Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities-Chapter 10: That’s a lot

Martin didn’t doubt his eyes or ears.

Blood sprayed in front of him, and it wasn’t because of him. Not this time. The wet munching of something sharp tearing through slick flesh made it clear the pack of Wooden Wolves had switched targets to the boss.

The lake boss hadn’t "spared" them. It was using them. The moment the tentacle split and bled, the wolves piled on it like they’d been waiting for their chance to feed.

That tentacle isn’t moving. Did it really just die?

If one of those tentacles had already died, there was a chance to take down more the same way. Perfect Block and Shield Bash were already ingrained in him. He could do it again.

Martin edged to the side, careful not to step into the boss’s clear lane.

And there it was. The Wooden Wolves were devouring the boss. They were clustered around the bleeding tentacle, jaws grinding as they tore at slick flesh. Their wooden bodies had taken on a light crimson hue, blood streaking down their frames.

They weren’t even looking at Martin.

So that’s the rule. Bleeding flesh pulls them off me.

Martin tested it. He took one slow step closer.

None of the wolves moved. They stayed buried in the bleeding tentacle, jaws grinding like they were starving.

Okay. They’re locked in.

That buys me a few seconds to breathe and recover stamina, but I don’t know how fast they’ll finish that tentacle.

Then one wolf lifted its head and locked onto Martin.

It howled.

Every red eye swung toward him. The pack tore away from the bleeding tentacle and fixed on him. It was terrifying, and it threw him off.

The wolves he’d been preying on, using for refills, suddenly looked more menacing and tenacious than ever.

They fed. That’s why they’re stronger now.

Martin didn’t have time to finish the thought.

The wolves charged.

He took a step back on instinct and raised his shield.

The first impact slammed into his guard and shoved him back again. A second hit followed. Then a third. His shield arm throbbed, the strap biting into his forearm as the weight kept stacking.

Standing still and blocking was impossible. They were too fast, too strong, and too many. Once again, the wolves reminded him who the real threat was.

Bleed pulls them off me, but once they turn, I’m the target.

The pack drove him backward, bodies colliding into him from different angles. He tried to angle away, but they kept forcing him sideways and stealing his footing.

Am I already in the lake boss’s lane? Fuck, I don’t know.

A shadow fell over him.

Fuck!

Martin tried to turn, but a wolf crashed into his shield and pinned his stance for a split second. His torso couldn’t rotate. His shield couldn’t swing around.

The Double Tentacle Smash came down.

BANG!

Martin’s vision went black.

[You have died.]

His body was reduced to pulp.

—

Death didn’t feel like pain. It felt like being yanked out of the world. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Martin’s consciousness snapped into a room like the character creation space. A wooden cabin. An open door. Beyond it, an endless ocean and a clean horizon. Wind drifted in, carrying a calm, steady hush.

Most players would’ve relaxed in a place like that.

Martin didn’t.

"For fuck’s sake!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the wall. "The lake boss is crafty, and the wolves get upgraded the moment I outplay it. It’s not going to be easy to defeat this bastard and score as much Damage Taken as possible with only one hour per day. I need to go all out on the weekend."

He licked his lips and swiped his hand, opening his system.

[You have died.]

[Your Steel Shield has been destroyed.]

[Your Steel Sword has lost 72 Durability.]

[You haven’t lost any EXP.]

It all added up. The frenzied wolves had chewed through his shield’s durability, and the lake boss finished the job. It had served him well.

His Steel Sword had been sheathed at his hip, so it didn’t suffer as much... but it was still on the brink of destruction.

He didn’t lose any experience points because he was level one.

He had none to begin with.

Martin cracked his knuckles, dismissed the notifications, and exited the death lobby.

He reappeared at the Light Tree’s feet inside Monster Hunter Academy Online. This time, he was just another frustrated player whose dungeon run had failed. Like the rest, he drifted away from the Light Tree’s Hub.

Something tapped his arm.

Martin turned and saw the tip of a wooden staff tap his arm.

He followed the shaft up to a female player in ragged robes. She hugged the staff close, and the motion shoved her breasts up and forward. The thin cloth stretched tight over their weight, the neckline gaping into a deep, shameless valley of cleavage.

Fuck. That’s... a lot.

Her face was plain, like Chaosgraphy’s. In this game, body settings were locked. You could only change things like your face and hair, like putting on makeup.

"..."

The female player whispered something.

She spoke so quietly Martin couldn’t hear her. After a moment, he caught it.

"...want to practice blocking with me?" she asked.

Martin didn’t even know how she knew about his class.

"How do you know about my class?" he asked.

"...you have a shield strap on your arm," she replied, her eyes dropping to his forearm.

"Ah, that makes sense. Well, I just lost the shield."

She gave a small nod. "Yeah. So you need more practice too."

Martin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess. So why are you forcing yourself to whisper?"

"Mmm... it’s a secret," she replied.

"That’s pretty annoying if you ask me. Still, I can practice with you if you give me a good reason. I don’t see why I should spend time on you instead of a practice dummy," Martin said.

She hugged her staff closer and gave a tiny nod. "I’m a mage, so I can cast magic projectiles. No dummy can do that. You’ll learn how to handle magic, and that will give you an advantage later on."

"Fair. What about you? I’m curious. I’m sure there are guardian dummies," Martin asked, this time more curious than anything.

She nodded once. "I need a tank to use a threat on me... dummies don’t do that."

Martin squinted.

What?

If his expression wasn’t enough, he said it out loud. "That’s hella weird, but I’m in. I just need to get a shield and then we’ll practice. I have around thirty minutes left before I have to sleep."

"Yep, that’s fine for me!" the woman replied with a beaming smile, her voice raised. She caught herself, pressed her lips together, and looked down.

Martin didn’t dwell on that.

He needed a shield...

...but he didn’t have money.

Level One Dungeon payouts were weekly, and his first run hadn’t paid yet.

Fine. First objective: a shield. Any shield.