MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player-Chapter 161: Desperate Times

"Haha..."

Laughter rolled across the clearing as seventy members of the Inferno Clan fanned out and closed in. At the head of the formation, Ash001, lead Knight of the squad, reined in his mount and let his gaze settle on the scene ahead. SoulfireBlade and SoulSync, the two leaders of the Soulfire Guild, were locked in a desperate fight against a massive beast streaked with flecks of gold. The Leopard Jackal King. A Silver tier boss, and from the look of it, every bit as vicious as the rumors claimed.

Ash001’s lips curved in a thin smile. "I was wondering why the sky looked so bright today, why the air felt thick with action," he called out, his tone dipped in mock courtesy. "Turns out the Leader and the Second-in-Command of Soulfire are out here hosting a private party. Mind if my boys and I join in?"

The Furious Three, the trio of brothers commanding this Inferno detachment, had not stumbled onto this by chance. Their scouts had reported SoulfireBlade leading a large force toward the barrens earlier that day. Curiosity turned to suspicion, and suspicion quickly became opportunity. Inferno reorganized, shadowed them from a safe distance, and waited. Now, watching Soulfire struggle against waves of Highland Jackals while the Leopard Jackal King rampaged in their midst, the three brothers could barely contain their anticipation.

It was obvious what Soulfire was after. A Silver tier boss like this did not appear often, and the odds of a Guild Creation Token dropping were high. If Soulfire secured it, their position would solidify overnight. But if Inferno wiped them out here, in front of witnesses and with proof plastered all over the forums, the impact would be seismic. Not only would they deny Soulfire the kill, they would humiliate them.

Ash001 could practically see the headline already. Soulfire Leaders Slaughtered by Inferno’s Furious Three. The thought sent a thrill through him. InfernoRider001 would not overlook a victory like that.

So focused were they on the two guild leaders and the gleaming boss that none of them noticed Marcus standing at the edge of the battlefield, watching.

A faint, cold smile touched Marcus’s lips. If they had recognized him, if they remembered what happened back in the Newbie Village when their attempted kill steal turned into an embarrassment, they would not be laughing so freely now.

At first, Marcus had intended to pivot back and pour his damage into the Leopard Jackal King, end the fight quickly, and minimize losses. But the sight of the Furious Three grinning like hyenas changed something in him. They had tried to step on him once already. Now they thought they were about to step on an entire guild.

’Fine’, he thought, tightening his grip on his weapon. ’Let’s see how fast a celebration turns into a funeral.’

"Move out!" Ash001 roared.

Inferno’s Knights locked their shields into a tight formation. Damage dealers dismounted in unison, bows lifted, spells forming at their fingertips. At the command, the seventy man force surged forward like a breaking wave.

Soulfire reacted instantly, but reaction was not the same as preparation. SoulfireBlade redirected several mages to focus everything on the Leopard Jackal King. If they could kill the boss before Inferno reached them, they might salvage something from this disaster. A quick loot grab and retreat, perhaps. But the boss’s health was still too high, and Inferno was closing fast.

Marcus did not move to help.

Even as freshly spawned Highland Jackals tore into Soulfire’s backline, dragging down a handful of archers and mages in the confusion, he remained still, eyes calculating. On the perimeter, a dozen Soulfire members rushed to intercept Inferno’s charge, throwing themselves forward to buy their leaders a few more seconds.

Twelve against seventy.

They were cut down almost instantly. Inferno smashed through them and pressed toward the heart of Soulfire’s formation.

And then, just before the two forces collided, Marcus moved.

"Healers, on me!" he shouted, his voice cutting cleanly through the chaos. "Stay close. Keep the buffs rolling!"

He moved with precise, practiced control, triggering several auxiliary skills in rapid succession. A sharp whistle split the air as he activated Taunt again and again, locking the Leopard Jackal King’s attention onto him. He drove his heels into the flanks of his Flame Charger. The mount reared, snorted fire, and lunged forward.

Instead of pulling away from danger, Marcus veered sharply across the battlefield, cutting through the struggling line of Soulfire Knights who were barely holding back the smaller mobs. With deliberate positioning and perfectly timed movement, he peeled the Highland Jackals off them one by one.

Within seconds, more than fifty snarling predators were chasing him in a dense, snapping mass.

The disruption was immediate and violent. Because Marcus acted without warning, Soulfire’s already strained formation buckled. Players who had not anticipated the sudden shift were caught in the surge of panicked jackals. A few were knocked down and trampled before they could react, their death cries swallowed by the roar of combat.

Marcus heard them fall. A flicker of guilt tightened his jaw.

’Sorry,’ he thought grimly. ’This is the only way. People die in a PK. I just have to make sure it counts.’

His objective was brutally simple. Lead the fifty plus jackals straight into the core of Inferno’s seventy players.

SoulfireBlade and SoulSync understood the moment Marcus angled toward the enemy. The strategy was brilliant. It might even be the only move left that carried a real chance of survival. But the execution bordered on insanity.

They had considered doing something similar themselves. The problem was not the idea. It was the survival rate.

No Knight in their roster could withstand the concentrated damage of fifty jackals for long. Even if one somehow survived the mobs, Inferno would never allow the delivery. With seventy players on the field, they could easily divert twenty to focus fire the kiting Knight. Under that kind of barrage, even the sturdiest tank would drop in seconds.

And once the kiting Knight died, the jackals would immediately switch targets. Without a stable formation, the nearest players would be Soulfire’s own survivors. They would be shredded before Inferno even had to commit fully.

SoulfireBlade knew the reality of their situation. There had only been two viable paths. Kill the boss before Inferno arrived and gamble on escape, or hold the line against both mobs and players long enough to force a breakthrough. With thirty against seventy, neither option had ever been good.

The air felt heavy, almost suffocating.

And now Marcus was charging straight into what looked like certain death.

SoulfireBlade’s eyes narrowed. Why? Suspicion flickered through him despite himself. ’Is he reckless... or is he playing another game? Could he be an Inferno plant, trying to throw us into chaos so we collapse faster?’

"Healers! Move!" SoulSync’s voice snapped through his thoughts.

Unlike SoulfireBlade, SoulSync did not hesitate. The instant Marcus broke formation, he understood. He had no room for doubt. "Two Clerics with him! Now!"

"Right!" SoulfireBlade barked, forcing down his suspicion. This was not the moment for internal paranoia. "Stonehaven, we’re backing you!"

He reorganized his remaining Knights with swift, decisive commands, pushing them forward to escort the healers. They advanced in tight coordination, keeping Marcus within range of their protective wards and healing light as he raced toward the Inferno line with a storm of snarling death at his heels.

Desperate times did not allow safe choices.

Only bold ones.