147 Grinding (3)
Leo couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows as he looked at the quiver hanging from her back, wondering why she would hide her class.
Leo didn’t mind if the players didn’t fully trust him, but he had to stay cautious in case the mage had any hidden motives. Even though a contract had been signed, it didn’t mean that all members of the guild were satisfied with his assistance.
Leo wasn’t sure if Robin deemed it unnecessary to inform him about the green-haired girl, but he decided to be on guard.
“No, they don’t have any other abilities...”
Leo answered some additional questions that were related to the situation and distanced himself from the group, satisfied with the money he had earned.
He observed as half of the guild split off from the rest, Robin leading them in the direction of the city, while the others remained behind, trying to pass the time by talking and secretly glancing towards him. He could see some of them had intentions to approach him, and with a sigh, he decided to head towards the lake.
Splash...
Leo made sure to keep a safe distance from the players so they wouldn’t be affected by the Siren’s song and successfully lured a creature to the shore.
To avoid using his Shadow Blast again, he damaged the monster using a Lightning Bolt spell before preparing to lure a second one.
.....
The contract he had signed with Robin stated that they would share this farming spot and keep the method of luring Sirens a secret from the public. Both Leo and the Cross guild also agreed to respect each other’s space and not interfere with each other’s actions.
Leo was paid a substantial amount of Gold coins that could easily purchase the most extravagant mansions in the real world.
Leo was currently considering if it would be worth it to exchange the gold coins into real-world money and invest it. Another option would be to go to an auction house and buy various items, which he knew would increase in value in the future.
Splash...
Another fish-like monster, lunged out of the water, nearly reaching Leo with its weak hands, adorned with sharp nails.
Even though the Sirens were addicted to bread, they were not completely mindless and could attack an enemy if they were in close proximity.
Leo, who had anticipated this, was at a safe distance and simply took a step backwards, allowing the monster to crash against the ground, with its hands grasping at nothing but air.
Leo could sense the players’ gaze on him from the other side of the lake, but his attention was focused on the creature flailing helplessly beneath his feet.
Swish...
– 51 Magical Damage!
Leo dealt minimal damage to the Siren and frowned, leaving the monster to die on its own, while throwing another loaf of bread into the water.
He was about to throw another bread into the water when he noticed a metallic glint reflecting off the sun, coming from within the bushes in the corner of his eye.
Leo pretended not to notice the glint, but he summoned Fenrir and gestured towards the forest, indicating for his pet to take a walk and explore the area.
“Go take a few laps around, get some exercise!”
He spoke loudly, so even the person hiding in the lush bushes would hear him. Through their bond, he instructed Fenrir to sneak up to the person and bring them to him, alive if possible...
Leo watched as his companion’s black tail disappeared among the foliage, and he continued to eliminate the Sirens. Meanwhile, the members of the Cross guild observed him from a distance, capturing images and uploading them to the internet.
The only individuals who appeared to be unfazed by Leo’s presence were the archer with green hair and an elderly monk with a grey beard that reached his hips.
Despite this, both of them occasionally stole glances at him, indicating to Leo that they were cautious of him and ready to defend themselves and the guild members if he chose to attack.
Roar...
Suddenly, Leo heard Fenrir’s roar from within the forest and shifted his gaze towards the sound. He observed as the green-haired elf took out her bow, but from the way she was holding it, he could tell she was not proficient with the weapon.
Soon, a man wearing iron armor was thrown out of the foliage, his chest plate adorned with marks of Fenrir’s claws.
“Cough... Cough...”
Leo saw the man vomiting blood, but felt no sympathy for the stalker. He noticed that the player was an Orc, his forearms adorned with tattoos that indicated he was a Berserker.
“What is your intention?”
Feeling the bone blade slide out of his elbow, Leo pressed it against the green-skinned neck of the Orc, causing him to freeze in place.
...
He felt the gazes of the Cross guild players judging him, but he paid them no attention, as he saw drops of blood trickling down the Orc’s armor. If the Orc chose to remain silent, Leo would not hesitate to kill him.
Even though his blade was pressed against the Orc’s neck, he would still need to cast a spell, as his bone blades would not inflict significant damage to an Orc.
Leo watched as small particles of light gathered around the fingers of the kneeling Orc. In a split-second, Leo cast a Lightning Bolt, impaling the Orc with a projectile made of crackling electricity. The Orc let out a final cry of pain as the Lightning coursed through its body, causing its muscles to convulse before it fell motionless to the ground.
Leo observed as some of the player’s items fell to the ground, and he shrugged his shoulders, not finding anything of value to him.
He was not certain if the player belonged to the Cross guild, but from the expressions of the players in the distance, Leo could tell that the orc was an outsider. This slightly troubled Leo, as now another player was aware of this lake’s location.
He noticed the monk typing into his System window and guessed that he was contacting Robin, another player finding the lake was a huge deal after all...
Sighing, Leo knelt down, picking up the gold coins the Orc had dropped, before moving away from the corpse. He couldn’t help but frown, as he couldn’t use his Demonic Flame to consume the Orc in front of so many people.
Tap... Tap...
Hearing someone approaching, Leo turned his masked face towards the sound and saw the monk with a long beard walking towards him.
As he studied the monk’s face, Leo saw no hidden motives and retracted his bone blades that were still extended from the fight with the Orc. He knew that his new weapons looked intimidating, and he didn’t want to make an enemy of one of the core members of the Cross guild.
“Hello young player...”
Lowering his head as if paying respect, the elder continued to speak in a tone that was respectful yet assertive.
“May the members of our guild take the items of the player you killed?”
Leo was taken aback for a moment. He didn’t anticipate the elder to ask him something so straightforward.
“Of course, you may”
Since the items wouldn’t fetch a substantial amount of gold coins in the auction house, Leo had no use for them, so it made no difference to him if the Cross guild took them or not.
As he watched the players divide the equipment, Leo suddenly felt someone nudge his side.
“Did you really defeat a Hidden Boss by yourself?”
He noticed the elf with green hair standing beside him, as if she had appeared out of thin air. In reality, Leo had sensed her approaching, and he had even started preparing to cast Shadow Protection, in case she tried anything funny.
“No?”
Leo replied, before moving further away from the archer, intending to lure another Siren to the shore. He saw no reason to reveal information if the elf herself was hiding her class. Leo wasn’t petty, not at all...
Splash...
Another Siren emerged from the lake and as it died, Robin and the other half of the guild returned with a large amount of bread and earplugs purchased from the city.
Robin’s face was frowning as he spoke with the green-haired archer and the elderly monk. He then directed his gaze towards Leo, indicating that he wanted to speak with him.
‘Why does everyone want to interrupt my grinding?’
Leo felt a wave of annoyance rise within him, but quickly suppressed it. He could have kept the information to himself, but he didn’t. It was his own fault for being addicted to money.
Dejectedly shaking his head, he watched as Robin approached him with fast steps.
“Do you know something about the Orc? Did he talk or tell you his name...”
Leo was bombarded with questions, which increased his annoyance. He already regretted accepting the money...
That’s a lie, he didn’t.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l