MMORPG: I was BUGGED-Chapter 296: In the Shadows of Despair

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The DEVELOPERs Distress

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"Ha! I knew it! They wouldn’t be able to clear the last day."

"But it’s a miracle that they made it this far. Who would have thought they’d really clear the sixth day?"

"Heh. Even if they cleared the sixth day, that’s as far as they would go."

"With only more than ten members, they couldn’t possibly defeat the final boss and achieve their much-coveted victory."

"Even if they were complete in numbers, it’s impossible to clear the final day, even if they made it that far."

"Oh? Why? Is the boss that hard?"

There was a slight pause for a more dramatic effect.

"It’s not only freaking hard, but it’s near impossible to defeat."

"If it’s undefeated, wouldn’t we face backlash because of it?"

"Ehehehe. The truth is, the final boss is pretty hard to defeat but also pretty easy to clear."

"I’m confused."

"Me too."

"Me three."

"The thing is . . . the final boss is a little special. If they manage to befriend it, then it’s their win. However, if they don’t, then . . . it’s the end of all creatures in the Castle of Doom. Buwahahaha!"

The others looked at the one who just spoke, as if he were a lunatic.

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Back in the game Xin was wondering around town. There were still enough time to check the others before the battle started.

A pervasive sense of despair hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. The once vibrant and energetic players now moved with sluggishness, their faces etched with weariness and hopelessness.

The weight of their losses bore down on them like an insurmountable burden, evident in the lifeless expressions that replaced the once determined glints in their eyes.

Gone were the animated conversations and the excitement that had characterized their earlier days in the Castle.

Now, the atmosphere was thick with a somber silence, broken only by the occasional sighs that escaped from the players.

Morale had plummeted to unprecedented lows. The spark of determination that had fueled their journey through the Castle had all but extinguished.

The few remaining players, just a little more than ten, moved mechanically, each step seemingly more laborious than the last.

The Castle’s treacherous nature had taken its toll, and the survivors found themselves on the brink of surrender.

There was a collective resignation in their eyes, a tacit acknowledgment that the odds were overwhelmingly against them.

Xin was observing the desolation around him, and couldn’t blame his comrades for their lack of hope. The challenges they faced were daunting, and with the limited number of survivors, the prospect of emerging alive from this ordeal seemed increasingly unlikely.

To Xin’s surprise, Victor stood among the dwindling group of survivors. His mere survival amid the dire circumstances was nothing short of a miraculous feat.

Xin marveled at Victor’s tenacity, a reminder that some were indeed harder to vanquish than the others.

Or he’s luck was so great that he survived despite the odds.

Xin was both glad and not that he was alive.

Yet the overall mood remained grim.

The Castle had proven itself to be an unforgiving, and the players, once united in purpose, now seemed on the verge of surrender.

It was a challenging moment, where the very essence of their resilience would be put to the ultimate test.

Now what would Eclipse and Fighting Bunny do? Xin thought.

"Hey, you."

Xin turned toward the voice and saw Victor walking towards him.

Crap. Did he already notice who he was?

"Yeah?" Xin responded, attempting to change his voice.

"You’re called X, right?" Victor asked.

Xin nodded.

"And you control the golems and mannequins?" Victor scrutinized.

Xin didn’t know how to respond. He could deny it, but that would be suspicious, considering that many players already knew he used those golems and mannequins. It was pretty obvious now, and denying it wouldn’t do him any good.

"Yeah, it was me," Xin answered.

Victor was taken aback because he didn’t expect that X would admit to it right away. Now he found himself unable to counter an argument.

"Ah, well. What’s your class?" Victor asked.

"I believe that’s none of your concern."

"Good point," Victor tried again. "Then do you know a guy named Lord Schrodinger? He could also summon golems like you do, and your golems oddly resemble his golems."

Facing Victor, Xin answered straight to his face, "I don’t know who this Lord Schrodinger is, but all golem blueprints are the same."

He was lying buy he hoped that Victor didn’t know that part.

Victor grumbled under his breath. "Is that so?"

Xin nodded. "If there’s nothing more, then I will take my leave."

"Wait," Victor grabbed Xin’s hand, scrutinizing him under his robe. "Are you sure that you’re not Lord Schrodinger? Because this is the first time that I have encountered a player with the same class as he is."

"It’s a rare class, but you know that your friend couldn’t be the only one with the same class. Besides, I haven’t told you what my class is, so you might have misunderstood something here."

Xin stared at Victor calmly, but on the inside, he was sweating buckets. He could only hope that Victor wouldn’t press the matter further.

"Hey."

A soft voice of a woman disrupted Xin and Victor’s confrontation.

Looking over, they found that it was Fighting Bunny.

"What do you want?" Victor brushed her off. "We’re in the middle of something here."

Fighting Bunny wasn’t deterred. "That could wait. I have something important to tell you guys," she said, her eyes darting left and right.

Based on her cautious voice and the unease in her eyes, Xin and Victor were sure that she was worried about something.

"What is it?" Victor asked.

"Not here," Fighting Bunny whispered. "Let’s go somewhere private."

"This isn’t like a trap, right?" Victor asked.

Fighting Bunny wanted to roll her eyes. "No, and you can’t set up traps inside towns. Just follow me while the others aren’t looking."

"What is it that you have to tell us in secret that the others aren’t allowed to hear?" Victor urged.