After an hour of travel, Mathew and Loren arrived at the foot of Baliu Mountain. Then, Loren sent a message to Sabrina—indicating that they were already at the eastern side of Baliu Mountain and were just waiting for her.
With Sabrina's enhanced vision, because of her transformation form, she was able to find them a few minutes later. She hovered above, circling around the area to check if there were any nearby monsters that might become a threat to them.
Noticing that there were only a few monsters that even Mathew could handle by himself, she started to descend whilst crying, "Kwiiiyaaak!"
It took her a few minutes to descend and land at a safe distance away from Mathew and Loren. Then, she reverted back to her human form—making the ropes lose and eventually separating the basket containing Werewolf Tam from her leg. She stretched her arms and feet before she dragged the basket and went towards Loren and Mathew.
"I'll leave my character and this 'piece' to your care!" She said as she handed the basket to Mathew. "I might be offline for a long time. There are some matters I need to do outside the game."
Sabrina glanced to Loren and said, "But… In case there is a need for me to go online… Don't hesitate to send me a message!"
"I got it, Sis!" Loren said as she smiled confidently while gesturing a thumbs up to Sabrina. "You don't need to worry! We already finished the stuff we needed to do outside the game. So… We won't need to log out of the game any time soon. Besides… You have been playing continuously for almost a day. You deserve some rest at the least."
Mathew simply nodded in response—agreeing to what Loren has said. Thus, Sabrina can't help but force out a smile in response. She knew that Mathew was more than enough to protect her character while she was offline and, at the same time, protectt the hopeless body of werewolf Tam.
However, it would be extremely difficult for Mathew if he would encounter an endless amount of monsters like what they encountered in the western side of the continent. So, Loren came along as Mathew's support and, at the same time, the messenger of their group.
"Thanks…" Sabrina smiled to them as she sat to the ground and logged off the game.
Loren simply waved towards her, saying goodbye, while Mathew reported to Pedro about the progress of their task and the chaos that they had learned from their fellow players. Fortunately, there were only a few monsters in that area—giving Mathew a lot of time to be even able to send a message to Pedro.
[Killer Smile (Mathew): Expert Brother, we have successfully met Gentle Breeze. We are currently acting as guards to her character and the 'piece'. If you have any orders, don't hesitate to inform me. I am quite free at the moment.
In another note, I have encountered some players in Baliu Village. It seemed like your ranking in the Continental Quest had caused a turmoil all over the world. They are accusing you of cheating because of your absurdly high kill count.
What are you plans regarding this matter? I mean… won't it eventually be a nick of time before the devs would able to know about us? I know that you aren't using any hacks or cheats but… I don't think the world share the same sentiment with me. I am afraid that the devs might come after us. By that time that it would happen, won't it be ideal to have some back up plans before hand?]
~~~~~~~~~
Since Pedro had nothing much to do, he was able to read Mathew's message. That said, he simply chuckled after learning about the cheat or hack on Bearth Online that he was accused of using.
'Cheat? Hacker? How dare them spread baseless accusations! It's not my fault that they are just too weak to see my real strength.' Pedro chuckled deep inside. 'Anyway… What's important is to capitalize in this dungeon as much as I can before we leave and head towards the Tarala Kingdom.'
Truth be told, Pedro wanted to retaliate or answer after seeing the people in the game's world chat or forum, cursing him. But, he did not do so because he already had a lot of matters to take care off by his two hands. He can't afford to anger himself over trivial things. Besides… He would just add fuel to the fire if he did retaliate towards them.
[Death (Pedro): It's good that you have joined together with Gentle Breeze. Take good care of the 'piece' and the two girls.
As for the devs or the hack issue, you don't need to concern yourself about it. We are not using such hacks or cheats, so, we won't get in trouble even if the devs would be able to trace us.
For now, follow my instructions. If you have some hands to spare, help Loren level up. We can't let her—the members of the Logistic Force to lag behind. We won't be able to ensure their safety all the time, especially in the future.
It will take me a few more hours inside the dungeon. Afterward, we'll head out and meet with you. Make sure to act well. The NPC with me is a bit irritating.]
[Killer Smile (Mathew): Got it, Expert Bro! I'll message you if something comes up.]
[Death (Pedro): :OKAY SIGN: :OKAY SIGN: :OKAY SIGN:]
After sending his message, Pedro smirked and said, "Cry all you want! Someday, we'll get a chance to show you all the fruits of our hard work. Unfortunately, all of you could only admire my name and my kill count for now."
~~~~~~~~
Hours later, Neerak Axutar and the three village soldiers had woken up. They can't help but glance towards Pedro and watch his pen-knife kill the Baby Ira Spiders mercilessly. They forced out a smile and thought deep inside how scary and strong Pedro was.
However, Pedro smirked towards them in response. Then, he glanced back to his front and sigh before saying, "It seems like you all had a good night's rest. Since everyone is already awake, let's leave this dungeon and retreat for now. The issue regarding the Tarala Kingdom is more urgent than clearing this dungeon. We'll just return afterward. Do you guys have any objections?"
The three village soldiers glanced to each other before shaking their heads, saying, "We don't have any objections with your arrangement, Sir Aron."
Pedro nodded in response. Then, he glanced towards Neerak Axutar and asked, "How about you, young man? Do you have any questions?"
Neerak Axutar could not help but force out a smile. He rubbed the back of his head and asked in a shy manner, "W-Won't there be a risk of Dungeon Overflow if we leave this dungeon un-cleared?"
"Yes, it's possible that a Dungeon Overflow might occur." Pedro said. "But… In the case of this dungeon, the chance for it to happen is less than five percent. So… There's really of no need to be concerned about a Dungeon Overflow. Besides… even if the spiders go out of the dungeon, it would take them weeks or even a month to reach, either Baliu Village or Axutar Village. On top of that… I doubt that the Villages would fall immediately because of that. And before that even happen, we would already be back to clear it once and for all."
"Still…" Neerak Axutar bit his lips, thinking about the safety of his father and their village.
That said, Pedro smirked before Neerak Axutar could say another word. He stood and said, "I know that you are worried about your father and your village. So… In case we won't be able to return in this dungeon after a week, I'll send a few of my men to your village to help defend against the monsters. How about it?"
"Sorry for the trouble, Sir Aron!" Neerak Axutar said in an embarrassed tone.
Pedro imply shook his head in response and said, "It's alright, young man.I know that you just care for the village. However… Sometimes, you need to think of a bigger picture. Especially if we are talking about things concerning the survival of humanity. If a Kingdom falls… So does its affiliated smaller strongholds. But if a small stronghold like villages falls… The Kingdoms could just send an army to help recover it back. It might look unfair at some point, but… on our perspective… won't more humans live and survive in that way? Anyway… I even personally hate doing sacrifices so… rest assured that I would do my best so that there won't be any casualties because of this dungeon."
Neerak Axutar can't help but avert his gaze as he listens to what Pedro said. Truth be told, Pedro was right. They needed to prioritize the survival of as many humans as possible. Thus, if they needed to choose to save a Kingdom over a village, Pedro would do it without hesitation. Because he and his fleet's job was to save as many humans as possible.
Not wanting the atmosphere to become more tense, Pedro drew his sword and said, "Let's go! The faster we finish our task at the Tarala Kingdom, the faster we can go back to this dungeon."