[BONUS]

After a day passed in the game, Yuji's group, along with Ren, set out to Frosty Cave.

As Ren expected, some of the members rejected him and kept their distance. Such was human nature — no one would accept a stranger leading them. This fact was amplified in a high-ranking guild like White Unicorns.

Their pride simply couldn't take it.

Although the lead role was temporarily given to Ren, it was still Yuji who gave out orders, his unit following his direction to the letter.

They left out Ren and didn't even bother to include him in their strategy.

Ren didn't mind, though. His job was to clear the dungeon. He was not there to make friends.

Yuji's leadership style was simple and easy to follow, and it was clear to the eyes that he had good chemistry with his group, which allowed him to let out the full potential of everyone in his squad.

Everyone was used to each other's fighting style, and Yuji effectively made use of that to efficiently kill all the monsters in the area, making their journey to the Boss's room ten times easier.

Ren was actually praising Yuji in his mind.

In fact, all of White Unicorns' commanders were efficient and quick-witted. Their greatest trait was their adaptability and rational way of dealing with things. When there were unexpected situations, they would be able to make the best judgments in the shortest time possible.

Their voices were clear and loud, and it gave others a boost in confidence and morale. Except for their enormous pride that sometimes got in the way and their naggy command, and a low tolerance for little mistakes, they were perfect.

It was nice to be vigilant, but having a restrictive environment where the commander worried about every little detail wasn't good either.

Commanders like this might be good for leading a group with up to 50 units. But what about a group with a hundred or more players? If a couple of players messed up at the same time, wouldn't they excessively panic and erupt in anger?

Ren had no intention of disrupting their momentum by competing for authority. He'd rather have Yuji lead the way to the Boss while he lazed around in the back.

"Leech . . ." He heard them say, followed by a pointed glare.

Ren only shook his head without retorting. Sooner or later . . . they would find out whether he was truly a leech or not.

After proceeding on for an hour or so and having defeated dozens of groups of monsters and beasts, they finally reached the Boss' lair.

It was obvious that it was the domain of the Primordial Frost Titan. The entrance was a large open gateway, flanked by two snowy mountains on each side that led to a wide-open field with a frozen lake as the terrain.

The snow-covered ground was littered with ice crystals, while the sky above was covered in thick clouds. It was a cold, freezing lair.

Everyone was extra careful, looking at every spot as they ventured into the Boss's lair. When they stepped into the frozen lake, they suddenly heard cries, and all eyes shifted to the one who shouted.

It was a player with a Beast race and a monk class. His legs were frozen, and the frost quickly spread to the other parts of his body. He was immobile, and his HP was continuously being drained.

The White Mages were alert and quickly treated him.

"Stop healing," said Ren. "No matter what, don't heal." It was the first and last warning he would give.

But as he expected, his very first order was met with resistance.

"If we don't heal him, he'll die," Yuji rebutted. "Continue healing."

Ren merely shrugged when the others looked at him with funny expressions. He didn't waste another second and retreated away from the guy that was frozen and the cleric that was healing him.

He didn't want to waste his breath explaining because he knew that others wouldn't believe him until they personally saw and experienced the whole situation. They would find out about it sooner or later.

As soon as Ren was out of range, another set of cries rang in the vast open icy wonderland.

Ice covered everything as far as the eyes could see, and hail and snow constantly rained from the dark sky. The already depressing scenery felt even gloomier because of the series of shouts and screams.

A strong wave swept past the area, and everyone who was hit the most became frozen solid. Their HP dropped rapidly under the effect of frost damage.

"Everyone who isn't frozen! Hurry up and heal the others!" shouted Yuji. He didn't expect to encounter something like this. There was no information about the cave, and everyone who attempted it either backed out or was wiped out before reaching this area. If not, they simply didn't want to disclose any information.

A lot of healers were frozen solid, and only a few were left mobile. Just like that, the situation turned grim. It only took a few seconds.

Ren watched as the White Mages all raised their staff and cast a spell. He was very familiar with their spell. He could tell the skill that a White Mage was releasing just by looking at the character's action while casting.

It was [Area Heal], which could heal at least five party members in a single area. It cost about a hundred MP. The casting time was five seconds, and its cooldown depended on the level of the spell.

Most White Mages at this point in the game didn't have area heal, except for a few, like Erica and other high-ranking White Mages, that could afford to acquire these spells. Ren was surprised that the White Mages in Yuji's unit already have [Area Heal].

Most of the time, the heal spell was the deciding factor of a party's survivability and endurance.

But it was not the case this time.

( . . . continuation on NOTES)