Chapter 303: Back to Grinding
"Marcus, someone’s here! Get up!"
Under his teasing, Willow had already gone completely soft, her resistance slipping away as she let herself lean into him, ready to give in to whatever he wanted. But the sharp ring of the doorbell snapped her back to reality. She pushed against him urgently, her voice flustered.
"Just ignore it."
He barely even paused, clearly unwilling to let the moment slip away so easily. Reaching for her pink bra, he moved as if he fully intended to help her put it on himself.
"Ding... ding..."
The bell rang again, louder this time, more insistent.
Marcus frowned.
’Seriously? Who keeps ringing like that? If no one answers, it means no one’s home. Take the hint.’
"Babe, were you expecting someone?" Reluctantly, he stopped and glanced at her.
"No. I only got back yesterday. Hardly anyone knows I’m here."
She shook her head, just as confused as he was.
"Marcus... what time is it?"
The question came suddenly, and something in her expression shifted. Her face paled slightly as realization crept in.
"What time...?"
He muttered, holding out his hand. From the living room, his phone flew straight into his palm.
"Eleven."
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
They both gasped at the same time.
Somehow, between everything that had happened, the morning had slipped away entirely. It was already eleven. No wonder the sunlight streaming in felt so bright.
"Damn..."
"It’s eleven. It must be Amber and Lily... and the others."
Panic set in.
They scrambled out of bed, grabbing for their clothes in a hurry. At the same time, Marcus activated Human Rock, extending his senses toward the door.
And sure enough... It was Jade, Amber, and the rest of them.
Last night, Jade had already arranged to come over with Willow after class. They had planned this.
"This is all your fault!"
Willow shot him a fierce glare, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. If Amber and the others found out what they had been doing, she would never be able to face them again. She still wasn’t ready for anyone, especially Amber and Lily, to see her like this.
This was going to be a disaster.
"Crap..."
Marcus muttered under his breath, frustrated.
’Seriously frustrating.’
Amber had a talent for showing up at exactly the worst possible moments, always interrupting him when things were just getting good. And now with Jade added into the mix, things were only going to get more chaotic.
"Willow, we thought you weren’t home! We were just about to call you."
As soon as the door opened, Jade and Amber walked in first, cheerful as ever.
"Marcus, I knew it. You are here at Willow’s."
The two of them spotted him immediately and ran over, each grabbing one of his arms. Neither looked surprised in the slightest. Clearly, they had already expected this.
"Yeah... I was really tired last night, so I just crashed here."
Even though they weren’t pressing him, he still felt a bit guilty and rushed to come up with an excuse.
"Marcus, why haven’t you finished unpacking Willow’s things? Are you slacking off?"
Amber glanced at the untouched luggage in the living room and gave him a light scolding. Strangely enough, neither she nor Jade pushed the topic any further.
A lucky break.
They didn’t seem suspicious at all. He had managed to avoid disaster.
"Right, I was just about to do that."
He stood up immediately, putting on a show of getting to work.
"Marcus, it’s almost lunch. We promised to take Willow out to celebrate her coming back."
"Oh, right. Let’s go eat."
They had already decided on a seafood spot. Willow hadn’t had it once during her time in England.
Still, Marcus felt oddly flustered.
"Marcus... what were you doing last night?"
On the way to the restaurant, Amber slipped up beside him, pinched his hand lightly, and whispered the question in a teasing tone.
"...Nothing."
His answer came out stiff, completely unconvincing. He glanced at the girls around him.
Every single one of them was sharp, observant, and far too perceptive. There was no way they would believe something so flimsy. Especially Amber and Jade. Those two were trouble in the worst way.
Thinking he could fool them was naive.
"Hmph. Next time you lie to me, I’m twisting your ear and biting your nose."
Amber leaned in closer, whispering her threat with mock seriousness.
"Does it hurt?"
But even as she said it, her expression softened. She gently rubbed the spot she had pinched, as if making up for it, before skipping back ahead to join Jade and Willow.
Marcus watched her go.
She had changed. At some point, without him noticing, his little sister had grown up. Graceful, slender, carrying herself with an effortless charm, like a flower just beginning to bloom. She wasn’t easy to fool anymore.
After eating, they spent the afternoon shopping, then returned to help Willow unpack.
It was tiring, no question about that.
But with Amber clinging to his arm one moment, Jade whining until he carried her on his back the next, and Lily quietly holding his hand, the attention they drew was impossible to ignore. Everywhere they went, people stared, their expressions a mix of envy, disbelief, and admiration.
