"Those two are the reason I'm heading there. I got what they were waiting for."
Renar just sighed and took a long breath. They started to head towards the city that Ronny had chosen for them. From there, they'll start working on the plan they had been given by him. He had offered a major part of the remaining Extols to them for them to use. They also had their shares. So it wouldn't be a problem for them to start executing Ronny's plans.
"Will he survive? Why do I think that we have been enslaved by a low-key maniac that uses a facade of calmness to fool everyone around him?"
Viper asked Renar as they started moving. Renar smiled lightly before replying:
"Hahaha! It could be reversed as well. A cold-blooded psychopath shows a wide range of emotions just to throw his audience off. You can never really know about that guy.
But I'll admit one thing about him. The guy has the will to walk the talk. Our first meeting was right after we were freed from the city of Silvermoon's slavery. He had told me he'd fix my destroyed mana core. And he did, even if partially. He didn't care about the cost of the potion that can pull something off like this.
It is still possible for me to remain an Ace ranker at the solid stage. But I would never be able to break through beyond it. That's the condition of my mana core right now.
But then he comes and tells me he'd fix my mana core for real, which can enable me to resume my stagnant ranking journey.
Would you believe him? I know I would. Simply because I want to. Hahahaha!"
Viper saw Renar laughing like he had heard the joke of the day while running away from their potential pursuers. The latter continued even before Viper asked him anything further:
"The guy gives me hope, Viper brat. That's why I'm gonna trust him. If we could believe in Beast Blood who did almost nothing for us, we could believe in a guy like him."
Renar spoke as he moved forward with his movement spell. He loved the thrill of doing something so unimaginable to normal humans. He also found exhilaration in exploring the separate dimension and breaking away from sieges like this. Renar felt more alive than he ever was while spending his time doing menial work in the city of Silvermoon.
Renar had told Marla that he was okay with being rankless and living a peaceful life. But he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't miss being a ranker. The promise of being able to resume his ranking journey filled his mind and body with newfound excitement.
"Can we trust Ronny? I mean look at what happened to Belar? Ronny used him…"
Viper was about to continue but he was interrupted by Renar right afterwards:
"Don't go there, brat. We are both alive because of that, not just him. In a way, we are equally guilty of killing Belar off even if we weren't part of Rony's previous plans.
You understood it then. The moment the guy is dead, you try to shirk responsibility. Should I call it cowardice or petty consciousness born out of convenience?"
Renar's words turned Viper's mood sour. He asked in a low voice:
"So are you saying we should spend the rest of our ranking lives enslaved by that man, big bro? How can you be so malleable is beyond me."
Renar understood that Viper wasn't only talking about the deal with Ronny. But also about the way he handled his capture by Marla. He was also reminded of the torture he was put through by the vile man named Eren. he shook his head to relieve the painful memories before continuing:
"You'll learn a thing or two as you progress further in the ranking journey, Viper.
Shit happens. As simple as that. It is up to us whether we want to move or stay in the same ditch. It's not like I'm saying Ronny is all good and we should completely trust him.
I'm saying exceptional rankers like him are also somewhat predictable. From what I've figured about him, as long as we keep on being useful to him, he won't try to harm our interests either. That's all I need to be honest.
The thing is Viper brat, the further you go up the ranking ladder, the more pressure you feel from the high-ranked entities, from the establishments, from your organizations. Some rankers break under that pressure.
I believe Ronny is of another kind. He would thrive under that pressure and outshine the rest of the rankers in his generation. If I have to follow or be under any guy, I'd rather be under someone at least as capable.
That's what I feel. Now you need to figure out something about yourself too. What do you need, brat?"
Renar slowed down his speed and looked back at Viper who was pondering over something. The latter looked back at him after some time and smiled mirthlessly before saying:
"Ha! It's not like I have a family I can rely on or rely on. You are the only one I know and can trust. I'll just follow you. That's not complicated for me. Hehe!"
Renar laughed at Viper's decision. They both stopped talking and resumed moving ahead at full speed after that.
*****************
Eren changed to his white-haired appearance as he continued running toward the field he had left behind some time ago. But he was using a different route to do so. When he was a sufficient distance away from his intended location, he stopped and looked around. There was nobody in the vicinity. But he could still hear faint sounds of battle from afar.
Eren unbuttoned his collar and took out a triangular coloured pendant he was wearing. It looked like a minimal, plain accessory that would mostly be worn by rankers. The glass fixated in the middle of the pendant had a bluish-green tint that made it look eye-capturing.
Even upon close inspection, the pendant looked nothing more than an accessory. But it was a storage artefact. A special kind. One that could house a certain bratty girl.
'What do I do to get her out?'
Eren pondered over the pendent and imbued it with his mana. It took a while before Layla appeared, holding a potion book in her hand and a foul mood on her face. It seemed that Eren had disturbed the little witch's reading time.
