Chapter 42: Never make a girl cry

On the north of the Aerola region, there is an archipelago called Icebard. Here, where anyone below Vitality Silver rank freezes instantly, ice creatures roam, endowed with high defense and magic capacity. It’s the perfect training ground for everyone level 50 and up.

At the heart of its many islands resides a monster that even those of level 90 hesitate to confront: The Raid Boss, J?tnarkungen. A mountain-sized, turtle-like golem encased in a thick layer of ice. Swords and arrows are futile against it, necessitating the inclusion of Pyromancers in any raid attempt to weaken its belly and expose its mineral core.

If Users aren’t crushed by its colossal legs or by its horde of Elemental minions guarding its back, J?tnarkungen’s freezing aura and icy breath will finish them off.

“Why would anyone challenge such a monster, you ask? Well, because its rewards, though not unique, are abundant compared to other Raid Bosses!” the female Pyromancer leading a expedition proclaimed as she climbed the snowy hill, the boss visible in the distance. “Living Iron, Arcanium, Diamonite, Gold, you name it! That thing is loaded! Even if you don’t manage to kill it, you can harvest a good chunk of its natural treasures by blowing off a piece. But we didn’t come here just for scraps, right, guys?”

“No, we’re here for everything it has!”

“Are we here to kill it, my sisters?!”

“We’re here to exterminate it!”

“Who are we?!”

“The Storm Crusaders!”

“You’re goddamn right!” the mage shouted. She then salivated at the prospect of obtaining a perfect grade Fire Platinum Staff before donning her magic glasses, which revealed the creature’s stats.

———————–

J?tnarkungen

———————

LEVEL – 180

MONSTER CLASSIFICATION – ELEMENTAL

BATTLE TYPE – ICEBERG

VITALITY – PLATINUM E

SPIRIT – GOLD B

POTENTIAL – PLATINUM D

—————————

“We’re ready, Guild Master,” her second in command announced, as the small army of women focused intently on their leader, who smirked with anticipation.

“Let’s go, everyone! Let’s make that overgrown turtle our bi—”

“Who are we?!” a male voice interrupted from a few yards away.

“The Crusaders of the Storm!”

“Are we going to cleanse this world of that evil creature?!”

“With the force of our sacred might!”

“That’s right, everyone! Tonight, we shall dine in—”

“And you had to be here!” the female Pyromancer shouted. “Calvin Shitman!”

“It’s Sherman, you…!” the tall, mustached cleric retorted, glaring at the woman who stomped towards him. “Emily Domingo, you insolent fool!”

“It’s Dominguez, you piece of trash!” Emily shrieked before addressing Calvin’s group. “Whatever! Back off, all of you! We were here first!”

“Oh, yeah?” Calvin chuckled, mirroring her defiant stance. “We’ve been camping here for over an hour, so technically, you’re the latecomers.”

“What did you say?!” Before she could continue the argument, Emily noticed that the majority of her guild members were already mingling with the rival group, much to her dismay. “Don’t fraternize with the enemy, you ingrates!”

Calvin chuckled, covering his mouth with a hand. “Oh, my dear Emily, I pity you. How many times have you tried to kill the beast?”

“Once!” Emily declared proudly, hands on hips. “Unlike you, losers! How many times has it kicked your sorry asses? Three?”

“Four times,” Calvin corrected loudly, adjusting his posture. “And each attempt has given us invaluable experience. We are the most qualified to slay the monster today. We’ve memorized its attack patterns and adapted to its temperament. So step aside and let us show you what perseverance truly means.”

“That beast respawns once every month, and I won’t let someone else take it down!”

“Oh, so you acknowledge that my guild could kill it, fu fu fu.”

Emily, the Pyromancer, radiated a red aura. “Tell your band of boyfriends to back off, or else!”

“I don’t have several boyfriends, ma’am, just one, whom I love with all my heart,” Calvin retorted indignantly, making Emily burst into laughter.

“Always so humorless, you stiff old man!”

“We’re not backing down!” Calvin declared, raising his chin to tower over her. “Even though I know that you’re going to be inevitably obliterated, I can’t allow you and your mob to scratch its mineral surface and steal even the tiniest loot from me. I want it all or nothing!”

As Emily glared at him, the second in commands from both guilds approached, looking embarrassed.

“Guild Master Emily…” a tall bulky woman greeted her with a wave.

“Paladin Calvin.” A lanky man bowed slightly.

“What do you two want? Speak,” Calvin said softly.

“Don’t tell my Co-leader what to do! What do you want, Carol?”

“We’ve been talking with the Crusaders of the Storm,” Carol began, managing a half-smile.

“And we’ve talked to the ladies from Storm Crusaders…” Tristan added, saluting.

“And we’ve come to an agreement that… maybe we could form a team and finally slay the beast?” Carol revealed, her forehead wrinkling as she forced a smile.

“Teaming up with these weirdos?!” Emily exclaimed, glaring at the other leader.

“Us, gentlemen, uniting with this… woman? Unacceptable! She’s rash and impulsive!”

“And he is too cautious and hesitant!”

Carol and Tristan groaned simultaneously.

“Please reconsider, sir! Maybe the reason we haven’t been able to slay the beast is that we’re lacking firepower!” Tristan argued.

“Bloody hell, Emily! Last time we didn’t even get it to its second phase! They already have a strategy to divert its attention from us while we focus on attacking its weak spots!”

Both Emily and Calvin pursed their lips as they listened to their most trusted allies. Their eyes met again, this time more calmly. Carol and Tristan exchanged smiles and nodded.

