The beast was named "Diablos" for the two massive horns on its head. It was the first truly difficult boss players encountered in most versions of Monster Hunter, often appearing even earlier than the Rathian.
With vestigial wings, the Diablos had an extremely violent temperament. It frequently attacked with tail swipes, head shakes, short-range charges, and side-slams. However, its signature move was the long-distance charge after a brief wind-up, a maneuver players vividly dubbed the "Dragon Car."
In addition, the Diablos would burrow underground, pursuing players from below before suddenly bursting forth to launch them into the air with its horns. Because evading this required constant running while the beast chased at the player's heels, it earned a highly descriptive nickname: "The Thousand Years of Death".
Almost all Monster Hunter players grew up dominated by the fear of the Diablos's "Dragon Car" and "Thousand Years of Death."
Rainier's original plan was to confront the non-elemental Diablos first, harvest its materials to craft a Diablos armor set for higher defense, and then use the set's innate fire resistance to challenge the Rathian. Of course, this wasn't because he had suddenly become a strategic genius; it was a friendly suggestion from Wayne, who figured the man might otherwise lose his life to Hogger in the near future.
After all, only by successfully completing quests could one accumulate experience. Experience upgraded the game account, which in turn improved one's actual combat abilities.
The greatest merit of Monster Hunter was its relative freedom; there was no rigid linear order. Theoretically, if your skills were good enough, you could face mid-to-late-game bosses in low-level gear and still win. Unlike many games that required stat-stacking to progress, this design had a drawback: if your skill was lacking, no amount of good gear could save you.
Rainier's game time eventually ran out. By playing longer, his account level surpassed Verdan's, stopping at Level 6. Well, he had turned Monster Hunter into "Monster Torturing Man."
As 8:00 PM arrived with a sense of regret, Rainier prepared to head over to the Lion's Pride Inn for a few drinks to forget the misery of being bullied by the Diablos and to vent his frustration over the order to hunt Hogger. Before leaving, he asked Wayne a question:
"Wayne, what level are you?"
Wayne took the goggles, preparing to see him out and lock the door so he could play himself. He replied casually, "Level 9."
"Damn!"
Although Wayne didn't have a time limit, he was burdened by the daily opening hours. Fortunately, he had completed the Rathian Alpha set, and his level had risen to 10. The further one went, the slower the leveling became. While this set didn't increase raw power, the boost to health recovery and resistance to fire and poison meant he was less likely to fail against c ertain monsters.
However, while he was playing inside the house, observers appeared on the roof once again. This time, Corrine wasn't alone. Beside her was a much older man with a blind right eye covered by a patch—a "one-eyed dragon."
This man was named Erlan Drudger. Outwardly, he was the owner of "Erlan's Cheese Shop" in Stormwind's Trade District, running it with his wife and son. But like Corrine, his identity as a cheese shop owner was a front. His true identity was a senior agent of SI:7, a vital intelligence gatherer.
His informants spanned the continent, from the Eastern Plaguelands in the north to Stranglethorn Vale in the south. Although he was only ranked as a "Middle Finger" in the organization, even the "Thumb" level leaders showed him great respect.
Three days ago, when Corrine attempted to pick the lock and sneak into Wayne's net cafe, she was struck by a fireball out of nowhere. Her hair and pants were instantly ignited, and she suffered minor injuries. Terrified, she had let out a shrill scream and fled into the woods using the Rogue skill "Sprint" while frantically extinguishing the flames.
She didn't know who had cast such a hidden and sudden fireball, but she believed the person had seen through her attempt and only intended it as a warning, as they didn't pursue her. The most terrifying part was that she had no idea someone was watching her from an even deeper shadow while she was watching Wayne. For a secret agent, this thought was haunting.
Furthermore, she wasn't sure if Wayne had recognized her as the one who fled. Because a large chunk of her hair had been burned away, she had to cut it short that night. She spent the next night prowling near the net cafe until Verdan left, then entered openly to ask to watch Wayne play. It was a probe to see if Wayne had realized it was her that night. Fortunately, Wayne seemed completely oblivious.
After watching Wayne repeatedly slaughter large monsters for an hour and harvest dragon hides for gear, Corrine rode back to the SI:7 headquarters in Old Town to report to Mathias Shaw. But Mathias didn't believe her.
Since Wayne's blacksmith shop was in the heart of Goldshire and near the high-traffic Lion's Pride Inn, SI:7 had registered the shop's staff and Wayne in their database of persons of interest. They knew Wayne's background: a twenty-year-old lad who could swing a hammer, occasionally ran errands for the delivery caravans to Lakeshire, had no special skills, wasn't a smooth talker, and didn't even have a girlfriend.
Now, someone was telling Shaw that this boy not only had a miraculous gaming device but could also slay dragons single-handedly. Shaw was convinced that either he or Corrine had lost their mind. Naturally, he didn't think it was his. But seeing the diligent Corrine emphasize it repeatedly, even swearing by her status as an SI:7 agent and her life, Shaw decided to have the well-traveled Erlan accompany her to Goldshire.