It stirred something in him; a quiet sense of pride.
He glanced at the five stunning women around him. Crystal remained distant as always, cool and untouchable, while Willow avoided his gaze, still shy from everything that had happened. But Lily, Amber, and Jade smiled at him openly, their warmth unmistakable.
In moments like this, he couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest man alive.
Only after dinner, when Willow finally returned home, did they log back into the game.
A flash of light, and Marcus reappeared on the fourth level of Black Rock Spire, the area still crawling with monsters.
Without hesitation, he mounted Blackie, summoned his pets, and got straight back to grinding.
As his pets grew stronger, leveling became easier and easier.
With the Sea Demon Soul gathering enemies into tight clusters, Marcus and Temple Guard Pebble attacked in tandem, supported by Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, Vixen Queen Camillo, and the Shadow-Stained Gryphon King, Goldie.
One round of attacks was enough.
Level 40 monsters dropped in waves, dissolving into streams of experience.
’Easy.’
At this point, he was almost enjoying himself. He opened the chat system, casually talking with the others while farming mobs, the rhythm of it all becoming strangely relaxing.
Amber had already completed her quest with the Elven Emissary and successfully learned three Level 20 skills as an Elven Archer.
Elven Soul enhanced her core attributes, improving accuracy, evasion, vision, attack speed, and movement speed, while also unlocking future abilities as it leveled.
Rapid Triple Shot allowed her to fire three arrows in quick succession, each dealing a portion of her normal attack damage.
Elemental Magic Arrow added magical damage to her physical attacks, letting her combine both forms seamlessly.
Through it, she had also gained access to several elemental abilities, including summoning a Small Stone Golem, Minor Restoration, Freezing Arrow, Explosive Arrow, and Earth Shield.
Listening to her describe it, Marcus had to admit it was impressive.
An Elven Archer who could wield all five elements and had access to so many skills was undeniably powerful.
That little troublemaker might even surpass him someday.
"Marcus, I’m pretty awesome, right? I’m not disappointing you, am I?"
Her voice carried a hint of pride, almost as if she were showing off. If she had been standing next to him, she would probably have already thrown herself at him, acting cute.
She mentioned a Mythic set, Spirit of the Maple Leaf, hidden within the instanced zone she had cleared, something that could carry her all the way to Level 50. Following the clues left by the Elven Emissary, she and Lily were already working to track it down.
Meanwhile, Crystal and Jade were experiencing the game for the first time. Everything felt new to them. They were still in the Newbie Village, exploring every corner, determined to complete every quest before moving on. Their progress was slow, but they were clearly enjoying themselves.
Which left Marcus grinding alone on the fourth level of Black Rock Spire. At least he had Lyanna and Camillo with him. Otherwise, it would have been unbearably dull.
Then... Skeleton Marshal.
’Nice.’
The boss seemed to respawn once a day. As Marcus made his way into the center of the hall, he spotted it immediately, standing there in full display, surrounded by its faint aura.
"Kill."
There was no hesitation.
Without him around, the Skeleton Marshal might have been the dominant presence here. But now that Marcus had returned, its fate was sealed.
Under the relentless assault of his pets, the boss barely stood a chance. It roared in fury, struggling uselessly against the overwhelming force.
"Triple Surge!"
With his final strike, boosted by stacked critical hits, the Skeleton Marshal let out a last, pitiful cry before collapsing.
’Easy.’
He looted the body and got two Dreamland Gems, with two blue items. They were nothing special.
"Damn..."
So only the first kill gave good drops? Even gold-tier items weren’t appearing anymore. It felt off and frustrating.
Still, there was no point dwelling on it. He quickly went back to grinding.
"Stone, where are you?"
After three hours, just as Lyanna and Camillo were about to hit Level 30, Drunkard’s voice came through the mercenary channel.
They hadn’t waited for him the day before, choosing to level on their own.
"Stone, are you on the fourth level of Black Rock Spire?"
Invincible Strong chimed in, sounding eager.
"Yeah. I’m grinding. What’s up?"
"Stone, we found a Rat King at the Black-Tooth Rat spawn point, about five miles east of Black Rock Spire. Around Level 40. Get over here. No one else has found it yet."
"On my way."
His answer came instantly. Grinding alone was boring. Boss fights, though? Those were something else entirely.
He recalled his pets, summoned the Flame Charger he had received from SoulSync, and set off at full speed toward the location where the others were waiting.