《MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist》 Chapter 1 ¡°Re . . . n . . .¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Ren blinked, and his eyes zeroed on his father. ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± Ren was definitely dreaming. One moment, men were chasing him, and the next thing he knew, he was jumping off a building. And when he blinked, he was facing his father, who was supposed to be dead. ¡°Stop daydreaming.¡± Troy then looked at his wife, Helen. ¡°He is always like this. His head is always in the clouds.¡± Helen rubbed her husband¡¯s hands and forced a smile before she faced her son. ¡°Ren, dear. Your father is asking you where you want to go to college.¡± Ren gasped at the sight of her mom, who was supposed to be suffering from stroke and bedridden when his father died. If this was heaven, then he was d that he jumped off that building! Ren¡¯s eyes watered, and he choked, ¡°M-mom . . .¡± ¡°Ren, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Helen was worried when her son suddenly started crying out of nowhere. She then cut Troy a sharp re. Troy was taken aback. He was just asking his son where to go to college. Did Ren didn¡¯t want to go to college that much? Enough to make him cry? ¡°Ren, there¡¯s no pressure. You can go to college anytime you want. Think it through,¡± Helen consoled and rubbed Ren¡¯s back while squeezing her son¡¯s hand. Ren lowered his face and gritted his teeth. As much as he wanted to stop the tears, they just kepting anding. The feeling of her mother¡¯s warmth spread to his back, and the pressure from her hands released all frustrations he had. He buckled and wept his hearts out. It had been so long since thest time he saw them. So long. Troy didn¡¯t know where to put his eyes. He was never good at consoling, nor was he a man offort. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Well . . . you still have a month to decide. I just want to let you know that your mother and I have already saved some money for your college, so you don¡¯t have to worry if you want to enter that famous university you always spoke about.¡± Ren¡¯s shoulders shook. How could he stop crying now that his father said the exact same words years ago? Four hundred dors. That was his father¡¯s pay per month as a janitor while doing multiple jobs at the side. Inparison, his mother was a housewife doing buy and sell in her free time. With a family of three, bills alone were about a hundred dors per month. The house rent was another hundred. Not to mention the food and other expenses. And yet, they still manage to scrape his hundred thousand dor university tuition, and Ren knew how exactly they did it. While he was eating fried eggs and chicken, his parents often ate rice with soy sauce after he went to bed. And who knew what elsewhere they were doing to save money behind his back. Mom . . . Dad . . . If he really was back in time then . . . ¡ª- Later that night, due to Ren¡¯s incapacity to hold a proper conversation, the rare dinner where his mother and father were present was cut short. Ren¡¯s eyes were red and sore as heid on his mattress and watched his ceiling in a daze while the ceiling fan twirled in a buzzing sound. He was back . . . He was really back in time. Ren pinched himself and found the sting delightful. Closing his eyes, he grinned and fisted his fingers. He didn¡¯t care why or how he turned back in the past, but this time, he would change everything! Ren got up and scrambled to get his outdated smartphone. The year was 4XoX, and in just a few days, the hit VRMMORPG COVENANT would be released. Skimming through his memory in the past, he didn¡¯t enter the game when it was the first release. He entered it when it became popr and at the time when his father died due to pneumonia from working so hard even when he should be retired while his mother was bedridden from the stroke of the sudden death of his father. He stopped college and entered the game because he needed the money to help his mother at that time. COVENANT used real-time in-game currency, and most yers instantly became a millionaire overnight. But since he was mediocre at best, he was mostly put in a supporting role. It would change this time! Ren thought of a n. He would enter the game in its first release! He¡¯ll apply for a college loan while he¡¯ll use his parent¡¯s money to buy the game pod. After the game boomed, it would start to make updates and use in-game currency after a few months due to flocks of investors. Ren was confident that he¡¯d already umted thousands of dors by that time, so paying his loan would be a piece of cake. Though he didn¡¯t really want to go to college like what he felt in the past, he wanted to make his parents happy since they both didn¡¯t even finish high school. But first, for his parents to give him the money and y the game undisrupted, he needed to move out. And the perfect excuse for that was by moving near Fate Academy. Fate Academy is one of the top universities in Zone A. On Earth, the countries were now segregated based on world status. Zone A was the wealthiest country and mostly were billionaires resides while Zone B was for the middle ss and Zone C was for the poor who rented on governmentnds. Meanwhile, the infrastructures andmercial establishments were segregated in these zones to make jobs essible and easier for the people. But the main reason was so the people would disperse and wouldn¡¯t congregate on a single spot. They were currently in Zone C, and it was a day by ne from Zone A, where Fate Academy was located. Ren¡¯s eyes twinkled. First things first, he had to get that game pod, and all would start from there. ¡ª- A/N Like the story? Add to library. Vote and leave reviews to help the story win in WPC 270 and have regr updates. Thank you! ^^ Chapter 2 After two days. ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re going to be alright by yourself?¡± Helen didn¡¯t know what to do when Ren suddenly said that he wanted to move out to live closer to Fate Academy. She and Troy somehow expected it buting from their son¡¯s mouth was a different thing entirely. She cried that night after hearing the news. Ren was with them in his neen years, and now, he would live alone. She was both proud, happy, and sad at the same time. Ren nodded. ¡°It¡¯s easier for me,¡± he said as he packed his clothes while being aware of his mother¡¯s burning gaze on his back. ¡°Does it really have to be a university in Zone A? And why so sudden? sses wouldn¡¯t open until two months.¡± ¡°Helen,¡± Troy reprimanded his wife. ¡°We already discus this and said that we will support Ren¡¯s decision. And besides, graduates in the universities in Zone A have a much higher chance of being epted in bigpanies.¡± ¡°Dad¡¯s right, mom.¡± Ren zipped his bag and faced his parents. When did his parents look old? Why did he only notice now the flocks of grey hairs and wrinkly skin? The hunches of their backs and the difficulty of their breathing. Ren blinked away the tears in his eyes and forced a smile. He wasn¡¯t emotional, and most even said that he was unsympathetic and cold. But anyone would shed tears at the sight of their parents getting old and weak. ¡°I have to go to Zone A as early as possible to find a dorm and to apply to Fate Academy.¡± Ren flung his bag over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll call every day.¡± Helen pressed her lips and didn¡¯t say any more while Troy patted his son¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve wired the money into your ount. Don¡¯t spend it all and be careful in the big city.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go out partying all night. Avoid bad crowds and eat healthy foods, exercise, and study hard so you can get a decent job after you graduate, buy a house and marry a kind girl,¡± Helen chimed in. Ren smiled. ¡°I will.¡± Though he doubted about the marrying part, he was sure as hell would buy them a house. Not just a house, a mansion in one of Zone A¡¯s most prestigious neighborhoods with top-notch security and views. And his parents would live like King and Queens surrounded by servants. It was his promise to himself, and he would fulfill it this time, no matter what. ¡ª- Upon reaching Zone A, Ren was instantly hit with the sight of flying cars, train pods in the sky, towering buildings that projected 3d images, and fresh air that was made possible by multiple filters from every establishment. The scenery was very differentpared to zone C, where it took in the architecture of the old. Everything in Zone A looked new and futuristic. Ren walked out of the airport and rode a bus to his destination. He was familiar with every zones because of his past life. And out of habit, every time he rode a vehicle, he took the window seat and stared down at the sights below. Roads for public transportation were now weaving the skyline while the ground took space forndscapes, bicycles, and other forms of non-vehicle transport. The people looked like ants from above as they went about their daily activities, and the sight of the open spaces, fountains, nts, and trees was breathtaking as always. After his stop, he proceeded into an all-male dorm called Ravens near Fate Academy. It was also the same dorm he used in the past. It was the cheapest dorm out of the many dormitories and apartments near the Academy. Uponpleting the papers and checking in, Ren fixed his things and called his parents before he took a bath and finally had the chance to rest on his bed. Dorms and apartments in Zone A were high ss. The one he was staying in was a wide ten by ten-meter spaceplete with a foyer, toilet and bath, a mini kitchen, a single bed, a student desk, a filter, and an air conditioner. But of course, the price per month reached from five hundred to ten thousand dors depending on the quality of the room. In the past, aside from his school workloads, he had to juggle multiple jobs to pay the rent and his living expenses. Ren chose the cheapest dorm, like where he was staying in the past. He had no use for carpeted floors, granite walls, leather sofas, chandeliers, and Jacuzzis anyway. He had lived with a faucet and a cup and a ceiling fan his whole life. So he could get by without the luxury. He closed his eyes. He¡¯d apply for a student loan in Fate Academy and process all the paperwork tomorrow. Once he confirms his enrollment, he¡¯ll immediately buy the gaming pod in the city. It was of the utmost importance that he was among the yers who made it in the first opening of the game COVENANT. Exactly seven months from now, due to the popr game, private establishments, millionaires and billionaires would invest in guilds, and these guilds needed a base of operations. Their tiny plot ofnds that they were renting from the government would be sold to these uprising of mass construction. Because of the in flock of rising demands onnds, the rent skyrocketed, and his parents were left with no choice but to live in the slums with a makeshift house from scraps of wood and discarded metal sheets to save money just so he could live infort in Zone A. It was also the time when his father¡¯s health deteriorated because the house couldn¡¯t even protect them from the rain and cold. A zing desire hit Ren¡¯s stomach, driving him to achieve his goal faster. Knock! Knock! Ren opened his eyes and groaned. He thinks he knew who was at his door at six in the evening. ¡°Ren!¡± Ren took a deep breath and calmed his nerves as he opened the door. A boy his age with semi bald brown hair and muddy colored skin was grinning at him from ear to ear. But Ren knew that behind his smile hid an opportunistic character. ¡°Roni.¡± The son of Ren¡¯s neighborhood. Chapter 3 Ren and Roni were having their dinner in a restaurant inside a luxury mall. Ren didn¡¯t really want to go, but since he was hungry and it looked like that Roni wasn¡¯t going to leave his front door if he didn¡¯te to dinner with him, he agreed. Ren wanted to eat on his favorite kebab near Fate Academy. It was a small stall on the side of the street, and they had the best hot pot in the country. This luxury mall was Roni¡¯s favorite hang-out ce together with his rich friends in the future. Ren didn¡¯t like the food in here. Though it was indeed delicious, the price tag was too expensive, stered on a fancy, hard-to-read name. But it was just a regr burger served in colorful dishes and seasonings that he could get in a regr burger joint. ¡°Man. I couldn¡¯t believe that you also entered Fate Academy! And the soonest I heard from my mom that you¡¯re staying in Raven¡¯s dorm, I know I just had to go see you! It has to be fate since I¡¯m also staying there!¡± ¡°Mm . . .¡± Ren munched his burger as an excuse not to engage in their conversation. As Roni was talking, Ren seized the guy¡¯s information from his memory. Roni came early to Zone A than him, and he was from another ss. They were just neighbors who had the same poor background. They weren¡¯t even close. Roni¡¯s mother would often brag about him to their neighbors and Ren¡¯s mother. Saying that her son was a genius and was going to an Academy in Zone A. In truth, it was because of Roni¡¯s aunt and uncles who helped that was why he could afford to go to college in Zone A. But Roni hated his low-ie family and often lied about his upbringing from their fellow schoolmates. When the mass construction took ce, both their families were forced to evacuate. Roni and his parents were safe because their rtives took them in. But for Ren¡¯s parents . . . they weren¡¯t so lucky. They didn¡¯t have any rtives who were willing to take in another mouth to feed. And to make matters worse, due to Ren¡¯s looks, which he took up from his mother of mixed descent, he was popr with thedies, which got Roni and some men jealous. And maybe due to that or what started out with a harmless prank, Roni spread rumors that Ren¡¯s parents lived in the slums. Since then, everyone started calling Ren a rat while thedies avoided him like the gue. What was so good about looks without money and power? Ren didn¡¯t mind Roni and the others, though. He even forgets about Roni in the past years. However, he was devastated by the news that his parents were indeed living in the slums. But this time . . . Ren looked over at Roni. He would make sure that he¡¯ll collect the debt with interest. Ren¡¯s school life was a living hell because of the rumors he spread. No one wanted to be associated with him, and everyone looked down upon him just because he was poor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you have to pay, man.¡± Roni wiped the sauce from his lips and grinned. ¡°I was too excited to finally have someone I know here that I forgot my wallet in my room. I promised to pay you back.¡± Oh, you will, alright, Ren mused to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°By the way. There¡¯s a popr gameing, and I heard they used virtual reality like you¡¯re really inside the world as a character!¡± ¡°Covenant,¡± Ren replied and offered no ongoing conversation. He was tant about his dislike for Roni, but the guy couldn¡¯t take the hint. Ren couldn¡¯t me him. Roni was indeed thick-skinned. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the one! Man, I really wanted to y it.¡± Roni entered the game early than Ren. Even without money, Roni used his ttering and leech-like skills to get to the good side of his rich ssmates until someone actually gave him an old game pod. While Ren couldn¡¯t even afford one in the past. Not even when he graduated. He had to register in a guild before he was lent one. ¡°Man . . . rich kids have it easy, huh.¡± Roni was thick with envy as he eyed the passing teenagers in their designer clothes andtest gadgets. ¡°If I¡¯m rich, I¡¯m going to buy a mansion and surround myself with beautiful maids!¡± Roniughed and looked at Ren. ¡°What about you?¡± Ren thought for a second. He didn¡¯t want to entertain Roni, but his mind was still geared to his parents. ¡°I just want to give my parents a good life.¡± Roni¡¯s expression dropped. ¡°You¡¯re really a filial kid.¡± He then leaned on his chair and spat with pouting lips, ¡°I mean, what good are my parents? They can¡¯t even give me a good life. But they still had the guts to reproduce like there was no tomorrow. Do you know how many annoying siblings I have? I¡¯m d I¡¯m out from that hell hole.¡± Ren didn¡¯tment. He was an only child. His mother had a miscarriage, and his little sister was gone before she was even born. The ident left damage to his mother¡¯s body, and she never got pregnant after that. ¡°Hey, look at that! That girl is a beauty.¡± Roni¡¯s eyes shone at the sight of a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and striking blue eyesplete with an alluring frame. She was donned in the finest designer¡¯s dress that showcased her ample breasts and long snow-white shapely legs. Her skin was adorned with thetest Bijoux jewelry, the most expensive jewelry brand in the whole world. Owning a set of this jewelry was a staple for the rich. You wouldn¡¯t belong in their circle if you didn¡¯t have one in your collection. And her bag and boots were custom made in the most expensive leather. She was apanied by her bodyguards in finely dress suits and ties, carrying loads of paper bags in their hands. Ren was surprised because it was Silvia, the daughter of a tycoon in this country. She was also the guild leader of Golden Phoenix and a top beauty in the game. Though her guild was mediocre at best, she had ess to rare items, tomes, and secret information due to her parent¡¯s money, cing her group in the top guilds in COVENANT. Roni sighed in disappointment. ¡°Guys like us could only look at those rich, beautiful girls from afar. They would never look our way.¡± It was true. Ren never even meet Silvia in his entire existence in the past, and they even attend the same school! Funny how he got to see her in person now. Though it was from afar. Every eye looked her way, and even in real life, Silvia attracted attention by simply standing and breathing. In the past, many top yers were wooing her and even leaders of top guilds. But Silvia remained indifferent to them all. She only used them to strengthen her guild¡¯s position further. Not that Ren was ridiculing her. He indeed admired her, for she was using everything in her resources to reach the top. She waspetitive and goal-driven, which also contributed to why the Golden Phoenix position remained unshakable even if it was an all-female guild. Ren drank his coffee. He had a few crushes in the past, but because he was always busy with school and work, he didn¡¯t have time to insert a woman into his life. Though there was an exception, but Ren didn¡¯t consider her as a girlfriend because she was just using him for information, and because of that, he was kicked from his first guild. Ren sighed. Why was his past life so miserable? And why did he let himself be surrounded by opportunistic people? Ren himself didn¡¯t know. Maybe because he was na?ve and didn¡¯t have many friends due to his lifestyle? Ren¡¯s eyes shed with determination. This time, he¡¯d be more careful whom to trust. He wouldn¡¯t have a problem with that department now that he knew most people¡¯s colors both in-game and out. Chapter 4 After days of processing his papers and finalizing his enrolment, Ren finally bought the gaming pod for COVENANT. It was the cheapest version, unlike those deluxe gaming pods like the Pros and rich people bought with custom design and high-quality materials. But it would have to do. After finalizing the payment, the store delivered it to his dorm, and Ren shuffled one foot and another as he watched the staff set up his pod. The game would officially start tonight, just in time that his gaming pod arrived. He didn¡¯t have to worry about sleep because the game operated when a person was asleep. Time in the game was different in the real world. One day in-game was equivalent to an hour in the real world to amodate the many features and adventures in the world of COVENANT. Ren sprawled his fingers on the sleek design of the pod. Once inside, it induces a sleeping agent, and you could even set a timer if you want to wake up. It was safe, and Ren didn¡¯t know any pod issues causing death in the past like the conservative older people proimed. Even after the installers left his room, Ren stared nkly at his pod. It was his very own pod. His own . . . Ren chuckled. It was the first expensive item he bought for himself, and he promised that it wouldn¡¯t be thest. Money couldn¡¯t bring true happiness, they said. And they were right, but Ren still preferred to cry inside his Bugatti than in the streets. He used to think that working hard and ying fair would lead to sess in the past. Wrong! It was a joke to keep the likes of the poor while the rich used any means and resources to reach the top with lesser to no effort. To reach the pinnacle of sess, Ren would cheat and y dirty using his past knowledge, and no one would stop him from attaining riches and changing his life for the better. He was not asking for fame. What he wanted was money. After all, the world revolves around that piece of paper. After taking a bath and eating dinner, Ren waited for the clock to strike eight in the evening. His heart thudded with each tick and tock. The developer of the game was kept secret for the assurance of fairness. So the big folks couldn¡¯t bribe them and influence the game. But they were shrewd as fuck. They only advertised the game but never announced the exact date of its opening, and everyone was caught by surprise one morning when all people talked about was COVENANT. Because of it, only a few yers logged in the first opening and achieved many first bloods and godlike characterster. ¡°Yosh.¡± Renid inside the gaming pod and closed its ss door. Fingers shaking, he pressed his palm on the ss, and a hologram screen appeared before him with a robotic voice of a woman filling the space. The interface was simple at the moment, but in theter version, you could even change the robotic voice of some of the voices of your favorite artist, singer, or voice actors. Ren pressed yes, and a cloud of white scented smoke filled the cabin. It was cool and minty, and Ren was lulled into sleep within seconds. . . . . . . When Ren¡¯s consciousness was back, he found himself in a white room with only arge screen and a hologram of himself in front of him. Everyone was given options to change the color of their hair and eyes as well as add some props depending on their chosen race. But they could never alter their appearance. COVENANT wanted to retain the facial features of its yers to enhance the feel of living in its world like you¡¯re just living in the real world. This also prevented yers from doing anything since their real face was exposed. Looks weren¡¯t important in the game. You could be like a monster for all to care. As long as you were a top yer, everybody would want you, including the women. Though the game would have many pieces of equipment to hide your appearance if you really wanted to remain unanimous to everyone. And after a month in the game where towns became essible, you could change your hair, skin, eye colors and add some props in parlors and shops. This mostly catered for the female yers. Ren wiggled his fingers and pinched his cheek. Everything was working like he was just in his real body on earth. The only thing that changed was the intensity of pain. It was set to ten percent to avoid overloading the brain. They were the primary race, and the guidebook only exined the bare minimum of it. But Ren knew that they were hidden races in thetter part of the game, and depending on your race, you could unlock rare or world quests. He remembered a popr thread before that many yers regretted that they didn¡¯t put any consideration about their race. They could have ess to rare quests or even rarer races if they did. Some even recreated their ount. ¡°Hmm . . . Let¡¯s see . . .¡± Once you chose your race, that was it. You were set for life. In COVENANT, there was no changing your race or creating multiple ounts. The pod was like a scanner and knew even your blood type and DNA. That was why it was impossible to create another ount using the same body. All you could do was delete your ount and make a new one. But all your hard-earned items and gils would be deleted, and you were back to the newbie vige. Many yers did this option in the past, all to acquire rare races and quests in the mid andter games. That was also one of the reasons why many yersmented when they didn¡¯t put any special consideration about their race. But since the developers were shrewd as fact, they didn¡¯t put much information on the guidebook or their website. Ren recalled that the humans were bnced in terms of attributes. Elves excelled in speed and stealth. Beasts and Orcs had the most strength in the early game. Dwarves have the most defense, while Sprites have the most magic damage and MP. The race that had the most quests were the humans. Ren didn¡¯t know if the developers decided it like so as an honor to humanity. But he chose the Sprite race, and he watched as his ears turned pointy while his skin glowed like the luminous moon. Hell no! Who would want that? Ren thought and shook his head. He skipped the props like wings, horns, and other stuff. The pointy ears and glowing skin were enough. Sprites had the weakest defense in the early game but had the strongest magic power and MP. This race also offered the fewest ss options. Typically, most females chose this race because of their pretty appearance and the many props that apanied it, but Ren didn¡¯t choose it for those reasons. He chose it because of the next question. Ren smirked. He chose this race precisely because of the Mage ss that was only exclusive to the Sprite Race. In COVENANT, sses were restricted by race. Like the Human race, the only ss avable was the Swordsman and thief. Elves only had the archer ss. Sprites had the mage ss. Dwarves had the guard ss. Beasts had the animist and monk ss. Orcs had the brute ss. But of course, some of these sses were further categorized into subsses. Ren pressed cancel. Ren pressed a decisive then the screen returned to normal. There was a reason why he didn¡¯t choose a subss. That was because he was aiming for the hidden Mage sub-sster. Since the developers were shrewd as fuck and didn¡¯t tell anyone about this information, everyone chose a subss at the start. Almost all of the yersmented in the mid andter game when they found out that you could only have ess to some of the rarer subsses if you didn¡¯t choose a subss in the first ce. These prompt some of the yers to recreate their ounts. These rare subsses could only be triggered if you didn¡¯t choose a subss at the start and you talked to the right NPCs in the game. They were usually in the form of a hidden quest. Time Mage, Necro Mage, Arcanist, and Seer were all hidden rare subsses belonging to the Mage. Ren was aiming for the Alchemist, the final evolved ss of an Arcanist. So he needed to be an Arcanist first. Recalling the information of an Arcanist, it was unremarkable. It used spell books and scrolls as a means to attack and defend. Unlike the other mage sub-ss where you could evolve into a Chrono Mage orter have the chance to be an Elementalist, Summoner, or Necromancer, the Arcanist only evolves to a Schr. Also, most of its skills and spells were useless and hard to level up. It was the reason why not many chose it as a ss. But what the majority didn¡¯t know, the Arcanist skill was among the OP (overpowered) in the game. It allows you to use any spell/skill books and scrolls without the restriction of Race and ss, though for only more than half of its power and for a certain amount of time. But it was still considered an OP skill. Imagine casting spells that only a blue mage could do or even summon a beast exclusive to the summoner¡¯s ss. And if you evolve it into a Schr, its passive allows you to identify every item in the game that was otherwise marked as (?). You wouldn¡¯t also be cheated because of counterfeit and faked items when doing business which became a trend when the in-game currency was introduced. And since Ren¡¯s goal was to umte money, it was the perfect ss for him! It might not sound remarkable, but it was the only prerequisite to bing an Alchemist! The hidden and final ss of an Arcanist. Ren didn¡¯t know of anyone who achieved the title of an Alchemist in his past life. But there were NPC¡¯s who have that hidden ss, and the items and equipment they crafted were god-tier or even legendary artifacts! What¡¯s more, an Alchemist could produce anything with the right materials and tools! Be it weapons, armors, essories, or potions! And Ren could sell or auction it for a high price! It was indeed the perfect ss for him! Chapter 5 After choosing his race and ss, Ren looked at his information again, ensuring that nothing was wrong and everything was perfect. He had ck hair and silver eyes, pale skin, and pointy ears in this world. Nothing much changed from his actual appearance except the luminosity of his skin and his pointed ears. He wasn¡¯t worried if someone noticed him since it was still the beginning of the game. Also, the game had its own countermeasures to protect the privacy of its yers in real life. In COVENANT, every avatar is unique because they¡¯re an exact copy of you. However, you could still hide your appearance by equipping certain armors and essories. Once you set your avatar, you could no longer alter its face and body in the future except for the hair, eyes, skin, and adding some props like wings and horns, which would be essible once towns were open. In the beginning, everything was set in the newbie vige and beginner¡¯s forest, grinding until your ATP (attributes) reached the specific amount to enter towns. Dungeons, bosses, some quests, and most towns required specific ATP as well as equipping armors and weapons. Ren then happily pressed his yer status. ¡¬ S T A TU S ¡¬ Name: Ren Age: 19 Race: Sprite ss: Mage (?) Eye Color: Silver Hair Color: ck Attributes: HP (Health Points): 40 MP (Mana Points): 70 STR (Strength): 2 DEF (Defence): 2 MDF (Magical Defence): 2 INT (Intelligent): 10 AGL (Agility): 2 LCK (Luck): 4 Skills: (None) Spells: ? Heal Lv.1 Life Skills Cooking: Beginner Fishing: Beginner Foraging: 5Beginner EXP (Experience points): 0 + 1000 BONUS Money: 0 + 100 gil BONUS Items: ? Newbie Garbs ? COVENANT¡¯s map ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Since he didn¡¯t choose a subss, he didn¡¯t get the additional bonus ATP points and the skill and spells associated with that subss. The default HEAL spell wasmon to all mages and other ss as well. It was a generic basic spell to aid everyone at the start of the game. sses could be evolved when specific attributes were met. Aside from that, there were also hidden sses and races. ATP could all be leveled up using EXP. HP and MP could have an additional +5 for 100 EXP while the rest would increase +1 in exchange for 100 EXP. While skills, spells, and life skills could only be increased through the amount of using the said skill. Skills had the maximum LV. 10 before they could evolve to a much-advanced version of the spell. In contrast, life skills have the category of Beginner, Intermediate, Master, and Grandmaster. The life skill category determined whether your cooking would be a sess or pig¡¯s food. It dictates the quality and rarity of the fish you catch when you fish and dictate the amount of materials you gather when you¡¯re foraging. There were also hidden life skillster in the game, but those were the basics. Aside from the usualmon skills and spells that could be bought from any shop, there were also rare and hidden skills and spells from missions and drop items. But of course, the chances of dropping these rare items was only four percent of probability. However, if your luck were high, the percentage would also increase. There were no restrictions to your ATP, so there was no limit even if your ATP reached thousands. Pro yers and god-like characters have this much attributester in the game. But of course, the more you advance, the lesser the EXP you gain, except maybe if you encounter bosses. Ren didn¡¯t waste time and immediately distributed his +1000 EXP to his ATP. ¡¬ A T T R I B U T E S ¡¬ HP 45 MP 75 STR 2 DEF 5 MDF 4 INT 11 AGL 3 LCK 5 ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ STR was useless with his race and ss, so Ren didn¡¯t bother with it. He would rather allocate his EXP to DEF, MDF, INT, and LCK. Themon mistake that most yers made was, they wanted everything to be bnced and wanted every of their ATP to increase without considering their ss. This mistake caused their character to fall behind from the others. A mage couldn¡¯t wield weapons since most of it has ss restrictions, so it was impossible to use them as a means of physical attack. At the same time, Mage¡¯s spells and skills heavily rely on mana and magic. They didn¡¯t have spells and skills that use physical attacks, so STR was really useless to level in a Mage. Likewise, if you have a ss that heavily focuses on physical attacks, then INT was useless to level up. EXP was generous in the early game since your ATP was low. But in the mid andter part, EXP was so scarce that only Dungeon raids, PVP (yers versus yers) battles, Rare Quests, and Boss fights gave enough EXP to level up your ATP. Equip with that knowledge. Ren must allocate his EXP to ATP¡¯s that would greatly benefit him from the start. Hence, he couldn¡¯t afford to even waste a single EXP to ATP¡¯s that he wouldn¡¯t use. His STR could stay at (2) for all he cared as long as his INT and DEF¡¯s reached thousands. Satisfied, he looked at his skills and spells. ¡¬ S K I L L S ¡¬ (None) ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ ¡¬ S P E L L S ¡¬ ? Heal LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 5 MP ¨C¨C single target ¨C¨C 10% replenish HP ¨C¨C 1 Min. cool down ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren almost forgot how mediocre the stats were at the beginning of the game. In a fast phase fight, a minute cooldown was disastrous. The penalty was EXP if you died and you¡¯d respawn in the nearest vige or town or a save crystal that was usually present near dungeons. And there was no save in a boss fight. To make matters worse, if your EXP reached O and you keep dying, your hard-earned ATP would go down in exchange for your EXP. There were even yers whose characters ATP¡¯s all reached zero. Needless to say, they quit the game. Such was the shrewdness of the developers. And thus, many yers opted to buy potions to make sure that their HP and MP remained at optimum during unexpected encounters. It would be disastrous if you identally encountered a rare beast and your HP was low. Just imagining the rare items from that loot turned to dust just because you didn¡¯t bring any potion sent a shudder in Ren¡¯s spine. More than once, it happened to him when he was still new to the game. And no matter how many times he triggered that encounter again, it never came. The rare items that came from that rare beast were gone. Such was the life in the world of COVENANT. Ren looked at his empty skill and shrugged the matter off. He didn¡¯t have any skill or spells to attack his enemies at this point in time. Ren wasn¡¯t worried, though. In the early game, PVP wasn¡¯t introduced yet. It¡¯lleter when the guild features open in the game, so he didn¡¯t have to rush to acquire and level up his skills and spells. He could just buy a basic spellbook in the newbie vigeter in preparation for the uing quests. He needed toplete first blood, acquire rare items, and raise his attribute points. And besides, he already had something nned topensate for hisck ofbat ability. ¡ª- A/N Like the story? Add to library. Vote and leave reviews to help the story win in WPC 270 and have regr updates. Thank you! ^^ Chapter 6 Ren opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a sh of vertical lights before he found himself inside a newbie vige. There was only him in the current vige he was brought in since only hundreds knew the exact time of COVENANT¡¯s opening, and the other yers were mostly distributed across hundreds of newbie viges as well. And by this time, everyone was still entangled by those damn races and sses. Even though there was an endless stream of promotions about the game, there was little to no information about races and sses as well as spells and skills. Crucial information was shrouded in mysteries like the developer¡¯s dark, twisted hearts. The game¡¯s name was COVENANT because the developers intended the game to be guild and multi-yers driven. But the world in this game is called ARCADIA, a paradise for yers. Ren glided his fingers on thin air, and a hologram screen appeared. He was the only one who could see the details on his screen, and it was one of the game¡¯s many privacy perks. Aside from that, yers could only see your ID Name, HP and MP bar, and nothing else. Ren equipped his Newbie Garbs. ¡¬ N E W B I E G A R B S ¡¬ ? Robe ¨C¨C Common HP +5 DEF +2 MDF +2 ? Staff ¨C¨C Common INT +2 ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren pressed the map button. Ren pressed , and the map popped and shrunk in size beside the upper right corner of his view while his HP and MP were disyed to his upper left. Both were lowered in opacity so as not to hinder his vision. Depending on your taste, you can customize the disy, but Ren preferred it like this. It was the same setting as his past life, and he was used to it. Another advantage to him was that he was already familiar with his new environment and viewing screen while others still had to adjust. That would speed his goal of getting first blood. Besides that, Ren knew the game inside and out. Though not everything but certainly a lot. He knew of NPC¡¯s, which had links to side quests, hidden quests, world quests, an Epic Quest, as well as the location of hidden treasure chests, event triggers, and bugs. Ren rubbed off the sweat in his shaking hands against his robe. He felt like he would pee from the sheer excitement alone as he approached a traveling merchant. Agor, a Halfling merchant. Another race in the game that would be essibleter on. Agor¡¯s half body was human with two horns twirling beside his head, while his waist down was the body of a goat. Agor greeted Ren with a silly smile that shook his red goatee. ¡°Yo! Interested in anything? Take a look at my wares.¡± Ren wasn¡¯t interested in Agor¡¯s wares since they contained mostly basic items. He did, however, buy themon Fire Spellbook for 100 gil, spending all his money in one go. Ren then checked his spells. ¡¬ S P E L L S ¡¬ ? Heal LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 5 MP ¨C¨C single target ¨C¨C 10% replenish HP ¨C¨C 1 Min. cool down ? Fire LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 10 MP ¨C¨C single enemy target ¨C¨C 2 sec. cool down ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Spells and skills were dependent on your ATP. The greater your ATP, the higher the damage. Since Ren¡¯s INT was high, it was the perfect setup for him. He then went to the Vige Mayor before the others could arrive. It was of the utmost importance that he gets the very first blood. ¡°Ah . . . my dear young Sprite. My name is Murkov, Euclid¡¯s Vige Mayor. My family has been in charge of this vige since *h . . . * h . . . *h . . .¡± Ren restrained a twitched of his eyebrow as he faked a smile. His fingers were itching to skip and fast forward the dialogue but decided against it. It would only cause a drop in his rtionship level with Murkov. In COVENANT, NPCs should be treated as real people like on earth. There were four rtionship levels with NPCs, starting from being [Strangers] to [Friends] and finally [Intimate]. And if your rtionship level fell from Strangers, then you¡¯ll became a [Ruffian]. If you skip the dialogues, your rtionship level with that NPC will drop, affecting the number of quests and rewards you¡¯d get. And sometimes, NPCs wouldn¡¯t even talk to you if your rtionship level fell from [Strangers] and you became a [Ruffian]. It was the reason why most yers in the past treated NPCs as real-life people and not just a character stered on a game. Ren didn¡¯t have a choice but to endure the long talk with faked enthusiasm. It seemed like minutes had passed before the old man finally decided to make a request. ¡°We have been experiencing goblin attacks recently. Our animals were stolen and eaten, and our livelihood suffered tremendously. I can only ask you, young adventurers, to help put a stop to these ursed goblins and bring back peace in our vige.¡± Ren epted the mission and went straight into the back of the barn. There were ten Goblins in that area, enough to fill the requirements. It was also within the vige, so he cut almost five minutes of traveling into Euclid Forest. Not many knew of this information since the Goblins¡¯ location was hidden behind a secluded area in the barn, and their respawn time was random to none existent once you defeated them the first time. The goblins were LV.1 like Ren, and their damage was about -5 to -10 HP. Ren wasn¡¯t an expert in fighting. He was an information gatherer in his past life, and his reflexes weren¡¯t good, to begin with. However, the game didn¡¯t mind your physicalbat abilities in real life since you mostly attack with skills and spells anyway. Ren¡¯s greatest strength lies in his knowledge. LV.1 Goblins only have [PUMMEL] as their skill, and they weren¡¯t fast and could easily be avoided if your AGI was faster than theirs. They don¡¯t attack in groups either, unlike the savage Goblins in Euclid forest. The Goblins in Euclid Forest were stronger than the Goblins in the barn. The Goblins in the forest were wild and attacked in groups. It was also that reason why most newbie yers had a hard time defeating them. Some even died and lost ATP, while others had to form groups to defeat those LV.1 Goblins. But there was a shortcut that only Ren knew. And that was the Goblin in the back of the barn. They were weaker and easy to defeat. And once defeated, they provided a greater amount of EXP and rewards than those Goblins in the forest. The developer purposely ced them there to reward those yers who searched every nook and cranny of a ce in the game. However, once defeated the first time, it would take great LCK and re-entering to trigger them again inside the vige. Ren cast [FIRE], and the Goblin evaporated into light particles before they had any chance to [PUMMEL] him with their makeshift hammer. And within one minute, Ren had already defeated the goblins x10. Ren almostmented at how basic the rewards were in the early game. The only constion he had was the 1000 EXP and Gil. The rest were garbage at this point. There was no use in holding them in his inventory as they would only take up space. He would sell themter to Agor. Everyone¡¯s inventory had limits up to x999 items only regardless if it was a repetitive item. It was not stackable. Like for example, Ren¡¯s loot just now took a total of x12 space in his inventory. Though if the towns were already essible, you could have ess to banks where you could store anything without limit ¨C¨C for a monthly fee, of course. The bank¡¯s icon would also appear on your screen, and you could ess it anytime. Another advantage of storing in the bank was the safety perks which required a passcode when you wanted to retrieve your items. This also prevented the skill [STEAL] from pilfering your items, unlike if you put them in your inventory. However, these perks required a hefty 100,000 GIL monthly, and oftentimes, only the rich and the guilds could afford it. Ren sighed and reported back to Murkov. His loot wasn¡¯t important. What¡¯s important was the next step. Ren listened to Murkov with unabated attention. His heart was pounding crazy as he waited for that notification. ¡°Thank you for a job well done, adventurer. You have saved our vige from those vile creatures. ept this small reward as a token of our appreciation.¡± [RECEIVED: ? Potion x5 ? Cooking Recipe x1 ? 1000 Gil] [MURKOV¡¯s affection went up. Your level of rtionship is now FRIENDS] Ren jumped with joy. He really attained first blood! Chapter 7 Ren jumped with joy. He really attained first blood! Renposed himself after seconds, and he pressed while a grin never left his face. Announcing his achievements would only get him in trouble in the future. He wasn¡¯t after the fame. He was after the money. The reward chest appeared together with fireworks booming in the sky apanied by a melodic voice of a female together with the appearance of arge screen that said; [CONGRATULATIONS to yer **** for being the first toplete the quest, GOBLIN EXTERMINATION!] The next thing that exploded was the World Chat box. ¡¬ W O R L D C H A T ¡¬ NotAVirgin: Who? Clueless: I just arrived in the newbie vige! SecondtheMotion: Me too! NotJealous: Who is this guy? How did he manage to acquire first blood so early? EnvyWithGreed: And I thought I would acquire first blood. WhoseyourDaddy: 10 000 EXP!! ImPoor: Plz. Gib EXP, oh great lord IamBeautiful: I am beautiful! EmperorOfNewbies: Everyone, bow before me! EXPisLife: I am EXP. EXP is me. EXP is life ImPoor: Plz gib EXP . . . multiple persons are typing . . . ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ In [World Chat] you have to make an ount to send a message and you have the privilege of entering a deferent username and even had the choice to change it ¨C¨C for a price, of course. Ren ignored the chatter. His attention was on the rewards. COVENANT made a special spell or skill exclusive only to that one person who managed to get the very first blood, and the spell/skill was usually dependent on your race and ss. Ren remembered a thread once about the lucky guy who attained the very first blood. He said that it was the reason why he had a god-like character. He was TOP 2 in rankings of strongest solo yers. Ren¡¯s stomach churned, and he felt like pooping. He rubbed his sweaty hands against his clothes and opened the one-of-a-kind [Crystal Chest]. Whatever was inside a [Crystal Chest] meant that it was the only item that existed in the entire game. It was so valuable that Ren would instantly be a millionaire if he sold itter in the game. But he¡¯d rather use it now because whatever was inside that chest would surelynd him even more money in the long run. Opening the chest, a notification popped up. [OBTAINED: ? Skill book x1 ] Ren pressed , and there were particles of white light glowed in his entire body. He then checked his skills. ¡¬ S K I L L S ¡¬ ? Mana Conversion LV.1 (Passive) ¨C¨C 10% replenish mana upon a sessful hit ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Mana Conversion? Ren didn¡¯t know about that kind of spell even within the years he gathered information about the game. But a 10% mana replenish upon sessful attack meant that as long as he hit his target, his MP would regenerate. Such an OP skill! And it could be level up too! Mana was essential to cast spells and skills. And for Ren¡¯s ss that relied heavily on spells/skills ¨C¨C it was abso-fucking-lutely perfect for him! With this, he didn¡¯t have to buy many potions and mana potions in the future! Saving him tons of money! No! That was not even the most important. The important thing was, he could use skills and spells nonstop without worrying about his MP! In COVENANT, you can recover your HP and MP by certain spells, consuming potions and foods, or resting in inns. Ren was ecstatic! It was definitely worth it to get the very first blood. But it was not the time to bask in his happiness, for the other yers would appear soon. Ren didn¡¯t care about getting the first blood on other quests anymore. Though their rewards were great, he could get or buy themter in the game, unlike when he attained the very first blood in COVENANT, where the spellbook was one of a kind that you could only get one time. For now, his priority was the hidden chests inside this Newbie Vige. One beside a giant tree near the barn, and another was hidden beside the Mayor¡¯s house. They contained [Health Potions x5] and [Mana Potions x5]. They weren¡¯t remarkable, but now Ren didn¡¯t have to buy those potions in the shops. Saving him hundreds of Gils. Every strategy to save money was one step away from being a millionaire. Ren thought. [Health Potions] and [Mana Potions] cost 25 Gil and 50 Gil, respectively. When the in-game conversion was introduced, that would be $25 and $50! Not much, but ten of them would already be $500! Ren picked up the pace when he noticed that other yers were already present. He only spared the others the barest nce when he passed by them and proceeded to his next quest. The others ignored him entirely as they skipped and jogged towards the NPCs hoping to acquire their first quest. Ren blended perfectly well in the crowds, and everyone didn¡¯t suspect that he was the one who acquired first blood. And it was not like the others could ask the NPCs around on who acquired the first blood. The NPCs were programmed not to disclose any information regarding the yers¡ªanother privacy perk of the game. Chapter 8 Ren didn¡¯t care about the other yers anymore. He needed to distribute his EXP to his ATP. Since he acquired a whopping 12,000 EXP points, his ATP would be way higher than the rest unless they managed to kill a boss this early on. However, Ren doubted that would happen since the low-level Boss at this point in time had an ATP in the +20 to +40. It would take at least a week of nonstop grinding to reach that amount. In this early game, the maximum EXP you could get even if you grind the whole day was probably around 1,000 to 2,000 EXP. That¡¯s because the more you level your ATP, the lesser the EXP you¡¯d get. What¡¯s more, the monsters in this Newbie Vige were low levels and provided only around 50 EXP at best. But if you did manage to defeat a group of monsters alone, then you might get a whopping 500 EXP in one go. There was a yer who achieved that feat. He used a simple trick that no one even thought about. He bought all his [BONUS +100 Gil] to buy [Health Potions] while others bought gears and equipment. He repeated that process over and over. He bought nothing but [Health Potions] with his rewards and defeated a group of monsters until he leveled his ATP enough for him to solo group monsters at the beginning of the game without using anymore [Health Potions] while others still had a hard time defeating a single monster. The only mistake he made was announcing his strategy in the [World Chat] for fame or out of the goodness in his heart. Thus, many yers caught up to him. If he didn¡¯t, he might be one of the strongest solo yers in COVENANT. Getting ahead of the others was important in the beginning because the stronger your character was early on, the easier for you to grind, achieve first blood and win in PVPter on. Some even dedicated their lives to the world of COVENANT that they only logged out of the game to eat and go to the toilet, just so they could get ahead of the others. Ren wasn¡¯t worried about that, though. He could always catch up since he knew the best grinding spots, hidden quests, chests, and bugs. Unfairness? Yes. It was indeed unfair. But the world doesn¡¯t care about your feelings at all. Ren knew that hard truth in the past, and he wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake twice. He would cheat his way up, and nothing could stop him. With Ren¡¯s [2000 Gils], it was enough to buy the other spells like water, air, and earth. But without having chosen a subss, he could only max them to LV.10. He could not evolve them to higher-tier spells if he didn¡¯t meet the correct subss. There were particr sses where some of your spells/skills would be deleted from your list once you level up. Like when you¡¯d be a Fire Mage, you could no longer perform any other spell except fire. In exchange, you could now have ess to higher-level fire spells. Everyone knew that it was useless to exert effort and money in leveling spells and skills that they couldn¡¯t evolve due to ss restrictions. For example, Ren had [Heal LV.1] and [Fire LV.1] in his lists of spells, but he couldn¡¯t evolve them after they reached max LV.10 since he wasn¡¯t a White or a Red Mage. Later, when he acquired the Arcanist subss, he would erase those spells in his list since, by that time, they were already considered weaker spells and wouldn¡¯t be much of help during his battles. It was better to focus on skills and spells that were useful to him. And that was when the Arcanist [GRIMOIRE] skill became OP. Disregarding race and ss, he could perform any type of spell/skill with more than half its power for a certain time. And the only disadvantage was the restrictions. It had to be a Skill/Spell Book, and the book dissolved after being used. But if Ren levels his [GRIMOIRE] skill then . . . He could perform [GRIMOIRE] at least five or even more in a single day! And with the [Schr] passive skill. Ren could convert any skill/spell into a book as well as any food he tasted into recipes. He could then sell them for tons of money! Ren couldn¡¯t contain his grin. He couldn¡¯t wait to get the Schr and Arcanist ss! However, it was still weeks into the future. That was why most didn¡¯t know that the Arcanist [GRIMOIRE] skill was too OP until that time came. And by that time, it was already toote to recreate your ount because you were already heavily invested in your character. Ren had to hordes all kinds of spell/skill books in preparation, though. So he could spam [GRIMOIRE] by that time. Paired with his skill [Mana Conversion], he could quickly level it up in no time. In this early game, Ren didn¡¯t have to worry about his name showing above his HP and MP Bar or if someone recognized him since everyone was still low in level. But Ren still wanted to hide his face even though it was just his avatar, and he had a piece of perfect equipment for that together with the ideal ¡®weapon¡¯ for him. When Ren converted his EXP to ATP, he had 120 ATP points to distribute to his stats! That was like weeks of grinding without rest. At this point, Ren was way ahead of everyone else. So even if the others log in more than him, he wouldn¡¯t fall behind. Without even batting an eyelid, Ren distributed all his 120 ATP points to his LCK and nothing else. ¡¬ A T T R I B U T E S ¡¬ HP (Health Points): 50 MP (Mana Points): 75 STR (Strength): 2 DEF (Defence): 7 MDF (Magical Defence): 6 INT (Intelligent): 13 AGL (Agility): 3 LCK (Luck): 125 ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ It might be a foolish move to increase just his LCK, but Ren needed his LCK to reach this high if he wanted to trigger that hidden grinding spotter sessfully. And since it was still daytime in the game, Ren opted to do some quest while he was here. The rewards from that quest were mediocre at best, but Ren needed a specific item that he could only have from a quest here. Chapter 9 Ren went to a shabby old house by the edge of the vige located on a tiny hill. An old Lady there named Emily would trade [Cooking Recipes] for actual food of that recipe. Since Ren didn¡¯t have the necessary tools for cooking ¨C¨C yet, it was better to trade his recipe for an actual food since he needed itter. ¡°My, what do you have there?¡± Emily¡¯s opaque eyes shone with delight. Despite her liquid eyes and old bones, she could see and smell a recipe from miles away. ¡°Hello, my name¡¯s Ren,¡± Ren greeted and added, ¡°I have a recipe here that I would like to trade for food.¡± ¡°Say no more. Give me that piece of scroll, and I¡¯ll whip you something good.¡± Ren gave Emily the recipe, and the old woman immediately went inside her hut. There was a sound of ttering metals and fire in the olddy¡¯s home, and Ren¡¯s neck couldn¡¯t help but stretch to see beyond the window ss of her house. Though it was useless since Ren couldn¡¯t see anything beyond the exterior of the old woman¡¯s home. In COVENANT, they couldn¡¯t just enter the NPCs¡¯ houses. They needed to at least be at the level of [Friends] before they could ask for permission to enter their home. After a few minutes, Emily went out with a smoking hot onigiri in her hand. ¡°I haven¡¯t made this one in the longest time. Thanks, youngster. If you have any more recipes in the future, this old woman would be happy if you trade them for her food.¡± [RECEIVED: ? Onigiri x 10 ¡ª restore 10% HP] ¡°Thank you. And I¡¯d be sure to give you more recipes in the future.¡± [Your RELATIONSHIP LEVEL with Emely increased to FRIENDS!] Ren knew that he only achieved [Friends] status with Emely and the Vige Chief because he was the first yer to ept their request. In truth, it was a little challenging to increase your [Rtionship Level] with NPCs. Since Ren didn¡¯t have any more business with Emily and there was nothing inside her house for him to see and get, he made his way to another quest. Ren headed towards a sprite woman with butterfly wings next. She was humming a lovely tune as she watered her garden in front of her house. ¡°Hi.¡± The thirty-year-old woman raised her head and looked at Ren before her smile widened, illuminating her face. ¡°Oh my, visitor? My name is An. How may I help you?¡± Ren nodded over the lush flowers in front of An¡¯s house. ¡°My name¡¯s Ren, and I can¡¯t help but notice that you have a wonderful garden.¡± This was actually a [Hidden Quest], and once the keyword [Garden] came out of the yer¡¯s mouth, the quest would be triggered. It was a good thing that the system allowed secrecy in the conversation between NPCs and yers. To outsiders, Ren appeared to be talking to An but couldn¡¯t exactly hear their conversation. What was more, [Quest Announcement] privately appeared on the yers¡¯ home screen so only they could see their uing quests ¨C¨C another privacy perk of the game. Other yers didn¡¯t find it suspicious since they had already talked to that same woman and hadn¡¯t received any kind of quest at all. In their eyes, Ren was simply wasting his time. The others didn¡¯t mind Ren anymore and resumed talking to the other NPC. They werepeting with each other, racing to get the first blood of a quest. An nced at her Garden and then smiled. This time her smile wasn¡¯t forced, unlike the first time, and it reached her eyes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite proud of it.¡± Then she sighed and ced her palm on her chubby cheek. ¡°If only I had a moonlight flower, my garden would shine even more.¡± [Hidden Quest: Find the Moonlight Flower Description: An of Euclid vige wanted a moonlight flower for her Garden. Bring her a moonlight flower x10 Rewards: ? ?] As expected of a hidden quest, even the flower¡¯s location and rewards were hidden. Ren thought. But of course, he already knew where the [Moonlight Flower] was and the item he would get. If not for Ren¡¯s past knowledge of the game, he wouldn¡¯t know what to do and would pass this [Hidden Quest] until he found a [Moonlight Flower] by chance. Fortunately, Ren already knew all information regarding this quest. Ren left An alone after saying goodbye and went in the direction of the small stall that sells weapons and armor. A beautiful spritedy with short green hair and horns greeted Ren. She beamed her brightest and said, ¡°Wee to Sunny¡¯s Smithy. Have something in your mind?¡± Ren only nodded and proceeded to look at the selection of items in the shop. He didn¡¯t have to look much since the items weremon and basic. Ren bought a [Long Staff] providing +2 to his INT and an essory [Protection Ring] that added +1 to his DEF and a [Monocle x10]. He also used all his remaining 1150 Gil to buy [Health Potions x46]. He needed those for his first Boss fightter. Ren could only sigh from the poor selection of items at this stage, but it would have to do for now. Ren left the shop and headed towards the vige gate and activated the teleportation crystal so he could teleport instantly in Euclid Vigeter. However, before he could step foot outside, sudden messages exploded in the sky. [CONGRATULATIONS to yer John for being the first toplete the quest, LUCKY CHARM] [CONGRATULATIONS to yer Kyle for being the first toplete the quest, A SEAMSTRESS DRESS] [CONGRATULATIONS to yer Silvia for being the first toplete the quest, HERBS GATHERING] Ren blinked. The Quest [Lucky Charm], [A Seamstress Dress], and [Herbs Gathering] were basic quests that provided basic rewards. Being first blood meant that yers who finish [Lucky Charm] would get an additional [Rabbit Foot] that added +4 to LCK on top of the basic rewards of EXP and gold. The first blood reward for [A Seamstress Dress] was an armor depending on your ss that added +4 to DEF, while thest, [Herbs Gathering], had an additional first blood reward of [Health Potion x10]. Ren didn¡¯t need those. Although those equipment provided additional ATP Boost and a heads up to others, Ren was already way ahead. h What he needed to do was to get to the grinding spot as soon as possible. He was on edge, and that was all he could think about. After all, he didn¡¯t see firsthand that there was a grinding spot in Euclid Vige. He purely relies on the information he gathered. And it was not like that grinding spot had a respawn. Once triggered, it couldn¡¯t be triggered again. Meaning it only appeared one time. He was a little unsure, and he became anxious. He needed to see it firsthand to know that it was true. Along the way, a name caught Ren¡¯s attention on the [World Announcement] before. So Silvia was among the people who knew the official start of COVENANT. Ren thought. He was sure that the Silvia broadcasted in the sky was the same Silvia he had in mind, the leader of the guilds [Golden Phoenix]. After all, at this point, only beta testers, sons, and daughters of the rich had ess to the inside information of the game. Recalling Silvia¡¯s information, Ren knew that the woman only entered the game on a whim. She said so in an interview once. She wasn¡¯t a hard-core gamer, nor was she a fan of VRMMORPG games. She was an achiever. She had excellent grades, good at sports and academics. She could almost do anything in the real world, be it arts, music, or sports. And this got her bored, and she entered the game. Unfortunately or fortunately, Silvia was pulled down from her high throne when she realized that she was just a mediocre yer in COVENANT. But instead of being disheartened, she was ecstatic to finally found something that was a challenge to her. She formed [Golden Phoenix] so that she could prove to herself that even in the game, she was still the best. Her goal was always the top, whether in real life or in-game. Ren smirked. He only saw her as another customerter. A wealthy customer that would pay him hundreds of dors for information. Chapter 10 Like fireworks, multiple messages boomed in the sky, but Ren no longer cared about them. The others couldpete with first blood for simple quests for all he cares. He knew the rewards of those first blood weren¡¯t great at this point in time. The only noteworthy of obtaining first blood now were the rare quests, defeating bosses, and clearing dungeons. With that in mind, Ren took his time and enjoyed the game for once. Unlike in the past, where there was a sense of urgency in everything he did that he no longer enjoyed ying the game. While the others were busy finishing quests in the newbie vige here and there and grinding for EXP like their life depended on it, Ren was busy picking flowers and herbs in the meadows. Just across Euclid forest and beside the dirt road going to Euclid vige was a vast expanse of tall grass and flowers with a pool of water at the center,ing from a reservoir from below. Ren was there, foraging what he could. Though he could only forage a spot once a day before the items respawn the next day. [ACQUIRED: ? Blue Grass x7 ? Earth x4 ? Rock x10 ? Twig x3 ? Fresh Water x5] They were mediocre items at best because Ren foraged using his hands. Later, there would be tools avable in the market to up his forage items. Like if he had an axe, he could get lumber. And depending on the quality of his tool, he could get rare materials. The quality of foraging tools depended on their color. Like for example, a bronze pix axe would get him rocks. A silver pix axe would get him basic ores. A gold pix axe would mine him precious stones. But a tinum blue pix axe . . . it would let him acquire rare ores and stones. As an Alchemist who relied on his materials to craft, Ren needed those tools. When Ren had already foraged every spot there was to foraged, he snatched the onigiri from his inventory and ced it near the pool of water at the center of a small dirt area. It didn¡¯t take a minute, and a tiny little piglet with a streak of ck and white lining its brown furs appeared. [Pelka Information: ? Appeared one time in Euclid Meadows ? If LCK +100, 70% chance of appearance ? If any cooked dishes are ced near the pool of water, 40% chance of appearance] Ren crossed his hands and grinned in delight. His eyes were glinting evilly at those little plump pigs. These little piglets were called [Pelka], and their meat was the most delicious and sought after in COVENANT. The taste of its meat, when cooked by a [Grandmaster Chef], was so delicious and out of this realm that even the conservative people who were against the game ate their words and entered COVENANT so that they could taste it once in their life. It was also why the nouveau rich and royalty entered the game so that they could eat Pelka Meat every day. And COVENANT became a tourist destination for those who didn¡¯t want to y and only wanted to sightsee and experience the awesome scenery and delicious food. A piece of the Pelka Meat could fetch from 10,000 Gil to 100,000 Gil when auctioned right. And if cooked and served as food by a [Grandmaster Chef], its price doubled. But the rich didn¡¯t care. They earned that amount of money every few hours even without working. However, in return for the expensive meat and out-of-this-world taste, Pelkas were rare. Very rare! They required specific ATP and items to trigger in each location. And once activated, they would no longer appear again. They could only be triggered once, and each location had its own requirements. In Euclid meadow, the condition was above +100 LCK and any kind of food. It was the reason why Ren allocated all his ATP to LCK. He couldn¡¯t afford to miss it, so he poured all his acquired EXP to LCK just in case. When all the Pelkas in that area appeared and munched on Ren¡¯s food, thetter threw the rock he acquired at them. [Used Rock x1 Number of Rock Left: 9] The Pelkas were startled, and they stopped munching. They looked at Ren with angry eyes before all of them charged at Ren with their snout ramming Ren¡¯s leg. -1 -1 -1 -1 Ren¡¯s HP decreased by 1 each time a Pelka hit him with its snout. Ren stifled augh. There was also another reason why Ren wanted to trigger these rare Pelkas. It was because . . . Ren poked his long staff over the Pelka¡¯s head. But since his STR was only 2, the amount of damage he made on the little piglet was only -1. But it was enough to kill the piglet. [ACQUIRED: ? Pelka Meat x10 ? 1,000 EXP] Pelka¡¯s were actually beasts that offered a huge and fixed amount of EXP no matter how high your ATP had be. It was indeed the best grinding spot! It was the reason why many yers in the past went ¡®gaga¡¯ in search of them. However, they were quite fast. But of course, their level of AGI was still based on the yer¡¯s ATP. And the moment one of them was killed, the others would run away immediately. Ren was prepared, though. He waited and gathered every Pelka and let them attack him so all of them would get close to him since he wasn¡¯t confident with his AGI. Needless to say, with just a thwack of his long staff and a throw of a stone to those who were fleeing, he managed to kill all the Pelka and raked a whopping 10,000 EXP and [Pelka Meat x144]. The amount of [Pelka Meat] you can acquire depends on your LCK, and that was another reason why Ren only increased his LCK. Another thing to note about this elusive piglet was that you couldn¡¯t use magic-rted attacks on them. If you did, you wouldn¡¯t be able to acquire its meat. That was why Ren opted to buy a longer staff that he could quip so it would be easier to attack them. Satisfied, Ren sighed in bliss. It was really a good time to be alive! He could only view others eating the meat in the past since it was so expensive. But now . . . he actually had x144 of them! With these he didn¡¯t have to worry about his student loan anymore! Ren immediately allocated half of his 10,000 EXP to his DEF and INT in preparation for his first Boss fightter. But first . . . Ren roasted a [Pelka Meat] using his [Fire] spell and munched that tender meat in one go. [ ACQUIRED: ? Roasted Pelka Meat x1 ] Ren gasped when fireworks of vors exploded in his mouth. The meat was so soft, melting on his tongue and with it came different vors that were more delicious than anything he had tasted in his entire life. [ All ATP increased +1 ] If the meat was already this delicious at his level of cooking, then what¡¯s more if a [Grandmaster Chef] cooked it? No wonder the rich and royalties all came to the game just to eat it. Ren found it hrious in the past, but now that he got to taste the meat for the first time in his life, he finally understood the hype. It was like a strong addicting drug that Ren was having a hard time resisting to take another bite from his inventory. He was starting to regret that he even ate one. No wonder everyone who ate it in the past said that they couldn¡¯t stop eating it once they tasted it. There were even instances where many people went bankrupt because of the valuable meat. It felt like a voice inside Ren¡¯s head was constantly whispering for him to taste another bite. It was like a cursed item. Ren mused, not knowing whether tough or cry. Thinking about his parent and buying them a mansion on the best spot in Zone A¡¯s exclusive neighborhood helped him resist the powerful calling inside his head. Reny on the grass and closed his eyes. Maybe if he slept, he would forget about the taste? . . . maybe. ¡ª- Smashed that vote button and leave reviews to support the story and win WPC 270 and have regr updates ^^ Chapter 11 When Ren opened his eyes, it was already midnight. His HP and MP bar was set in full too. Ren could happily sleep wherever he wanted in this early game since PVP wasn¡¯t introduced yet. Later, Ren couldn¡¯t even rest outside even if he wanted to due to fear of a yer challenging him in his sleep. It was a massive problem in the game before. yers could challenge everyone in their sleep. Even though they couldn¡¯t see the other yer¡¯s screen, using the yer¡¯s hand to swipe in the air, they could sessfully hit confirm. And the winner of the PVP game could choose his enemy¡¯s list of items made avable to him once he won. It won¡¯t be a global scale problem if the developers fix it. But they didn¡¯t. In fact, they admitted that COVENANT was designed that way to torture the yers. They evenughed in their announcement, saying that they enjoyed the yers¡¯ frustrating faces the best. Such shrewdness. But since COVENANT was such an addicting game, and they were already invested in it, everyone swallowed their indignation and adjusted to the game¡¯s system. Ren looked over at his surroundings. He was actually surprised to find that there wasn¡¯t anyone around. The others must have stayed in the inn since it was already dark. Some yers were actually scared of adventuring in the dark in this early part of the game. While the others might have gone to the forest since most of the newbie quests¡¯ locations were there. Ren stretched his arms and groaned to the sky. The twin moons in COVENANT looked lovely tonight, as well as the [Moonlight Flower] that glowed in the center of the pool of waters. Ren went to wade the shallow waters and grabbed some [Moonlight Flowers]. [ACQUIRED: ? Moonlight Flowers x 12] Now the [Hidden Quest] for An was finished. But instead of returning to the vige, Ren crossed the dirt road and entered Euclid Forest. Ren looked at his [Long Staff]. Its durability remaining was 20/30 since he mostly used it to whack those Pelkas. Weapons and Armours have durability gauge, and once the gauge empties, they would break. It wasmon knowledge to have it fixed in the cksmith shop before heading out to battle or buy [Grinding Stones] to refill its durability. The [Grinding Stones] were only avable inrge towns and cities, so they weren¡¯t introduced yet in the newbie vige. Ren thought it was because he used his staff to strike those Pelkas that was why the durability of his weapon went down fast. No matter. For his next opponent, his ATP and equipment were already enough to defeat it. Ren continued his way deeper into the forest. The deeper he went, the more ferocious the monsters were. But they were no match to Ren since his ATP was already way above for the beasts in the forest to match. Some even turned tail upon the sight of him. Ren¡¯s goal was not to fight every enemy he encountered, so if he could avoid them, he would. They don¡¯t provide any EXP anymore, and the Gil they dropped was minuscule, so Ren preferred to conserve his weapon¡¯s durability and health bar. He aimed to get to the hidden Boss as quickly as possible while only a few yers were still logging into the game. When he finally arrived at the deeper part of the forest where paths forked, he made his way towards a small hidden encampment and rested there. There was no one at the moment, and the forest was peaceful, unlike in the past when he enteredte in the game. He remembered how crowded it was, and it seemed like there was a fiesta all the time from the noise and sheer numbers of yers. So far, the hidden treasure chest he opened and materials he foraged were mediocre at best ¨C¨C things that weremon to beginners like potions, grass, twigs, and rocks, but he still stored them in his inventory anyway. Ren would sell itter to the shops back in the vige. There was no point in storing them in his inventory if he couldn¡¯t use them yet. As he was resting in the small clearing, Ren¡¯s mind drifted to that Pelka meat once more. Its enticing smell, juicy flesh, and explosive vors lulled him to take another bite. Ren shook his head and gritted his teeth. He snatched a [Rabbit Meat] in his inventory and roasted it with his fire spell. His cooking proficiently wasn¡¯t moving the slightest, and Ren expected that much since he was mostly cooking with just a basic fire. In order for him to increase his cooking proficiency faster, he needed to cookplex food with kitchen tools using [Cooking Recipes]. [ACQUIRED: ? Roasted Rabbit Meat x2] Ren waited until he heard a rustle in the leaves. Pair of amber eyes glowed like the moon only magnified by the night. Ren couldn¡¯t see the full image of the beast since it was dark. Yosh! The time hade to face his first Boss. Ren immediately used [Monocle x1] to gather the Midnight¡¯s Phantom information, storing it in his library. Later, if he evolved his [Arcanist] subss into a [Schr], his passive would allow him to automatically acquire information of everything he [Scan] without needing the [Monocle] anymore. ¡¬ M I D N I G H T P H A N T O M ¡¬ Location: Euclid Forest Description: ? The tyrant of Euclid Forest ? Only appeared at midnight when the twin moons shone the brightest. ? If LCK +20, 40% chance of appearance ? If DEF +20, 20% chance of appearance ? If any cooked meat dishes are in inventory, 40% chance of appearance. ¡¬ A T T R I B U T E ¡¬ HP: 470 MP: 100 STRG: 25 +2 DEF: 22 +2 MDF: 12 +2 INT: 10 +2 AGL: 30 +2 LCK: 14 +2 ¡¬ S K I L L ¡¬ Passive Skill: ? Moonlight Boost ¨C¨C Every full moon [STR +2, DEF +2, MDF +2, INT +2, AGL +2, LCK +2] Active Skill: ? Moonlight Gift ¨C¨C MP ¨C40 ¨C¨C STRG +2, DEF +2, MDF +2, INT +2, AGL +2, LCK +2 for 1 min. ¨C¨C cooldown 10 seconds ¡¬ W E A K N E S S ¡¬ Weakness: Fire & Water ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren stored the Midnight¡¯s Phantom information in his library, thinking of selling the informationter. Hidden Bosses had a respawn time of twenty-four hours, while Dungeon Bosses respawn immediately if there was a challenger. It was harder to trigger a Hidden Boss because you had to wait the next day if someone had triggered it before you. What¡¯s more, those who didn¡¯t know thought there was something wrong with the triggering event if these Bosses didn¡¯t appear and passed itpletely. In the past, kill steal (KS) was rampant among yers. Unlike Dungeon Bosses, which the challenger could only kill because they were isted inside the boss room, Hidden and World/Epic bosses could be stolen from the one who triggered it because they mostly appeared in the field. However, the stronger Bosses in COVENANT, the Epic/World Boss, could only be defeated one time. There was no respawn once they were killed, and their drops contained Gold items and tinum equipment, mostly an Artifact weapon or armor, and tons of EXP and Gils. Hence everyone was fighting over them. Ren then quickly looked at his own stats topare. ¡¬ A T T R I B R U T E S ¡¬ HP: 55 MP: 80 STR: 3 DEF: 59 MDF: 7 INT: 66 AGL: 4 LCK: 126 ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ This would take longer. Ren thought. Even though the ATP of the Midnight Phantom was low, for a yer that was just starting out, it was a nightmarish beast to defeat. And usually, a mage wouldn¡¯t even think of soloing it this early on. Ren was confident that he could defeat the Midnight Phantom even though he was a mage since his DEF and INT were higher than the beast twice fold. Though it would take some time since there was only [Fire] in his list of spells. In truth, it would take at least a week of grinding nonstop in COVENANT to defeat the Midnight Phantom, but since Ren acquired EXP that was worth more than two weeks of grinding nonstop, he was way ahead from the others. It would be a long fight. He couldnd +100 points of fire damage at most with a 100% chance of a critical hit since his LCK was high and the beast¡¯s weakness was fire. However, since the Midnight Phantom¡¯s AGI was so high, it couldnd at least four or even seven times more damage against him, whose AGI was only 3. But Ren already fortified his DEF for that, and he bought a lot of [Health Potions] strictly for this battle. Yosh . . . Doing mental preparation in his mind, the Midnight Phantom came to light. Chapter 12 The midnight phantomnded almost soundlessly on the ground covered by patches of grass. When Renid eyes on it, the corner of his mouth twitched in a grimace, and his heart thudded hard against his chest. The beast was a ck panther and stood two meters tall and nearly four meters wide. Its body was so dark, giving it justice to be called the Midnight Phantom. It was almost undetectable with all the shrouding darkness with only the faint light of the twin moons as a source of illumination. It¡¯s quite beautiful, actually. And right now, its cold amber glowing slit eyes were currently locked on Ren with curiosity. It began to slowly move towards him in elegant steps. Its graceful stride was indeed eye-catching. Ren drew his long staff, eyes staring at the Midnight Phantom intently. The Midnight Phantom¡¯s sleek glossy fur rose in anger upon sensing hostility. RoOaArR! ¡°Come.¡± Ren didn¡¯t move from his position at all. It was useless anyway. His AGI was low, and he couldn¡¯t run from the beast¡¯s speed. If he did, the beast mightnd a critical hit if he showed his back. The Midnight Phantom¡¯s body crouch down, fangs baring and fur-raising. It was gathering power and momentum tounch an attack. WhOoOosSh! With a leap, the Midnight Phantom charged at an incredible speed that made Ren¡¯s heart tremble. Ren quickly cast Fire against the Midnight Phantom. ¨C142 Critical Hit! [ Midnight Phantom suffered from BURN ¨C5% HP every minute ] ¨C20 (BURN) Ren smiled when the [BURN] status appeared next to the HP bar of the Midnight Phantom. There was also a high chance of [Critical Hit] and [Status Effect] if you attacked your enemy¡¯s weakness. It was the reason why Ren chose the [Fire] Spell early on since most beasts were weak to fire earlier in the game. However, his smile fell right off his face when the beast just shook off his fur, and the [BURN] status was removed. Leaping from where it stood, the beast swiped its sharp ws against Ren. ¨C6 ¨C5 ¨C7 ¨C7 ¡°Urk . . .¡± Ren watched helplessly as his HP bar was depleting and shed red in rm when it half. Even though his DEF was high, the beast¡¯s multiple attacks were a problem. Ren immediately consumed [Health Potions] to recover his HP. [Consumed Health Potion x5 Remaining number of Health Potions: 56] When the cooldown of his Fire spell was over, Ren cast it once more against the beast. ¨C122 Critical Hit! [Midnight Phantom suffered from BURN ¨C5% HP every minute] ¨C20 (BURN) Again, the Midnight Phantom just shook his fur, and the [BURN] status was gone from the side of its HP bar. The Midnight Phantom attacked once more, and again Ren just healed his HP by consuming potions. They keep going at it until the Midnight Phantom¡¯s HP bar drastically went down to just two digits. Ren¡¯s face brightened. He could really win against it! But just as he was about to bask in his glory, the Midnight Phantom¡¯s whole body glowed red, and its eyes turned Blood Shot. [The Midnight Phantom entered BERSERK MODE!] [HP: 74 MP: 100 STRG: 27 +5 DEF: 24 +2 MDF: 14 -5 INT: 12 -5 AGL: 32 +4 LCK: 16 -5] [The Midnight Phantom activated its skill Moonlight Gift] [HP: 74 MP: 60 STRG: 32 +2 DEF: 26 +2 MDF: 9 +2 INT: 8 +2 AGL: 36 +2 LCK: 11 +2 ] The Midnight Phantom attacked once more, and Ren watched in horror when his HP bar shed red before his eyes. ¨C12 ¨C15 ¨C10 ¨C7 ¨C5 SHIT! Ren¡¯s face was white when he was left with just 1 HP. If the beast¡¯sst hit were any higher, he would surely find himself respawning in Euclid Vige with an EXP penalty. The amount of EXP penalty he¡¯d received was equivalent to the amount of EXP he¡¯d get from the Midnight Phantom. Which meant around -5,000 EXP give and take, because of Ren¡¯s high ATP. It was the game system that calcted the EXP rewards and penalties. It considers the time a yer defeats his enemy and the yer¡¯s ATP. Since his ATP was high, and it took longer for him to defeat the Midnight Phantom, the amount of EXP he¡¯d get from the beast was only, more or less, 5,000 EXP. Ren thought. The yer in the past who got the very first blood from the Midnight Phantom achieved a +7, 000 EXP. However, Ren wasn¡¯t after the EXP. He was after the first blood rewards for being the first to defeat the very first boss in the game. However, Ren didn¡¯t expect that the Midnight Phantom would be this strong early in the game, even when his DEF was very high at this point in time. It was his fault for thinking that he could take it head on this early with little preparations. But he was already here, and it was toote for regrets. Ren immediately consumed [Health Potions]. [Consumed Health Potion x10 Remaining number of Health Potions: 27] Ren wiped the sweat off the side of his face and grinned. No matter. His next attack would surely end it. Ren cast [Fire] with great enthusiasm for receiving his rewards of being the very first to kill a Boss. His fire hit the Midnight Phantom, and the beast howled in rage. ¨C177 Critical Hit! ¡°Yes!¡± Ren beamed and almost jumped in joy when the Midnight¡¯s Phantom HP bar went down fast. However, his smile left his face when the Midnight Phantom¡¯s HP gauge stood still at 1. [The Midnight Phantom entered LAST STANCE MODE! Acquired Skill: ? Moonlight Rage ¨C¨C Land Critical Damage regardless of enemy¡¯s ATP and position ¨C¨C Cost ¨C50MP ¨C¨C Single enemy target ] FUCK! Ren forgot about the [LAST STANCE Mode]. It was a Boss¡¯s final mode, and usually, they acquire a new skill or spell in this mode. However, Ren didn¡¯t expect that the Midnight Phantom could also enter it. This mode was only avable to high-level Bosses, and the Midnight Phantom was just a newbie Boss. There was also no record that it could enter [LAST STANCE] mode. Was it because it was his very first boss? Or was it a bug that he didn¡¯t know? Whatever it was, it was toote. The Midnight Phantom was about to attack, and Ren closed his eyes, already thinking of what to do once he was back in Euclid Vige. The death penalty from a boss and dungeon fight was an EXP reduction equal to the amount of EXP you¡¯d get from the fight. Such was the shrewdness of the developer. There were a lot of instances where yers¡¯ ATP automatically went zero from a boss fight or dungeon raid no matter how the EXP penalty was distributed within the group when they died. And most gave up ying because of frustration or recreated their ount entirely since their ATP was reduced to zero. A newly created avatar had more ATP than that. It was also one of the reasons why a lot of yers preferred to stock their EXP in case something happened. And it was also one of the reasons that guilds only wanted the best of the best within their group because they didn¡¯t want to suffer from the enormous EXP penalty that was enough to make all their hard-earned ATP to zero in a boss fight and dungeon raid. And since Ren all used his EXP, he was sure to suffer an ATP reduction based on the Midnight¡¯s Phantoms EXP rewards calction. Ren could only sigh in helplessness because of his own mistake of underestimating the first boss. DiinNgG! A notification prompted Ren¡¯s eyes to open. [Midnight Phantom suffered from BURN ¨C5% HP every minute] ¨C20 (BURN) The reaming 1 HP of the Midnight Phantom went zero, and the beast howled and dropped dead from burn while it dissolved into white particles and vanished from thin air. Chapter 13 ¡°. . .¡± Ren couldn¡¯t react. He was still stunned by the sudden turn of events. He sure didn¡¯t expect that the Midnight Phantom would die because of Burn. Ren¡¯s shoulders shook when it sunk into his brain until he doubled over inughter. Ahahaha! He thought of all possible oues from this fight, and he indeed wasn¡¯t expecting this. His LCK was really good. Ren smiled and wiped the tears in his eyes before he pressed . [ CONGRATULATIONS to yer **** on getting first blood from defeating the Hidden Boss, MIDNIGHT PHANTOM! ] ¡¬ W O R L D C H A T ¡¬ Clueless: There¡¯s a hidden Boss? DaoistYun: @DaoistYuu, I told you there¡¯s a hidden boss SharingIsLoving: Can someone share the Hidden Boss info, please. RichGuyRick: Who¡¯s the guy who cleared it? I¡¯ll pay you $10,000 real money for the info. IcanBuyYou: I¡¯ll double it. Send me a private message. WhoseyourDaddy: Wow. I wish I were rich. ImPoor: Plz. Gib money, oh great lord IamBeautiful: I am beautiful! DaoistYuu: @DaoisYun, then tell me where it is located. EXPisLife: I am EXP. EXP is me. EXP is life ImPoor: Plz gib EXP . . . multiple persons are typing . . . ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren was too busy inspecting his loot to actually take notice of the exploding messages in the World Chat. [ OBTAINED: ? 5,000 EXP ? 5,000 Gil ? Crystal Chest x1 ? tinum Chest x1 ? Gold Chest x2 ] [ FIRE Spell LV.1 ? LV.2 ] ¡¬ F I R E L V. 2 ¡¬ ¨C¨C cost 10 MP ¨C¨C inflict 10% fire damage based on INT ¨C¨C single enemy target ¨C¨C 2 sec. cool down ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren was ecstatic to find yet another [Crystal Chest]. Was it because of the unexpected [Last Stance Mode], or was it because he acquired first blood from the very first Hidden Boss? But there was nothing like a [Crystal Chest] in the forums and the information he gathered before. He was just aiming for the [tinum Chest] that contained the [Phantom Cloak], the first blood reward from defeating the Midnight Phantom. But he ended up with much more than he expected. Was it because of his high LCK? Ren couldn¡¯t think of anything but this. Whatever it was, Ren decided to check the chestster because another notification appeared right before his eyes, and it was the second thing that he came out here to do. ? ¨C¨C A mysterious creature appeared after the tyrannical Midnight Phantom was killed. Once it reaches the exit of Euclid forest, it will disappear . . . FOREVER. Ren¡¯s smile couldn¡¯t be contained. His weapon had finally arrived! From what information he gathered in the past. No one actually acquired nor saw this [Mysterious Creature] because it was so fast that the yer who got first blood from defeating the Midnight Phantom was unable to get it. This [Mysterious Creature] could only be triggered once, and that was when the Midnight Phantom was defeated the first time. And if this mysterious creature reached the exit of Euclid Forest, it¡¯d be gone forever, as the description said, and no amount of re-entering or defeating the Midnight Phantom could make ite back. The yers and the one who got first blood for the Midnight Phantom forgot the whole thing and didn¡¯t think of it anymore as time went on and the game progressed, but since the developers loved to torment its yers, they announcedter in the game that the mysterious creature was actually a powerful pet. In fact, the most powerful pet in COVENANT that one could acquire. What¡¯s more, anyone could have it regardless of race or ss. It was everyone¡¯s chance to get a pet that otherwise was exclusive only to the Hunter and Animist subsses. And thus the yers¡¯ agony and curses. As for the one who actually acquired first blood from the Midnight Phantom and had the highest chance to acquire this pet . . . Well, he was still cursing and begging the developers to give him that pet in the past, even after Rain jumped off a building. That guy kept saying it was impossible to catch that creature since their ATP was low because they were just starting out. He was shouting injustice and that the developers should just give him the pet since he was the one who acquired his first blood from the Midnight Phantom. And that guy was correct. It was indeed impossible to catch that [Mysterious Creature]. And even the developers thought that, too. That was why they were confident to ce that powerful creature at the start of the game because they thought no one would be able to catch it. That [Mysterious Creature] was ced there as a tool for the developers to torment and make fun of its yers. Or so they thought. Ren grinned so wide it stretched his face. All 5 000 EXP he acquired, he put it on his AGI. ¡¬ A T T R I B U T E S ¡¬ HP: 55 MP: 80 STR: 3 DEF: 59 MDF: 7 INT: 66 AGL: 54 LCK: 126 ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ [ ACQUIRED SPELL! Teleportation LV.1 ] ¡¬ T E L E P O R T A T I O N L V. 1 ¡¬ ¨C¨C cost 50 MP ¨C¨C teleport within 1000m distance ¨C¨C 1x a day ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ When a Mage AGI reaches +40, they acquire the [Teleportation] spell regarding of subss. At the same time, the melee ss received [Blink]. In fact, if your ATP reached certain milestones, you could acquire a spell/skill depending on your subss. But since Ren didn¡¯t choose a subss yet, he could only acquire the generic spell/skill avable to all Mage ss. The guy who acquired first blood from the Midnight Phantom didn¡¯t think about it since he didn¡¯t know. But Ren knew . . . he knew, if not everything, then most information about the game. Using [Teleportation], Ren was instantly near the forest¡¯s exit just in time that a ck creature was zooming towards him in all haste. The little creature didn¡¯t seem to notice Ren with all its hurriedness to get out of the forest until it was toote when it smacked directly against Ren¡¯s palm. ¨C7 Ren suffered an HP reduction from the impact, but he still didn¡¯t let go. [ ACQUIRED: Mystical Creature ] ¡¬ M Y S T I C A L C R E A T U R E ¡¬ Type: Pet Owner: Ren Personality: Docile, loyal Rtionship: 70% ] ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Chapter 14 Eh? Ren blinked and looked at the little thing in his hand as it looked back at him with its round misty doe-like eyes, full of curiosity and adoration. It was like abination of a fox and bird. It was midnight ck in color that its shadows turned grey inparison. Streaks of blue-like lightning scattered around its fur. It had an odd bird-like ear, eyes, and mouth. Its eyes were so mesmerizingly beautiful, like pearly sapphires, and its body was long and small, just about an arm¡¯s length. And it has wings! So . . . So CUTE! Ren mused and rubbed the little creature¡¯s head with the pad of his finger while thetter rubbed its head against his hand in delight. Piii! Piii! Ren released the creature and stared at its eyes. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Piii! Piii! ¡°Yosh! From now on, I¡¯ll call you Pii!¡± Piiii!! Pii chimed joyfully, and it curled along Ren¡¯s neck, making itselffortable before rubbing its little head against Ren¡¯s chin. Ren chuckled and patted its head. He already likes his pet. He pressed his [Home Screen] and essed the newly added [Pet] icon on his screen. Ren pressed , and he typed his pet¡¯s name. [ Name: Pii Type: Pet Owner: Ren Personality: Docile, loyal Rtionship: 90% ] Wow! Ren¡¯s rtionship with Pii rose 20% from just giving it a name and patting its head. Ren then looked at Pii¡¯s stats in excitement. ¡¬ P i i ¡¬ HP: 400 MP: 70 STR: 7 DEF: 4 MDF: 4 INT: 7 AGL: 10 LCK: 7 Passive Skill: ? Wings ¨C¨C Grants the ability to fly and ignore all terrain restrictions Spell: ? Evolution Lv.1 ¨C¨C automatically activates once HP reaches 1% ¨C¨Cst 1min. ¨C¨C 1x a day ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren blinked. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He cursed the developers in his head like there was no tomorrow. What did they mean by the most powerful pet? Its stat was nowhere near the level of a regr [Horned Rabbit] in Euclid Forest. Ren didn¡¯t know what to do. He was expecting high-level ATP and OP skills from the most powerful Pet in COVENANT, but he was given a mediocre stat and a vague spell. Ren sighed. It was a good thing that he didn¡¯t put all his coins in this ¡®weapon¡¯ of his. Ren looked at Pii once more while the little one tilted its head, eyes melting and begging. It seemed to sense his disappointments, and Ren¡¯s heart took a dive. Ren stifled augh and scratched little Pii¡¯s chin. ¡°No problem at all. Even if your stats are low, I still like you the best.¡± Piii! Little red hearts bubbled out from above Pii¡¯s head as it chirped joyfully. Red hearts would appear on top of a pet¡¯s head when its rtionship level increased. That meant Ren¡¯s rtionship with Pii was already maxed. And once a pet¡¯s rtionship level was max, they would do everything you tell them to do, and they will help you with everything they had. Ren didn¡¯t mind little Pii¡¯s low stats since he had ways to increase them. Like buying essories for it or those expensive rare vitamins that could permanently raise a pet¡¯s stats. Though Ren was hesitant to raise Pii¡¯s ATP since it was too low and it was a waste of time ad resources, it was not like those items could be found with just a snap of a finger. And those he expensive [Vitamins] and hard to acquire [Pet Foods] would only raise a pet¡¯s ATP to one. It would take a tremendous amount of money, time, and resources to raise Pii¡¯s stats, and by that time, Ren doubted that Pii would be useful in a battle because of its still very low ATPpared to the other beasts and monsters. Pii didn¡¯t even have a single spell or skill that was useful in a battle. Pets could aid you in battles and various ways. The only downside for having a pet was that they couldn¡¯t be leveled up, and their ATP¡¯s could only be raised through [Vitamins] and [Pet Food]. The former was expensive as hell, and thetter was hard to find and acquire. That was why most Hunters and Animist preferred high-level beasts because their ATP¡¯s were already high. Regretfully, there were no skill and spell books for pets, and a pet could only use its given inborn skill and spell inbat. That was why a lot were picky with their pets. Ren shrugged his shoulders and nced at the fellow who was beingfortable curling on his neck. It didn¡¯t matter. Pii was still useful to him in other ways. And he kinda likes how docile and affectionate it was to him. Ren knew and saw many Hunters and Animist in his past life whose pets were wild and untamed even if their rtionship level with their pets were already high. It was the downside of having a strong beast converted to being a pet. Sometimes, they wouldn¡¯t follow you and would even act hostile against you. Ren chose to travel together with Pii on his shoulder. He could also choose not to by just a pressed of a button on the [Pet] section, and Pii would instantly disappear. It would reaper once he called it out, though. But for Ren, he chose to travel with his newly found pet since every time he looked at it, his mood would immediately lighten. Besides from that, there were two reasons why Ren chose to travel with Pii. Since he was confident that he acquired [Phantom Cloak], he could hide his appearance, and with Pii apanying him, others would think that he was a Hunter or Animist. Thus, he shall be known as such when he trades information and items for money. Two, having your pet travel with you not only increases your rtionship level but also, a pet could find rare items, spot hidden objects and traps, and help track the right paths. That was why a Hunter or Animist was a must in every team, especially if going on a dungeon raid. Ren didn¡¯t have anything he deemed worthwhile in Euclid Forest anymore and decided to finally check his chests before returning to Euclid Vige and resting in the inn. However, before he could, a notification popped on his screen that paralyzed him on the spot. Chapter 15 ¡°. . .¡± Ren couldn¡¯t react for a moment. He forgot that the outside world could still call you even if you¡¯re inside COVENANT. Ren¡¯s heart thumped widely as he stared at the name that was shing on his screen. Once upon a time, he and Leonel were the best of friends together with Saya and Mike. The four of them were inseparable during their high school years, and they even promised to go to the same university together. Ren even liked Saya in the past but gave way to Mike since he¡¯d rather keep their friendship than lose it on a girl with who he knew he wouldn¡¯t end up in the end. Saya¡¯s parents owned a chain of restaurants, and they were actually wealthy, while Mike¡¯s family owned a real estatepany. So Saya¡¯s parents preferred Mike over Ren. The only reason why they were in Zone C in the first ce was because of their parents¡¯ business. It was not like Ren wanted topete in the first ce. There was nothing topete with. Ren couldn¡¯t bring her to those Michelin awarded restaurants that she frequented and buy her pieces of jewelry and makeup which she loved to do. But Mike could. Ren gave way to their love while maintaining their friendship, and it worked out in the end. It was Leonel who supported him through those heartbreak days, and it was thanks to him that Ren managed to get over from Saya¡¯s charms. Even when in college, Leonel didn¡¯t stopmunicating and going out with him even though Leonel was admitted to Zephyr Academy because he didn¡¯t make the entrance exam cut off in Fate. It was a thirty minutes train ride from his school to Ren¡¯s, and Leonel always made time to meet and catch up with everyone. While inparison, Saya and Mike, who were at the same school as Ren, started to distance themselves from him. Their reason was that they were in different departments, and it was hard to match their schedules. But in truth, Ren knew it was because Saya and Mike were embarrassed about him since he had nothing in his name. It was okay in high school because they were the only few rich students, and they could do whatever they wanted. It was a different matter in college, and in Fate Academy, where most students belonged to the rich and powerful, everything changed. And when the nickname ¡®Ren the Rat¡¯ circted on campus, Saya and Mike stayed away from himpletely. Ren understood, and he didn¡¯t feel bad about it since Saya and Mike needed to stick to their fellow rich cliques because of connections and benefits. After all, they needed to think of their future, and sticking with the rich and powerful was a sure way to sess. Contrary to everyone¡¯s beliefs. The rich didn¡¯t hate the poor. No. They simply didn¡¯t care. Ren thought that it was better for them to hate him than be invincible in their eyes. At least they felt something towards him and knew that he was still human in their eyes. Since he had nothing to offer, everyone treated him like he wasn¡¯t there. No one wanted to do anything with him. He was that one guy at the side that could disappear, and no one would care. When Ren¡¯s father died, it was Leonel who stayed by his side. Ren even forgot how many times Leonel helped him both financially and emotionally, even though he wasn¡¯t that well off either. However, when Ren entered the game, he became even busier, and he forgot about Leonel and the others. How long had it been? Ten years? More than ten years? Ren pressed , and his surrounding froze. Since there was time deference in-game and the outside, if someone was calling from the real world, time in COVENANT froze for that yer. However, a call would only go thru in the game once you¡¯re alone. If you¡¯re not alone, a notification would still pop saying of an iing call and that you could only answer once you¡¯re alone. This was because you¡¯d be temporarily logged out from the game as you received the call. ¡°Hey, Ren! Remember that VR game we talked about?! Its opening is today! We have been dupe! You have to go to the nearest caf¨¦ and rent a pod now!¡± Ren swallowed the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth, but no words left his lips. He had forgotten Leonel¡¯s deep and slow voice that it felt foreign to him now. ¡°Ren?! Are you listening?¡± Leonel said, huffing as he did. He was running to the nearest caf¨¦ at his ce to log in to the game while the others were still unaware and blissfully sleeping. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Ren could only manage that much without his voice breaking. Ren was always a cold and detached person, so Leonel didn¡¯t find anything wrong with his voice. ¡°Do you have ess to a caf¨¦ right now? You have to go there before others got wind of the information, and they jammed every caf¨¦.¡± Ren remembered that Leonel had asked him the same question in the past, but he just brushed him off and ended the call saying that he was sleepy and needed to find a part-time job tomorrow. Ren was actually annoyed in the past when Leonel called because he had disturbed his sleep. ¡°I¡¯m going to finally be a Dwarf and experience being small for once!¡± Leonel continued talking on the other side while panting to catch his breath. Ren blinked. Leonel was over six feet in height. He was stall andnky and bad at sports. Many people teased him because of it, saying that his height was useless if he was so clumsy and couldn¡¯t use it to his advantage. In people¡¯s eyes, if you¡¯re tall, then you have to be good in sports, or your height is useless. This made Leonel feel conscious about his height. And the only reason why he entered the game was that he wanted to be smaller. Leonel was also ying as a Dwarf Defender in his past life. But since he wasn¡¯t ying seriously like the rest, he was easily overtaken. He didn¡¯t know any strategy, and his equipment was always inferior. Besides that, he was always dying. Hence his ATP was still in the two digits even in the mid part of the game. No one would party with him, and no one wanted to take him into their guilds. Pressed with the only option of ying solo, his quests were limited, he couldn¡¯t enter dungeons or fight bosses, and his ATP suffered tremendously. Leonel often asked for Ren¡¯s help in the past since he had so much information about the game. However, Ren was busy working for a guild and juggling his part-time to actually bother about Leonel. He even blocked him in the past. And he lost allmunication with him. Ren sighed and shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. He lent a hand to those people who only used him and didn¡¯t help the only person who stayed true to him and helped him during his difficult times. He was such an asshole. ¡°Ren, I¡¯m already here at a caf¨¦ and going to enter a pod. Where are you right now?¡± Ren thought for a moment. Leonel was still in Zone C, and he didn¡¯t know that he had just bought a pod. It would be troublesome if he asked about the pod and reported it to his parents. Ren decided to hide things for now. But of course, he wouldn¡¯t tell Leonel about him being revived into the past. Ren answered without blinking, ¡°I¡¯m changing right now. I¡¯m already here at Zone A, and it¡¯ll probably take me at least fifteen minutes to reach the nearest caf¨¦.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll wait for you in the newbie vige!¡± Ren sighed. Leonel didn¡¯t even know that yers were distributed across hundreds of newbie viges. All these newbie viges provided the same quests and Hidden Bosses at the start of the game. Even Pii could be acquired at some other newbie vige if someone else acquired first blood with the Midnight Phantom. There was Midnight Phantom as well on the other Newbie forest. It was the first Newbie Hidden Boss. It was to make sure that everyone was given the same chance at the start of the game. And after that, everything would start from there. However, once the [Mysterious Creature] was caught or gone, it wouldn¡¯t appear anymore across the hundreds of newbie viges. Pii was a unique pet. A one of a kind. And only a single yer could have a chance of acquiring him. The same with World/Epic Quest, which could only be triggered one time. It was a race on who could find them first. ¡°Leo,¡± Ren called. ¡°Yeah?¡± Ren pressed his lips tight before he said, ¡°Nothing. Meet you at the vige.¡± Leonel stifled augh. ¡°Weirdo. I¡¯ll call Saya and Mike too so the four of us can y together!¡± The call ended, and time resumed in the game. The call didn¡¯t evenst ten minutes, but time in-game had already moved to an hour. Ren just stared at his screen for a while. Saya and Mike . . . Ren was in a daze. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he wanted to meet those two. Saya became a Sprite White Mage to support Mike, who was a Human Swordsman. Both of them were mediocre yers who wanted to enter the top guilds. Saya even approached Ren and asked for his help in the past. And since Ren still had lingering feelings for her, he offered to help them acquire rare equipment and items, which was against his contract. And when he was found out and was kicked out of the guild because of it, Saya and Mike pretended that they didn¡¯t know him once more. No guild was willing to take him in for months because of his tainted record of giving out information. Feeling lost and dejected and without a job, Ren was tempted to end his life. But it was Leonel who helped him again with just an envelope of cash in his mailbox. And because Ren¡¯s record was tainted with the history of giving out information. It was the reason why a top guild that he managed to enterter on and climbed to a higher position in the Information Gathering Department feared that he would sell the World Quest data he acquired to the other guilds ¨C¨C and thus assassinated him. Ren¡¯s eyes burned aze. Ren acknowledged hard work and perseverance the most. However, he was well aware that others simply climbed thedder of sess by just using their resources and connections. But if Leonel wanted to be a Dwarf Defender, then Ren promised to make him the strongest Tank ss in the entire COVENANT, and every top guild would prostrate before his feet. That¡¯s a promise. Chapter 16 A/N Thank you everyone for supporting the book! Because of your support this story won BRONZE (WPC 270)! As promised this book will have regr updates ^^ Consider leaving reviews if you like the story ^^ CHEERS! ¡ª- Ren looked at the time. Since there was a time difference between the game and the real world, he made a guess that Leonel would be in the world of ARCADIA within an hour or two. So instead of going back to the inn to rest, Ren thought of waiting for Leonel in Euclid Vige and hoped that he would be transported there. But first . . . Ren checked his loots in excitement. [Gold Chest] ? Midnight Fur x5 ? Premium Meat x7 ? High Potion x5 ? TOOLS: Gold Pix axe (Foraging) Gold Knife (Cooking) ? RECIPES: Chocte Cookie (Cooking) Chocte Cake (Cooking) Cat Suit (Crafting) Cat ears (Crafting) Cat tail (Crafting]) Lolita Headdress (Crafting) ck Cloak (Forging) Phantom w (Forging) Ren was ecstatic. He didn¡¯t expect that his LCK would be this good and gave him two Gold Tools that were quite hard to get. With this, he could skip strenuous quests just to acquire the [Gold Pix axe] and [Gold Knife]. Ren didn¡¯t pay any attention to the recipes as he didn¡¯t have the necessary tools and materials to make them ¨C¨C yet. His shining eyes remained glued on his equipment ¡ª the reason why he wanted to get first blood in the first ce. [tinum Chest] ? Phantom Cloak x1 ? ck Ribbon x1 ? Phantom¡¯s Revenger x1 [Phantom Cloak (Legendary) ¨C¨C a simple ck cloak made from the Midnight Phantom¡¯s fur. ¨C¨C a legendary grade essory that hides its wearer¡¯s face when worn. ¨C¨C +10 HP, +5 DEF, +2 MDEF ¨C¨C ss (ALL) ] [ ck Ribbon (Rare) ¨C¨C a cute ck ribbon made from the Midnight Phantom¡¯s fur. ¨C¨C a rare grade essory that grants its wearer an enormous amount of LCK. ¨C¨C +10 LCK ¨C¨C Sorry, men, Only FEMALE¡¯s could wear it ] [ Phantom¡¯s Revenger (Rare) ¨C¨C a scary all-ck dagger made from the Midnight Phantom¡¯s sharp talons and fangs. ¨C¨C +10 STR, +5 AGI ¨C¨C ss: Swordsman, Thief, Hunter ] Ren was feeling good at his loot. Two rare and a legendary pieces of equipment at the start of the game . . . he would surely get rich if he sold [ck Ribbon] and [Phantom¡¯s Revenger]! He couldn¡¯t equip these two anyway, and he couldn¡¯t convert them to recipes yet, so it was better to sell them now. Equipment that granted two digits on ATP is a must-have this early on. The good thing about being an Alchemist was, Ren could disassemble anything and turn it into recipes so he could make it again and again with the right ingredients. Just imagining that he could make legendary items and god-tier equipment made his fine hairs stand on end. Of course, given if he had the right materials for it. Anyway, there would be better rare and legendary equipment as he progressed in the game. Ren checked hisst chest. The unexpected [Crystal Chest]. Ren¡¯s hands were all sweaty, and he held his breath as he opened hisst chest with great expectation. [Crystal Chest] ? Spellbook (?) x1 ? Skill book (?) x1 YES! It was a Spell and Skill Book with a question mark tag just as he expected! That meant whatever the spell/skill would align to the yer¡¯s ss. What¡¯s more (?) tag indicated that the spell/skill was unique in the world of Arcadia. It was one of a kind! Ren was contemting whether to use it or reserve it forter when he got to his ss. He could also sell it if ever he needed the cash. Since he didn¡¯t expect that he would get another [Crystal Chest], he was kind of at a loss on what to do with it. Ren decided to store it for now. At least he had something to snatch from his inventory in case there was an emergency. Pressing his home screen, Ren equipped [Phantom Cloak], and with the [Protection Ring] he had equipped earlier, his two slots for essory was already full. It was another reason why Ren wanted to acquire [Phantom Cloak]. It was an essory and not an armor. His slot for essories where two, and the slot for armor was only one. He could equip [Phantom Cloak] with this untilter in the game. A ck cloak appeared and enveloped Ren¡¯s half body. He equipped the hood, and his appearance was hidden. If someone were to see him, they would only see a haze of darkness inside the hood. What¡¯s more, the ATP it gave was a great boost to his defense. Satisfied, Ren nodded to himself. Yosh! It was time to meet Leonel. Ren was more nervous about meeting his best friend again than getting first blood. If he was going to be honest. Ren took arge intake of air and pushed himself forward. He was given a second chance, and he would not make the same mistake twice. He would amend his rtionship with Leonel and cherish his friendship this time. Ren was near the forest¡¯s exit, and he might as well wait for Leonel inside Euclid¡¯s vige. He didn¡¯t have any more motivation to do the other quests in the vige since they were mostly errand quests that provided little EXP and basic items. Ren was thinking about his next move as he walked towards the exit when his attention flicked to the noise near him. Just twenty meters right from the dirt path leading out of the Euclid Forest, sounds of battle caught Ren¡¯s attention. It was dark and quiet, and the sound stood out from the noise of the insects and beasts. Ren was curious as to who could be the brave yer who ventured out at this time in the forest and was grinding till midnight. And Ren was shocked to find that it was actually a woman. A beautiful woman with ample breasts, a dainty waist, and long sets of legs. Her wavy golden hair was tied in a high ponytail giving way to a strict yetnguid pair of ocean blue eyes. Ren knew her. It was the leader of Golden Phoenix, no less. Silvia? Ren was surprised that Silvia was at Euclid Vige too. And he was even more surprised when the woman was soloing a group of Horned Rabbits. If Ren remembered correctly, Horned Rabbits could be solo by newbie yers, but a group of them required for the yers at least two-digit ATP to defat. IN COVENANT, as long as it wasn¡¯t a boss, the yers had the option to flee before a beast. But that option was only avable before the start of the fight. Once engaged, you could no longer run away. Ren thought that Silvia was too confident and arrogant enough to solo the group of horned rabbits this early in the game. Ren bet that most of Silvia¡¯s ATP didn¡¯t even reach two digits yet. If he recalled, Silvia was a Human Fencer with a subss of Duellist. A bnce in both physical and magical attacks. It was also one of the sses that had the most sub ss evolution . . . That is if you could guess right what ss evolution to choose in thetter part of the game. For now, a Human Fencer Duellist was weak in the early games until she could evolve her subss Duellist into a [Spellde Master] and gained magical attacks. A Fencer Duellist had little and a weak set of skills, and the only reason why Silvia managed to get by was because of her parent¡¯s money. She bought the best equipment, the rarest items, and the elusive information as soon as the in-game currency was introduced. All for the sake of proving that she could do anything, be it in the real world or in-game. And Ren admired her for that. A woman who was not afraid to use everything that was avable to her to reach the top. However, for now . . . She was surely going to die. Ren thought. Chapter 17 A/N Update 1 chap a day and publish starts anywhere between 10 AM to 12 Midnight ^^ HKNG Time If I can¡¯t update then that means my kid isn¡¯t sleeping. LOL Every 500 PS = 1 BONUS Chapter CHEERS! ^^ ¡ª- ¡°COVENANT.¡± Silvia rolled the letters on the tip of her tongue. She looked over at the twin moons peeking above the orange sky. It was going to be dark soon, and Pam was still nowhere to be seen. Silvia was inside Euclid Vige and was waiting for Pam, who was still setting up her pod. They were supposed to meet early on, but Pam got dyed, and Silvia couldn¡¯t wait for her friend and yed the game without her. However, Silvia didn¡¯t have the heart to leave her friend behind and decided to just finish all the quests in Euclid vige and wait for her after. Anyway, when Pam arrives in Euclid vige, she¡¯ll help her with her quests, and they could grind together in Euclid Forest after that. Silvia has already spoken to all NPCs inside Euclid Vige and finished all avable quests, but there was still no sign of her best friend. She knew of the time difference between the game and the real world, and there was nothing she could do but wait. She was also worried about Pam because she read in the game¡¯s limited guide that yers were distributed across hundreds of newbie viges. If Pam happened to be in another newbie vige, Silvia would just go to her using the [Teleportation/Save Crystal] stationed at each entrance of a vige, town, city, and dungeons. These crystals would automatically teleport you to ces that you have already visited. As long as you entered a ce first, it would be avable as a choice when you touched the crystal at every entrance of a ce. However, the hundreds of Newbie Viges were essible in the list of choices in the teleportation/save crystal even if you hadn¡¯t entered the ce. It was to make sure that yers could y together with their friends at the start of the game even if they were transported to other viges. There was no point in ying if they weren¡¯t together enjoying the game. It was true that COVENANT was a unique and exciting game. A fantasy world came out of a dream. But after doing errand quests after guests, Silvia was already bored. She really wanted to venture outside of the newbie vige and into the great unknown. The only thing that was hindering her was her best friend, Pam, who was still nowhere to be seen. Shifting one foot to another, Silvia clicked her tongue in annoyance when she started attracting unwanted attention. The only thing keeping the group of guys from approaching her was her intimidating res. She cursed the game for not having the option to change her appearance. Though she was grateful, she was gifted with godly looks and physiques, but it was a bother most of the time. She had already forgotten how many times her face got her into trouble. Was there some kind of an item that could hide her appearance? Silvia thought to herself. Silvia decided to wait for Pam in an area that was secluded and had lesser yers. Thank the heavens that there weren¡¯t many yers yet, and Silvia didn¡¯t have to worry about the crowd. However, she was bored. Not even five minutes that, she was standing and waiting for Pam, and she was already bored. Silvia was not used to just standing and waiting. She needed to do something, or she¡¯d feel every tick of the clock. Silvia released arge breath into the sky and decided to grind in the forest. It was dark, and not many yers were adventuring outside at this time, but what else would she do? Stand here and wait? Silvia shook her head and marched towards Euclid forest. She entered the forest and began to grind with whatever beast she saw, making sure that she didn¡¯t go too deep inside so she could return to the vige as soon as Pam arrived. Notifications popped on Silvia¡¯s screen when she defeated beast after beast. She didn¡¯t care, though, since the rewards were so poor it hurt her eyes. It would take forever for all her ATP to reach two digits at this rate. Silvia went still and wiped off the sweat from her face. This game was too realistic that she felt like everything was real. She even felt like logging out and taking a long hot bath. She took a moment to breathe and looked at her yer status. ¡¬ S T A TU S ¡¬ Name: Silvia Age: 19 Race: Human ss: Fencer Subss: Duelist Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Gold Attributes: HP: 70 MP: 40 STR: 12 DEF: 7 MDF: 5 INT: 4 AGI: 7 LCK: 4 Skills: ? Stab LV.1 Spells: ? Heal LV.1 Life Skills Cooking: Beginner Fishing: Beginner Foraging: Beginner EXP: 70 Money: 120 Gils Items: ? Newbie Garbs (Equip) ? Beginner¡¯s Rapier (Equip) ? Protection Ring (Equip) ? ARCADIA¡¯s map ? Health Potions x7 ? Rabbits Foot x3 ? Wolf¡¯s Fangs x2 ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Silvia sighed. She was here for hours, but her ATP didn¡¯t even reach two digits. And Silvia knew why. The amount of EXP in the Newbie Vige was so minuscule to non-existent, and the amount of EXP to level their ATP was huge. It didn¡¯t add up. The only time that she received an enormous EXP was attaining first blood on the quest [Herbs Gathering], and she poured it to her STR, and it only went up by that much. She thought that grinding the forest would rake her tons of EXP, but it turned out that the EXP lessened, the more she umted EXP and raised her ATP. Some beasts didn¡¯t even provide any more EXP rewards. umting EXP and not distributing it to her ATP to maintain it low so she could rake EXP when defeating beasts also didn¡¯t work. The system even calcted the umted EXP in her [Home Screen] when giving rewards. Silvia didn¡¯t have time to waste on lower-level beasts anymore. In the [World Chat], she read that some yers encountered a group of beasts that were impossible to defeat in this early game. Silvia thought that would surely rake her enough EXP to level all her ATP into two digits. Silvia picked her thumb. Was her ATP enough to solo this group of monsters, though? ¡°. . .¡± After consideration, the only way for her to be ahead of the others was to take risks. And besides, she wasn¡¯t used to just staying in herfort zone. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Silvia¡¯s eyes shone, and excitement racked her veins for the second time. The first time was when she entered COVENANT, and she almost forgot how it was to be excited once more. The real-life was dull to her because she could get whatever she wanted and could do many things if she set her mind to it. Being number one was effortless to her, and this got her bored. A good thing that this game came at the perfect time. Silvia¡¯s eyes glowed, and her tongue wiped her bottom lips. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± She went into the area where the yers said they had spotted a group of Horned Rabbits. She would test the waters first since Horned Rabbits were the weakest beasts in Euclid Forest. She didn¡¯t have to go far because the group of rabbits was located under the giant tree at the center of a wide clearing of patches of grass. Silvia made some mental preparations in her mind. Her ATP could take care of every single one of them before, and she was confident that she could win even if there were four of them now. She was confident in her skill with the sword since she was practicing fencing in real life. She also knew self-defense. A Fencer was the perfect ss for her. The skill [Stab] inflicted [True Damage] and had a high chance of critical attack if she pierced her weapon against her opponent¡¯s weakness. It was also the reason why she was ahead of the others in the game. While others squirmed and were still getting used to the battle system, Silvia felt right at home. Silvia readied her weapon. At the sight of the approaching woman, the peaceful bunnies, who were minding their own business of eating grass and collecting food, all turned hostile and immediately circled Silvia. Chapter 18 Silvia drew her weapon and was about to use her skill when all four Horned Rabbits attacked her all at once, and she waspletely caught off guard. ¨C10 ¨C17 Critical Hit! ¨C10 ¨C15 Critical Hit! Silvia was surprised that the Horned Rabbits were faster than the normal ones. Bigger too. They were about knee in height, and theirrge bucktooth was sharper than it appeared. What¡¯s more, two of the rabbits managed to circle her and attacked her on the back,nding Critical Hits in return. Silvia immediately took a step back, creating distance between the rabbits and her. She was about to consume her potions when the Horned Rabbits attacked again. ¨C10 ¨C9 ¨C9 ¨C7 Silvia was stunned and didn¡¯t expect that she wouldn¡¯t even get the chance to attack before her HP bar quickly shed red and emptied. And when she came too, she was nothing but a wisp on top of her body that wasying on the hard cold ground, which felt strange to her. There was a notification on her screen saying that she had to pay the death penalty with ATP since her EXP was insufficient. The notification wouldn¡¯t leave her screen, and there was no exit. She had no choice but to pay the death penalty. Gritting her teeth, Silvia paid ¨C5 ATP points from her MP, STR, INT, a total of 500 EXP that she should have otherwise gotten as a reward if she defeated the Horned Rabbits. After which, her body burst into particles, and Silvia found herself back at the entrance of Euclid Vige near the Teleportation/Save Crystal. Silvia¡¯s heart was heavy. Those were 5 ATP points! 5! Such a minuscule number, but it had a great impact on the game! Her advantage over the others was now reduced, and she couldn¡¯t sleep knowing that she had lost 5 of her hard-earned ATP. But despite her frustration, there was a hint of a smile on Silvia¡¯s lips. It was her fault for underestimating the Horned Rabbits. This time, she wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Shecked the information about the group of Horned Rabbits, and the [World Chat] didn¡¯t provide any information either except that they were strong or a lot of yers were killed when they attempted to kill those beasts. After they suffered tremendous ATP loss, they thoroughly gave up on the group of horned rabbits after just a single try. But Silvia was different. The more she suffered defeat, the more motivated she¡¯d be. She wouldn¡¯t stop until she got what she wanted. And her eyes were locked on those group of Horned Rabbits. Through her parent¡¯s money, Silvia acquired information about the game. Not much but sill useful than the limited information and guide the developers posted on their website. There was supposed to be an item that would let her see the stats of the beasts and monsters she encountered. Due to her confidence, she made the mistake of not checking the information of her foes. A newbie mistake that could have been prevented if she hadn¡¯t underestimated her enemy. It won¡¯t happen again. Silvia thought. She went to the shop and bought [Monocle x1]. In the real world, Silvia didn¡¯t have to check the prices of what she bought. But in here, she made a twice-over encased that her Gil got depleted without her knowing. She wasn¡¯t used to it, but it felt nice for once. The challenge was always weed. Silvia thought to herself before she went back to where the group of Horned Rabbits was. Silvia didn¡¯t know what happened back there and why she died before she had the chance to attack, but she was determined to find out, even at the cost of another death and EXP penalty. Sacrifices had to be made for her advancement. At this moment, all Silvia thought was defeating the group of Horned Rabbits and nothing else. Even Pam was left out of her mind. Silvia approached the rabbits with careful steps though the beasts heard her footstep, and loud screeching noises escaped from their wide mouths. They surrounded Silvia once more, and the four beasts attacked her from all sides the moment Silvia pressed . This time, Silvia was ready and anticipated their attacks. She jumped to the side and avoided a [Bite] from the Rabbits¡¯ mouths. Miss! Miss! Miss! Miss! Silvia smiled at the words shing in her view. As long as she knew the pattern of their attacks, she could easily avoid them with her AGI. However, her smile fell right off her face when the rabbits thumped their bigfoot against the ground in a blink and easily jumped towards her with their bucktooth on wide disy. Since Silvia was still in the air, she couldn¡¯t avoid the rabbits¡¯ attacks, and her HP shed red in rm. ¨C19 Critical Hit! ¨C15 Critical Hit! ¨C17 Critical Hit! ¨C16 Critical Hit! When the rabbits all paused for a second, Silvia used her [Monocle] instead of attacking them. [Used Monocle x1 Remaining number of Monocle: 0] ¡¬ H O R D E S O F H O R N E D R A B B I T S ¡¬ Location: Euclid Forest Description: ? A family of Horned Rabbits living in Euclid Forest. ? Do not engage if ATPs are below two digits. ¡¬ A T T R I B U T E ¡¬ HP: 75 MP: 20 STRG: 7 DEF: 6 MDF: 5 INT: 5 AGL: 10 LCK: 12 ¡¬ S K I L L ¡¬ Passive Skill: ? Rabbit¡¯s LCK ¨C¨C 100% chance of double attack when the enemy¡¯s AGI and LCK are lower. Active Skill: ? Rabbit¡¯s Screech Lv. 2 ¨C¨C MP ¨C20 ¨C¨C 50% chance of calling for reinforcement ¡¬ W E A K N E S S ¡¬ ? Fire ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Silvia was surprised because the group of Horned Rabbits had different skills than the individual rabbits running rampant in the forest. She thought that they were the same. That was why she was confident that she could kill them even if most of her ATP¡¯s were in the single digit. What¡¯s more, their ATPs were high! So high! Higher than her, that Silvia was even thinking of giving up. Silvia shook her head. NO! She would not give up until this group of midgets were nothing but rabbit meats and feet. Such horrid and savage thoughts for someone so beautiful, but Silvia didn¡¯t care for the Rabbits were now going to attack her. Silvia closed her eyes, bracing for impact, and before she knew it, a notification appeared on her screen. ¡°. . .¡± Silvia blinked. It was 500 before but now a 600 EXP penalty? How? Why? WHAT?! Silvia forced herself to calm down and thought things through. The system was calcting the penalties based on the amount of EXP she gets from defeating her enemy. And the amount of EXP she gets from killing her enemy was based on her ATP and the amount of time for her to defeat her foes. Then that meant . . . It was because her ATP was reduced by five a while ago that was why her amount of EXP, should she had defeated the group of Horned Rabbits, was increased to 600 EXP. Damn! Then that meant that the more she was killed, the higher the EXP reduction! Silvia began to panic now. 600 EXP was no joke! She would definitely feel the burn of it. Her ATP was surely going to suffer from this second loss. Her advantage over the other yers would be null as well. Calm down. Silvia repeated the mantra over her head. It also meant that if she defeated the Hordes of Horned Rabbits, she could get back most of her lost ATP points. Silvia took arge intake of air and nned her next move. She needed to increase her AGI to 10, so the group of Horned Rabbits¡¯ skills wouldn¡¯t work against her, and they couldn¡¯t perform double attacks. And with her fighting experience, she could avoid most of their attacks and finish them one by one. Silvia nodded to herself. What she needed was to grind until she had 300 EXP. And by then . . . Silvia¡¯s wisp form locked on the group of Horne Rabbits who resumed their daily lives of eating grass and collecting food. Their innocent eyes looked happy and content. Silvia didn¡¯t know why but she was pissed looking at them. She would surely kill those rabbits even if it were thest thing she did! Paying for the death penalty, Silvia once again found herself inside the entrance of Euclid Vige. Instead of wallowing in her frustration and annoyance, Silvia marched towards the forest once more and grind like her life depended on it. She totally forgot about her best friend Pam at this point. Some yers were also doing their daily grind. Upon seeing the beautifuldy marching with dark mist shrouding her entire aura, eyes glinting dangerously, everyone gave way almost immediately. Their fantasy of saving a damsel in distress and showing off to attract her vanished in thin air like the Crazed Wolf she slew with her sword in a single strike. Chapter 19 The orange dusk swept the sky, and within hours, it was total darkness. When Silvia came too, it was midnight, and the amount of EXP she got from grinding nonstop was exactly 300 EXP. It was because her ATP was reduced, and now she could farm up to 30 EXP from the stronger beast in the forest. Silvia returned immediately to Euclid Vige and poured all 300 EXP into her AGI. With this, she didn¡¯t have to worry about those little creatures¡¯ passive skill anymore. Silvia stayed in the inn and paid 50 Gil, so her HP and MP bar was full once more. She also fixed her weapon in the weapon and armor shop and resupplied her [Health Potions] for her uing fight. By this time, her Gil was almost zero. This was the only time that Silvia found herself without money in all her life. It . . . it felt horrible! After her preparations were done, she went into the Group of Horned Rabbits¡¯ nest, and this time, they would pay dearly for killing her ¨C¨C twice! Returning to the Horde of Horned Rabbits¡¯ den, Silvia was prepared to kill everyst one Rabbit on sight. She was burning with rage and killing intent that the Rabbit¡¯s fur even shook upon seeing her. They were enraged at Silvia for trespassing into their territory, and they attacked swiftly without warning. Silvia was prepared and pressed once more. She avoided their attacks like the one she did before. However, she wasn¡¯t as lucky as the first time, and some of them managed to bite her. ¨CMiss! ¨C10 ¨CMiss! ¨C7 Since Silvia¡¯s HP bar was still high, she didn¡¯t bother to take [Health Potions]. She used her skill [Stab] to attack one of the rabbits. Silvia¡¯s STR was high at this point, and the Rabbits¡¯ DEF was low, so needless to say that her damaged output against them would be enormous. What¡¯s more, her [Stab] skill had a 50% chance ofnding a Critical Attack if she attacked her enemies¡¯ weak spot. It was a piercing attack that dealt true damage too. ¨C45 Critical Hit! Silvia grinned with glee. She could actually win this if she could keep this up! Her eyes glint dangerously while the evil smile on her face widened. It¡¯s time to make them as nothing more than rabbit meat and foot. The rabbits attacked again, and Silvia avoided them once more while activating [Stab] again. Since it was a skill, the amount of MP it required was only -10; hence Silvia could activate her skill at least four times. Enough to reduce the number of rabbits to two and finish them offpletely. There was no MP potion avable yet, so Silvia couldn¡¯t replenish her MP. She wasn¡¯t worried, though. She was confident that she could kill the Hordes of Horned Rabbits and maybe acquired first blood from killing them? Silvia felt the excitement racking her veins, and this caused her to miss a step and fail to avoid the remaining three rabbits¡¯ attack. ¨C16 Critical Hit! ¨C17 Critical Hit! ¨C9 Silvia immediately consumed her [Health Potions] [Consumed Health Potions x2] [Number of Health Potions Left: 5] Silvia and the Horned Rabbits kept going at it until she managed to reduce their numbers to one. By this time, she only had two [Health Potions] left, and her weapon¡¯s durability was reduced to half. In contrast, her MP was nothing but a ring zero. Silvia wasn¡¯t worried. She was smiling from ear to ear. She was sure of herself that she could kill the remaining rabbit with just her basic attacks. Only one Horned Rabbit left, and she could finally taste her sweet revenge and those high EXP points. This Horde of Horned Rabbits was in the bag. Silvia thought and smirked. Silvia was confused when a notification popped on her screen, and before she knew it, a giant Horned Rabbit jumped beside the remainingst one. ¡°What the¨C¨C!