“If we do this, who will call the shots?” Emily asked, inspecting her nails.

“Me, of course!” Calvin declared, twirling his mustache. “I’m the one with the strategy, remember?”

“I could play along for a while, but in case of an emergency, when you finally screw up, I’ll take the lead. Did you hear me?”

As they spoke, something caught Carol’s eye in the sky. She elbowed Tristan, who also looked up, tilting his head and frowning.

“Trust me, eventualities can and will happen,” Calvin continued. “To minimize any further losses, I must have authority over both allied forces at all times.”

A ball of light traversed the sky, capturing the attention of both groups.

“All I hear is an excuse for you to boss me around!” Emily was saying.

“All I hear is a stubborn woman too afraid to lose her sense of power, even for a second,” Calvin snickered. “Scared that I might prove I’m a better leader?”

“Says the one who stays in the back lines, healing!” Emily countered.

“Says the one who rushes to the front lines despite being a mage! You don’t have the Vitality rank to tank hits, you halfwit! Are you trying to emulate a certain famous Battlemage, perhaps?”

“Um, Guild Master?” Carol interjected, her eyes fixed on the celestial body growing closer to the island.

“What did you say, you dipstick!” Emily snapped.

“Yes, I said it! Your fighting style doesn’t match your class!” Calvin exclaimed. “If your combat skills are any indication of your commanding abilities, then I pity your followers!”

“That thing is headed this way, isn’t it?” Tristan said to a stunned Carol.

“Y-yes… Brace yourselves, everyone!” she yelled to her guild as Tristan did the same.

“Raise protective shields! Aid the Storm Crusaders who can’t!”

“You know nothing, you stupid… Role Player?” Emily said, finally noticing the warm light bathing the surroundings.

“Get out of my sight, you filthy Gamer!” Calvin replied before getting startled by a sonic boom.

Something crashed against J?tnarkungen’s back, creating a shock wave that blew Emily’s hat away and caused Calvin to lose his balance.

“What the hell was that?!” he yelled, but the roar of an explosion drowned out his voice.

When the air currents subsided, the white mages from Crusaders of the Storm canceled their shields and ascended the hill, joined by the women under Emily’s command. Eighty-four people witnessed what could only be described as a massacre.

Something was causing continuous explosions over the mountain-sized monster, making its limbs shake. Sharp-eyed marksmen observed enormous fragments of crystallized ice being hurled hundreds of feet away.

“Isn’t his back supposed to be the hardest part of its body?” Tristan asked, swallowing hard.

“It is,” Carol confirmed.

“You know…” Emily began, watching the spectacle of destruction from two miles away. “My guild members have been complaining about me not allowing men to join our ranks.”

“How curious,” Calvin mused, mesmerized by the fiery explosions. “Not allowing women in our guild has been the biggest grievance among my followers.” He paused, wincing at the sight of J?tnarkungen’s knees finally buckling. “Do you want to merge our guilds?”

“Look! Whatever that thing is, it seems to have entered its shell…” Emily pointed, adjusting her glasses. “And sure, we should merge. But what should we call ourselves?”

“People have been confusing our guild names so often that it hardly matters which one we use. I’d prefer Crusaders of the Storm, though.”

“Nah, if we’re doing this, let’s go with Storm Crusaders. It’s shorter,” Emily suggested as J?tnarkungen’s body began to glow.

“Storm Crusaders lacks impact, woman.”

“Fine! How about Crusaders United?”

Calvin turned to her and extended his hand. “I like the sound of that.”

Emily shook his hand as J?tnarkungen exploded into a million rocky pieces. A lustrous, black ore of Living Iron landed near her feet, making her eyes sparkle as she picked it up. “Storm Crusaders…? Gather everything you can, now!”

“W-what?!” Calvin exclaimed, watching the dozens of women rush down the hill. “We’re Crusaders United now, Emily! We’re splitting the loot fifty-fifty!”

“We’ll make it official once we return to Iregorn! But for now, finders keepers!”

“That woman! Crusaders of the Storm, charge!”

As Emily slid her feet through the snow, a flying mount soared overhead at high speed. “Crap! Who’s that? She’s going for the core!” Emily shouted. “Whoever reaches it before that girl gets a bonus!”

The flying rider left everyone behind, and on her path, she could see the enormous remains of J?tnarkungen’s corpse.

“What could possibly have done all this?” she whispered to herself, drawing closer to the valley’s center, where someone stood beside the cracked monster’s core. “Just one warrior did this?” She dismounted her blue pelican and landed 30 feet away from the figure. “Are you hurt?” she called to the crouching figure, who then stood. “My name’s Brenda, and I’m not here to steal your loot, I swear. I just want to…” She paused mid-sentence upon realizing that the monster slayer was a blonde-haired girl, her cheeks streaked with tears. “Are you okay?” Brenda asked before hearing others approaching.

“Lend me your mount,” the blonde muttered after wiping her face.

“W-what?”

“Are you deaf?!” the blonde exclaimed, glaring at Brenda with icy-blue eyes. “I destroyed my mount in the crash and I need to leave now! You can call your bird back after an hour, okay?!”

“B-but—”

The warrior didn’t wait for Brenda to finish her sentence. She leaped 100 feet into the air and commandeered the pelican, flying in the opposite direction from the approaching group.

Emily rushed down and hugged the giant core. “It’s mine, do you hear me?! I got here first!” She pointed at Brenda, who stared skyward with a look of astonishment.

“Woah…” Brenda muttered.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep