MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

— Clang! Clang! Clang! — 

"Go back to sleep like a proper crystal, sit!" The MTG miners screamed as they fought the many Crystal Elementals and Knights. 

The entire tunnel was filled with the sound of fighting, Jack ordering the group in the back. "I want more Crystal Enemies! This ain't enough to mimic the power of a dragon yet!!!" 

[New Quest: Lead the Miners to Defeat the Dragon!] 

[Reputation in Sprigfield Depends on Results!] 

The NPC miner army he was commandeering was quite unique. As such, he had to train them! 

Cons: 

- They lacked proper combat discipline. 

- They frankly sucked at dodging

- They couldn't respawn

Pros: 

+ They were friendly toward him 

+ Their attack power was good 

+ They treasured their lives 

Players would have long rebelled and charged at the Dragon, eager to give it a try. They were different and were in no hurry to commit suicide. 

Derek was working extra hard in their midst. He was always at the forefront, showing the most devotion. Jack grinned. He could use that: 

"Really, you guys?! You're getting out-mined by the swordsman? Pfft— What happened to the MTG being the mightiest?!" He teased them….and it worked! They had their pride!! 

"Power is one thing, but dying to deliver 100% damage is worthless. You're better off doing 20% damage and surviving. Keep this in mind!!" He reminded them. 

Brehart on the side couldn't help but stare in shock at the hyped miners. Jack had turned them into relentless crystal-destroying machines by making it a challenge! 

Under his tutelage, they quickly grew. The once relatively stationary miners suddenly looked as if ninjas. They'd jump from one side to the other, even using enemies as cover! 

"That's it, that's it! Keep it up! Let's try with a few dozen elementals now!! Derek can handle it, can you? " He kept raising the stakes over and over under the guise of competition. 

They lost all sense of time: all that remained were the crystal enemies! They all seemed in a trance, their eyes glowing with battle fury. 

But at some point, Jack started clapping. 

— Clap! Clap! — 

That's when they finally regained their senses. They looked at the scene of destruction around them in disbelief. They had done this?! There were crystal fragments everywhere! 

They suddenly felt a burst of pride erupt from their hearts. Many grinned, picturing how well they'd be able to do in a brawl! Obviously, Jack was there to shatter their dreams: 

"Good job, but don't get cocky! Death comes to the overconfident faster than a cat to catnip!" He reminded. "Now, are you all ready to march to battle? We got a lizard to crush!" 

Lizard?! They couldn't help but smile as they glanced at this odd teacher. Only he would dare utter such crap with a straight face! 

[Teaching Skill Rank UP!] 

[Congratulations, Leadership Increased!] 

[The MTG Miners Look Up to You! For now…] 

The keywords were "For Now". A single wipe would be enough to lose their favor. Still, at this point he had done all he could. He had carefully chosen the techniques to teach them. 

Now was time to fight…. 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The Dragon had been slumbering in its cave when the humans intruded once again. The malevolent creature's eyes instantly locked on Jack: it recognized him! 

It rose, showcasing its bulky solid physique. It then raised a maw full of countless sharp crystal fangs as it powerfully roared. 

— RAWR! — 

Just its sight alone made the miner shake like crazy. Were they supposed to fight this behemoth?! This was beyond the human realm! 

Brehart was about to encourage them, but Jack made the first move as he stepped right in front of the creature! 

"I'm back, you big chunky boy! I gotta say, your place really sucks! What the hell is with this decoration?! Crystals, crystals everywhere! Then again, it fits an ugly bitch like you!" 

"Tch— You're quite the shameless thing, aren't you! Strolling around the place naked and even screaming at guests. Tsk, tsk, my mother would have long whooped your ass!" 

The miners stared at the scene, completely baffled. What the heck was he doing?! It was so silly, and yet he looked so damn serious! 

"He's right! Where is the ale? Tch— Talk about a stingy host!" Derek's voice echoed. 

"Hey, don't be too hard on it. This Dragon is obviously poor: it doesn't even own furniture!" Gorat remarked, understanding what Jack meant to do. 

The miners suddenly found themselves laughing, all fear long forgotten. What should have been a show of might to instill despair had somehow turned into a Roast the Dragon! 

Even if the Dragon didn't understand the insults, it still pissed it off. The weak fleshy creatures dared to challenge its supremacy!! 

< Tenacious Crystal Pseudo-Dragon! Lv 45! 🔸> 

The fight began, and the miners instantly realized why Jack had made them train. The elementals had an AoE ability….but it was nothing compared to this beast! 

Every single of its stomps would send shockwaves all around. It was no exaggeration to say the beast's little toe was as strong as a level 35 elemental! 

It didn't help that its armor was so goddamn sturdy! It felt like they were trying to crush a steel beam with a marshmallow! Thus it was free to attack non-stop! 

Every time someone dodged an attack, they would inwardly thank Jack. It soon became clear that the monster did not fear them one bit. Oh, this would freaking change! 

"Brehart, I choose you!" Jack screamed in the back. 

The miner approached, the Dragon not especially reacting. After all, humans looked kinda the same…all except that asshole in the back. 

Brehart swung his pickaxe toward the creature's claws. They all held their breaths as they awaited the magical moment. Then the pick finally collided heavily with the amber. 

— Clang! — 

— BOOM! — 

— BOOM! — 

— BOOM! — 

The explosion was goddamn glorious! It made the walls tremble, the floor shake, and the creature shriek in pain. In its glowing orange eyes, there was momentary confusion. 

What the hell had just happened?! For an instant, it even thought it was a cave-in. But then one of its claws fell right off! 

— Shatter! — 

The miners instantly erupted in cheers. They had seemingly forgotten that they were facing an incredibly powerful and fearsome dragon. 

"Take this, you big orange bully!" 

"Get mined! Don't freaking look down on MTG!" 

"Hey, guys, how about we bring its head back to the association!" 

Jack could only sigh. They were a little too happy.

"Focus, you bastards! The true fight is starting now. If any of you die stupidly, I'm gonna piss on your graves and steal your wives!" 

They stilled, suddenly remembered the creature they were facing. The look of the Dragon had just changed. Its aloof playful arrogance had been replaced by fury. 

— RAWR!! — 

"Breath attack! Mine to safety!!!" Jack screamed at the top of his lungs. 

They would use a similar tactic to what he had done. They swung their pickaxes like crazy, creating an instant trench, everyone diving in it for cover. 

That's when Gorat got to work. He recited a very quick prayer: "Oh mighty DYG, please create a temporary respite for us. Let us rest in this cave and drive the pests away!" 

His entire body shone with brilliant light as a small darkish-orange barrier appeared above their heads. Was this thing powerful? Not really. It couldn't even block Iron-Devouring Snakes. 

The Dragon's breath filled the entire cave with a brilliant orange light. This would turn everything into crystal! It engulfed the barrier…and barely did anything!

Jack waited exactly 2.8 seconds… 

"Get back out, hurry! Beat up the big fake lizard!!" 

Under his command, they all shouted in unison, shattering the barrier and going on the offensive. After the breath came an instant of weakness: it was their time to shine! 

Barely anyone noticed, but Gorat was still in the trench, his entire body shaking. He had sensed the energy contained in the last attack clearly. 

Jack had taught him to change the element of his barrier from a sturdy Iron barrier to a "flimsier" crystalline one. Had he not done so, they would all have perished right there! 

— Clang! Clang! Clang! — 

The rhythmic sound of pickaxes striking crystal echoed in the cave. The miners could finally truly believe in a path to victory. They just had to follow the all-knowing Jack! 

Everything was going so well, a little too well… 

"Get away!!" Jack suddenly screamed.