Shortly after leveling up Cygnus, Sithik, and Aspaira to their former level, Kieran loaned each of the three the Medallion of Growth for 10 minutes each. Cycling the item among the party members allowed all three of them to reach Lv.15.
While this caused Kieran's experience acquisition rate to plummet, and their expressions of astonishment for his possession of this item, he didn't mind the outcome. After all, if they were going up against a Rare World Boss, at least Lv.15 would be required.
Once they reached Lv.15, Kieran stopped battling monsters altogether. If they came close to a monster, he simply flared his Warrior's Aura. Coupled with his naturally higher level and the wolves' predatory hunches, this action made them avoid Kieran.
Meanwhile, he had the rest of the party expose their Skill Menu. Given the fact there were only five of them, they needed to create the soundest synergy possible, especially since there was an almost guaranteed possibility that they'll end up targeted by the Shadow Cartel.
However, because everyone was only a Basic Class, there weren't many Skill Points to work with. The current situation required Kieran's utmost logistical precision. After assessing their Skill Point reservoir, Kieran had them assign the available points in such a way that allowed them to maximize their specialty.
Furthermore, he had Sithik and Cygnus diversify their healing spectrum.
Cygnus, whose Healing Factor was slightly higher than Sithik, was tasked with learning all of the short cooldowns heals accessible to a Lv.15 Priest. Her higher Healing Factor coupled with shorter cooldown heals meant Cyngus could quickly heal the damage received.
Conversely, Kieran made Sithik with an admittedly lower Healing Factor focus primarily on his large heals. The short cooldown heals only received the diminutive remaining Skill Points in his possession. Thus, Cygnus adopted the main healer role while Sithik became the sub-healer.
Of course, he had no complaints about the assignment. A sub role meant he would be exposed to less stress. He only need fill in the gaps that Cygnus couldn't bridge alone.
On the other hand, Kieran had Aspaira learn the two additional binding spells accessible to a Lv.15 Mage. Since her aim was all but horrendous, Kieran decided to have her take on the crowd-control role. This way, less focus was put on her aim. Unlike attack spells, binding spells automatically locked on the strongest enemy in the vicinity.
If all enemies were of equal strength, it shifted to the closest entity.
Finally, Kieran revealed a faint smile. "For our current situation… excellent."
Unlike before, Kieran didn't have any suggestions for Altair's attribute allocation. He felt it would alter his path too much if he constantly interfered with his stats. After all, Altair would need attributes similar to the ones in Kieran's memories if he was to receive that dangerous class.
Only Altair understood his logic in his stat allocation.
"Ayo boss, there's a ton of people surging towards the back of the Fanged Forest now. Should we get a move on as well?" Sithik asked while scratching his head. They had stayed in place for quite some time now.
Granted, it was for their benefit, but Sithik could tell Altair was becoming restless.
"Nah, not yet. I've yet to hear any signs of hardcore battle. It isn't time for us to make our move just yet," Kieran responded.
While the others were ready to engage in more action, Kieran had entered a truly calm state. He had already mentally devised his plan, so he couldn't allow the others to deviate from the way he wished to implement it.
Still, Sithik couldn't help but groan. "But, boss, why not? Won't at least hundreds of players group up to get a piece of the World Boss?"
"Hundreds?" Kieran chuckled. "Try thousands. A World Boss is simply a juicy piece of meat at this stage in the game. Although it's only a Rare Boss, I wouldn't be surprised if some Unique Item dropped."
"WHAT?!"
Everyone's eyes widened to saucers. Even the slightest mention of a Unique Item was enough to make anyone drool. Although it was only a step above a Rare Item, they were simply in a completely different realm. One Unique Item could wholly turn the tides in a gruesome battle.
This was especially true if the mentioned item was either an accessory or a weapon.
"Yeah, but if I'm being brutally honest, that's all based on luck and ability," Kieran shrugged. While Unique Items were unmistakably enticing, Kieran's interest was invested in his upcoming quest for the time being.
Just what rewards would he get from clearing a quest with SSS-Ranked difficulty this early on?
"Speaking of which, how many members of the Shadow Cartel do you estimate will be there?" Altair questioned. He glanced at Kieran while casually tossing and spinning his dagger to curb the boredom.
