Chapter 129 Chapter 128-Order in Hand, Mission Accomplished(1st update, Cheer me with Power Stones!)
Even when John had returned to the group, everyone was still stupefied.
They were all staring dumbfoundedly at John, forgetting even to speak.
Seeing their expressions, John couldn't help but find it amusing, "Why are you all standing there stunned? The monster's gone. You should get out of combat mode already."
Everyone snapped out of their daze.
They hurriedly deactivated their combat mode.
The heavy fighter's shield reverted to its normal size...
The mage stowed away his staff and drank a potion...
Everyone else began to use supplies to recover...
Adam came up to John, smiling wryly, "Sorry for the embarrassment, Galewind. We didn't expect that we'd have to rely on you to clean up our mess in the end."
John waved his hand dismissively, responding casually, "Don't say that. You all did your best. The Fire Elemental Titan isn't a lord-level boss, but its level is too high. It's normal that you couldn't handle it."
Adam looked dejected and shook his head, "We thought we were the strongest players in the game, but we're still helpless against these high-level bosses."
John chuckled, "The game's only been online for a few months, and everyone's levels aren't high enough. When we reach the later stages, this kind of Fire Elemental Titan won't be worth mentioning."
Adam nodded.
Even though he knew John was just trying to comfort him, this explanation made him feel a little better.
At this moment, Blue Sea walked over, "What, the mighty guild leader of the Genesis Guild can't handle this small setback? Where's the overconfident Adam we used to know?"
Annoyed, Adam rolled his eyes.
Normally, Blue Sea was all about decorum and steadiness.
But when he talked to him, he was nothing but sharp-tongued and underhanded. n-(0velbIn
Adam was unsure which of these two faces was his real one.
Seeing Adam remaining silent, Blue Sea continued, "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Adam retorted, "No shit, you're obviously throwing shade at me. When have I ever been overconfident and arrogant? And you have the nerve to call me out. You looked even more frightened than I did when you saw the Fire Elemental Titan. I even saw you sneaking away."
Blue Sea: "..."
Listening to the two guild leaders bickering in hushed voices...
People nearby couldn't help but snicker.
John could only shake his head helplessly.
These two, who were normally dignified and steady, were completely letting loose today.
John glanced over and found that the equipment and items dropped by the Fire Elemental Titan weren't particularly good.
So, he didn't bother to pick them up.
He told Adam, "Let your people clean up the battlefield. Those items should be useful to your guild."
Having figured out John's personality by now, Adam didn't stand on ceremony.
He directly arranged for people to collect the items and equipment.
After cleaning up the battlefield, the group continued their search up the volcano.
Perhaps it was John's abrupt action earlier that had deterred the Fire Elemental Sprites hiding in the crevices.
The subsequent search was incredibly peaceful, with no Fire Elemental Sprites daring to provoke an attack.
When they reached the middle of the mountain, by a crevice, one of the team members peered into a recess and suddenly exclaimed, "Found them. All the local forces that were wiped out are here."
Everyone gathered around at the sound.
They saw that in the recess, there was a platform filled with countless bodies scattered about.
The bodies were all dressed in the casual attire of NPCs from the Northern Myst Empire.
They were charred and completely dehydrated, indicating they had been subjected to intense heat.
Adam jumped onto the platform first.
After a thorough examination, he looked up with a serious expression, "It seems they were indeed subjected to extreme heat from some type of fire, but the bodies are relatively intact. I'm not sure if they were killed by the Fire Elemental Sprites."
Blue Sea also examined the bodies and upon hearing Adam's speculation, he slowly shook his head, "Unlikely. If the Fire Elemental Sprites attacked them, their bodies wouldn't have remained so intact... This kind of damage seems to be from the inside out, but it doesn't make sense..."
Adam furrowed his brows, "Indeed. What kind of fire can directly damage the insides without destroying the body?"
"Moreover, the power level of these local NPCs should be higher than ours. Even if they couldn't defeat the Fire Elemental Sprites, they wouldn't have been entirely wiped out, would they?"
John didn't jump down onto the platform.
