MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

In the forest, a deadly predator was eagerly stalking its prey. Its glowing orange eyes were glued to the clueless human who had intruded upon its territory. 

This takedown would be especially easy. The fox could sense that his target's stomach was bloodied all over: the man was wounded and would soon falter. Plus, it was confident in the shrub surrounding it, rendering it invisible. 

It licked its lips as it awaited calmly. A bit more, a bit more, now! It pounced toward the soft flesh, its fangs about to sink into it with bliss. This was probably one of the greatest surprise attacks it had ever done. 

But, just as it was about to succeed, something phenomenal happened: a black round thing appeared right in front of its maw! Clang! The fox felt pain, its tongue pierced in the process. 

-2

What was that?! All it knew was that this was bad. This human was dangerous! 

The fox turned around, prepared to make a tactical retreat, but the black thing kept chasing him relentlessly, akin to a bully wolf! That's when a flash of white light headed its way. What was this? A big feather? 

-8

-7 

-8

Pain, so much pain! 

The white thing hurt even more than the black thing! The fox really didn't feel like fighting anymore. There was too much it didn't understand. For instance, why didn't the bush surprise attack work?! 

The white thing kept attacking over and over and over. It was unending! The fox tried to dodge, but it was impossible: the white streaks were too fast! 

-7

-8

"Whimpers—"

How could it survive? Wait, what if it dashed through the human's legs and escaped in its blind spot? It rushed faster than ever, only to halt in utter despair. In front of the fox's face was a wolf, a freaking wolf! 

At this moment, it knew that it was doomed. Wolves were way too strong for foxes. What was it even doing here?! Their territory was so far away…

In its despair, it didn't even realize how tiny or harmless this one was. It just cried sorrowfully, knowing it would soon perish. "Kyuuuu—" but that's when the white and black attacks came once more. 

-2

-7 

— Dead — 

+16 XP 

Jack chuckled as he butchered the corpse. Easy two silvers! (Aka a currency that would soon become obsolete) 

The nearby wolf raised its head haughtily while howling, towering over their defeated foe. — Awoo! — It was pretty hilarious how it had managed to frighten it till it froze. 

"Good job, partner. But don't get too cocky. You can't be proud until you've managed to intimidate dragons!" 

"Woo?" (Puzzled) 

"A dragon is a very big and strong magical lizard. It could destroy your father with a single flick of its toenail."

"Woo!?" (Shocked) 

"Yep, you'll have to work hard until then." 

"Woo!" (Resolute) 

"Alright, let's keep the hunt going. We need to level up!" 

The wolf nodded energetically as the duo proceeded deeper. From time to time, they would encounter groups of players cooperating together while exploring. 

"Do you guys really think we can find a fox cub here?"

"Who knows, but if it's possible, we're gonna be the first ones to get it."

"Picture a player taming a chicken just for us to swing by with a fox!" 

Jack couldn't help but feel puzzled. Taming chickens? He just hoped for their sake they weren't talking about the common ones in the New Leaf plain. While possible to level it up, it would be an atrocious process…

Then there were the ones actively hunting for foxes. As far as leveling went, it was an incredibly shitty plan, but perhaps they were doing it for a quest? Their goal was probably gear. 

"Keep killing these bastards! As long as we get a full set for one player, hunting will become a cinch!" 

"Hell yeah, keep fighting! If we get the same gear as the Demon King, we'll be invincible!" 

"We'll become the strongest party in this village! Huzzah!" 

Those guys sure were confused! It wasn't like his armor had played that big a role in the previous fight. He could have won with his Aegis and Cluckinator. There was a reason The Mighty Wolves were patiently farming chickens… 

Then there was one last type of group, the reckless PKers. For them, the plain was boring, and the village was hella boring! Sure, they'd also grind to become stronger, but every so often, they would do a round in the forest for fun. 

"Hey guys, there's a lone player there!"

"Haha, he's so fucked. There are 10 of us! 

"Hey, you, the one behind the tree! This is a tax! Either give us one silver, or we'll send you back to spawn!" 

"Hehe, wouldn't it be a shame to have to travel back? Plus, we'll still be here when you come back." 

They sure were wasting their time. One silver between the 10 of them? This sure was pathetic. They would have gotten more by diligently farming XP with chickens. 

Jack slowly revealed himself with a large grin on his face. 

"1 silver? Naw, let's make it ten each. At least it will give a gold coin." 

As they saw who it was, they began trembling. There were 10 of them? The guy had just wiped 50 of the strongest players in the village! They didn't even stand a chance! 

