Chapter 300: Let’s Be Friends!
It turned dark outside. The wolves howled to the moon. The crescent moon hung low in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the forest.
Everyone retreated indoors, and currently, in Raon’s room, everyone gathered to hang out—besides the older generation.
Mikey, Rock, and Maquella were already either sleeping or doing whatever they were doing in their free time.
"Really? You’re undergoing sleep training?"
Della asked in surprise.
"Yeah... No rest for me."
Fang Raon said with a chuckle.
"I am pretty sure that is like actual torture—not even letting you sleep, hmph!"
Chaewon crossed her arms and shook her head disapprovingly.
Raon and Della have been talking about their time in the training camp and what kind of training they had to go through.
They had no idea that there was a setting that could disable the pain nullification, and when they heard Raon had to disable it for the training, they felt a chill run down their backs.
They started to regret agreeing to participate in the training!
"He will go easy on us, though, right...?"
Kevin asked with a strained laugh.
Della looked at him with a sorry expression and shook her head, as her grandfather didn’t know what the word "easy" meant.
"When are we leaving, haha..."
Bobby asked with a forced laugh.
"...I don’t even know what we’re doing after this. Usually players like us join a guild, so maybe we should do that?"
Kevin said.
"Della, I have an idea."
Fang Raon said.
"Yeah?"
Della looked at him but happened to catch a glimpse of Chaewon holding his hand and felt a slight pain in her heart.
She had been trying to act like it was all right, but she couldn’t help but feel some pain and jealousy deep down.
"What if they all join Rose Records? We’re recruiting still, right?"
Fang Raon said.
When they all heard that, their eyes shone, as it was pretty much a jackpot to join a prestigious guild like Rose Records.
After all, they were ranked within the top 100 in the Global Guild Rankings, meaning that they were highly respected and successful.
"...Hmm."
Della thought about it.
She wasn’t stupid and knew that Raon suggested that because he wanted Chaewon to join so he could be with her more often.
"Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll be heading to the 15th floor in a week or two. You all can join me if you’d like."
Della said.
"That sounds great!"
Marina said with a huge smile.
Kevin, Bobby, and Aella also nodded, happy to join such a powerful guild.
They knew that with Anna and Raon going on their separate ways now, their party simply wasn’t strong enough to take on the next boss raid.
They were basically useless in the few previous boss raids already, and with just five of them, they would be in a lot of trouble.
A lot of players such as themselves, who didn’t know what they should be doing, would get recruited by some guild over on the 6th floor.
But they left the 6th floor so quickly that they didn’t have time to join any guild, but it didn’t mean that they didn’t get invitations.
Aella and Chaewon got a lot of invitations because of their beauty, but they didn’t join anyone.
"What is your position in the Rose Records, Raon?"
Aella asked curiously.
"I am the team leader of the Fourth-Liners."
Fang Raon said.
"When he is done with his training, I think Raon will be strong enough to join First-Liners."
Della said with a smile.
"What line will we be joining?"
Aella asked curiously.
"We’ve already assembled the Fifth Line, so you all will be the start of the Sixth Line."
Della said.
"Will I be the team leader?"
Kevin pointed at himself with a big smile.
"Aha... I don’t know about that."
Della said with a wry smile.
She could tell that Kevin was quite of a character, but she didn’t see him as leader material, as he was missing something.
’He doesn’t feel like Machary or Raon. He doesn’t have that same aura of confidence and strength.’
Della thought.
"Oh..."
Kevin looked disappointed and lowered his head in defeat.
BANG~! At that moment, the door of the room smashed open, and the angry-looking Rock stood at the doorstep.
His gaze frightened the new members of the training camp.
"It’s time to head off to bed, you shitty children. Especially you, Raon. You’re still in the middle of training!"
Rock shouted.
"Ah... see you tomorrow... if you survive."
Kevin said to Raon and hurried out of the room with Aella, Bobby, and Marina. They escaped to their rooms.
However, Chaewon stayed sitting on the floor, as if she didn’t have any intention to leave.
"And you too... LEAVE!"
Rock pointed out of the door, and Chaewon pouted, and she gave a quick kiss on Raon’s cheek and left the room.
