Greatest Streamer System

Normally, players visiting Misty Forest would proceed slowly while remembering their path. However, due to Max's boredom, he sang a song and just followed the torchlight without remembering the path he had taken to reach where he was before.

So, right now, he was as lost as he could be. It was just one step out of the correct path, but he couldn't find the way back. Not to mention, he was still being tailed by seven Tromax. He couldn't even stop and climb the tree to find his way.

All he could do was now run. But there was another problem.

[Countdown: 01:31:34]

Max had a mission with a time limit. He didn't know what would happen if he didn't reach Stronghold within the time limit. Would the mission fail, and he restarted? That would be a good outcome.

But this was a VR game where a player's behavior could affect the game, changing its route slightly and essentially the progression.

"What can I do in this situation?"

— You can run and waste your time

— Evade them by making them confused in this Misty Forest

— Or you can stop and be their food. That's the fastest way to exit Misty Forest

— Choose, youngsters! Your path has been decided.

— You guys are enjoying this too much lol

No matter how ridiculous the chat was, the options they gave were the only things Max could do in this situation. But those were boring.

So, Max unsheathed his sword and shouted loudly.

"I will choose four! Struggle and kill them all!"

Looking behind, he noticed that their speed wasn't as fast as before. The largest Tromax was falling behind the six smaller ones. And even then, they somehow still couldn't catch up to him.

Tromax was indeed a scary monster feared by mercenaries. But that was due to their trait of being able to multiply rapidly without stopping. In terms of combat power, Max believed they were no more than half of Garrador's.

With a newfound confidence, Max jumped over the large root of the yellow willow tree and turned around. He was ready to do a hit-and-run strategy.

The monsters advanced faster when they saw him stopping, baring their fangs and raising their heads. The hair-like mane on their head stood in order to intimidate him.

"Let me tell you something, you reptile bastards!" Max gripped his sword tightly and ran toward them. He raised it overhead and aimed to slice the first Tromax's thin neck. "I am the fucking storm that is approach–"

Suddenly, he felt like he couldn't move his body. His sentence was cut midway, and when he realized it, he was flying in the air and could see his body on the ground.

'Huh?' He thought, still unable to process what happened.

The last thing he saw before he disappeared with blue light was the largest Tromax enjoying his body. That monster who was way behind the others somehow managed to reach it.

A realization dawned on him.

'This monster is so sly!'

[You have died.]

A notification rang, and he was returned to the train outside the Misty Forest.

[Mission updated! Find Tromax's trace before reporting them to the Stronghold Mercenary's base.]

[Countdown 01:28:49.]

Looking at the notification, Max frowned.

"It's the worst. I didn't know Tromax was that fast. I thought the largest was slow."

— We told you not to underestimate Tromax

— There is a reason why Tromax is feared on top of their breeding speed.

— You shouldn't underestimate any monsters in this game. They have their strength and weakness

— In the end, you choose the third choice. You have become their food

— I laughed at his expression. He couldn't believe what happened at the end kekw

This game was too devious. Even the Small-Class monster was really strong. Was this truly the first storyline mission? Max somehow couldn't believe this.

Gritting his teeth, he walked out of the train once again. This time, he needed to find Tromax and returned to the base in an hour and a half. The penalty of dying was… brutal.

"Ugh, this game is really made for a masochist who loves challenges and hard stuff." He sighed, shaking his head. "But now I understand why the game gave me a long deadline to report back to the base. It's to anticipate the player dying, isn't it?"

— Exactly

— You might want to hurry. Tromax isn't known to stay in one place for so long

— Indeed, you might want to go fast! I just drank a liter of milk, and now I need to go to number 2! I am lactose intolerant by the way

— This guy is crazy…

— Clear the quest before he bursts, Breeze! Do it for your fans.

— Don't forget to stay in the devil's path! Yes, I call torchlight the devil's path!

Not only did the chat urge him, but the countdown also served as a debt collector that chased after his back. The feeling of having something urgent didn't fit well with his personality. Thus, he decided to just finish it fast by running inside the Misty Forest.

The mist wasn't as bad as when he ran away from Tromax. It was doable to see 10 meters in front of him.

Just like the first time, he held his sword in his hand. But unlike earlier, he swung it randomly, cutting the tree branches as he passed them.

At first, some people in the chat were confused about why Max did that until a certain user donated.

[ForesTSeekeR has donated 500 diamonds!]

[Genius! You're truly a seeker. If you can't count on the torchlight, then just cut the tree branches to mark your way back!]

"That's right." Max nodded with a grin. "I am done by relying on those stupid torchlights. They are useless!"

It might be useful now, but the mist would thicken after he met Tromax.

Based on his guess, it was probably either because of the game's progression or because of the monster's ability. That mane on their head was suspicious, as it glittered slightly every time it passed the red flowers that created the mist.

After running for a while, Max found them again. They jutted their tails out from bushes, swaying it from left to right in a rhythm.

[Countdown 01:02:49.]

[Mission is updated! Quickly report to Stronghold Mercenary's base before they multiply further!]

Unsheathing his sword, he took a large rock from the ground and threw it into the bush. A pained scream rang, and then they turned around. Seven Tromax, with three of them reaching adulthood instead of one.

Their growth was truly monstrous.

'It might be harder than before. These larger Tromaxes will definitely stop pretending once they know that they will lose me.' He thought, gulping audibly. 'Still, I will run. I'd finish this mission without trying for the third time! The second time's the charm.'

At the same time Max turned and broke into the run, Tromax chased after him with their mouths open, and their mane stood in the air, spreading a glitter.

The mist immediately thickened, and Max's vision was limited further. Just as he expected earlier, that hair-like mane influenced the surrounding mist! It roused the flower to create more pollen, thus producing more mist.

"It's the second round, dinosaurs look alike! Catch me if you can."

The game of tag with monsters had started.