Helper: Patch

An assistant? Why is he here?

But no matter what, every extra person adds up to more strength!

Da Er decisively chose to summon, even though the Baldy shown on Patch's summoning mark didn't look like a good person.

But we're all adults, how can we judge a book by its cover? Da Er thought Patch was good-looking, how could his appearance be called cunning, but rather full of wisdom.

He likes smart people!

Looking back at the battlefield, the battle was gradually reaching a fever pitch.

It's seven against one, no, Te Er is dead, so it's six against one now. Actually, the outcome isn't much of a suspense.

Hunters fight with wide, sweeping attacks, neither engaging in marathons nor resorting to tricky moves like ring attacks. Aside from their Transforming Slash, which often leaves opponents guessing and getting hurt, their ghostly evasiveness frequently causes adventurers to miss their attacks.

Actually, it's not fair to blame adventurers for their low accuracy. Gong Qiying gave hunters extremely high evasion capabilities, and they also have some command reading skills.

If someone is willing to risk serious injury to get close enough to restrain the hunter, it can create an opportunity for others to attack.

"Bang!"

As soon as the gunshot rang out, an adventurer who was trying to sneak up was immediately knocked to his knees, but before the hunter could finish him off, Luo Jieer had stealthily approached, forced him back with a single sword strike.

"What exactly is that weapon?" Malu asked, frowning. "With such a loud commotion, could it be enchanted with lightning magic?"

Delu shook his head; he couldn't detect any magical aura from the pistol, which meant the hunter's pistol was purely a physical attack.

I've never heard of such a peculiar weapon before; I really want to take it back and study it carefully.

He began to regret not learning the [Expelliarmus] back then.

"Bang!"

Another shot rang out, and blood splattered from Luo Jieer's shoulder, but it was just a normal shot and did not trigger Gun Parry.

In Saen, unless Gun Parry is triggered, the power of a shot is not significant for a seasoned adventurer, roughly equivalent to being hit by Low Rank Magic Missile.

"Grab him, Luo Jieer!"

Delu shouted, Luo Jieer understood immediately, stubbornly enduring the damage from two blows to grab the hunter.

"[Middle Rank Slow Spell]!"

Delu used up double his mana to instantly cast a Mid Rank spell, and it finally hit!

However, the magic struck both the hunter and Luo Jieer, and its effect was immediately diminished.

"I'm here! I'm here!"

Malu's figure flashed past the hunter in an instant, and a diagonal cut appeared on his chest.

The hunter swung his sword to retaliate, but his attack was easily dodged due to the slow spell.

"Ah!"

Just as Luo Jieer was about to deliver a fatal blow to his heart, the hunter suddenly ate something, roared, and actually dispelled the Slow spell!

With just one stab, Luo Jieer was ripped open, his intestines spilling out.

"Depend on!"

The battle seemed to have returned to square one, but just then, a whooshing sound came from the air, and something was hurtling towards the hunter.

He swung his knife and shattered the hidden weapon, only to be splashed with a greasy substance by its contents.

The smell seems to be oil?

As the hunter turned around, he saw a bald, golden -Baldy with a spear in one hand and Greatshield in the other throw a Flame Pot at him.

Of course, this wouldn't hit him, but the slippery oil covering his body made the hunter's feet slip, making it difficult for him to move.

"Patch, you on the left, I'll go on the right!"

Da Er suddenly rushed out and charged forward with Patch. The latter didn't say a word but gave a sly smile and charged forward with his Greatshield.

Shield Poke is such a cheat, it's hard for even hunters to use it, but Patch just keeps holding his shield up.

"Where did this guy come from?" Malu blinked.

"It seems to be an assistant," Delu said in surprise. "Anyone still having the time to draw talismans to help strangers?"

"He looks so cunning," Malu remarked.

For some reason, the battle suddenly became easier after Patch joined in. The hunters' attacks seemed to slow down, and they just kept dodging and shooting.

The sounds of "bang bang bang" echoed Farron Keep, like a series of thunderclaps.

"Whoa!" Malu was almost hit by the Saw Cleaver. She dodged and fell to the ground. Patch, who was next to her, reached out to help her.

"Thank you, thank you," Malu, bowing her head.

Patch didn't say anything, just smiled at her and continued fighting.

She seemed like a good person; I shouldn't have judged her by her appearance. Malu suddenly felt a little ashamed.

The hunters' fatigue was becoming increasingly apparent, and just as everyone seized the opportunity to swarm in—

"Awooooo!"

Suddenly, the sounds of numerous monsters echoed nearby!

"The noise from that weapon attracted the monster!" The adventurer realized instantly; no wonder the hunter had been firing his gun since earlier.

That's despicable!

A large number of ferocious Ghrū surged toward the adventurers, while the hunter suddenly pulled out something that looked like a dagger and slashed it in the air.

The Soul-Sucking "Hunter" has returned to his original world.

Depend on!

Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. Running away when you can't win?!

[Received Hunter's Gift: Hunting Handbook]

You can now view information about all the prey you've hunted.

It seems like I've unlocked something amazing new.

But I simply don't have time to deal with that right now!

Dozens or even hundreds of monsters charged forward in a frenzy, forming a small monster horde that was far beyond their capabilities.