¡± Before Silvia could react, arge shock wave went out from the Giant Rabbit¡¯s mouth. It was toote to dodge, and Silvia was hit right on by the loud vibration. The shock wave rang her eardrums, and she got dizzy from the ringing in her ears. She was stunned, and her body couldn¡¯t move in ce. ¨C57 SHIT! Surprised was an understatement when Silvia¡¯s HP bar went down fast right before her eyes. She didn¡¯t know what had happened . . . but one thing was for sure . . . She was going to die ¨C¨C AGAIN! The skill [Screech] of the Horned Rabbit sessfully managed to activate despite the low percentage of sess. What were the odds? Silvia thought. She wanted to curse out loud. The Horned Rabbit Queen that appeared out of nowhere was surely stronger than the rest of the puny rabbits. The title Queen gave away to how strong it was. Silvia didn¡¯t have to use a [Monocle] to know. Just that single shock wave alone almost depleted her HP in a single strike. What¡¯s more, she only had two remaining [Health Potions], enough to full her HP once. But she didn¡¯t have any potions tobat the paralyzing effect on her! She was doomed! Silvia contemted whether to dy the inevitable and continue to struggle and try her luck if she could defeat that thing that appeared out of nowhere, hoping that the paralyzation would disappear soon before it couldunch another attack. It must be their mother or something. Silvia mused to herself. She couldn¡¯t evenugh at her predicament. If she died now, the EXP penalty was surely going to be enormous because of the appearance of another strong beast. She couldn¡¯t afford another huge ATP loss! Silvia¡¯s advantage over the others would disappear, and it was like she was back from square one! Maybe it was even better if she deleted her ount and recreated a new one? A new avatar¡¯s ATP might be higher than the one she had if she died again. Silvia bit her lips when the Horned Rabbit Queen moved together with thest remaining smaller Rabbit. She could only watch helplessly as her death was fast approaching in the form of two pairs ofrge saliva-coated buck teeth. WhoOsShH! The sound of gushing winds and the smell of burned fur and flesh awoke Silvia from a bad dream. And when she opened her eyes, the broad back of a man dominated her view. Who? Silvia was taller than most women, but the man in front of her was taller than her by inches, donned in robes and face hidden by a ck cloak. He had a pet that was exclusive only to the Hunter and Animist ss, but he could cast fire like a Mage. Silvia was confused. There was nothing like that from the information she had gathered. And definitely not something she read from the developerscking guide on their website. Then it could only mean one thing. ¡°Are you . . .¡± Silvia pried for the stranger¡¯s eyes, but she still couldn¡¯t see amidst his dark hood. ¡°An NPC?¡± Silvia¡¯s eyes shone. Did she triggered an event or what? ¡ª- A/N Support with reviews and PS if you like the story ?? CHEERS! Chapter 20 A/N Dear Readers, If you see plot holes, mistakes, ring contradiction, chances are my mind is a mess that day, i overlooked, i was thinking of another thing or simply forgot. Just point it out and i¡¯ll edit it. No need to go on ballistic with me ???? CHEERS! ¡ª- A Horned Rabbit Queen? Ren was surprised that thest remaining rabbit that would have otherwise granted Silvia her sought-after victory had sessfully summoned the Queen of all Horned Rabbits. Ren didn¡¯t expect Silvia tost this long, facing the Hordes of Horned Rabbits alone. If he had to be honest. And she proved him wrong when she was about to defeat them without anyone¡¯s help ¨C¨C if only the Horned Rabbit Queen didn¡¯t appear. What were the odds that the low percentage skill [Screech] of the Horned Rabbit would be activated sessfully at thest minute? And actually, summoned the Queen of Horned Rabbits no less? The Horned Rabbit Queen was a rare beast at this point in time but amon beast in thetter part of the game that could only be encountered if its children sessfully activated their skill [Screech]. By that time, the Horned Rabbit¡¯s skill [Screech] would already reach LV.7, so naturally, the sess rate of summoning their Queen Mother would also increase. In this early game, killing a Horned Rabbit Queen would surely give huge EXP and Gil. What¡¯s more, its meat was ingredients in many cooking recipes and fetched a high price when sold. But killing it with only a single digits ATP was impossible. Ren didn¡¯t know if Silvia¡¯s LCK was good or bad. At this rate, she was surely going to die. Yep. She was going to die. Ren thought when Silvia was afflicted with the paralyzing status. Ren immensely enjoyed seeing Silvia¡¯s usual calm and arrogant face crack. It made her human and reachable. Anyway, Ren was contemting whether to help Silvia or not. But at the appearance of the Horned Rabbit Queen, he decided to help her. There were advantages if he did help her. The meat of the Horned Rabbit Queen would surely fetch an excellent additional 5 000 Gil to his money . . . Silvia would owe him a debt which she would surely pay in cash. The only disadvantage Ren had was that she would know that he could cast Fire and would surely doubt his ss even if he portrayed himself as a Hunter or Animist because of Pii. Ren pondered some more, but he quickly decided upon seeing that the Horned Rabbits were going to attack again. Ren entered the fighting range and pressed to join in the fray before he cast [Fire] over the Horned Rabbit Queen. Ren¡¯s INT was way higher than the rest, enough to reduce the Horned Rabbit Queen¡¯s HP bar to more than half with a single critical hit. ¨C574 Critical Hit! [ Horned Rabbit Queen suffered from BURN ¨C5% HP every minute ] ¨C40 (BURN) Silvia was surprised by the amount of damaged that the stranger inflicted on the Horned Rabbit Queen. He appeared to be in the Hunter or Animist ss based on the beast-like pet on his shoulder. But he cast magic damage like he was a mage. No yer was capable of that unless . . . ¡°Are you . . . an NPC?¡± Ren faced Silvia with a serious expression, though all the woman saw was hazy fogy darkness inside his hood. ¡°That¡¯s not important. Do you want to live and gain an enormous amount of EXP?¡± Silvia was confused at the NPC¡¯s words. Was this an event? Did she triggered something? But where¡¯s the option that should have popped on her screen? Or was it voice-operated? ¡°Hurry up.¡± Silvia was still confused and nodded without thinking. She was still trying to guess Ren¡¯s ss and whether he was an NPC or not. She was straining her neck if she could see inside the hood of his cloak to no sess. Ren wasn¡¯t bothered and asked, ¡°How much?¡± ¡°. . . Huh?¡± Silvia became even more confused. Ren grinned and extended a hand. ¡°How much for your life?¡± ¡°. . .¡± Silvia¡¯s jaw dropped. What was he talking about? Was he talking about Gil? Is that the payment for his help? Or was it part of an event? ¡°And in case you¡¯re wondering, I¡¯m talking about real money,¡± Ren said and avoided the attack of the Horned Rabbits. With his AGI, it was a breeze. Since Ren¡¯s attacks were higher than Silvia¡¯s, the [Aggro] of the enemies were on him, and he became the priority target of the two Horned Rabbits. Ren didn¡¯t flinch, though, since his DEF and AGI were high. He could cast [Fire] multiple times if he wanted to and finish the fight before the Horned Rabbits could move again, but he decided against it. He wanted to talk to Silvia first and make a deal with her. ¡°Hurry up. I don¡¯t have all day.¡± Silvia was jolted awake from her confused state by Ren¡¯s monotone and cold voice. It was a first time that a man had spoken that way to her. She was used to everyone¡¯s attention and affection. All men she knew turned docile and idiotic upon facing her. Their hard voice melted mellow, and their cold facades cracked uponying eyes on her beautiful face. She didn¡¯t have to make an effort. Her charms were enough to make all men bow before her. He was definitely an NPC. Silvia thought. ¡°Are you an NPC?¡± Ren¡¯s eyelid twitched. ¡°Ask me that again, and I¡¯ll kill those beasts myself and take all their EXP and loot. Silvia¡¯s eye rounded, and she restrained a gasp from escaping her lips. He was a yer! A beta tester, then? That would exin the high damage and the weird-looking beast coiling on his neck. Beta Testers had an unfair advantage over regr yers. They already knew half the game before it was evenunched. It was where Silvia got some of her information, too, by paying a huge amount of money so she could acquire the Beta Testers guidebook of COVENANT. It wasn¡¯t much, but it had more information than the guide on the developer¡¯s website. If so, then Silvia¡¯s LCK hadn¡¯t run out! She could still get out of this predicament! ¡°How much do you want?¡± Silvia immediately offered. If this was going to be resolved with money, then it wasn¡¯t a problem for her. Ren¡¯s smile stretched. ¡°How much can you give?¡± With an arrogant and overbearing woman like Silvia, she would surely not ept anything less. And with her fortune, money wasn¡¯t a problem. And Ren wouldn¡¯t have Silvia in any other way. Rich, arrogant, prideful customer who wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to question her capabilities and power. It was the reason why Ren loved rich and overbearing people the best. Ren¡¯s grin widened when Silvia¡¯s cold fa?ade cracked. She bit her lip and red at him with rosy cheeks and a flushed face. She was indeed beautiful, and Ren was one of those men who had a secret crush on her. Too bad that Ren¡¯s one true love is money. Silvia gritted her teeth and hissed through the gap of her clinching teeth. ¡°How about ten thousand real money? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s more than enough.¡± Ren didn¡¯t flinch and said in a monotone voice, ¡°The EXP reward for the Hordes of Horned Rabbits is about 700. But since one of them sessfully called the Horned Rabbit Queen, then what EXP you¡¯ll receive would double. BUT . . . ¡°If you died, then your ATP would surely suffer a tremendous blow enough for you to consider recreating your ount. Are you willing to forfeit your advantage and start all over again?¡± Silvia¡¯s face darkened. Ren¡¯s lips twitched at the side. He had her. ¡°Surely the daughter of a billionaire could offer more than that. If not, then I¡¯ll just let them kill you before I defeat them and take all their EXP and loot.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Is he serious?! ¡ª- A/N Next Update is next week or SAT. I have my hands full the remaining days toe. Please be patient and await my return. ?? I shall return shortly! CHEERS! Chapter 21 Ren¡¯s lips twitched at the side. ¡°Surely the daughter of a billionaire could offer more than that. If not, then I¡¯ll just let them kill you before I defeat them and take all their EXP and loot.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Is he serious?! H-How . . . How despicable! Silvia thought and added in her head. And ungentlemanly! Silvia didn¡¯t mind that the stranger knew who she was. Everyone knew who she was. It was a given as long as you live in the real world and the inte was a thing. Ren tilted his head to the side. ¡°A Horned Rabbit Queen is rare and hard to find in this newbie forest. You might not get the same chance again even if you re-enter again and again. ¡°While their aggro is still on me, I¡¯m giving you a chance tost hit them and take all the EXP for yourself and all of this for just a cash in your pocket.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Your choice.¡± Silvia¡¯s smile dropped from her face. The man was clearly taunting her with the rewards and her family¡¯s money. Never in her life was she pressed like this and by a man no less! He¡¯d surely steal her kill if she refused, and she was left with nothing but the death penalty. However, if she agreed, she had to offer money that was befitting of her identity. She knew that he was merely baiting her, but her pride refused to pay anything less than she deserved. Though it was merely death in the game, Silvia refused to pay cheap for her life. She knew her worth both in-game and out. Silviaposed herself and offered with a skewed smile on her lips. He wanted to challenge her wealth. Then . . . so be it. ¡°Then how about one hundred thousand real money?¡± said Silvia with an overbearing tone, looking down at Ren through the gap of her nose. It was a huge amount of money, and she was sure that it was more than enough as payment. Ren merely smiled. Yes. That¡¯s how he wanted Silvia to be. Prideful and arrogant. Else, how could he extort money from her and all the other overbearing young masters and mistresses in the future? ¡°Deal.¡± Ren faced the Horned Rabbit Queen. ¡°Oh, and before I forget, the Horned Rabbit Queen¡¯s meat is mine.¡± ¡°W-what?!¡± Silvia shouted, but then she closed her mouth when she realized that she was deviating from her cool exterior. ¡°What would that leave me?¡± ¡°The other loots,¡± Ren said without a care. Silvia looked at Ren in incredulity. Never in her life was she treated like this. Was he even a man? No . . . was he even human? *Author: No, Ren¡¯s a Sprite. LELz ?? Silvia hesitated, and Ren teased, ¡°It looks like the Horned Rabbit Queen is about to attack. I better get out of the way before I¡¯m hit in the crossfire.¡± Ren was about to move when Silvia screamed. ¡°Fine. FINE! Just give me the EXP.¡± Ren stifled augh at Silvia¡¯s flushed face. Her expression was still hard, cheeks red, but her pair of ocean blue eyes were shaking, the only betrayal to her indifferent face. Ren immediately cast [Fire] before the Horned Rabbits couldunch their attacks. ¨C570 Critical Hit! [ Horned Rabbit Queen suffered from BURN ¨C5% HP every minute ] ¨C40 (BURN) ScCreEcChH! The Horned Rabbit Queen¡¯s final cry reverberated in the forest before it dissolved into white particles and vanished in thin air. While the remainingst Horned Rabbit jumped and attacked Ren with itsrge bucked tooth. Ren didn¡¯t even try to evade. His DEF was high, and no mere Horned Rabbit could cause a dent in his HP. ¨C1 Silvia¡¯s eyelid twitched. Even his DEF was high! He¡¯s undoubtedly a beta tester! Silvia thought with a nod. Ren ignored Silvia¡¯s astonished face and waved his hand at thest remaining Rabbit. ¡°Mydy.¡± Silvia didn¡¯t know whether to feel insulted or not. She couldn¡¯t see the stranger¡¯s face, but she wanted to smack it left and right. Come to think of it, how did he manage to hide his appearance? Was it the Cloak? Was it a rare item? ¡°Anytime now.¡± Silvia didn¡¯t have the time to ponder as Ren¡¯s bored tone rang in her ears. Swallowing her indignation, Silvia attacked the Rabbit with her rapier. Her [Paralysis] status was over a minute ago, and she directed all her anger and frustration at the poor Rabbit. ¨C27 Ren was a little surprised. He thought that Silvia could end the Rabbit¡¯s life in one stroke. But it seemed like her STR wasn¡¯t as high as he thought. Her MP was also zero, so she couldn¡¯t use any of her skills. Ren followed up with an attack of his staff since using his [Fire[ would surely end the Rabbit¡¯s Life. ¨C10 Silvia¡¯s eyes shone when the number appeared on top of the Horned Rabbit. She breathed easy, knowing that the stranger wasn¡¯t invincible. At least his STR was low. Then was he a mage since his INT was high based on the [Fire] he cast? Silvia thought to herself. But he was walking with a beast that was unique to the Hunter and Animist Subss. Was it a unique ss then? Silvia heard about those vague and rare sses that weren¡¯t avable in the selection at the beginning. But those rare sses listed in the guide that she bought from the Beta Testers didn¡¯t interest her. Was it one of them? Pii Pii uncurled from Ren¡¯s neck and attacked the Horned Rabbit with its tail. ¨C2 Silvia giggled at the very low damage. At least his pet wasn¡¯t powerful either. She thought, relieved. Ren wasn¡¯t affected by Silvia¡¯s mocking smile, and he rubbed little Pii¡¯s chin. ¡°Good job Pii.¡± Pii! Pii! Eventually, Silviast hit the Horned Rabbit, and she acquired the loot and EXP. Her resentment and reservation at Ren vanished at the sight of the EXP reward. Since Silvia and Ren didn¡¯t party, Silvia got all the rewards as the one whost killed their enemy. She got a whopping 2000 EXP. It was indeed more than enough topensate for her lost ATP before. The swindled one hundred thousand dors that she was going to pay was immediately erased from her mind, and she was even d that she made a deal with the stranger. Silvia faced Ren when thetter extended his hand. A handshake? Silvia hesitated. In real life, she didn¡¯t want a guy to casually touch her disguised as a handshake. Her feelings didn¡¯t change even in the game. But the stranger had saved her life. Surely, she could oblige just this once? Consider yourself lucky, you brute. Silvia thought. Hundreds had attempted to touch her hand, but only a few seeded. The stranger should feel quite honored. Silvia was about to shake Ren¡¯s hand when thetter retracted his arm and flexed his fingers instead like she had a rare disease that he didn¡¯t want to even graze. ¡°Hand it over,¡± said Ren with a monotone voice. Silvia looked over at Ren and asked with a flower sprouting over her head. ¡°Huh?¡± Ren flexed his fingers again. ¡°The Horned Rabbit Queen¡¯s meat.¡± ¡°. . .¡± At his demand, Silvia was reminded once more about their deal, and she grumbled under her breath. She was a little embarrassed for thinking about the handshake, and her face went red. This despicable man! How many times must he embarrass her? ¡°How am I going to send it to you?¡± Silvia knew how but she pretended not to know, hoping that she wouldn¡¯t give the meat just to spite him. But after she finished her words, a notification popped on her screen. ¡°. . .¡± Darn it. Ren smirked inside the hazy darkness of his hood. ¡°Well? Don¡¯t tell me the illustrious and dignified daughter of Sylvester Rutherford is going to break a deal?¡± Ren looked over at the sky while skimming his jaw with his fingers. ¡°If the world knows about it¨C¨C¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Silvia epted the request and immediately sent the Horned Rabbit Queen¡¯s meat over to Ren. ¡°Thanks. Nice doing business with you.¡± Ren turned and left the shocked Silvia in ce. Just like that. Without any more words and goodbyes. He was going to leave just like that. ¡°Wait! Your payment,¡± Silvia blurted. She was actually surprised that the stranger would just leave after he went all the trouble to extort her. Ren just waved his hand, not stopping for anyone. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you when I want the money.¡± ¡°Wha¨C¨C¡± Silvia didn¡¯t get to finish her sentence when Ren disappeared from her sight. . . . . . . Ren? Silvia rolled the word on the tip of her tongue. She was momentarily in a daze, and when she got her bearing back, the stranger in the hood was gone. A whole minute passed that Silvia just looked at where the man had left before she thought to herself. Ren . . . huh . . . Silvia¡¯s stoic face blossomed into a smile despite her annoyance with him. It might have been a good thing that she encountered him. A beta tester that knew the game more than the others was exactly what she needed. Money wasn¡¯t a problem. Silvia ced a hand on her tilted waist and flicked her sword to the side. ¡°We¡¯ll be doing business in the future with you, yer Ren,¡± Silvia muttered as she looked at Ren¡¯s name on her [List of Friends]. ¡ª- A/N I was going to update next week but decided to update now cause I have an ANNOUNCEMENT! NEW NOVEL! [My Evil System] My entry to WSA 2022 ^^ Its also has game elements but have system and apocalyptic events and heavy emphasis on Kingdom Building. You know the drill ^^ Do check it out and support through VOTES, REVIEWS and COMMENTS ^^ UPDATE RATE of this NOVEL will not decrease which is one/day ?? LELz SUMMON a BONUS chapter on the same day with every 500PS, 50GT and a SUPER GIFT. CHEERS! Chapter 22 As soon as Ren was out from Silvia¡¯s sight, he removed [Phantom Cloak], and his appearance was visible once more. He wasn¡¯t an idiot to parade inside Euclid Vige, knowing that Silvia was going to be there too. He also pressed the [Pet] section and had Pii stay inside his pet house in the [Home Screen]. ¡°Sorry, Pii. I¡¯ll have you apany meter. For now, stay in your home.¡± Pii~ When everything was done, Ren entered Euclid Vige and decided to wait for Leonel. Since his ATP was high, it was useless for him to grind in the newbie forest anymore. And Ren wasn¡¯t keen on epting errand quests in the vige that only provided him basic items. Ren also thought of going to the New Era bank tomorrow. If he was going to make money out of the information he gathered and the items he would make, he needed an untraceable ount that had the top of the line security that no one could ess, no matter who it was. And New Era Bank was number one in that department. But of course, it came at a high cost. Opening an ount alone costs a million dors with a maintaining bnce of another million. It also had a monthly fee of one hundred thousand dors for its services and protection. It was not the bank for the faint-hearted. But if you wanted legal and illegal dealings, then this bank is the number one choice to go. If Ren wanted his identity to remain hidden and protect his family and future, then he had to pay the price. An expensive price. Ren wasn¡¯t worried, though, since he could still open an ount even if he didn¡¯t have the money ¨C¨C yet. He would apply for an organ loan among the many loans they offered with a time frame of one year. He was confident that he could settle all the money by then. Yosh! Psyching himself up, he went back to An¡¯s house and knocked on her door. Since it was nighttime, most of the NPCs were inside their home. An gasped upon seeing Ren and the [Moonlight Flower] in his inventory. ¡°Is that . . . the Moonlight Flowers?!¡± Ren nodded and handed the [Moonlight Flowers x10] to An. An beamed, cheeks red in happiness. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± She then cupped her cheeks and said in a sorrowful voice, ¡°But I had nothing to offer you except a tale. Do you want to hear it?¡± YES! Ren wanted to shout a resounding ¡®YES.¡¯ An giggled at Ren¡¯s excitement, and his eyes wrinkled in glee. ¡°Well then . . . This is a story about the secret world, Fey Realm.¡± Ren¡¯s joy couldn¡¯t be contained. An¡¯s saw Ren¡¯s ecstatic face, which prompted her to tell the tale in an enthusiastic voice, ¡°Rumors have it that there is a secret portal leading to the elusive Realms of the Fairies. In the previous [Fairy Queen¡¯s Tomb], there lies a hidden room that contained the key to visiting the hidden [Fey Realm]. ¡°Gather your party and visit thend of the Fairies, where you delved into magnificent scenery and forsaken ruins. Explore the enchanted forest and recover fabulous treasures and unearth secrets of ancient magic.¡± An beamed and sped her hands on her back. ¡°I¡¯ve never been there before, but I heard that rare flowers and never before seen beasts are abundant in the Realm of the Fairies.¡± Ren was on his toes in sheer happiness. He did it! He really did it! He truly acquired one of the WORLD QUEST! Though it was only a simple World Quest out of many, but even with this, he would surely be a millionaire! Since he was the one who acquired the World Quest [Fey Realm], only he could trigger the event. But of course, it was up to him who he would bring along in his group. For the right amount, of course. As long as it was a World Quest, he could bring anyone to party regardless of race and ss. In the future, no matter how hard the yers trigger the event with An, she would no longer give out the Hidden Quest [Moonlight Flower] since Ren already triggered it first. The World Quest [Fey Realm] is a whole new dimension. At first, it was like a dungeon but only ten times harder, and the final boss was a [World Boss]. And it would be avable on the map once it was cleared, along with its many quests and areas to explore. And the rewards once it was cleared . . . Ren could only imagine. Being the first to clear this World Quest and defeat a World Boss guaranteed a tinum Chest or even a Crystal Chest, and this would surely be sought after by guilds by then. Ren would wait for the in-game currency and the guilds to be established to announce the World Quest [Fey Realms] to all. They needed to grind and level their ATP to three digits anyway before attempting a World Boss. There was no cap on the number of persons he could bring in, so auctioning the ticket to be in his party would surely make him rich with everyone who wanted toe and try their luck at a World Quest. In the game COVENANT, once partied and entered a dungeon, you can disband your members, and they wouldn¡¯t be forced out of the dungeon, as everyone believed. This wasn¡¯t a bug. It was purposely designed that way because the World Quest could only be triggered once and by a single yer. This allowed the other yers or the other guilds to have a chance of clearing the World Quest. This was to maintain the World Quest¡¯s scarcity and a sense of importance, promotespetitiveness within yers and excitement. If World Quest could be triggered by everyone, then the level of its allure goes down. However, if it was designed to be triggered only once then . . . everyone would be hype andpete for first blood. Though the Fey Realm would be avable once it was cleared the World Boss would be gone forever and it¡¯s many loots. What¡¯s left were ordinary bosses of the dungeons. But of course, the majority would only party with their guilds or groups of friends. But Ren had other ideas. He would bring only those who paid him the entrance fee. And once inside, it was a race on who could clear the World Quest first. Ren would give every guild/yer a chance to acquire first blood in clearing the [Fey Realm] in exchange for an enormous sum of money. I think it¡¯s a fair price. Ren thought with augh. After making sure that the World Quest [Fey Realm] was on his list of quests, Ren thanked An and proceeded to Emily to trade his [Cooking Recipes]. He didn¡¯t have the ingredients or tools to make them, so it was better to convert them into food form. Rather, Ren wasn¡¯t keen on making food from Recipes. He¡¯d rather have Emily convert them to food than prepare all the ingredients and tools necessary for it. It was a hassle. And it was not like the food would give a permanent ATP boost. At most, it would just be like a potion when consumed. ¡°Oh, are those!¡± Emily¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°Cooking Recipes! Gimme!¡± Ren almost shook his head. Emily was like him wanting money. A few minutester, Emily went out of her house and gave Ren the [Chocte Cake x1] and [Chocte Cookie x1]. Ren inspected the food¡¯s description as he walked back into the main vige after giving his thanks to Emily. ¡¬ C H O C O L A T E C A K E ¡¬ ¨C¨C a delicious sweet cake made from 100% cocoa, Four Horned Cow¡¯s full cream milk, and native farm Coacoododle¡¯s eggs. ¨C¨C restore 100% MP when consumed. ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ ¡¬ C H O C O L A T E C O O K I E ¡¬ ¨C¨C a deliciously sweet cookie made from 100% cocoa, Four Horned Cow¡¯s full cream milk, and native farm Coacoododle¡¯s eggs. ¨C¨C heals all status effects. ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren wasn¡¯t familiar with recipes and food since there were hundreds of them, and it was a waste of time for him to memories all of them. So he was surprised to find that the Chocte Cake and cookie were handy items to have. Especially the cookie where it could heal any status effect like that of an expensive [Panacea], which would only be avable in shops at ater time. Ren was nearing the main vige square when a notification popped on his screen. ¡ª- A/N I hope everyone reads the MAY Stretched Goals and support this poor author to continue writing ^^ CHEERS! Chapter 23 This time Leonel was calling via the game¡¯s messaging interface, which incorporated real-life phone numbers to enable your friends and rtives to call you when you¡¯re both ying in the game. Ren¡¯s heart thumped once more, and he answered the call with jumbled thoughts. ¡°Ren! Where are you? I¡¯m already in the game. Are you here yet?¡± Ren cleared his throat and said, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m at Euclid Vige.¡± ¡°Huh? There¡¯s another vige? I¡¯m at Ironto vige. Where is this?¡± asked Leonel with a scratch on his head. Ren sighed. Yep. Leonel didn¡¯t change. Not one bit. ¡°There is. There are hundreds of newbie viges, and the one you¡¯re in is miles away from me.¡± ¡°Oh, no! Does that mean we can¡¯t y together?¡± ¡°Just wait there. I¡¯ll go to you via the Teleportation Crystal.¡± ¡°Teleportation Crystal? What¡¯s that?¡± Ren sighed, and he shook his head. Leave it to Leonel, who didn¡¯t read even just one paragraph of the guide. He was the type of guy that would venture into the unknown unprepared and enjoy the thrill of the surprised. While I hate surprises. ¡°I¡¯ll exin to you as soon I get there. Don¡¯t leave the vige and wait for me.¡± ¡°Alright. Hurry. Others are already getting firstbloods here and there. We¡¯re already soooo behind!¡± Ren ended the call and hurried to the entrance of Euclid Vige. Along the way, he even spotted Silvia entering the vige, and he unconsciously avoided his eyes even though Silvia couldn¡¯t recognize him. The woman didn¡¯t even bother to spare him a nce as she zoomed past him and went straight to a woman with pink hair tied in twin buns standing at the side whose beautiful face was coated in worry. She looked lost from how her head was moving left and right while her blue eyes shook like she was about to cry. And based on her get-up, white Robes, and staff, she was a White Mage. ¡°Pam!¡± Ren heard Silvia say before he went out of the vige. Pam. Ren thought. He knew who she was. She was Silvia¡¯s best friend. Whether in the game or real life, the two were often seen together. Ren shrugged the women off his mind. He would retrieve his hundred dors from Silvia once he made an ount with New Era tomorrow. Ren ced his palms on the Crystal post glowing at the entrance of Euclid Vige. A warm light enveloped his palms, and the game automatically saved his stop. So that if he died unexpectedly, he¡¯d be respawned to Euclid Vige. The game system listed the avable newbie viges, and Ren pressed [Ironto Vige] before being engulfed with blinding white light. When he came to, he was at the entrance of Ironto vige. The newbie viges all had the same NPCs and quests, so Ren didn¡¯t bother with the NPCs here and went straight to Leonel with shaking steps. Along the way, Ren thought of Leonel¡¯s ss. A Dwarf Defender. The only Race that was a tank ss. And due to the dwarfs¡¯ short height and robust physique, not many took this Race. Not to mention that no one wanted to be a Tank. A ss with a lot of responsibility on the front lines and often the me in a group but none the fame. Due to this, Dwarf Defenders were rare and sought after by guilds, especially skilled ones. More so than an attack ss. But since Leonel was just ying for the fun of it, he was left behind by the others, and no guild wanted to take him in because he himself didn¡¯t know his skills nor what a Tank¡¯s main responsibility was. Leonel just wanted to be short, so he chose the Dwarf Defender on a whim. Ren slightly shook his head and chuckled. No matter. He would make sure to personally ¡®guide¡¯ Leonel to be the greatest Tank there is in the world of ARCADIA. There were many scenarios in Ren¡¯s head as to what his and Leonel¡¯s encounter would be like after ten years of not seeing the guy. But Ren never would have thought that the first thing he felt uponying eyes on his best friend was . . . dread. The excitement and happiness he felt all took a dive at Leonel¡¯s appearance. Leonel took the short height of a Dwarf and its robust physique, but his good looks didn¡¯t match the Dwarven Race at all. Not to mention that he added a thick beard on his baby face that only appeared like it was pasted on his lips and jaw. All passers-by were looking at him while holding theirughter. But Leonel was indifferent to it all. He just stood there, blue eyes shining, face beaming with excitement. Ren was about to turn back when Leonel spotted him. ¡°Ren! Ren! REN!¡± Leonel waved his hand and jumped on his toes. Upon Leonel¡¯s voice, every attention flickered at Ren, and thetter could only lower his head and look at the ground in hopes that everyone wouldn¡¯t see his face. ¡°Man! What took you so long?¡± Leonel said, grinning from ear to ear. He then twirled front and back, left to right. ¡°Look at this! I really became short! Now everyone has to look down on me while I don¡¯t have to be wary if I step onto something anymore!¡± Ren¡¯s face was indignant, and he asked with a monotone voice, ¡°Leo . . . why did you add a beard?¡± ¡°Eh? This?¡± Leonel rubbed his long thick beard, chest forward, beaming with pride. ¡°As a Dwarf, you have to have the beard. It¡¯s a staple for this Race! Don¡¯t you know? And here I thought that you know everything!¡± ¡°. . .¡± He then winked and posed in front of Ren. ¡°Does it look good on me?¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ren wanted to whack his head. But only managed a wry sigh. This was also Leonel¡¯s past appearance, but Ren didn¡¯t care at that time. Ren thought that something would change in this time due to him making ripples with the events and really thought that Leonel wouldn¡¯t choose a beard in this timeline, only to be left disappointed. Leonel was actually a good looking guy, but due to his weird taste and . . . even more bizarre mindset, girls distance themselves from him. ¡°Saya and Mike said that they¡¯ll enter the game tomorrow. And they wanted us to apany them buy their gaming pod.¡± Ren¡¯s heart thudded hard against his chest. ¡°Have you received their message to meet up at Hignd Mall?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t check my phone.¡± Leonel ced his hand on his hips. ¡°I¡¯ll be flying to Zone A tomorrow, and they said to meet up for lunch. Then we can enter the game together after we finish buying their gaming pod!¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ren didn¡¯t speak. If he did, he¡¯d only disagree with meeting with Saya, and Mike and Leonel would never stop asking why. In this timeline, the four of them were still close. Leonel didn¡¯t overthink Ren¡¯s silence since he was indeed a quiet guy, to begin with. ¡°Ren, let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s do some quests together.¡± Leonel grabbed Ren¡¯s hand and pulled him to every NPC he saw. This was also the reason why Ren didn¡¯t do the normal/errand quests in Euclid vige. He wanted to do the quests with Leonel so he wouldn¡¯t suspect that he entered the game way before him. In the end, Ren still became an errand boy for the NPCs together with Leonel. Chapter 24 ¡°Ren, why are we staying in this newbie vige again?¡± Leonel said and [Parried] another Crazed Wolf heading their way while Ren cast [Fire] to finish them off. Ren and Leonel have been grinding in Newbie Viges nonstop for four days, which meant four hours in real-time. As Ren expected, having a tank in the team made things a lot easier. Ren mused to himself. [ACQUIRED! ? Wolf¡¯s Fang x1 ? 5 gil ] Ren was surprised that Leonel was very good at following orders. His decision-making skills and awareness werecking, but Ren covered him for that. All he got to do was follow his lead and everything went smoothly for them. ¡°Damn. We don¡¯t even earn EXP anymore from the beasts here.¡± Leonel sat on the ground and grumbled, ¡°It was exciting at first, but after four days of grinding and doing the same thing in this newbie forest, it got boring really fast.¡± Leonel looked over at Ren. ¡°Others are already setting off to other towns and dungeons and doing quests and racking firstbloods while we¡¯re stuck here.¡± Ren raised a brow. ¡°Since when did you care about firstblood and quests? I thought, as long as you can y as a Dwarf, you¡¯re all good?¡± Leonel looked to the side, lips puckering. ¡°Well . . . if we¡¯re going to y this game, then at least we might as well aim for firstbloods, right?¡± Ren almost choked from his saliva. Since when did Leonel bepetitive? ¡°Good thingse to those who wait,¡± Ren said instead and turned to his heels to get back to the vige. Leonel shot to his feet and went after Ren. ¡°Remind me again why we¡¯re still in the newbie vige?¡± Leonel wasn¡¯t really interested in the answer as he ced both arms over his back. He just wanted something to talk about so he wouldn¡¯t get bored. Ren slightly shook his head. He had already forgotten how many times Leonel asked him the same question, and he answered with the same answer. Ren should have known that information only stayed in Leonel¡¯s mind for only a second. It was his mistake for exining with great enthusiasm every time he asked. ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t have a subss yet, and within the span of five days after the game¡¯s opening, a traveling merchant would appear in Newbie viges offering rare sses. They will then appear at random after that. If you miss this chance, you only have one in a million to reencounter them again. This is the only sure way to have that rare ss this early in the game without undergoing time-consuming, strenuous quests,¡± summarized Ren with a serious expression and added. ¡°This is my only chance to have the Arcanist subss now.¡± The earlier Ren became an Arcanist, the better since he could immediately level his list of spells and skills. ¡°Heeeh . . .¡± Leonel flung a booger from his nose and flicked it to the side before he snickered. Ren looked at his best friend and said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s not toote, you know. You can still change your race and acquire rare ss.¡± Leonel shook his head and waved his hand. ¡°Not a chance. If I can¡¯t be small in this game, then there¡¯s no point in me ying it.¡± He then stared at Ren with a puppy smile on his face. Tail wagging if he had any. ¡°As expected of our encyclopedia. You certainly know a lot about this game.¡± Ren¡¯s eyes looked dead to the side and lied in a bored tone. ¡°This information is avable on the if you¡¯re patient enough to search.¡± It was a half-lie. Others who have money purchased guides from beta testers. But of course, the majority still didn¡¯t know about this information. Leonel stifled augh, eyes turning crescent. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I hate spoilers, and I¡¯ll just forget it in a matter of minutes.¡± Why do you look so proud? Ren thought and sighed. In a way, Ren was thankful that Leonel was simple-minded. Everything he said, Leonel took it without a shred of doubt. Ren didn¡¯t know if it was a good or bad thing. Back in the vige, Ren wanted to go back to the Inn and past another day. He was too tired to have his hope crushed again and again with the traveling merchant¡¯s none appearance. Tomorrow was thest day. They would surelye without a doubt. Ren thought. Ren could go to other viges and towns or form a group to enter dungeons like the majority did and go back to the newbie vige to check if the merchant had arrived. However, Ren had a perfectionist side. He couldn¡¯t rest knowing that there was something in his mind. And currently, acquiring the Arcanist subss took priority! Anything besides that could wait. Another thing, the traveling merchant only stayed within four hours in the newbie vige before they disappeared, and Ren didn¡¯t want to take that chance and miss them. It was the reason why he went back to Newbie Viges every four hours together with Leonel. If it were only him, he would wait in the vige for them toe within the span of five days. But since Leonel couldn¡¯t wait on his feet for even a minute, Ren had no choice but to keep him entertained through grinding. It was like taking care of a child. Ren mused to himself. There was a hint of a smile on his lips, though. He was thankful that Leonel was going along with him withoutints. Leonel¡¯s tap on his shoulder halted Ren from going in the Inn¡¯s direction. ¡°What¡¯s that? That looks new,¡± said Leonel as he pointed towards the direction of the small square. Not many yers were present in the Newbie Vige anymore since four days had already passed in the game. And in real-time, it was so early in the morning that many were still sleeping, snoring in their dreams. So a horse-drawn wagon with the words ¡®ssless Merchants¡¯ written along its wooden walls stood out like a sore thumb in a non-crowded square. A spirited Fairy flew around and around, attracting customers to buy their wares. While a grumpy gnome was wearing a peculiar ne with a soft glowing crystal at the center was lying sideways on the driver seat with a hand supporting its head upright. He was looking bored and chewing on a wheat in his mouth. Ren¡¯s eyes shone at the sight of them, and he immediately pulled Leonel along with him. ¡°It¡¯s finally here.¡± Ren went over to inspect the wagon with Leonel in tow. ¡°Hello there, adventurers! Something catches your fancy?¡± the fairy said. Her little body twinkled here and there, and there was a cute smile on her face. ¡°Whoa! Ren, look! A real fairy!¡± Leonel pointed wide-eyed while the fairy giggled at Leonel¡¯s silly face. He then skipped and pointed at the gnome. He looked over it from head to toe before his grin widened, beard shaking when he spoke, ¡°Ren! Look! Look! A real gnome! They really have pointy ears andrge pointy noise! And they¡¯re green and ugly as hell!¡± Hairtoe¡¯s slit eyes pierced Leonel, and he snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear the word ugly from someone like a dwarf with a fake beard.¡± [Your rtionship level with Hairtoe dropped from Strangers to Ruffian!] Chapter 25 [Your rtionship level with Hairtoe dropped from Strangers to Ruffian!] ¡°Huh?¡± Leonel was confused. He did know about the rtionship level of NPCs because Ren exined it to him before, but he didn¡¯t know nor care about the gravity of such things. ¡°Ruffian?¡± Leonel muttered. He looked at Ren and tilted his head with a flower sprouting over it and a wolfish smile on his lips. ¡°Ren, I think the ugly gnome doesn¡¯t like me.¡± Ren smacked his hand over his face, and he immediately pushed Leonel back to the Fairy when Hairtoe was about to wrestle Leonel to the ground. ¡°Leo, why don¡¯t you look at the items here while I speak with Hairtoe? I need to have my subss first.¡± ¡°Fine. Fine,¡± Leonel said without a care and went over to the Fairy. Rubbing his hands together, he said, ¡°Show me what you¡¯ve got.¡± The Fairy beamed, cheeks full and lips pouty. ¡°Here you go!¡± ¡¬ C L A S S L E S S M E R C H A N T ¡¬ ? I T E M S ¡ñ Elixir (100 000 gil) ¨C¨C the highly sought-after Miracle Elixir! ¨C¨C restore HP and MP to full ¡ñ Full HP Potion (5 000 gil) ¨C¨C restore HP to full ¡ñ Full MP Potion (10 000 gil) ¨C¨C restore MP to full ¡ñ Panacea (5 000 gil) ¨C¨C heals all status effect ? W E A P O N ¡ñ Excalibur (4 700 000 gil) ¨C¨C a one-handed sword that only true knights may wield. ¨C¨C STR +47 ? A R M O R (4 000 000 gil) ¡ñ tinum Armor ¨C¨C a silvery armor that is a sight to behold ¨C¨C DEF +40 ? S H I E L D ¡ñ tinum Shield (2 000 000 gil) ¨C¨C a silvery shield that is a sight to behold. ¨C¨C HP + 20 000, DEF +20 ? A C C E S S O R I E S ¡ñ Fairy Shoes (2 000 000 gil) ¨C¨C this set of winged shoes will fly you wherever you want to go ¨C¨C ignore terrain restrictions ¨C¨C DEF +4, AGI +10 ¡ñ tinum Gauntlets (500 000 gil) ¨C¨C its silvery shine is a sight to behold ¨C¨C HP +10 000, DEF +10 ¡ñ Queen Fairies Plume (40 000 000 gil) ¨C¨C a fallen feather from the Queen of Fairies. ¨C¨C SUMMON, Titania, the Queen of Fairies ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ ¡°Whoa! What the heck?! What¡¯s up with all these zeros? They¡¯re all fucking expensive!¡± Leonel checked his 2 435 gil before looking at the Fairy with a gaping mouth. ¡°Who the heck could afford this?¡± No one. Ren thought. The items the ssless Merchant sells were mid tote-game items, so of course, the ludicrous price tag. And the items changed, matching the race and ss to the yer inspecting their wares. However, having those items early on would surely catapult you to the top. Too bad that by the time the in-game currency was introduced, the ssless Merchant was already roaming the whole ARCADIA and would take extreme LCK to reencounter them. Even Ren, the head of the information gathering department, didn¡¯t know where they would appear next. In the past, when the in-game currency was taking effect, those who did encounter them early in the game suffered hair loss from frustration. Because they met at random, most didn¡¯t bring enough money for their items, and it was forever the regret of their lives. If they only acquired those items, they¡¯d surely be one of the tops in rankings in the middle andter part of the game. Ren left Leonel with the Fairy and walked towards Hairtoe. ¡°Is that ugly dwarf your friend?¡± Hairtoe asked the moment he saw Ren in his line of sight. Ren could say ¡®no¡¯ because he was afraid his rtionship level with Hairtoe would plummet to Ruffian, and he wouldn¡¯t give him the Arcanist Subss. But . . . ¡°Yes,¡± answered Ren without a hint of regret. He owed too much to Leonel to ignore him again. He¡¯d rather take the strenuous quest to be an Arcanist than pretend that he and Leonel didn¡¯t know each other all for the sake of a game. Hairtoe¡¯s face wrinkled into a frown. ¡°Tell him never to set foot in front of me, or I¡¯ll cut his beard with my rge pointy nose.