Shay turned on the carrier and slowly flew it in the air towards the sky.
"The guild castle is on the other side of the realm, so it's going to take a while to get there," Say stated.
"I am surprised Elliot let you take these carriers," a guild member commented.
"That… he didn't," Shay scoffed. "When the guild was informed about the tragedy on the 75th floor, he couldn't care less about it. And when this… secret event… or whatever this is; he said we shouldn't waste our troops saving others."
"So… you went against his orders and stole the carriers?" the guild member asked.
"Not exactly." Shay turned to everyone and said, "Since our guild recruited 50,000 players last week, the guild's economy has drastically dropped. So I am now the official funder of the Risen Warrior guild."
"…!"
"I pay for everything, including the guild members' expenses—such as food, weapons, and other things. I also funded these carriers, so I am technically the owner of everything," Shay asserted in a solemn voice.
"While on papers, I have no ownership; without my funds, this guild is almost nothing. And with Victoria leaving the guild soon, this guild is now doomed. Unless, of course, someone like me takes the responsibility," he added. "So Elliott can't do shit to me, nor can he order me around. The guild is nothing without me, and Elliott knows me. And he can't afford to take a risk to anger me. Otherwise, he will know what he is worth."
"I didn't know you were a kind person," a guild member remarked.
"Oh, please. I am far from kind. I am doing all this for myself. I have to survive, and so do others."
"True…"
Shay glanced at Aurora and thought, 'I don't know what happened to her, but her condition looks serious. And that attack… or whatever it was that I saw from the sky that razed everything within miles… she did it, right?'
"Is there a healer on his carrier?" Shay asked with an anxious look on his face.
'I can't let anything happen to Zach's acquaintance!'
A female guild member raised her hand and said, "I am a priest."
"Great." Shay pointed his finger at Aurora and said, "Can you heal that girl over there."
The guild member walked to Aurora and healed her for a second. But then she turned to Shay with a baffled look on her face and said, "I healed her to her max HP. But her condition doesn't seem to be… improving."
Shay turned to Kayden and asked, "Where is Zach?"
"Dungeon expedition with your guild members and Victoria…" Kayden replied with a confused look on his face.
"Yeah, I know that. But I expected them to retreat after floor 75. But I guess I should have known it better." Shay sighed and muttered, "Zach always tries to do everything on his own."
"Well, that's not a bad thing, is it?" Kayden uttered. He stood beside Shay to have a talk with him.
Shay smiled wryly at Kayden and said, "Did you forget it was us who forced him to play the VR game."
"…."
"He kept saying no, but we still insisted. He agreed because we were pestering him. If he hadn't agreed to play with us, he would still be in the real world."
"…" Kayen didn't say anything and simply lowered his gaze after realizing what Shay was trying to say.
"We both know how much he values his family, and that's something I admire about him. I want to become like him, but I can't. I am a douchebag, and I will always stay as one. "Shay placed his hand on Kayden's shoulder and continued, "But you, Kayden. You are his best friend. You have been with him since you both were seven years old, and you know him better than anyway."
"Yeah…"
"We should admit it by now that the reason Zach is stuck here is because of us. I am sure he thinks the same deep down. He might be blaming us. I wouldn't be surprised if he hates us," Shay scoffed wryly.
"Zach is not that petty!" Misha yelled from the back.
"Misha…" Kayden shook his head at Misha and pointed his gaze at Aurora, seemingly trying to say the crepe incident with Aurora.
"And as far as I know, Zach is… complicated. We all know how he changes his personality depending on where he is. And not to mention how his mood changes suddenly during a conversation. It's almost impossible to predict him," Shay muttered.
Kayden patted on Shay's back and said, "Come on, man. What's up with you? Why are you suddenly depressed?"
Shay bit his lips and murmured quietly: "The girl I liked in the guild… died on the floor 75th…"
"Oh…"
Kayden raised his brows and thought, 'I have never heard him mention liking or loving any girl, like ever. Maybe it's because we are stuck in this death game that he realized how cruel life is? The first girl he liked died…. That's indeed cruel.'
'I mean, to be honest, this world is no different than the real world. Humans are monsters in the real world. Those who hold power rules the world. At least, we can live at our free will here. The only difference between the real world and this world is that everyone is equal here. Everyone started the same… maybe with a bit of benefit here and there, but all of us were level 1. Everyone risked their lives to be what they are now.'
Kayden patted on Shay's back and asked in a calm voice: "Are you okay?"
Shay nodded and said, "Yes."
"Cheer up, man. You are not the type to get sad. I know you must feel terrible now, but there is nothing you can do about it."
The carriers had reached their maximum height, and now, they were going towards the aircraft carrier to drop all the players on it.
But suddenly, a horned figure jumped from the crack in the sky and destroyed one of the carriers in front of the other carriers.
***
Total players in the game- 1,486,554
0 new players logged in.
321 players died.
===
Author's Note- Hope has no value without despair!