Everyone looked in the direction Ed was pointing. Behind a low slope not far away, the [Rat King] was already lumbering toward them like a Maus tank.
Clearly, the monster had eaten all the aberration corpses along the way, but the night was long, and it did not want to simply break apart and leave.
Like a normal story NPC, Ed pointed at the [Rat King] and began his explanation:
"It is the most powerful aberration in the wilderness of this barony. Although it moves slowly, defeating it won't be easy. You had better make your choice soon."
This clearly caught the players somewhat off guard. They had thought they had already dropped aggro, but apparently this aberration had quite an appetite today.
Even a clay figure had a temper, let alone players who had come to this world for the thrill of combat.
[Good Times Don't Last] waved the short spear in his hand and said:
"This can't go on. Let's figure out a way to kill it."
[Zhongde]: "Seconded."
[Do Some Farm Work]: "Plus one."
But [Howling Pothos] shook his head. "It's already dark. If we aren't certain we can kill it before the forced logout, we'll all get eaten alive by the aberration."
Everyone checked the time in the corner of their vision. It was almost seven in the evening. They had to kill it within an hour and ten minutes, or the six of them would become the aberration's favorite group meal.
[Shit Appraisal Master] and [Great Wei Boxing Champion], who had joined the game later, clearly lacked sufficient combat experience, so they leaned more toward avoiding combat when making their decision.
That brought the current vote to three against three. Neither side could secure the deciding vote, while Ed, the NPC, still upheld his professional ethics as a guide and left the choice in the players' hands. That was a guide's duty.
But that did not mean a guide could not stir things up. Wasn't fanning the flames also a subtle form of guidance?
At that moment, Ed suddenly had a strange feeling. If the players were cyber emperors, then what he was about to do could be called the work of a cyber treacherous minister.
But he could not worry about all that. As everyone remained deadlocked, Ed merely said in a quiet voice:
"The [Rat King] isn't necessarily coming for you. After all, they can smell the blood from your loot from miles away. Toss those things to it, and you can return to the castle."
There was a barely perceptible sarcastic edge to his voice, as though he were urging the players to surrender to the monster.
The players immediately understood. So the [Rat King] was not targeting them specifically; they were carrying food it craved.
But Ed's words had the opposite effect. Those brains, pelts, and cuts of lean meat were all the players' spoils. If they chose to cut their losses and flee now, how would that be any different from ceding territory and paying reparations?
Even the three more cautious players could not help feeling their blood rise at those words-did they have to put up with humiliation even in a game world? Then what was the point of playing?
Seeing the three visibly wavering, Ed quietly delivered the final blow:
"You just fed this Deadwood Vine seedling with the flesh and blood of your prey, and the smell of blood hasn't faded yet. No matter how you retreat today, the [Rat King] will find this tree hollow and kill it."
Crack.
Even [Howling Pothos], whose strength was only 4, squeezed the wooden spear shaft in his hand hard enough to make it creak.
This NPC really knew how to talk. He was a former professional player who had seen plenty, yet just a couple of sentences from this guy had gotten his blood boiling.
But could he blame the NPC?
Of course not!
At that moment, [Howling Pothos] felt nothing but shame for his earlier cowardice.
He turned to the players, his expression more serious than ever:
"Bros, we could let it slide when this shit monster ate our prey. Those were just scraps, not worth fussing over. But now it wants to tear down our Deadwood Vine farm before we've even finished building it. What a beast among beasts! We..."
[Good Times Don't Last]: "Dude, just tell us how we're fighting this thing. You've planned all our squad fights so far. We'll follow your lead."
"Yeah, we'll all follow your lead!"
The two newbies spoke up together as well. Although they had relatively little experience, they had at least spent the entire day hunting with the group, and they could manage basic coordination. At this moment, all six players' fighting spirit had been fully roused, and their terrifying upright ape personalities once again seized the high ground in their brains.
Hearing his companions' support, [Howling Pothos] stopped wasting words. He put down his bundle full of loot and briefly began to think.
Soon, a simple but effective battle plan took shape in his mind.
[Howling Pothos] looked over everyone, first having the five players report their four base attributes before beginning his assignments:
"Brother 'Boxing Champion,' we have the highest agility. In a minute, we'll smear ourselves with the blood on the loot and take some worthless scraps with us, then go pull the mob. If the [Rat King] stops chasing, give it a little treat. We have to buy enough time."
[Great Wei Boxing Champion]: "Understood, copy that." (An old corporate slave's conditioned reflex.)
"'Zhongde,' 'Farm Work,' your will stats are decent. Cut two sections off the Deadwood Vine in the tree hollow and stick them into yourselves. We'll leave you the shovels too. Dig a big pit beside the hollow. It doesn't have to be especially deep, but it needs to fit that meatball. The soil here isn't very hard, so digging should be quick. Once you're done, throw some of our raw meat inside."
[Zhongde] & [Do Some Farm Work]: "OK."
"'A-Jing,' 'Master,' you two have the highest strength. We'll leave all the short spears with you. You can start attacking while we hold aggro. If you lose aggro, run toward the pit. We'll try to keep the taunt up."
[Good Times Don't Last] & [Shit Appraisal Master]: "Got it (easy)."
Just as Ed was preparing to watch a live tactical squad performance, he saw [Howling Pothos] look his way.
Oh? Is there something for me too? Looks like he really is quick on his feet. With proper training, he'll definitely be very useful someday.
Ed met the player's gaze with a gentle smile, and the player spoke earnestly:
"My lord, although we aren't sure whether this is your specialty, we still hope you can help in the coming battle, and not just with healing. If there's an opportunity to kill the [Rat King], please lend us a hand as well."
Ed's eyes shifted as he felt that the player really was sincere. And what did he mean by asking him to lend a hand? Did he know Ed was a decent fighter for his level?