¡¯ HMP!¡± Augh . . . Ren was d that there wasn¡¯t a drop in their rtionship level, but Hairtoe was like Leonel. They¡¯re both immature and short! ¡°Hmm . . . I see that you¡¯re still a mortal.¡± Hairtoe rubbed his pointy chin and looked at Ren up and down. Finally, Ren thought. Hairtoe¡¯s face grew solemn as he sat straight on the driver¡¯s seat and leaned towards Ren before speaking with a grating voice. ¡°Allow me to tell a tale, adventurer.¡± Here were go. Ren didn¡¯t want to skip and risk his rtionship dropping and lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get the Arcanist Subss this early game. Actually, if a yer with an already existing subss approached Hairtoe, thetter would just snob the former and pretend to sleep in the driver¡¯s seat of his wagon. ¡°My name is Hairtoe, and I was a gnome adventure myself, like youd. One day I stumbled across an interesting magical item during my career as a mercenary.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re an adventurer?¡± Ren cut in. ¡°Shush! Let me finish first.¡± Ren pursed his lips tight. Hairtoe coughed before he continued, ¡°As I was saying. I was a gnome treasure hunter. Finding lost forgotten relics was my game.¡± Augh . . . ¡°Behold, this is the Lost Ne of the Gods!¡± Hairtoe said and showed Ren the ne on his neck. ¡°This would allow ordinary mortals like you into the path of Godhood!¡± I doubt it. Ren thought, though his face was still listening to Hairtoe¡¯s nonsense seriously. ¡°I had traveled across viges, towns, cities, kingdoms, realms and had aided many beings like you into the path of Gods. Now . . . it¡¯s your turn, adventurer. Are you ready to be a God?¡± Augh . . . that line was so cheesy, but Ren still managed to nod his head. He couldn¡¯t even speak from the hives erupting on his skin, and it wasn¡¯t brought about by his soon-to-be subss, that was for sure. Hairtoe nodded.¡± Hmm . . . very good. Then ce your hand over the crystal and call upon your heart¡¯s desire!¡± My desire is money. Ren thought and ced his palms over Hairtoe¡¯s ne. ¨C¨C others fear the unknown, but you embraced it. Death is your ally, and everything rots are within your grasp. ¨C¨C time is but a number, and you mold it in the palm of your hands. ¨C¨C past, present, future. None of that matters in your eyes of all-knowing. ¨C¨C the brain is your weapon, and knowledge is your power. Chapter 26 ¨C¨C the brain is your weapon, and knowledge is your power. Ren pressed a resolute without a second thought. ¡°Are you sure you want the [Arcanist] Subss, adventurer?¡± Hairtoe asked, eyes stretched wide and lips grinning with sharp teeth on disy. Ren was tempted to press [Skip] but restrained himself. He was getting impatient from all the roundabout ways of getting his subss, which showed in his tone of voice. ¡°YES!¡± Hairtoe didn¡¯t mind Ren¡¯s voice, and heughed in glee. ¡°Alright. From now on, you are an ARCANIST! Your brain is your weapon, and knowledge is your power!¡± Augh . . . you just repeated the Arcanist description. ¡°Uncover the secrets of ARCADIA and further your knowledge about the world, and you will surely be invincible.¡± The crystal ne on Hairtoe¡¯s neck glowed, and Ren was enveloped in a warm light. But in the others¡¯ eyes, he was just talking normally with Hairtoe. Other yers already talked to the grumpy gnome only to be snubbed by him. In their mind, Ren was just wasting his time, and they resumed whatever it was they were doing. Ren was over the moon, and he immediately checked his stats. ¡¬ S T A TU S ¡¬ Name: Ren Age: 19 Race: Sprite ss: Mage Subss: Arcanist Eye Color: Silver Hair Color: ck A T T R I B U T E S: HP: 65 +100 MP: 80 +100 STR: 3 DEF: 64 MDF: 9 +5 INT: 66 +10 AGL: 54 LCK: 126 +5 S K I L L S: ? Mana Conversion LV.1 (Passive) ¨C¨C 10% replenish mana upon a sessful hit S P E L L S: ? Heal LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 5 MP ¨C¨C single target ¨C¨C 10% replenish HP ¨C¨C 1 Min. cool down ? Fire LV.2 ¨C¨C cost 10 MP ¨C¨C inflict 10% fire damage based on INT ¨C¨C single enemy target ¨C¨C 2 sec. cool down ? Teleportation LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 50 MP ¨C¨C teleport within 1000m distance ¨C¨C x1 day ? Grimoire LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 50 MP ¨C¨C 10% percent chance of using 50% power of any Spell book, Skill book, and Scrolls without restriction to race or ss L I F E S K I L L S: Cooking: Beginner Fishing: Beginner Foraging: Beginner EXP: 5000 Money: 10 447 gil I T E M S: ¡ñ Newbie Garb x1 (Equipped) ¡ñ Long Staff x1 (Equipped) ¡ñ Protection Ring x1 (Equipped) ¡ñ Phantom Cloak (Legendary) x1 (Equipped) ¡ñ COVENANT¡¯s map x1 ¡ñ Pelka Meat x 143 ¡ñ Premium Meat x7 ¡ñ Horned Rabbit Queen¡¯s Meat x2 ¡ñ Midnight Fur x5 ¡ñ High Potion x5 ¡ñ Chocte Cake x1 ¡ñ Chocte Cookie x1 ¡ñ Gold Pix Axe x1 ¡ñ Gold Knife x1 ¡ñ Cat Suit (Crafting) x1 ¡ñ Cat ears (Crafting) x1 ¡ñ Cat tail (Crafting]) x1 ¡ñ Lolita Headdress (Crafting) x1 ¡ñ ck Cloak (Forging) x1 ¡ñ Phantom w (Forging) x1 ¡ñ ck Ribbon (Rare) x1 ¡ñ Phantom¡¯s Revenger (Rare) x1 ¡ñ Spellbook (?) x1 ¡ñ Skillbook (?) x1 ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren looked at his [Grimoire] spell. 10% chance was low, and only 50% power was worst ¡ª no wonder not many chose the Arcanist ss. Though the spell was OP in the long run, it was hard to level up. Ren needed at least a good amount of gil and time to buy books and scrolls for him to copy and execute so he could level his [Grimoire] spell. However, as long as the level increased, so as the percentage, and Ren had no problem spending some gil. And when he leveled it enough . . . he would surely be invincible like Hairtoe said. Ren gave Hairtoe his thanks before he pondered if he should use his [Skillbook (?)] and [Spellbook (?)] now that he was an Arcanist. It would surely give him a spell and skill unique to the Arcanist subss. ¡°. . .¡± Yosh. Ren made up his mind and used his [Skillbook (?)] and [Spellbook (?)]. It was better to level them this early and reap the benefits. And besides, Ren could still acquire [Crystal Chest]ter in the game. ¡¬ S P E L L S ¡¬ ? Heal LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 5 MP ¨C¨C single target ¨C¨C 10% replenish HP ¨C¨C 1 Min. cool down ? Fire LV.2 ¨C¨C cost 10 MP ¨C¨C inflict 10% fire damage based on INT ¨C¨C single enemy target ¨C¨C 2 sec. cool down ? Teleportation LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 50 MP ¨C¨C teleport within 1000m distance ¨C¨C x1 day ? Grimoire LV.1 ¨C¨C cost 50 MP ¨C¨C 10% percent chance of using 50% power of any Spell book, Skill book, and Scrolls without restriction to race and ss. ? Mind Pce LV. 1 ¨C¨C can store the details of a spell/skill you know/acquired in a room in your Mind Pce. ¨C¨C can use any spell/skill as long as it is stored in the room of your Mind Pce regardless of race and ss. ¨C¨C skill/spell depends on ATP ¨C¨C capacity: x5 ¨C¨C MP costs the same as the original spell/skill ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ ¡¬ S K I L L ¡¬ ? Mana Conversion LV.1 (Passive) ¨C¨C 10% replenish mana upon a sessful hit ? Probe ¨C¨C probe spells/skills of your enemies and store them in the empty room of your Mind Pce ¨C¨C 100% sess if LCK is higher WARNING! ¨C¨C cause dizziness for 10 seconds if Probe is unsessful. ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Ren blinked. It was the first time that he encountered such spells and skills. [Probe] and [Mind Pce] goes hand and hand. Was it because he used a skill/spell book simultaneously? Mind Pce was like [Grimoire] but only ten times better, less expensive, and more powerful since it depends on his ATP! The x5 capacity was low, but it could be leveled up, so he had no problem in that department! In fact, the spell was too perfect! And with [Probe], he could even store and use his enemies¡¯ skills and spells that otherwise weren¡¯t avable in book and scroll form. Like the unique set of spells/skills of [World Bosses] that couldn¡¯t be bought, replicated, or avable elsewhere! Ren definitely didn¡¯t regret using those books now! With this, he could just focus on leveling his Mind Pce! Ren couldn¡¯t contain his grin, and he was in an excellent mood as he approached Leonel, who was still arguing with the Fairy about the expensive price. Ren shook his head and pulled Leonel by the cor. The one thing he enjoyed with Leonel¡¯s Dwarven Race was that he could now drag him whenever he wanted. Though he was very heavy. Ren couldn¡¯t do it in real life since Leone was taller and heavier than him. ¡°You have to lower your prices! No one will buy from you if you keep this up! I¡¯m telling you this for your own good,¡± Leonel kept shouting at the Fairy while the other yers looked in their direction, snickering and pointing their fingers. Ren closed his eyes and lowered his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he grumbled, face flustered. By this time, the [World Chat] must be exploding about the appearance of the [ssless Merchant], and every viges and the one their in would be crowded with yers once more. Leonel took a turn and hugged Ren¡¯s leg, and thetter skidded to a stop. ¡°Ren! Those items and weapons are awesome! They have, like, two digits increase in your ATP! If we equipped it this early on, we would be invincible! But the price . . .¡± Ren looked at Leonel¡¯s shaking puppy eyes. Those were his eyes when he wanted something so badly. Ren sighed. ¡°We can¡¯t afford it. Maybe in the mid-game.¡± Leonel frowned and pouted. ¡°But at that time, it would already be toote! Others would acquire it too. You know more about this game than anyone else! There must be a way! I really want that armor and shield. Please! I¡¯m begging you!¡± Ren shook his head and repressed augh. Leonel¡¯s face was so funny when his faked beard was shaking. ¡°I can only research, but I can¡¯t do miracles. I can¡¯t just make gil appear whenever I want.¡± ¡°No! No! NO! There¡¯s got to be a way!¡± Leonel cried, and Ren shook his feet so he could escape Leonel¡¯s tight grip. But all of a sudden, Leone suddenly went still before he pointed his finger forward. ¡°Hey. What¡¯s that?¡± Ren looked over at where Leonel was pointing. What he saw was a group of yers converging in a single spot. There were five of them, so they attracted a lot of attention, and based on their aversion and the way their bodies distanced from one another, everyone seemed to be strangers. They must be a group put up together on the spot. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll go to a dungeon? There¡¯s one about an hour away from here, or so I heard.¡± Leonel was on his toes, and he had already forgotten about the ssless Merchant. Ren could only shake his head and sighed. Leonel¡¯s attention span was really just a minute or so before another attracted his eyes. ¡°They must be attempting the Thunder Cave,¡± Ren said. It was the only dungeon that was near Ironto Vige. And it¡¯s one of the elemental dungeons scattered near the newbie Viges. In Euclid Vige, it was the Frost Cave. ¡°We should definitely join them. I wonder if they needed more members.¡± Leonel was about to head in the group¡¯s direction when Ren stomped his shoes on his cape. ¡°Hold it.¡± Chapter 27 ¡°Hold it.¡± ¡°Urk!¡± Leonel skidded to a stop and stumbled on the floor from the sudden force. He looked over at Ren and asked. ¡°What? Don¡¯t you want to go there and check it out now that you have your subss?¡± He then peeked at Ren from the corner of his squinted eyes. ¡°You did acquire your subss, right?¡± Ren ignored him and exined, ¡°The dungeons in this world are different. It doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s near newbie viges that it¡¯s a newbie dungeon as well.¡± ¡°. . . It isn¡¯t?¡± Ren shook his head. It was another ploy of the developers¡¯ to toy with the yers. ¡°Though it appeared like it because low-level monsters are crawling inside that cave, the final Boss, however, is a whole other levelpletely. And attempting to clear it this early in the game and with only six yers . . .¡± Ren smirked. ¡°They¡¯ll be wiped out in a matter of seconds, and the death penalty will surely be enormous that they¡¯d be forced to recreate their ount and start all over again.¡± Leonel gasped. ¡°T-that . . . that hard?¡± Ren nodded. Leonel¡¯s eyes widened, and he looked over at Ren with a gaping mouth. ¡°How do you know that? Ren could you be . . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ren had a bad feeling when Leonel stared at him seriously in the eyes. He swallowed hard, and a sweat ran from the side of his face. ¡°Could you be a beta tester? Did you apply in secret?¡± Ren released a loud sigh and shook his head. ¡°I told you. If you know where to look, this information is avable on the.¡± In the form of a Beta Tester guide. Leonel chuckled and patted Ren¡¯s back since he could no longer reach Ren¡¯s head. As expected of our encyclopedia. Ren is really an excellent buddy to have. And very much quite handy! Leonel looked at the group and shifted his eyes at Ren. ¡°Should we warn them?¡± ¡°No. Are you an idiot? Nothing wille out good if you butt your nose in other people¡¯s business. Your kindness will only be repaid by scorn and unwanted remarks. Besides, they might not even enter Thunder Cave at all.¡± ¡°Mm . . .¡± Leonel hesitated. It was apparent on his face that he was keen on warning those groups, and Ren could only persuade him in another way. Leonel was na?ve and good hearted. But in this game, others would just take advantage of it. If he went and warned those groups not to enter the Thunder Cave, others would think that he was a beta tester and start to cling to him for information. At the same time, some would think of him as nothing but a crazy busybody who had other agenda for stopping their escapade into the dungeon. ¡°Leo, we should really log out from the game now. It¡¯s already six in the morning in the real world, and you still have to pact and fly over to Zone A, right?¡± ¡°Geh!¡± Leonel stood straight in rm, and he smacked his head with his big hand. ¡°That¡¯s right! Is that time already?!¡± ¡°Ren, I have to go ahead! My mother would kill me if he entered my room and found me gone!¡± Leonel essed his screen and pressed [Log Out]. Ren opened his mouth, but Leonel¡¯s body was already disappearing into particles, and before he was gonepletely, he left one final sentence with a grin on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t beteter! See you at Hignd Mall!¡± ¡°. . .¡± *sigh . . . Ren could only wryly shake his head at Leonel¡¯s short attention time frame. He then looked over at the group once more. Ren didn¡¯t tell Leonel about it, but someone in there had caught his eyes. A woman with long straight ck hair, big dark eyes, pointy ears, and a tall and alluring frame. She held a revolver in one hand, and a holster was strapped on her hips. And based on her appearance, she was an Elven Archer with a subss [Sniper]. ¡°Isolde . . . ,¡± Ren mumbled. Once upon a time in the past, when Ren wanted to prove that he wasn¡¯t a mediocre yer, he ventured into DarkWood Forrest all by himself. A Forrest that shouldn¡¯t be attempted alone. Needless to say, he was severely injured in DarkWood¡¯s Forrest and was about to die from the pointy end of a dead Troll¡¯s bark. With impable timing, Isolde came with her big guns and put bullet holes on the Troll¡¯s body, saving him in the process. She was together with a group, and their n all along was to let him die in the Dead Troll¡¯s hands and KS his kill, but she defied them, saying it was an act of cowardice. She was kicked out of her group that day. But she never cared nor med him. NO . . . she didn¡¯t even spare him the barest nce as she challenged everyone in her group to a PvP fight because she was pissed. Ren really thought that she would lose because it was 1 Vs. 4. But against all odds, she came out as the victor. After her group died in her hands and took her spoils of war, she disappeared deeper into the forest, and that was thest time Ren saw her. It was their first andst meeting with each other. Ren chuckled. He crossed his arms and tilted his head as he stared at Isolde, who was at the far end from the others. She stood out from the rest from her height alone. Hard face, strong back, and a very confident posture and expression. She was rather . . . cool. Even though it wasn¡¯t intended, he owed her a life. And he would repay it. A life for a life. Ren grabbed a yer passing from the side and asked, ¡°Hi. Do you happen to know where that group is going?¡± The yer was slightly surprised before he pointed at Isolde and herpanions. ¡°That group? They¡¯re going to attempt Thunder Cave.¡± As I thought. Ren mused and pondered for a moment. The yer must have thought that he wanted to join as well and he waved his hand and said with a sneer, ¡°Don¡¯t even think of joining those bunch. They¡¯re arrogant as hell and wouldn¡¯t let anyone with even a single-digit ATP in their group.¡± Ren frowned. Join them? Who in their right mind would join a six-member party attempting to clear Thunder Cave that even top guilds have a hard time clearing? They must be out of their minds or simply didn¡¯t know and underestimated the shrewdness of the developers of COVENANT. Numerous yers were crying and cursing in the past when they were lured by weak monsters in the Elemental Caves, thinking that it was a newbie dungeon that they could clear. But upon meeting the final Boss, they were reduced to nothing but crying and cursing adults¡¯ respawn in newbie viges. The death penalty was so enormous that they were forced to forfeit their advantages and recreate a new ount since their previous avatar¡¯s ATP all went down to zero. You can never cheat the death penalty of the game. Once one of your ATP hits zero, you have to pay the remaining with your other ATP until youplete all the EXP penalty. It was better to recreate a new avatar at that point. And after that, there was a petition signed to boycott the game if the developer didn¡¯t restore their previous avatar¡¯s ATP. Though the petition never came to fruition with just a hundred signatures because mostly those who attempted the Elemental Dungeons were yers who entered at the game¡¯s opening ¡ª the children of the privilege and the Beta Testers. And now, everyone could catch up and even the ying field. Ren shrugged. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± The yer nodded before he went on his way. Ren could hide his appearance and pretend that he was an Animist or Hunter with the [Phantom Cloak] and Pii, but he needed Isolde in the game since he didn¡¯t want to form a guild or join a guild, for that matter. He would create a mercenary group. A nomitment kind of group that would juste together if they were free to reap the benefits of Dungeons and Quests that otherwise couldn¡¯t be soloed. And he was thinking of recruiting Isolde. Ren needed her skills and the explosive power of her firearms in the future. Though Isolde would be part of the Gambino Guild that her family put up, his was just a nomitment kind of thing that had equal sharing of EXP, gil, and items. She could totally join if she wanted to. Like a sideline. Ren didn¡¯t need pro yers. What he wanted were loyal and earnest people like Leonel and Isolde, who wouldn¡¯t backstab him with just a rare item. Ren would ask themter about his ns, and for that to happen, Ren needed to show his real appearance to establish trust between him and Isolde. But of course, Ren wouldn¡¯t force them if they didn¡¯t want to. Ren took arge air intake before he went in Isolde¡¯s direction. Chapter 28 Isolde looked over at her group. Only five of them huddled together while their six-member, their leader, was still recruiting. They were strangers to her except Dolly, who she had known since she was young since they were ssmates all the time. But they were never close. Their rtionship was only to the level of being acquaintances. Dolly was also the one who asked her to join upon stumbling with each other a while back. They were going to attempt Thunder Cave together. They were the few who reached all their ATP to two digits. Their leader, Buck, a dude with beads of ck hair andrge front teeth, was recruiting other yers with two-digit ATP. And to verify if the yers were telling the truth with their ATP being in the two digits, once partied or added as a friend, the yers within your group or in your friend¡¯s list could view your ATP upon request and your approval. Isolde was feeling good at the moment. Everything was going smoothly so far. Shepleted quests after quests and grinded until all her ATP reached two digits and she hadn¡¯t died. Not once. She had a good feeling about clearing the Thunder Cave. Some yers within her group had already entered the cave though not deep since they¡¯d run out of HP and MP before reaching the Boss¡¯s room. Isolde believed it was because those yers didn¡¯t have enough members. At most, everyone formed groups of three since not many knew about the opening of COVENANT, so the scarcity of yers. And some weren¡¯t that good at using their skills, and theycked initiative and decision-making skills when facing an opponent. But now . . . they have four damage dealers and two healers. Against a newbie cave, Isolde thinks that it was enough. Isolde smiled to herself. Maybe their group would get firstblood. And whatever items and treasures they¡¯ll acquire inside would surely boost them to the top, and they would gain an enormous advantage over the others. She nodded to herself with a slight smile on her lips. ¡°Hello.¡± Isolde spun her attention to a man who was shorter by inches in height than her. He had a course of ck hair that was shorter at the back. His face was handsome, and his indifferent eyes attracted anyone who saw to look closer. He was a looker, especially with the aloof aura he portrayed. ¡°Hello.¡± Isolde nodded. ¡°If you want to join the group, then you¡¯re asking the wrong person.¡± She was not cold. She was direct to the point and hated wasting time. Isolde pointed in Buck¡¯s direction, who was busy asking yers for their ATP. ¡°That man is the one who is organizing this escapade and the leader of this group.¡± Ren¡¯s indifferent face didn¡¯t budge. Isolde was exactly like what he had imagined. She was the type who hated small talk and wasn¡¯t afraid to speak her mind and take action on the spot evident from his encounter with her in the past when she challenged everyone in her party to a PvP fight just because she was pissed at her group¡¯s reasoning and cowardice act. ¡°My name¡¯s Ren, and I don¡¯t want to join a group that I know will be wiped out in the Thunder Cave.¡± That got Isolde¡¯s attention, and he faced Ren with a serious expression. If he were being funny and spouting crazy to get her attention because of her family, like all the others he encountered, then she would personally p his face left and right for wasting her time. Isolde crossed her arms and looked down at Ren through her thickshes. ¡°And what made you say that?¡± If he didn¡¯t provide a thorough exnation that would satisfy her, then she would surely teach him a lesson for ruining her mood. Ren didn¡¯t mind Isolde¡¯s hostility. He knew her to be short-tempered and easily pissed off. ¡°First of all, assuming that Thunder Cave is a newbie dungeon all because it was near this vige is a grave mistake,¡± Ren stated and continued, ¡°What made you think that raiding that cave with only six-party members and only two-digit ATP would clear Thunder Cave?¡± Isolde opened her mouth to retort, but Ren beat her to it. ¡°Just because the monsters and beasts roaming in that cave were low-level and easily soloed? Or was it because of your ignorance of the cave andck of information about the Boss that was why you don¡¯t know the true horrors of the dungeons in COVENANT?¡± ¡°Wha . . .¡± Isolde was rattled because the stranger had a point. She cleared her throat and stood her stance with a straight back. ¡°And what made you believe that it wouldn¡¯t be cleared with just six yers? Have you met the Boss? Isolde ced a hand over her tilted hips. ¡°Based on what you said, it seemed like you know the Boss of Thunder Cave. Are you a beta tester? Or are you a poser who didn¡¯t want us to get firstblood at clearing the dungeon?¡± This was why Ren didn¡¯t want Leonel to butt in. If a yer were set on going, then he wouldn¡¯t see reason until he suffered defeat. But Ren had already prepared for this oue. He would try his best to persuade Isolde, and after that . . . it was entirely up to her. Ren¡¯s brow rose. ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Do you know what Boss is waiting for you in Thunder Cave?¡± Isolde raised her chin. ¡°. . . No. But we have four damage dealers and two healers.¡± ¡°Do you have a tank?¡± Isolde¡¯s eyelid twitch. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then your healers and mages are the first to die. They¡¯d be targeted left and right and couldn¡¯t support anyone when they¡¯re mostly fleeing and defending for their lives. Isolde¡¯s mood plummeted, and she snapped, ¡°Why are you telling me this exactly? What could you gain from telling me all this? This was the first time that we encountered each other. Except maybe that you don¡¯t want us to clear the dungeon because of some . . . unknown reasons. Your opinion doesn¡¯t matter here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Suit yourself . . . but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± Isolde tilted her head to the side. Was this his n all along? Asking her to be friends because of herst name? Could he be like everyone else who only got close to her because of her family? ¡°Decline if you want,¡± said Ren, ¡°But retrieve itter from your logs if you find out that I was telling the truth.¡± And before Isolde could open her mouth, Ren turned and waved his hand goodbye. ¡°If you see arge golden door with intricate carvings, don¡¯t enter at all cost.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Isolde watched Ren log out. His body dispersed in tiny white particles, and thest thing she saw was the smirk on his lips. ¡°. . .¡± How . . . infuriating. She then pressed and went to her [Logs] to delete his request from the [Trash Bin]. She was about to press delete when her finger stopped midway. There was something from the way he moved and talked that gave off confidence. Like he was so sure of what he was saying. Was he a Beta Tester then? But why help her? What could he possibly gain? Except for her family, Isolde couldn¡¯t think of another reason. She knew that she wasn¡¯t beautiful like Dolly. People would often forget her face the moment they looked away. The only thing they remembered were herst name. Isolde wasn¡¯t a naive idiot. She didn¡¯t believe for a second that Ren was telling her all that out from the goodness of his heart. Everyone and everything was apetition. ¡°. . .¡± Isolde¡¯s eyes rounded when she thought of something. Could it be . . . Isolde¡¯s cheeks puffed red, and the hard lines on her face cracked into a flustered expression. Could it be that . . . he likes me? ¡ª- A/N Okay, before you berate me with Isolde¡¯s personality, her character is truly like that. She¡¯s hard but also had a soft spot. Read seeding chapters to know more about her ?? Chapter 29 ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Dolly inquired after Ren dispersed from sight. She was curious because a handsome stranger was talking to Isolde. Could he be one of those ignorant men who were after Isolde for her name only to be left running away with their tails between their legs upon meeting her family? ¡°Him?¡± Isolde looked to the spot where Ren left a moment ago. ¡°No one. Just someone who spouted nonsense.¡± ¡°Really? What did he say?¡± Dolly inquired, eyes shining with a gawkers glee. Isolde shrugged. ¡°Just another random stranger that said we shouldn¡¯t attempt Thunder Cave.¡± Dolly pouted. ¡°Oh. Another one? What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°. . . Ren. I think,¡± Isolde said and offered no further ongoing conversation. ¡°Did you at least send a friend request? That Ren is rather hot. It would be a shame to let him go.¡± ¡°No. But he did,¡± Isolde said without a care. Dolly¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She and Isolde weren¡¯t close. Throughout their life, she and Isolde were ssmates, but they didn¡¯t have the same circle of friends. Isolde was eye-catching because of her height and intimidating pair of big eyes. Her face was average, and her strong personality repelled most of the boys. Her loner and silent character also didn¡¯t go well with some girls. But none dared to antagonize her because she was rumored to be the daughter of a long-standing line of a reputable mafia family. It was also one of the reasons that men were scared of even approaching her. The only ones who did were those who were interested in her family name. Right. Dolly ced a finger on her chin and looked over at the sky, thinking. There was a boy once who became her boyfriend only to leave her because Isolde was manlier than him. Pft! Dolly repressed the peals ofughter threatening toe out from her lips. That rumor always didn¡¯t fail to make her smile. Don¡¯t get her wrong. She had nothing against Isolde. She was neutral when dealing with her. Dolly probed, ¡°And?¡± ¡°I deleted it.¡± Dolly¡¯s jaw dropped, and her emerald eyes rounded. ¡°How could you? Is it still in your log? If you¡¯re not interested in him, then give me his number instead.¡± Isolde¡¯s eyelid twitched. Dolly was indeed a beautiful girl with a sultry face that could get any man on his knees. She was popr with the boys with her red waves, full bosom, and dainty waist. She had many male followers who did anything she asked. And it only continued to grow. Isolde didn¡¯t know why but she refused to hand Ren¡¯s number to her. Imagining that guy¡¯s cold face and confident voice fell in the hands of Dolly as a mere follower didn¡¯t do well with her. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have any right to give you his number,¡± Isolde said before she turned and left Dolly behind. ¡°Wha¨C¨C!¡± Dolly couldn¡¯t believe that Isolde snubbed her. They weren¡¯t close, but at least she expected her to act cordially towards her because they had been ssmates their whole life. Dolly gritted her teeth and sneered. ¡°What a pretentious bitch. Just say so if you like him. No need to y hard to get.¡± She then flipped her hair and crossed her arms under her breasts, secretly pushing them up. ¡°Hmp. Let¡¯s see if I¡¯ll help youter.¡± ¡ª- Eventually, Isolde and her temporary group all set forward with just six party members. They couldn¡¯t find any more yers that fit their requirements. The others were probably already exploring other areas and had already left the range of Newbie Viges a long time ago. They were the first big group with an all two-digit ATP to attempt Thunder Cave, and everyone¡¯s eyes and ears were on them. The [World Chat] exploded with their names, and they instantly became famous. While Dolly and the others enjoyed their fame, Isolde was still thinking about Ren¡¯s words. She was somewhat impulsive and straightforward and admitted that nning and scouting weren¡¯t her strongest points. And when Ren said some valid points to consider, she started to hesitate. Should she have bought that ridiculously expensive Beta Tester Guide? No. She wasn¡¯t keen on spoilers and she wanted the thrill of the adventure. Isolde shook her head and fisted her hands with a resolute face. Even if he was handsome and went all the trouble just to ask for my ID, I shouldn¡¯t waver. She thought to herself. But what if he was telling the truth? What if they really couldn¡¯t clear Thunder Cave with six-party members? Isolde bit her nail. Should I turn back and gather more information? ¡°. . .¡± Isolde shook her head before lightly pping her cheeks to wake her up. NO! She wouldn¡¯t know until she tried. Isolde nodded to herself. There couldn¡¯t be progress if she didn¡¯t face the challenges head on. And she wasn¡¯t raised to give up without even trying. Even if Ren was telling the truth, she still wanted to see it for herself. She would rather move forward and face the consequences of her action than be a coward and turn tail at the unknown. And besides, what if Ren was wrong? What if they could really clear Thunder Cave with just six of them? She would surely get an EXP boost and [tinum Chest] for getting firstblood. With this thought upying Isolde¡¯s mind, she didn¡¯t notice that they were already deeper in the jaws of Thunder Cave. Most of the monsters and beasts run tail upon the sight of them since their ATP was already high for the monsters inhabiting the cave. See . . . this is just a newbie cave. The beasts and monsters here could even be soloed. I bet the final boss is nothing to be scared off. Isolde mused to herself. However, her lips shut tight when after traversing the straightforward path up the cliff, they stumbled upon a gigantic golden door with intricate carvings on its frame. And Ren¡¯s words whispered in Isolde¡¯s ears. ¡°If you see arge golden door with intricate carvings, don¡¯t enter at all cost.¡± ¡°Is this is?¡± yer A asked. ¡°We¡¯re finally going to fight our first real boss!¡± ¡°Everyone, calm down! Remember what we agreed upon. EXP, gil, and items will be split evenly, but the equipment and weapons will belong to whoever benefit it the most. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°K!¡± There was no limit of members in a group, but the amount of EXP and gil you acquired would be reduced since it would be distributed amongst you. All items, equipment, and weapons would go to your [Group Inventory], which would be avable once you form a group. It couldn¡¯t be withdrawn unless everyone or the majority agrees which item belongs to who. And if you leave the group, then you won¡¯t have ess to the items anymore. Likewise, if the majority agreed to disband without allocating the items, the items would disappear. This was the developers¡¯ way of ensuring that everything would be fair in a group. No leader controlled everything. Everything was handled by all members of the group. Dolly was grinning from ear to ear. She was so d that she returned to Ironto vige and stumbled upon Buck. If she cleared this dungeon, her fame would definitely skyrocket, and she would attract even more followers. Richer and handsome followers! She stifled one foot over the other from sheer excitement when the others opened the giant door. WhHoOoOsShH! A gust of wind pushed everyone one step back from the entrance before everything went still. Isolde and the other¡¯s neck strained from looking beyond the darkness but couldn¡¯t see even a line.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dark.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Should we go in?¡± ¡°You first.¡± Dolly rolled her eyes and pushed everyone aside. ¡°Bunch of cowards. Let me go in first then.¡± Dolly sashayed towards the entrance and halted a step just in line with the door. A sheen of sweat coated her back for fear of the unknown before she mustered her courage and took that one final step inside. For the followers! . . . . . . When nothing happened, Dolly faced the others, and her smile widened. ¡°Well? Am I going to solo the boss after all?¡± The boysughed while the girls released a sigh of relief that nothing scary had happened. However, Isolde didn¡¯t move from where she stood. She thought that she had already made her resolve, but face to face with the giant door that Ren spoke off, her resolve crumbled to dust. Was he speaking the truth after all? Or was Ren been here before them? Isolde couldn¡¯t ponder more when Dolly faced her with a raised brow. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re backing out?¡± Dolly mocked andughed. ¡°That¡¯s okay. More treasures for me then.¡± Isolde grumbled under her breath and proceeded to enter the door. She was raised not to fear anything and faced everything with courage and confidence. She would not back out now. Chapter 30 A loud ¡®ThuUumPped¡¯ closed the door tight when everyone was inside. Static erupted in the space before lightning shed with each other and illuminated the area. ¡°W-wha . . . what is this ce? They were transported in some kind of an open grasnd with thunder raining down from the dark sky. There was nothing but the wide-open field, raging mountains, and dark, ominous clouds. ¡°W-what on earth!¡± Someone shouted and pointed towards the sky. Isolde held her breath when her eyes caught the silhouette of something that made her nauseous. Towering over thendscape at the height of over 100 feet, a colossal giant lived with its head in the clouds. Surrounded by thunder and perpetual storm, the giant was incredibly stout and robust. Its glowing golden braided hair was never cut, crackling with static electricity. Its eyes glowed an electric blue, and its deep voice deafened any who stood too close. It didn¡¯t have a single armor, wielding only a single massive weapon that could cleave an entire mountain into two. It brought hurricane where it went, each step pulverizing the ground like thunder while lighting split the sky. Isolde couldn¡¯t stop the shaking of her limbs. At this moment . . . death was staring straight into her eyes. She swallowed hard, and with a trembling hand, she managed to use a [Monocle] against the monstrosity before them. [Used Monocle x1 Remaining number of Monocle: 2] ¡Î P R I M O R D I A L T H U N D E R K I N G ¡¬ Location: Thunder Cave Description: ¡°Where thunder walks, mountain falls.¡± This giant is the perfect fusion of flesh and thunder, seamless and brutal in its symbioses. Their breath is a perpetual hurricane that follows wherever they tread, and their weapon can channel the power of thunder into the earth itself. Their one goal is to restore the world to in and rebuild it anew. ¡¬ A T T R I B U T E ¡¬ HP: 770 000 MP: 5 000 STRG: 700 DEF: 600 MDF: 500 INT: 500 AGL: 40 LCK: 50 ¡¬ P R I M O R D I A L T H U N D E R K I N G H E A D A N D B O D Y ¡¬ HP: 385 000 ¡¬ P R I M O R D I A L T H U N D E R K I N G L E F T A R M ¡¬ HP: 115 500 ¡¬ P R I M O R D I A L T H U N D E R K I N G R I G H T A R M ¡¬ HP: 115 500 ¡¬ P R I M O R D I A L T H U N D E R K I N G L E G S ¡¬ HP: 154 000 ¡¬ D A M A G E R E S I S T A N C E S ¡¬ ? Bludgeoning ? Piercing ? shing ¡¬ D A M A G E I M M U N I T I E S ¡¬ ? Cold ? Lightening ? Thunder ¡¬ C O N D I T I O N I M M U N I T I E S ¡¬ ? Paralyzed ? Restrained ? Unconscious ¡¬ W E A K N E S S ¡¬ None ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ Isolde¡¯s pupils draw a slit. W-what kind of a monster is this?! Everyone was stunned, and not a single one uttered a word when the Primordial Thunder King raised its foot. All they could do was stare at the monstrosity and await their fate with shaking limbs. Isolde¡¯s heart stopped. She couldn¡¯t even close her eyes when death appeared before her in the form of a gigantic foot. BaAaaAmMM! Arge aperture formed from where the footnded, and the force from the impact sent a gust of boulders and debris flying in all directions. With a single stomp, everyone died. . . . . . . The next thing Isolde knew, she was back in Ironto vige as a wisp with a notification popping on her screen, asking her to pay the death penalty. ¡°. . .¡± HUUHH?! Isolde was screaming in her mind. What the hell is wrong with this game?! Nothing made sense to her! Was that really a dungeon boss? Isolde didn¡¯t want to think what a World Boss would be like if it were. A hard shudder ran in Isolde¡¯s spine. Even now, the Primordial Thunder King¡¯s enormous presence felt like it would swallow her whole. This would surely give her nightmares toe. She pressed with a shaking breath and heavy heart, and all her ATP went zero. At this rate, it was better to recreate her ount. Isolde logged out of the game with a dark face. She couldn¡¯t continue ying with a hazy mind and angry heart. When her pod opened, she went to her bed and threw a pillow on her face, and screamed her heart out. ¡°AaaArRgGhh!¡± Chapter 31 ¡°AaaArRgGhh!¡± Isolde¡¯s muffled cries were drowned against the soft cushion of her pillow. The frustration was eating her alive! All that grinding and quest hunting ¨C¨C gone! Just like that! And she was going to start from the very beginning again. Her advantage over the others was gone! It was like she was going to enter the game the first time again! It might not be unremarkable in real life because of the time difference, but it was like five days in the game. Isolde released a heavy sigh. She stumbled over the bed and went to one side of her wall that disyed her medals and awards. Revolving one of the frames, her walls opened to reveal a secretpartment that keeps most of her precious gun collections. And her little baby at the moment was her family¡¯s top-of-the-line Gambino SX4X7 shotgun, specifically for the world¡¯s most demanding ss of gun owners, including the Olympians whopete every four years for the title of the world¡¯s best in skeet and trap shooting. But of course, hers were custom made with her name engraved on its blue finish steel barrel. The SX4X7 Gambino shotgun model was priced well over $400,000 due to the 12-gauge, side-by-side shotgun¡¯s performance capabilities and the striking aesthetics created through engraving. Far lighter than most other shotguns, Gambino¡¯s break-action shotgun features a 66-inch barrel and weighs just over seven pounds unloaded. With blue finish steel and whiter and blue front luminous sight, the SX4X7 Gambino Shotgun was further set apart by its hand-sculpted and custom-engraved receiver and sidelocks with a rebounding-hammer firing mechanism. After a while of cleaning her baby piece by piece, Isolde carefully ced it back in its rightful ce as the centerpiece of all her collection. She ced both hands over her hips and released a satisfied smile. Looking at her collection, Isolde regained her calm, and she could think clearly again. It always worked whenever she was feeling frustrated and out of mood. She then went to bed andy on her tummy. It was nearing eight in the morning in the real world, and Isolde immediately logged in on COVENANT¡¯s App. This allowed the user to be connected with her avatar and everyone else in the game. She could also check her messages, items, and status in the app. Isolde retrieved Ren¡¯s number from her deleted logs. She hesitated at first but decided to send him a message in the end. [Isolde: You¡¯re right. Just six members couldn¡¯t defeat the boss. Rather, do you know the final boss? You could have told me that it¡¯s a Thunder God with an exaggerated ATP.] She then pressed send before she changed her mind. A minute passed, and Isolde just stared at her phone without blinking. Her eyes were strained, and her expectation felt duller each second that there was still no reply. . . . . . . Isolde released a sigh. Did Ie too strong? Should I have said sorry instead of ming him? Isolde bit her nail, and she was worried that she had made a blunder again. Why wasn¡¯t she gifted with social skills? Maybe he was busy? Sheforted herself. Just as she was about to take a bath and refresh her mind, a notification rang on her phone. She stumbled onto her bed once more and checked her notification in a hurry. [Ren: If I told you the final boss, would you not have entered?] Isolde didn¡¯t even notice that she was smiling from ear to ear as she quickly typed her reply. [Isolde: You¡¯re right. I would still have entered and got wiped out in the end.] Isolde was so sure that she would still enter to see for herself. There was no one to me but herself. [Ren: I thought as much] Isolde hesitated before she typed. [Isolde: How did you know? Are you a beta tester? Or have you been in Thunder Cave before us?] . . . . . . There was a whole minute of silence, and Isolde wanted to smack her head for asking that question. Why did she always have to make everythingplicated? Her line of thoughts was disturbed by a notification rung on her phone, and she scrambled to open it. [Ren: Is that important?] She immediately typed. [Isolde: No] She didn¡¯t care if Ren was a beta tester or that he had acquired the beta tester guide. What¡¯s important was . . . Isolde took a deep breath and typed slowly, thinking of each word she was typing. [Isolde: Why do you want to help me? We¡¯re nothing but strangers, and I don¡¯t believe that we have met or encountered each other before.] . . . Ren is typing . . . The veins in Isolde¡¯s eyes were turning red from looking at her screen too much, afraid that she would miss Ren¡¯s reply. [Ren: I¡¯ll be honest with you. I n to put a group to raid dungeons andplete quests that otherwise couldn¡¯t be soloed in the future, and I want you on my team. Nomitment attached. Equal sharing of loot and rare items belongs to those who benefit it the most] ¡°. . .¡± It was good and all, especially that ¡®nomitment attached¡¯ thing, but . . . [Isolde: Why me?] Isolde¡¯s heart thumped, waiting for Ren¡¯s reply. At the moment, she didn¡¯t know which answer she was hoping to know. [Ren: Because the game interface incorporated real-life battle skills. You¡¯re very good with guns, right? You¡¯ve won numerous medals before, if I was not mistaken. Your face was sometimes stered on news and billboards. Isolde Gambino, the youngest shooting prodigy. That¡¯s you, right?] Isolde wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised that Ren knew her. Her family was famous, after all and her face was indeed stered on magazines but mostly because she was the daughter of the Gambino Casino Empire and not because of her skills in shooting. On the outside, they were nothing but a harmless perfect family who ran numerous casinos in Zone A. But in the dark, they were weapon manufacturers and dealers. Isolde sighed. She didn¡¯t know why she was a bit disappointed that Ren was after her talent with sharpshooting more than anything else. Idiot. Isolde said to herself and hit her head. Of course, he would be after her skills and not her. Who would want a daughter of a scary family? And a woman who was manlier than most men? She was never pretty, and she knew that. She was good with guns, fighting, and sports. She always outyed every male in her school. No boys would like her. It was evident with her ex-boyfriend, who left her because he couldn¡¯t stand feeling like he was the woman in their rtionship. Though she admitted that she was rather boyish on the outside, she was very much a girl on the inside who also liked boys and wanted to experience that rush of giddiness when experiencing love like everyone else. Isolde released a big breath once more and typed. [Isolde: Sure. Just hit me up if you want to party. Likewise, I can message you if I want you to join us, right?] [Ren: Sure. No problem here. That is . . . for the right price, of course. And I¡¯m speaking of real money.] [Isolde: Money? Shouldn¡¯t the equal sharing of loot enough?] [Ren: You can take the items. I¡¯d rather have the money.] [Isolde: I thought you¡¯re rich.] [Ren: Just because I was there when the game opened doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m rich. I¡¯m poor and in need of money.] ¡°. . .¡± Then . . . could it be that he was indeed a beta tester? [Ren: Is my status a problem?] Isolde quickly replied. [Isolde: No, I think I prefer it that way. More treasures for me.] [Ren: Good then.] [Isolde: Rather, are you good enough to be paid for your services?] [Ren: You¡¯ll know once we partied.] Isolde¡¯s lips curved upward and they said their goodbyes. At least he wasn¡¯t after her name but her talents. That was a first. No. In fact, Ren was the very first who went after her not because of her family¡¯s name but because of her skills with guns. It felt good for once. A gentle knock on the door woke Isolde from her line of thoughts. ¡°Mydy? Your father wanted me to inform you that there will be an urgent family meetingter at lunch. Every member of the main family must attend without fail.¡± Urgent family meeting? That was rare. Their family hadn¡¯t had one since the day her father was appointed as the head of the Gambino family. And after the game openings? Isolde thought. Could it be rted to COVENANT? Chapter 32 After his talk with Isolde, Ren got ready and went to apply for an ount with New Era¡¯s Bank in the morning. Everything went smoothly, and the transaction was fast. By the strike of ten in the morning, everything was finished, and he now had a private ount with the Bank. I guess applying for the Organ loan will speed up the process. Ren thought. Not many applied for this loan since it was certain death, and when Ren did, it was like he became a VIP in the Bank. He was taken into an all posh room and even hadplimentary champagne and Royce choctes. Every staff inside the Bank was excited, and their eyes were shining with eagerness when he signed his name and ced his thumb mark on the contract papers. They might have thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to pay his ount after one year, which meant all his organs were for sale to the highest bidder. He was young and had no sign of substance abuse. He didn¡¯t smoke, he wasn¡¯t an avid drinker, and he had no history of major illness. He was perfect! His organs were perfect! Ren just smirked. He messaged his bank ount to Silvia through COVENANT¡¯s app before he proceeded to Hignd Mall. Hignd Mall was a luxury mall strategically located at the center of the Central Business District of the main city of Zone A. This Mall was frequented by the rich, and it always appeared on social ounts of celebrities, influencers, and wannabe influencers. Since Saya and Mike set the ce, Ren could only oblige. Before entering the Mall, Ren first checked his appearance in a shop¡¯s floor-to-ceiling ss window. He didn¡¯t have branded clothes or designer itemspared to the many people going in and out of the Mall. He was just wearing a simple ck shirt and pants with only his phone and some cash in his pocket. The guard even eyed him suspiciously when he entered the Mall, maybe because he wasn¡¯t ustomed to seeing men in simple non branded clothes. Ren ignored the securities stares that followed him all the way to Gargino restaurant, where Saya and Mike had made a reservation. Even if the guards keep it subtle, Ren caught the asional nces from the corner of his eyes. Even after so many years and trains and cars threaded the sky, the gap between the rich and the poor only continued to widen. . . . But it would no longer be the case once the in-game currency is introduced in COVENANT. Everyone could enter and have the chance to earn and flip their life for the better. Though there would be arge minus of gil from drops and rewards when that happened, everybody still had the chance to earn. So the next few days, Ren had to umte gil while the game was still generous at giving them out. Ren looked at the expensive sign made in emerald acrylic on top of the restaurant¡¯s entrance. He didn¡¯t want toe. In all honestly. He was only doing this for Leonel. Tolerating Saya and Mike¡¯s presence for an hour or two for Leonel¡¯s sake was a small price to paypared to what he did in the past to him. If he started avoiding the two and acted hostile towards Saya and Mike, Leonel would surely question it to no end. That guy valued their friendship second to his family. Ren had the option to turn things around this time and try his best to mend his rtionship with Saya and Mike, but what they did to him was forever stuck with him. Whether he wanted to or not, their past actions in the past would always influence his decision now. ¡°Hi,¡± Ren greeted the staff standing at the entrance of Gargino Restaurant. A five-star Michelin awarded restaurant that Saya just loved to frequent. They have a wide array of food choices, but they are best known for their Asian and Italian cuisine. ¡°Reservation for Saya Mni,¡± said Ren, and the staff¡¯s practiced perfect smile remained stered on her face as she guided Ren to their table. Ren was the first one to arrive. He was that guy who came fifteen minutes before the agreed time even though he knew that the others would bete. Leonel was still on his way to this Mall after settling his lodging At Zephyr¡¯s Academy dorm. Saya was probably still getting ready, and Mike was . . . well, Mike was probably still in front of the mirror fixing his already neat clothes and hair. Ren sat at the table and brought out his phone to pass the time. Silvia already replied, and there was a notification on his phone of the hundred thousand dors wired to his Bank and another fifty thousand. [Silvia: A little extra for your trouble. And I hope you can answer a question of mine] The corner of Ren¡¯s lips curled upward. [Ren: Thanks for the extra tip] . . . . . . . . . Silvia is typing . . . Ren wanted tough. What he would give to see Silvia¡¯s troubled face for not responding to her question. As he waited for Silvia¡¯s reply, Ren went to his Bank and transferred the hundred thousand to his Student Loan. Paying it within thirty days would null its interest, and Ren could breathe easy knowing that was one less loan he paid. Now, he would only focus on paying his New Era¡¯s ount Loan. [Silvia: How did you hide your appearance? Is it a special item? I also want to hide my face. Money isn¡¯t a problem. Name your price] Ren chuckled as he shook his head. [Ren: As much as your offer tempts me. This item is only a one-time deal. However, if you really want to hide your appearance in the game, then have a Blue Mage in your group. Ps. This info is free of charge] [Silvia: Blue Mage? I have a friend that is ying a Blue Mage, but her list of spells didn¡¯t contain anything that would hide my appearance. Is it atter spell?] [Ren: Yes. Once your friend evolves his ss to an Illusionist, he could hide your appearance anytime you want.] [Silvia: How long would that be?] [Ren: . . . Depends on how fast he could grind his ATP to three digits] [Silvia: That would take forever! By that time, it would already be useless! I want to hide my appearance this early on] [Ren: Is your beautiful face bothering you that much?] [Silvia: Yes] Ren huffed augh. Leave it to Silvia to be so arrogant about her looks that she didn¡¯t get that he was being sarcastic. [Ren: Sorry. I don¡¯t know any other item that could hide your appearance] Which was true. . . . Silvia is typing . . . [Silvia: Then . . . how much for your item? I¡¯ll give you a nk check] Ren shook his head and only replied with three words before closing the app. [Ren: Not for Sale] Chapter 33 After Ren closed the COVENANT app, he went to their official website. And as he expected, their forum was exploding with all sorts ofints. There was even a petition that COVENANT should restart again for the sake of the majority that didn¡¯t know the official opening of the game. They med it on the developers¡¯ck of information, and so far, the petition had already reached hundreds of thousands in just the span of hours. Ren smirked. As if that would move those shrewd developers. Not even the government nor the powerful and wealthy could dictate them, much less those teenagers who felt wronged. Ren even thought that the developers were AI or alien from theck of information about them. Ren scrolled on thements before he went into COVENANT¡¯s official website. By now, there was a yer ranking posted on their page. The game system judged the yer rankings ording to ATP, equipment, and items. And by this time, Ren was dominating the game as the top yer. Ren wasn¡¯t worried about his name being stered on the developer¡¯s website. He was already expecting it. With many yers named Ren, he was confident that he wouldn¡¯t be found out. It was another privacy perk of the game that Ren thought was a genius idea. By having yers used their first name in COVENANT without disclosing theirst name, there were bound to have hundreds of yers with the name Ren. Unlike if they used a specific username that would otherwise be easily found out. Only the system knew of their ID numbers. Not even the developers could casually look into their private information behind the strict security of the AI system, which mostly operated most of the game. Those things weren¡¯t avable to the public. Anyway, having his name stered on the number one yer on the rankings didn¡¯t interest Ren. He was cheating, so something like being number 1 or doing it for fame or glory wasn¡¯t on his list. He was there for the money. What he was eyeing was the name below his. Rank No.2, yer Evie. In the past, Evie was the number 1 solo yer, and it was because she was grinding nonstop and seemed like she only logged out of the game to do daily necessities in life. She was a Sprite with a Blue Mage subss. Not many knew of this, but the Blue mage subss was the number one support ss in the game. And Evie was a top yer in this ss. Evie didn¡¯t belong to any guild. For some reason, she also loves money like Ren, and she often offered her services to top guilds every time there was a dungeon raid, guild war, or boss fight. Not many knew of her real appearance since a Blue Mage, once evolved into an Illusionist, could hide their appearance using illusions. And she only rose to fame after she evolved her ss into an Illusionist, and by that time, she was already hiding her appearance. However, Ren managed to dig her file in his past life all because she was recruited in a dungeon raid once by one of the top guilds, a guild he was working at the time, Sleeping Dragon. Ren managed to piece together Evie¡¯s profile based on the descriptions from those who saw her when she was still a Blue Mage. And because of this, or mainly because of his doing, he exposed Evie¡¯s real appearance to the higher-ups of his guild, and since then, Sleeping Dragon was ckmailing her into working for them. For free. Evie didn¡¯t belong to their guild, but Sleeping Dragon worked her to the bones just to keep her appearance secret. And because of her support, Sleeping Dragon entered top 5 in guild rankings. Ren was guilty about it since he knew who Evie was. In fact, they were even ssmates in Fate Academy. While Sleeping Dragon belonged to the top ten guilds in COVENANT. And they were also the guild that was responsible for Ren¡¯s death. They were a despicable guild who would do anything to win. Ren had no choice but to work under them since no guild was willing to take him in because of his past history for disclosing secret information. And he was there for the money and not to make friends with the yers anyway. But in this life . . . everything would change. Ren¡¯s eyes glint ominously. He was thankful for Sleeping Dragon for killing him. He wouldn¡¯t be here right now if they didn¡¯t. However, he still hadn¡¯t receive hisst pay and Ren promised to collect his payment with interest. Ren¡¯s eyes stared at Evie¡¯s name some more. That familiar guilt ate him again. He felt like he had ruined her life, and there was this nagging feeling that he owed her ¨C¨C BIG time! And Ren didn¡¯t like the feeling that he owed someone. Closing his phone, Ren thought of doing the same thing as Evie. It was where he got his idea of offering his services to top guilds and rich yers in exchange for real money, just like she did in the past. A mercenary. Some would call these yers. ¡°Ren!¡± Upon hearing the sweet voice of a woman, Ren¡¯s thoughts were disturbed, and his heart fluctuated at the appearance of a cute girl in a brandedce dress. An expensive essory pulled her short dark hair, and her dimple smile was still charming like the first time Renid eyes on them. ¡°Saya.¡± ¡ª- A/N Another short chapter ?? I¡¯m feeling under the weather so my brain cells aren¡¯t working. ?? Help this poor author recover some brain cells with your votes ?? ?? Chapter 34 ¡°How are you?¡± Saya beamed and took the seat beside Ren at the round table. Ren had to remind himself that this was not the past. That his rtionship with Saya and Mike was still okay. However, he still couldn¡¯t forget how the two of them used him. Especially Saya. She knew he liked her, and she took advantage of his feelings even at the cost of his expulsion from his previous guild. And after they got everything they wanted from him, they didn¡¯t even help him or bother to ask how he was after being kicked out of his job with a blocklisted name. But for the sake of Leonel, who wanted to continue their friendship, Ren would preserve and treat them as acquaintances, at least if not friends. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ren said and offered no further ongoing conversation. Saya¡¯s smile faltered. She felt that there was something wrong with Ren today. Usually, upon the sight of her, Ren would shy away and even stammered his words of greeting. He would also make an extra effort to converse with her, even on the most mundane of topics. Ren was cold, but he was never cold to her, which Saya took pride in since Ren was a looker and most of their ssmate had a secret crush on him. They were just scared to confess because Ren was known throughout the school as merciless when it came to rejecting feelings. Did something happen? Saya thought. He must have been tired of ying that game, COVENANT. Leonel asked themst night, but they didn¡¯t have a pod, and going outte into a caf¨¦ like everyone else didn¡¯t bode well with her. She wanted her own Pod, and she and Mike would buy itter. She wasn¡¯t really interested in ying, but since everyone was going to enter the game, she couldn¡¯t help but be pulled by the hyped as well, especially since Mike wanted to enter. There were bound to be girls in the game, and she had to keep a close eye. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Saya asked voice and face worried. ¡°Are you sick? Did you pull an all-nighter with Leonel ying that game you talked about?¡± Saya was about to touch Ren¡¯s head when thetter tilted his head away and looked to the other side. Ren cleared his throat and said with a monotone voice, ¡°Something like that.¡± He wanted to appear neutral, but his feelings got in the way. Saya blinked. There was definitely something going on with Ren. The usual warm guy she used to know was indifferent and cold to her. And for some reason, Saya¡¯s heart was constricting. Saya dispersed her feelings and drank a ss of water to dissolve the awkward tension in the air. Usually, she and Ren didn¡¯t run out of topics to converse. But now, Ren¡¯s demeanor towards her was colder than the AC of the restaurant. Ren must be tired of ying that game. Saya thought. Come to think of it, something was different about him. Saya ran his eyes all over Ren when thetter drank a ss of water. His pair of mesmerizing silver eyes were sharp, adding to his already cold looks. He was gifted with a handsome face and lean physique, and the simple ck shirt he was wearing looked so good on him. But it was not his physical features that stole Saya¡¯s attention. It was like . . . there was a certain maturity and elegance from the way he moved and spoke, and this got Saya¡¯s heart skipped a beat. What with him today? Saya mused to herself and pretended to look on her phone but asionally peeked at the man beside her. Ren was so different, and it was like he matured overnight. Even the way he held his ss was different. And when he drank his water, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down, and Saya seemed to be mesmerized by it. She swallowed hard and quickly drank a ss of water in one gulp. She suddenly felt ufortable all of a sudden! Rather, what¡¯s with me today? Saya shook her head. It was like she had just seen Ren for the first time. He was a looker before, but now he became . . . a noble? Was it because of his strong back when he sat or the way he elegantly sipped his tea and crossed his leg? Or the way he spoke with coldness and indifference? He was attractive before but now . . . he felt like he was the owner of this restaurant. Saya shook her head and happily chirped while tapping the pad of her fingertips together. ¡°I¡¯m rather excited to y this gameter. You and Leonel already yed itst night, right? What do you think should I y? Mike said that he wanted to be a human Swordsman. ¡°I looked at the game¡¯s website and found many races and sses, and I¡¯m not sure what fits me the best.¡± Saya looked over at Ren and smiled her brightest. ¡°You¡¯re usually good with this stuff. I want to y a White Mage so I can support you and the others. What do you think?¡± Ren¡¯s eyes were half-closed as he sipped his tea and said, ¡°Just go with what you want.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Saya¡¯s smile froze on her cute face. That¡¯s it? That¡¯s his reply? ¡°Uhm . . . are you alright, Ren? Are you not feeling well? Ren finally looked at Saya¡¯s eyes, and thetter gasped when she was struck by his silver irises. But what made her breath hitched was the nkness of his stare. ¡°What made you say that?¡± Saya pulled her eyes away and said in a timid voice, ¡°N-nothing. It just felt like . . . you¡¯re rather . . . not in the mood today.¡± ¡°Just tired from theck of sleep,¡± Ren lied. But Saya probably still didn¡¯t know that the VR game was sleep operated, so there was no way that he could be tired fromck of sleep. Ren then looked at his phone, signaling that he didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. Saya could only ce a hair behind her ears and pretended to look at her phone to pass the time. Why did things suddenly turned awkward between them like it was their first meeting? Was there something I said or did? Saya recalled her memories but found nothing that could make Ren act cold towards her. Finally, Saya breathed a sigh of relief when Leonel was in sight. ¡°Leo!¡± Saya waved a hand and beamed a dimpled smile. Leonel was still as hyper as always and hopped to their table, full of enthusiasm, before he rattled to Saya about his and Ren¡¯s time in COVENANT. Not long after, Mike also appeared together with an adult in his mid-twenties. Ren¡¯s eyes rounded because that man was Scar, leader of ck Lions, the guild that Mike and Saya managed to enter because of his help. ck Lion was contesting the number one spot with White Unicorn in the past. ck Lion and White Unicorn have pro yers and some beta testers within their team, and it was very difficult to enter into their ranks if you didn¡¯t match all their requirements. Ren wasn¡¯t present at this lunch meeting before because he was busy searching for part-time jobs. That was why he was surprised that Mike and Scar knew each other. Come to think of it, they did mention Scar¡¯s name in the past, but Ren wasn¡¯t interested and quickly forgot. This time . . . Ren was all ears. Because it seemed like Mike and Saya didn¡¯t manage to enter ck Lion¡¯s guild in the beginning even if they knew the leader. Did something happen? ¡ª- A/N So my under the weather turned into a full blown cold that¡¯s why i didn¡¯t update yesterday. The words are practically dancing in my eyes. ???? This will probably be thest update for the week until my throat and nose stop acting like crazy ???? Stay Safe everyone! Chapter 35 ¡°Hey guys, sorry I¡¯mte!¡± Mike greeted in all smiles. His set of white teeth was perfect without fault. He was still the same. Dawned in an expensive Louie Vuitton shirt and jacket and Yeezy sneaker paired with an expensive Rolex watch, Mike was eye-catching with his good looks and wallet. ¡°This is Scar, by the way. He¡¯s a childhood friend of mine and like a big brother to me. He just got back from his study in Zone A District 1,¡± said Mike, the soonest as he and Scar take their seat. Everyone exchanged greetings and pleasantries before Scar said in a generous tone, ¡°order all you want. My treat.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Leonel whipped his head in Scar¡¯s direction, eyes shining. ¡°Really? Then don¡¯t mind if I do!¡± Leonel was grinning from ear to ear as he looked at the menu. Ren bet that he was just trolling around and would still order the most expensive food on the list. Ren and Leonel both didn¡¯t understand Italian and French, after all. They were just here because Saya and Mike would treat them to lunch. Ren also chose the most expensive meal out of the set. There was no need to be modest if the other party offered his generosity and goodwill. As they waited for their order, everyone engaged in small talk except for Ren, who asionally answered with a yes and no since he was mostly studying and thinking about what Scar was doing in their supposed to be a friends-only reunion. Scar¡¯s voice was deep, and his face was serious that asionally cracked with a smile. He had beads of clean-cut ck hair, and the line of his face was hard and intimidating. He was refined-looking, and not a wrinkle was present on his neatly pressed polo and jeans. Ren knew him in the game as a strict yer that only expected the best from himself and others. Though he was the leader of the ck Lion guild, he mainly dealt with managing the internal affairs of the guild. ck Lion¡¯s requirements for its applicants were high, and they only mostly ept rare sses or pro yers. Sometimes they receive yers who have rare or legendary items, weapons, and equipment like what Saya and Mike had in the past because of his help. ¡°Big Bro Scar is actually a pro gamer in a game called War of Guilds together with his friends, and they wanted to put up a guild in the new game COVENANT,¡± Mike said. His high-pitched tone gave away how excited he was. Ren knew Mike to be a gamer but didn¡¯t have the skills or patience to be a pro. ¡°I heard from Mike that you¡¯re just starting out,¡± Scar added, ¡°We are looking for yers that are willing to take the role of the rare ss Necrolyt and Chrono mage. Mike is hell-bent on bing a swordsman while Saya wanted to be a healer to support his boyfriend.¡± Scar grinned, shaking his head a little. ¡°Honestly, my friends already had those roles taken, and we wanted diversity within our ranks. And we have already established a rule for our soon-to-be applicants. But since Mike and I knew each other, I¡¯m willing to make an exception just for him. If you two are willing to change your race and ss and recreate your ount, then I¡¯ll take you all into our guild. Even if the four of you didn¡¯t have any experience in a guild and aren¡¯t pro yers.¡± Ren and Leonel looked at each other. SO this is what happened. Ren thought. Mike and Saya didn¡¯t get to enter because Leonel must have declined to change his race and ss. And in the past, he wasn¡¯t even ying the game until the in-game currency was introduced. Come to think of it. Ren did recall that there was a time when Mike said that he would buy him a pod in exchange, he would be a Necrolyt. Ren ignored him that time because he was busy juggling his jobs and studies, and he didn¡¯t have the luxury of time to be wasting on a game. Was that the reason why their rtionship went sour in the first ce? Was that it? Because he didn¡¯t follow his order? The more he thought about it, the angrier Ren became, and the awful memories he was trying to suppress were resurfacing in his mind. Mike shifted his eyes between Ren and Leonel with a big grin on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, big brother Scar. I¡¯m sure Ren and Leonel would agree. Right? Right guys?¡± Leonel scratched his cheek, eyes hovering over the ceiling. ¡°I don¡¯t know . . . If I can¡¯t y as a dwarf, I¡¯d rather not y at all.¡± ¡°Leo, I think ying an awesome rare ss like a Necrolyt or a Chrono mage is much cooler than a dwarf. And . . . I¡¯ll buy you a pod,¡± entice Mike before shifting his eyes on Ren. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you two a pod.¡± Scar nodded in agreement. ¡°I think it¡¯s an awesome trade. You two will have a new pod and y a rare ss, AND . . . you can even join our guild of pro yers and rip so many benefits. Like monthly allowance, for example.¡± Leonel¡¯s eyes shone when he heard that money was involved, and his constipated face told Ren that he was really thinking about the idea. The rumors regarding Scar were indeed true. Ren thought. He was a man who was overflowing with confidence and charisma, and he was never one to mince words. In fact, too much to the point of being annoying. ¡°The offer is tempting, but I like my race and ss as it is now,¡± said Ren with a solemn face and voice. Leonel looked at Ren before he nodded in agreement. ¡°I . . . I like my race and ss too. As great as the money sounds, I still wanted to y as a dwarf. I don¡¯t think I couldst ying the game anyway with a different race.¡± Mike was stunned for a whole minute before he burst out, ¡°What are you two talking about? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Brother Scar said that there are rumors of an in-game currencyter in the game. Do you know what that means? Real money and opportunities! It¡¯s like the game would be a second world once the money starts rolling in, and every powerhouses will want to dominate this new world in the form of a guild. Do you really want to miss this opportunity to belong to one of the top guilds in the future? With Brother Scar leading, it would surely happen!¡± Ren didn¡¯t budge even when Mike¡¯s caught his breath after his lengthy speech. ¡°Even so, I still wanted to keep my current race and ss.¡± Mike¡¯s mouth dropped before his smile disappeared and his tone of voice gave away his annoyed state. ¡°Ren, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t excel from your current state because youck the initiative to grab something life-changing right in front of your eyes. You can¡¯t see the future. That¡¯s why you¡¯re stagnant in your current state.¡± Ren wanted tough because he already knew the future. And he had a muchrger n for himself. He didn¡¯t need someone to dictate him which path he should take. ¡°Life-changing? If it is so life-changing, why don¡¯t you do it?¡± He then stared at Scar. ¡°Why don¡¯t your pro friends y those rare sses if it¡¯s so awesome instead of shoving it down our throats in exchange for a position in your guild, that is . . . let me guess, an errand boys position until we evolved into a Necrolyt and Chrono Mage. And if that didn¡¯t happen, we would remain into an errand boy forever, right?¡± Mike and Saya¡¯s jaws drop. Scar¡¯s eyelid twitched. Leonel choked on his drink. ¡ª- A/N I¡¯m feeling a bit better now but my tonsil is acting up next. ?????? Like when it rained, it poured and it poured hard. ???? Stay safe everyone! Chapter 36 ¡°Life-changing? If it is so life-changing, why don¡¯t you do it?¡± He then stared at Scar. ¡°Why don¡¯t your pro friends y those rare sses if it¡¯s so awesome instead of shoving it down our throats in exchange for a position in your guild, that is . . . let me guess, an errand boys position until we evolved into a Necrolyt and Chrono Mage. And if that didn¡¯t happen, we would remain into an errand boy forever, right?¡± Mike and Saya¡¯s jaws drop. Scar¡¯s eyelid twitched. Leonel choked on his drink. When no one answered, Ren continued with a smirk. ¡°Because I¡¯ll tell you why. Even if you know about the rare sses because of the Beta Tester¡¯s guide, you aren¡¯t sure if you could evolve into those sses. ¡°What¡¯s more, the strain of quests you mustplete to make that happen is time-consumingpared to the generic sses that you¡¯re one hundred percent sure you¡¯ll advance. ¡°You just couldn¡¯t take that risk, especially if you belong in a guild where guild wars, dungeon raids, and boss fights happen at a moment¡¯s notice. You couldn¡¯t afford to wait for a ssless Mage andg behind from the others, or your prestige will drop.¡± Ren crossed his legs and smirked. ¡°However, all your problems will be solved if some ignorant newbies were up for the job. They would take all the risks for you while you rip all the benefits. If they did evolve their ss, then good for you. ¡°However, if they can¡¯t evolve their ss, then they would remain at the bottom as errand boys with a crappy contract.¡± . . . . . . Everyone was stunned at Ren¡¯s remarks. Leonel and the others had indeed known Ren as ruthless when it came to his arguments, but he was so soft when it came to them. Soft enough that he wouldn¡¯t even say a word of protest. He would just nod his head before as long as he would benefit from the deal, no matter how small, all for the sake of his friends. What happened overnight that he suddenly changed, and he treated them like he was treating strangers? ¡°Ren you . . .¡± Mike didn¡¯t know what to say. Ren usually followed his orders without question. What¡¯s gotten into him that he was all antagonistic today? Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed? ¡°Ren, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too mean?¡± Saya chimed in with a pitiful voice and downcast face. Mike was inwardly feeling happy. He knew that Ren couldn¡¯t possibly let down Saya like that. He woulde around for her and would definitely try to console her intopromising instead. However, things were just not going with Mike¡¯s n when Ren stifled augh and said, ¡°Mean? ¡°I¡¯m being mean when your boyfriend was the one who brought some stranger into our supposed to be only friend¡¯s reunion without informing us. Then he wanted us to change our race and ss so that he could enter into a guild at our expense.¡± Ren slightly shook his head with a fake smile on his lips. ¡°Tell me. Did you really treat us like real friends or just your errand boys that you can casually boss around?¡± Mike was speechless while Saya caught her tongue. It was the first time that Ren was so harsh on her. Was the man really Ren or some kind of imposter. The Ren they knew would never say something like that, especially to her. Ren changed his crossing leg from one foot to another and intertwined his fingers. ¡°Anyway, if you want to enter this guild, then be my guest. I won¡¯t stop you . . . just don¡¯t force us to change our ss and take the challenge yourselves for once.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Mike didn¡¯t know what to say. Ren wasn¡¯t this difficult before, and when he suddenly did, he didn¡¯t know what to do. He never expected Ren to strongly disagree with him, so he was caught entirely off guard. Saya got out of her daze and pped her hands together to disperse the heavy atmosphere that settled between them. ¡°W-why don¡¯t we eat first? I¡¯m sure Ren is just hungry, and he would be in a better moodter when his stomach is full.¡± Saya released an awkwardugh, but no one smiled, nor did the heavy atmosphere cleared. Ren¡¯s eyelid twitched, and Saya mped her mouth shut. Ren could be so intimidating with his cold eyes and indifferent face. Saya looked the other way to escape Ren¡¯s scrutinizing gaze and pretended to drink her empty ss of water. Ren silently released a breath. Saya was always like that. She would always take Mike¡¯s side. Even if he was wrong. A good thing that he was long over her. The only good thing that came out of her betrayal was him losing all feelings towards her. So even if Saya went on her knees and begged with all the tears she had, Ren would still ignore her. ¡°Whether I¡¯m hungry or not, my decision is final.¡± Ren rested his back on his seat and tilted his head to the side. ¡°Rather, if you really wanted to join his guild, then why don¡¯t the two of you take up the role since you two haven¡¯t entered the game yet?¡± ¡°Ren . . . y-you . . .¡± Mike was annoyed, and his lips were twisting at the side. Then he faced Leonel when he couldn¡¯t get Ren to his side. ¡°Leo, put some sense into his head. He couldn¡¯t see it now, but his future is riding on this.¡± Ren stifled augh. ¡°My future? You mean your future.¡± Ren then ignored Mike and Saya¡¯s gaping mouths and looked at Leonel, whose face was sweating buckets. ¡°What about you, Leo? How do you really feel?¡± Leonel was shifting his head between Ren, Mike, and Saya. He was getting dizzy from all this back and forth, and his brain was hurting that nothing wasing into his mind. He was really on edge and wanted to cry from his current predicament. Why can¡¯t just everyone y the game however they want? Or like normal teenagers who just wanted to enjoy the game and not think about guilds, money, andplicated stuff like the future. It was meant to be yed to escape the real-life stress. Not adding to it. Since when did games became soplicated? ¡°Leonel!¡± Mike urged. ¡°Leonel . . . ,¡± Saya implored. ¡°Leo . . . ,¡± muttered Ren in a soft voice. He closed his eyes before opening them with a smile. ¡°Just say what you truly desire.¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°I . . .¡± Leonel looked at every nook and cranny that he couldy his eyes and mind to rest before he stared down at his fidgeting hands. He enclosed his fingers together, breath shaky as he said, ¡°I . . .¡± Chapter 37 ¡°I . . .¡± Leonel looked at every nook and cranny that he couldy his eyes and mind to rest before he stared down at his fidgeting hands. He enclosed his fingers together, breath shaky as he said, ¡°I . . . I want to y as a Dwarf Defender.¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ren released the air he held and smiled. For a moment there, Leonel had him worried. Mike sat on his chair with a defeated look. All strength was zapped from him. Saya was frowning, couldn¡¯t understand what was happening to Ren and Leonel. ¡°Leo.¡± Saya grabbed Leonel¡¯s hand and gently pressed it. ¡°Don¡¯t you want us to y together and enter the same guild?¡± ¡°Of course, I want to,¡± Leonel immediately said, ¡°But do we really have to enter a guild to y together? Do we really have to change race just so we can y? Isn¡¯t this just a game meant to be enjoyed?¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ren silently sighed. It was supposed to be a game meant to be enjoyed . . . until the in-game currency was introduced and COVENANT became the second world, that is. Many things had changed by then. Friends betrayed each other for loots. Family turned to one another for a position of dominance. And only a few remained who were loyal and really enjoyed the game. Sadly, Ren wasn¡¯t one of them. And Ren prayed and hoped with all his heart that Leonel wouldn¡¯t change. His naivety and innocent thinking would put him in danger, but it is also why Ren likes Leonel in the first ce. And he would make sure that Leonel would be strong enough to defend himself when that timees. Mike sighed. His patience was no more. ¡°Leo. Ren. You two . . .¡± He shook his head and released an audible breath. ¡°That¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t uplift your life because you both are indecisive. You think like poor people who wanted to change but didn¡¯t have the resolve to change. You didn¡¯t want to step out from yourfort zones and explore this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ren was speechless by Mike¡¯s shamelessness. He was indeed shameless before, but he overlooked it because they were just teenagers who didn¡¯t know any better. But now that he had lived twice his current age, he no longer found Mike¡¯s shamelessness and selfishness adorable. ¡°I don¡¯t know what opportunity you¡¯re saying here, Mike. The only thing I saw here is you forcing your friends to take the role they didn¡¯t want in order for you to join a guild that you wanted.¡± Ren wanted to appear sad, but his feelings couldn¡¯t lie, and he smirked. ¡°As I said, if you really wanted to join Scar¡¯s guild, then put the effort yourself and don¡¯t pin the responsibility on us so you and Saya could have it easy and y the race and ss of your choice.¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± There was static between Mike and Ren, and the former couldn¡¯tprehend since the Ren he knew didn¡¯t talk back to him like that. The Ren he knew wouldn¡¯t even care. As long as it would help Saya and he would benefit from it, he would dly do it. What happened to that guy that he suddenly became a different person altogether? Mike and Saya were incredibly baffled by this sudden change in Ren. ¡°Ugh . . .¡± Leonel raised his hand, trying to disperse the tension. ¡°Ren already acquired a rare ss.¡± Ren eyed Leonel before he released a big breath. He wasn¡¯t keeping his ss a secret since it would be bound to be exposedter on. And he knew why Leonel did it. His good-hearted friend was still trying to negotiate with Scar through his ss. He hoped that Scar would forget about changing their race and ss and take him in because of his Arcanist subss. And as a result, Scar would take in every one of them, and they could y together like nothing had happened. Na?ve. Ren thought. From the moment that Mike brought Scar to this round table, their friendship was over. I¡¯m sorry, Leo. But I couldn¡¯t just sit around as they tell us what to do just because we don¡¯t have the same status as them. Ren thought to himself. They still think that they could bribe them with money and their cheap friendship, but Ren had enough of that. He had enough of people taking advantage of him. Scar¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Oh? What ss?¡± He was interested, and it showed on his face as he leaned forward from his seat. Leonel¡¯s hope ignited. He stole a look in Ren¡¯s way before he said with an ecstatic voice, when Ren didn¡¯t protest, ¡°An Arcanist.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Scar was silent for a short moment before he doubled over inughter. ¡°An Arcanist? You actually chose that low-level ss?¡± Heughed some more before he shook his head and wiped the tears in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you acquired a rare ss this early, but . . . that¡¯s the lowest of the low out from the rare sses. Its skills are useless and burdensome to level up, and it couldn¡¯t be used solo. ¡°It¡¯s the worst ss ever. Even in a fight, it used too many resources with no return benefits. No guild would want that. Even a White mage is better.¡± Scar smiled in Ren¡¯s way. A condescending smile that wanted to belittle. ¡°NO wonder you¡¯re too arrogant, little man. You think that you acquired gold but let me tell you this, you actually got shit.¡± Ren faced Scar head-on, face unperturbed. ¡°And what made you say that? Because of some Beta tester who only took a glimpse of the Arcanist skills and spells? Before choosing a . . . let me guess, a Necrolyt ss?¡± Scar lips twitched before he shook his head. He chuckled and checked the time on his Patek Philippe watch. ¡°Anyway, I have to be somewhere else after this lunch. I wanted to eat with you, but someone just ruined my appetite.¡± Scar stood from his chair before he snatched his wallet and ced thousands of bills on the table. ¡°But don¡¯t let me ruin yours. Order all you want. It is still my treat,¡± Scar said before he made a turn to leave. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren¡¯s call halted Scar from stepping a foot out of the restaurant. Mike and Saya sighed in relief when they thought that Ren would change his mind and was just ying hard to get to bargain a better deal. However, their smile fell faster than a coin in a fountain when Ren continued. ¡°When you heard the name Ren with an Arcanist ss resounding in the game, that¡¯s me. And don¡¯t worry, I will still offer you my services . . . for the right price, of course.¡± Ren was nning to hide his appearance when he was soloing the game and when dealing with rare items and equipment. However, he would reveal his face if he was doing mercenary stuff and if he was together with Leo and the others. Ren didn¡¯t want to sound presumptuous . . . but only this time he would. He would not tolerate others looking down on the Arcanist subss and saying that it was the weakest ss out of COVENANT¡¯s subsses. The corner of Scar¡¯s lips rose into a condescending scoff before he walked forward without uttering a single word. ¡°Wait, big brother Scar,¡± Mike called, but Scar didn¡¯t turn nor stop at his call. Mike shifted his eyes between Ren and Scar before ring at Ren and went after Scar. ¡°Wait. Big brother Scar. Let¡¯s talk for a while!¡± Saya also shot to her feet, and before chasing after Mike like she always did in the past, she left one final sentence. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, Ren. And you too, Leo.¡± Ren tilted his head to the side. ¡°Likewise.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Saya¡¯s face crumpled, and her eyes watered like she was about to cry. She stomped her feet and went after Mike in a hurry. . . . . . . ¡°Wha . . . what just happened?¡± Leonel didn¡¯t understand what was happening. This was supposed to be a happy reunion between friends, but somehow . . . it turned into a war zone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with those two? Just because we wouldn¡¯t enter this guild and change our ss . . . and here I thought that this game would actually be fun with the four of us ying. Ren didn¡¯tment. Leonel might not see it yet, but Ren¡¯s eyes were finally opened. The only reason that Mike and Saya befriended them was so they had someone to boss around. Ren was doing their assignments and projects before just to please Saya, while Leonel was like an errand boy who Mike ordered to buy things for him. They didn¡¯tin since they were rewarded with food and free materials for their projects and some perks of free passes to movies and such. But it would end here. Ren would just think that he was working for Mike and Saya in the past and were not actually friends to kill whatever remaining emotion he had with them. Leonel faced Ren with his puppy eyes. ¡°Ren. We¡¯re still friends, right? Nothing will change, right? We¡¯re still going to y together, right? Ren sighed. ¡°Of course we are. Give them some time, and they wille around.¡± He lied. He knew for a fact that after this encounter, Mike and Saya would change. Just because they didn¡¯t get what they wanted, they would act like brats. And it would only get worse once school started. Ren looked at Leonel and said with an apologetic voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Leo . . . because of me . . .