Chapter 244: Sadly, You’re Nothing But A Side Character
As the sentry's terrified voice reverberated across the nearby periphery of the savanna, a pair of two-meter-tall shadows emerged from the chilling darkness.
The hair-raising sound of massive claws occasionally scraping against dirt and stones sent chills down the sentry's spine.
Waking up to two pairs of horrifying scarlet eyes, the gold-ranked adventurers momentarily screamed, clumsily drawing their weapons in utter distress.
A few seconds later, Shye and the adventurers finally beheld the creatures in all their glory.
The creatures looked identical, only, one was slightly smaller than the other, however, both were eerily crawling on all fours, appearing extremely menacing as their massive claws made Shye and the gold-ranked party swallow anxiously.
Undoubtedly, a single swift strike from those claws, reminiscent of the grim reaper's scythe, would end their lives.
'Appraisal'
[Name]: Ripper Koala
[Occupation]: Monstrous Creature
[Creature Rank]: C
[Description]
An agile and powerful marsupial inhabiting diverse eucalypt forests, Ripper Koalas are typically dormant during daylight hours, only to become active at night. Emerging from their towering eucalyptus perches, they venture forth to hunt camping adventurers. While primarily solitary, they may sometimes be encountered in small clusters of two or three individuals.
[Skills]
[Claw Swipe Lv.(N/A)]
[Eucalyptus Chomp Lv.(N/A)]
[Ripper's Rage Lv. (N/A)]
[Fake Death Lv.(N/A)]
[Pounce Lv.(N/A)]
[Climb Tree Lv.(N/A)]
[Strength: 155]
[Intelligence: 40]
[Agility: 150]
[Dexterity: 140]
[Stamina: 70]
[Vitality: 110]:
[Wisdom: 40]
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'Finally! The darned things appeared!' Shye celebrated as a crazy smile emerged on his face.
In contrast to Shye's elation, the adventurer party was horrified.
They were mere gold-ranked adventurers, although there were five of them, they would be lucky if they could hold out for half an hour.
After all, even platinum-ranked adventurers would find it hard to defeat ripper koalas.
Shortly afterward, one of the five adventurers, a relatively young female mage, recognized the creatures and dropped to her knees, her face contorted with profound despair.
"N-No…T-there's just no way…we're gonna die…we're all gonna die!!!' the woman crazily shrilled.
She meticulously selected her quests as she progressed from bronze to her current rank: gold.
Hence, she had never been in such a dangerous situation.
Realizing that she will most likely die today, the poor adventurer's mind broke down.
"BERYL!! PICK UP YOUR STAFF!! DON'T GIVE UP SO EASILY!!" One of the adventurers exclaimed, gnashing his teeth in frustration.
Ever since their rookie year, the five of them had been together.
Initially, their interactions were awkward, stemming from their diverse backgrounds in different academies, however, they have since become close friends.
The party leader, Fisher, had big dreams.
'As long as the five of us are together, we can do anything' was his steadfast belief, hence, he never thought that the day would come when they would be in such a deadly situation.
He, as the party leader, had been careful in choosing quests.
As a result, their entire party, "The Fearsome Five", as they call themselves, steadily climbed from bronze and silver to gold.
Unfortunately, it seems that their smooth streak would end today as not only one but probably all five of them would perish.
Fisher also knows this.
However, he didn't want things to end; he refused to simply give up on their lives and dreams.
Meanwhile, Shye prepared himself to help the poor adventurers.
Equipping both of his greatswords, Shye decided to check his status, expecting that his rare talent,[Greatsword Meister (Rare)], would grant him enough attributes to fight on equal footing with at least one Ripper Koala.
[Name]: Shye Crowley
[Level]: 74
[Class]: Warrior
[Active Skills]: [Swallow Step Lv.1] [Appraisal Lv.2] [Dash Lv.4] [Power Slash Lv.4][Enhanced Reaction Time Lv.3][Stoic Lv.4] [Destructive Chop Lv.3] [Rush Stab Lv.3][Lunge Pierce Lv3][Draconian Roar Lv.2][Boost Lv.1(Rare)]... [See More]
[Semi-Passive Skills]: [(Dark)Harrowing Aura Lv.1(Rare)]
[Passive Skills]: [Dual Wield(Rare)]
Talent: [Lim??(???)] [Greatsword Meister (Rare)]
Blessings: [Blessing of Lesser Intelligence(Permanent)]
[Attributes]:
[Strength: 120(+36)]
[Intelligence: 94]
[Agility: 120(+24)]
[Dexterity: 120(+24)]
[Stamina: 90(+18)]
[Vitality: 105(+21)]
[Wisdom: 53]
[Back] [Exit System]
'Hmm…Still a bit short but this should be enough to work with…' Shye thought, returning his attention to the ongoing camp attack.
What he didn't expect was that one of the adventurers would do something idiotic.
Shye didn't want them to die, not even one.
The reason is guilt.
He didn't want to feel guilty for using them as bait, hence, he vowed to do his best to protect them, however, it seems that fate had other plans.
Fisher, as both the party's warrior and leader, courageously charged forth, empowered by his delusions that they would somehow make it as long as they fought fiercely for their lives.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the main character he thought he was.
As his charge's momentum brought him closer to the koalas, Fisher's resolute face was replaced by utter horror as both koalas flashed him an eerie smile, as though they were laughing at him for being delusional.
With a single swipe of their claws, Fisher, along with his sword, was slashed into six pieces.
Blood splattered everywhere as various dismembered body parts hurtled through the air, a few landing beside the dead man's party members, prompting all of them to scream, their sanity—utterly destroyed.
A few minutes prior, they were peacefully sleeping.
Everyone's presence brought serenity to everyone.
Now, their greatest pillar of mental fortitude, their party leader Fisher, became nothing but scattered bits of flesh.
Realizing that the party wouldn't even last two minutes without his help, Shye gnashed his teeth, activating his semi-passive skill, [(Dark)Harrowing Aura Lv.1(Rare)], to inflict fear stacks upon one koala while he swiftly charged towards the other.
Naturally, the koalas who not only had absurdly sharp instincts but also perfect synergy due to hunting together for several years, immediately sensed the danger coming from the nearby shrubbery.
Seemingly conversing with each other using shrill, chilling cries, one koala charged toward Shye while the other continued attacking the bewildered gold-ranked adventurer party.