…
Only a handful of people knew the personal grudge between Crimson Rose and Black King Caesar. Most assumed this was just another ordinary guild turf war.
So when Roseheart’s elite team suddenly surged forward, Stormwind’s members instinctively broke off a group to intercept them.
But before things could escalate, yet another group burst in from the other end of the forest.
Actually—two groups. One of them was Stormwind reinforcements, but they were being completely routed by the second party.
“Boss! Empire Epic found us! They’re attacking! We can’t hold them off!”
Caesar’s expression darkened—until his comms buzzed with a new update.
“Hold both flanks! Blue Ocean’s bringing in Squad Three!”
The battlefield was thrown into total chaos.
In front, melee players from Roseheart, Stormwind, and Empire Epic had all clashed in a furious brawl.
From the back, ranged units poured fire into their enemies—or worse, onto the Vineflower Matron itself, trying to boost their DPS contribution and maybe even snipe the final blow.
Scattered solo players and small guilds circled the battlefield like vultures, trying to see if they could steal something valuable in the confusion.
Someone suddenly shouted, “Boss at 20%!”
The moment the words rang out, the Vineflower Matron’s body lit up with a pulse of green light. Thorny vines snapped outward in a vicious arc, instantly blasting away the players who had gotten too close.
The already chaotic battlefield erupted into even deeper turmoil.
Though technically a three-way fight, Stormwind stood at the center and bore the brunt of the pressure—defending against two sides and the boss itself.
Thankfully, reinforcements arrived just in time—over 80 elite members led by high-ranking Stormwind officers. They managed to stabilize the front, forcing back both Roseheart and Empire Epic just outside the boss’s immediate radius.
But neither of the two opposing guilds had any intention of backing down. Both began ramping up their offensive, calling in more reinforcements from their main guilds.
It was beginning to look more like an outright guild war than a raid boss contest.
Realizing this was turning into a stalemate, Black King Caesar ordered his men to focus all fire on the boss. The sooner they killed it, the sooner this mess would end.
But no one noticed the faint outline of a nearly invisible figure, quietly whispering numbers from within the crowd around the Vineflower Matron:
“15.4%… 14.9%… 13.2%…”
“Boss is at 5%!”
The moment that call rang out, Stormwind’s morale surged. They went wild, unleashing everything they had left on the boss. The Vineflower Matron, sensing its own imminent death, flailed violently in a last-ditch frenzy of thorn attacks.
Most players instinctively dodged away to avoid the AoEs.
All except one.
A small, delicate figure didn’t flinch. She stepped forward—straight into danger—while everyone else was backing off.
A faint grey light flickered over her.
BOOM.
The final hit number floated up from the boss’s head. With a dying shriek, the Vineflower Matron collapsed backward—completely dead.
“We finally killed it!”
“Quick! Check the loot!”
Stormwind’s players roared in celebration.
“Jiu-Tong! Get over there and pick it all up!” Caesar barked, addressing the guild’s loot handler.
But when he turned his head toward the boss’s corpse…
He saw someone already there.
“…Since when was he that fast?” Caesar blinked, momentarily confused.
And then—his eyes widened.
“STOP HER! SHE’S NOT ONE OF US!”
See, boss loot in this game follows two main rules:
- The top three DPS contributors get loot rights.
- The person (or team) who lands the last hit also gets rights.
Stormwind had the DPS covered.
But no one expected someone to sneak past their entire line and land the final blow.
Even less expected… that someone would have the guts to actually try and loot what Stormwind had just bled for.
Caesar’s bellow jolted the Stormwind mages and archers awake. They immediately began casting, sending a rain of spells toward the loot pile.
But I was already prepared for that.
Before anyone could react, I dove into the pile of dropped items, grabbed a glowing green armor piece and the Vineflower Matron’s soul, then dashed behind a nearby boulder without looking back.
Countless spells and arrows rained down. The massive boulder I had ducked behind exploded into rubble—but behind the flying debris, there was no one left to target.
“She’s over there!”
A sharp-eyed player with high Perception caught a flicker of movement near the bushes. A dozen spells were hurled in that direction—but their aim was off.
I twisted mid-dash, altering my path slightly to dodge most of the attacks, then slipped into stealth mode. Thanks to the rogue’s Vanish ability, I became completely untargetable, slipping past the Stormwind backline’s barrage.