¡± Ren really didn¡¯t want to destroy their friendship. If only Mike and Saya had remained seated and taken their side even after they didn¡¯t heed theirmand, Ren would have worked to mend their friendship and gave it a second chance. But since it was apparent that they only befriended them to boss them around . . . it was time to say goodbye for good. To begin with . . . did Mike and Saya even treat them as real friends? Or did they just want someone to lord over and do stuff that otherwise was annoying to them? It was okay when they were teens and innocent, but now that Ren had already lived double his current age, he found it unpleasant. Leonel looked at Ren¡¯s sorry face. Ren was usually stoic, and it was rare for him to say he was sorry and portray a guilt-stricken face. Ren must really have wanted for them to y together too. Leonel thought. He then took arge intake of air and breathed in through his nose, and ced his hands over his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about,¡± he said coolly with puckering lips. He must be the big brother between them at times like this since he was older than Ren by months. He mustfort him and not make him guilty. Leonel¡¯s lips pointed out. ¡°Rather, those two should be the ones asking sorry to us. They¡¯re the ones who ruined the mood by inviting that guy, and then they have to go too far in forcing us to change our race and ss and threatened us by not ying together if we don¡¯t.¡± Leonel was starting to get angry the more he thought about it and he munched a good size of theplimentary bread at the side. ¡°Who do they think they are?!¡± His nostrils erge like fumes woulde out of it before he released a big breath and his face returned back to being pitiful. ¡°Though I feel bad about Mike and Saya, I really don¡¯t want to y anything but a dwarf. It was the reason why I entered the game in the first ce. I feel like the game would lose its appeal on me if I yed something else.¡± Ren nodded in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about those two. Rather . . .¡± Ren looked at the line of waiters who were pulling carts of food in their way. ¡°We should worry about on how to finish that food.¡± Ren didn¡¯t want to see Leonel¡¯s sad face and he redirected his attention to somewhere else. ¡°. . .¡± Leonel was in a daze for a moment, he didn¡¯t get what Ren meant, and after seconds that he finally did, he burst into a wide grin. ¡°Too bad for those two but more food for us then!¡± ¡ª- A/N Sorry for the slow update everyone. I¡¯m still sick and in and out of bed. Like any cold, I was given hope of recovery in the morning, only to be crushed in the afternoon when it returned. ???? Hopefully, it would finally disappear this week. Good thing is, my tonsil is alright now. Two big bottles of mouthwash did the trick ???? My doctor said that there might be a new strain of Dengue since our hospital is very full of patients suffering from it. I¡¯m informing those in the TROPIC countries to be prepared ???? Always have your mosquito repents with you. Prevention is always better than Cure ???? Stay Safe everyone! Chapter 38 Across the spacious private room in Gargino Restaurant, the main Gambino family was sitting crossed-legged on the tatami mats circling a long expanse of table. The head, Augustus Gambino, took the center of the long table. All sorts of delicious and luxurious dishes wereid on the table, but none dared to eat until the head had taken his first bite. However, there was always an exception to the rule. Isolde didn¡¯t mind her cousins and elders as they argued about COVENANT. She wasn¡¯t interested in politics, and all her attention was wholly on the tter of sushi on her te. Everyone was miles away from their Ancestral home and pressed with little time, they all agreed to meet at the center point of the CBD, which was the Hignd Mall. Apparently, Isolde¡¯s father wanted to use half their fortune to buy COVENANT¡¯s shares once it hit its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the market. And everyone else disagreed with him except Axel Gambino, Isolde¡¯s older brother, and of course, her, who was busy admiring her food. One of the things that brought Isolde joy besides owning thetest gun in the market was eating delicious food and sleeping. ¡°It¡¯s just a game yed by bored teenagers. And once ss started, it would be long forgotten,¡± said Xian, one of Isolde¡¯s older cousins. Xian waspeting for the head¡¯s position with Axel since he was older than Axel by months. However, it was an impossible feat with Axel¡¯s brains and talents. Augustus slightly shook his head and stifled augh before drinking his sake cup. ¡°Do you know how many yers are ying that game as we speak now?¡± ¡°A hundred?¡± Xian shrugged. ¡°A thousand, maybe?¡± Augustus eyed his son, and Axel nudged his eyesses perched on the bridge of his nose and said in a monotone voice, ¡°More than one million yers worldwide and counting.¡± Everyone¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°T-that many?¡± Ingrid Gambino said. Isolde¡¯s aunt and Xian¡¯s mother. ¡°If not for the shortage of Pods, that number would have doubled or tripled by now,¡± answered Axel showing the statistics on the board using his tablet to back his ims. . . . . . . ¡°If millions or hundred millions of yers will y this game, then what would happen to our Casinos?¡± asked Ezequiel Gambino, one of Augustus¡¯s brothers. Augustus mmed his cup on the table, and everyone flinched while Isolde readily snapped his fish from jumping off her te with her chopstick when the table quaked. ¡°Gone. Barren. Pass out of time.¡± Augustus looked everyone in the eye seriously. His fierce hawk eyes and spiky beard made everyone swallow hard. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, guns and knives, this is no longer just a game. COVENANT will be a second world, and we must establish our footing in this second world!¡± Everyone looked at each other, unable to refute the numbers backing the head¡¯s ims. ¡°Then . . . Should we just invest directly into the game? As investors, we are bound to have many benefits. No need to deplete our fortune just to buy its shares.¡± said Emmy Gambino, Isolde¡¯s aunt who was married to Ezequiel Gambino. Axel shook his head and said with a still robotic voice, ¡°The developers wouldn¡¯t ept investors.¡± ¡°What? Everyone epts investors!¡± ¡°What do you mean wouldn¡¯t ept investors?¡± ¡°Who do they think they are?¡± ¡°Just because of a virtual game that¡¯s first in the market?¡± Lee-Rin sneered. She was a beauty with long green hair and the daughter of Ezequiel and Emmy, who was Isolde¡¯s cousin of the same age. ¡°Just because they¡¯re the only one with that type of game. They became arrogant and thought that with a million of yers, they could dictate the economy? I¡¯m sure others would develop a game like that. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± Augustus¡¯s bushy brows twitched. ¡°If you can wait fifty years or possibly a hundred years from now for others to replicate that same virtual game, then do so. Our casino and family name had already been long forgotten by that time. Buried by others who establish their n in this second world before us.¡± ¡°Eh . . .¡± Lee-Rin Looked away before she cleared her throat and drank her juice in one gulp to escape the embarrassment of being mmed by her uncle. Does developing something like that takes too long? Lee-Rin asker herself since she was clueless with all things that aren¡¯t shoes, bags and clothes. ¡°Then . . . what are we going to do?¡± ¡°Though the developer declined investors, they replied with a letter saying that COVNENANTs shares would be avable in the market in a few days. A billion share for every establishment in the game.¡± ¡°A . . . a billion?¡± ¡°Are they out of their minds?¡± ¡°The business mogul Rutherford, the oil mining and shipping conglomerate Axis, the mega construction and developer magnate Si, the real estate tycoon Gokuwei and every old and powerful family are willing to buy these shares and establish their footing in this new world.¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°T-they . . . They¡¯re out of their minds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s business,¡± said Axel simply. ¡°One to make sure that we would never be left behind in the passage of time.¡± Augustus mmed his palms on the table, and everyone flinched again except for Isolde, who saved her fish from jumping out of her te using her chopstick for the second time. ¡°Every member of the Gambino family will give half their wealth. Everyst bit of that money will be used to buy COVENANT¡¯s shares when its IPO is released in the market and we will establish numerous casinos in this virtual world,¡± said Augustus with finality. ¡°S-should we wait and see first?¡± ¡°Wait and buy after its market price skyrocket?¡± ¡°What are they going to do with all that money? Are they going to manipte the market?¡± Augustus looked over at his son and nodded. Axel swiped over his tablet, and the board disyed another image. ¡°They¡¯re going to introduce in-game currency after a few days that they released their IPO.¡¯ ¡°What?¡± ¡°In-game currency? Is that possible?¡± ¡°Something like an in-game currency is only possible if . . .¡± ¡°They have billions, and every powerful family is backing them,¡± continued Axel. ¡°. . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± Everyone¡¯s faces turned serious, and sweat slid to the side of their cheeks even if it was cold. ¡°I guess . . . they really nned this out.¡± Unlike with investing in the game, where an investor gets half or more than they had invested, not including the many perks, they chose the stock market as a source of money to fund their in-game currency. And having already more than a million yers on the very first day of its opening, its share would only continue to rise, and no one in their right mind would sell a healthy milking cow when that time happened. What¡¯s more, if every big names in the business industry establish their business in the game like a Casino for the yers to past time and earn real money through gambling. A condominium or house where the yers could buy with real money converted to gil. A mall where they could shop and dress their avatar. A mining industry that would mine stones for items and equipment, and so on . . . virtual money would start rolling in! There was no way in hell that COVENANT¡¯s share would go down, and with everyone funding this virtual world, the in-game currency would surely be a sess! It would really be like a new world. A second world where everything was possible! . . . . . . As everyone was serious in their thoughts, Augustus took the time to study her daughter, who had a solemn face. Her big eyes were looking down, and she was biting her lips in frustration. It was an indication that Isolde was seriously pondering about something. Good. Good. Augustus said in his mind. He knew of his daughter ying the game at the start of the opening. He even had her pod customized the very first time the developersunched their pod in the market. And he would use this opportunity to make her the leader of their guild in this virtual world. While Axel leads the Gambino family in the real world. Augustus was nodding to himself. He was so sure that Isolde would want that. After all, she seemed to like the game where she could shoot real¨Cvirtual yers without being jailed. Isolde would surely like her own guild, and she would reign supreme in this virtual world. Augustus was hype, and he couldn¡¯t contain the silly grin on his face. Meanwhile, Isolde was thinking of a different matter entirely. How do you eat this perfection? Isolde thought, thinking seriously with a sheen of sweat coating her face. Should I swallow it whole and contain the burst of vors? Or should I take tiny bites to savor its taste? Hmm . . . Isolde¡¯s brows wrinkled, arms crossed, and eyes heated on the sushi tters in front of her. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Augustus drew all attention to him, ¡°I have called this urgent meeting, so you have enough time to liquidate your assets and prepare your money by this week. Of course your money will be returned to you once virtual money start rolling in. You know the drill.¡± When no one argued, Augustus stole a peek at Axel, and when thetter nodded, he cleared his throat and continued. ¡°Now that we made that clear, we¡¯ll go to the most important part. Besides establishing our casinos in the game . . . we will also form a guild to further solidify our foothold in this virtual world! . . . . . . Everyone looked at each other. ¡°A . . . guild?¡± ¡ª- A/N Last update for this week Hopefully I¡¯ll fully recover this weekend so I could bounce back next week ?? Stay Safe everyone and enjoy your weekends! Cheers! Chapter 39 It looked like flowers would pop over everyone¡¯s head while Isolde smacked her hands in glee. She made up her mind! She would consume it whole and savor the burst of vors! Augustus couldn¡¯t contain his grin when he saw that Isolde agreed with what he said. She seemed very excited about this. She surely wanted a guild to back her when she¡¯s shooting everyone to her heart¡¯s content. Don¡¯t worry, sweetheart. Daddy would make this new world would be yours. Augustus¡¯s sharp eyes looked over at Axel, and thetter nudged his sses on the bridge of his nose and nodded, eyes twinkling with understanding. ¡°Now, as you all know, my daughter here,¡± Augustus flexed his hand over at Isolde, whose mouth was full of sushi,¡± she already entered the game at the very opening and had a huge lead over the others. What¡¯s more, she had the highest scores in terms ofbat ability in her age group. I believe she¡¯s a great candidate to lead our guild in this virtual world. ¡°She¡¯s good with guns and had the skills to fight her way to the top.¡± Isolde didn¡¯t have time to savor the vors of her sushi when all eyes went on her. She forced everything down and mmed a fist against her chest when it lodged in her throat before drinking a ss of water to dislodge her food to her stomach. She then tapped a napkin on her lips and pretended that she didn¡¯t just choke with a mouthful of sushi in her mouth. She then faced everyone and said with a serious voice and face. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Augustus¡¯s eyes shone with expectation. ¡°But I got wiped out when I attempted Thunder Cave, and I was back to square one,¡± continued Isolde. ¡°. . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± Augustus¡¯s smile fell right off his face. Axel¡¯s sses skewed on his nose, but his poker expression remained stiff and unperturbed. Xian was stunned before he guffawed. ¡°Everyone, I think it¡¯s best if we decide the guild¡¯s leadership position to the one who has the highest ATP at the time when the GUILD feature is established in the game. What say you?¡± Augustus¡¯s lips were pressed in a thin line when everyone agreed. He had already forced them to sell half their fortune. Pushing her daughter for the guild¡¯s leader position might trigger animosity towards them. Augustus couldn¡¯t push his luck this time. Could his daughter lie and be dishonest for once? Augustusmented. And please stop nodding your head in agreement with the others. Augustus clicked his tongue when Isolde agreed with everyone with a flower sprouting over her head. ¡°Very well,¡± Augustus conceded, ¡°we have ten pods avable and pre-ordered hundreds more. The highest stat of your avatar will deice the role of the guild leader by the time the GUILD is established in the game. ¡°Of course, anyone could enter and assume the guild leader¡¯s position. ¡°However, it¡¯s best to leave it to the younger generation.¡± Everyone agreed. They were too old to y childish games anyway. They would leave it to their sons and daughters. When everyone didn¡¯t have any more questions, the meeting was adjourned. While the youngsters all dispersed to their own gigs, the elders were left behind to discuss other concerns. Isolde went out of their private room with her cousins when they were done eating. Her stomach was satisfied, and her mind was in a peaceful state. It was time to head back home and grind! Not for the leader¡¯s position. Isolde didn¡¯t care about that as long as she could y and shoot to her heart¡¯s content without being penalized for misbehavior. Her cousins could have that position. She wasn¡¯t interested in politics and dealings with the manyplicated inner workings of a guild. Rather, she felt that a guild would just constrict her. She very much rather explore the new world on her own. Free and unburdened! She didn¡¯t want to be restricted by a guild and its many rules and obligations. Isolde happily walked out from the guarded door and went into the restaurant¡¯s open space, where the majority of the public take their meals. She was about to go home when something caught her sight. Four tables away from where she stood, there was chaos ensued in the clich¨¦ form of diners who wanted to dine in the prestigious restaurant but didn¡¯t have any avable table, which didn¡¯t happen since the restaurant was by reservation. There was never a walk-in. However, because of themotion, Isolde caught sight of a man who was casually sitting at the adjacent table where themotion was happening. Isolde¡¯s big eyes widened. Ren? ¡ª¨C After Leonel and Ren finished their free food, Leonel sat back in his seat with a bulging tummy. Leonel sighed in bless as he rubbed his stomach. ¡°Ah . . . this is the good life. Having to eat delicious food without paying a single scent.¡± Ren tapped a napkin on his lips. ¡°I agree. The food tastes best when it¡¯s free.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree with you more, buddy.¡± Leonel picked the stuck morsel of food on his teeth before spitting it on his te. ¡°Anyway, I guess that pod hopping is a no-go, huh?¡± ¡°Give it some time. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll call uster once those two cleared their heads,¡± Ren said without a care. He wasn¡¯t expecting it. He was just saying it so that Leonel wouldn¡¯t think of Mike and Saya anymore. ¡°Hey, Ren. Look. Look.¡± Leonel tapped Ren¡¯s shoulder and pointed at the entrance of the restaurant. Ren looked over to where Leonel was jabbing his pointed finger, but he couldn¡¯t see anything that was attention-grabbing. ¡°Do you see it?!¡± Ren squinted his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t fathom what Leonel was so excited about. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That! That!¡± Leonel kept jabbing his finger in the direction of the entrance of the restaurant. ¡°That girl! Her! It¡¯s Your Gaming Girl . . . LIRA!¡± Ren raised a brow. ¡°. . . Who?¡± Leonel gaped at Ren before he grabbed his shoulder length golden hair in frustration. ¡°How could you not know her?! She¡¯s a very popr game streamer in Zone A District 2! She have millions of followers, you know! That girl! It¡¯s your gaming girl, Lira!¡± Ren eyed the only eye-catching girl near the entrance. She was sporting an oversize Burberry jacket over a tank top and shorts. Her wavy pinkish hair with streaks of blue was attention-grabbing, as well as the camera crew behind her back. Are they filming? Ren wondered while Leonel was all excited. His eyes were emitting smoke from how heated he was staring at Lira. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! It¡¯s really your gaming girl Lira in the flesh! The rumors are indeed true that Zone A is the nesting spot for all famous people!¡± Leonel brought out his phone and wanted to take a video when Ren stopped him. ¡°Taking pictures and video in this ce is prohibited,¡± Ren said seriously. Leonel released a disappointed sigh before he hid his phone. ¡°Bummer. And here I thought I could brag about this to the other fans. I¡¯m a top fan of hers, you know.¡± No wonder his allowance was always gone. Ren thought. So it was where Leonel was spending it. Ren just shook his head and finished his drinks before calling the waiter for the bill. He didn¡¯t have time to waste around in the real world. He still had so many things left undone in COVENANT. ¡°Leo, finish your food, and let¡¯s enter COVENANT together.¡± Since their school was kilometers apart, Ren didn¡¯t have to worry about Leonel prying for his pod. Once money starts rolling in, he¡¯d tell him that he bought one so he wouldn¡¯t suspect a thing. But Leonel wasn¡¯t paying any attention to Ren as he said with a panicky voice. ¡°Oh my god, Ren! She¡¯s going in our direction! Did she know that it was me who was spamming hearts in the chatbox when she went on live? Was she here because of me?¡± He then looked at Ren and repeatedly tapped Ren¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Quick, pinch me and tell me that I¡¯m not dreaming. She¡¯s really going to me, right?¡± Ren rolled his eyes. There was no way in hell that a popr streamer with millions of followers would notice nobodies like the¨C¨C Ren blinked. He was speechless because Lira was indeed going in their direction. Huh? What? How? Did Leonel¡¯s stalker-like behavior finally bore fruit? Leonel was sweating buckets, and he turned to stone when his eyes and Lira¡¯s met while Ren was turned into a statue for a different reason entirely. Would his best friend finally advance into adulthood? ¡ª- A/N I¡¯m feeling better now that I¡¯m fully rested ???? Thank you everyone for your well wishes! ?? ?? It¡¯s time to pick up the pace ???? Please support the story with votes,ments and reviews ???? Chapter 40 Would Leonel finally advance to adulthood? Ren thought, stunned and astonished at the same time. Leonel stood to his feet when Lira was just meters away from him and stammered. ¡°I-I¡¯m!¡± However, before Leonel could finish his sentence, Lira took a turn and went to the table just beside theirs. Sitting on that table was a dark-skinned boy with violet hair and an older woman in his forties. They were eating their food in peace and silence before Lira¡¯s high-pitched voice stunned Leonel and Ren. ¡°This table is already reserved for me. Why the fuck is someone eating here?¡± ¡°Shh . . . Lira, mind your manners. Where in a public ce. Someone might take a video of you,¡± whispered her manager. Lira just sneered. ¡°This is a private reservation-only restaurant were taking videos and photos aren¡¯t allowed. And besides . . .¡± Lira looked over at the people who were minding their business. ¡°All the people here are rich and don¡¯t give a damn.¡± ¡°M-manners,¡± uttered her manager, eyes shifting around if someone heard and saw Lira acting brazenly. Lira flipped her hair and looked down at the dark-skinned boy. ¡°What are you still waiting for? I said that¡¯s my table.¡± The dark-skinned boy frowned. ¡°Your table? We have made a reservation here.¡± ¡°Roz,¡± the olddy nudged Roz. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t speak like that to a girl. We¡¯ve finished anyway.¡± Roz faced her mother, canines baring. ¡°Mom. That¡¯s not a girl. It¡¯s an uncultured swine.¡± Ren smirked and nodded his head. The boy had guts. He must be around sixteen years old. While Leonel was turned into a statue. He was too stunned that her idol¡¯s character was so . . . unmannered? She was like a Goddess on screen and felt like an angel when she talked on camera. Since the unfortunate event was happening just a table next to them, Ren and Leonel had the front row seat of the drama. Lira¡¯s beautiful face was smudged with angry veins. ¡°What did you say, you little squirt?¡± Lira squinted her eyes and leaned forward at Roz. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am? I can make your fucking life miserable with a snap of a hand until you can no longer go out in the streets and anywhere else without being mobbed for the rest of your fucking miserable life. You¡¯d rather wish that you¡¯d never been born, and your future descendants would scorn at your grave for making their life miserable too.¡± She then straightened her back and crossed her arms with tilting hips. ¡°Unless you scram the fuck away from my table. Right now.¡± Roz rolled his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. You¡¯re rude and crazy. Go away before I call security.¡± ¡°Wha¨C!¡± Lira¡¯s face fumed red. ¡°What seemed to be the problem here?¡± Finally, a manager with a perfectly practiced smile intervened. Lira jabbed a finger at Roz and snarled. ¡°This kid is sitting on my table. Does this restaurant¡¯s prestige drop so low that it would ept anybody? I had made reservations here, and how dare you give my table to . . . to . . .¡± Lira was thinking of words that were eluding her. ¡°. . . Nobody . . . ,¡± she uttered when a second passed, and she couldn¡¯t find the right words due to anger clouding her brain. The manager¡¯s smile remained stered on her face as she swiped on her tablet. ¡°Yes. Miss Lira did make a reservation at our restaurant. However, you¡¯re fifteen minutes early from your reserved time, and they have made their reservation prior to yours.¡± Lira shook her head in disbelief. ¡°What do you mean fifteen minutes early? Do you mean to say that I shoulde inte? It should be normal for a high-ss restaurant to reserve their guests¡¯ tables an hour before they arrive! What kind of a Michelin awarded restaurant is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Lira,¡± said the manager, ¡°If you could wait for your table¨C¡± ¡°NO,¡± Lira said with an edge. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to wait.¡± She then leaned closer to the manager with one brow raised. ¡°Do you know how many millions of followers I have? One bad review from me, and you can say goodbye to your awards.¡± The manager¡¯s smile faltered from her face, and there was now a sheen of sweat coating her cheeks. ¡°How about another table Miss Lira?¡± she bargained, eyeing Ren and Leonel¡¯s table since the two men were already finished. Lira shook her head. ¡°No. I want this table. I always made a reservation at this table. It¡¯s near the window, and I can view thendscape while I¡¯m eating. It wouldn¡¯t be the same from any other angle!¡± Our table is just meters from the window too. Ren thought. Though Ren had an inkling that Lira just didn¡¯t want to back down anymore after themotion she started. He had a feeling that she just wanted to make it difficult for Roz. Not my problem. Ren emptied his ss of water and tapped Leonel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We should go.¡± The scene that Lira created was already garnering attention. ¡°B-but . . .¡± Leonel¡¯s brows were crumpling. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we do something?¡± Leonel was torn. He didn¡¯t know if he should do something about the situation or not. Clearly, Lira was over the line for just a table, and Roz and his mother also made a reservation prior to her. ¡°That¡¯s not our problem, Leo. Let¡¯s go. Your girl Lira might reconsider eating at our table if we leave.¡± ¡°Egh . . .¡± Leonel was feeling dejected. He was still not over at Lira¡¯s true character. He didn¡¯t know what was more heartbreaking ¡ª finding out his idol¡¯s true persona or the shattered image he had for her. She was so different when she was ying live online. He felt betrayed all of a sudden. Ren was about to speak again when he heard the manager¡¯s voice. The manager looked over at Roz and his mother with an apologetic face. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m sorry to ask this, but can you vacate your table now?¡± ¡°What do you mean vacate?¡± Roz¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be painted when he heard the manager took Lira¡¯s side all because she was a famous person. Where¡¯s the dignity of this restaurant? ¡°Can¡¯t you see that we haven¡¯t finished eating yet?¡± ¡°Yes. I can see it. We can find you another table if you want,¡± the manager said again, impatience in her tone this time. Roz and his mother weren¡¯t garbed in branded clothes and didn¡¯t order the expensive meals. The manager would rather keep their good reviews than amodate nobodies like them. Roz¡¯s face darkened, and he opened his mouth to retort but was stopped by his mother. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Roz. Let¡¯s just go. We¡¯ve finished anyway.¡± ¡°Mom, what do you mean finished?¡± Roz eyed the half-eaten dessert. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said his mother with finality and took to her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s just get the bill and go.¡± She then looked at her son with smiling lips but sad eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t belong here.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Roz couldn¡¯t refute anymore when his mother already stood to her feet. He shot onest re at Lira, who had a condescending smirk on her face, before going after her mother. ¡°Tata.¡± Lira snorted and took her seat at the table. She then brought out her phone and focused all her attention on it. ¡°Oh, my god. I can¡¯t believe it, you guys. I just met the rudest kid ever . . .¡± Ren shook his head as he stared at Roz and his mother¡¯s retreating figures. He couldn¡¯t help but take arge breath of air. Watching them reminded him of his parents. He took another breath before he pinched Leonel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s not waste any more time here.¡± Leonel shifted his eyes on Lira and Ren before looking down at his fingers. ¡°I guess that selfie with her would have to take a rain check,¡± uttered Leonel with a gloomy face. Ren was about to drag Leonel to his feet when he was stopped by a familiar deep throaty voice calling his name. ¡°Ren!¡± Chapter 41 ¡°Ren!¡± Ren recognized that voice anywhere. A woman with a deep throaty voice. ¡°Isolde?¡± Ren stood to his feet and greeted Isolde. She was sporting white cks, long sleeve polo shirt, and an onyx dangling earrings. With her strong stride and tall height, she looked ssy, elegant, and intimidating, packed in one. ¡°Fancy meeting you here.¡± Isolde beamed and looked over at Ren. ¡°You too.¡± Ren was surprised to actually meet Isolde for the second time within just the span of hours. He thought that their next meeting was going to be in the game. Isolde was about to say something when Leonel shot to his feet and checked Isolde from all angles. His image blurred at how fast he moved, and after seconds, he stood tall and pinched his chin. ¡°What a tall woman!¡± In glee, Leonel looked over at Ren while pointing at Isolde. ¡°Ren, this is the first time I saw a woman this tall! She¡¯s almost like the same height as me!¡± Leonel was ecstatic because he felt that he was no longer a giant. He even forgot about Lira. Ren drilled his fist into Leonel¡¯s head. ¡°Leo! Stop that. It¡¯s not polite.¡± Ren looked at Isolde while dragging Leonel¡¯s head down to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. He¡¯s just surprised to see another person who¡¯s the same height as him.¡± Instead of getting angry, Isolde just ced a hand over her tilted hips and smiled. ¡°No worries. I¡¯m used to everyoneplementing my height.¡± Unlike Leonel, who was conscious of his height, Isolde was very proud of hers. And she took everything regarding her height as apliment. ¡°By the way, this is Leonel, my friend,¡± introduced Ren. ¡°Best friend,¡± Leonel cut in and stood straight before his forehead crumpled, and his eyes squinted when he stared at Isolde. ¡°Wait a minute . . . ¡°Aren¡¯t you that girl among that group who¡¯s going to attempt Thunder Cave?¡± Leonel had an excellent memory for a guy who had a short attention span. Ren thought. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Isolde nodded. ¡°Oh!¡± Leonel¡¯s eyes shone, and then he swept Ren with his knowing gaze while flexing his eyebrows. ¡°Ehehehe. As I thought. Ren, you couldn¡¯t just stand there and watch them being wiped out, could you? Did you warn them not to enter Thunder Cave? I knew it that you¡¯re a good guy in secret.¡± Ren looked at Leonel with dead eyes. Leave it to Leo to always think good of people. He mused to himself. Isolde chuckled. ¡°Yes. Ren did warn me not to attempt Thunder Cave. Though I still did and got wiped out in the end.¡± Leonel ced a hand over Ren¡¯s shoulder andined. ¡°Eh? You didn¡¯t trust my buddy here?¡± ¡°Leo, it¡¯s a normal reaction. Who would trust a stranger¡¯s words?¡± said Ren. ¡°Me, as long as it¡¯s you,¡± readily replied Leonel with shining eyes and a bright smile. Ren just slightly shook his head with a slight smile on his lips. Upon seeing Ren¡¯s genuine smile for the first time, Isolde was awestruck. She knew that Ren was handsome, even with a serious resting face. But when a genuine smile reced his usual smirk, hepletely looked different, and he suddenly became so much more approachable. She could tell that Ren and Leonel had a very close friendship at a nce. And she couldn¡¯t help but be jealous. She didn¡¯t have someone like a best friend that she could be close with. ¡°Anyway, Leonel and I would enter COVENANT after this.¡± Ren said, ¡°Do you want to y with us?¡± Isolde¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Of course,¡± she immediately replied without thought. ¡°Eh? You will?¡± Leonel asked in disbelief. He then shifted his gaze between Isolde and Ren when the two looked at him with questioning gazes. ¡°Ah . . . I mean. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to join us . . . is that . . . don¡¯t you have friends you¡¯d rather y with than a bunch of strangers you just met?¡± Ren was very confused right now. Leonel could be smart and perceptive if he wanted to. But right now, he was mostly insensitive. And he thought he was the insensitive one here. Isolde wouldn¡¯t have agreed in the first ce if she would y with her friends. But since she did, it was apparent that she had no friends to y COVENANT with. At least people who were close enough to her that she could call one. Isolde was one of the boys. At least that was how Ren looked at her, and he wanted to hit Leonel a second time for making things awkward. Isolde was speechless for a moment. She had friends but not close friends. Just people she knew enough for her to get close but not too close. Her taste was different than other girls her age. And when others went bar hopping, karaoke, or shopping and hanging out, she was in the shooting range, sharpening her aim. And before she knew it, she was already neen years old without a single close friend enough to call her very own best friend. Isolde shook her head to get the depressing thoughts out of her system. She beamed and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Most of my ssmates and friends don¡¯t y the game. At least not yet.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Leonel nodded, and his smile widened as he shed an okay sign with his hand. ¡°Then let¡¯s go and y.¡± Isolde nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange numbers and emails.¡± The three of them exchanged contact information before Isolde looked over at Ren and Leonel. ¡°Where do the two of you live? I¡¯ll take you home in my car.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at Zone A district 2 in Zephyrs Academy¡¯s dorms, while Ren here lives in district 1 near Fate Academy.¡± ¡°Hee . . . so you two are in college just like me. I¡¯m in Zephyr too, but I live near District 1,¡± Isolde said. ¡°We¡¯re in the same school. Cool!¡± Leonel high five Isolde and added. ¡°Fellow Zephyryans! You can tour me around campus when school starts!¡± Isolde shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m actually a freshman this school year.¡± ¡°. . . Oh.¡± Leonel blinked. He really thought that Isolde was older than them because of her built and intimidating face. Leonel grinned and shrugged. ¡°Is that so? Then I hope we¡¯ll be ssmates. I¡¯m taking up Academics, Master in History.¡± Isolde¡¯s eyes rounded. ¡°Egh? Me too! I¡¯m not smart with numbers andplicated stuff, and they said that course is the easiest and only takes three years to finish!¡± ¡°That¡¯s also the reason why I chose it!¡± Leonel chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m taking it because all I needed to do was memorize!¡± Leonel grinned. Isolde grinned. ¡°I hope we¡¯ll be ssmates then.¡± Isolde nodded. ¡°Likewise.¡± The two really hit it off at their first meeting, and Ren became the background from their conversation. Isolde looked over at Ren when she noticed that he was being left behind. She then changed the topic with a clear of her throat. ¡°If you¡¯re going home, then I¡¯ll take you guys in my car.¡± ¡°Sweet free ride!¡± Leonel said. ¡°Are you sure? If it¡¯s no trouble, then we¡¯ll take up your offer.¡± Ren always had a policy not to refuse others¡¯ offers. Nowadays, it is considered rude not to ept the other¡¯s goodwill. Isolde, Ren, and Leonel were about to leave the restaurant when Xian called Isolde. ¡°Are they your friends?¡± Xian asked, eyeing Ren and Leonel when he was in front of Isolde. Isolde caught her tongue when Xian suddenly appeared and asked that out of the blue question. Were they already friends? Was it alright to call them that now? Isolde was torn, and her lips skewed to the side. It was Ren who answered, ¡°Yes. We¡¯re Isolde friends. I¡¯m Ren, and this is Leonel.¡± Isolde spun his head in Ren and Leonel¡¯s direction. Friends . . . the word was ringing in her head and fell right straight to her heart. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Xian Isolde¡¯s cousin,¡± Xian said without a care. Not interested in Ren and Leonel since his attention was all focused on Isolde as he asked her,¡± Can I speak with you for a moment?¡± Isolde blinked, and rity returned to her. She looked in Ren and Leonel¡¯s direction, unsure of what to do. ¡°Take your time. We¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± said Ren before pushing Leonel towards the restaurant¡¯s exit. Isolde shot Ren and Leonel an appreciative smile before facing Xian. ¡°What is it?¡± Xian stared at Isolde for a moment before he coughed between his fists, clearing his throat. He already practiced his speech to discourage Isolde from participating in the guild leader¡¯s position. He would use her gender as an excuse to get his way. Though Isolde was indeed a skilled fighter, it was always the men the others preferred to follow in their line of work. ¡°I just want to tell you that I¡¯m going topete for the guild leader¡¯s position and¨C¡± Isolde raised her hand, stopping Xian from speaking more. ¡°I get it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m rooting for you and the others.¡± ¡°. . . Huh?¡± Xian stammered, unable toprehend Isolde¡¯s answer. ¡°What do you mean? Aren¡¯t you going topete with us for the position?¡± Isolde shook her head and tapped Xian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I wish you all good luck.¡± And before Xian could utter a single word, Isolde already jogged to Ren and Leonel¡¯s direction without a care, leaving Xian with jaws dropping and eyes bulging. He hadn¡¯t even spoken his speech yet! He felt like an idiot for taking this game seriously while Isolde just brushed him off thoroughly. ¡ª- A/N There was a glitched yesterday and I had to reset everything to retrieved my AllNovelFull ount that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t publish ?? Anyway, here¡¯s a chapter and will publish anotherter if time permits ?? We¡¯ll enter the game next chap! More character introduction after that! Cheers! Chapter 42 ¡°Isolde must be rich, huh? Do you think she had a limo?¡± Leonel asked Ren as they watched Isolde speak to her cousin. Ren shrugged. ¡°A limo doesn¡¯t suit her. Maybe a jeep or armored car.¡± ¡°Cool. I always wanted an armored car.¡± Leonel then sized Isolde up and down. ¡°She seemed to be a nice girl. Though a little awkward.¡± Ren almost choke. ¡°It¡¯s you who is making things awkward.¡± Leonel ignored Ren and rested his eyes elsewhere with puckering lips. ¡°Excuse me. Aren¡¯t you going to enter? You¡¯re blocking the entrance.¡± Ren and Leonel¡¯s attention flicked at an otherworldly man with light blue hair donned in an expensive suit together with an alluring woman garbed in the finest silken dress. Ren blinked because the woman was Silvia. Panic shot to his heart at the sight of her, but then he realized that Silvia didn¡¯t know his real appearance. This restaurant is like a converging spot with people he knew. Ren thought, releasing the tension from his muscles. Though he didn¡¯t know who the man was together with her. One thing was for sure, though . . . the two of them alone stole all the attention of the people in the restaurant. All eyes were on them, and Ren couldn¡¯t exactly me them. Even his eyes were drawn to the man¡¯s otherworldly looks and Silvia¡¯s beautiful face. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Leonel apologized, and he and Ren made way for the two to enter the restaurant. ¡°Mr. Axis!¡± the manager personally came out and greeted the neers. ¡°Miss Rutherford, this way to your table, please.¡± Axis? Ren skimmed his brain. They were an old powerful family that dominated the oil mining and shipping industry. Was he the famous Ragnar Axis, the second young master whose rumored beauty caused a rift between powerful families because he chose Silvia as his soon-to-be wife? That caused the other young mistresses to be discontent. Rich people have their problems. Ren blinked away his boredom. Not his problem. ¡°Wow.¡± Leonel whistled when Ragnar and Silvia were already meters away from them. ¡°Look at those couple? They seemed like they aren¡¯t mortals at all.¡± Ren just shook his head at Leonel¡¯s exaggerated ims. ¡°Stop staring. It¡¯s rude,¡± said Ren though he wasn¡¯t really reprimanding Leonel. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it. It¡¯s like they¡¯re mas, and my eyes are metal.¡± Ren chuckled. Eventually, Ren, Leonel, and Isolde all left the restaurant and made it to their own house with Isolde¡¯s McLaren X4X7 Sports car, which took years off from Ren and Leonel¡¯s life of how fast Isolde was driving. They thought that she had a chauffeur or drivers like Mike and Saya, and both their mouths dropped when she herself took the driver¡¯s seat when they reached her parked car that was customized d in matte ck. After Ren and Leonel¡¯s soul returned to their body, they agreed to log in to the game as soon as Isolde was online. Ren had at least thirty minutes to take a bath and change his clothes so he didn¡¯t have to log outter to do those stuff. He wanted to y unhindered since it was time for their first dungeon attempt. Ren was getting excited. Getting firstblood in this dungeon would yield equipment, and they really needed to upgrade their equipment ASAP. As soon as Isolde sent a message that she was online, Ren didn¡¯t waste any more time and logged in to the game. The three of them promised to meet up at Venezia Vige in the Elves¡¯ territory since the first newbie cave was located there. Gargantuan Cave. It was the very first cave that could be cleared with their current ATP. It needed at least three yers to clear, but Ren could probably solo it. The only reason that he didn¡¯t was because that cave required a specific number of yers to enter. Once he entered his pod, he logged in and Ren arrived at Ironto vige. It was thest spot he was in before he logged out. After that, he pressed the save/teleportation crystal and teleported to Venezia vige, the southernmost part of the Elven territory. ¡°Ren!¡± Leonel and Isolde waved their hands upon spotting him amidst the flocks of yers. ¡°Look at all these people?¡± Leonel said the moment that Ren navigated his way towards them. ¡°I was lucky that there was an empty pod in the caf¨¦ near my dorm. However there¡¯s only a cap of one hour y time to amodate other yers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s expected as everyone already knew the game¡¯s opening,¡± said Isolde with a half shrug. ¡°If it weren¡¯t because there¡¯s a shortage of pods, these numbers would double by now.¡± Ren wasn¡¯t worried about Leonel ying only a day in the game. It was enough time to clear the dungeon. Though in the future, Ren would convince Leonel to buy a pod once the in game currency was introduced. He had to be avable at all times so he wouldn¡¯t be left out. Because Leonel didn¡¯t have a pod in the past, he often logged in a caf¨¦. But this caf¨¦ only have certain number of time to amodate the influx of people ying the game. In return, Leonel¡¯s ytime was greatly reduced and it was also one of the reason that he was left behind by the others. ¡°Sheesh. How do you navigate with all this crowd?¡± Leonel was getting dizzy from all the yers going back and forth in a hurry toplete quests after quests to catch up with the others. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going toplete those quests again?¡± Ren asked Isolde since he knew that she was back to square one. Isolde sighed, and her forehead wrinkled. ¡°I¡¯d rather grind than go through those errand quests again.¡± Her eyes then went big and sparkly. ¡°I¡¯d rather go with you to this Gargantuan Cave!¡± Leonel nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Very well then,¡± said Ren. It was faster to raise her ATP in the cave than do errand quests anyway, and the items rewards were mostly basic items she could just buy in the shops. The three of them then set out south from the vige, with Ren leading the front. ¡°Is there something we should need first to attempt this cave?