Whaaammm!

  Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming up from the area where the monster was at, shocking Verment and his allies.

  "W-What was that?!" One of the teammates of Verment and Goover shouted out loud as they didn't expect that suddenly there was a loud sound coming up from the location of the monster, his voice trembling with shock. The entire group too flinched as a loud, thunderous noise erupted from the direction of the battlefield. It sounded like a massive explosion, the ground trembling beneath their feet.

  "That came from the monster’s location," Verment's hand instinctively went to his sword, eyes scanning the horizon.

  Goover’s eyes widened in alarm, "Something must’ve triggered it! Was it the players? Or—"

  Before he could finish his sentence, a massive plume of smoke rose into the sky from where the monster had been, dying the area into a color of terror. The sheer force of the blast sent a shockwave through the area, followed by a brief silence, as if the entire battlefield had paused in anticipation for what was going to come.

  Aron, who had remained calm, only raised an eyebrow. His amused grin widened, clearly intrigued by the unexpected development. "Looks like something big just happened. Wonder if they managed to push it too far..."

  Verment’s eyes looked solemn, his instincts screaming that whatever was happening wasn’t good. "We need to figure out what caused that. If the players set something off, this battle might be about to get even worse."

  Goover nodded, his face pale. "If that was the monster, there is a possibility that it might have just changed phases…"

  Aron chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Well, it could be, or another one that actually changed phase…" He said as his voice trailed down toward the ned. His gaze flickered between Verment, Goover, and the battlefield. Though his response was hard to tell, either for the Verment and his teammates, or possibly just toward himself…

  Grrraaaaa!

  The roar of the monster echoed once again, louder and more menacing than before, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Whatever had just happened, it seemed even more dangerous than before.

  "What should we do now, Verment? Should we go, or…?" Goover asked, his voice filled with trepidation as he glanced between the battlefield and their group. The loud roar of the monster still echoed in the distance, and the smoke cloud rising from its location loomed ominously over them.

  Verment’s mind racing. The situation was escalating quickly, and there was no telling what kind of danger awaited them if they jumped back into the fray. But retreating now, after hearing that explosion, could mean losing any chance of figuring out what had changed with the monster, and what was really going on.

  He glanced at Goover and the rest of his teammates, their faces a mixture of fear and… uncertainty.

  After all, despite the fear gnawing at them, there was also a gnawing curiosity in Verment’s group. They wanted to know what had caused that deafening noise and how the battle had progressed since they retreated. Even Goover, who had been the most anxious, couldn’t shake the burning question in his mind: What had triggered that massive noise?

  Verment could feel it too. As much as they feared running into danger, the thought of missing out on crucial information, was equally unsettling.

  "After all, it could be something important…" Goover muttered under his breath, glancing nervously at Verment. In the end, he still held the idea of staying there. Going against the flow wasn’t an easy endeavor after all.

  Especially with the idea that the monster might have entered a new phase where it was finally vulnerable…

  It filled Goover with a mixture of hope and urgency. Especially after witnessing the loud explosion, what if that was truly the case? Wouldn’t they be missing out on the big prize and be a laughing stock for retreating when the chance to get it was right in front of their eyes? The regret would probably haunt them down for who knows how long…

  And with that, Goover started to talk about his calculation, offering his insight. Verment’s heart pounded in his chest as the thought started to manifest in his mind.

  "Even though we don’t have any concrete evidence, It is indeed possible. If that blast was part of the monster’s mechanic, it could’ve broken whatever was keeping its health from dropping earlier." Verment nodded gravely.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  One of their teammates, eyes wide with realization, added, "We might actually be able to contribute now. This could be the turning point!"

  The nervous tension that had clouded the group began to lift slightly. The fear was still there, but now it was tempered by the hope that maybe, just maybe, the tide of battle had turned, in the players’ favor.

  "...Still, we’re not going in blind," Nonetheless, Verment said finally, his voice firm.

  "It is true that it would be better if we are able to find out what that was. If the monster's going through a phase change or if something triggered a new mechanic, we’ll be the last ones to know if we stay back here. But the risk is also there, what if the monster actually just entered berserk mode, instead of entering vulnerable mode? We wanted to play it safe, so just proceed as the plan went before, and retreat."

