Eren listened carefully to Malcolm's words.
Only now did he truly understand why the term had become so famous. The Stardust guild members saw him as a backstabber and created a nuisance for them that stayed with them even after his exit from Gilaahan. And frankly, he couldn't blame them.
Even after the heat regarding the incident died down, the upper echelons of the guild decided to keep his direct links to the blast a mystery. This was to save their own skin. So, Eren being the Last Spider had become an open secret to most Stardust guild members.
Reece and others didn't inform Eren after what had transpired in Gilaahan because they didn't think that he was the so-called Last Spider they talked about. That's because as far as they were concerned, it was only a conjecture based on Kiara Kroft's words.
Kiara Kroft was the same person who had barged into the Spiders' hideout. She was sure that she had seen Eren standing in the middle of the flame storm before the place was blown to smithereens. But she didn't have any proof.
The guild's upper management did not help Kiara with the matter either. It only muddled the waters further by creating a ghost named the Last Spider, preventing anyone from tracking the incident back to Eren.
Kiara felt like she had been slapped by Eren for her incompetence. She, along with other Awakened-rank guild members involved in the battle at that time, felt used by a mere Meta-rank Eren just so he could rob an enemy warehouse all for himself. The fact that he did not offer them any cut enraged them even more.
Eren realized that the consequences of his actions were more multifaceted than he thought they would be. Thus, he decided to compensate Reece and his friends for his supposed fortune if and when he got his hands on it.
He also decided to offer a portion of his fortune to Kiara and other Awakened rank members who he had manipulated into helping him rob the warehouse. It was better to bury the hatchet by offering trinkets than to create unnecessary drama.
It wouldn't solve his problem with the Stardust guild as a whole. Still, it was a start.
***
"Why are you following me?"
Eren left Malcolm's shop after getting much-needed assistance from him. But he could feel that someone was following him. So he wandered into a secluded alley and called out the pursuer.
Sofiya appeared behind him after Eren refused to move from his position for a long time. She looked at his back intently before commenting.
"I was just curious about a certain backstabber."
Eren raised his eyebrows at Sofiya's way of trying to provoke a conflict with him. While he was recovering, the girl had tried to compete with him so many times in the guild's workout facility. He didn't mind at the time. But if she insisted on following him, things could get a little difficult for him.
Thus, Eren turned around and faced Sofiya before speaking in her language.
"You know what… I'll just go ahead and own my shit instead of providing you with some superficial reasons. I did it for my own benefit. Let me also make it clear to you that there's no greater cause behind it.
What's more? I don't regret it one bit. I'd do it again if given the opportunity. Now you tell me… why would you want to follow someone like me? I'll fuck you too if you get too close to me, you know."
Sofiya felt Eren's icy blue eyes staring at her with a cold look in them. She felt as if she had been immersed in icy water before the water was struck with blue lightning.
Eren just straight-up admitted the fact that he was a backstabber instead of even pretending to get offended by it. He didn't allow the conflict to flourish in any way. His aura turned so sinister that it would have given creeps to normal rankers of his generation. But instead of getting intimidated, Sofiya got excited. She looked at Eren before finally issuing a challenge to him.
"Awesome! You are just like I thought. Fight me, Eren."
"Not interested."
Sofiya was shot down by Eren as soon as she made her real intentions known to him. She scrunched her nose at him and looked at him disappointingly before adding further.
"Are you scared of me too? I didn't intend to hurt that guy so much during sparring. He was just too weak to handle my attacks. I'm sure you will understand. I heard that you had also incapacitated someone during your spars some years back.
Don't you feel that some rankers are just too weak to spar with? But you… you are just like me. I want to see firsthand how the fabled Last Spider fights."
It took Eren some time to figure out who Sofiya was talking about.
"Faim!"
Faim was the same person who was beaten by Eren some years ago. Eren had practically half-butchered that ranker into submission when the latter tried to mess with him for no apparent reason. He didn't know what happened to him afterward.
Eren chuckled and looked at Sofiya before asking a counter-question.
"That was a very long time ago. Why are you running a background check on me? What's your real reason for seeking me out? Answer me honestly and I might think of sparring with you."
Eren had heard various things about Sofiya as well. She was considered one of the Stardust guild's rising stars. She had sparred with a lot of guild members at this point and managed to send a few of them into the infirmary for intensive care.
Her recent victim almost died trying to avenge his fallen friend. As a result, most guild members also started to shun her for her wild behavior. Nobody liked those who didn't fit the standard after all.
Sofiya didn't care about any of those. She was as focused on improving herself as she had always been. She only craved strong opponents of her generation. So that she could refine her battle style one step at a time.
Sofiya's eyes also shined when she heard Eren partially agree to her offer. She stood upright and placed both hands on her hips before speaking with a tinge of excitement.
"Hehe. Fine. Because I'm a battlemage and a Hexer at the same time, just like you. So you tell me… isn't it natural that I seek you out for sparring with you?"
===
AN: Faim has been first introduced in chapter 181.
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