This led to the scene of the two of them lurking on Wayne's roof. Before climbing up, Corrine and Erlan had repeatedly checked the surroundings in Stealth to ensure no Mage was hiding nearby watching them.
The facts were right before their eyes. Erlan, a top intelligence gatherer who had seen countless treasures in the Trade District, was shocked by the images on the screen inside Wayne's house. On the way there, he had strongly suspected Corrine had been hit with a mental curse by a high-level Priest or Warlock, causing strange hallucinations—the most ridiculous part being her hair being burned off. But at this moment, he realized her words hadn't been exaggerated in the slightest.
This was partly due to Wayne himself. Every other day, as his equipment improved, the monsters Wayne faced became fiercer and stronger, increasing the shock factor for onlookers.
The two were very close on the roof. Despite being in Stealth, they could see each other at such a distance. Erlan used specialized agent hand signals to express his views to Corrine. He believed Wayne's spirit was entering that black portal—the "screen"—to another world to slay dragons. The reason he didn't die was that only his spirit was transported while his body remained.
His judgment was simple: only real combat could accumulate experience and strength. If it were a mere illusion or dream, the participant wouldn't improve. If dreaming could boost power, lazy bums and Druids who entered the Emerald Dream would have long ago destroyed the world.
Conversely, if a portal could send people in, it might work like the Dark Portal and bring ferocious monsters out. If the dragons Wayne fought were transported here, it would be a massive threat to Goldshire and Stormwind!
By now, Wayne had left the room to rest. The two consulted via hand signals and decided that Erlan, with his experienced observation, would keep watch while Corrine attempted to sneak in again to steal the goggles. Erlan, from his high vantage point, watched for any movement. If the fireball caster acted from the shadows, the light would surely expose their position.
Although Corrine hadn't forgotten the painful experience of being burned, having a senior agent like Erlan assisting her gave her much more confidence. She made the "order received" gesture, crawled to the eaves, and flipped down silently. Crouching low, she moved toward the window.
Since the door lock had failed last time, Corrine decided to pry open the window and climb in. She was extremely careful this time, not just relying on Erlan. She scanned the surroundings herself before beginning.
On the way, the two had discussed how a person could hide themselves from view. There were four ways:
Stealth: Rogues and Druids in Cat Form can use it, but neither class uses fire spells.
Shadowmeld: Unique to Night Elves, who can blend into the night while stationary. But Night Elves cannot be Mages, Warlocks, or Shamans, so they can't learn fire spells.
Traps: A Night Elf Hunter could have placed an Immolation Trap and then Shadowmelded. But Corrine had watched the roof all night before, and traps have a limited duration. More importantly, detecting and disarming traps was a core skill Rogues learned early on.
Invisibility: A Mage spell. While a Mage can move while invisible, it has a very limited duration and can't be maintained all night. Furthermore, it was a legendary spell few had seen, requiring Master-level skill. A Mage of that caliber wouldn't play hide-and-seek; they could turn Corrine into a pig or sheep with a flick of a finger.
The only remaining possibility was that she hadn't been careful enough last time, and her trail had been spotted by a capable Mage who gave her a small warning. But today was different. They had confirmed the area was empty, save for the muffled noises from the Lion's Pride Inn.
Corrine took out her lockpicks and reached for the window. Suddenly, in a repeat of three days ago, a spell struck. But this time it wasn't a Fireball—it was a bright flame of Holy Light descending from the sky!
"Eee-aaargh!!!"
Corrine was hit by the powerful spell. Erlan, on the roof, recognized it instantly: it was the Priest spell, "Holy Fire," which condensed the power of the Holy Light into a searing pillar of flame to consume the target.
It turned out their guesses were all wrong. A powerful Priest was guarding the place!
Wayne, though tired, had kept his guard up. The scream from three days ago had made him vigilant. He knew that "tall trees catch the wind"; these virtual gaming devices were miraculous objects in this world. Once word spread, it was natural for people to want to steal them. In fact, he had realized immediately that it was Corrine who had attempted the theft, and her short hair the next day had practically confirmed his suspicion. He chose to play dumb to see what the Rogue Trainer's true intention was and if she had accomplices.
By the window, Corrine was ignited by Holy Fire. Erlan immediately dropped from the roof, intending to help the now-visible Corrine escape, perhaps even grabbing the goggles himself and bolting through the window. But the moment his hand touched the window frame, a low growl echoed in his ear. Countless terrifying demonic illusions flooded his mind and eyes, causing his body to run around in uncontrolled terror.
Though his body was overwhelmed by fear, Erlan's mind remained clear. If the Holy Fire that struck Corrine came from a Priest, then the "Fear" spell cast on him absolutely came from a Warlock who studied demonic arts!
While Warriors and Priests also had fear abilities, those required close range. There was no third person visible around them. Aside from a Warlock, there were no other options.
In other words, the protectors of this net cafe weren't just a single Mage—there were at least three!