Meanwhile, back in the frozen caverns, the entire Frozen Throne guild was busily jumping in and out of the black pool. While they were not getting frozen to near death, they calmly meditated and focused on recovery.
At first, they had been a little more unruly, but Sylvara had let slip that the patriarch might actually log into the game, which made everyone quiet down and focus on their progress.
"This is how it should be." Sylvara nodded in satisfaction. She was just about to close her eyes and get into her personal training when suddenly Nevin slumped next to her, wet and cold. "Did you check the world chat?"
"Why? What happened? Did the governments go all in already?" Sylvaraâs face instantly turned serious.
Nevin shook his head. "No, itâs Blood God."
Sylvara let out an exasperated sigh. "What the hell did he do now?"
"Why do you hate him so much?" Nevin clicked his tongue. "He didnât do anything to us. He is killing it in PVP. Take a look."
Sylvara rolled her eyes but opened her status screen anyway, flipping to the world chat feed. Her eyes scanned the lines of text, her fingers pausing as she read the flood of messages about the Blood God.
"Blood God just one-shotted Valtherin!"
"That bastard one-shotted me too! Donât challenge him! He is acting like a little bitch and not accepting forfeits. I lost my 1 gold coin. If I see that bastard anywhere, I am going to kill him on the spot!"
"Dude, are you high? He one-shotted your ass. How are you going to kill him? Donât be a sore loser!"
"Jackass, are you sucking his balls? What Blood God? He has a fucking legendary item so he is strong. Without the item, even my weak ass could slaughter him ten times straight!"
"Blood God just claimed 10 consecutive kills!"
"Fuck! He just claimed 15 kills!"
Sylvaraâs eyes narrowed as she scrolled through the messages, her thumb pausing on each rant, each bit of chaos that Blood God had left behind.
"Fifteen consecutive kills," she muttered. "Thatâs... impressive. Iâll give him that."
Nevin smirked, leaning over her shoulder. "Told you. The guyâs a monster."
Sylvara shot him a sideways glance. "Ya, he is something alright."
Nevin grinned. "Think heâs cheating?"
Sylvaraâs lips twitched, almost a smile but not quite. "No. Thatâs pure skill," she admitted, although begrudgingly.
"Skilled? Who are you both talking about in such a hush-hush tone?"
Mendoza walked over with a sneer. His eyes lingered longer on Sylvaraâs chest than was acceptable. A lecherous look flashed in his eyes as he saw the wet clothes tightly clinging to her figure. It was only for a moment, but Sylvara caught it.
"Do you need something?" Her expression turned cold.
Her actions further spurred Mendoza on. "Huh? Why? Am I bothering you when you are talking about your new boyfriend? I heard the patriarch offered you to him on a golden platter? Say, if I managed to clear this trial and grab the legacy, do you think I would get such a good deal? I donât need marriage or anything. Just a single night would do."
"Mendoza! You are going too far!" Nevin shot up, despite being extremely tired and drained.
Mendoza, however, did not even give him face. He simply looked at Sylvara again from top to bottom and laughed before leaving the area. "I am a little too buzzed. Donât take whatever I blabber to your heart. Itâs a joke. Itâs a joke."
Nevin clenched his fists and stepped forward, but Sylvara stopped him. "Donât do it. He is not worth it."
Nevin let out a sigh and slumped back on the cold floor. "What the hell is going on? How did he suddenly get the courage to act so brash and bold in front of you? Just a few days back he used to flatter you and kiss your ass every time he met you and now he is bold enough to speak so vulgarly? Something is not right."
Sylvara nodded. She too had noticed it. Something was definitely not right.
She watched Mendozaâs back as he strutted away like he owned the place, the leering grin still plastered on his face.
Nevin rubbed his face with a tired hand. "You think someoneâs pulling strings behind the scenes?"
Sylvara nodded slowly. "His attitude changed way too fast. Like he knows he can get away with anything."
Nevinâs eyes narrowed. "Or heâs banking on someoneâs support. He probably thinks no one would dare stand up to him if heâs on that personâs side." His gaze fell on Robert, and Sylvara knew what he meant.
Robertâs popularity had suddenly shot up in the clan. He was the biological heir to the Frozen Throne. That alone was enough to give him a high standing, but lately it was more than that.
Sylvaraâs gaze flicked to the system screen. Robert was still on the fifth breakpoint, but that was two whole breakpoints away from her current standing. As it was, she was already at her limits. She was not even confident that she could go further, but this manâs talent had exploded exponentially ever since this trial started.
This was why everything in the clan had now turned upside down. She wouldnât be too surprised if tomorrow she was kicked out of her position. Not that she cared. As long as the clan was powerful and whole, that was all that mattered. At least this way, she would finally have the time to solely focus on her class and her quest.
"Do you think he had help from outside? You know... from that man?" Nevin slowly asked.
Sylvara immediately snapped to look at him. "No. I know Robert. He would never do that. He has always been against me, but he would never betray the family like that. Grandpa is his own flesh and blood. He wouldnât do that."
Nevin nodded. "I think so too." Neither of them said it out loud, but at this moment, they couldnât convince themselves with their own words.
***
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