"What are you doing? Stop making trouble for our guild. You have already done enough!" Xian shouted at her, fist still on her head.
Without another word, Xian dragged Isolde by the collar while the latter only made a face.
When the threat was cleared, the ten youths stalked Ren. And when they attempted to charge again, they were stopped by the swift motion of a knife, the blade flashing in the sunlight. The player stumbled back, surprised by a swift and deadly strike.
One by one, the players fell to Elena's blade and arrows, their strength and skill no match for the Elven Princess. She moved with a graceful fluidity, her movements almost like a dance as she dispatched her opponents with lethal efficiency.
"Sorry. But I would not have you kill this man." The Princess took back her words and giggled. "I still need him, after all."
Ren just stood there with an unflustered look on his face. He was not amused by the Princess's antics.
Though it got the ten players seeing hearts, despite their defeat in the Princess's hands.
As the players lay defeated at her feet, they realized that they had just faced off against a true warrior and a beauty. And their admiration for the Princess soared like never before – even at the fact that the Princess toyed with them.
With the fight over, Elena lowered her weapons and gazed at her defeated opponents. She did not gloat or revel in her victory, but instead, she helped them to their feet and healed their wounds.
This got the ten youths tamed with just her gesture.
Ren took a long breath. "Stop fooling around, and let's go."
When Ren showed his back, Elena said her farewell to the players and went to Ren's side.
The ten youths stood there, faces dreaming and hoping Elena would show one last smile on their way. That never happened.
Multiple fists and hilt of swords came pummeling on their heads from their respective groups and this woke the teens from their trance.
But instead of apologizing to their team leader for their simp behavior, the youths race to open their screen but found that the messaging features were restricted.
Right, they might be in the open field, but this place was a dungeon. The players lamented that they couldn't share and gloat about their newly found goddess on their social pages.
Though some had recorded the whole thing and even had a good angle of Elena's beautiful face, and everyone clamored to get a copy.
Ren and Elena didn't know about the commotion they had caused, though, as another problem barged their way. It was Scar of Black Lion, Eric of White Unicorn, and Dimitri of Fate Alliance Guild.
In their backs were their members backing their plight.
"Ren, right?" Scar said with a smile though his eyes were sharp and scrutinizing. He felt like he had seen him before.
His gaze was then stolen by Elena's charm, but Scar quickly fixed it on Ren when he felt Invayne's burning stare on his back.
"How much do you want for you to take us to clear the quest?"
Eric wasn't going to lose. "I'll double it." he then blinked at Elena while Serene threw a pointed look on his back, which made him stood on edge.
Dimitri briefly shot Silvia a glance with expecting eyes, and the woman rolled her eyes over the horizon. "We'll triple it."
Ren then heard the girls in Golden Phoenix.
"I bet he is our Ren," Rosie said, studying Ren. "He has his built, his cloak, and that aloofness in him. Yep. He is definitely our Ren."
"I don't know . . ." Lucia couldn't be bothered. "It's been so long since then. I've already forgotten."
Pamela thought hard and asked Ruru, "What do you think, Ruru?"
Ruru shook her head. "If only he has Pii."
Pamela wryly laughed. "Then anyone would surely know that he is, in fact, Ren."
On the side, Ren promised not to show Pii around the girls.
Back to the guilds that were clamoring to get onto his group, Ren didn't badge and recited the contract like a broken record, "You're all free to do whatever you want in the Fey Realm, but anyone isn't to interfere me with the quest."
"Interfere? No," Scar corrected, "We aren't going to interfere. In fact, we're going to help you with the quest. Besides, greater numbers meant greater chances of success."
Ren smirked inwardly. "And how about the treasures?"
That's when the silence grew between them.
"Fifty percent seemed fair enough," said Scar.
"We'll only take forty," bargained Eric.
While Dimitri was tight lip, thinking about his wager.
Ren shook his head and said with a voice that brooked no argument. "My decision is final. Let's go."
When they left, Ren felt all eyes were on his back.
"Yep. He is definitely our Ren. My boobs tell me so," Rosie said.
"How do you even know? Do your breasts jiggle at every man you came upon?" Rayna choked with her own joke.
"If you must know, Ren's voice is very distinct. It's soothing to the ear due to its calm and collected tone. It is neither too high nor too low and lacks any hint of emotion or enthusiasm, yet it conveys a sense of confidence and composure. The evenness and consistency of his voice, combined with its measured pace, creates a sense of relaxation and tranquillity in my ears, and every time I heard it, my nipples shivered with delight."
Pamela covered Ruru's ear with both her hands and reprimanded Rosie with a flushed face. "L-language, please. We have a kid in here."
Ren hurried onwards with a tight face. He didn't have to hear that. Now he couldn't unheard it.
"Is it just going to be the two of us?" Elena asked as they blindly traversed the forest.
Ren stopped when he was sure that he was a good distance from the others. "Yeah. Why?"
"I thought that all of those players were in your group."
"We don't need them. They'll just be a hindrance. By the way, do you know your way here?" Ren opened the map and found it all covered in black except for the path they just passed.
Ren couldn't just release Pii out in the open. Not when he was sure that they were truly alone in here. The video feature was ON in this land, and if he was not careful, he might find his secrets exposed on the news after they were done here.