"T-the demon king?!" 

"Fuck, run!!" 

"GTFO!!" 

They didn't hesitate to run. But, as they did, a whisper followed them: "I'll be remembering your faces. Let's make it 20 silver each next time." Oh god, they were completely screwed! Who was the dumbass that had suggested they hunt players?! 

"Woo!" (Impressed) 

"See, this is how you deal with bullies. Ah, but remember, you can't just scare them away and forget it. You have to use the occasion to scam— I mean to seek proper reparations. Do you understand?" 

"Woo!" (Nodding) 

Luckily, as the two reached the level 5 fox area, the players became as absent as a father gone to buy milk. Now, this had been their destination all along. This was the perfect training ground. 

In Infinite, an XP penalty was given to hunting monsters weaker than one's level. Well, this was a good thing. Otherwise, the low-level training grounds would quickly become overcrowded. 

Thus began a happy leveling session, one full of "intimidating" howls, painful and sorrowful fox cries, as well as heavenly XP gain prompts! 

+26

+26

+26

+26 

+….

Ah, life sure was beautiful. 

At this moment, he was especially grateful for his Bloodstained Jacket. It played a vital part in his farming, even if it was only an uncommon item. 

Every time he blocked a fox attack, he would take 1 damage. Thus, killing a fox had a cost of 1-2 HP. His 28 HP would have only allowed him to defeat 18 of them at best, but the regeneration permitted him to keep grinding! 

That's how he managed to kill 48 of them and finally level up. 

[Level UP!] 

Jack' O Level 5 (28/ 2160) 

"Another increase in strength for team Jack'O!" 

"Woo!" (Festive) 

"At this rate, I'll soon be the highest level player in Infinite!" 

"Woo!" (Happy) 

But then the wolf suddenly froze as it seemed to realize an issue. 

"Woo?!" (Confused) 

"Ah, you won't be able to level up until you graduate from being a pup," Jack explained. 

"Woo?" (Worried)

"Hehe, don't worry. It's bound to happen at some point. There's no rush." Jack reassured it while rubbing its tiny fluffy head. 

The so-called Demon King was warmly smiling as he petted the little wolf. How would the players react if they saw this heartwarming scene? 

"Anyway, with level 5 unlocked, there is a really cool place we can explore. Are you ready for an adventure?" 

"Woo!" (Enthusiastic)

Jack quickly guided them toward a massive tree with a hole at the base. It was the lair of the Fox Progenitor, a weird name considering there wasn't any fox cub. The small wolf began looking all around in wonder. 

"Now, we're here to fight the Boss, but it will be impossible with just the two of us."

"Woo?" (Confused)

"Haha, don't worry. Do you remember the people I brought at your place? I'll just ask them for help ;)" Jack explained. 

As Jack began to interact with his UI, the wolf looked at him with a gaze full of curiosity. 

Why was its master tapping the air? It tried copying him, waving its small paws around with enthusiasm. Yet, nothing at all happened. How puzzling this was…

Jack couldn't help but laugh, seeing its shenanigans. 

- Jack'O: Yo! I need canon fodder for a hunt. I'll be waiting for you at the Fox Progenitor's place. Bring the Mighty Wolves along ^_^v 

- Bubblegum: No wonder people call you the Demon King. You're so honest about your evil designs!

- Jack'O: What do you mean evil designs? I call it an opportunity for on-site learning! I'm offering front-row places to the event! 

- Bubblegum: Front row as in the boss's maw? -_-

- Jack'O: Exactly! It's an experience that truly is unforgettable. 

- Bubblegum: Ah, whatever, but I'll tell them your exact words. 😈

-Jack'O: Thanks, see you soon! o/ 

So what if she told them about his use of the term cannon fodder? There was no way that they would mind. After all, wiping didn't matter much to them as long as they could witness the clear strategy. 

It was a win-win situation! 

The two of them played fetch, the little wolf enjoying it very much. But, they were suddenly interrupted by a crystalline laugh as Bubblegum, and the others appeared. 

"Pftt— how is it that you seem so relaxed? This is a level 8 Boss, right? We're so under-leveled for that." 

"Fear not. We have a powerful wolf!" Jack bragged. 

"Woo!" (Heroic) 

Could the little wolf also frighten this fox... 

Creator's Thought

Why would I suddenly decide to hunt the Fox Progenitor? I could have easily kept killing foxes to level up. Not only was it good XP, but it also gave a decent amount of silvers. Was I aiming for the boss loot? Not even! Nope, its presence in itself gated my progression.