[You have leveled up!]
Along with the ever-welcome notification, the fatigue weighing down his entire body melted away like snow.
“I was worried I might miss, but that was pointless. Wow, I think I might have some talent for this.”
Rough congratulated himself.
Of course, it was not entirely due to his own ability.
[Marksman’s Eye Lv. 2]
[Rank: Lower]
[EXP: 18.90%]
[Active Skill]
[Consumes a set amount of MP to increase the range, accuracy, and critical-hit chance of ranged attacks. Cannot be used in conjunction with other Skills that have similar effects.]
[Critical Shot Lv. 6]
[Rank: Lower]
[EXP: 7.32%]
[Active Skill]
[Consumes a set amount of MP to fire one enhanced bolt. Can inflict more damage than a normal attack.]
The Skills he had purchased with the crossbow at the Auction had helped immensely.
“This side is more or less finished.”
Rough cautiously poked his head out beyond the sand dune.
Just then, Jaarr was cutting down the last Rebel user as well.
The first step had gone perfectly.
By now, even the Suppression Force users who had looked down on him would be stunned speechless.
But Rough was not about to be satisfied with that.
‘Before I log out, I need to capture at least three or four outposts! This is where it really begins!’
“Let’s go.”
Rough loaded a bolt into his crossbow and strode toward the outpost.
Jaarr shook the blood from his sword and silently followed behind him.
“…”
The users who had watched Rough and Jaarr’s performance in silence were left speechless.
“They held off twenty people? Just the two of them?”
“Even with help from a Named NPC, this is still…”
“Appraiser is a combat Class? Not a non-combat Class?”
“How would I know?”
“Wow. What did I just watch?”
As he walked away from the murmuring crowd, Rough stopped.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
Turning around, Rough jerked his head.
“H-Huh?”
The users at the main base awkwardly pointed at themselves.
“We have to pay them back for what they did to us. Hurry up and follow. We’re going to get busy now.”
“Uh…”
At his words, the users at the main base began moving as if entranced.
***
[You have recaptured a lost outpost!]
‘Nice! That makes three!’
Led by Rough and Jaarr, the Suppression Forces captured outposts with unstoppable momentum.
“Alright! Let’s move on to the next outpost!”
Riding their momentum, they immediately headed for the next target.
“Um… Rough?”
A user named Melm cautiously spoke to Rough.
He had been playing for the Suppression Forces ever since the event began.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“We need to be careful around that outpost.”
Melm pointed at the outpost they had chosen as their next target.
“Why?”
“That outpost. As you can see, it’s large and has plenty of defensive installations. It was originally a Suppression Forces outpost.”
‘…Then why was it taken?’
The question suddenly occurred to Rough, but he did not ask.
“Anyway, unlike the others, this one will be quite difficult. Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay in the rear? If you die, it’ll be over.”
The number of Suppression Force users advancing toward the next outpost had already reached three digits.
There was only one reason their numbers had suddenly grown so noticeably.
They had returned with renewed hope after hearing that the Suppression Forces were regaining their strength.
It would not be an exaggeration to say they had gathered because of Rough alone.
But if Rough were to fall, the hope that had only just been rekindled might be crushed again.
Melm was worried about that.
“Ah, it’s fine. It’s fine.”
Rough brushed off Melm’s concern.
“Do you have something you can rely on?”
“Something I can rely on… Well, plenty?”
Rough answered with an innocent smile.
Then he and Jaarr began moving ahead of everyone else.
‘He looks that confident, so he must have something up his sleeve?’
Melm and the other Suppression Force users followed the two with mixed feelings.
Before long—
“Hup!”
Boom—!
Jaarr, shield held before him, hurled himself at the outpost entrance.
The entrance was destroyed with absurd ease.
“You Rebel bastards! Now it’s our turn to pay you back! Wipe them all out!”
The Suppression Force users behind him surged into the outpost like a flood.
“The Suppression Forces are here! Stop them!!”
A fierce melee broke out as the Suppression Forces and Rebel Forces clashed over the outpost.
Thunk—!
Rough’s bolt pierced an enemy’s thigh.
‘Even without the Skill, I’m getting a rough feel for how to shoot.’
Skills automatically adjusted things such as lead angle—the angle aimed ahead of a moving target—and high-angle trajectory—the angle aimed above a target’s actual position.
Normal attacks, or basic attacks, had no such assistance.
That was one of the main reasons ranged-Class users were always lamenting.
But Rough adapted in no time.
Thwip—!
A single basic attack caused a Rebel user who had been close to full HP to scatter into gray particles.
It had registered as a hit to a vital point.
“…”
‘The guy named Rough who uses a crossbow. Found him.’
Garbo, the outpost’s leading user, closely watched Rough.
He was extremely wary of him.
After all—
Under normal circumstances, the Suppression Forces’ final outpost would have been captured today, followed by their main base, ending the event.
Everyone participating in the event—Rebel and Suppression Forces alike—had expected exactly that.
But the situation had changed dramatically.
Because Rough had suddenly barged in.
‘He uses a crossbow, so he must be a ranged Class. He’s got some nerve charging around on the front lines like that.’
A ranged damage dealer.
As the name suggested, it was a Class that fought enemies from a distance. That was the standard approach.
But Rough ignored that entirely, rampaging through the front lines.
