Cathulhu Online, MUNYA!-Chapter 60 Cat Dad and Hegemony A.I.
Chapter 60 โ Cat Dad and Hegemony A.I. f๐ณโฏโฏ๐ฌ๐๐๐งoฮฝ๐ฦ.c๐๐ข
RUMBLE
In front of the boss room, the newest slave of Xiaomao sat and watched over the pile of items with puppy eyes. Although the ground shook because of the explosions inside, he didnโt flinch.
Still, he was dying to open the gate and enter the room. His tail wagged because of his unsettling emotions.
While he was waiting for his master, his ears suddenly perked up. He turned around and stared at the other side of the destroyed bridge.
The scent of new intruders caught his attention.
โโฆโ
Gnoll General stood up and stopped pretending to be a dog. He walked back to the throne, staring at the stairs on the opposite side of the cliff.
Like a dignified bodyguard, he swore that nobody could pass this area and steal his masterโs belongings!
โฆ
On top of Gnoll Mountain, Butter Tank, Cherry Popper, and their party members followed Xiaomao and Shepherdโs trace and discovered a cave.
DING
<You have discovered Gnoll Dungeon!>
โ!!!โ
Although the group managed to discover the dungeon after Xiaomao, none of them got any reward.
โWe didnโt get any reward!โ Cherry was enraged.
โObviously, weโre the second or third team to arrive. Only the first discoverer can get the buff, idiot!โ Butter Tank laughed.
โAnyway, we might have found the jackpot. Letโs scout the dungeon andโฆโ.
Before Cherry could finish her sentences, a massive horde of 40 gnolls howled and sprinted toward them. Among the crowd, four elite gnolls raised their clubs and cheered.
Butter Tank turned around and raised his shield. The other knights also rushed forward to support their leader.
CLANK
CLANK
The claws of the gnolls grazed the shields.
The damage dealers and mages got into their positions. They counterattacked against the gnolls.
Shieldsmen bellowed, taunting enemies. Mages and rangers used their active skills while frontline fighters stepped up and protect the fragile mages.
Butter Tank stood still, watching the reactions and the damage to the gnolls. Upon noticing that their average level was 25, he clicked his tongue.
โWhat a waste of time. Guys, the monsters wonโt drop anything.โ
The partyโs average level was 50. As they were much stronger than these monsters, they couldnโt gain EXP or items. ๐re๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฃ๐ฏ๐ฐฮฝโฏ๐.c๐ผ๏ฝ
However, a few gnolls managed to bite and scratch close-ranged fighters on the frontline. Three digits of damage appeared over their heads.
โWatch out! These guys hit hard if it bypasses your armor!โ
โTheyโre glass cannons. Donโt get cocky and go out by yourself. Youโll be overrun,โ Butter Tank rolled his eyes.
โThis can be an annoying dungeon. They have numbers, but their attack power is too high for level 20s!โ
โฆ
Five minutes later
Although the fight was easy as gnollโs HP was low, they showed signs of intelligence. Many gnolls ignored Butter Tank and other shieldsmenโs warcry and taunt skills. They sometimes leaped over the defenders and melee combatants to attack mages and healers.
Their partyโs backline was in disarray. The frontline fighters and warriors retreated and rescued the damage dealers and healers. However, doing so created gaps in their formation.
Elite gnolls suddenly moved together in a team. They pushed Butter Tank aside and smashed a swordsmanโs head, reducing the latterโs HP by 50% in one hit!
The other elite gnolls also stopped attacking the shieldsmen and grabbed the arm of a nearby warrior. Then, they threw the player into the cave, letting their colleagues handle them.
โWHAT THE HELL?!โ
Butter Tank was shocked that the gnolls used tactics in fights. In other dungeons, regular monsters always mindlessly attacked the shieldsmen and warriors on the frontline. But here, they behaved like players!
AWOOOO!!
During the chaos, the second patrol unit heard the commotion and came out to investigate. Upon seeing the combat scene, all gnolls howled as if they were alerting their friends.
RUMBLE
Because of the new A.I., all respawned gnolls on the first level heard the summoning howl and rushed toward the entrance of the cave. Within 10 seconds, five hundred Dirty Gnoll and 50 elite monsters charged out to support the first patrol unit!
The formation of Butter Tankโs team crumbled as five swordsmen and three rangers were isolated and killed in combat. More gnolls bypassed Butter Tank and chased after the mages and healers.
โR-RETREAT!!โ
Butter Tank shouted and turned around, planning to head back to support the other teammates.
BANG
Because of the distraction, one of the elite gnollโs clubs smacked the back of Butterโs head. A critical hit warning appeared, and his HP decreased by 500!
The damage was nothing for a level-60 tank-class character.
