"Isolde must be rich, huh? Do you think she had a limo, or something?" Leonel asked Ren as they watched Isolde speak to her cousin.
Ren shrugged. "A limo doesn't suit her. Maybe a jeep or armored car."
"Cool. I always wanted an armored car."
Leonel then sized Isolde up and down. "She seemed to be a nice girl. Though a little awkward."
Ren almost choke. "It's you who is making things awkward."
Leonel ignored Ren and looked away, lips puckering.
"Excuse me. Aren't you going to enter? You're blocking the entrance."
Both Ren and Leonel turned toward the voice—and froze.
Standing before them was an otherworldly man with light-blue hair, dressed in an immaculate, expensive suit. At his side was an alluring woman draped in the finest silk.
Ren blinked in disbelief. The woman was Silvia. Panic shot through his chest at the sight of her—until he remembered that Silvia had never seen his real face.
This restaurant feels like a magnet for people I know, Ren thought, exhaling the tension from his shoulders. Though he didn't recognize the man accompanying Silvia, one thing was certain—
The two of them instantly drew every gaze in the room. Conversations quieted, and heads subtly turned to follow their entrance. Ren couldn't blame anyone; even his own eyes were drawn to the man's striking, almost otherworldly looks, and to Silvia's effortless grace.
"Oh, sorry," Leonel quickly apologized as he and Ren stepped aside to let the pair pass.
"Mr. Axis!" the manager personally came out and greeted the newcomers. "Miss Rutherford, this way to your table, please."
Axis? Ren sifted through his memories. They were an old, powerful family that dominated the oil, mining, and shipping industries.
Was this man the infamous Ragnar Axis—the second young master whose rumored beauty had sparked a rift among the elite when he chose Silvia as his soon-to-be wife? His decision had stirred quite a scandal, leaving several influential young mistresses bitter and envious.
Rich people and their problems.
Ren blinked, brushing off the thought. Not my problem.
"Wow." Leonel whistled as Ragnar and Silvia walked farther away. "Look at that couple—they don't even seem mortal."
Ren just shook his head at Leonel's exaggerated awe.
"Stop staring. It's rude," Ren said, though there was no real reprimand in his tone.
"I can't help it," Leonel replied, eyes still glued to them. "They're like magnets—and my eyes are metal."
Ren couldn't help but chuckle.
Eventually, Ren, Leonel, and Isolde left the restaurant and headed home in Isolde's McLaren X4X7 Sports Car—an experience that nearly shaved years off Ren and Leonel's lives with how fast she drove.
They had assumed she had a chauffeur, like Mike and Saya. But when she confidently slid into the driver's seat of her matte-black, custom-modified car, both their jaws dropped.
By the time their souls returned to their bodies, they could only exchange dazed looks and agree to never ride with her again.
The then log into the game as soon as Isolde came online.
Ren had at least thirty minutes to take a bath and change his clothes so he didn't have to log out later to do those stuff.
He wanted to play unhindered since it was time for their first dungeon attempt.
Ren was getting excited. Getting firstblood in this dungeon would yield equipment, and they really needed to upgrade their equipment ASAP.
As soon as Isolde sent a message that she was online, Ren didn't waste any more time and logged in to the game.
The three of them promised to meet up at Venezia Village in the Elves' territory since the first newbie cave was located there.
Gargantuan Cave.
It was the very first cave that could be cleared with their current ATP. It needed at least three players to clear, but Ren could probably solo it.
The only reason that he didn't was because that cave required a specific number of players to enter.
Once he entered his pod, he logged in and Ren arrived at Ironto village. It was the last spot he was in before he logged out.
After that, he pressed the save/teleportation crystal and teleported to Venezia village, the southernmost part of the Elven territory.
"Ren!" Leonel and Isolde waved their hands upon spotting him amidst the flocks of players.
"Look at all these people?" Leonel said the moment that Ren navigated his way towards them. "I was lucky that there was an empty pod in the café near my dorm. However there's only a cap of one hour play time to accommodate other players."
"It's expected as everyone already knew the game's opening," said Isolde with a half shrug. "If it weren't because there's a shortage of pods, these numbers would double by now."
Ren wasn't worried about Leonel playing only a day in the game. It was enough time to clear the dungeon.
Though in the future, Ren would convince Leonel to buy a pod once the in game currency was introduced. He had to be available at all times so he wouldn't be left out.
Because Leonel didn't have a pod in the past, he often logged in a café. But this café only have certain number of time to accommodate the influx of people playing the game.
In return, Leonel's playtime was greatly reduced and it was also one of the reason that he was left behind by the others.
"Sheesh. How do you navigate with all this crowd?" Leonel was getting dizzy from all the players going back and forth in a hurry to complete quests after quests to catch up with the others.
"Aren't you going to redo those quests?" Ren asked, knowing Isolde had been reset back to square one.
Isolde groaned, her brows creasing. "I'd rather grind than go through those boring errand quests again." Then her eyes suddenly brightened, sparkling with excitement. "I'd rather go with you to the Gargantuan Cave!"
Leonel nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Very well then," Ren said with a faint smile. It was faster to raise her ATP in the cave anyway—and the quest rewards she'd skipped were just basic items she could easily buy from shops.
The three of them then set out south from the village, with Ren leading the front.
"Is there something we should need first to attempt this cave?" Isolde asked, traumatized by her failed attempt at Thunder Cave.
Ren shook his head. "No. This is a newbie cave that can be cleared with three players."
"But my ATP isn't in the two digits yet since I recreated my account." Isolde was worried about this that she would be the cause of defeat in their group.
However, Ren wasn't worried the least. He alone could solo this newbie cave.
"No worries, Ren and I have already reached two digits." Leonel winked and flexed his nonexistent muscles. "I'll take care of the enemies in the front and protect you guys while you destroy all the enemies from the back lines."
Isolde nodded, while Ren couldn't help but be surprised that she didn't seem the least bit bothered by Leonel's appearance.
She's probably criticizing that fake beard in her head, Ren mused, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
But the truth was far from that. Isolde didn't find Leonel's Dwarven look strange at all. She'd grown up surrounded by men with all sorts of beards.
Her father, for one, sported a spiky beard that he meticulously trimmed and styled with gel every single day.
In fact, her father spent more time grooming his beard than managing their casinos. He left the actual work to his right-hand man and the team of professionals running the company.
As Ren, Leonel, and Isolde chatted on their way toward their destination, the road split into a fork leading to the Gargantuan Cave. But before they could continue, Isolde and Leonel's attention was stolen by the sight of players rushing in the opposite direction.
"What's going on?" Leonel asked, frowning in curiosity.
There was a steady stream of players flooding into the southern path of the forest, heading toward the mountain range.
Ren already knew what lay beyond that route. He wasn't interested, nor even curious—it was one of the downsides of living twice. The element of surprise was gone.
Before he could even speak, Isolde and Leonel were already swept up in the excitement.
"Let's check it out!" Isolde said with glee, already trailing after the crowd.
"Yes! There might be a hidden boss—or treasure!" Leonel added, jogging beside her with eager steps.
Ren sighed, watching as the two skipped along like kids at a festival—flowers blooming on their heads, sparkles practically following their every move.
It was like having two Leonels in the group.