23 Wipe

Ryan knew that he would probably have to face the music for his actions sooner or later but honestly, the damn curses were a lot scarier than some wannabe backstabbing villainous guild leader. 

Only he knew that he would become a mindless killing monster in real life if he did not solve this problem soon. He was essentially a ticking time bomb.

Ryan clenched his fists. He was not going to let that happen. He would not drag his family into such a mess. "Abhet, huh? It's fine. He can come at us if he wants to. We will be prepared."

Mark opened his mouth to say something but seeing the look on his friend's face he decided not to. He could not exactly place his finger on it. There was something different about his friend. Something that made him believe his words.

Mark shook himself out of the weird stupor he was in by literally shaking himself. "Bro, that gave me goosebumps. Alright, let's get this party started." He grinned.

Ryan nodded.

"So about that rare.. We need to go soon. Otherwise, we might lose it."

"Right." Ryan too shook it off and got back into the game. There was no time for wallowing after all.

The two of them did not have to travel long to arrive at the area where the Rare rank beast had been sighted. It was in the dire wolf territory, at the far end of it, located in a remote corner of the forest. 

The place was kind of isolated, located in a hidden valley. Not many beginners were farming dire wolves this far up north and there was barely anyone in the area. However, as soon as the duo neared the valley that changed.

"Wait." Ryan stopped Mark. He could clearly hear some movements and also some voices. "Your guild members are already here."

"Duh. Of course. How else could they notify the rare pop-up?" Mark shrugged.

"Hmmm?" Ryan gave him an even stare and then shook his head. "I am not keen on exposing myself just yet. I would rather not fight other players."

Mark immediately stopped him. "No. No. Nothing like that. We don't have to fight other players. I have a plan in mind that only includes me. Let's call this my personal revenge for those damned bastards screwing me up."

"Well, technically these guys did not fuck me over, but who is keeping score."

"Huh?" Ryan raised a brow. 

"Watch and learn." Mark grinned, excited to show off in front of his friend. "I will show you how a level 30 can mess with you noobs."

Ryan's face twitched. This talk was a bit much for just a level 30 but whatever. He silently watched the show.

Mark signaled him to follow and the two of them sneaked into the area, hiding between boulders and bushes. The area was pretty lush with greenery so it was not difficult to hide their presence.

The two of them moved closer to the zone when they noticed the giant wolf looming in the center of the valley. Its fur was a deep, shadowy black, eyes glowing a fierce red. 

The beast paced back and forth, its massive form casting long shadows across the ground, as a group of players circled it cautiously, clearly planning their attack.

Mark whispered to Ryan, "See that guy in the front, the one with the green cape? That's their main support, Goofer, tank, warrior, basically an all-rounder. He is also level 30 like me."

"Hmmm. Okay."

"Now we wait."

Ryan nodded. He trusted Mark and knew the guy was competent so he did not ask anything further and waited. A few minutes later the small guild group finally began their attack.

Ryan turned to Mark to ask him if he needed any help but before he could ask, Mark had already begun casting.

A subtle, almost invisible thread of energy snaked out from his fingertips, weaving through the air towards the group of players. With a flick of his wrist, Mark unleashed his mischief. He activated [Fear].

Suddenly, the top player's character began to move uncontrollably, drawing confused and alarmed shouts from his team.

Amidst the confusion, the giant wolf seized the opportunity, lunging at the distracted players with ferocious speed. Chaos erupted as the players scrambled to defend themselves, their meticulously planned strategy falling apart.

Mark couldn't contain his laughter, but Ryan was too focused on the giant wolf to join in. He wanted to check out the pattern of the beast. 

Though the beast didn't seem to have any particular special magic attacks, the creature itself was spectacular, its abilities a lot different than the normal dire wolf. Be it agility, strength or defense, this beast was vastly superior in everything.

In just a few seconds, the entire team was wiped out!