Chapter 58 - 55 : To Help Or Not To

(AN: PS, my little bro told me to capitalise all the words in the title so I decided to do that from now on…BTW sorry the chapter is late...)

"Hey Sato, I think that we're in the wrong room."

Chesces turned over to look at the two individuals. One of them was a plump guy while the other was a guy of average physique. He couldn't identify their facial expressions or looks because they both wore black cloaks [1]. Despite that, they both looked like your everyday average player as none of them radiated any aura.

Nonetheless Chesces didn't underestimate them as anyone who had been able to reach the boss' room must have encountered an obstacle in the form of goblin scouts. As they were 3 of them and they were all experts, it was easy for Chesces' group to make it here however, the other side were only 2 and none of them looked to be an MT class.

To have reached this far is nothing more than a testament of their strength that is unless they found a shortcut.

While Chesces was studying Sato and Fudo, they were also studying their group.

"So it turns out we were still too slow eh? Do you know who they are?" Fudo asked Sato.

"Not really but that dude looks familiar. He's quite strong." Sato frowned.

"So killing them is out of the option?"

Even though Fudo said it in a low voice, Chesces and co heard him and raised their guards up against the newcomers.

The trolls were already closing up to them but due to the fact that Sato and Fudo wore a black cloak and where at the edge of the room where the lighting was extremely poor, the trolls didn't notice them and still focused on Chesces' team.

Initially Sato and Fudo weren't wearing a black cloak. When they passed through the thick door earlier, they entered a weird laboratory filled with body parts, blood and dead experimental test subjects.

After exploring for a few minutes, they found a hidden door and entered it arriving at a straight passage. As they walked along the passage, they overheard the sounds of battle and thus decided to wear black cloaks to hide their identities from the combatants. A little while later, they left the passage through a stone door and were greeted by the current scene.

It didn't take long for the trolls to reach Chesces, Griffin and Kylian with them being forced to fight back. Griffin tried to tank them all but it was proving much of a task for him to do so. He was quite lucky that Chesces assisted him once in a while.

While Chesces' team were facing an unrealistic task which was like finding clams in a field, Sato and Fudo made use of their cloaks to blend into the darkness and hide from the trolls.

"Do we help them?" Fudo stared at the group that were currently being pushed back by the trolls. It was only a matter of time before they died leaving behind Sato and Fudo.

"If we don't help them the trolls will eliminate us when they are done with them. But what's in it for us? Right now, the trolls haven't spotted us yet. So we have two choices; either we wait a little while and they offer us something to assist them or we help them." Sato narrowed his eyes while staring at the ongoing battle.

"Hehe. If you were to ask me, I'd say let's wait. We-"

"*Sigh* You really are stupid. These guys are most likely from a big club. If we help them, they will owe us one. On the other hand, if we don't, then they would reveal our location before they die. In the end, we will not only gain their hatred but we would also have to face the trolls alone. Get ready, we will help them."

While Sato and Fudo were discussing on whether to help or not, Chesces was thinking the same.

'Those guys don't plan to help? Don't they know that after us, they are next? They can't be that stupid right? Or are they waiting for us to offer an incentive?... It's better that than losing our levels here.'

As he was about to ask for help, Chesces saw that the two strangers had already joined the battle.

Sato took on 2 trolls while Fudo assisted him. With that, Griffin had enough breathing space and easily took on the other 2 trolls. Though the word 'easily' is used here, it was only in comparison to his previous performance. Even so, Griffin didn't seem like he would die anytime soon as Chesces got back to his sense and assisted him with Kylian.

"Hey. At this rate, we won't achieve much before others arrive. The one with the saber, come assist me here while the druid helps that tank." Sato yelled at them. "If he can't handle the two of them, drag the other one over here. The one with the lowest health."

'Is he crazy?!' Chesces wondered.

Handling one troll is already quite difficult for average players. One should remember that apart from Chesces, the other members of his team were at Level 5. Even still, they had a hard time facing two trolls.

Ignoring how Sato was able to keep up with 2 trolls, Chesces belief that if there were a third one, even if he helped him, they had a high chance of losing especially since they don't have a healer backing them nor an MT class player.

"What are you waiting for?! Come on already." Fudo shouted while blasting a [Greater Fireball] at one troll. 'And they call themselves pro gamers.'

Unbeknownst to Chesces and his teammates, Sato and Fudo were at Level 5 but even that wasn't enough to make them handle two trolls, much less 3, on their own. The secret was actually the extra attribute points they received from their sub-classes, which could be said to be equivalent to a single level up, but that wasn't all.

After Sato and Fudo had levelled up and entered the laboratory, they equipped their new equipment (AN: Chapter 9) and got a boost in power. This was even more so for Fudo who had a new equipment and weapon. With the increase in strength, the trolls which would usually be hard for players to handle would be easier for them.

This didn't mean that Emperor's Might's players didn't have good equipment but when compared to that of Fudo and Sato, theirs was like factory-made brand whereas the duo's one were premium factory-made merchandise.(AN: Still the same sh*t, lol.)

With the combined effect of the extra attribute points and quality equipment, Sato and Fudo were stronger than ever.

"Alright."

After Fudo lashed out on him, Chesces decided to trust them and pulled one of the trolls away from his teammates. This wasn't so difficult as all he needed to do was to strike it at its joint or any other critical point and it would run after him.

As the 3rd one approached, Sato put his hand in his bag and brought out a vial which he downed the contents into his throat. Sato's facial muscles tightened a bit as he gulped down the liquid that left behind a flaming sensation in his throat. His muscles bulged a bit while his veins released looked to be coated in a red sheen.

[[ Diluted Simple Berserk Potion : Simple Grade : 60% concentration

[Strength] +7

[Agility] + 10

[Dexterity] +7

[Vitality] +10

Duration : 10 seconds

Cool-down : 4 hours ]]

Even though handling a 3rd troll would still barely be in the range of his current capabilities, Sato didn't want to take any chances as the boss was still there. The fact that the boss still hadn't noticed them even after all his bodyguards had left made Sato feel uneasy so he decided to wrap up the battle on this side quickly.

"Was that a Berserk Potion?!" Chesces was shocked.

Berserk potions are quite rare, no, extremely rare. Even till now, Emperor's Might's branch in Riverdale Town only has 2 such potions. With the resources of a super guild, getting equipment and weapons aren't difficult but the same couldn't be said about potions. Even though Berserk potions could be purchased in NPC stores, it came at a very high price.

Chesces was visibly shocked and at the same time, uneasy.

'Why would he use such it now? We haven't even fought the boss yet. Or does he have more? Is that it? He's showing his resources now to scare us from thinking twice against them...'

Caught with apprehension towards Sato's decision of using a Berserk potion without hesitating, Chesces began jumping to conclusions before recalling where he was.

'Doesn't matter. Let's just get over this first.'

AN :

When the MC was about to make the decision whether to help or not, I wanted to make his decision more realistic and not like all those good guys you see and read all the time. But in the end, I made it work. I think...

[1] I'd like to remind you guys of something.. Whenever a player uses the hood of a black cloak to shield their faces, it projects a dark shadow over their face so you won't see anything.