A while back, before Izroth participated in the second team's selection at the Sky Palace, there was a world announcement about someone being the first to ride a mount. However, at the time of the announcement, the person chose to keep their identity a secret. As a result, their player name was never revealed. This left one of the greatest puzzling mysteries of RML on the table. After all, who would not be interested in how to acquire and ride a mount?!
As he continued to observe the battle, a few seconds later, Izroth received a message from an unexpected sender.
'Hm? It's her?'
Surprisingly, the message came from Meng Jiang!
〈System Alert: Player Meng Jiang has sent you a message, "Hello, I am Meng Jiang, the guild leader of Sacred Beasts. I wonder if you're willing to lend us a hand down here, Mr. First Place?"〉
Just as Izroth could see her player name when she soared past him, she could see his as well. Being the only player on the Event Leaderboard—she would have had to be living under a rock not to recognize his player name!
'Sacred Beasts? I see… It all makes sense now.'
It was just as Izroth expected. The players fighting against the Failed Chimera were members of a top ten guild. It certainly explained how they could drag a level 50 world boss down to its current pitiful state.
There was not much information available when it came to Sacred Beasts, which was mainly because they were one of the only top ten guilds to never set up a headquarters in Amaharpe or Proximus. Instead, they concentrated their efforts in the kingdom of Rosentarus and stationed their temporary main headquarters in its capital city from the very beginning of RML.
Izroth did not know much about Sacred Beasts, but if they were posted in Rosentarus, an ally of Amaharpe, it was safe to assume they were on the same side during the war event. But, why had they waited until the event started to fight the boss? Weren't they afraid of wasting their limited number of lives? Then again, the temptation of a world boss was too difficult to ignore for most.
'If we're on the same side of the war, as a Captain of the GSU, I suppose I'm somewhat obligated to lend them a helping hand after all. However, walking away empty-handed is out of the question.'
Izroth responded to Meng Jiang's message. She had already joined the fray with her wolf beast. She appeared to be a summoner-type class that was also capable of utilizing mid-range to long-range magic spells.
〈System Alert: You have sent a message to Player Meng Jiang, "My assistance does not come cheap, guild leader Meng Jiang. First pick, four items. This is my offer to you."〉
Almost instantly after sending his reply, Izroth got a friend request from Meng Jiang. He accepted, and the moment he did so, Izroth received an invitation to voice chat from her.
'She certainly does not waste any time. Let's see what you have to say.'
Izroth proceeded to let the voice chat through as a charmingly sweet voice greeted him.
[Voice Chat Has Started]
Meng Jiang, "Four? Surely the owner of the Mystical Realm Palace does not lack resources and equipment? How about the first pick of one item of your choice? We remember all favors well."
Izroth, "You're mistaken. My offer was not an attempt at negotiating. To be blunt, even four items from this world boss are not enough for me to volunteer my services."
Meng Jiang, "I see you price yourself quite highly. Four world boss drops are a matter of life and death for a guild like ours—can you truly live up to such high self-appraisal?"
Izroth, "Since you were the one who contacted me first, I assume you already know the answer to that question. Choose carefully. Though if I were you, I would make my decision quickly."
ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
The Failed Chimera released a booming roar that temporarily disorientated all targets within its range. However, thanks to Izroth's Heavenly Golden Body's Greater Physique passive, he was unaffected by the creature's roar.
Unfortunately, outside of Meng Jiang and her wolf beast that retreated to her side, the members of Sacred Beasts did not have the same luxury of immunity.
Bang!
The Failed Chimera swiped its paw at the party's disorientated tank; however, they were just barely able to block it in time to prevent taking the blow's full damage. Nevertheless, it was too close for comfort, especially when the supports struggled to keep up with the Failed Chimera's damage output.
Once the roar dispersed, Meng Jiang's wolf beast rushed back in and continued its assault on the Failed Chimera.
Meng Jiang, "First pick, one item. I'm aware that while the Mystical Realm Palace does not lack resources, there are still materials that can only be found in Rosentarus. I am willing to provide you with these materials for a discounted price. Uncommon and lower at 30% below market value, rare at 20%, and superior at 10%. In addition, my Sacred Beasts will owe you a favor—and we always repay our favors. Any more than this, and I'm afraid we will lose more than we gain."
A carefree smile appeared on Izroth's face. He knew that asking for four items of a level 50 world boss drop, let alone having the first pick of all four items, was impractical. However, Izroth was interested in how Meng Jiang would respond to his outlandish demands and was pleasantly surprised by her smooth counteroffer.
The way a guild leader behaved under pressure, while it did not reveal everything, gave Izroth a general idea of how the guild itself operated—or, at the very least, how its leader carried themselves.
Based on Meng Jiang's response and the absence of a bad reputation about Sacred Beasts, Izroth finally came to a decision.
Izroth, "I hope your memories are not affected once everything is settled, guild leader Meng Jiang. I would hate to have to refresh it for you. I accept your terms."
[Voice Chat Has Ended]
Izroth terminated the voice call after agreeing to Meng Jiang's proposal.
'Having a connection to a top guild in Rosentarus can prove to be beneficial in more ways than one. This deal is not bad. I will suffer a bit of a short term loss, but the long term advantages cannot be ignored.'
Not even half a breath of time after the voice call ended, a system alert generated before Izroth.
〈System Alert: You have been invited to join a Raid Party[Current Members: 32][Party Leader: Meng Jiang], would you like to accept?〉
'32? The Chimera must have already consumed quite a few of them after their deaths. It's a miracle they've managed to survive this long. Just how long have they been fighting this thing?'
There were nowhere near 32 bodies on the battlefield, alive, dead, or otherwise. Not to mention, after the Failed Chimera devoured that dark purple energy, the player's body it hovered above dissipated. Izroth discovered the reason why the bodies of players did not instantly disappear after their deaths must have been related to one of the Failed Chimera's skills in order to better supply it with bodies for its healing ability.
'Let's start by taking your meals out of the equation.'
Izroth's figured started constantly fading in and out of existence as a flickering afterimage of him formed on top of the tree branch. At the next moment, the afterimage vanished as he descended upon the battlefield!
…
Meanwhile…
"Now, Acogu'An." Meng Jiang commanded as the wolf beast, who had been using its speed to attack the Failed Chimera at alternating angles, retreated to Meng Jiang's side.
Hoooowl!
The wolf beast, Acogu'An, unleashed a reverberating howl as a layer of blue and red auras encompassed Acogu'An, Meng Jiang, and her allies.
〈System Alert: All allies have been empowered by Acogu'An's «Unchained Howl»!〉
〈System Alert: All allies have their attack, defense, agility, and magic increased by 30% for 5 minutes!〉
〈System Alert: All allies have their in-battle HP regeneration, and MP regeneration increased by 125% and 100% respectively for 5 minutes!〉
At the same time, a sudden breeze rushed past Meng Jiang. She promptly looked to her side and was greeted by the sight of a flickering silhouette!