Della wryly smiled and walked out with Chaewon.
"Go on... Go sleep."
Rock said with a scary smile, and Fang Raon gulped as he wondered just how in the world he could fall asleep now.
BANG!
Rock then slammed the door shut.
"What a monster..."
Fang Raon laid down on his futon, moved the blanket over himself, and forced his eyes shut, but his mind was running laps.
’Will Rock appear in ten minutes... thirty minutes... in an hour, maybe? Shit, I can’t sleep with my mind racing like this!’
...
Outside the room.
As Rock left the lodge, Chaewon turned to Della, who was about to head to her room, and suddenly said.
"Della, right? We haven’t had time to properly talk, just you and me, right?"
"Ah, yeah?"
Della turned to her and saw Chaewon’s gaze, which was intense like a flame burning bright.
"Shall we go for a night walk?"
Chaewon asked with a smile.
"Sure..."
Della nodded.
The two girls stepped out of the lodge, and the cold chill of the night air immediately hit them, making them shiver slightly.
"I still can’t get over the fact of just how beautiful this place is."
Chaewon said as she looked at the sky, where stars sparkled, and the crescent moon shone brightly.
This was something that she couldn’t see from the Megaworld Apartments because of the smog that constantly lingered in the air.
Smog Region got its name for a reason.
"It indeed is... The game’s creators had an idea how breathtakingly beautiful the real world could be, and they wanted to capture that essence in their virtual world."
Della said.
"Mm."
Chaewon nodded.
They began walking away from the lodge, down the yard towards the gate, but they didn’t leave the safety of the training camp.
It was uncertain just what kind of beasts waited outside these gates, so they just basically walked around the edge of the training camp.
’What does she want to talk about?’
Della wondered as Chaewon wasn’t saying a word.
But then, the silence broke.
"You like Raon, don’t you?"
Chaewon asked.
"Huh?"
Della asked with a look of surprise and thought about just saying, "No," but Chaewon managed to speak first.
"I can see it in your eyes. Whenever you looked at him. It hurts me to say this, but I was also able to see the same gaze in Raon’s eyes when he looked at you.
"Before we two got together, I was able to see a conflict within Raon’s eyes, as if he were debating between two things.
"I am sure he already liked you before we even got together.
"I had a feeling that he also liked someone else, so I hurried to make the first move, because if I hadn’t, I was afraid that other girl would do it first."
Chaewon said.
"..."
Della stayed quiet.
She wondered whether Chaewon was a user of Read, as her ability to read people was impressive, but no.
It wasn’t Read.
"Did you ever confess to him?"
Chaewon asked.
"...No."
Della shook her head timidly.
"You gave up?"
Chaewon asked.
"...He made his decision. I have no intention to destroy a relationship like that... I am not like my father."
Della said.
"Your father?"
Chaewon asked with a frown and stopped walking and turned around to look at Della.
"My father cheated on my mom. I hate cheaters with passion. He destroyed a happy family, and I will never be able to forgive him for that."
Della said with a pained gaze.
"...Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that."
Chaewon’s gaze turned soft.
She was feeling hostile towards Della at first, but slowly, she dropped that hostility and thought that she was a good girl.
"It’s alright... Raon clearly loves you and has already chosen you over me. I am sure it wasn’t a secret to him that I harbored feelings towards him.
"He isn’t dense."
Della said with a sad smile.
Out of nowhere, Chaewon grabbed her hands, surprising Della, and she looked straight at her bright smile.
Chaewon’s bright smile was so bright that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the night turned into day.
"I’ll introduce myself again—my name is Song Chaewon—I’d like to be friends with you!"
"Ah... M-My name is Della Rose... I’d like to be your friend too."
Della said, at first with surprise, but then her surprised lips curled into a smile, and just like that, the two rivals turned into friends.
"And I won’t let you give up, Della. Go on, show your love to Raon."
Chaewon said with a smile.
"But... Why do you want me to do that? You are already with him."
Della asked with a frown.
She didn’t quite understand what Chaewon was trying to do.
"If he chooses you... so be it... If he chooses both of us, I’ll be happy too. You’re a good girl, Della, and I don’t mind having a sister!"
Chaewon said with a big smile.
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