Chapter 71: Misty Rain’s Miscalculation
"Night-Stalker wants to join Aether-Reach?"
Jingle’s voice jumped an octave in disbelief. They were tucked inside a private booth at the tavern, shielded from curious ears, but that did nothing to contain her reaction. She sprang to her feet and began pacing the cramped room, waving her hands as if the motion itself might help her make sense of it.
"You’ve got to be kidding me, Misty. No chance. Absolutely no chance. Did you see how he treated me yesterday? That is not how you talk to someone who might become your teammate."
Misty Rain, by contrast, looked perfectly composed. She had parted ways with Flynn half an hour earlier after agreeing to meet him again in Knightly Town later that evening. The moment they separated, she had summoned Jingle to the tavern to report what she considered an important discovery.
Watching Jingle spiral, Misty only smiled.
"Trust me. Everything he did yesterday, and everything he did this morning, was deliberate. He was putting on a show."
"A show?" Jingle stopped pacing long enough to stare at her.
"Of course." Misty crossed one leg over the other, calm and certain. "He wanted to prove how sharp he is. That was his leverage. He wanted us to understand he deserves a seat at our table. I didn’t realize it at first either, but once he started explaining his quest chain and casually showing off those rewards this afternoon, it became obvious. He was selling himself."
Jingle shook her head so hard her hair whipped around her shoulders.
"I still don’t buy it. Why would someone like him want to tie himself to a guild? And since when do we recruit people based on flashy loot? Our policy is talent first. We want players with skill."
"Skill?" Misty gave a quiet laugh. "Jingle, the man has a Glorious Achievement. If that doesn’t prove skill, what exactly would?"
She leaned forward slightly, letting the next part land with weight.
"And do you know what else he told me?"
Jingle’s frown deepened.
"What now?"
Misty’s lips curved into a knowing smile.
"We all assumed he was part of that Byance Studio team. But according to him, he only met Let-There-Be-Light and Not-A-Bystander back in the Starter Zone. As for the Ceylan Ruins run, they couldn’t clear it on their own, so they hired him to carry them."
Jingle stared blankly for several seconds.
"That’s impossible."
Everyone on the forums believed Let-There-Be-Light and his crew were the real stars of that clear, while the others were simply lucky enough to be there. If Misty was telling the truth, then Jingle had to accept an unpleasant fact. The man who had humiliated her yesterday was not some lucky nobody. He was a genuine top-tier player.
And in Age of Conquest, a Glorious Achievement was the clearest proof of pedigree there was.
After a long silence, Jingle finally blinked.
"Did you verify any of this?"
Misty nodded once.
"I contacted Byance directly. They confirmed it. Night-Stalker was the irreplaceable core of that run. They only knew him because of a quest in the starting area. Hiring him for the dungeon was a one-time arrangement."
She paused, amused.
"They didn’t pay him in gold, either. They gave him first pick on every Rogue item that dropped."
Knowing how meticulous Misty was, Jingle understood there was little room for doubt. Even so, she folded her arms and huffed.
"He has a ridiculous ego, doesn’t he? First pick on all the loot. Typical."
"He has the talent to demand it," Misty said quietly.
Her interest in Night-Stalker had only grown. Aether-Reach had sent elite members from the main branch to contest the first clear of Ceylan Ruins, and they had failed to come anywhere near a Glorious Achievement. Flynn, meanwhile, had ranked second in the Duke Ceylan kill and still secured the achievement.
Could he actually be stronger than Mila, who held first place?
Misty had not forgotten how narrow that result had been. Mila’s victory came down to mere seconds. And when it came to Prince Markel, Flynn had taken first clear outright.
Jingle continued muttering complaints under her breath, but the fire had left her voice. Misty let her grumble. As long as she did not interfere with the mission, she could complain all she liked.
---
Back in the real world, Flynn logged off and crossed the hall to the apartment opposite his own. He had skipped breakfast, and his stomach had been protesting for the last hour.
Sophia and Chloe were already seated at the table, though the other girls were nowhere in sight. Flynn grabbed a plate, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"Where’s everyone else? Not coming for lunch?"
Sophia gave him a warm smile.
"Some are in the middle of dungeon runs, others are working on professions. Everyone’s schedule is chaotic, so we keep lunch fixed at eleven-thirty. People come down whenever they finish what they’re doing."
Flynn nodded and immediately focused on eating with the kind of concentration only hunger could produce.
Sophia and Chloe exchanged a glance. Chloe leaned forward first, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"So, Flynn... turns out you’re kind of famous. Chad told us you’re Night-Stalker. You really got that Glorious Achievement?"
"Eh. I did alright." Flynn scratched the back of his head. Then he noticed her expression and laughed. "Alright, what’s the real question? I know that look."
Chloe stuck out her tongue.
"Chad was right, you really do see through everything. Fine. We want to know if you’d carry us through Heroic Mode Ceylan Ruins."
"Heroic?" Flynn looked genuinely surprised. "You still haven’t cleared that?"
