Chapter 515 Hide And Seek
Villain Ch 515. Hide And Seek
Once Liam finished his current crafting task, a heavy sigh escaped him. Reluctantly, he summoned the guild chat box, his fingers moving deliberately as he typed a brief message,
Greg: There. Are you happy now?
A grumpy expression settled on Liam's face as he returned to his work without further ado. His interest in the ongoing event was practically non-existent. He couldn't grasp the intricacies of the game, and deep down, he harbored doubts that the villain would be easily uncovered. His attitude conveyed a sense of indifference, a belief that this hide-and-seek version wouldn't yield immediate results.
Nonetheless, despite his apparent disinterest, Liam wasn't completely indifferent. He knew the game was about patience, observation, and seizing the right opportunity. He adopted a mentality similar to that of a camper in a game - a strategy of waiting and watching, striking at the right moment. His passive approach didn't mean he was disengaged; rather, he remained vigilant, knowing that the right opportunity would present itself when something unusual occurred.
After Darren wrapped up his potion crafting, he promptly summoned the guild chat screen and swiftly typed a seemingly random string of letters.
Player_Eater: ASDA
Elio furrowed his brow at the cryptic response. "You've got to type out actual words or a sentence. Random keystrokes won't cut it," he reminded Darren, trying to convey the gravity of the situation.
Darren's smile twisted into a dry, displeased expression as Elio's words hung in the air. His fingers hovered over the holographic keyboard once more, his eyes fixed on Elio, a slight air of defiance lingering in his expression.
With a tinge of impatience, Darren began typing again,
Player_Eater: They are real words, Elio.
The message was clear, a subtle yet pointed retort. His gaze remained fixed on Elio, a hint of challenge and frustration evident in his response.
"Okay, you guys pass," Elio conceded, hoping to put an end to the strained confrontation.
"Hurrah," Darren responded, his voice tinged with sarcasm, making it clear it was more of a mocking hurrah than a genuine one. "Now, can you leave us alone to do our thing in peace?" he added, making a sweeping gesture toward the exit, a clear indication of his desire for uninterrupted work.
A look of confusion crossed Elio's face, creasing his forehead in a faint frown. "You mean you're not interested in joining the event at all?" he inquired, bewildered by their reluctance to participate in the ongoing event.
"Nope. Hide and seek isn't our cup of tea. Especially when we've got to go up against a character who can zip around and go totally bonkers," Liam remarked, his voice laced with the same indifference he'd displayed earlier. Sarcasm dripped from his words, a palpable toughness in his tone.
Darren couldn't help but chuckle. "Highlighting that 'zip around' part," he interjected between his chuckles, finding amusement in the notion of facing an unpredictable, teleporting foe.
Elio stood there, caught between their blunt disinterest and his own need for cooperation. The tension in the room was palpable. Their reluctance to engage in the event left him at a loss, grappling with the difficulty of persuading Liam and Darren, who clearly saw no value in participating in the event.
The rift between their differing perspectives became evident. While Elio saw the event as a means of uncovering the villain's deceit, Liam and Darren viewed it as a tedious pursuit not worth their time, particularly in light of the challenges posed by an unpredictable antagonist.
"At least gather with the others in the hall," Elio requested, trying to bridge the gap between their disinterest and the ongoing event.
"We're kind of in the middle of stuff here. Why don't they come to us?" Liam retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, clearly uninterested in the idea of joining the others.
Elio, growing increasingly frustrated by their refusal to participate, couldn't contain his irritation. "Why do you guys have to be so difficult about this?" he sighed, his gaze shifting between Liam and Darren, their lack of cooperation becoming more and more exasperating.
Liam quipped, "You should take this up with Sophia, not us," a touch of sarcasm lacing his words.
Baffled, Elio furrowed his brow in confusion. "How is this related to Sophia?" he probed. "Is it because she requested you guys to create a lot of items? If you disagree, why not decline the request?" he speculated, trying to piece together the cause behind their nonchalant attitudes.