Instead, he stood at a higher point with Emma, listening to Adam and Blue Sea's discussion.
John couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He lifted his gaze to the volcano's crater at the top of the mountain, lost in thought.
Everyone speculated for a while but couldn't come up with the right answer.
So, they had to temporarily put aside the cause of the NPCs' deaths.
"Regardless of how they died, everyone continue searching. We must find the Lv4 Guild Establishment Order on them."
At Adam's command...
Everyone began to search through the bodies on the platform.
Luckily, the high temperatures at Twin Volcano caused the bodies to quickly dehydrate, leaving them mummified rather than decayed.
Otherwise, it would take a good deal of courage to sift through them.
They searched through many bodies without any success.
Even the weapons and equipment the deceased had carried were shattered and their durability was zero.
Clearly, these people had fought desperately before their deaths.
"Why can't we find it? The Lv4 Guild Establishment Order shouldn't be destroyed in a battle, right?" Adam furrowed his brows and muttered to himself.
Blue Sea was also at a loss.
A Guild Establishment Order is an indestructible item.
No matter how intense the battle, it should not have been destroyed.
After an unknown period of searching, suddenly, someone shouted, "Found it, over here!"
It was a player from the Spellblade class.
He was holding up a diamond-shaped metal tag inscribed with an ancient character for 'Order'.
Next to him was a remarkably robust corpse, noticeably larger than the others even though it was fully dehydrated.
This body must have belonged to the leader of this local force.
The Order that the Spellblade found was underneath this body.
At the shout, Adam immediately rushed over and took the Order to examine it closely.
"So, this is what the Lv4 Guild Establishment Order looks like. We finally found it!" Adam's smile gradually spread across his face, stretching from ear to ear.
They had coveted this item for so long, even daring to venture into the dangerous Sunset Mountain Range for it.
Now their wish was fulfilled.
A loud cheer erupted from everyone present, and their faces were beaming with joy.
Blue Sea congratulated Adam, "Congratulations, Adam, on successfully finding the Lv4 Guild Establishment Order. Your Genesis Guild is about to become a level 4 guild soon."
Overjoyed, Adam thanked him, "I have to thank you, Blue Sea, for your valuable information. Don't worry, I'll keep the promise I made."
Blue Sea just smiled and nodded.
His congratulations were a subtle reminder for Adam to remember his commitment from their deal.
Having finally found the Lv4 Guild Establishment Order they'd been longing for, Adam had no further desire to search.
He arranged for his men to gather and bury the bodies on the platform.
Then, he returned to where John was. "I owe you a great deal for your help, Galewind. Should you ever need anything, do not hesitate to call on my Genesis Guild. We'll spare no effort in assisting you," Adam expressed, fist clenched in earnest.
John waved his hand dismissively and replied, "No need for formalities, it was nothing."
However, Adam remained solemn, "That's not how I see it. Without your help, we could never have made it here. For this favor, Adam will forever be grateful."
Adam's formal expression of gratitude made John a little uncomfortable, as he didn't consider this trip particularly risky.
After a moment, he chuckled and said, "Really, there's no need for such formality. I didn't come to Twin Volcano solely to help you find the Guild Establishment Order. I have my own business to attend to."
Adam nodded with understanding.
In fact, he had already guessed that John had his own agenda before they set out.
Otherwise, John wouldn't have requested Emma to come along.
After a moment of thought, Adam said solemnly, "Galewind, feel free to instruct us to do anything you need. You can consider my guild at your disposal."
John gave a slight smile and replied, "There's no need, you guys can wait here for me. The next part of the journey isn't suitable for a large group."
"If it weren't for the fact that you can't use teleportation items in Sunset Mountain, you could have gone straight back to town."
Adam looked somewhat puzzled, "Galewind, are you sure you don't need us to accompany you?"
John nodded affirmatively, "Yes, I'm going to the volcano's crater at the mountain peak. There's a big creature sleeping there, you guys wouldn't be able to withstand its oppressive presence."
"A monster that terrifying?" Adam was taken aback.
John chuckled lightly and revealed, "A real dragon, a demigod-level creature!"