His reaction made both women flush. Sophia looked embarrassed, while Chloe simply pouted.
"Hey, we’re just girls, okay? The whole charging into monsters thing isn’t exactly our specialty. Come on, Flynn, help us out. Chad’s coming this afternoon too, but he’s taking the other group."
She winked and lowered her voice dramatically.
"It’ll just be me and Sophia in your team. You get to spend the afternoon with two beautiful women. Sounds like a pretty good deal."
Sophia’s face turned bright red. She jabbed Chloe sharply in the side.
"Chloe! Stop talking nonsense."
Chloe widened her eyes innocently. "What? I’m telling the truth. Are you saying you’re not beautiful?"
Then she turned back to Flynn. "Well? Is Sophia pretty or not?"
"Very pretty," Flynn said with a grin. "Both of you are. And sure, I’ll help. But not too many runs. I need to keep my level from rising too fast, and Chad already booked me for some runs in a few days."
"One run is enough!" Chloe said at once.
Heroic Mode rewards were decent, but that was not the real prize. Clearing it would boost morale for everyone in the house, and right now that mattered more than loot.
"No problem then," Flynn said confidently. "We might even clear Hell Difficulty afterward."
Chloe laughed.
"We’ll see if you’re really as good as the rumors say."
"Don’t worry. I’ve got this."
His confidence came naturally. His previous run through the ruins had never felt especially difficult.
Sophia smiled politely, but Chloe could not resist teasing him again.
"Now don’t start making promises you can’t keep just to impress us."
They had heard Chad rave about Flynn’s skill, but both women took it with caution. In their minds, he was probably good, perhaps even comparable to Let-There-Be-Light, but a Glorious Achievement usually required a strong team effort. They assumed Flynn had simply been a solid player in the right group at the right time.
Flynn, completely unaware of their doubts, just gave them a cheerful thumbs-up.
"I’ll do my best."
With his promise secured, Sophia and Chloe lost all interest in lunch. They hurried through the rest of their food, and Chloe raced back to the gaming pods to gather the others.
Within ten minutes, the apartment was buzzing. Girls logged off one after another, eating quickly while discussing gear, party setups, and whether they wanted to join Chad’s group or Flynn’s group.
Most still preferred Chad. They had seen him play before, and as a Tank, he represented safety itself. Nervous players loved having a wall between themselves and danger.
Later, Sophia brewed tea and carried a cup out to Flynn, who was lounging on the balcony in a chair.
"Sorry about them," she said apologetically. "They can be a lot when they get excited."
As Flynn accepted the cup, his fingers brushed lightly against hers. He smiled.
"Why are you always so formal, Sophia? Relax. I’m not that fragile."
Sophia laughed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"It’s not that I’m formal. It’s that you’re the landlord. If we don’t behave, you might decide to raise the rent."
"If you keep being this polite, I might raise it anyway," Flynn said, taking a sip. Then his tone softened. "You’re Chad’s friends, which means you’re my friends too. This place is your home as much as mine."
He gestured upstairs.
"Oh, and that empty room on the top floor? I ordered gym equipment for it. Thought we could turn it into a workout room. Good place to blow off steam when we’re not in-game."
Sophia looked genuinely surprised.
"Gym equipment isn’t cheap, Flynn. You didn’t have to do that."
He waved the concern away.
"I was planning to anyway. Health matters. You don’t want to spend your whole life sitting in pods and end up looking like Chad."
At the image of Chad’s physique, Sophia burst out laughing. She gave Flynn an amused look.
"We are definitely not ending up like him. But what about you? I didn’t see you out exercising this morning."
Flynn blinked. He usually jogged every morning and evening, but after staying in Age of Conquest all night, he had lost track of time completely. Then another thought struck him.
"How did you know I work out in the mornings?"
Sophia’s cheeks pinked faintly, though she kept her tone steady.
"I go running too. I’ve seen you out there a few times these last couple of days. I assumed it was routine."
"It is," Flynn said. "I just got sidetracked today. Since you run too, why don’t we go together tomorrow?"
Sophia nodded with surprising ease. "Sure. It’s always better with company."
At that exact moment, Chloe poked her head onto the balcony. "What are you two whispering about? Company for what? Can I come?"
Flynn laughed. "Go away. This is grown-up conversation."
Chloe drew out a long dramatic gasp. "Ooooh. I get it now. You two..."
Sophia smiled despite herself. "If you can wake up before seven in the morning, you’re welcome to join us for a run."
"A run?" Chloe recoiled instantly, hands raised in surrender. "Never mind. You two enjoy your quality time. I won’t interfere."
Sophia’s face turned bright red again. "That kid," she muttered, laughing under her breath. "No filter at all."
"We aren’t that much older than them," Flynn pointed out. "Only a couple of years. You’re in your prime, Sophia. Stop talking like there’s some giant age gap."
Warmth spread through her chest at the compliment, though she hid it behind a casual smile.
"I don’t know," she said lightly. "Sometimes I feel like I’m from a different century than those girls."