The players were all horrified at what Hubrion said, his words dripping with menace as they unconsciously took a step back from the intimidating demon centaur.
"What are they doing?"
"Are they going to initiate a fight?"
"Can we kill those things?! There are eight of them and one elf, and all of them are World Boss level!"
"Are you an idiot? We're already struggling with one World Boss before, let alone nine of them! If we engage them, we're definitely going to die!"
Unrest settled within the guilds. Though the prospect of defeating World Bosses excited many, the idea of taking on nine entities with the stats of a World Boss simultaneously was daunting.
They doubted that even thousands of players would be a match against these monsters. Though it seemed they outnumbered World Conqueror, against these World Bosses, they felt hopelessly outnumbered.
"What should we do, Scar?" Invayne asked urgently. "If those nine bosses start to engage us in a fight, we won't be able to escape."
Scar seethed with anger and frustration. Just how . . . just how could Ren knew these World Bosses? Just what did he do?
"We didn't come here to fight you," Eric started, attempting to diffuse the tension. "We just wanted to settle the score with Ren and his guild."
Azazel tilted his head to the side. "Is that right? Too bad, then. If you want to get to Ren, then you have to go through us first."
Whispers resounded, and everyone's face reflected a mix of confusion and disbelief. Just what did Ren do to gain favor from these NPCs?!
Just how lucky was he?!
Scar stared at Ren, his eyes burning with a mixture of frustration and anger. The latter simply smirked and shrugged.
"You heard him. If you want to kill us, now is your chance. However . . . you'd better be ready for a massacre."
Leonel and the others tightened their grip on their weapons, their resolve evident as they faced off against the many guilds, their expressions steely despite the rising tension in the air. While Azazel's group grinned menacingly, their auras intensifying, a wave of apprehension washed over the gathered guilds.
"You heard the man," Desira sweetly smiled, her enchanting demeanor casting a spell of [Charm] upon players with weak defense and no protection against status effects.
As her smile widened, more players succumbed to the enchantment, their bodies collapsing to the ground in unconsciousness.
"Fuck this shit. I'm out," said one player, his voice trembling with fear.
"Me too."
"This isn't what I had signed up for."
"Killing Ren and the others is one thing, but having to be massacred by these World Bosses is another."
One by one, the players began to retreat, realizing they stood no chance against Azazel and his group.
It was all well and good if they managed to kill Ren and claim his bounty. However, before that could happen, they feared Azazel's group would strike first, preventing them from even taking their first step.
Besides, there were surely other opportunities elsewhere. Not when these nine were present here. What remained were the guilds and their members, while the solo players all departed. The fallen players still lay unconscious on the ground, their numbers reduced to less than half of the initial throng.
"Let's go," Eric said with a resigned sigh, his gaze lingering on Ren and his companions before turning away.
Erica nodded in agreement with her twin brother's decision. "There's no use wasting our time here. We have other urgent matters to attend to."
At this point, White Unicorn wanted to know how to befriend Azazel and his group more than anything else. What had Ren done for them to be on such friendly terms with these World Bosses?
The Netherworld had only recently opened. Surely, it wasn't enough time for Ren and the others to befriend such powerful beings.
However, a nagging thought crossed the twins' minds — what if . . . what if Ren was the one who opened the Netherworld? After all, no one knew how the Netherworld suddenly became accessible to everyone.
They also took note of researching this place. Perhaps there would be an opportunity to defeat one of the World Bosses at a time. But that remained to be seen.
On the sidelines, Roni ground his teeth in frustration. Why did Ren have to be so unbelievably lucky?
Not far from him, Dmitri, Cang Lu, Aragon, and Hexel simmered with rage at the unexpected turn of events. They had thought they had Ren and World Conqueror backed into a corner, only for fortune to favor him once again as even World Bosses came to his aid.
Was this some kind of sick joke?
"He must have done something!" Cang Lu spat, his voice laced with venomous accusation.
"That's right," Dmitri agreed, his frustration evident in his clenched fists. "Let's report him. That cheater must have pulled some underhanded trick to gain the favor of those creatures. The Netherworld has only just opened, and there's no way he's already completed quests to befriend them!"
Iraelyn's face contorted with anger, her knuckles cracking ominously as she clenched her fists. "Enough talk, let's stop wasting time and get down to the beating!"
Roni, Dmitri, Cang Lu, and the others all shrieked and instinctively backed away.
"Damn it, if only Angelica were here," Cang Lu complained, his frustration evident.
Desira licked her lips, her eyes glowing with a sinister gleam. "Well?" she purred, her voice dripping with amusement. "What's it going to be? Flee or death?"
Dmitri and the others exchanged a glance, uncertainty clouding their expressions, while Scar turned to Ren and shot him one last glare.
"It seems that luck is on your side today, Ren," Scar muttered through gritted teeth.
Ren chuckled. "I've always been lucky."
With a grumble, Scar turned away and began to leave, the others following suit, preparing to depart as well.
"Although . . ." Ren's voice suddenly cut through the tension, causing the others to pause and turn back to him.