  Goover, who listened to Verment’s voice, sighed as he looked at the monster’s direction, “Ahh… Nothing like the promise of a monster finally bleeding to get players back into the fray..." His tone was mocking but with a tinge of helplessness.

  Verment shook his head, looking at the situation of his teammates, “Alright, let’s pack up and get going. We shouldn’t waste our time in this kind of situation…” Verment’s voice trailed off toward the end as he suddenly realized that the mysterious man, aka Aron or Aron, had disappeared from their presence…

  Without warning...

  Aron vanished, as if swallowed by the air itself. One moment he was standing there and the next, he was gone—no flash of light, no sound, just an eerie silence where he once stood. It was just so mind boggling for them.

  Verment blinked in confusion, his eyes scanning the area where Aron had been moments before. "... Just what is going on?"

  Goover walked round, looking frantically, "Hey… did anyone see where he went?"

  One of their teammates shook their head, equally shocked. "It’s like he just… disappeared?”

  As much as Aron’s cryptic words had irritated him, the suddenness of his disappearance unsettled him even more. "He didn’t just log out, did he?" Verment muttered to himself, though he knew that wasn’t likely. After all, punishment for logging off in an unsafe way was severe. It was not worth it to log off just like that.

  "Then how does someone just vanish like that? He was standing right in front of us!"

  Goover, eyes wide with disbelief, whispered.

  Verment’s mind raced. "No idea. But wherever he went… It might not be good." It was hard to tell though, to whom the idea of not so good fell toward.

  The group stood in uneasy silence for a moment, all staring at the spot where Aron had been.

  "Let’s move," Verment finally said, shaking off the eerie feeling. "We’re sticking with the plan and getting out of here. No more holding off."

  With one last glance, they turned and retreated.

  …

  In a place far removed from where Verment and his teammates had stood, a figure materialized silently, as though stepping out from the shadows. The landscape around him was quite desolate looking, a perfect vantage point overlooking the battlefield where the monster continued its rampage. His gaze was steady, focused intently on the chaos below. The man was none other than Morality Mortalized, or as he was known outside the game, Aron.

  A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he observed the ongoing battle.

  “The players down there had no idea what was truly happening, I guess,” Aron stood alone, watching with calculating eyes.

  "Seems like it has happened," Aron muttered to himself, playing around with a crystal looking thing as his eyes followed the movements of the remaining players, still frantically battling the creature.

  He glanced briefly at the horizon, where Verment and his group had retreated. He had to admit, they were smart to fall back. Verment’s caution had piqued his interest, but only just.

  "... Though as expected, that dude Starday really exceeded everyone's expectation, huh..." He looked at the current situation, where most of the players here were killed by the monster.

  “He really outdid himself this time haha…” His laugh sounded lowly as he watched the battlefield below. Parts of the players who had charged in, rallying under Starday and his guild Bright Resonance, were now nothing more than corpses vanishing into light particles. The monster had wiped them out with terrifying efficiency.

  From his elevated position, Aron could see the carnage in full view. The bodies of players scattered across the battlefield, some still fading into digital dust, while the survivors barely held on, struggling to avoid the same fate. Starday himself was still in the fray, seemingly trying to rally those who were left, but the damage had already been done.

  He watched as Starday and his remaining guildmates fought desperately, still trying to fight the monster. The health bar of the creature had not even budged despite their best looking efforts. The massive explosion earlier had only made things worse, as the monster entered a more aggressive, possibly berserk phase.

  "What a show, Bro." Aron shook his head with a feigned sigh.

  "Though I guess they should’ve known better."

  His eyes flickered as he watched the remaining players scatter, some retreating while others foolishly continued their attack. Starday, to his credit, was still standing strong, refusing to abandon the fight despite the overwhelming odds.

  …

  “Hahahah, very nice. We can start to retreat after a few moments…” Starday laughed under his breath, a smile creeping across his face. His sharp eyes gleamed as he surveyed the battlefield, where the majority of the players had been slain by the monstrous creature’s relentless attacks.