[BONUS]
After an hour, Troy retired to his room, leaving Ren, who was still organizing some stuff on his laptop, alone.
Business has been booming ever since the release of that interview with the Gambino family.
At this point, Serius Alvarez's black notice against World Conqueror carried no weight in the players' eyes, and right now, all were clamoring to get their group's help.
The only thing that mattered was the result.
After what happened with the first-ever World Boss, the majority wanted to employ World Conqueror. After all, look at the Gambino family. They were still fine after employing Ren's group. This caused a butterfly effect, and everyone realized that Serius's threat was just that — a threat.
Ren took another bite of his burger, not noticing that it was already late through the night.
World Conqueror took a break from COVENANT after the two World Bosses were defeated. Besides, they were too busy working with their group's inner operations to play the game.
A sudden ringtone pulled Ren from his work. At first, he thought it was Ragnar, so he was surprised to see Sumeri's name.
"What's up?" he asked.
"How are you?" she said in a cheerful voice.
Ren wasn't sure whether he should be happy or not.
Sumeri seemed like she wanted to talk to him, but it somehow felt like she just called him because she had nothing better to do.
"You're calling me because you wanted to know how I am?" Ren raised a brow. That definitely sounded fishy.
Sumeri laughed as she answered. "Of course. It's been ages since we last talked to each other."
"Yeah. Since the Guild wars."
"Right. I just wanted to check in. How are things going? You okay? Need anything? Anything at all, you can call me anytime!"
Ren's face couldn't be painted. It was even more obvious now that she needed something. She was even faking her concern — all it did was weird him out.
"Everything's fine," Ren replied. "Now, why did you really call?" He knew she had something else in mind other than what she said.
Sumeri paused for a moment before answering him in her normal voice, "Well, you know me and Nikolai are free right now. I just think that since World Conqueror is so popular right now, maybe you need extra hands with some quests."
Ren huffed a laugh. "And I assume that your help comes with an extra payment."
"No," Sumeri replied, then sighed. "Yes. A girl's got to live."
Ren chuckled. "Actually, we do need help. You and Nikolai joining World Conqueror are greatly appreciated."
Ren had worked with Sumeri and Nikolai before, and he liked the brother and sister's skills and gaming ethics.
"Oh, just temporary," she immediately cleared up. "You know, as a side hustle until we earn our own name and start a group of our own."
Ren wasn't even surprised that Sumeri was straightforward about her real intentions. He liked it that way. "Sure. All our members are temporary anyway. Only Leonel and I are the regulars."
"Sweet. Call me when you have something for us."
Ren paused for a second before responding with a smile on his face, "Sure."
There was silence on the other end as Sumeri pondered her words. After a moment, she spoke again, "Alrighty then . . . good night."
The call ended before Ren could return her good night.
He was about to put down his phone when another call registered on his phone. And this time, it was coming from Ragnar.
"What is it that you're asking for my help with?"
Ren grumbled under his breath when Ragnar emphasized the help part. The man really had an ego, just like him.
"Yeah. Mostly about the inner workings of a group. And since you manage a corporation, I assume you know better about it than I do."
". . . Yes. Yes, I manage a corporation, but we give that kind of task to the professionals rather than doing it on our own and wasting time doing something miscellaneous."
Ren's brow rose. "So, I should hire someone?"
"You know what . . . Give me a layout of the overall mission and goal of World Conqueror. If it includes the list of departments you need and what you want them to do, then that would help as well."
"So I'll take it that you'll do it?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I'm not up for the task. And for the record, I will let someone do it."
"Thanks," Ren said and asked the question he was curious about. "By the way, why are you helping us again?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're already rich. You clearly don't need the money. Isolde is doing it for Leonel. We both know that, but why are you sticking with the group again? Though I really appreciate the help."
Ragnar was quiet on the other line before Ren heard a repressed laugh.
"Isn't it obvious?" said Ragnar with a chuckle. "Sticking with you yields the best equipment and items that no money can buy."
". . ." That made sense.
Ren sighed and cleared his throat before he spoke again. He didn't sound upset or anything, but anyone could tell from the way he talked that he was annoyed.
"I regret asking that. Carry on with what you're doing, then."
Ren hung up his phone before he could decide to make Ragnar the permanent cannon fodder in the future.
When he decided to move his working area to his room, his phone rang again. The caller, this time, was Roni.
Ren sighed while looking at the ceiling. It was getting late, and he badly wanted to rest. He decided not to take the call and activated his phone's silent mode, but the message that soon appeared on his notifications stopped him.
[Roni: Hey, Ren. Congrats! I tried calling you, but it seems like you're already asleep. Anyway, call me as soon as you get this message. I have something important to tell you!]
After a few more minutes, Roni sent another message.
[Roni: Actually, it's about Great Dynasty. We've been lagging behind in clearing dungeons lately. Hugo wanted me to ask for your help in getting at least five dungeons cleared to boost our rankings. Of course, Great Dynasty will pay you.]
