Chapter 221: Have Fun with My Older Sister
The women around Martin had plenty on their minds, and one of them still refused to let go of a particularly bold and dangerous idea. Martin wanted no part of any of that right now. He did his best to ignore Elisebeth and Katherine crowding him from either side and focused on Rangar instead.
"Let’s talk about the pressing matter at hand," Martin said.
Rangar’s mouth immediately curled into a smirk. "Yeah, you’ve got plenty of pressing matters right now! Haha!"
His booming laugh earned several knowing smiles from the women around Martin. Katherine looked especially pleased with herself, while Annie lowered her gaze and tried to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks.
Martin closed his eyes for a moment and cleared his throat. Once again, Rangar had only made his impure thoughts worse. He ignored the warmth pressing against both sides of him and raised his voice so everyone nearby could hear.
"I’m the vice leader of Night Espresso now. We need to find a way for the entire guild to enter the Level Sixty Hidden Dungeon. Only a few ranked members can enter right now, and our only clue is that defeating the main bosses might unlock access for the guild. We have fourteen days to explore the whole dungeon. Can you help us?"
He managed to keep a serious expression, even if the rest of his body refused to cooperate.
Rangar’s laughter faded, though amusement remained in his eyes. He folded his thick arms across his chest and studied Martin for a moment.
"If you already have people inside, why don’t you let them test that theory?"
Martin hesitated.
Night Espresso already had ranked players exploring the Level Sixty Hidden Dungeon. Their personal access was no mystery. The question was whether something inside could open the way for everyone else.
"I guided promising newcomers to the Level One Hidden Dungeon because the Light Tree gave me the authority to invite them," Rangar continued. "The Level Sixty Dungeon doesn’t work that way. I can’t open it for you, and neither can the elders."
He nodded toward the Light Tree.
"If there’s a hidden condition that grants access to an entire guild, your people will have to trigger it from inside. Defeating the main bosses sounds like a good place to start. They should also watch for hidden routes, unusual notifications, and anything else that changes how the dungeon recognizes them."
It wasn’t the answer Martin had hoped for, but at least it gave Night Espresso a direction.
Cassandra studied Rangar with a small smile. "You have more spine than the elders, Rangar."
"I’d say your guild leader has too much spine, Miss Clause."
Katherine covered her mouth to hide a laugh. Alexandra’s smile widened, while Rias tilted her head and waited to hear what else Rangar had to say.
"Night Espresso has plenty of strong players," he continued. "Maybe too many of them keep gathering around Martin and his party. If the same few people solve every important problem, everyone else will eventually stop trying to find their own answers."
Rangar looked between Cassandra and Martin, his expression more serious now.
"I want this academy to become a place where humans, beasts, and players can live together beneath the Light Tree. That won’t happen if everyone waits for a handful of powerful hunters to carry them. We need people who can think for themselves, grow stronger, and take responsibility when something goes wrong."
Martin understood what he meant. Rangar wasn’t hiding information or trying to make their quest harder. He genuinely had no way to grant them access, and he didn’t want the rest of Night Espresso to depend on Martin’s group whenever they encountered a difficult problem.
"The ranked members inside earned the right to explore that dungeon," Rangar said. "Let them discover its secrets. If they find a way to open it for the guild, the achievement will belong to them."
Cassandra fell silent, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered his answer. She had probably expected information, a new quest, or someone who could at least point them toward the missing requirement.
"That I understand, Rangar," she finally replied. "However, if the current expedition fails to make progress, we can recruit ranked players from other academies and persuade them to transfer their allegiance. More experienced investigators may uncover the condition faster."
Her tone remained light, but Martin knew she was serious. Cassandra had enough money and influence to attract talented players from rival academies whenever she believed Night Espresso needed them.
Martin turned toward her and met her eyes.
"Reinforcements are fine, but we shouldn’t treat money as the answer every time we hit a wall," he said. "The members inside earned their chance to enter. We need to give them room to prove they deserved it."
Cassandra watched him closely, but Martin continued before she could respond.
"They might make mistakes, and they might not find the answer immediately. That doesn’t mean they lack potential. If we bring in stronger players the moment progress slows down, our current members will never learn how to carry that responsibility themselves."
The joking mood around them faded. Martin hadn’t raised his voice, but he meant every word. As vice leader, he couldn’t think only about his party or the women closest to him. The other members of Night Espresso were his responsibility too.
Cassandra’s smile softened. "Yes. You’re right."
Martin had probably spoken up because he worried she would rely too heavily on her wealth and influence whenever the guild encountered an obstacle. That wasn’t how she intended to lead Night Espresso, but explaining herself would only weaken the point he had made.
Instead, she accepted his warning and felt a quiet sense of pride.
He had challenged her without hesitation and defended guild members who weren’t present to speak for themselves. He was already treating his new position as more than an impressive title.
Rangar noticed her expression and gave an approving grunt.
"Then trust the people you sent inside," he said. "Wait for their report and decide what to do once you know more. You can keep asking around tonight, but everyone connected to the Light Tree will tell you the same thing. Ranked hunters can enter. The rest of the answer is waiting inside the dungeon."
Martin nodded. "That’s fair."
They finally had a definite answer. Until the expedition discovered more, there was no quest to take, elder to persuade, or caretaker who could open the dungeon for the rest of Night Espresso.
Katherine seemed delighted by that conclusion for an entirely different reason. She tightened her grip around Martin’s arm, her eyes shining with excitement.
"That means our evening in the game is over, and we can have fun in real life instead! Martin, it’s about time you learned more about me! Log out!"
Martin glanced at her, but Katherine was already tugging at him, apparently convinced that she could drag him out of the game herself.
"Katherine, I can log out on my own."
"I know," she replied brightly. "You’re just taking too long!"
Alexandra chuckled under her breath. Rias gave Katherine a knowing look, while Annie’s blush deepened and her gaze darted away from them.
Martin sighed. Resisting would only give them another reason to tease him.
"Fine. I’m going."
He looked around at everyone and gave them a small nod. "See you tomorrow."
The women smiled back at him, each for her own reasons.
"I’ll handle some guild management on my main account," Cassandra said. Her gaze lingered on Martin as her smile deepened. "It feels nice to finally be able to say that to you..."
Martin swallowed. The words were innocent enough, but her tone certainly wasn’t.
"I’ll do a quick rehearsal," Elisebeth said before turning to Rias. "I still have time, right, Rias?!"
"Yeah, you do. I’ve got my eye on the clock."
Rias leaned back with her usual confidence. From her tone, she had already planned the rest of the evening and expected Elisebeth to follow her schedule.
While Katherine continued pulling on Martin’s arm, Alexandra stepped closer. Her playful smile remained, but something about it made him suspicious.
She leaned close enough for her lips to hover beside his ear.
"Have fun with my older sister," she whispered.
Martin froze and turned toward her, his eyes widening.
Really? I thought you were into me too. What was all that touching about?
Alexandra caught his confusion, and her smile grew even more amused. Before he could ask what she meant, she stepped away and left him to figure it out on his own.
Of course, telling him to have fun with Katherine didn’t necessarily mean Alexandra had lost interest. She might have been supporting her older sister without giving up anything herself.
Knowing Alexandra, she had probably chosen those words because she knew they would leave him confused.
Annie had been watching from nearby and caught enough of the whisper to understand what Alexandra had said. Her cheeks turned bright red as she looked from Alexandra to Katherine and then back at Martin.
"Wow..."
That single word made the situation even worse. Martin released a slow breath and activated the logout command.
The in-game evening was over. Now Katherine was waiting for him in real life, and Martin still had no idea what Alexandra was playing at.