NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83: Baited Storm
Nightfall Raindrop laughed and bantered with his companions, forcing himself to keep up the chatter. Corpse-camping could be mind-numbingly dull, and if he didn't keep them entertained, his friends would lose focus, start slacking, and wander off.
He was still fuming over the human female warrior who had killed him earlier. Revenge burned in his chest. He had bided his time, watching her fight, and finally saw an opening—after she cut down two Orc players, he sprang from ambush and struck her down, claiming the kill reward. In his mind, anyone who killed him deserved double the punishment. One corpse-camp would ease the sting, and a second kill would snuff out the humiliation entirely.
But things didn't go as planned.
He and two friends had just settled in to camp her body when the female warrior suddenly resurrected right beside them. She downed a health potion, ignored everything else, and cut him down where he stood. Nightfall Raindrop stared at the gray death screen in disbelief. To be killed—at full health, with allies by his side, by the very person he was camping? It was an insult he could barely stomach.
Though the Orc players eventually swarmed and killed her, the damage to his pride was done. His humiliation only deepened.
Seething, he recalled his scattered companions from the front lines. If she wanted to play this game, he would bury her in it. He swore to guard her corpse for an hour if he had to, killing her five or six times if that's what it took to feel whole again.
When a dozen Orc players surrounded the fallen warrior's body, she resurrected once more. This time, she burst into sudden motion, cutting through them and sending Nightfall Raindrop back to the graveyard again.
He was their leader, but in truth, they were just a loose group of students. Their sense of pride and shared spite ran hot and reckless. Seeing him killed again was like being slapped in the face themselves. Enraged, they called back everyone. Soon, thirty players were clustered around her corpse, seething with the kind of collective madness that comes from repeated humiliation.
For a long while, the human female warrior stayed down. Under the gaze of thirty enemies, she refused to resurrect. Murmurs rose among the Orc players. Had she logged off? Was she admitting defeat?
Just as they debated leaving, she popped back to life. This time, she didn't charge Nightfall Raindrop but darted along the edges of the valley instead. Cheers erupted from the students as they chased her down, determined not to let her slip away.
When Nightfall Raindrop struck the final blow, relief washed over him—but it was tainted with unease. He could have sworn the female warrior smiled as she fell. A slow, knowing smile.
He shook off the feeling. After a few minutes of watchful waiting, nothing happened. Perhaps he was imagining things.
The small valley gave them an advantage. The warrior's corpse lay near the entrance, so Nightfall Raindrop split the players into two groups: one stationed inside the valley, and one guarding the entrance. The setup should have been perfect.
He was laughing again, chatting idly to keep morale up, when a shout broke the rhythm.
"Human player incoming! Being chased by a mob!"
Nightfall Raindrop's heart jolted. He rushed to the entrance, only to see a lone Paladin sprinting for his life, a tide of gray-furred wolves snapping at his heels—hundreds of them.
A sneer tugged at Nightfall Raindrop's lips. "Well, this should be fun," he called to his companions, settling in to watch the show.
The Paladin clearly knew he couldn't outrun the wolves. The valley ahead offered no real escape—more monsters lurked in every direction. Yet, with the horde behind him, he had no choice but to keep moving forward.
And the only open path led straight toward the Orcs.
From the Paladin's deliberate charge, Nightfall Raindrop realized he had something in mind.
"Everyone, get ready!" Nightfall Raindrop barked, his voice sharp with excitement. "When those monsters charge, don't attack them directly. Just slow the Paladin down—let the wolves do the work!"
Several hunters snickered and stepped forward, bows and rifles at the ready. They were eager to spring the trap.
Hunter Stun Shot was simple but deadly in the right hands. A single hit slowed an enemy by fifty percent for three seconds. The ten-second cooldown made it hard to chain, but with proper coordination, the hunters could keep someone crawling under a near-constant slow. Once the Paladin lost his momentum, the pursuing monster horde would devour him.
Nightfall Raindrop could almost taste the satisfaction.
---
Ryan, meanwhile, was racing down the narrow path, mind whirling with calculations. Breaking through the Orc blockade without getting shredded was tricky. Then he saw the hunters preparing to slow him, and his heart lifted.
Perfect.
They wanted to let the monsters kill him. But where most players feared the crippling Stun Shot, Ryan didn't.
From his inventory, he produced a Free Action Potion—a rare alchemical creation that granted full immunity to slows and crowd control effects. Hunters could spam their stuns all they wanted; none of it would touch him.
Even better, the hunters had no idea that the massive pack of Corrupted Graywolves on his heels was ready to retaliate. After the long chase, their Stun Charge abilities had cooled down. The moment they had fresh targets within range, the wolves would unleash hell.
---
Ryan rounded the final bend, the valley entrance coming into view. The hunters raised their weapons—bows drawn, rifles cocked.
He popped the Free Action Potion.
"Immune," flashed above his head.
The hunters' attacks landed, but the Paladin's speed never faltered. Confusion rippled through the Orc ranks just as Ryan waved a taunting hand toward them.
That was the cue.
A massive Graywolf veered sharply, charging straight into the Orcs from the side. Then the rest followed. In a blink, the pursuing horde split, a tidal wave of fur and fangs crashing toward the clustered hunters.
"Wha—?!" one of them yelped.
Nightfall Raindrop's smug grin died on his lips. "Damn it! Everyone, take them down!"
But the situation worsened almost instantly. More wolves poured out of the forest and into the valley like the land itself had split open. The pack hadn't just grown—it had doubled in size before their eyes.
"Quick! Hold the entrance!" Nightfall Raindrop shouted, panic rising in his throat. Cold sweat ran down his temples as he realized the trap had flipped. The Graywolves had already triggered their skills. Massive beasts barreled forward, Stun Charging into his players and tearing through their formation.
---
Ryan, now free of combat, swung onto his mount and circled back to the valley entrance. He watched as the number of Corrupted Graywolves kept climbing, the horde now a rolling mass of death. A chill prickled down his spine.
'They're finished.'
If the Orc players didn't use their Hearthstones to escape before being dragged fully into combat, they would be slaughtered. Potions and elixirs wouldn't save them from a multiplying horde like this.
Luck, or perhaps timing, favored Moonlight Beauty. The Corrupted Graywolves chasing her seemed to have exhausted their Stun Charges, letting her slip free. By the time she returned on horseback, the rest of the party had regrouped, watching the chaos unfold.
live recording interfaces came out almost immediately. None of them wanted to miss documenting the incredible scene: thirty Orc players being consumed by an ever-growing sea of gray fur and gleaming fangs.