BONUS Chapter for reaching 500GT!
Thank you!
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“What’s going on?”
Ren slightly flinched at Leonel’s voice near his ear. He was about to shift the other way when Leonel peeked at his screen only to realize that Leonel couldn’t see the message.
Ren caught between his fist and cleared his throat before saying in a weak voice, “Nothing.”
Leonel raised his brow and looked at Ren with his all-knowing eyes. “Nothing? Then why are you smiling, frowning, and looking constipated at the same time? I know you. You can’t hide anything from me. Is that . . .”
Leonel’s eyes squinted, and Ren gulped when Leonel looked at him like he was caught having a secret affair.
“Is that a new racket? Are you earning money somewhere?”
Ren released a big silent breath. Good thing that Leonel was an idiot.
“Yes. Leo, I’ll lend you this.” Ren gifted Leonel the [Golden Pickaxe]. Since they were friends, they could gift items to each other.
“I have something to take care of. You continue mining and don’t stop until I return.” Ren went to the teleportation/save crystal not far from where they were and pressed it,
“H-Huh?” Leonel was at a loss. One moment, Ren was mining like his life depended on it like nothing could ever stop him. And the next thing, he was going to leave?
What on earth happened?
“W-where are you going?”.
Ren pressed Erendia and said his last words before his body turned pixelated and disappeared.
“I just have to take care of something. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“. . .” Leonel blinked, and Ren was gone.
Leonel looked at the pickaxe in his hand before he stared at where Ren was seconds ago.
He then clutched his hair and screamed over the ceiling.
“What the hell happened?!”
Meanwhile, Ren rented a room in the inn inside Erendia town. In his room, he removed the [Kobold Trinket] and equipped his [Phantom Cloak] before summoning Pii to his side.
After which, he went to a merchant store and sold his goods.
While the Elf was appraising his stones, he messaged Evie.
[Ren: I need the information about the Boss]
[Evie: Does this mean . . . you agree?]
[Ren: Yes]
[Evie: Thank you]
A short while later, Ren received Rakusha’s information.
[Evie: We can defeat it if we have at least ten members. The only problem is its skills cooldown. It’s very fast]
Rakusha was a low-level Hidden Boss, and Evie could solo it if she attacked it a little later when her ATP was high. But since her current ATP was still at the beginner’s level, she got wiped out, which Ren felt guilty about.
He shouldn’t have rushed her into going there.
[Ren: How about your team?]
[Evie: We have two orcs, a hunter and me, a blue mage]
Ren skimmed his jawline. If only he could bring Leonel, but this was a mission for his other self. And probably the last he would ever do.
Frankly, if not for Evie and his responsibility, he wouldn’t do this kind of stuff anymore with his hidden identity for the risk of getting exposed when it was time to sell his items.
This would be the last. Ren promised to himself.
[Ren: Forget about your team, and let’s meet outside of Illusion Forest]
[Evie: We’re going to attempt the forest now? Just the two of us?]
[Ren: Yes]
[Evie: But . . . I promised the others that we will re-attempt the cave. My ATP is low at the moment, and I think that we need five more with us to defeat the Boss]
[Ren: It’s fine. If you promised them, then bring them along]
Ren would end it quickly and get back to mining after. He didn’t care what the others would think of him, but he would not hold anything back when he faced the Boss.
It was going to be the last time anyway.
[Evie: But. I think we need at least more DPS to defeat it since it could resist Magical attacks]
[Ren: Resist is the word. It’s not immune]
With his [Infernal Scepter] that added +470 to his INT, Ren could probably end Rakusha with two or three rounds of Multiattack. However, he had to bring multiple [Grinding Stones] with him since the scepter’s durability was low.
Besides . . . Ren rubbed Pii’s chin. He had Pii with him.
He got to admit that he was a bit reckless ever since he knew Pii’s capability. But he had one hundred percent fate that Evie wouldn’t tell anyone about his pet.
He could not make any promises with her other companions though.
It’s fine. Ren smirked. They could be cannon fodders before he summoned Pii to fight with him.
[Evie: Are you sure?]
Even from the other side, Ren felt Evie’s hesitation.
[Ren: Trust me. We’ll be fine]
While Ren was busy with Evie, Leonel was bored. It only took him five minutes before he sat on the ground and yawned. This wasn’t exactly his ideal day of adventure.
Leonel stretched his limbs and thought of something to break the dull pattern of just mining nonstop. Wanting to take a short break and entertain himself, he looked at the [Forums]. It was not like he could watch a movie inside the game.
There were all sorts of news in the [Forums], but Leonel was more interested in Dramas like a fight between players in the form of words.
Leonel snickered. There were plenty in there, and he got amused quickly reading the comments.
Until he scrolled on a thread about Kartacol.
[SunsetHair: Does anyone know how to enter the Kartacol Mines?]
That got Leonel’s attention.
Someone was asking for help, and being a Good Samaritan, Leonel answered. Since Ren didn’t tell him to be silent about it, he thought it was all good. Everyone would figure it out eventually.
Leonel slumped on the ground, lying on his tummy as he replied.
[ImNotTall: Go to the Mayor and do the Pest Control Quest. He’ll give you a trinket that will let you change into a Kobold for a day, and you can enter the mines after that]
[SunsetHair: Thank you]
[ImNotTall: No Problem]
Outside of the Mine, Hidey was ecstatic. Someone had finally answered her question after hours of waiting and searching blindly. After hours of just receiving trolls and jokes.
“We’re really going to enter the Mines?” Sid wasn’t all too optimistic about the idea.
“That is the only place that we haven’t checked yet. Let’s go.”
“But that place must be so narrow and suffocating. And it’s huge to boot.” Sid was already complaining even before they entered the Mines.
But he could do nothing but follow Hidey. Least he wanted to have a good heart-to-heart talk with Scar.
After the two got the quest and entered the mines, they were surprised that it was spacious inside. Or maybe it was them who was reduced to being small.
The two immediately got to work and searched the mines for hours, but there was still no sign of a player named Ren.
After almost a day of searching, Hidey and Sid stumbled upon Leonel, who was about to log out since his time in the café was up.
“Hey, you!” Hidey quickly called and went to Leonel. She knew that dwarf. They had met him days ago. So this was where he had gone.
“What is it?” Leonel asked.
“Have you seen a player named Ren around here? He had a hood covering his face and a black pet is following him around,” Sid said in one breath. He had enough of this place, and he wanted nothing more than to leave. All day of searching and seeing nothing but Kobold’s mining nonstop was too much for his mental health.
Surely, the Dwarf player would know since this was the deepest they had gotten so far in the mines. He probably must have met Ren or at least passed by the man.
Leonel scratched his head. He was about to say that he knew of Ren, but when Sid mentioned a hood and a pet, he thought they were pertaining to another player. “Nope. I didn’t see that player around here.”
Both Hidey and Sid’s shoulders dropped.
“Sorry. I gotta’ go. My time is up at the cafe,” said Leonel, and he grinned at them. “Hope you find the guy.”
And he burst into particles.
Hidey and Sid could do nothing but look at each other. Their weary faces and tired looks spoke volumes.
They had enough!
“I won’t tell if you won’t tell.” Both of them said at the same time.
The two were silent before they nodded in agreement. Instead of going deeper into the mines, they agreed to log out and inform Scar that Ren wasn’t in Kartacol.
The guy had probably left already.