The worst thing was that even with its size, the Ogre Protector's agility was not as low as one would think.

Suddenly, a green light encased Broken Karp as his missing HP slowly began to fill up.

​​

"Thanks, Lily!" Broken Karp said as he retreated to let his HP recover some.

"Don't let your guard down just yet. We have to find a way to sever the connection between the protectors and magic casters." Lily replied. Her full player name was River Floating Lily; however, others called her Lily for short. It was clear by her equipment that she was a support-type class and the person responsible for restoring Broken Karp's HP.

"That's easier said than done." Broken Karp grumbled as he glanced over in the direction of the Ogre magic casters.

In total, there were six Ogre magic casters and six Ogre Protectors. Two of the Ogre Protectors had been taken care of already; however, the losses the group suffered in return were not small. In addition, with their current buffs, each Ogre Protectors was like facing a mini-dungeon boss. To make matters worse, the Ogre magic casters were protected by a strong barrier. But, it did not end there.

Every time one of their parties got too close to the barrier, the Ogre Protectors would enter an enraged state and rush over, ignoring the tanks aggro in the process—this was how one of their parties got wiped out in the beginning.

The Ogre Protectors would return to their normal state once players retreated from the immediate vicinity of the barrier; however, the longer they continued to let the Ogre magic casters go unharmed, the more dangerous the fight would become over time.

"There were no reports of the Ogre magic casters, and we already lost two groups because of it! We should retreat and regroup, Squad Leader!" One of the players in Broken Karp's party stated.

"Damn, don't you think I want to retreat, too? But..." Broken Karp grumbled under his breath as he glanced to his right side.

Not too far away, but safely outside of danger, were a group of six individuals. The equipment worn by those six looked incredibly expensive compared to what most players could afford.

However, Broken Karp's attention was not on those six but rather the young man who sat resting peacefully under a tree guarded by them.

"Ha? Those guys are still fighting? Didn't I order them to kill those Ogres? So useless." The young man said with a yawn.

NPC Name: War Brigade Lieutenant of the 5th Division Ikaris Juhstiss(Elite)

NPC Level: 47

NPC HP: ???(100%)

Ikaris Juhstiss—this was the Lieutenant that Broken Karp served under as a 10-Man Squad Leader. He did not know much about Ikaris, except that he was the son of some noble family in Amaharpe. Due to this, despite his apparent lack of interest and commanding capabilities, he was still assigned the position of Lieutenant in the War Brigade—no doubt as a result of his family's connections.

The people around Ikaris were his private guards that he managed to sneakily transfer into the squadron under his command. However, those people only followed Ikaris' orders and did not lift a single finger since the fight started! Naturally, this enraged the players and other NPCs alike, including Broken Karp.

Unfortunately, none of them could go against Ikaris' orders. If they did, he would view it as a defiance of one's commanding officer. For players, this meant there was a chance that their contribution points would be negatively affected. Worst case scenario, they would be kicked out of the War Brigade for insubordination!

Although Broken Karp was only a 10-Man Squad Leader, he earned the others' respect over the last few days by making up for Ikaris' slack. But, even he had a limit to what he would tolerate.

"Lieutenant Ikaris! We need to order a retreat! The enemy-!" Broken Karp warned; however, he was swiftly interrupted.

"Retreat? What are you saying, Squad Leader? If these Ogres live and end up attacking one of the nearby villages, how will you take responsibility? You should feel honored to fight until your death for the sake of your kingdom." Ikaris replied, unmoved.

"That detestable...!" Lily could not help but curse Ikaris under her breath. Were they nothing but disposable pawns in his eyes?!

Broken Karp's expression darkened as he almost coughed up blood from anger! Everyone was trying their hardest to advance and succeed, yet that guy-

Swoosh!

Out of nowhere, Broken Karp could see the blade of a battle axe rush towards him out the corner of his eyes. His anger made him forget about the Ogre Protector he was battling for a split second. However, that small window of distraction was all it took to turn the tides of a battle on its head.

"I won't make it...!" Broken Karp began to raise his shield to defend himself; however, he knew that he would not make it in time. He was already in bad shape. If he received a head-on attack from the Ogre Protector, his HP might not be able to hold up!

Woosh!

All of a sudden, Broken Karp felt a gale of wind blow past him. A slightly tattered black cape filled his sight as it seemed to flow with the wind.

Ding!

The axe that was supposed to arrive never reached Broken Karp. Instead, the sound of it clashing with metal entered his ears, and what he saw next caused his eyes to widen in shock.

The Ogre Protector was hoisted off its feet as its huge body was sent flying several meters backwards!

Bang! Rmmmmble!

When the Ogre Protector's body crashed into the ground, it generated a light tremor and left a small crater formed around where it landed.

"Looks like we made it just in time. Man, is that thing really only a level 45 elite field monster? It hits like a dungeon mob." A familiar voice sounded into Broken Karp's ears.

Broken Karp had never spoken with this person before; however, they were famous among the players in their Division for being granted the rank of Lieutenant right from the start!

"You... You're Lieutenant Halls, right? Thank you for saving me just now." Broken Karp said in a voice full of gratitude.

"Don't mention it. On the battlefield, aren't we all brothers in arms?" Halls responded with a grin.

"Well said, brother!" A voice echoed overhead that made everyone instinctively look upward.

Just as the Ogre Protector was about to rise to its feet, a guandao covered in an ancient blue aura descended from above.

Bang!

The tip of the guandao pierced through the head of the Ogre Protector, causing the monster's body to become enveloped in a blue aura.

"Burst!" The voice roared as the ancient blue aura increased in intensity. The next moment, cracks started to form throughout the Ogre Protector's body as traces of the ancient blue aura could be seen throughout its skin. It was as if the aura that infiltrated the monster's body wanted to force its way out!

...BOOOOOM!

In the blink of an eye, the Ogre Protector exploded as a bright blue light momentarily engulfed the surroundings before quickly dying down.

Broken Karp, Lily, and the other players who were fighting against the Ogre Protector were dumbfounded. The Ogre Protector still had a bit more than 60,000 HP remaining, yet it was taken down with a single blow! What kind of crazy attack power did that person possess?!

As the dust settled, Broken Karp immediately recognized the person behind the attack. Just like Halls, he was also well known due to starting with the rank of Lieutenant.

"It's Lieutenant Guan Yu! Our reinforcements have arrived!" Lily exclaimed as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.

Like Zi Yi, Halls and Guan Yu were also granted the rank of Lieutenant because of their placement as a party in the Protectors of Amaharpe event. Of course, both applied to join the War Brigade, and the two even got appointed to the same Division!

"With brother Izroth out of the picture, you actually seem somewhat capable, brother." Halls said jokingly as he approached Guan Yu.

"Is that even a fair comparison? I'm afraid everyone seems lacking next to our brother." Guan Yu responded as he shook his head.

"No argument there. Though we shouldn't fall too far behind. First place may be out of the question, but we have to at least make it into the top 100. Otherwise, how can we have the face to call him our brother?" Halls stated.

"Heh, spoken like a real man! Then, should we start by cleaning up here?" Guan Yu said eagerly as he brandished his guandao.