[Rough]
[Lv. 53]
.
.
.
[Total Combat Power: 2,609]
[Jaarr]
[Lv. 59]
.
.
.
[Total Combat Power: 3,129]
‘His Level is high, but that’s all. The Named NPC is troublesome, so I’ll deal with that guy first.’
Garbo set his priorities.
‘Classes that use bows are at their most vulnerable right after firing a projectile. The moment he fires a bolt is my chance!’
Holding his breath, he silently waited for Rough to reveal an opening.
Fwoosh!
The moment Rough fired a bolt, unaware of Garbo’s plan—
‘Now!’
Garbo acted immediately.
“Everyone, hit that crossbow user at once!”
Garbo’s shout rang out thunderously.
Even amid the chaotic melee, the Rebel users heard his voice clearly.
Five users near Rough rushed toward him.
Including Garbo, there were six in total.
They were certain they could take Rough down.
A crossbow could not handle multiple opponents simultaneously.
One of them might scatter into gray particles, but Rough would certainly be killed in return.
Sacrificing one person to kill Rough was a cheap price to pay.
“S-Stop them! Protect Rough no matter what it takes!!”
Melm was horrified.
Before Rough arrived, they had been consumed by helplessness and defeat.
They had regained hope solely because of Rough.
They could not let him die.
Of course, his death would not end the event.
He would only lose a little EXP as a penalty and be able to re-enter after waiting four hours.
Still, things would become extremely difficult.
As Melm had said before, if Rough fell, the morale that had finally risen again would collapse.
It was doubtful whether they could hold out for four hours without him.
But it was too late.
The enemies had already reached Rough’s immediate vicinity.
The crossbow was far from reloaded, there was nowhere to escape, and his defense was low.
‘That’s it! We got him!’
Garbo smiled in triumph.
‘…Four, five, six. Six of them.’
Rough calmly counted the enemies approaching to target him.
‘They did put some thought into it. This is the right way to take down a ranged dealer. The problem is, I’m not a ranged dealer.’
“I’ve practiced with the crossbow enough. I suppose it’s time to bring out my real weapon.”
With a faint smile, Rough quietly murmured, “Weapon Exchange.”
The moment his words ended—
The crossbow in his hands broke apart into tens of thousands of pixel-like fragments and vanished.
In its place, the Giant Beast-Slaying Sword, glowing blue, appeared in his hand.
“…Huh? Blue effect? That’s a Rare item?”
Confusion spread across Garbo’s face.
But what unsettled him more was the weapon’s form.
“Why a sword…? Don’t tell me the crossbow wasn’t even his main weapon…”
Before Garbo could finish speaking, Rough’s sword cut through the air.
“Point Severing.”
Something flashed before his eyes.
Then a stinging pain ran through his neck.
His view spun once before slowly sinking toward the ground.
Parts of what appeared to be his companions’ bodies also began falling limply to the ground.
‘What… is this?’
He could not understand what had happened.
“Oh? A Title popped up? And I leveled up too?”
At the voice from above, Garbo’s gaze naturally turned upward.
The opponent he had just been trying to eliminate was staring eagerly at the notification window before him.
Only then did Garbo realize what had happened to him.
He had lost.
And he had been utterly overwhelmed.
“Uh…”
The Suppression Force users who had tried to save Rough could not close their mouths either.
‘A Second Weapon? Someone actually uses it like that?’
They had never even considered it.
Most users struggled enough just mastering one type of weapon.
‘Maybe… maybe we can win. If this person is here!’
Their faith in Rough turned into certainty.
***
News of what had happened in the Great Reed Field, the battlefield for the Rebellion Suppression event, quickly spread through the community.
[Guys guys, look at this]
[DDO) Myel Main Quest update]
Rough’s exploits swiftly shook the community.
-The Suppression Forces suddenly captured four outposts. It might be even soon.
┗[Wow, this still isn’t over? I thought it had ended ages ago.]
┗[For real lol. Honestly, as of yesterday, I thought it’d be over today or tomorrow.]
┗[The Suppression Forces were getting wrecked, so why did this suddenly happen?]
┗[A Named NPC and one user showed up on the Suppression Forces’ side, and the two of them wiped everyone out lol.]
┗[Oh? I got so annoyed from dying over and over that I went to do something else. Should I go back and try it again?]
┗[Go go. It’s fun now that it’s actually playable.]
┗[The new guy who joined the Suppression Forces is insane. One Skill cut six of us, including me and the outpost leader, in half.]
┗[One Skill hit six people? Get out of here with that ridiculous lie lol.]
┗[I got hit by it myself, you asshole. My body was literally split in half.]
┗[Then why did you join the Rebel Forces?]
┗[Serves you right, lol.]
Suppression Force users who had given up midway because they could not overcome the difference in strength began returning to the event one by one.
***
“We can catch our breath now.”
After capturing the fourth outpost, the Suppression Forces halted their advance.
They planned to reorganize their ranks here before setting out to capture the next outpost.
While the Suppression Force users regrouped, Rough discreetly called Melm over.
There was something he wanted to ask.
“Have we captured four outposts so far?”
“That’s right?”
“There’s something I understand less and less the more I think about it.”
“Huh? W-What is it?”
Melm swallowed dryly at Rough’s grim expression.