Chapter 622: Saint Monastery (III)

The mercenaries felt as though they had just been on a roller coaster ride from hell to heaven. Just a few moments ago, they believed that they would undoubtedly die and were merely fighting to protect their dignity. However, they didn't expect the situation to turn around entirely within half a minute. The terrifying enemies crumbled and even the Necromancer had turned into ashes. The trio who had rescued them didn't seem to be passersby at all, but shortly after, they realized that they were wrong.

"How boring."

Mini Bubble Gum clapped the dust off her hands and pouted as she looked at the corpses laid before her. She gazed at the man with the rotten arms and unconscious on the ground and let out a snort. Then, she stretched out a finger and emanated a dazzling ray of light that healed the ruptured flesh on his arms. In the blink of an eye, his arms were fully cured. Then, Mini Bubble Gum stretched her body lazily.

"They're nothing more than a bunch of useless crap. Let's go, Big Sister, Leader."

Mini Bubble Gum turned around and left without glancing at the mercenaries. She behaved so casually as though she had just killed a colony of ants instead of Humans. Rhode and Canary had no opinions about this. The blustering mercenaries were slightly more than level 20 while the Necromancer was only level 30. Rhode's level was even higher than them, so how was it possible for the level 85 Canary and Mini Bubble Gum to regard them highly?

The trio left swiftly and continued with their journey, leaving the group of mercenaries who had escaped death. The mercenaries widened their eyes in disbelief. They thought that they were dead for sure, but the sudden appearance of the trio dragged them from the claws of death entirely, which they were extremely thankful for. Normally, the rescuers would have approached them to check on their condition and the victims could express their gratitude. However, the trio's actions had surprised all of them. They just left without looking at the victims even once?!

What should we do next?

The mercenaries were left in an awkward situation. They wanted to catch up to them and express their proper gratitudes. However, the trio seemed uninterested in them and their strength had proven how powerful they were. On the contrary, these guys were only mercenaries and they naturally couldn't figure out how powerful the trio was exactly. Most powerful beings had strange behaviors. If one were to accidentally offend them, perhaps one would die to a wave of their hands... The mercenaries shuddered at this frightening thought. Then, their leader took a final look at the trio and heaved a sigh of relief. He pulled himself together and clapped his hands to gather the attention of his men.

"Alright, Brothers. Let's tidy up and leave. We're really fortunate today..."

But before the man finished his words, the young noble who they had been protecting bolted toward the trio!

"That idiot!"

The leader chased the young noble hurriedly. After spending some time with him, he knew what sort of temper he had! He knew exactly what the young noble was planning to do, suddenly running up to the trio!

Rhode's group had thrown this matter to the back of their heads as soon as they turned around and they didn't even discuss anything about it. Instead, they spoke about their experiences in the game which involved the BOSSes, equipment, dungeons, and also the future. Suddenly, someone yelled from behind.

"Hey, the people in front. Wait up...!"

Rhode puckered his brows while Canary maintained her usual gentle smile. On the other hand, Mini Bubble Gum sulked instantly because the voice had disrupted her from sharing her mighty achievements in the dungeons with Rhode. Rhode and Mini Bubble Gum were the only survivors in a 25-men dungeon when they faced the final BOSS. In that battle, Mini Bubble Gum had as though enlightened everyone with her perfect wisdom. Her responses were superb and not only did she dodge the BOSS's attack, but she also protected Rhode at the same time. The tempo of her healing and casting of supporting skills were timed perfectly. In the end, the duo took down the BOSS and this achievement earned Mini Bubble Gum the number one Cleric spot in the Guild. She was bragging about how she coordinated with Rhode flawlessly and someone actually interrupted her before she reached the most exciting part of the story!

She glared in the direction where the voice came from while harboring malicious intentions. At this moment, the young noble panted his way toward them. He wore showy noble attire with a cape draped over his shoulders and a fine sword hanging by his waist. However, his flashy appearance exposed that the sword was only meant to show off rather than be used in actual battle. He looked about 14 years old and almost the same age as Mini Bubble Gum. He ran as quickly as possible and looked at the trio with a pleased smile. For unknown reasons, Rhode felt that his smile hinted superiority.

The young noble spoke.

"You guys have decent strength. Wanna work for me?"

"Huh?"

Mini Bubble Gum revealed an ice-cold expression while Rhode and Canary exchanged looks with each other. Then, Rhode folded his arms and gazed at the young man with a bantering glint. However, before he got the chance to speak, Mini Bubble Gum had exploded.

"What a joke! Kid, who do you think you are? You want us to work for you? Get your pitiful self away from our sight! You're asking for death!"

