MMORPG: I was BUGGED-Chapter 286: Unveiling the Hidden Foe

Steel Striker and Doom Harbinger exchanged serious expressions.

"Is he really a player?" Doom Harbinger questioned no one in particular.

Steel Striker took a deep breath, and released it into the sky in one full blast. "First, he formed a relationship with Poppy, the only player who could do such a fit, and I bet it’s not just an acquaintance level if he could get her to do his every bidding.

"Then he one-shot Salathiir, and now he even crafted a cure and the mask, and told you that the boss is within the fog. I find it hard to believe that a single player could do all that within just days here. He must be an NPC disguised as a player, and someone must have triggered him or an event that we missed in the past."

Doom Harbinger nodded in agreement.

"That’s what I thought as well, and I confronted him about it," said Ragnarok Reaper.

"What did he say?" Doom Harbinger and Steel Striker asked simultaneously, eager for answers.

Ragnarok Reaper shook his head. "He didn’t deny nor confirm it."

Doom Harbinger sighed. "That would make things complicated."

"I don’t trust the guy," Steel Striker repeated with unease. "Why don’t I confront him for answers?"

"Hold off on that," Ragnarok Reaper advised. "Currently, he’s valuable to us. If we display any signs of aggression towards him, who knows how he might react. We can’t afford to lose him right now, especially with the final day approaching. Besides, we have more pressing matters at hand."

Steel Striker clicked his tongue. "I don’t like that we’re depending on him too much. We know he knows it, and he’s taking advantage of it."

Doom Harbinger crossed his arms and contemplated. "I agree with you. However, like Ragnarok Reaper said, we have much more important matters to take care of right now."

Ragnarok Reaper nodded and explained, "Right now, we need to find the boss, or this fog might never end. What’s worse, the more we delay in defeating it, the higher the chance this sickness has to evolve into something worse."

"You mean like a plague with no cure that would end us before midnight, right?" Doom Harbinger finished. "We have a time limit to defeat this boss until the next day. If we can’t do it, then it’s our loss."

Ragnarok Reaper agreed. "That’s right; our priority is to locate this boss and clear this dungeon at all cost."

"Any ideas where it is and how to make it appear?" Steel Striker asked.

Ragnarok Reaper shook his head. "I don’t have the necessary items or ability to detect it."

"Let’s ask the mages team and support team then," Doom Harbinger suggested.

"Did this X tell you how to find it?" asked Steel Striker.

"No," answered Ragnarok Reaper. "Based on our conversation, if he knew how to locate it, he would have said so in the first place."

"So even he didn’t know how to locate it?" Steel Striker asked no one in particular, seeming to relish the idea that there was something even X couldn’t do. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Then I will go to the mages and healers to ask them about it," Doom Harbinger said.

"You do that, while Steel Striker and I will go around the battlefield to check on our players and increased morale, making sure that they’re all in top condition before this boss appeared."

The three nodded and agreed on what to do, proceeding with their respective tasks.

Meanwhile, Xin found himself in the lofty confines of the bell tower, accompanied by Hilda, the skilled crafter who had proven her worth in crafting potent concoctions and items.

The air within the tower was charged with a sense of urgency, as Hilda meticulously worked on a complex array that would serve as the catalyst to unveil the hidden boss lurking within the ominous fog.

Hilda was focused and determined since Lord Schrodinger was depending on her. She wouldn’t let him down!

She delicately moved her hands with a practiced grace, weaving arcane symbols and intricate patterns into the array.

The area was filled with the faint hum of magic as each element fell into place, forming a delicate web of energies that promised to unravel the mystery concealed in the fog.

Beside Hilda, Xin stood with his faithful companion, Black Pudding. The duo made final preparations, ensuring that they were well-equipped for the impending confrontation.

Black Pudding diligently crafted materials, expertly expediting Xin’s crafting time to facilitate the swift summoning of golems and mannequins at a moment’s notice.

As Hilda continued her meticulous work, Xin and Black Pudding readied themselves for a different aspect of the upcoming battle.

The decision to summon these reinforcements spoke volumes about the severity of the challenge ahead. Xin didn’t want to summon them at this point in time, but he had no choice right now if they wanted to get out of here alive and victorious.

Even Hilda, usually confident in her abilities, had expressed reservations about facing this particular enemy.

The magnitude of the looming threat hinted at a world boss level, a formidable foe that required careful planning and strategic prowess to overcome.

Xin took a deep breath. They had managed to evade the sickness, but he wasn’t certain if they would emerge unscathed from the encounter with this particular boss.

Now that he thought about it . . . without Hilda, he wondered what the players could do to summon the final boss here. Was there a special item that the players needed to locate inside the castle to summon the boss or an event to trigger the appearance of the final boss?

No one knew, not even Xin and Hilda. Only the developers knew what was going on.

In this pivotal moment, as the array neared completion and the summoned entities stood ready, Xin and Hilda shared a knowing glance –– it was time to summons the final boss into the battlefield.

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The DEVELOPERs Distress

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"I wonder how the guilds are faring inside the Castle of Doom? Have they made it past the fifth day, I wonder?"

"They’re the top five guilds; I’m sure they have made it that far after their blunders in the previous times. They’re more prepared this time."

"Heh. But even with their amount of preparation, I bet no one would be prepared for the sixth day."

"What’s on the sixth day?"

The others exchanged knowing glances and smirked.

"You see, the sixth day . . . is very impossible to overcome even with their lineup and level. They need to be at least level 200 to make it. For the final boss . . . is a world boss level –– Xavour, the Plague Bringer."