DING
<You have been stunned for three seconds.>
Unfortunately, an abnormal status effect spelled his doom. The regular monsters chased after the weaker players while elite gnolls surrounded Butter Tank and other shieldsmen. They sneered at them.
โHOW IS THIS HAPPENING?! ARENโT THEY JUST LEVEL 20 MOBS?!โ
None of the players understood how these gnolls were so strong and smart.
As soon as the healers died, the party was overwhelmed and annihilated.
โฆ
Pangu Universe Incorporated
Standing in the administrative office, facing his manager, Wang Mang sweated profusely.
The manager glared at the employee. His laser pointer was turned on and the red spot was on the LCD screen on the wall.
The screen showed the live feed of the Gnoll Dungeon. Just now, all party members, including Butter Tank, were slaughtered by the horde of gnolls.
โHave you realized what you did?โ
Wang Mang gulped as he knew what had happened. However, he was so ashamed that he couldnโt utter a word.
โDo you know how many A.I. are we using in this game?โ
โY-Yes, boss. Karmic Soul A.I. and Warlord A.I.โ
โDo you know the difference between them?โ
โYes. The Karmic Soul A.I. is for town NPCs and scenario quest NPCs. As for the Warlord A.I-โ
โTHAT IS FOR HEGEMONY PATCH!โ
โYES, BOSS!โ Because of fear, Wang Mang shouted by reflex.
The manager slammed his fist on the table. His favorite teacup fell and shattered while the surface of the hardwood cracked.
โThis A.I. is still under development! We havenโt adjusted its strength yet, and theyโre fighting with 200% potential difficulty by default. Why did you install it to the game?!โ
โIโM SORRY, SIR!!โ
Wang Mang was on his knees, kowtowing to his boss.
The managerโs breathing was ragged. His red face and bulging veins intimidated Wang Mang.
The awkward silence lasted a few seconds. The manager finally controlled his temper, and his anger subsided. Still, he hadnโt forgiven Wang Mang.
โBecause of you, we will need to fix everything from the ground up and prevent the dungeon break. The other projects and new patches will be delayed because of this. And do you know what will happen afterward?โ
โโฆโ
The manager walked toward Wang Mang and squatted next to him. He gently whispered.
โThe company will lose money. We have been in the red ever since we started this project. Do you know how much the company pays for the developers and our salary every month?โ
โโฆ I donโt know, sir.โ
โ20 million RMB!โ
โโฆโ
โBecause of you, the company will lose 40 million RMB of employee salary to pay useless egotistic moderators like you before the developer team can finalize the Landlord Patch! Do you understand the gravity of the situation?!โ
โIโm sorry, sir!โ
โNo, no, no. Youโre sorry? NO! That wonโt cut it, Wang Mang. Get outta here and pack your stuff. Stay home, wait for the companyโs lawsuit, and donโt go out of town. If you cooperate, your family can still have a way out. If you flee, well, you donโt want to know the consequences.โ
โSIR, IโM DOING THIS FOR THE COMPANY!! PLEASE DONโT FIRE ME!!โ
โFor the company? Pfft. If using the A.I. to hinder a VIP customerโs gaming experience is good for business, WE WOULD HAVE DONE THAT SINCE DAY 1! YOUโRE FIRED! GET LOST!โ
The manager kicked Wang Mang in the face, breaking his nose and two front teeth. He also pressed his phoneโs intercom button.
โGet the security to drag Wang Mang out. Heโs no longer an employee of our company. Also, tell the financial team to ban all his wallets and game accounts. He has no right to join the Ark.โ
BAM
As soon as the manager finished his sentence, a burly 7-feet-tall security officer entered the room. He grabbed Wang Mang by his collar and pulled him out of the room.
After Wang Mang was carried away, the manager returned to his chair and sighed. He facepalmed.
โHow am I going to explain this to the executives? What a headache.โ
The manager, Dong Junya, gazed at the LCD monitor. The gnolls celebrated their victory by carrying the dropped items from the players to the center of the level. Then, the elite gnolls fiddled with them.
Some of them wielded the level 40 uncommon-grade shield, which had been dropped from Butter Tank. Another elite gnoll switched his weapon from a club to a long sword while a lucky regular gnoll inherited the club from his boss.
WHOOSH
Suddenly, the gnoll, who got the club from his captain, evolved. He transformed into an elite gnoll!
WHOOSH
WHOOSH
The other elite gnolls also evolved. The elite gnoll with level 40 uncommon shield evolved into Gnoll Shieldsman level 40! Another one waved the cane of a healer around, and his name changed to Gnoll Shaman.
Dong Junyaโs expression turned dark. He knew why they became like that.
โThis is troublesome. Rerolling is impossible. Weโll have to patch it with the older version A.I. and pretend that everything is a bug.โ
