“I don’t think that we can do this, Evie,” Roxy said, “We have suffered a huge EXP penalty from the last time we came here. It wasn’t even a day, and we are going to reattempt it again? My STR hasn’t even reached 25 yet!”
Roxy felt uneasy as she looked at the other groups in Illusion Forest. All of them were in a group of ten or even fifteen, and their main ATP was probably in the forties.
On the other hand, they would attempt Illusion Forest with only five players, and four of them had low ATP, all thanks to the death penalty they suffered.
“I have commissioned someone to help us. He’s strong,” Evie said. She couldn’t provide any assurance since she herself wasn’t sure about the whole idea.
“Can we postpone it until we get our previous ATP back?” asked Ragnar. Even he wasn’t keen on the idea of storming inside the forest with only five members. If not because he had given his word to give Evie the first pick on the item in exchange for the information of Illusion Forrest, he wouldn’t come.
He was not a scammer, and he would keep his end of the bargain. They already knew how to enter Illusion Forrest and even acquired the information of the Hidden Boss because of Evie. It was their turn to keep their end of the deal.
In fact, the three of them, Roxy, Rox, and Ragnar, could abandon Evie and attempt the forest in another group since they already knew the information. But they weren’t scumbags.
“I’m sorry. This is the only time he is available,” Evie only said and looked apologetically at the others, though her face remained blank. “I know that what I’m asking is unreasonable. And I will understand if you back out. I just wanted all of you to come with me since we promised to reattempt the cave together.”
“Yeah. But not this early.” Roxy stifled a laugh and patted Evie’s head. “Even if I don’t want to, I can’t just leave you there alone.”
Rox nodded vigorously. “That’s right! If you’re really going to attempt that cave, I’ll go with you to the ends of the earth.”
Roxy drilled her fist against Rox’s head. “Stop flirting in front of your sister. I get goosebumps and wanted to puke.”
“On a side note,” chimed Ragnar, garnering all eyes to him, “Why is our group named Fighting Lambs?”
Roxy and Rox looked at each other before they beamed.
“You know . . . It’s because our skin is dark, but our hair is white,” Roxy said with a toothy grin.
“Like the Suffolk ship?” Evie questioned.
“That’s right.” Roxy laughed even more. “Isn’t it cute? Aren’t I cool for my naming sense? I think I might create a guild named like that.”
“Please don’t.” Rox covered his face and shook his head. “I told you it’s embarrassing. People will laugh at us!”
While Evie’s group was happily chatting, they were disturbed by a familiar voice.
“Evie!”
Evie and the others looked at the one who called, and their mood plummeted at the sight of Michael.
“I know that I will find you here again!” Michael was ecstatic, and he immediately left his group and went to Evie’s.
Rox crossed his arms and tilted his head upward, looking at Michael begrudgingly under the bridge of his nose. “Don’t tell me that you have been waiting for Evie in here the entire time?”
Michael briefly looked at Rox and said with a smile. “So what of it?”
Rox coughed between his fist. “Stalker alert!”
Michael ignored him and went back to Evie. “Are you going to attempt Illusion Forrest again? Perfect timing, you can join us. We are ten in the group, and we have . . . experts with us.”
Evie and the others shifted their attention to where Michael was pointing his finger. There they saw Michael’s original team. Gilbert was the only one waving and grinning at them while Emerald and Lyka were burning them to the ground with their piercing stares. The others were strangers and talking with each other.
“You can join if you want,” Michael said at Roxy, Rox, and Ragnar.
“No thanks. You’ll only kick us out if it’s convenient for you,” Rox spat, “Just like what you did before. Bailing on us when the situations didn’t go well in your favor.”
Michael had the audacity to laugh. He didn’t even look sorry at all. “Anyone would do what I did in that situation. Right Roxy.”
Roxy was stunned that Michael beamed at her. She momentarily lost connection with her brain at Michael’s dazzling smile.
“R-right.”
Rox slapped his sister on the arm.
“I- I mean . . . we’ll think about it.”
“There’s nothing to think about!” Rox snarled. “The guy’s a betrayer. He betrayed us once, and he’d do it again.”
Michael only smiled, unaffected by Rox’s outburst.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to. How about you, Evie? Don’t worry. I only bailed out on them because I thought that you left. It won’t happen again. If you want, we can go together, just the two of us.”
Evie was uncomfortable with Michael’s approach. There were really persistent men like him who thought that just because they looked good, every woman would find them cute even if their actions were already downright annoying.
Michael was the type of guy that no woman had ever said no to, so his ego was so inflated that he couldn’t see beyond that to the point he was insensitive to others’ feelings.
“Sorry. I will stick to my own group,” Evie said, wishing that Michael would leave her alone after she gave him the cold shoulder.
But she underestimated Michael’s persistence and thick-skinned.
“You should definitely go over to my group, Evie. I’ve hired an expert player whose ATP is already beyond +40. Plus . . . someone in our group knew how to reach the Boss.”
“. . .”
Everyone was stunned at what Michael had said.
“You’re bluffing.” Rox didn’t believe a word that Michael stated.
Michael shrugged. “Up to you.” He then winked at Evie. “Don’t say that I didn’t warn you. Don’t worry. I’ll give you a rare item after we clear this forest. In exchange, I’ll have that dinner. Okay?”
He clicked his tongue and said his goodbyes before he returned to his group.
Rox was fuming mad. “The nerve of that guy.”
Roxy sighed with a dreamlike expression. “Yeah . . .”
Rox slapped his sister’s arm once more. “Stop gawking at the guy. You’re only inflating his ego more.”
Roxy grumbled under her breath while she rubbed her arm. “If you’re only half as handsome as Michael, then maybe you can make your sister proud.”
“Shut up!”
“If what he said is true, then it’s a race to the Hidden Boss,” said Ragnar, a bit troubled. Michael’s group has at least ten members, with some who have high ATP. They were no match against them to contest the Boss if ever.
Rox stared at his sister, dead in the eyes. “Sis, are you sure that you didn’t leak the info to him just to catch his attention?”
Roxy slapped his brother’s head. “I’m not that kind of person! What do you think your sister is? Starve for attention from pretty boys?”
Rox rubbed his head and muttered, “Sometimes I wonder.”
“What did you say?”
While the siblings were arguing, Ren finally arrived in Illusion Forest.