annoying wolves who had wasted his potions! They appeared in groups of 3-6, numbers that had been daunting to him previously.

He was back for revenge. He led his small army toward one such group consisting of only three wolves. Oh, this would be hella fun!

The villagers had seen him bark orders from the back all this time. They were almost expecting the same to happen again, but they were bound to be surprised.

“Fuck them up! Hahahaha!” Jack happily shouted as he charged…alone?! What the heck was he doing?! What about their formation?!

“Brave, wait for us! We’re coming over. Slow down a bit!” An elder cried out in worry. But it was as if Jack had suddenly turned deaf as he kept rushing, alone versus three wolves!

One had to know that only the strongest warriors could fight one such creature 1 v 1. Going against three alone was pure suicide! They almost closed their eyes but eventually forced themselves to watch the man’s demise.

The cruel wolves pounced toward the man, and…

— Clang! —

— Clang! —

— Clang! —

What the hell had just happened?! After a clash with three wolves…he was fine?! He had managed to push all the creatures back and had survived! No, it was even stranger than that. He almost seemed…relaxed. How?!

A dark ominous but extremely powerful-looking shield had suddenly appeared on his left arm. He was using it to block all the attacks without fail. How OP was he?!

On the side, the little wolf was happily howling as it cheered. They should have been rushing to help, but the NPCs remained rooted in place, flabbergasted. The scene felt way too surreal! This feat had been utterly impossible in their minds.

As he fought, there were odd sounds that resonated. It sounded a bit like cluck-cluck? What could be the meaning of this? He had been right about one thing: he truly was unfathomable to them!

He slew the first wolf, then the second one, and there only remained one…

Just as they were daydreaming, he laughed as he ran their way. “I’ve kept one for you guys. Show me what you all can do!” Jack shouted.

In his eyes, he was simply trying to save his potions. After all, his HP was low as fuck at this moment. It had felt good to personally trash the first two, but he would now rely on his minions.

But in their eyes, he was an invincible entity giving them a chance for redemption. He had defeated the first two while they had only watched. How disgraceful! This was their opportunity to make things right.

The wolf had been angrily chasing its prey, blinded by fury, when it suddenly realized that something was wrong. It finally noticed the countless humans surrounding it with long pointed weapons.

Oh crap!

The humans didn’t show an ounce of pity, no matter how much the wolf whimpered. They mercilessly stabbed it in every possible hole, creating so many new ones. The once invincible enemy was now their prey!

A second later, the poor wolf had so many spears stuck in its body that it looked like a red blood-tainted hedgehog. Instead of a meal, it had only found the way to a prompt death!

That’s when the villagers seemed to come back to their senses suddenly. As they saw the three carcasses, they felt incredible happiness.

The wolves were better to watch out for they were coming! They couldn’t help but glance at Jack, the man who had instilled so much confidence in them.

So what if they faced even more enemies? With him leading them, they would 100% be OK. How did they know? They didn’t, but they believed!

No longer would they fear the predators. It was time for the counterattack!…

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

Day 1: Skeletal Chicken Tier (4/6) ???

Creator’s Thought

Leading a group of NPCs is surprisingly very satisfying. It allows one to feel like a big boss without all the effort that goes into paying people to act or slowly grooming them to be loyal. This is why games are fun, it allows for cool experiences.