True, that equipment played an important part in COVENANT, but it's the ATP that mattered the most.
The problem with pro players playing COVENANT was that they thought they already knew the game even though it was their first time playing a VR game with no emphasis on levels.
Ren had known so many noobs who were better than pro players in terms of combat and using their skills and spells since this wasn't control operated.
No matter how fast your fingers typing on the keyboard, it didn't matter in COVENANT.
This wasn't an RPG-styled game with controllers.
This was VR.
While Silvia whispered at Ren. "Do you want me to buy–"
Ren answered a decisive, "No."
Asking money for his services was one thing, but being pitted upon was a different matter entirely.
Ren has his pride. He could get his own equipment. Thank you very much.
Silvia closed her mouth and put the matter aside since she felt that Ren didn't appreciate her gesture.
Whispers made their way into Ren's ears, and he couldn't help but sigh at some of them.
"Just 14?"
"There is already equipment selling online."
"He's poor, so he can't afford them."
"There is cheaper equipment for only a hundred bucks."
"Well, Silvia said that he is in need of money."
"Poor guy. No wonder he wouldn't reveal his face."
"Rather, are we going to be okay?"
Upon the whispers that also made into Silvia's ears, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She highly praised Ren to her friends and said about how his magic output was ridiculously high.
But upon facing such scrutiny of the man she had championed, Silvia couldn't help but be self-conscious, and she slightly shrunk from Ren's side.
"M-mister . . ." Nikolai didn't know where to put his eyes. He wasn't embarrassed for Ren since his GS also didn't reach +20. He was scared of the adults who were acting strange, and he unconsciously stayed closer to Ren.
While the star of the show didn't think much of it. Ren was used to players who tried to undermine their fellow players to look good themselves.
It was common wherever he went.
Ren only thought that it was cute.
Rather could they get going now?
"Hey, look, it's that–?!"
Everyone's attention shifted again when the crowd parted ways and revealed a group of men and women with an eye-catching glistening silver equipment.
The area was occupied mainly by newbie players who had just entered the game so having a group with all its members geared up for the raid was indeed a sight to behold.
"That's Scar's guild, right?" Jack muttered to the side. "Black Lions?" he completely forgot about Ren at the appearance of a new subject of his interest.
"They'll be attempting the dungeon too?" Vida proclaimed, worried, coating her face.
It didn't escape anyone's notice that Scar had been busy parading his guild's name by doing dungeon raids and accomplishing firstbloods.
While the once amiable look on Robert's face was gone, replaced by a twisting desire to crash their new competitor. Ren was even cast out from his mind. With his low GS, Ren didn't pose a threat to him at all.
Scar and him were pro players in the game Clash of Guilds, and he never did win against Scar. Not once.
Robert had a good grasp of his surround, and his skills were on par with Scar, but Robert still lost against him. And he knew why.
It was because of his teammates.
But this time . . . Robert smirked. It would be different.
COVENANT was a game he would conquer and rise upon every player.
Robert clicked his tongue before he put on his game face and approached Scar at the side, who was addressing his party. And based on his get-up, Scar was playing as a Mage.
"Yo. It's good to see you again, Scar. How long has it been?"
Scar merely lifted an eyebrow and said with a serious face. "Robert. Nice meeting you too."
"What fancy members you have there." Robert looked over at Scar's party. It goes without saying, but one look and Robert knew that they were veterans. Pro players in some games that Scar put together to be core members of his guild.
Great. Robert mused to himself. "You're going to attempt the dungeon too?"
"Yeah. And you too?" It was a stupid question since everyone knew the answer. Scar looked over at Robert and Silvia before addressing the latter with a nod.
They were in Vulcan's Cave. Of course, they were going into a Dungeon raid. However, both men just wanted to be courteous in front of the eyes of everyone.
Silvia merely nodded in greeting before she looked away and crossed her hands in distaste. She was no stranger to Scar since they knew each other through Sumeri.
"Is this your guild?" Scar asked, looking over at Silvia and the others behind Robert's back.
Robert didn't know why but he suddenly felt embarrassed. Compared to Scar's group, his looked like a bunch of ladies going into fashion shows.
"No. I just joined as a favor from your ex and help out her friend." Robert's attempt to crack Scar's cold façade failed miserably when the latter just looked at him dead in the eyes.
"Sumeri? Good luck then," Scar said and provided no further ongoing conversation.
Robert's eyelids twitched. He clicked his tongue and addressed the girls. "Let's go. I'll explain our strategy once we're inside the cave."
As the group followed Robert's lead, Ren was stuck between the past and present at the sight of a girl in Scar's party.
A girl that only reached his shoulder with waves of white hair that some tickled at the side of her cheeks. Her lips were pink and made a small heart when she opened her mouth. Eyes like silver moon encased in crystals and an aloofness that was engraved in her entire being.
If Silvia was beautiful, then the girl was . . . the girl's appearance was something that would stick in everyone's mind. An ethereal beauty that none dared to claim, for they felt that they weren't worthy enough.
Evie.
Ren was caught unprepared. He was like a dear caught in the headlight. He couldn't move and was paralyzed in place.
He thought that he would see Evie at the start of the school, and never once did he expect he would meet her so soon.
She was just right there, only meters away from him, but he felt like she was a distant memory.
"Mister?"
Nikolai's calls wake Ren from his daze. It was a good thing that his face was covered, and no one knew that he was staring at Evie for a whole minute.
"Mister. Are you okay?" Nikolai tugged Ren's clothes.
"Y-yeah." Ren cleared his throat and said, "Let's go."
He gave one last glance in Evie's direction, but the latter already had her back from him, and only the uneven cut of her long white hair was visible.
Ren sighed and forced his mind away from her. It was difficult, considering that his guilt was driving him insane. It was one thing for others to ruin his life . . . But for him to do it to someone else, someone who was just minding her business, who didn't do anything wrong to him – was an entirely different matter.
He had ruined her life all for the sake of climbing the corporate ladder in his previous guild.
Ren sighed and released the tension that suddenly pricked his muscles by cracking his neck.
As they went towards the dungeon, Ren passed by Scar, and the both of them looked at each other in the eyes before Scar pulled away when he couldn't see the face hidden beneath Ren's hood.