Just a few more steps and I’d be out of their encirclement—
But then, right ahead, a heavily armored Shield Warrior came charging at me. His glowing shield signaled an incoming Shield Bash—if it connected, I’d be stunned, and the follow-up from the backline would be game over.
Soul Reversal.
At the crucial moment, I switched back to my Shadowcaster template. Using the anti-CC ability, I parried the stun, pivoted to his flank, and dashed past his dazed form.
Repulsion Aura.
The surrounding melee fighters tried to collapse in, but my aura pulsed out, flinging them back several yards.
With a clean path open, I sprinted the last few steps and slid back into Roseheart’s elite formation.
Without hesitation, I handed the glowing green armor to Crimson Rose.
She blinked in surprise but recovered instantly, pulling me behind her and ordering her team to form a defensive wall. They stood tall, intercepting the furious Stormwind players now surging toward us.
Black King Caesar narrowed his eyes, gaze shifting between Crimson Rose and me.
“So… you’re protecting her.”
“If we don’t protect our own, then what’s the point of Roseheart existing? And besides,” she smiled coolly, “it’s not like we’re exactly on good terms with your guild anyway.”
“Damn right,” echoed the Roseheart girls behind her.
“President Rose,” growled a sword-and-shield warrior from Stormwind, “are you really going to start a guild war… for a damn brat?”
I recognized his name. I knew exactly what he was implying.
Before Crimson Rose could even respond—
“Shut it. Who told you to talk?” Caesar barked coldly.
He stared at Crimson Rose a moment longer, then… turned around.
“We’re leaving.”
“…President?”
The entire Stormwind squad looked dumbfounded. This wasn’t the Caesar they knew. Was he really just going to let it go?
Only Vice Presidents Forest of Birch and Blue Ocean exchanged a knowing glance before silently rallying the rest.
“This won’t be the end of it,” one muttered.
“Crimson Rose, I hope you don’t regret this choice,” said another.
“Thanks for the concern,” she replied with a soft smile, completely unshaken. “But I doubt I ever will.”
After Stormwind retreated, Crimson Rose turned her gaze toward the remaining third party on the field—Snowhawk, Vice President of Empire Epic.
“What about you, Mr. Snowhawk? Got a dramatic line you’d like to toss in?”
“Not at all. Just here to spectate, really. I’ve got other things to do, so I’ll leave you ladies to it.”
He gave a courteous smile, then led Empire Epic’s second team away. He’d only come to stir the pot a little, and since the loot was lost anyway, he wasn’t going to push further.
…Though, as he left, he did glance back at me. Was that on purpose?
Once Empire Epic was gone, the small guilds and random solo players watching from the sidelines scattered too.
And finally—when only we were left—
Crimson Rose immediately dropped her elegant façade.
“Amazing! That’s my daughter for you! You were so cool out there! Come here and let Mama give you a big hug~”
…And this is exactly why I hid behind Doran in the first place.
Doran stepped in just in time, gently pressing a hand against Crimson Rose’s face to keep her at bay. Then she turned and handed the loot to one of the team members—a cool, long-haired girl with a quiet aura.
“Shuiyan, your armor drop. Aren’t you going to say something?”
“It’s fine, really,” I said quickly, waving my hands. “I only did it to get back at Stormwind.”
But Crimson Rose shook her head, putting on her formal guild-leader face again.
“No can do. It wouldn’t sit right with us if you didn’t get a proper thank-you. Shuiyan just got a rare set piece thanks to you. She needs to lead by example.”
“She’s right,” Doran added. “You’ve helped us a lot already—just accept it.”
Shuiyan hesitated for a moment, then knelt down and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
Even with her usual cold expression, her pale face was now visibly flushed.
“Eh…?”
I blinked and touched my cheek in disbelief.
But before I could process it, the real chaos began.
Because apparently… even that was unexpected for the rest of the team.
“Whoa. Shuiyan?!”
“I—I can’t believe she actually kissed her!”
And then, suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine.
I turned slowly…
…Only to see Crimson Rose and several other girls staring at me, eyes gleaming like wolves spotting a lamb.
“Well done, Shuiyan. But now… it’s Mama’s turn to spoil little Tong-tong!”
“Hey! President! Back of the line! (≧∀≦)o”
“No fair! It should’ve been me!”
“Excuse me! Based on guild contribution, I clearly deserve it the most!”
—WHY DOES THIS REQUIRE GUILD CONTRIBUTION POINTS?!
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