Re: Evolution Online

Liam patiently hid in the background and waited. He did not act just yet. 

Though he overall had an idea of what he had to do, he still had to observe the surroundings and then formulate an exact plan.

The interior of the glacier cave was very simple. 

The icy walls and the projections jutting out did not change at all as the group and its silent stalker headed deeper and deeper.

Except for the herds of goblin beasts that came out every once in a while, there was nothing else out of place.

This was good for the group of four but for Liam not so much.

If things continued going so smoothly, then he would only be able to stand in the background and watch while the team also took the flame fragment just as easily and left the cave.

"This won't do." Liam shook his head and his chance to meddle soon arrived.

At the next turn, the group came across two mobs of goblin beasts, each standing a few feet away from the other.

It looked like the hunter had special eyesight so he was able to discern the details properly and informed the group which was also how Liam came to know about it.

Normally, when two mobs were this close, it was almost impossible to trigger just one without aggroing the other.

However, this group of four easily did it as the hunter took out a slingshot from his inventory space and aimed for the goblin beast that was the closest to them.

He then sent a small rock flying towards it and skillfully managed to aggro only the first group without grabbing the attention of the second group at the far end of the passageway.

On top of this, the berserker also kited the goblin beasts back a few feet and then only started the fight when they were at a safe distance.

But how could Liam allow things to go so smoothly?

Hiding in the background, with a subtle smirk on his face, he lifted his finger.

The next instant a small spark of lightning flew forward towards one of the arctic wolves. 

The spark was so tiny and weak that no one had noticed it but the attack perfectly landed on the wolf's eye so it started howling in pain.

Liam did not stop there and sent out several more sparks particularly targeting the three wolves. Soon all three wolves began to howl and dance in pain.

The team coordination that was pitch-perfect until now was also inexplicably in chaos. 

Because their levels were a lot lower than the goblin beasts, every single fight was on the edge. Even the four experts had to expend all of their energy to deal damage and fight with the mobs.

So even a small mishap was enough to toss this delicate balance. But what Liam did wasn't a small mishap by far.

Because he attacked the wolves, they were momentarily unable to see properly and deal damage. 

This reduced the overall damage output and not just that, but the healer also had to spend some time to heal the beasts.

Moreover, when the three pets couldn't see properly, they swung their paws wildly in pain attacking their own group members.

So the others had to dodge this attack as well along with the attacks of the goblin beasts. 

The goblin beasts were also far more superior than their normal counterparts as both their speed and strength were enhanced.

So the mob fight that was going smoothly until now suddenly became a bloody mess. But Liam was not done yet.

As if the commotion he had created was not enough, he also sent some sparks flying to the other group of goblin beasts that had not been pulled yet.

And bingo!

They only needed that small nudge.

Because of all the ruckus the three wolves created, and the screeching and roaring noises from the fight, even if it was Liam who pulled their aggro, the goblin beasts only ended up noticing the other group first and ran towards them.

"Fuck!" The berserker shouted in panic.

How could four Level 30 players handle a couple dozen goblin beasts that were at least seven levels higher than them?

The next second, the group of four was completely overwhelmed and their health plummeted down crazily.

"Crazy bastard, this is all because of your stupid wolves! I fucking hate playing with hunters! Always pulling the aggro. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."

The berserker's agonized shout was the last to be heard when all four dropped dead without being able to handle the fight.

And Liam who watched this from the sidelines once again looked shocked.

This was in fact what he had planned for and aimed for right from the start. However, he was only doing this to exhaust all their supplies and cache.

He did not think that he would actually be able to kill them off so easily.

But more importantly, they died just like that? 

They didn't struggle hard. They didn't try to salvage the situation. The moment things went south, they accepted the outcome and died as if they decided to simply start over.

Of course, this was what normally anyone would do in a game, but this was not a game!

Liam did not know what to think of this. 

On one hand, the four of them were unlikely experts joined together as if they knew what was going to happen in the future.

But on the other hand, they did not seem to know the penalty behind death and did not seem to mind dying at all?

How was this possible?

Did they know about some secret alchemy recipe that could cure damaged souls?

Or did they not know about anything in the first place?

Just as Liam was pondering this, the group of four returned back to the glacier cave once again. 

By now, he had already gone back into his [Stealth] mode and the goblin beasts as well returned to their original positions.

So nothing was off and the group walked in to try their luck again.