Chapter 57: “It’s Naïve to Blindly Believe in the Laws of Nature”
Rare would have liked for some powerful player to randomly come by, but nothing that convenient could be expected to happen. She tamed the monster that Riley had captured, the forest owl that now went by the name “Ominous,” and now she borrowed his eyes to search for suitable prey.
There was a weak party in the great forest, only on the level of the people she had fought in the event finals. She chose to have them participate in her test; as thanks, they would receive some decent equipment to take back. Rare ordered some ants to leave swords and armor that had been forged for testing purposes in an inconspicuous location along their route; these items should be superior to their cast-metal gear. They excitedly swapped in the newly found items, then headed deeper into the forest in search of additional rewards. Recently, Rare’s group had been packing down dirt to create artificial animal trails to facilitate travel, which also doubled as a way to lead players around the forest.
This was the point where most players would have decided to turn back; instead, the carknight would be making its debut. The party panicked at the sudden appearance of this brand-new foe that no one had ever seen before.
“That looks like bad news!”
“Is it like an area boss?!”
“The only enemies that’ve shown up here were ants and goblins, so why is there an undead boss all of a sudden?!”
“Unnatural or not, if we can’t run, then the only option is to fight! With the gear we just picked up, even if it’s a bit stronger than the trash mobs, we should be able to put up a good fight!”
It was commendable that they came to grips with the situation quickly, and they also made a sensible decision. However, if they were so weak to think that their new equipment was any good, then any choice they made would lead to the same result against the carknight. These new swords were supposed to be their remuneration, but if they were used against the carknight, they might end up as worthless lumps of metal. Next time, Rare would have to be more thoughtful about the prizes she handed out.
According to their instructions, carknights would allow themselves to be attacked first. No matter how weak it was, Rare already knew from observation that players of this level were about average for the city as far as power level went. In which case, if the carknights could withstand their attacks, then she could approve of their combat capability. No matter how things turned out, she had a lot of carknights anyway.