"Well, they're relatively condensed in the real world… so, maybe 40 to 50% of their forces should show up? The rest may be scattered in other beginner villages," Kieran estimated.
Altair's eyes glistened with intrigue as he listened to Kieran estimate the numbers. It seemed like he was pretty familiar with the Shadow Cartel. 'Could he have collected information on the gaming organizations since they'll undoubtedly send him offers?'
Altair himself had received offers in the past, but he didn't pay them any mind because of his unique situation. Organizations would require information that he wasn't willing to give out.
A moment later, Altair stretched. "And how much would you say that is number wise?"
"Meh… maybe 3- 400?"
"..."
"..."
Everyone in the party silently blinked and turned towards Kieran's nonchalant figure.
"Say it with even less indifference, why don't you? Do you not understand that almost 400 people is 8,000% of this party?!" Aspaira exclaimed in shock.
Furthermore, she was also worried about how much Infamy they'd receive if they targeted so many people.
"We'll have help. The plan is to target the Shadow Cartel and disrupt their focus while they go against the boss. Only once enough have been picked off will we interfere directly. As long as we don't inflict any damage, we won't be labeled as the cause of their death," Kieran explained with a wicked grin.
Everyone looked at him in a new light while their jaws dropped. Not only was their party leader a daredevil, but he was absolutely vindictive! Kieran didn't care about killing them as many times as they killed his party members; he wanted to make the organization suffer as a whole.
This was at least a hundred times the torment they received by default. How tragic would it be if a third-rate organization that sought to increase its influence had its opportunity utterly stolen from them?
Surely they would be enraged! There was even a chance that they may mobilize their entire force to retaliate.
"You're… a madman. I love it," Altair said with a passionate gleam in his eyes. He grinned from ear to ear underneath his scarf.
Soon after, Kieran gave the signal for them to begin moving. While advancing further into the Fanged Forest, everyone beside Aspaira plucked herbs, fruits, and other berries available in this place. As a result, the experience bar beside their trade skill raises quickly.
It wouldn't be long before their trade skills advanced from Beginner Apprentice to Intermediate Apprentice. The first level of trade skills was relatively easy to advance through. It didn't require successful endeavors; it simply acquired the player to engage in the action.
Hence, the reason it was called an Apprentice level skill.
After reaching the Official standard, the requirement would change drastically. The skill would require successful harvests and productions to acquire Lifestyle Experience.
Eventually, sounds of battle entered Kieran's ears, cautioning him to raise his hand and stop their advance. He climbed a nearby tree with nimbleness that should only belong to someone of the Thief or Hunter Class and gained a bird's eye view.
The battlefield entered his sights, and it made Kieran more excited than he cared to admit. The World Boss that spawned in this area was by no means a simple one. In fact, this spawn was in their favor.
As long as he played his cards right, the World Boss would undeniably annihilate the parties that attempted to slay it.
By right of his observation, Kieran also noticed that other parties would be roped into the conflict. Therefore, he had to make a decision—should he care for the progress of others, or should he be tyrannical and only have his own future in mind?
After all, from what Kieran could see, most of the present parties should belong to other gradeless or third-class organizations. Rather than make the decision now, Kieran chose to hold off until he thoroughly grasped how the proximal parties would react.
Even though he was on the tree above, it was difficult to watch the battle clearly due to the nearby foliage disrupting visibility. After a few moments, Kieran jumped down and walked up to the party.
"As I said, I counted at least 2,000 people at the bare minimum. However, only 30% of those numbers will survive to see the next few minutes. Come," Kieran said.
The party no longer ran. They walked the rest of the way because the battle was no more than a few hundred meters away. Once the battle became apparent, everyone's eyes widened.
"Clifford?!" Sithik screamed out loud.
This remark wasn't aimed at any person but related to the boss in the distance. It was an enormous wolf that put even Grifear's stature to shame. It was simply colossal. One of its fangs was larger than Altair's daggers.
Additionally, its scarlet fur emanated slight heatwaves evident to even the weakest of players. But it was nothing compared to the raw savagery present in the wolf's eyes. It was like looking into madness itself.
「Lv.15 Colossal Scarlet Wolf (Rare)
World Boss
Beast Type, Fire Type
Health: 220,000/220,000 (100%)
Special Traits: «Inferno» «Rage» «Eviscerate»」
"Damn," Altair muttered under his breath.
