MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

"Where do you think you're taking my student?!" 

As soon as the voice echoed, Jack already had an inkling of who it belonged to. Legends said a man haunted the lakeside, akin to a ghost as he hid in the mist. 

The NPC spent his days on an eternal quest for god knows what. Jack had never managed to hear the complete story. 

Suddenly the man revealed himself. White beard, white messy hair, and piercing gray eyes. This was the mad lake wanderer! 

"Speak now. What brings you here?" He grumbled. 

This guy was known for many things; 

- Being unpredictable 

- Being unreasonable 

- Killing tons of players

Jack knew that the man wouldn't hesitate to grab him and throw him in the lake to express his displeasure. 

Entering the water was a death sentence. After all, there were horrible creatures in there like sharks, murlocks, and lake mermaids. (From cute to scary) 

But so what if he was dangerous? This was an incredible opportunity! What if he could convince him to join his cause?! 

Jack considered his options: 

1. Beg —> This guy was merciless

2. Negotiate —> He was unreasonable 

3. Entice —> He was totally unpredictable 

4. All of the above. 

For now, he'd just say: 

"We were having a feast, but everything changed when the rats attacked. I'm here to request for help and—"

The man simply snorted, his hand turning into an eagle claw as he grabbed Jack and violently threw him toward the nearby water. Goddamnit!

"Master, why?!" The Naked Monk shouted, livid. 

"If he can't survive this, then he isn't worth helping." The NPC shrugged, showing incredible pragmatism. So this was a test?! 

As Jack flew in the air, his eyes flashed with unwillingness. If he fell here, so would his beloved's farm! Luckily he had a trick up his sleeves. 

He suddenly took out his secret weapon: tons of pumpkins!! The orange things weren't only great for carving, but they also floated. He threw them where he'd land as if a raft!

This gave him a temporary footing as he began jumping from pumpkin to pumpkin to return….only to be welcomed by a devilishly smiling NPC. 

Water magically floated between the man's fingers, brimming with incredible power. With a sadistic smile, he sent the spell flying at Jack's face! 

All he could do was grab his shield, forcefully blocking it. That's when the monk acted! He dashed right in front of the NPC, blocking his line of sight. 

"Enough! There's no need for all this!" He shouted so heroically that it would have made almost anyone fall for him!

Sadly, the NPC didn't give a single fuck about his student's valiant gesture as he threw a torrent of water at him. The poor monk was instantly catapulted toward Jack as if a human cannonball! 

Jack barely managed to catch the flying monk, the two almost falling. In the water, friends were now showing up. 

< Bloodthirsty Shark Lv 25 💧> 

That's when the name of their opponent finally showed up. Oh god! What the heck was up with this level?! 

< Misty Old Man Lv 40 💧☠> 

A second later, the man summoned a freaking water dragon! 

He pointed at them both, giving a sadistic smile, ready to launch the magic. What kind of crazy teacher did this to his own student? This one! 

But just as the man was about to release his spell, a miracle happened. 

—̵̨̛̗̹̹̘̿ ̷̰̔̐͑̍́̒̚Ḧ̸̼̙͔̟̄̋̕͠Ǫ̴̭̟͊͗̔͘͘͝W̴̜̹͚̓̍͛̊́̍͆̎L̶̨̤̥͇̩͙͉̭̾̋̾̈́̐̃̀̈̏͠!̷̛̛͈̺̙̟̟̫͚͚͇̜̒̐͠͠!̶̼̕!̸̬̟̹̙̺̳͂͑̂͗͛̔—̷̡̻͖̈́͗̆̈́͑̿ͅ

Moon Moon suddenly released an earth-shattering howl as it pounced on the man! The two collided, and the NPC was pushed toward the lake.

He almost fell but managed to steady himself at the last second, giving a derisive grin. 

"You thought you could get rid of me that easily? That howl sure was surprising, but it—" He was suddenly rudely interrupted. 

Using the distraction, Jack had thrown the monk right behind him. The naked guy now had his muscular arms wrapped right around the target's waist, ready for the next move!

— Naked Monk Used German Suplex!— 

Apparently, the mage hadn't expected that because he was sent flying straight into the lake with a resounding splash! Instantly the nearby sharks pounced on him, eager to feast! 

This wasn't the most brilliant move from the creatures. 

A water mage in a lake? Yeah, he'd be fine. He waved his hand a few times, slicing the creatures apart with pressured water blades. 

Blood seeped into the water as he turned toward them all, nodding slightly. 

"Do you know what fate awaits you now?" his smile was demonic enough to rival the Demon King. 

"We're gonna be very hydrated?" Jack tentatively answered. 

"Hehe, how did you know? Let us begin, shall we?" He waved his hand another time as a small whirlpool appeared near them. 

"What the hell is that?!" The monk shouted, shocked as Jack's face turned dark. 

"This is one hell of an annoying dungeon." He grimly stated. 

The NPC beamed: 

"Oh? You even know about this? Interesting. In any case, you want my help, correct? Bring me what lies inside, and I shall reluctantly help you with your issues...outside. Deal?" 

The NPC grimaced as he mentioned the outside world. Chances were that he wasn't human. Half water elemental, perhaps? It would explain him opening the portal so easily. 

"Tch— You better keep your promise." Jack reminded. Then a second later, he jumped headfirst into the whirlpool. 

"Woo?!" (Flabbergasted!) 

"What?!" 

The monk and wolf shared a glance, but before they could react, the NPC had already pushed them inside! 

That's when the entire world turned dark as they felt themselves fall into a deep abyss. This felt way worse than dying. At least dying didn't make one dizzy! 

They finally came back to their senses, a familiar voice calling out to them. 

"Get ready. They're coming." Jack stated solemnly. 

"They?!" 

"They." Jack pointed. 

As the wolf and monk raised their heads, they suddenly felt like crying. Crabs? Water elementals? Tentacle creatures? How about all of them at once, a fucking legion too!!!

"What the fuck are we supposed to do?!" 

"Run!!" Jack thundered as he led by example. 

The slowpokes followed as quickly as they could, but the water level suddenly started rising as they ran. They gasped in shock. 

"What the heck is this?! Where are we?!" 

"The goddamn water temple." Jack's voice was shaking…