Chapter 257: Errand Boy (1/2)

Leading his new guardsman, Marni arrived the Western Continent through the Lifestone, reaching the simple settlement which the Players were using as a temporary base camp while following markers that the other Players left.

By coincidence, he ran into Edward who had likewise arrived, and was reprimanding the Players who had returned in defeat from the Mountain Tigers’ village.

“I got the general idea through video. The Mountain Tigers’ village can be considered a difficult dungeon, but it’s not too difficult either since they would stay injured.”

At that, Edward’s tone turned nasty. “But even though there would surely be obstacles and losses against unknown enemies, your performance is just embarrassing!”

“But we really did our best!”

A new Player who appeared unaware about the reason why Edward was recognized as a leader amongst all Players—that his level was high just because he became a Player earlier retorted in dissatisfaction. “I died so many times that I dropped one level!”

“Doing your best isn’t an excuse for failure!” Edward glared at the newbie, unable to be reasoned with. “And if what you’re doing is wrong, what good does it do aside from troubling others? Would the cost of dropping a level like you would hold any strategic value?”

Edward wasn’t angry, but his confidence and air as a champion which had been refined from skirting around life and death after becoming a Player easily crushed the newbie, denying him any confidence to continue protesting.

Walking up to them, Marni nodded as well, knowing that Edward was right.

Even if they didn’t share the same path, they were both acknowledged as first-rate veteran Players. Therefore, they were mutually supportive and shared the same views when it came to certain issues.

On the other hand, it was Angora, the Liege Player who once shared Marni’s path who recently gave up on acting as a leader for the Players. Instead, he poured all his attention to the development of the unnamed town, expanding his fief in considerable scale within a short time.

As for Princess Leah, Marni had initially assumed that she was someone who would do everything she could to rebuild Tierra, that the reason she would always be at the frontlines and the most active person in any new System Events was to build her reputation amongst the Players.

However, Marni vaguely realized after a period of acquaintance that the Warrior Princess seemed to have no such intention. The reason that she would fight so hard was simply because that was a playstyle that provides more fun, which also matched her way of doing things…

Meanwhile, Edward’s scolding continued.

“If you know that you can’t take the dungeon, what you should have done is try your best to scout the interior of the dungeon before other Players come. Not Leroy Jenkins like an idiot!”

“And if the Boss’s skill and mechanics are all still unknown, why would you rush inside without Marni around? It’s lucky that you’re blasted into pieces—you’ll have a taste of real trouble if you get caught in there.”

Beside him, Marni’s face blushed when Edward mentioned his name and in a favorable light, believing that he was quite reputable amongst the Players.

That was when Edward added, “Many Bosses aren’t affected by Taunt. We can’t control who they attack without Marni! Let Marni take the lead so that we have the time and opportunity to check the Boss’s skills, and only then could we tackle them. Get it?!”