¡± Isolde asked, traumatized by her failed attempt at Thunder Cave. Ren shook his head. ¡°No. This is a newbie cave that can be cleared with three yers.¡± ¡°But my ATP isn¡¯t in the two digits yet since I recreated my ount.¡± Isolde was worried about this that she would be the source of defeat in their group. However, Ren wasn¡¯t worried the least. He alone could solo this newbie cave. ¡°No worries, Ren and I have already reached two digits.¡± Leonel winked and flexed his nonexistent muscles. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the enemies in the front and protect you guys while you destroy all the enemies from the back lines.¡± Isolde nodded while Ren was surprised that Isolde wasn¡¯t the least bit concerned about Leonel¡¯s appearance. She had to be criticizing his beard in her head. Ren mused to himself, and the corner of his lips rose in a slight grin. The truth was further, though. Isolde didn¡¯t find Leonel¡¯s Dwarven appearance and faked beard strange at all. She mostly grew up surrounded by men with all sorts of beards on their faces. Her father was sporting a spiky beard that he carefully trimmed and gelled each day. In fact, her father spent more time taking care of his beard than actually managing their casinos. He left it to his right-hand man and the many professionals and experts in theirpany. Ren, Leonel, and Isolde chattered as they walked toward their destination. But upon reaching the fork heading to Gargantuan Cave, Isolde and Leonel¡¯s attention was stolen by yers storming the other way. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Leonel asked. There where influx of yers going into the southern fork of the forest leading to another ce in the mountain range. Ren already knew what was on the other side, so he wasn¡¯t really interested nor curious like the other yers. It was the disadvantage of having to live twice. The element of surprise was gone. However, before he could open his mouth, Isolde and Leonel were already hyped and followed the crowds. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out,¡± Isolde said in glee but was already following the other yers. ¡°Yes. Lets. There might be a hidden boss there or treasures!¡± Leonel eximed in excitement and jogged beside Isolde. Ren sighed as he watched Leonel and Isolde got hyped with the masses, skipping their steps with flowers blooming all around them,pleted with rays of sparkles. It¡¯s like there was two Leonel in the group. Chapter 43 The fork in the dirt path diverged in two directions. The one straight ahead to the right would lead to the Gargantuan Cave, and the one in the south going towards the mountain range would lead to thend of the banish dark elves, Dark Ridge Mountains. The Land of the Banished Dark Elves was located in the southernmost continent of Arcadia. At this point in time, yers couldn¡¯t ess it unless the [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth], waspleted. Elves and Dark elves were at war, so the borders between theirnds were closed, and yers couldn¡¯t ess it without clearing that [World Quest] first. [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth] was a giveaway world quest that was easy toplete since the developers wanted the yers to have early ess to thends of the Dark Elves. However, the yer ATP must at least reach the 50s before that since the World Boss of that quest couldn¡¯t be defeated with ATP¡¯s below 50s. Ren knew how to trigger that [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth]. However, he wasn¡¯t interested in it since the rewards were mediocre at best because it was an easy quest. Though the reward equipment was rare, it wasn¡¯t legendary or an artifact. It was an OP equipment at the start, but more equipment woulde sooner that was way better than those. Although Ren was interested in a single item on the list of rewards. He was thinking of selling the information of that [World Quest] when the [Guild] feature was established, then ask that rewards item aspensation. Or he could also sell the information for money. Who knows? But as of now, Ren¡¯s focus was on Isolde and Leonel, who were pushed by the crowds towards the border territory of the Dark Elves. Everyone viewed each other as an opponent ¨C¨C apetitor. They were hurrying southwards, afraid that they would miss something or others would hug all the items and monsters. Ren slightly shook his head. He leisurely took his time and took a breather at the greeneries around him before thendscape changed to one of dirt and rocks after passing the lush trees. In less than thirty minutes, Ren arrived at a cave with glowing blue crystals. They were just normal light crystals and couldn¡¯t be foraged, but some still tried to attack it with their weapons, thinking that it would yield items. It wasical to see since the crystals just respawn endlessly. The cave was short and straightforward before they arrived at a cliff with nothing but vast greens below and an open sky above. Forward in the dirt path were shadows of gigantic Rocky Mountains. It was covered in fog and couldn¡¯t be seen clearly. The path leading forward was guarded by two massive stone pirs nking both sides of what seemed to be the only entrance leading towards the Rocky Mountains and onwards to thend of the Dark Elves. Two towering guards double the size of an ordinary human were guarding the entrance, holding spears in one hand. Upon closer inspection, the guards have dark skin beneath their armor, long elongated ears protruding from their helmets, and a very menacing look on their faces upon sighting the yers. Dark Elves. A race that was known for its high magic and physical damage. Their beauty contended with the white Elves though they were more ragged and barbaric looking than the graceful and elegant white-skinned Elves. Another significant difference between the two besides the skin color was the ears. Dark Elves haverge elongated ears, while white elves have pointy ears like the shape of a leaf. Dark Elves were another race that was essibleter. Although only Elf yers could change their race into Dark Elves and acquire bonus ATP, skills, and spells. However, that race change wasn¡¯t avable until the [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth] was cleared, and the Land of the Banish Dark Elves, Dark Ridge Mountain, became essible. Ren stopped beside Isolde and Leonel as they watched a bunch of yers stepping forward towards the giant pirs. ¡°Halt! That is as far as you go! This path leads to thend of the almighty dark elves. You critters go back whence you came, or we¡¯ll kill you without mercy,¡± one of the guards said. Everyone stopped and looked at each other. Ren, Isolde, and Leonel stayed back, meters away from most yers, but they still heard and saw what was going on. Leonel had a face of a gawker. Isolde was curious. And Ren was bored. ¡°We want to enter thend of the dark elves,¡± a yer said. The guard frowned and shouted, ¡°Absurd! Just because you said you wanted to enter, we will just let you?! This is no ce for the likes of you! Ournd will not be soiled and dirtied by pretentious, backstabbing hypocrites like you! Get lost!¡± The yers were shocked at the disy of hostility by the two guards, and they momentarily couldn¡¯t react. Ren recalled the story of the two races. It started with the Queen of the Elves¡¯ daughter, Princess ine, being betrayed and killed by the King of the Dark Elves, Zeroth. On the other hand, the dark elves wanted to get back their imprisoned King from the white elves¡¯ clutches. That was the brief story found in the COVENANTS app. However, Ren knew that it was a lot moreplicated than that. And a bonus item was given to the yer who sessfully uncovered the truth behind the [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth]. And that bonus item was what Ren was after. ¡°You guys scram! No one is allowed to enter here!¡± And, of course, the hard-headed yers didn¡¯t heed the elves¡¯ warnings one bit. What¡¯s more, the more the two guards pushed the yers away, the more the yers wanted to enter their territory. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, everyone! I¡¯m sure that this is just another quest. Once we defeat those guards, we can enter the ce!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! It just might be a quest. We might be able to trigger one!¡± Upon hearing the word ¡®quest,¡¯ it was like all the yers could see were items and rewards. They grabbed their weapons and were ready to attack. Ren shook his head as he watched the foolish youths. If he remembered correctly, those two guards were unkible, and their ATP was in the three digits already. To make matters worse, they were the type of NPC that would kill yers once their [Rtionship Level] dropped below [Ruffian]. Ren couldn¡¯t exactly me the yers since he was given a second chance and already knew this stuff that was otherwise new to the newbies who just entered the game. And unless they used a [Monocle], they wouldn¡¯t see the high ATP of the two guards. What¡¯s more, the developers specifically wrote in their guide that the yers MIGHT trigger some kind of an event or quest if they pressed the NPCs further, not knowing that some NPCs could kill them. One yer apparently was too greedy that he thought he could kill the guards and pushed his way through to the other side. He thought that the guards were low-level since the area was still near the newbie vige. Ahh . . . foolish . . . Ren thought. Needless to say, that guy died on the spot in a fraction of a second when he stepped a meter towards the gate. A sharp spear pierced his heart, and white particles reced his body. . . . . . . ¡°Imbeciles!! Do you think that puny insignificant creatures like you could defeat us? My strength is more than yourbined STR. Your head will fly first before you even get a meter towards us!¡± All the yers immediately backed away. Some were shocked that an NPC had just killed a yer. Others turned tail and ran while almost all immediately posted on the [World Chat]. ¡°Let me try.¡± A man slowly walked towards the grids but stopped before reaching that meter limit. He was tall and muscr and dark. He could pass as a dark elf if not for his shorter ears. The man probably chose a darker color for his skinpared with most elven yers that chose lighter tones. Isolde and Leonel were curios. The man looked strong and capable, but their curiosity was shattered when the man only stepped on that meter line, and his body vanished and was reced by white particles. Ren released an audible breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go. This part of the map is a dead end. We¡¯re wasting time here.¡± Chapter 44 *sigh . . . ¡°Let¡¯s go. This part of the map is a dead end. We¡¯re wasting time here.¡± Ren said and turned to leave. Leonel ced his hands on the back of his head. ¡°Too bad. I kinda enjoyed when those yers vanished, though.¡± He snickered and followed Ren from behind. While Isolde took onest look at the two dark elves guarding the only entrance into theirnds. Her big eyes were shining and full of admiration. Those two were strong, and they were kinda . . . cool. She was also an Elf, and she was thinking if she could change her race into a Dark Elf. ¡°Is it possible to be like them one day?¡± Isolde asked when she caught up to Ren and Leonel. ¡°Who? Those two dark elves?¡± asked Leonel. Isolde nodded, and Leonel smacked his fist on his palm. ¡°Right, you¡¯re an elf too.¡± He then looked at Ren and asked, ¡°Ren, you know about this stuff. Is it possible for her to change race?¡± Ren grumbled under his breath when Isolde and Leonel looked at him with shining, expectant eyes. ¡°. . . Yes.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Both Leon and Isolde couldn¡¯t contain their grin. ¡°Then how about me? Is there another race for dwarves? Like a dwarf-dwarf?¡± Ren raised a brow. ¡°Dwarf-dwarf? ¡°You know, like a smaller dwarf!¡± Ren stifled augh. ¡°You still wanted to be small?¡± ¡°If there¡¯s a chance that I can be smaller still, then I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°You should have told me that you wanted to be a bug in the first ce. They¡¯re the smallest living things in this world.¡± Isoldeughed, and Leonel whined. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± The three chatted their way towards Gargantuan Cave and stopped when they noticed that something was amiss. Ahead, there were yers surrounding the cave entrance, barging other yers from taking a step forward. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Isolde asked a yer nearby. The yer¡¯s face was dark. ¡°Those bunch wanted to monopolize Gargantuan cave and wouldn¡¯t let others inside!¡± heined. Ren looked over at the group that the yer was pointing to and recognized some of their faces. It was the Poison Viper guild ¡ª a group of rugged tugs who would do anything to get ahead of the others. Though the guild feature wasn¡¯t introduced yet, some yers had already formed their guilds and groups to take advantage of their numbers. Like this for instance where Poison Viper used their numbers to threaten other yers and gain dominance over the game. Their Leader, Vein, was a notorious yer. Despite his level in the past, top-tier equipment, and exceptional skills, his questionable character was the stuff of legend. Such an act of taking over an entire leveling field was only the tip of the iceberg. And even this early, they were already causing trouble for everyone, especially the newbies who couldn¡¯t content with their numbers. Everyone could probably take them on if there were only ten of them. However, they were more than twenty, and more were joining their guild for the reason that some newbies didn¡¯t want to make them an enemy. They could finally grind in the area in peace by joining a much stronger force. If you couldn¡¯t defeat them, then join them. Ren thought and shook his head in dismay. Their numbers surrounded the cave¡¯s only entrance, and it was impossible to enter without a confrontation. ¡°What should we do?¡± Leonel asked. He was starting to get worried. ¡°Should we alert the game about this?¡± said Isolde. Ren didn¡¯t reply. Alerting the developers or customer service about this behavior wouldn¡¯t bore any fruit since this was allowed. COVENANT was a guild-driven game, and the developers greatly weed anything that would encourage the yers, whether good or bad, to join a guild. Ren thought for a second. This was troublesome since he wanted to avoid PvP battles this early on. But there was another way if they waited . . . ¡°Hey.¡± Ren and the others¡¯ attention flicked to an Orc who was approaching their direction. The Orc was the same height as Ren leaning on the leaner side with green skin. His pointy ears were small, his nostrils big, and his sharp teeth below protruded from his lips. And the most eye-catching was his light blue hair that was tied with a bone, drawing his fringe away from his broad head. Orcs were the most hideous out of the races but they pact a punch like the beast. Not many chose this race because of their appearances, and most yers only chose it because their guild asked them to change race so they could have an Orc in their guild. This was to ensure that their guild had all the races if there was a race-rted quest. Ren, Isolde, and Leonel shifted their heads to see if the Orc had apanion beside them. But it seemed like the Orc¡¯s business was with them. Ren juggled his memory if he knew the green-skinned Orc but failed. Although he had this nagging feeling that the Orc was very familiar, especially with that protruding light blue hair and frosty eyes of his. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you,¡± the Orc said as soon as he was in front of Ren and the others. Leonel pointed at himself. ¡°Me?¡± The Orc nodded. ¡°We met a while ago. At Gargino Restaurant,¡± he said, eyeing Ren and Leonel. ¡°. . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ren took a step back and gasped. ¡°R-Ragnar Axis?¡± Ragnar nodded. ¡°Yes. I supposed that everyone knows my name.¡± ¡°You know him?¡± Leonel asked Ren. ¡°He¡¯s that blue-haired guy a while ago together with that blondedy.¡± Leonel¡¯s expression told that his brain was still loading before he finally recognized Ragnar. He then swept Ragnar repeatedly with his eyes from the man¡¯s toes up to the tip of his hair. Leonel¡¯s mouth dropped. ¡°T-that pretty boy turned into this! Why?! What?! HOW did that happen?! Why did you choose that race?!¡± Ragnar just raised a brow at Leonel¡¯s question. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from a giant who chose to be a dwarf.¡± ¡°Ragnar. Is that really you?¡± Isolde asked, squinting her big eyes at the Orc. Ragnar nodded. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s me, Isolde. Nice meeting you too. I wasn¡¯t going to approach them, but I noticed that you¡¯re in their group.¡± ¡°You knew each other?¡± Leonel asked Isolde. Ragnar and Isolde both nodded their heads at the same time. ¡°We¡¯re sometimes brought by our parents when they discuss business,¡± Ragnar said simply. ¡°Anyway,¡± cut in Ren, ¡°How are you inside the game when you were still in the restaurant a while ago?¡± Ren thought that Ragnar and Silvia had a date. Shouldn¡¯t date at leastst the whole night? ¡°Ah, I guess you¡¯re curious about it.¡± Ragnar tilted his hips and crossed his hands. His gestures were elegant and refined, which didn¡¯t match his looks and build. ¡°After my lunch with Silvia, I went home,¡± Ragnar answered without care. Ren expected that there was no love between the two of them since most rich people married their fellow rich group. Marriage was a business transaction. But still, how could he be so fast? Like he understood Ren¡¯s thoughts, Ragnar added, ¡°I owned multiple apartments in the city. I have one near Hignd Mall.¡± . . . Rich people. Ren thought, slightly shaking his head. The veins on his head had been pounding like crazy ever since he returned in the past. His mind was crammed with all the ideas on how to uplift their life and buy his parents a mansion in Zone A¡¯s exclusive neighborhood. But soon, he would suffer headaches on a different matter entirely ¨C¨C about where to sleep from his long list of apartments. The thought put a slight grin on Ren¡¯s lips. ¡°Anyway,¡± Ragnar changed the topic, ¡°Do you want to enter Gargantuan Cave?¡± ¡°Yes. Why?¡± Leonel asked. For the first time, Ragnar¡¯s cold face gave way to a small smile . . . though his smile was terrifying in an Orc¡¯s body. ¡°I want to join you, of course.¡± Ren and Leonel looked at each other. ¡°. . . Huh?¡± Chapter 45 ¡°I want to join you, of course.¡± Ren and Leonel looked at each other. ¡°. . . Huh?¡± What was wrong with rich people nowadays? Ren thought. Don¡¯t they have friends that they would rather y with? ¡°Don¡¯t you have friends that you would rather y with?¡± Leonel asked, and Ren looked to the side with a sigh. ¡°NO,¡± Ragnar said, with a proud tilt of his head. ¡°I¡¯d rather y alone. But then I heard that Gargantuan Cave couldn¡¯t be entered solo. And since we have amon acquaintance, I think it¡¯s only right that I entered your group.¡± Ren didn¡¯t understand that logic but . . . the more, the merrier, he guessed. And having an Orc in the group would increase their firepower. ¡°I¡¯m okay with it, but it¡¯s up to Ren and Leonel. I¡¯m just tagging along,¡± Isolde said with a serious expression. ¡°I¡¯m cool. I¡¯ll leave the decision to Ren.¡± Leonel didn¡¯t mind another stranger in their group. Rather, he liked that he got to know new people. On the other hand, Ren was just curious why Ragnar chose to be an Orc. He wasn¡¯t against the idea at all that Ragnar was joining them. ¡°It¡¯s fine by me. The more, the better.¡± I guess. Ren mused to himself. Isolde¡¯s tight face loosened. Leonel jabbed an okay sign. And Ragnar¡¯s stoic face remained impassive even after joining Ren¡¯s group. It felt like he didn¡¯t know how to smile. His resting, no care face was worse than Ren¡¯s. Leonel thought with a snicker as he eyed Ren and Ragnar. ¡°I¡¯m Ren, by the way.¡± ¡°Leonel¡¯s the name.¡± ¡°Ragnar,¡± he said and then pointed at the cave without wasting any more time. ¡°Do you have any idea how we can enter the cave, though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said Ren. ¡°What do you mean fine?¡± Ragnar questioned. Ren pointed toward the other yers. ¡°Sooner orter, these yers will have enough, and riot would ensue. Let¡¯s use that chance to enter by then.¡± ¡°So all we have to do is wait?¡± asked Isolde. Ren nodded. ¡°This ce attracted a lot of yers, and soon another group would emerge and challenge those guys¡¯ tyranny.¡± ¡°But . . . they might get first blood.¡± Leonel bit his thumb, looking worried at the cave. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Bosses in caves and dungeons couldn¡¯t be defeated easily,¡± reassured Ren. ¡°You seem to be confident with your words.¡± Ragnar faced Ren. ¡°Are you a beta tester?¡± ¡°Is that important?¡± Ren didn¡¯t want to be hostile with Ragnar. He might be a customer in the future, after all. Ragnar shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Isolde smiled and asked Ragnar, ¡°I¡¯m curious, though. Why did you choose an Orc out of all the races?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± seconded Leonel. ¡°Didn¡¯t you regret it that you¡¯ve ruined your pretty face?¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ragnar didn¡¯t answer. There was silence lingering between the group until Ragnar took in a breath and said with a serious face and voice when Ren and the others looked at him with expectant eyes. ¡°The only reason I entered this game is because of this race. I wanted to look hideous and escape that hellish life I have in the real world. ¡°In this appearance, I don¡¯t suffer from all sorts of threats and ckmails. I wasn¡¯t drowning with gifts and letters every day. NO stalker was following me all around, and I could safely sleep and shower at night. I could finally eat and drink with a peace of mind that I wasn¡¯t consuming aphrodisiacs or love potions. ¡°Being ugly is what I longed for,¡± said Ragnar with a resolute face and voice. ¡°Being an Orc let me experience a new life without being chased, mobbed, and groped! This is the life that I longed!¡± Ren was speechless. Isolde¡¯s mouth dropped. While Leonel just nodded in understanding. He tapped a hand over at Ragnar¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I get you. Same thing as me. I chose a dwarf because I was a giant in the real world.¡± Ren was starting to get dizzy. He guessed that pretty boys have their own problems. ¡°Who gave you the right to barricade this ce?!¡± Their attention was stolen by a loud voice that rang deep like a gong. Meters from where they stood, a new group emerged. It was a yer with a Beast ss. He had a tiger¡¯s ears and tail. A robust hairy body with bulky pecks, paws and sharp ws. He was leading a group of ten more yers behind him. Ren knew him anywhere. It was the guild leader of Roaring Tigers, Tor, and the sworn enemy of Poison Viper. While Poison Viper was notorious for its vile deeds, Roaring Tigers were famous for their gant and heroic fits. Although both guilds didn¡¯t belong to the top ten, they were strong in their own rights. Was this the start of the enmity between guilds? Ren wondered. ¡°Yeah, you seriously think that this is your territory?¡± ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s trash them!¡± As Ren imed, the already tense situation went out of control very quickly at the appearance of a stronger force while the newbies rallied behind their back. Though nobody could really kill or hurt the other since it wasn¡¯t a PvP fight, they could still push and overpower each other out of the way from the cave¡¯s entrance. Roaring Tigers drew their weapons and charged forward with the newbies rallying behind them. Faced with this threat, Poison Viper couldn¡¯t just stand there and watch. At Vein¡¯smand, all guild member of Poison Viper met their charging enemies. The entire area erupted into chaos within seconds. ¡°This is our chance,¡± Ren said andmanded Leonel, ¡°use your skill [Dash and sh]. ¡°Right. Everyone stay close behind me. I¡¯ll use my overpowered strength and awesome defense to smash our way through.¡± ¡°Just do it,¡± Ren said with dead eyes and a voice. ¡°YaArRgh!¡± Leonel shouted a battle cry before he charged forward. The wooden shield he held that was the size of him glowed golden as he activated his skill [Dash and sh]. Leonel sprinted five meters forward, and all that was in his way was pushed to the side, creating a path for Ren and the others to move. When a group of newbies tried to block their way, Leonel swung his hammer, and everyone that attempted to barge his path was flung to the side, stunned for five seconds. Leonel¡¯s ATP was already way ahead of the others who just joined a couple of hours ago. They were no match to him. Even though no one suffered from HP reduction from the fight, yers were still hurled to the side and toppled to the ground, as well as suffered some status effects like stun. ¡°Good. Keep doing it until we reach the entrance to the cave!¡± Ren said, and Leonel followed with ears perking up from Ren¡¯spliment. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t touch the save crystal!¡± Ren warned as they neared the entrance of the cave. ¡°Stop them!¡± shouted Vein when he noticed arge chunk of his guild members were tossed in the air by Leonel¡¯s skill. ¡°T-they¡¯re too strong!¡± another member of the Poison Viper shouted with tears in his eyes. Leonel led the charge with his unstopped skill and shield, while Ragnar protected Ren and Isolde from the backline with his giant axe and incredible strength. At the same time, Ren and Isolde supported the two at the center. Vein clicked his tongue when he noticed that Ren¡¯s group was like him. yers who entered at the very opening of the game and gained enormous advantage over the others who were just starting. Else, Ren¡¯s group couldn¡¯t possibly manage to defeat all the newbies that were blocking their path. ¡°Useless bunch of morons! Do I have to do everything by myself?!¡± Vein charged in Ren¡¯s direction, attempting to stop them, when a massive half-beast tiger blocked him. ¡°And where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Tor obstructed Vein¡¯s path. ¡°Move bitch!¡± Vein spat. Tor just smirked. ¡°Make me.¡± While Vein was upied with Tor, no one stopped Ren and the others from entering the cave anymore. The newbies that were guarding the entrance even scurried away at the sight of them, afraid to be flung to the side by Leonel¡¯s shield. As the chaos was still raging outside, Ren and the others had safely entered the cave. However, they didn¡¯t stop running to catch their breath. They run deeper forward, heading straight to the Boss¡¯s room. Chapter 46 As Ren ran full speed ahead, he shouted again, ¡°Don¡¯t swipe at the save crystal!¡± In case someone died in his group, it was to make sure that they respawn in the vige for the reason that there might be a chance that Poison Viper would still be in the area. ¡°Well, that was easy,¡± huffed Leonel when they were deeper in the cave, and no longer heard themotion outside. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. There are still yers inside and beast to defeat.¡± Ren slowed down his pace when he was sure that no one was following them. Ren knew that there would be Arachnids roaming around near the Boss¡¯s room so he gave out a warning. ¡°Let¡¯s catch our breath first and survey our surroundings.¡± Arachnids were low-level beasts that could easily be defeated if all your ATP had reached two digits. But their height and webs were intimidating and scary. They weren¡¯t ordinary spiders like in the real world. In ARCADIA, those Arachnid spiders were the size of a toddler or bigger and nasty as hell. They attacked in swarms, and their webs were sticky. If you get hit multiple times, there¡¯s a high chance you¡¯d be paralyzed inside a web cocoon for the Arachnid to feast upon you. Leonel whistled. ¡°Wow, talk about a celling full of cobwebs. This room is worse than our house.¡± There were thick cobwebs everywhere, and only a portion of space was passable. ¡°Avoid as many webs as you can,¡± Ren said and added, ¡°Arachnids would swarm in our direction if they noticed too much vibration from their webs.¡± Isolde nodded while Ragnar pressed his lips tight. The both of them already epted that Ren might be a beta tester from his knowledge of the game. While Leonel didn¡¯t even doubt Ren one bit. He just thought that Ren might have researched the cave beforehand or read the information in some secret forum that only he could find. A couple of minutes passed, but there was still no sign of the Arachnid spiders. ¡°Did we enter the wrong cave?¡± Leonel stopped and scratched his head. ¡°Is it just me, or there are no spiders in sight?¡± ¡°The others before us simply killed all the spiders in this area,¡± Ren answered confidently. ¡°They might still be respawning as we speak.¡± The rate of spawn time in the cave depended on the difficulty. The more the difficulty increase, the lesser the respawn time of the monsters. Since it was their first attempt, Gargantuan Cave was automatically set to normal difficulty. Thus the slow respawn time. If they could clear Gargantuan Cave, then the other difficulties would be essible like [Hard], [Nightmare], and [Sadistic] mode. The EXP gained would double as well, depending on how high the difficulty. Though there won¡¯t be any more firstblood rewards, the high EXP gained, the honor of your name stered on the leaderboard, and the stone of fame outside of the cave attracted a lot of guilds. All guilds battled each other for the high difficulty and earliest clear time to gain prestige and be well known throughout COVENANT. It may sound insignificant, but prestige is the most important when you have a guild. If you¡¯re known in all corners of the world, then a lot of yers would want to join your guild, and your guild could even attract pro yers if your name were always on the leaderboard and in the stone of fame outside of every cave and dungeons. Operating a guild was good business. Top twenty guilds have special perks from COVENANT like 20% off all items in the shop, extra boost from rewards, and a monthly allowance worth thousands of millions in gil, among the many others depending on your guild¡¯s standing in the leaderboards. What¡¯s more top guilds and yers were more famous than superstars. Everyone remembered their name than their president¡¯s name. That was why almost all yers mored for their guilds and name to be in the top twenty. The fame and money along with it was the dream of many yers. ¡°It¡¯s a bad thing, right?¡± Isolde asked. ¡°We couldn¡¯t grind to level our ATP at this rate.¡± Especially her ATP. Ragnar nodded. ¡°Should we wait for the beasts to respawn first? Maybe try to destroy their cobwebs so they woulde in our direction?¡± Leonel rapidly shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t! I¡¯m okay with one or two spiders along the way but dozens of them . . .¡± He shuddered and embraced himself, rubbing away the goosebumps erupting from his body. ¡°I¡¯m getting hives just from imagining it.¡± Ragnar shot a look in Leonel¡¯s way. ¡°You¡¯re a grown-up man. How can you still be afraid of a bunch of spiders?¡± ¡°How can you not?¡± Leonel spat back. While the two argued, Ren was thinking. To be honest, Ren was d that he didn¡¯t have to waste time killing small fries like Arachnids spiders. The EXP he would get from killing them was minuscule. He would rather face the Boss now than waste his time on those creatures. ¡°We could wait for them to respawn, but we¡¯re pressed for time because of the unexpected turn of events. The other yers might be catching to us as we speak. It¡¯s best that we hurry to the Boss¡¯sir.¡± Isolde and Ragnar looked at each other. Their constipated faces told Ren that they disagreed with what they said. ¡°Are you worried about your low ATP?¡± Leonel grinned at Isolde. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You have a powerful dwarf defender in your group that would take all the damages for you!¡± Isolde shook her head. ¡°My ATP is low since I¡¯m back to square one, and I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be much of help to you in a fight when we face the Boss. I think it¡¯s better if I grind first in here.¡± ¡°My ATP is already in the second digit. Though I¡¯m not against to a little bit of grinding,¡± seconded Ragnar. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Ren said before facing the direction deeper forward. ¡°If we hurry, we might catch up to the other yers before us and kill a bunch of Arachnid spiders ourselves.¡± Isolde¡¯s face brightened. That¡¯s right. Why didn¡¯t she think of that? ¡°I see. Then it¡¯s really best if we hurry than waste time around here and suffer a pincer attack if the other yers catch up to us from behind,¡± said Ragnar. The frown on his face was reced with his usual poker face. With everyone agreeing, they hurried onwards once more, avoiding all the cobwebs they could avoid and destroying those that were totally blocking their path. Ren was right, Isolde thought. The Arachnid spiders were still dead and hadn¡¯t respawn yet. Judging from the number of cobwebs they destroyed, the Arachnid spiders should have been alerted and swarmed in their direction. Isolde¡¯s hope of acquiring EXP through killing spiders was diminishing by the second as they traversed the straightforward path but still no sign of the enemy. She was getting worried that she would slow the group down because she didn¡¯t have enough STR tond critical damage to the Boss. Her n was to enter Gargantuan cave and grind until her ATP reached two digits. It would be difficult because the monsters in Gargantuan Cave were higher levelpared to the newbie forest where she was grinding the first time. However, with Ren and the other¡¯s help, she would surely rack enough EXP to catapult her ATP to second digits in no time. And by the time they faced the final Boss, she could pull her own weight and wouldn¡¯t be baggage to the others. Who would have expected that a group of thugs would block the cave entrance and cause problems for everyone? To her! I¡¯m very unlucky. Isolde thought. But then her big eyes drawn to a slit. Rather . . . it¡¯s those guys who¡¯re at fault! Isolde recalled their face and nted them in her memory. She swore that she would put bullet holes on their heads every time they met from now on. CLiInNgG! CLanNg! Leonel flinched and stopped at the frontline. ¡°Egh? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Could it be . . . ?¡± Isolde¡¯s pointy ears flinched. Her hopes rekindled at the sound of swords shing against swords, and her face lit up. Ren threw a slight smirk in her direction. ¡°Rejoice, Isolde. You¡¯ll get that EXP boost after all.¡± Finally! Isolde screamed in her head and drew her revolver from her holster. Chapter 47 Past another meter, Ren and the others arrived at a vast hall where a group of yers was engaged with half a dozen Arachnids. Vile spawns of the [Dread Widow], the dungeon Boss. Though they were nothing but hatchlings, they were knees in height and very fast. What¡¯s more, they could already shoot webs at unsuspecting yers, turning them into nothing but mummies to be feasted on. Leonel had goosebumps at the sight. While a sweat rolled on Isolde¡¯s cheek. ¡°Boss! Some other group made it here!¡± yer 2 alerted while fending off another strike from the Arachnid. ¡°Who are you?!¡± yer 1 asked when they saw Ren and the others, but he was engaged with the Arachnids to do something about them. The three of them were tasked by Vein to guard the Boss¡¯s room while their other members were fighting the Boss inside the enclosed door. Though the boss room remained locked until the Boss was defeated or the yers died, the three of them were making sure that the next group who would challenge the Boss were their members. While Vein and the others guarded the cave entrance, there might be yers who managed to enter like Ren and his group. Isolde ignored the three yers and was ready to take aim at the Arachnids when Ren stopped her. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren swiped his hand on his screen and kicked Isolde out of the group. ¡°Wha¨C?¡± Isolde was bbergasted and her eyes rounded. ¡°You¡¯ll earn more EXP this way,¡± Ren cut in before Isolde could finish her sentence. ¡°. . .¡± It took a moment before Isolde finally understood what Ren meant, and the corner of her lips rose into a wide grin. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Leo would be your guard. While Ragnar and I will reduce those Arachnids HP enough for you to finish them off.¡± He then faced Ragnar. ¡°Is that okay with you? Or do you also want to grind?¡± Ragnar merely gave a monotone reply, ¡°My ATP is already in the two digits, and those Arachnids would no longer provide enough EXP and gill. So yes, I¡¯m okay with it.¡± Though he would grindter after Isolde¡¯s ATP reached two digits. Ren nodded, and Isolde beamed at everyone. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll just make sure to have my ATP in the two digits fast, and you can grind the rest if you want.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, though,¡± Ren warned. ¡°Even though those Arachnids were low level, they could still kill you with two shots of their web at your current ATP.¡± ¡°Understood. ¡± Isolde licked her lips, and her big eyes glinted ominously at the baby spiders. ¡°I will make this fast.¡± Angry veins erupted from the yers in Poison Viper¡¯s group. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of killing¨C!¡± yer 1 hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when Isolde fired her revolver, and the Arachnid he was engaged with was turned into particles while its EXP and loots went to Isolde. Ren knew Isolde was a fair yer, but he guessed that pressed with few options, she would also think of herself first. ¡°FUCK!¡± yer 1 cursed aloud. He was the one who reduced the spider¡¯s HP, but another just stole all his supposed loot. He was used to being the one who KS and not the other way around. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you!¡± yer 1 roared and stormed at Isolde with his sword. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Leonel met the iing attack and used his skill [Parry] to deflect yers A¡¯s sword strike. ¡°Move, asshole!¡± yer A spat, eyes burning at Isolde. ¡°Make me!¡± Leonel hurled his wooden shield, and yer A flew meters back. Upon seeing their leader take a hit, yers 2 and 3 ignored the Arachnids and stormed in Leonel and Isolde¡¯s direction with their weapons in hand. ¡°Ignore them,¡± Ren said, casting [Probe] on the spiders. ¡¬ A R A C H N I D ¡¬ Location: Gargantuan Cave Description: Vile spawns of the Dread Widow. These loyal spiders act as guardians, spies, and messengers, spreading their Fiendweb in the name of their dark mistress. ¡¬ A T T R I B U T E ¡¬ HP: 240 MP: 40 STRG: 15 DEF: 12 MDF: 10 INT: 7 AGL: 20 LCK: 10 ¡¬ S K I L L ¡¬ Active Skill: ? Web of Doom LV.1 ¨C¨C shoot multiple webs to incapacitate enemies ¨C¨C cool down 2 second ¨C¨C cost ¨C5 MP ¨C¨C 10% sess rate of paralyzing enemy if LCK is higher. ¡¬ W E A K N E S S ¡¬ Weakness: Fire, Piercing ¡¬ E N D ¡¬ [PROBE sessful!] Ren pressed and used [Web of Doom LV.1] at the Arachnids that were heading their way. Ren¡¯s MP was 180 and paired with his passive skill [Mana Conversion], his MP didn¡¯t budge even though heunched multiple [Web of Doom] nonstop to incapacitate the spiders while Isolde finished them off. At the same time, Ragnar and Leonel were dealing with the yers from Poison Vipers. Ragnar STR was higher than his yers¡¯ counterparts thanks to his race bonus, and he could easily overpower the other yers and flung them away with his axe. While Leonel¡¯s DEF was the highest second to Ren. He absorbed most of the damage and skills that were thrown at them by the yers from Poison Vipers. He was like an immovable rock that Ren and the others took refuge against their enemies¡¯ attacks. Ren was surprised that Ragnar had good control and felt of his surroundings. He knew where to position to take advantage of the upper ground and could read his opponent¡¯s next move to counter their attacks before they could even make one. Before his enemies could cast their skill, he was one step ahead and tossed his axe towards them, cancelling the activation of their skill. Ragnar would be a good tank if he were a tank ss. But being an Orc with good map awareness was also excellent. Ragnar looked like a casual yer, but Ren thought he was a pro from how he executed his movement. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t even using a single skill the whole time. He could be a top yer if he wanted to. Ren thought to himself, and then he paused for a moment. Stunned. Wait . . . Ren was hit with an epiphany, and the leaderboard in the past came into his mind. There was a time when a man named Ragnar was dominating the number one spot on the solo ranking before he was entirely forgotten after he vanished out of the blue. C-could it be . . . Ren looked at Ragnar. Somehow, Ragnar¡¯s green skin, lean but sexy pecks, protruding sharp teeth, andrge nostrils became a picture of a hero fighting the bad guys. There were even sparkles of shining rays over him, and Ragnar¡¯s ugly Orcish face turned to something cool in Ren¡¯s eyes. Ren shook his head andughed at himself. That can¡¯t be. The world wasn¡¯t that small that he would actually meet the former top one who just vanished out of thin air before the media could get hold of his real identity. ¡°T-their strong.¡± yer 3 backed away. Face ashen and eyes wide. yers 1 and 2 also put distance between them and Ren¡¯s group. They had enough of being tossed, flung, and pped to the side by giant axe and wooden shields. The yers of the Poison Viper guild could do nothing but watch as Isolde farmed all the Arachnids with the help of Ren, Leonel, and Ragnar. It only took fifteen minutes tops for Isolde¡¯s ATP to reach the two digits, all thanks to Ren and the others¡¯ help. ¡°All good?¡± Ren asked after all the Arachnids in the area were slew by Isolde¡¯s bullets and Ragnar¡¯s axe. He then epted Isolde back into the group. ¡°Yeah.¡± Isolde beamed her brightest as she reloaded her revolver. She twirled her gun in her fingers before tossing it in the holster on her thigh. ¡°By the way. How is your skill the same as the Arachnids?¡± asked Isolde. ¡°It¡¯s one of my skills as an Arcanist.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Isolde shrugged and brushed the matter off. A skill that could copy another skill, perhaps? ¡°I guess rare sses really are more powerful than the normal ones, huh?¡± ¡°Do you want to change ss? It¡¯s not toote, you know.¡± Isolde readily shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯m good with my current [Sniper] ss. Rather if I can¡¯t y as a sniper, might as well not y at all.¡± ¡°Hm~Hm~,¡± Leonel seconded. ¡°Your ss is also a powerful ss once you evolve it. In fact, all the sses are powerful if you know how to use them. The only difference of the rarer ss is the added ATP bonus,pensation for the strenuous quest you must do to unlock it,¡± said Ren. Leonel nodded his head like a chicken picking grains. ¡°Then how did you acquire your rare ss this early?¡± questioned Ragnar. ¡°. . .¡± Ren dropped a meaningful smile. ¡°You have to pay for that information.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ragnar flipped his hair, but then he realized that his hair was tied high on his bald head. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s add each other as friends. I¡¯ll contact you if I need that information.¡± Everyone exchanged contact information and added each other to their friend list,pletely ignoring the three yers from the Poison Viper guild. Ragnar wasn¡¯t really interested in Ren¡¯s skills or his rare ss. He was mainly ying COVENANT to escape his life in the real world. If he couldn¡¯t be an Orc, then forget about ying. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we conserve our mana, though, for the final boss?¡± asked Ragnar. Ren was aware that Ragnar was asking him. Out of the four of them, he was the one who relied heavily on mana. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Ren said simply and didn¡¯t give any more information. He wanted to hide the information about his skills just to be safe. Even he couldn¡¯t disclose too much to Leonel since his friend couldn¡¯t shut his mouth sometimes. Ragnar raised his none existent brow. ¡°If you say so.¡± Ren then changed the topic and stared at the three yers from the Poison Viper guild. ¡ª- A/N BONUS Chapterter for reaching 300PSst week ?? Thank you everyone! Help me reach 500PS this week for another BONUS Chapter CHEERS! PS Tunic 01. thank you for the review. but based on urments and review, i suggest STOP reading now while u r still ahead ?? dnt wory i dnt delete review unless they¡¯re just hate or spam. If i still see ument and reading this story then u r a hypocrite for reading a book that u hate ??