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The players quickly sprang into action, buying potions from every NPC in an effort to uncover the culprit.

Their efforts paid off when they discovered the guard responsible for the poisoned potions. The NPC, realizing he had been caught, took his own life by biting down on his tongue before the other guards could even question him.

Although the players had caught the culprit, the damage had been done. The players were now on edge, warily eyeing the other guards and some even opting to buy potions from the merchant NPCs hiding in the bunkers instead.

Amidst the chaos, a reward was delivered to the highest contributor of the second wave. Ava, who had single-handedly killed hundreds if not thousands of skeletons, was unsurprisingly the recipient.

Although Leo had defeated the boss and his shadow soldiers had massacred several dozens of skeletons, Ava’s contribution to the battle could not be ignored.

Whilst Leo retreated back to the safety of the city, Ava refused to cease her tireless efforts, relentlessly casting spells and decimating the skeleton army. Her unrelenting determination paid off as her contribution points rose rapidly, overtaking Leo’s by a significant margin.

Although Leo wasn’t the one who got the reward, he wasn’t bothered by it. At least, since he had no use for the item. He couldn’t auction it, the game disallowed it...

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~~~~

Despite its alluring appearance, Leo was well aware that the +50 Intelligence bonus offered by the ribbon was not suited for him, or rather all the male members of the game. He knew the effects of this item and was aware that if a man attempted to equip such an item it would result in a drastic reduction of the Intelligence bonus, down to a mere +10.

Leo couldn’t help but notice the way Ava’s fingers trembled as she rolled the ribbon between them. Despite not having exchanged a word with her yet, he couldn’t ignore the energy pulsating from her, an energy that was all too familiar. It reminded him of a nightmare he had had long ago, where a silver jaguar relentlessly chased after him.

‘Should I quietly escape?’

As he gazed at Ava, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were somehow connected, like they were the same being. The thought of it made him wonder if he should make a run for it, but before he could even act on the thought, Ava’s gaze met his, and he knew that there was no escaping the conversation to come.

Leo stood frozen as Ava approached, with Eli suddenly taking a dozen steps back, sensing something was amiss. He longed to give her a betrayed look, but was too intimidated to shift his gaze away from the approaching silver predator. Despite his face being concealed behind a mask, Leo felt as if every muscle in his face had stiffened in response to Ava’s piercing gaze.

Her long silver hair swayed with each step she took, her delicate facial features accentuated by the moonlight. Leo found himself captured by her ocean-blue eyes, which studied him intently. For a moment, he felt the urge to look away, but he couldn’t bring himself to break the spell of her mesmerizing gaze.

I thought my eyes were mesmerizing...’

As Ava approached, Leo was struck by a sense of coldness and a strange calm emanating from her, yet beneath it all he could sense an intense anger simmering. She was like a boss monster, releasing an oppressive pressure simply by her existence. He was unable to speak, his mind grappling with the conflicting emotions that Ava seemed to embody.

“Hello~”

Ava’s voice pierced through Leo’s thoughts, bringing him out of his momentary stupor. He felt as if his throat had gone dry, but somehow managed to force his voice to respond.

“H..ello”

He managed to croak, his eyes fixed on Ava’s as she stood before him, the literal embodiment of silent anger.

To Leo’s surprise, Ava didn’t say another word. Instead, she held his gaze for a few seconds longer than he was comfortable with, her piercing blue eyes drilling into him. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he waited for her to speak, but she seemed content to simply stare.

Finally, Ava turned her gaze towards Eli, who was looking at her friend with a confused yet mischievous smile. Leo let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, feeling a mixture of relief and confusion. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Ava’s mind.

Eli, who was still holding her thumb in her mouth, was using her eyes to transfer a message.

‘You look like a jealous woman!’

Ava fixed Eli with a glare that made the orc shrink back, still chewing on her thumb. Despite knowing Ava for many years, these glares were a rarity, and only a select few had ever been on the receiving end of one. The mere sight of such a gaze would render most people speechless, but Leo had somehow managed to speak, though Eli could hear the difficulty in his voice.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t tease her for a while...’

Eli thought to herself as she watched Ava walk away from Leo, heading towards one of the bunkers where the non-player characters were located. It was clear to Eli that Ava was not in the mood for conversation, and she didn’t want to risk incurring her friend’s wrath.

Eli trailed after Ava, observing as she approached the bunker. She deduced that Ava was probably there to purchase some potions. Turning to Leo, who was still standing frozen and gazing at Ava’s back with a look of confusion, Eli shrugged her shoulders.

‘I have no clue either...’

She murmured before waving to Leo and following Ava into the bunker.

***

Leo remained still, lost in thought as he gazed at the grass fields bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. Players bustled around him, drinking potions and engaging in lively conversations as they prepared for the impending battle.

He, on the other hand, was utilizing the power of his Shadow Robe to blend into the shadows, remaining unseen and avoiding any unwanted attention from the other players.

Leo was deep in thought, unable to shake the feeling that Ava’s behavior was reminiscent of their first encounter. Despite his attempts to understand her actions, the reason behind her demeanor remained elusive.

He felt more drained than after a battle with the now-defunct ‘Vikings’ guild, who was destroyed by a surprise attack from the Cross guild when they were at their most vulnerable. The memory of that fierce battle weighed heavily on him, but now, the enigma of Ava’s behavior was sapping his energy more than any physical exertion ever could.

‘...’

Leo pressed his lips tightly as he gazed upon the player, who was flaunting his skills in front of a group of admiring girls. The player’s sword was moving so fast, creating an illusion of dual-wielding.

To the onlookers, it was a cool display, but Leo was not impressed. He snorted, finding the human’s movements to be crude and random.

As a swordsman class human, Leo expected this player to have a basic understanding of parrying, slashing, and thrusting. However, the player’s movements were overexaggerated, using up too much time and energy. The man’s posture was also incorrect, causing Leo to shake his head in disbelief.

Do people even do research before choosing a class?

Did they not observe the movements of NPCs to improve their skills?

Leo was aware that the human race had access to NPC trainers that could help improve their proficiency in swordsmanship. Yet, it seemed that this player had skipped this important step, focusing only on visual effects and not efficiency.

Leo watched as the man stumbled, almost losing his balance while swinging his sword. A smile appeared on Leo’s face, and he felt as if he were watching a comical performance. It was a welcome distraction that helped him take his mind off Ava for a moment.

Initially, Leo found the man’s antics amusing, but soon it turned into a source of irritation. It was like watching someone unevenly fold a piece of paper, causing an uneasy and unsatisfying feeling. The man’s awkward movements were grating on Leo’s nerves.

Leo struggled to look away from the man, fearing that he might lose his temper. With nothing left to do but wait, his thoughts turned to Ava and the reason for her anger.

‘Damn it’

He tried to steer his thoughts away from the girl with wings, but a strange discomfort settled in the pit of his stomach as he wondered if he was the cause of her anger. The thought of causing Ava any distress was unsettling, and Leo couldn’t shake the feeling.

‘Perhaps a plunge into the coldest waters on Earth would be a fitting way to punish myself...’