Mini Bubble Gum clenched her fists and glared at the young noble. The latter stuck out his chest proudly and gazed at them with a proud, arrogant expression. "I have no lack of money! I will give you 50k gold coins as long as you help me rescue my younger sister from the hands of the Cultists. How about that? My father is a rich merchant in the Kohl region and I've loads and loads of money. As long as you rescue my younger sister, the money will be yours! How about that? That sounds great, eh?"

"Do you even understand Human language? Idiot..."

Mini Bubble Gum let out a snort and lifted her chin high. Although the young noble was slightly taller than her, she still showed a look of disdain.

"Who cares about your filthy money. Our leader has more than enough of that and he doesn't fancy yours. I have money too. My family owns a multinational corporation. I get all the pounds and dollars that I want... Forget it. No one gives a damn if your family is a whatever Kohl region millionaire. Don't mess with us or I will smash you with a sack of money. Now, scram!"

"What did you say?! My father is really, really rich! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!"

"Come on! What can 50k gold coins even afford? It isn't enough to buy a part of my equipment. So what if you have 50k gold coins?"

"You..."

Rhode rubbed his forehead and shook his head helplessly at their childish argument.

Bubble was indeed powerful, but she never grew up. Although she could be considered one of the best Clerics in the gaming world, she had always been surrounded by controversies in real life because she was the daughter of a multinational corporation boss. In other words, she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and never avoided this topic and would often splurge on any great items. Many players detested her arrogant behavior and moreover, she was in the rebellious phase of life and always loved to compete against others. The more the players despised her, the more she got back at them. The more you look down upon me as a pay-to-win player, the more I will use money to crush and infuriate you to death. The more you say that Cleric can't PK, the more I will defeat you. You deserve it!

Everyone had such moments. But it was rare to see one as extreme as Mini Bubble Gum. Therefore, Mini Bubble Gum received a lot of criticism in the game because many players saw that she was just a rich, young daughter who threw her weight about using money and didn't feel disgraceful at all. I'm just fortunate to be born into a rich family. I have the money to spend while you poverty-stricken peasants got nothing. Hahaha, I will infuriate you all to death!

If she was only verbally arrogant, she wouldn't provoke that much resentment from the other players. After all, although young players dominated the game, there were still mature adults too. An ordinary pay-to-win player treated her as a pampered young lady and their hearts couldn't grieve over what their eyes couldn't see. Unfortunately, Mini Bubble Gum relied on her extreme personality and came up with the 'Treating foes as friends' insane technique. Thereafter, she dominated the arena and rarely did she face worthy opponents. Her name had always been in the top five player rankings. There were spiteful players who satirized her for obtaining legendary equipment by splurging money in order to achieve her results. As a result, she started a thread in the forums stating that she was capable of buying legendary equipment and get into the top five while worthless crap like the other players couldn't even reach the top 5000 even if they had the money and equipment...

A rich, powerful, and smug person naturally gathered a lot of hate and dissatisfaction among the players.

Therefore, even in the guild, Mini Bubble Gum seldom had any close friends. This was also why she had always been Rhode's dedicated Cleric because he and Canary were the only ones capable of handling her. Perhaps Rhode could control her actions because they had known each other for a long time. They met each other after the Munn Kingdom was destroyed and he wanted to get revenge. Back then, he met Mini Bubble Gum who was also furious that her home was destroyed and she gathered players using money to take revenge on the Country of Darkness. The stakes made them hit it off instantly and Mini Bubble Gum eventually joined Starlight.

Rhode didn't deny that during the starting phase of Starlight, Mini Bubble Gum's funding had benefited him a lot. He didn't feel that relying on others was considered an embarrassing behavior. During the process, he understood that Mini Bubble Gum's behavior was mainly related to her family. Although she was fortunate to be born into a wealthy family, she was actually lonely. Her mother had a difficult birth and met with an early demise as she gave birth to Mini Bubble Gum. On the other hand, her father had been working non-stop and rumors about him keeping a mistress had spread. Mini Bubble Gum led a boring life with the servants at home and this was why she searched for a sense of belonging in the game. Splurging money on the game naturally became the quickest method, just like how one flaunted his 15 ghost-tiger mounts on the forums. No matter how realistic the results, he had indeed attracted eyeballs.

On the other hand, although Mini Bubble Gum had indeed garnered a lot of attention, no one was willing to curry favors with her for the sake of money. Perhaps one might succumb to the pressure of life if it was in the real world. However, it happened in the Internet: a virtual society. In here, regardless of if one was rich or not, everyone was equal. No matter how rich one was, one couldn't use money to call it quits. So why must I give in to you? How shameless is that?

Although there were some players who bowed down to everything she said for the sake of money, she wasn't that foolish to keep them around her, which resulted in her terrible reputation. It was due to this that Rhode's willingness to rely on her money to develop the guild naturally gave her a favorable impression. This was the first time she felt needed by someone and she felt great.

