Sigma and the others have gathered in the same swamp where the previous battle happened. The corpses of some of the monsters are still present after the arduous struggle, though none of the players seems to care about them anymore, though that should be normal of how much they had looted them before they all died. The remnants are either worthless or they are just too sunken on the swamp.
Not only the team was there, but the other players who had participated in the war before are also there. Even those who died in the middle of the battle like Kaisar are present as well. And since all the players who survived and died during the first wave are present, everyone is crowding all over the swamp.
"Are the others not gonna join us today?" Sigma asked.
"Apparently, Bladeheart's parents are too busy today and we don't know about Mr. Teddy at the moment. Tatsumaki and the others said they will pass from this event as they are busy with some of the side quest that they are stuck with which is also the main reason they didn't join us in the first wave. So you can say that we are the only ones who will be fighting in the frontlines at the moment," Iron replied.
"Same old team, huh? Not that I am complaining but we sure have fewer members in the fight, huh?" Sigma sighed.
"Not that it matters though, we rock as a team. Being in numbers is an advantage but we can do just fine by ourselves," Topaz immediately corrected Sigma.
"Heh, yes, that's right. It's not like we rely only on numbers to fight enemies. We rely on our skills," Sigma chuckled.
"By the way, did Bladeheart say anything about the enemy we are going to face?" Dolly asked the boys.
"Nope. It seems like we are just going to find out on our own. He only gave us these supplies and nothing else," Hagane then pulled out the supplies given to them by Bladeheart to the girls who just arrived.
"Flashbang and stun grenades?" Topaz frowned when she saw the items that were given.
Inside the package that Bladeheart has given to them was a set of 10 flashbangs and 10 stun grenades which is the maximum amount a player can carry in their toolbelts alongside some of the basic potions they use and the splash potions that are used to deal damage to the enemies but that's only natural. Seeing the non-lethal items alongside the recovery items seems odd to everyone as they barely used them before.
"Strange, Why did Bladeheart give us stun grenades and some flashbangs? It's not like we are going to war against soldiers right?" Harmless Sparrow furrowed her brows.
"Perhaps it was just mixed in by Bladeheart by mistake? But that should be pretty unlikely..." Dolly tilted her head.
"Doesn't matter. If he gave us these alongside the recovery items then we will use it all the same."
The timer started beeping on everyone's system, meaning the horde is almost here. No one has seen it yet but with the timer beeping on everyone, everyone is getting anxious and that is expected especially with what happened in the first wave.
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
The moment it turned zero, the monsters suddenly emerge from the swamp waters causing everyone to get shocked as they thought monsters would just rush in like before. Seeing wormlike enemies appearing, the others who didn't like seeing worms immediately got squeamish and retreated.
"No one is feeling bad at looking with worms, yeah?" Sigma looked at everyone.
Everyone else looked at each other and seeing no one react, Sigma smiled and assumed her usual stance.
"Well then, time to fight!"
The players immediately started fighting. The NPC soldiers also fight back with them and are a huge deal for a bit especially in stalling some enemies. Sigma and the others are doing fine and they are handling enemies much easier than before.
"Is it just me or do these enemies seem a lot... easier?" Topaz looked at everyone as she is just using her basic attack plus fireball combo and is killing the enemies just fine and much faster as well.
"It's certainly much easier to fight against, not that I am complaining but that is usually a trap. Don't let your guard down," Iron reminded his sister.
"Iron is right, Topaz. Being easy doesn't mean it will remain as one. We should keep our vigilance high even if our enemies are easier to kill. There might be a reason why they are easier to deal with," Sigma agrees with Iron's suggestion as well.
However, Sigma's group is the most likely players who are doing it seriously. The others are clearly not doing it seriously after realizing the enemies are much easier to deal with compared to the previous waves.
As a result, many of the players are just farming casually even if the monsters are rushing fast.
30 minutes after the beginning of the battle and tremors starts to shake the battlefield. Sigma and the others are now on guard for the upcoming threat. As for the others, they are now wondering whether this is going to be the boss battle now which was of course, what will happen indeed.
Most of the players have gotten complacent about how easily the enemies are now so they are not worried about the boss, especially with how many rankers are present as well but it seems they are not prepared for what the new gimmick of the new boss is going to be.
After the tremors stopped, the boss slowly emerged from the distance. The soldiers on the land immediately pulled out their ballista and catapults to attack the boss while it is still in the far distance, not waiting for it to get close.
"FIRE!"
Every commander unit shouted in unison as the ballista and catapults fired their ammunition and headed straight to the ball coming in the distance.
'Explosions and several other things happened in the distance as the attacks all landed on the boss. After the attack, holes are immediately created from the body of the boss, and everyone who has seen this is happy that the boss seems much easier as the ballista and catapults seem to be doing their stuff just fine so they continue on their usual fighting against the worms that are rushing in.
However, unlike them, Sigma and the others immediately noticed the changes in the boss especially since they have observed the boss at a closer distance. They learned a lot on Bladeheart that some bosses are not what you expect and expect always the unexpected.
"Oy, is it just me or the flesh of the boss that got blasted to pieces just started moving?" Hagane who is the closest to them on the boss in terms of the formation commented on the "flesh" that separated the boss.
"Brother, you aren't just seeing things. I think I am seeing it too," Iron who is also in the same position as Hagane nodded in agreement on Hagane.
"Flesh is moving?" Sigma frowned.
"We are not mistaking it! It's indeed moving." Hagane tightens his grip on the shield. Iron did as well.
Sigma who trusts the words of her companions immediately readies herself. She then remembered the flashbangs and stun grenades that were handed to them as well so she immediately ordered everyone.
"Guys put the stun grenades and flashbangs on your toolbelt quick slots. There must be a reason why we are given these by Bladeheart in the first place."
Everyone nodded and put them immediately on their quick slots so that they can pull them out and use them whenever they wanted to. They usually just put potions and some stuff that can be used immediately but not stun grenades and flashbangs as they are rarely or never used it ever.
As the catapults and ballista do some "damage" to the boss, Sigma and the others immediately glimpsed the name of the boss.
[Sphere of Worms and Leeches]
Type: Boss
Trait: ????
"Wait... I am not seeing any HP bar. Did my UI got corrupted or something?" Dolly frowned as she rubs her eyes as if she didn't think she is seeing clearly.
"No, you are not the only one, Dolly. I don't see the HP bar as well, only the HP and its trait full of question marks."
As attacks continuously chipped off parts of the boss, they have not realized the way the boss moves. But for the team, they are seeing it up close. After all, the boss is not just a singular monster but a lot of them. And we mean... A LOT.
With the boss now revealed to them, Sigma immediately stopped remaining on her combat stance and ordered everyone.
"RETREAT!"
Sigma's quick response saved them from trouble as the moment they retreated, a large leech immediately landed where they stood before.
"Sh*t... it may be a boss, but it seems we are not just going to fight one. But a collective of them!"
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