A group of three creatures walked leisurely cackling amongst themselves. They looked like goblins with green-colored skin but were slightly taller and sturdier.
They also had certain beast characteristics like fur on their body and horns on their head.
[Level 38 Goblin Beast]
[Level 41 Goblin Beast]
[Level 31 Goblin Beast]
"So these guys are the ones causing all the troubles…"
Liam first carefully observed these creatures and tried to gauge their strong points and weak points.
He then moved after a couple of seconds.
"Alright, let's start."
Just as he was gathering mana to materialize a huge ball of fire to start the fight with a bang, suddenly something strange happened.
Three feral arctic wolves barged into the cave and started attacking the goblin beasts in a frenzy.
Liam immediately stopped moving. He felt that something was off. "Where did these come from?" He quickly backed away so as to not expose his presence.
The three wolves continued to attack the goblin beasts and following them a group of four players barged in.
"Blacky 1, watch your back! Three more are coming!" The fat chubby guy at the back roared.
He had a bow in his hand that gave off a golden luster and he was apparently controlling the wolves because one of the three wolves responded to his shout.
This guy was calling a snow-white arctic wolf blacky?
Liam, however, did not have any time to be amused. Rather he was busy watching the group in awe.
At first, he did not understand why this group seemed extremely familiar but when he looked at them closely, all of four them bore a remarkable resemblance to four of the very popular experts.
The chubby Indian beast tamer…
The flat-chested Russian blonde with clear emerald eyes who relied on nature magic to heal…
The American thug berserker who liked to shave his head…
And last but not least…
The thin average height Japanese who was the only normal-looking person in the group… and the one wielding undead monsters.
"Kouske…" Liam muttered in a daze.
For a second, he was completely stunned, his brain heating up. Just how the heck was this possible?
Four different people from four different countries and all four of them… top experts!
He knew for a fact that these guys were not friends or acquaintances in his last life, at least not yet in this stage of the game.
So how the hell was all four of them together, working as a team right now?
And moreover, they were here trying to snatch the item that he was aiming for?
Was this just a coincidence or was this pre-planned?
Liam already knew the answer to this question.
There was no such thing as a coincidence, this was definitely going according to someone's plan.
Someone among the four of them or perhaps another person had purposefully assembled this small group of whos who of 'Evolution Online'.
Just like how he was trying to collect the gems that he came across, this person as well was clearly collecting.
The question was… how was that person doing it?
Did he/ she know that these four were going to become powerful experts? Did he/ she also have knowledge about the future like him?
It was a ridiculous thought, but it was not a possibility that Liam was ready to rule out just yet. After all, he himself had come back in time.
So really anything was possible…
He didn't for a second dare to think that he was special or extraordinary. If he could come back, then maybe someone else also could come back.
This might just be a video game for now but their future was one filled with myriad magical abilities, distorted creatures, and ancient beasts.
In this kind of future… really anything was possible…
Liam stood absolutely still, completely shocked from top to bottom. His mind was reeling. The consequences of what he just saw were game-changing.
Now… he was not just racing against time and the people to who the fate originally belonged, but he was also essentially competing against this group of experts.
Sure, he had others on his side as well.
Derek had a solid foundation and Shen Yue had a very special, unique, and powerful class but they also lacked several things.
Derek might have a solid foundation but he did not have a special class just yet.
And to make things worse, Liam had no idea how to obtain one for him.
He was only a slave and a bottom feeder in his last life. So he was heavily limited by the knowledge that he was privy to.
So he was not very confident that he would be able to get one for him.
Derek's strength and progress would have to depend on his own efforts. Not to mention, he had already considerably altered the man's life.
Would he still have the same drive and hunger for power?
And as for Shen Yue, she had a special class, something that could become powerful in a skilled player's hands, but she completely lacked the foundation.
She needed lots and lots of combat experience and then some more to actually be of any help.
Considering all of this, it was instantly apparent to Liam that he was at a significant disadvantage.
While they might be strangers for now, if there was ever a confrontation, he had no doubt that he would lose.
"Fuck." Liam clenched his fist, his heart thumping loudly in his chest.
Everything was against him.
His gaze lingered on the excellent coordination and teamwork the four experts displayed in front of him.
The group slaughtered all the goblin beasts as they casually cruised through with terrifying ease.
With just one look anyone would be able to tell that they were no ordinary players. Every skill, every move was properly executed.
And if they also managed to comprehend the true talent behind all these skills and magic… then it was once and for all game over.
Liam dug his nails further into his palm and calmed himself down.
"This is not the time to worry about this. I should focus on what's important now."
The more important and pressing question right now was… whether these guys joined forces and came together to this spot hunting for him or hunting for the flame fragment?
Based on the way things were unfolding, Liam could tell that it was probably the latter.
So he saved the rest of his theories, conjectures, and concerns for the future and focussed on the present.
If he knew anything, it was that nothing was set in stone. They might have the upper hand right now but he was also not that helpless.
Besides, he had an additional advantage that they did not have yet.
He knew that they existed when they probably had no clue about his existence.
Liam grinned. He suddenly knew what he had to do.
He had to make use of this exact same advantage right now to steal the flame right under their noses.
Rumbling sounds continued to echo from the depths of the cave as Liam started to move once again.
"Luna, stay back.." He ordered the small fox, made sure that his [Stealth] was still active, and slowly followed the trail of blood and goblin beast corpses.