On the Spot Humiliation

A rumbling sound, like that of a fighter jet, approached from the distance. Gabriel and his two companions, accompanied by over a dozen high-level players, were speeding toward the Poison Frog Swamp.

As they neared their destination, they slowed down. Gabriel looked down at the group from the sky, his tone arrogant as he issued an order.

"Take us there now. If the location is wrong, you can just stay here."

His condescending attitude made the group very uncomfortable. While it was true that the ones paying were the bosses and they were just hired help, such an attitude made it hard to feel any goodwill.

The female player who had located the stronghold couldn't help but step forward, and her companions failed to stop her in time.

"It's right there in the largest swamp ahead. If you're so full of yourself, why don't you go find it yourself? You'd better fix your attitude."

The leader of the mercenary group sighed inwardly. This "auntie" was going to ruin everything again. Did she not realize that if they truly angered this person and he decided to attack them later, what could they do? Their mercenary guild couldn't withstand a single assault from a major guild.

He immediately stepped forward, patted his companion on the shoulder to signal her to stop, and bowed in apology.

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Gabriel. I apologize for my companion's rudeness. She didn't mean to offend you, so please forgive her."

"As an apology, we can reduce our commission by ten percent, and we'll throw in an important piece of intelligence. Does that work for you?"

Gabriel frowned upon hearing this. He wasn't used to being talked back to like that and had been planning to teach this rude brat a lesson.

However, the head of the mercenary guild had stepped in to smooth things over, and the conditions offered were indeed tempting, which calmed him down slightly.

He glanced at the insolent female player, a flicker of dissatisfaction in his eyes, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Fine. Since you've put it that way, I won't lower myself to her level."

He paused, then continued.

"Of course, our guild doesn't care about that ten percent of resources. Give me the intel, and then take your people and get lost."

Hearing this, the female player was about to flare up again, but her leader stopped her, shaking his head to signal her not to be impulsive.

No matter how vile Gabriel's tone was, he had to endure it. This was the sorrow of a small guild; without strength, one had to learn to be patient.

The leader took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone calm.

"Thank you very much for your understanding, Mr. Gabriel. We truly value this opportunity to cooperate. According to our scouting, that stronghold has several layers of defenses and countless hidden traps, all of high intensity. It is highly likely to be some kind of special defensive item."

Gabriel rubbed his chin, lost in thought. He waved his hand and looked at them with contempt.

"Then lead the way. I want to see just how strong these defenses you speak of really are."

Gabriel smiled disdainfully, radiating arrogance as he accelerated again, flying rapidly toward the swamp.

The other players had no choice but to follow. Despite their dissatisfaction, they had to accept the situation.

The group soon arrived at the swamp. In a vast expanse of water, a few wetlands were scattered here and there. In the center stood an unassuming stone hut—their target.

Gabriel circled in the air, carefully observing the surrounding defensive installations.

He discovered that, just as the leader had said, the stronghold's defenses were indeed quite tight. Not only were there various traps and obstacles, but several powerful magical barriers protected it as well.

If he didn't have a special item capable of seeing through concealment, he wouldn't have even noticed them.

He returned to the team to discuss with the other two. After Raphael learned the specifics, he spoke first.

"Since these mercenaries were able to scout out the traps here, they must have a way to dismantle them. Why not let them go up and try first?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. It would take too much time. Guild Master Michael is already on his way. We must break in before he arrives to live up to the mission he entrusted to us."

"Then what better plan do you have?"

"I have a special item that can ignore traps. Why don't we just charge in directly? We can destroy the defenses from the inside once we're in."

"We don't know how many people are inside. Charging in blindly would result in too many casualties."

Gabriel listened to their argument, his patience wearing thin. He interrupted their conversation and said in a low voice.

"Use a super-tier spell."

???

Raphael and Sraosha were stunned. They hadn't expected Gabriel to propose such a radical method.

While casting a super-tier spell, the user would become the target of every enemy's attention. Especially in the wilderness, nearby monsters would be drawn in. If they failed to break the defenses, they would find themselves in a lot of trouble.

Sraosha tactfully pointed out these drawbacks, but Gabriel replied dismissively.

"Didn't Feier hire people to be here? Let them help clear the way. With so many of us casting several tenth-tier spells together, I don't believe this pathetic defense won't break."

Sraosha and Raphael exchanged glances. Although they were worried, they didn't object further. They knew Gabriel's personality; once he made a decision, it was hard to change.

Thus, they began to act, quickly contacting Feier to inform him of the plan.

Feier was surprised but didn't refuse. After all, those people were just doing it for the money, and he felt that Gabriel's plan would benefit him.

Given the temper of Nine's Own Goal, perhaps they could even help fight against Tears of Angels later. That would be another achievement—how delightful.

Soon, the group began their operation. Feier and his men were responsible for drawing the monsters' attention, while Gabriel and the others began channeling their energy to prepare the super-tier spell.

As time passed, more and more monsters were attracted to the area, and the pressure on Feier and his men grew. But they gritted their teeth and held on, waiting for the signal from Gabriel's group.

Finally, at the critical moment, Gabriel's super-tier spell was ready to be unleashed. Countless energies converged above the stronghold, and he immediately signaled the others to begin.

A portion of the group simultaneously released powerful tenth-tier spells, bombarding the stronghold's defenses directly.

A massive explosion echoed through the sky. The entire defensive structure of the stronghold shook violently, yet the barrier remained intact.

Suddenly, a bird-man with a galaxy-like visual effect behind him flew out of the stronghold and shouted.

"I, the Great Aino God, am here! How dare you cast—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Gabriel's super-tier spell was unleashed. Peroroncino looked at the sun falling from the sky, combined with various tenth-tier spells, and was unable to process what was happening for a long moment.

It wasn't until the ultimate attack was right in his face that he realized what was happening and screamed.

"Holy shit, what the hell is that?"