MMORPG: I was BUGGED-Chapter 322: The Guardians of the Forest

Hilda nodded in agreement, the embers of determination seemingly bursting from her helmet. "If they lay a single hand on Lord Scrooge, they will regret it a hundred times over."

Victor curiously glanced at her, then turned his attention to Xin.

"Don’t mind her. I once saved her before, and she thinks that she owes her life to me now," Xin explained with an even voice.

It was true . . . to some extent.

Victor grinned wryly. "What’s that? I wanted someone like that too."

"I owe Lord Scrooge everything, so I will follow his orders," said Hilda seriously, her loyalty was overflowing.

Xin couldn’t help but grumble internally at the emphasis she placed on that topic.

Luckily, Victor just laughed it off and teased Xin, "Looks like there’s a player who’s very loyal to you. What did you even do to her to make her so indebted to you?"

Xin decided not to answer that as their first adversaries appeared, diverting their attention from their chatter.

A pack of mythical beasts known as the Dryad Guardians lurked. These creatures were born of the forest’s magic, each possessing unique abilities that made them formidable enemies.

They leveled in the eighties and nineties. Though not remarkable, their real threat lies in their numbers.

The Dryad Guardians, led by the Wyrmwood Alpha, were a pact of creatures bound by the ancient magic of the forest.

The Wyrmwood Alpha was a massive wolf with fur resembling the bark of ancient trees, and commanded the pack with an innate understanding of the forest’s secrets.

Its eyes glowed, and its howl echoed through the woodland, signaling the approach of danger.

"Get ready everyone!" Ignis shouted.

"Looks like our first enemies are these tree barks," Victor commented.

With swift determination, Hilda positioned herself in front of Lord Scrooge and proclaimed boldly, "Step back, Lord Scrooge. I will handle this swiftly."

Although Hilda was poised to launch the first attack, the pack exhibited an eerie coordination, moving in unison as if following a dance choreographed by the spirits of the wood.

The Wyrmwood Alpha, accompanied by its trusted lieutenants, Thornspire Stalker and Moonshadow Prowler started their assault.

"Take out the leader first and the rest will ran away!" Ignis roared, initiating their first combat in the Lost Wood.

Ignis and Hilda positioned themselves at the forefront, ready to absorb the initial damage.

Ignis wielded a massive great axe, its edge imbued with the flames of his rage, while Hilda brandished a colossal war hammer, its impact echoing with the fury of the forest.

The Guardians closed in, revealing their distinct abilities.

The Thornspire Stalker, a creature resembling a massive, thorn-covered panther, lunged at Ignis with blinding speed. Its claws left trails of emerald sparks in the air, seeking to pierce through the Barbarian’s formidable defenses.

Ignis roared in response, meeting the assault head-on with his fiery great axe.

Meanwhile, the Moonshadow Prowler, a sleek and shadowy wolf with eyes that gleamed like twin moons, circled the party, targeting the DPS.

Drakoon, Victor, and Seraphim engaged in a fight of steel and shadows as they countered the prowler’s swift strikes.

Drakoon raised his divine shield, invoking protective spells to ward off the Prowler’s bites.

Victor executed a series of lightning-fast strikes with his dual blades, creating a mesmerizing display of swordplay.

Seraphim was hidden in the shadows, and struck with deadly precision, her daggers finding the creature’s vulnerable spots.

Xin and the support team, including Luna, and Sylvan orchestrated a symphony of spells and healing magic from a distance.

In the rear, Xin opted not to summon his golems this time, choosing instead to engage in the battle with his magic gun.

Through the enhancements he had applied using materials obtained from the Castle of Doom, Xin managed to amplify his magical gun, allowing it to unleash damage equal to twice his intelligence (INT).

Despite being of a lower level compared to the rest, Xin’s gun was formidable, firing one hundred magical bullets every one minute cooldown.

Luna, with her keen map awareness, strategically launched magical attacks, ensuring she targeted low HP enemies to finish them off.

Simultaneously, she kept a watchful eye on the health of her teammates, making precise decisions to optimize their overall well-being.

Meanwhile, Sylvan perched atop a branch, leveraging his terrain advantage to rain down arrows one after another.

The young master showcased impressive marksmanship, living up to his role as a ranger.

Xin was surprised to find that Sylvan not only had a strategic mind for positioning but also demonstrated a surprising prowess in combat.

It was unexpected but certainly an asset to the team.

Considering he was the leader, he should really showcased some semblance of power.

However, the most surprising revelation came from Seraphim.

As she engaged in combat, Xin couldn’t help but notice the uncanny similarity in her fighting style to Midnight Duchess.

Both were assassins, and Xin couldn’t shake off the feeling that the resemblance was more than a mere coincidence.

Was it possible that Seraphim and Midnight Duchess was the same player? The thought lingered in Xin’s mind as he continued to observe her movements on the battlefield.

At the side, the Wyrmwood Alpha was observing the unfolding chaos, and decided to unleash its latent power when it realized that they were in a disadvantage.

It summoned Rootsoul Spriggans, creatures resembling humanoid tree spirits armed with thorny staffs.

These Spriggans emerged from the depths of the forest, surrounding the party with their menacing presence.

As the party faced this unexpected foes, Xin devised a plan to neutralize the Rootsoul Spriggans while maintaining the assault on the other Guardians.

"Let’s take care of these creatures and not let them reinforce the main ranks," he directed at the others.

"I know that already!" Luna spat.

"I’m the boss here so you listen to me!" Sylvan ordered and said, "Let’s take care of these creatures and not let them enter the main ranks!"

". . ." Xin didn’t know what to think of the moment.

The support team adjusted their tactics, focusing on crowd control and disrupting the Spriggans’ attempts to reinforce the main pack.

Despite encountering some coordination errors, the group’s collective efforts proved effective in overcoming the Guardians and their Rootsoul Spriggan reinforcements.

"We only have the leaders left!" Ignis declared, his eyes shifting to Hilda, who appeared to be struggling.