"Run!" Delu shouted, about to run away, when he was suddenly pulled back.

"Take me with you," Luo Jieer said weakly as he lay on the ground.

"How are you still alive when your stomach is ripped open!" Despite his disgust, Delu still carried Luo Jieer on his back and ran away, dragging the other's intestines along with him.

Just as Malu was about to follow, she suddenly turned back and looked worriedly at Patch's location.

The helper "Patch" has returned to his original world.

Okay, now you don't have to worry.

Pursued by monsters, the adventurers embarked on a perilous journey.

They thought the Ghrū were all there was, but it turned out to be just the appetizer; more and more monsters appeared and began hunting them down.

"Is it really possible for that guy to have lured them here?"

Malu shouted, "Those gunshots were loud, but they couldn't possibly have attracted so many monsters. It's as if all the monsters in the entire Farron Keep have been drawn here!"

It gives the impression that the dungeon deliberately collaborated with the hunters to pull this stunt.

The barely maintained formation began to crumble under the onslaught of the monster horde. By the time Malu came to her senses, she had shaken off the monsters, but she had become separated from everyone else.

What appeared to be the edge of the Farron Keep lay before us, with an unfathomable cliff in front of us; falling off would surely mean certain death.

Beside the cliff was a cave with torches burning inside, as if beckoning her to go there.

Malu knew that the more attractive something looked, the more dangerous it was, so she immediately became wary and abandoned the idea of going to the cave.

"Hey, little sister, come here quickly, don't let the monsters find you."

"Who is speaking?"

A strange, unfamiliar voice came from behind, sharp and sly, with a hint of cunning.

"It's me! I helped you earlier. Come over to the cave quickly!"

Malu slowly walked over and discovered a golden bald head.

It's Patch!

He's currently squatting next to the torch, grinning at Malu.

"Didn't you leave?" Malu asked in surprise.

Her guard lifted when she saw Patch, not only because she had received his help before, but also because of one thing—people these days think that helpers are all good people.

The most popular helper right now is Si Telan, who has gained a lot of goodwill among the crowd.

Then there are the followers of the Sparkfire Church. With the help of the Flame Monk, they all became Sun Warrior. Their daily routine, besides praying to the fire Gwyn, consists of patrolling the dungeons to help others.

Although these people are not Si Telan and often fail when they are the sun, their selfless help to others is already very endearing.

There were also a few adventurers who were drawn in and became Sun Warrior, helping others in their spare time and farming souls to improve their own strength.

Thus, the formula that Sun Warrior = Good Person spread among adventurers.

Although Patch is not Sun Warrior, he is still an assistant and must have a kind heart, right?

"It's a long story, please sit down first," Patch sighed and said, "I was going back, but as soon as I got back I drew a summoning mark, and then you guys summoned me again. I was being chased by monsters and didn't have a chance to Severed Finger Knife. So I ran and ran and finally found this safe place."

"The Severed Finger Knife is a tool to help me get back," he thoughtfully explained.

"I'm sorry," Malu somewhat embarrassedly.

"No problem, no problem at all. I can help you guys out, hehe," Patch smiled, which made Malu like him even more.

The two rested briefly inside the cave, chatting idly. Suddenly, Patch pointed to a box and said:

"I noticed you've been eyeing those boxes over there. To tell you the truth, I picked up some props on the way and put them in there. Do you want some?"

"Oh? That's not a good idea," Malu waved her hands repeatedly.

"It's okay, just take a little. I can't take it all anyway," Patch said with a smile, urging, "Go and take a look quickly."

Malu had no choice but to do as she was told. She slowly pushed open the box, looking somewhat nervous.

Nothing happened.

There are indeed quite a few props inside, such as Moss Ball, Green Blossom, and potions.

"Call"

Malu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know what she had been so nervous about. Was she afraid that Patch would harm her?

She casually picked up some props, nothing valuable, but they put her mind at ease about Patch.

Being willing to share loot signifies friendship; this is an unspoken rule among adventurers.

"We've rested enough, shall we set off?" Malu couldn't wait to find her teammates.

"Wait," Patch suddenly said:

"I think I left something over there, could you go check it out for me?"

He was pointing in the direction of a cliff.

"It fell down? There's no way it can be brought back up." Although Malu was puzzled, she trusted Patch and walked to the edge of the cliff to look down.

Below was a thick fog, making it impossible to see anything clearly, but there were faint points of light flickering.

"There seems to be something there. Let me try to get it up!"

She had just said it when...

Patch's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"No need, thank you so much for helping me, you little fool."

"Bang!"

A tremendous force came from behind Malu, who had already leaned half her body out of the cliff, making it even more difficult for her to maintain her balance!

"Aaaaaah!"

Just as she was falling off the cliff, she saw Patch grin.

Why did you kick me? Aren't we teammates?

Until she fell to her death, Malu still couldn't understand, but she did understand one thing:

Patch! If I ever see you again, I'm going to slap you in the face!

Malu's experience is not an isolated case.

On this day, all adventurers who met the three conditions of arriving at Farron Keep, being invaded by hunters, and summoning Patch all suffered the same fate.

The next day, Patch's Wanted Poster was posted at the Adventurers' Guild.