286 Before the Fight

"Ren! Leonel!"

Hearing someone call out to them, Ren and the others looked over their shoulders and found Isolde running in their direction.

Leonel visibly straightened his back and stuttered, "I-Isolde."

Evie stared at Isolde and marveled at her height. Because she was small, she couldn't help but stare at the other party with envy.

With Isolde's figure, she looked like a magazine model, and when she stood next to Leonel, Evie couldn't help but think they looked good together.

Feeling like she was surrounded by three giants, Evie took a step back. She felt so small around them.

Ren scanned Isolde from head to toe and found that she still had the same equipment as before. Seeing Guns and Knives equipped with upgraded armor, he wondered if she was really their core member.

"Why are you still wearing the same equipment?" asked Ren, straight to the point. By this time, they should have upgraded their armor –– decent ones that weren't bought in any cheap smithy store.

However, Isolde still wore the armor she got from Gargantuan Cave. Although the [Spider Silk Suit] was a great armor, Guns and Knives have already cleared other dungeons and defeated bosses. Surely, that should've been enough for them to get her a piece of better equipment.

"You're a core member, right?" Ren added.

"Oh." A red hue made way on Isolde's cheeks, and this didn't escape Evie's sharp, but lethargic gaze.

"It's fine. I don't really contribute to guild stuff, so I don't deserve the equipment. Besides, when I clear a dungeon with you guys, I can always get one."

Leonel sighed. "I don't know why you even joined a guild when you spend most of your time in the game playing with us."

Ren threw a sidelong glance at Leonel. Idiot. It was so she could be with you.

"Anyway, do you want to help us defeat the World Boss?" Isolde eagerly asked. "I'll speak to Xian and father about it. I'm sure the pay wouldn't leave you disappointed."

Leonel shrugged and grinned. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're going to defeat that bad boy Jibby."

Just a minute ago, Leonel didn't even know how to react in front of Isolde, but the next moment, he was back to his usual self. This would only happen every time he accidentally forgets his supposed relationship with Isolde. But the moment it sunk into his mind, he would return to being a stiff block of wood.

"Jibby?" Isolde giggled. "Well, its name is indeed complicated."

"You don't sound threatened by our proclamation," Ragnar said to Isolde.

"Ah, I don't really care if we get the Boss," Isolde replied, not one bit curious about Ragnar's jawbone mask. "I'll just do my best like always. If we get first blood, then nice, but if not, then . . . move on, I guess."

Ren stifled a laugh before saying, "I wish I had the same no-care attitude as you."

Isolde directed her shining bright eyes at Ren. "Too bad I can't help you this time. But as soon as this thing is over, you bet that you'll see me in the HQ again."

At the side, Evie was baffled as to why Isolde blushed whenever she laid her eyes on Ren. She could even hear the girl's strained voice as if she had to catch her breath. In comparison, when she talked to Leonel, her expression was relaxed, and her voice sounded deep.

Shouldn't Or was she overanalyzing stuff? Evie usually didn't care about this kinds of thing. It was just . . . baffling. That's all.

"Anyway, we should all head back," said Ragnar. "That monster is coming upon us soon, and we don't want to be in its line of sight when it devour this village."

"Right. Then see you guys later! Don't worry. I'll help you with the World Boss too!" Isolde waved as she ran back to her guild.

"You should probably help your guild first," Leonel hollered back.

He then muttered while shaking his head, "That's why your guild doesn't give you anything."

Ren's group went back to the safety area while the players did nothing but watch Jibblinplip engulf a whole village.

Some brave combatant NPCs tried to stop it, but it only took Jibblinplip's minions a short time to clear them up, so their boss could smoothly devour everything in the village.

[Jibblinplip gained +2 in all its ATP!]

[Jibblinplip needs time to digest. Its movement has turned sluggish!]

[Jibblinplip is full and spews another minion!]

"At this rate, we're going to be overrun by those walking slimes," Ragnar said.

"If this continues, the monsters will be more unbeatable the more it eats," Evie commented.

"Is that village gone forever?" Leonel asked.

Evie didn't lose out and added, "Are the quests gone as well?"

"No. The villagers are safely evacuated, so the quests are still there," answered Ren. "Soon, after Jibby is killed, they will just rebuild the village from scratch. The village will probably be accessible for a few weeks or so until it finishes construction. But it should be back to normal after a month as if nothing happened."

"What about the NPCs that died?" inquired Ragnar.

"Lucky, the majority of the quests come from non-combatant NPCs. The ones who engaged with the World Boss are the combatant type of NPCs, so even if they are gone, it wouldn't affect the world or quest that much."

"Is that so?" Ragnar tilted his head. "How convenient."

Leonel pointed a finger over his chin. "If that's how it is, then I don't see any threat even if the World Boss isn't killed. At most, this place will just be overrun by jellies while Jibblinplip roams free to eat."

Ren chuckled in response. "Don't be complacent. It's still a World Boss, after all. If it is left unchecked, it can easily devour the human continent. Though that probably won't happen because the emperor will mobilize the Empire's army and kill all the ooze, leaving us nothing."

Ragnar crossed his hands. "So you're saying our real enemy is the Empire's battalion? Is that it? It's the NPCs in this world?"

"That's right. It's a race against who gets to kill Jibby first."

The four chatted some more until they heard someone speaking to them from behind. Because of the commotion around them, the voice they heard was barely audible.

"Hey there." A short boy with beads of grey hair smiled sweetly as he called Leonel. "Remember me?"

Leonel was silent for a while, recalling who the other party was. He then smacked his hand against his palm. "Silvestre!"

"It's Sky!" Sky almost went out of his skin. Why did Leonel keep on forgetting his name? Was he intentionally doing it?