Meanwhile, after another failed attempt at Vulcan’s Cave, Scar logs out from his Pod. The soonest as he was on his feet, he flung everything on top of his table.
“Argh!”
This was getting out of hand. So much resources and time were wasted on Vulcan’s Cave. But if he admitted defeat now, the more he would be ridiculed. There was no redeeming his name than to clear the Hard Difficulty of the Cave.
If only he weren’t the one leading the raid, then everything could be forgotten, and they moved on from Vulcan and attempted another dungeon. But since it was him, the leader and face of Black Lion, nothing should be less than perfection.
Scar brushed his hair back with his fingers. He took a deep breath and released it loudly through his nose.
The failed attempt at Icy Cave was adding to his stress, but it was a good thing that the cave was mid difficult, so it was understandable. Other guilds were also struggling against mid-difficulty caves, not just them. He even heard that Golden Phoenix failed Howling Canyon.
That at least made Scar feel better.
A sudden ring made Scar shift his attention to his phone and find that it was Sumeri who was calling.
Scar wanted to ignore it. He knew what Sumeri was calling about. It was probably because of Invayne’s family buying her hotels.
However, a lingering feeling made him pick up the phone.
“Yeah?”
“Liar!”.
Scar closed his eyes tight and ushered the phone away from his ear upon Sumeri’s shout.
“You said that you wouldn’t buy our hotels but what is this about Invayne’s family bidding for our chain?”
“Sumeri, Invayne’s decision is not mine. I backed out from the bidding, didn’t I?”
“What do you mean not your fault? I’m sure you’re the one who edges her on!”
Scar wanted to laugh. Yes, it was him that edged Invayne.
“You’re being unreasonable,” Scar said, shaking his head. “I don’t influence Invayne’s decision. I never ask her to buy your hotels. It’s no longer my concern if her family wants to buy your company.”
“. . .”
There was silence on the other line, and Scar chuckled when he heard Sumeri grinding her teeth.
“Scar . . . if I lost our hotels. I swear that you will regret it . . . you and Invayne.”
Scar stifled a condescending laugh. “And what will you do? Darling, you’re no longer an heiress. Stop acting like one. But don’t worry. If you find yourself homeless, I’ll let you rent out one of my apartments. The one we mostly f***.”
Scar pressed off and threw his phone on the bed while shaking his head. He was in a bad mood and Sumeri took the blunt of it.
Scar took another shower to cool his head before he called Invayne over. He needed to let off some steam so he could think clearly again.
The cold water gliding against his hair and streaming down to his lean frame was exactly what he needed to relax his tense muscles. The sound of water dropping and splashing made him close his eyes, and his breath turned even.
In the darkness inside his mind, his fight with Vulcan played over and over until all he saw and heard was the Boss. It was like he was there at that moment. Felt the heat and tense air. It’s just him and Vulcan. No one else.
Scar didn’t know how many times he replayed the fight in his mind so many times over that it kept repeating the same fight in fast forward. Over and over while his lips muttered, counting.
And then suddenly . . . he saw it . . . the pattern!
Scar’s eyes opened in shock, and he doubled over in laughter.
So that was it!
It was not fifteen seconds. It was ten!
He finally did it!
He finally cracked the code after a series of tries! After so much thinking! After his numerous defeat against the monster to the point that it even hunt him in his dreams. He suffered so many losses in the hands of Vulcan, enough for him to replay those countless fight in his head.
Scar was ecstatic, and he immediately closed the shower and got out of the bathroom. In a hurry, he put on new clothes and was about to enter his Pod when he skidded to a stop at the knock of his door.
When he opened it, he was surprised to find Invayne in a sexy black strapless above-the-knee dress. Her pretty face was made up but it still didn’t hide the natural redness of her cheeks while her eyes were eluding his gaze.
“Is . . . is your parents and sister at home?” she asked, hesitant.
Scar blanked out for a moment before he realized that he had message her. He smiled and changed the topic.
“Sorry. I changed my mind.”
Invayne didn’t quite get what Scar said, and it took her a while to react. “Huh?”
“I finally decode Vulcan’s time! I have to clear it fast. Sorry, but we will have to take a rain check. You can stay here if you want. Make yourself at home.”
Before Invayne could react, Scar left her from where she stood and immediately jogged to his Pod in excitement.
All Scar could think about was the game. Nothing was more important than clearing Vulcan and redeeming his name at this point. And not even Invayne’s sultry and alluring appearance could change his mind.
In the door frame, Invayne was left speechless. She felt like a fool for dressing herself up and bringing champagne because she thought her and Scar would finally have a quality time together.
It had been days since she remembered the last time they were together – alone.
Invayne knew that Scar’s priority was always the game, and she would always be second at best. Or even third because of his sister, Lily. She thought she was prepared the moment that they became lovers.
But slapping on her face that she was never a priority time and time again was beginning to hurt her pride as a woman.
But what could she do? She fell for Scar’s charms. And the more he was playing hard to get, the more she was lured in, and the more she wanted to conquer his heart and become his top priority.
Invayne sighed. She left the bottle on the floor before she exited his house and went to hers. Since they were in the same exclusive neighborhood, the distance between them where only meters part.
But Invayne felt like it was kilometers.
—-
Back in Kartacol.
Hidey and Sid were still searching for Ren in all parts of Kartacol with no such luck. It had been four days since, but no player named Ren was in sight.
Other players were loitering around the place but only so few. In fact, Hidey and Sid could remember all of them. A sprite, a human, an elf, and a dwarf with golden hair and a fake beard.
“What should we do?” Sid rubbed the base of his neck. “I’m getting a stiff neck from all the small openings we must go through.”
Hidey ignored him and looked intently at the map. Her eyes were focused on a single spot. “There’s only one place left that we haven’t searched.”
The two of them looked beyond the horizon, and into the rocky mountains.
“The Mine?” Sid muttered.
“It’s worth the try.”
Hidey and Sid went in that direction. Upon nearing the Mines, they had to watch their steps because the place was crawling with Kobolds who were going to and fro, holding multiple tools and a cart full of stones.
However, when the two were about to look inside, the guards stopped them, saying that they had to either be a Kobold or a Dwarf to enter, which neither of them was.
The two could do nothing and stare at the entrance of the Mine. They were too big to fit on the hole anyway, so they didn’t argue anymore.
“What should we do now?” Sid asked with a sigh. “Should we ask a Dwarf to come here?”
Hidey shook her head in irritation. “Our Dwarf Defenders are so few already, and all of them are in raids. Honestly, we don’t have enough manpower to waste here. Who knows if that Ren is really here?!”
“So you want to abandon Scar’s order?”
Hidey grumbled under her breath. “I didn’t say that. Let me check the forums and World Chat. There might be useful information there. Something that would let us enter the Mines that are otherwise reserved only for Kobolds and Dwarves.”
Contrary to their expectations, the two of them didn’t get any information regarding the cave. Most didn’t even have the time to explore yet, much less reach a far place like Kartacol. The reply was either negative, jokingly, or downright mocking them.
Meanwhile, inside the Mine, away from the drama and happenings outside, Ren was happily mining nonstop for stones and ores. His inventory was about to reach x999, and when that happened, he would just log out and log-in in Erendia before selling his items. Then come back to the cave to mine some more.
There were multiple save points inside the Mine since it was big, so he didn’t need to go all through that trouble of re-entering the town and into the mines again. He could just teleport directly to the save crystal that was near his last stop and continue mining again. There was also a resting room if you were tired and needed rest.
Ren wasn’t tired, though. Even he mined nonstop for days. Nothing motivated him like money does.