As Starlight developed, there were a lot of controversies. The main part came from how Starlight relied on Mini Bubble Gum's funding in the early stages and many players mocked Starlight as a group of hired thugs and traitors paid by Mini Bubble Gum. Rhode had also become the main target of mockery for bowing down to money. They often said that 'If Rhode didn't betray himself over money, perhaps he would be worthy to be called a top-rated player..."

But Rhode remain unmoved because he didn't care about their views at all. After Munn Kingdom was destroyed, Rhode's only goal in the game was to establish a powerful force to seek revenge for their sufferings. In order to not waste one's time, it was necessary to spend real money in the game. Without a proper foundation, how could a Guild develop quickly? Mini Bubble Gum was willing to spend the money, so it naturally became a great thing. He didn't feel that he had any reasons to reject. After all, he wasn't targeting her money for his personal use. Mini Bubble Gum felt satisfied to be needed by others and she had even thought of 'providing for' Rhode and make him accompany her in playing the game... But her suggestion was rejected by him, of course.

In the end, Rhode succeeded and Starlight became the strongest force in the Dragon Soul Continent. The elite players of Starlight occupied almost all the top 50 player rankings. They changed the course of the game once and once again, opening new chapters to the game by becoming the most influential force.

Before Rhode left the game, Mini Bubble Gum had matured a lot. As she grew older, she wasn't as hot-tempered like a gunpowder bucket that would explode once ignited. Besides, perhaps due to her satisfaction, she rarely debated with other players in the forums or game about meaningless matters. Unlike the past, not only did she stop wasting time in typing a whole passage of words to ridicule the other party, but she also stopped pursuing relentlessly and force those irritating players off the game. That was both physical and mental tortures. From another point of view, she was the role model of one who had loads of time and money on one's hands.

If Rhode and Mini Bubble Gum's relationship could be considered to have developed after understanding each other deeply, then Mini Bubble Gum and Canary's relationship could only be described using two words: natural enemies.

"Canary."

"Got it, Rhode."

Canary stepped forward with a smile and held onto Bubble's shoulder.

"Bubble, stop fighting. Be good."

"... Yes, Big Sister."

Canary said softly and Bubble deflated like a leaking balloon. She grudgingly stared at the young noble and stopped speaking. Then, Rhode came forward. He truly wasn't interested in entertaining a quarrel of such low standard.

"We aren't here for sightseeing. We have something else to attend to, so we can't help you. Goodbye."

Rhode turned around while Canary patted on Bubble's shoulder once again as though to console her. Then, they left the place following his lead. The young noble's expression turned ashen. He puckered his brows and stared at the trio, clenching his fists. However, he didn't know what to say. At this moment, the leader who was standing quietly and observing their bicker said.

"Y-Young Master, let's go back. We'd better leave this place as soon as possible and find a place outside to regroup. Then..."

But, the young noble disrupted his words.

"No let's continue!"

"Young Master?"

"I must find my younger sister. You guys are hired by me and I have made my payment, so you've to heed my orders. I know my younger sister is still in the deep mountains!"

The young noble gritted his teeth and let out a snarl. The leader pondered in silence and let out a helpless sigh.

...

It seems that I don't have a choice.

Lize stood before the heavy door with a hesitant expression. She mustered up her courage, sucked in a deep breath, and knocked firmly. Then, she heard the voice she knew so well.

"Come in."

Lize ground her teeth and pushed the door open. Marlene was sitting by the table with a book in hand. She looked away from the book and widened her eyes curiously as soon as she spotted Lize.

"Lize, it's late now. Is anything the matter?"

"Yes... Marlene."

Lize felt that her throat was rather dry. She rubbed her sleeves anxiously and gazed at the ground.

"Yes... Marlene... I... have something important to... let you know... So... I..."

Marlene gazed silently. She laid down the book and approached Lize.

"What's wrong?"

"It's... It's..."

Lize felt suffocated as though boulders weighing a thousand kilograms were pressing on her chest. She could almost hear her violent heartbeats. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to look into Marlene's eyes.

"It's regarding... Mr. Rhode..."

"Rhode..."

Marlene cocked her head to one side and nodded subsequently.

"I see. Lize, this isn't the place to talk about it. Follow me."

Marlene checked her attire before heading out the room while Lize followed with her shaky hands on her chest. Both of them entered the hall and down the staircase. Then, they arrived at the spacious hall in the underground. Marlene raised her staff and chanted softly to light up a dazzling radiance.

"M-Marlene?"

Lize asked worriedly as soon as the space before her transformed into whiteness. She didn't expect that Marlene would bring her to the training ground in the Sphere of Mystery. What was she trying to do?

At this moment, Marlene turned around and extended her right hand.

The air around her vibrated and flickering rays of light coalesced into razor-sharp blades that were aimed at Lize.

"Alright, we can start talking about it now, Lize."

Marlene revealed a smile as she gazed at Lize who was stricken into silence.