After Derek logged out and Liam exited the tower, the uproar and commotion in the PVP tower quickly died out, and once again peace prevailed like the warm sunshine after a bout of heavy rain.
There was no crazy gambling. There was also no rowdy cheering.
Everything quickly went back to normal and players focused on their own grind as the 100th floor, the main floor wasn't too far away.
However, there were still two players on the 90th floor of the tower who were yet to move from their position. One was a middle-aged man while the other was a tall and lean young man.
If the stormtroopers guild members hadn't scattered away to hide their shame and embarrassment, they would have instantly recognized this middle-aged man as he was none other than the guild leader, Sterling.
As a guild leader of a decent guild that had managed to get a foothold, this man held a lofty position with several players trying to curry his favor.
However, weirdly, this person looked very nervous and humble right now. As he looked at the lean young man sitting next to him, there was absolutely no sign of arrogance on his face.
"Here are the items. I am very grateful for the loan." Sterling muttered with a bitter smile.
Originally, with these kinds of equipment, their guild should have come out with flying colors, smashing all expectations.
This was their chance to become a second-tier or even first-tier guild, but unfortunately, because of an imbecile, the precious opportunity was lost.
Even though they had the ability and the spotlight they couldn't bring it to the finish line.
He was extremely disappointed, frustrated, and angry about this, but he knew that now was not the time to express these emotions.
In fact, if he could somehow forge a relationship with this person near him, then probably everything would still be worth it.
"Aha ha ha. Even with these, that idiot still managed to screw up." Sterling tried his best to make light of the situation.
He wanted to put the blame on the idiot who singlehandedly managed to tarnish their guild reputation, hoping that the person next to him will still make an alliance with their guild and not deem them unworthy.
However, even after talking for quite a bit, he was only greeted by silence and this made him more and more nervous.
As Sterling patiently continued waiting, his in-game character developing an ulcer, the uncomfortable silence kept prolonging.
Clearly, the other party was in deep thinking so now he did not even have the confidence to make small talk and lighten the mood.
He could only bite the bullet and patiently wait.
Time slowly ticked by and finally, after another ten more minutes which might as well have been an eternity, the other person turned to look at him.
He revealed a polite albeit curt smile, and his gaze had an unfathomable depth that made it difficult for anyone to gauge the true emotions behind the decent facade.
"Ha Ha Ha. You are worrying too much. It's just 50000 gold coins and this was just a small betting event, so don't think too much about it."
He then casually raised his hand to cancel the trade window that had been open for a while now.
"No need to return these back to me. Keep these with you and try to get some dungeon achievements. I am sure your guild reputation will be back in no time."
Sterling couldn't help but gasp in surprise. He had not expected this at all. This meant that the person in front of him had not completely given up on their guild.
Although, he did not seem to trust them either. This was probably another test and the last chance to prove themselves.
If they couldn't bring back their reputation even after this, then he had a feeling that he would not be seeing this person again.
"Thank you. I will definitely return this favor." Sterling seriously nodded and then stood up to leave. He didn't want to linger and unnecessarily make small talk with the other party.
He had a feeling that such actions would only bring about a negative impression and not a positive one. He was a tactful person who knew how to act, so he readily left the area.
And as soon as he left, almost immediately, another person walked over. This person was slightly chubby. "Sorry to make you wait, boss. I had an emergency at home. So I had to log out."
"It's fine. I had company." The lean and tall person smiled, once again revealing the same calm and imperceptible smile. "So were you able to get a good look at the tank?"
"Yes, boss. I managed to catch the end of the fight and only then logged out. Here are his equipment details."
A system interface prompt opened up and as soon as he saw it, the man's eyes instantly widened, for the first time showing actual emotion.
[Dark Daybreak Shield]
[Rating: Semi-Epic]
Defense: 500
Block Rate: 40%
Strength: 50
Agility: 50
Intelligence: 50
Passive Skill: For every attack blocked, there is a small chance to deflect the damage back to the attacker
Active Skill: Speed Burst – Temporarily increases agility by 5%; Cooldown: 1 minute
The chubby guy noticed his boss's shock and smiled. "I used my skill boss. These are the exact stats."
"Hmmm… Ok. Anything else?"
"No boss, this was the only equipment worth mentioning."
"Hmmm…"
The chubby guy noticed that his boss was deeply thinking about something, so he asked again. "Why? Did anything else catch your eye?"
"No. Not that." The 'boss' paused and then added. "Have you noticed how the elite drops look? They all have inscriptions on them. This makes the item more powerful."
"However…."
The chubby guy immediately gasped. He might be a bit slow compared to his boss but this hint was more than enough for him to see the obvious.
"So someone can actually forge an Epic ranked item?!"
"Yes, nothing else makes sense."
"This… Do you think that the tank forged it personally?"
The boss shook his head. "No. I doubt that. There is a small possibility but I doubt that."
"Then do you think it's that person who kept placing bets on him?"
"Hmmm. Maybe."
"Then should I try to contact the tank and try to recruit him or get some more information?"
"Hmmm…"
"I tried sending a friend request but he did not accept it. I also tried searching for him, but couldn't find him."
"It's fine. Leave it be."
"Huh?"
The boss chuckled and then stood up to leave. "I have a feeling that this tank is not that simple. We will probably meet him again if we keep climbing the tower."
"We might also get a few more surprises from him in the future."
"Oh. Okay, boss."
"Did Kouske return yet?"
"Not yet, boss."
"Alright, keep me informed.." The two of them then walked out of the PVP tower disappearing into the crowd.