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n

n“The Heart of Vulcan,” Ren muttered in a daze.

nSo that’s where it was.

nIt was so long ago that his memory about this cave was fogy. He thought that it was one of the rewards of getting firstblood.

nRen checked the map of Vulcan, and the once ninety-nine percent turned to one hundred.

nThis place was another hidden room!

nGood job, Pii!

n“The Heart of Vulcan?” Evie asked with confusion in her tone, but Ren no longer replied.

nIt was a material that when forged on a weapon, would grant that weapon an addition spell Explosion. It was sought after because of its rarity and because it could be forged into any kind of weapon, which means that any class could now use Explosion, an AoE fire spell.

nThough they had to equip the weapon in order to gain the spell, not equipping it meant that the spell would be gone in their list of spell as well.

nIt was also one of the many ores required to craft rare weapons and armors in the future.

n“Evie grabbed that red chest at the side,” Ren said before wading into the Lava.

n“Ren.” Evie’s voice contained a hint of panic when Ren’s HP decreased at a rapid rate and The Heart of Vulcan was still meters from him. By the time he reached that item on the altar, he’d be dead.

nHe had Health Potions. Evie reassured herself before she grabbed the Red Chest at the side. Her concern for Ren overpowered her excitement at the unusual-looking chest.

nBy the time Ren acquired The Heart of Vulcan, his HP was running low though he couldn’t stop smiling.

n“Ren, what are you doing? Your HP.” Evie tried to remind him, but the latter seemed not to hear anything.

nRen stored The Heart of Vulcan in their group inventory before he addressed the two girls who were still fighting above.

n“Rafaela. Alecia. You two exit this room and meet us at Igor’s Village.”

nThe two immediately stopped bickering and looked down at Ren with a confused face.

n“Huh? What about you two?!” they questioned at the same time.

nRen only grinned. “There’s no exit from here except death.”

n“. . .”

n“. . .”

n“You got to admit, that kinda sounds cool coming from him,” mumbled Alecia while Rafaela nodded in a daze.

nRen rubbed Pii’s little head before he sent it back in the Pet section.

nHe then looked at Evie and offered his hand to her. “To escape from this room, we have to die in here.”

n“. . .” Evie just stared at Ren’s extended hand. They had fought all this time only to end up dead.

nHow Ironic.

n“We already got firstblood. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

nEvie merely sighed, thoroughly giving up at guessing what Ren was thinking before she went into the lake of Lava and grabbed his hand.

n. . .

n. . .

nRen blinked.

nEvie blinked.

nFeeling the soft little hand on his own, Ren wanted to hit himself in the head as to why he reached for Evie’s hand in the first place.

nNow he looked like a pervert taking advantage of the situation. He immediately let go of her and took a step back.

nEvie thought differently, though. She cursed about her lack of social skills that things always turned awkward between them. If only she knew how to start a conversation.

nBefore, Evie cursed about the Lava pool’s continuous damage. Now, she was complaining about why it was taking so slow to kill her.

nAn uncomfortable silence fell between the two. It was palpable and difficult to ignore.

n“It’s like watching a teenage romance show,” Alecia whispered at Rafaela and giggled.

n“It’s clearly a tragic movie where a couple was trapped inside a volcano, burning to their death.”

nAlecia gave Rafaela the side eye. “Why do you have to ruin the mood?”

n“Because I want to.” Rafaela batted her eyelids, saying, “Let’s go back and rejoin the others.”

n“You’re saying that, but you’re still plastered on the ground with eyes glued on them.”

n“Shut it.”

nEvie grumbled under her breath at the two women’s remark. Someone should tell them that even if their voices were whispers, the cave echoed it tenfold.

nBecause of what they said, it was difficult for her to look at Ren now without feeling conscious. Though she appeared like she didn’t have any emotion because of her paralyzed face, she was no stranger to feelings.

nThey had just met, and it was impossible for them to like each other. Gratitude was what she felt towards Ren while he . . .

nEvie paused and thought for a moment . . . Ren was probably just being kind to her like he was to everyone else.

nEvie cleared her throat and asked with a blank face though her cheeks were slightly red. “Now what?”

nRen puffed a laugh. “I honestly didn’t think pass this point.”

nEvie couldn’t help but let out little peals of laughter that seemed like twinkling bells in December, dispersing the awkwardness between them a little.

nHowever, their short exchanges of words were cut even shorter when Ren’s body illuminated and turned transparent.

nHe smiled at Evie though she couldn’t see his face. “See you on the other side.”

n“. . .” Evie’s smile froze, and before she could open her mouth to say something, Ren burst into particles.

nWatching the tiny white fragments in the air of what remains of Ren, Evie clutched her hand tight.

nAnd soon, she too burst into white particles before finding herself on a random spot near the save

/teleportation crystal at the cave entrance.

nThe place was still brimming with players, dead and alive. Wisps roam freely all over the place, enjoying the only moment where they could fly while the others huddled together, chatting and planning their strategy.

nAfter Evie regained her physical form, she looked at Ren’s name on her friends list.

nShe just stared at it for a while . . . before the familiar name grazed her tongue again . . . “Ren . . .

n“See you . . .” Evie whispered before she left Silvia’s group and ventured on her own into the world of COVENANT.

n—-

nInside Igor Village, one of the newbie villages in the land of the Dwarves.

nSilvia and the others were surprised when Evie suddenly left without a word.

n“Why did she leave?”

n“Was she still upset that we suspected her?”

n“But what about her share?”

n“Someone contact her! Quick!”

n“She’s not on my friend’s list.”

n“Alecia, did you get Evie’s contact info?”

n“No.”

n“Someone that has her info tells her to come back.”

nWhile the girls were panicking at Evie’s sudden disappearance, Ren was quiet at the side.

nWith back against the wall, arms crossed, he had a gentle smile on his face as he looked over at the horizon from the window.

nThis wasn’t the end of their meeting.

nThey would definitely see each other again in the future.

n—-

nA

/N

nThank you to

nSerph21

nhideyMcBigG

nSpringBreeze20

nPhantom32

nKamila_4200

nDeath_Sounds

nfor the gifts!

nAnd for everyone’s support!

nCHEERS!

n