"Pfft!" Liam couldn't hold back his laughter, but it wasn't directed at Elio's lack of understanding. His laughter was a mix of mockery and a sense of their own desperate situation. "Decline the request," he repeated in a mocking tone, his laughter tinged with bitterness.
"What?" Elio's annoyance was palpable, his eyebrow arching in a mix of confusion and irritation at their cryptic conversation.
"As if we could refuse," Darren chimed in with the same mocking tone. It was a sharp irony as they lamented how Sophia seemed to treat them more like servants than guild members.
Elio, taken aback, made an odd sound of bewilderment. "Huh?" He struggled to comprehend the nature of their complaints.
Liam's voice carried a tinge of bitterness as he shared, "There are some things better left unknown…" His eyes met Elio's, a bitter smile playing on his lips, the weight of his remorse evident. He truly regretted the situation he and Darren found themselves in, feeling ensnared in Sophia's demands.
"What do you mean?" Elio inquired, narrowing his eyes, trying to unravel the puzzle of their cryptic conversation.
"We simply can't refuse her requests if we want to maintain peace," Darren added cryptically. His voice carried a sense of enigmatic resignation, hinting at a dynamic far more complex than what met the eye.
"Huh?" Elio made a sound of confusion again, caught off guard by Darren's enigmatic statements.
"You don't get it, Elio. There are some things better left as they are," Darren emphasized, a hint of finality in his tone. "Head back to the hall, and let's keep this talk between us. Good luck with the event," Darren swiftly concluded the conversation, immersing himself in his alchemy work.
"You think I'll just leave after all that?" Elio expressed his dissatisfaction, refusing to accept their vague explanation.
"You will. We won't say more than that," Liam retorted, his response direct and resolute.
Annoyance flared in Elio's voice. "I know you have issues with Sophia, but seriously, what's going on? Why won't you explain to me?" Elio prodded, his frustration evident.
Darren and Liam remained unfazed, steadfast in their refusal to divulge any further details. Their unyielding stance left Elio in a state of heightened confusion, the tension in the room growing more pronounced with each passing moment.
Elio was just about to continue pressing Liam and Darren for an explanation when a sudden ping alerted him to a new message in the guild chat. An alert flashed before him, drawing his attention away from the conversation at hand.
Lord*Hunter: Should we close the headquarters now?"
Elio paused, taking a deep breath. The message indicated that the ten-minute mark had elapsed. His mind momentarily refocused from the conversation with Liam and Darren to the pressing matter at hand – the need to address the situation unfolding within the game.
He swiftly collected his thoughts, swiftly typing his response,
Mac: Yes.
Elio came out of the secluded room and made his way into the bustling hall where the other members had already gathered. As he stepped into the room, he was met with a mixture of concern and intrigue from the others.
"How?" he inquired, his expression a mix of surprise and concern as he approached the group.
"All clear. We've filled them in on what went down," James responded, turning to Elio, his voice tinged with a sense of urgency. "The villain took on your appearance and instructed Gil to head to the gate."
Gil, visibly stunned by the revelation, added, "I'm genuinely shocked. I never thought the villain could mimic us like that. It's a whole new level of deceit."
The room buzzed with a sense of uncertainty and a shared urgency to address the situation. The unexpected turn of events had thrown everyone off-guard, leaving them grappling with the depth of the infiltrator's abilities.
"So, what's the plan? Should we split up to search, or what's the move here?" Noah queried, glancing around at the group.
The group fell into a brief moment of contemplative silence, each member processing the gravity of the situation. The pressing need to locate the imposter and thwart their plans lingered in the air, casting a sense of urgency over the proceedings.
Elio scanned the room, his mind racing with potential strategies. The weight of the responsibility settled upon his shoulders as he deliberated the next move. The situation called for a strategic plan, one that would allow them to root out the imposter without falling into further traps.
"We should stick together but cover more ground. Pair up and search designated areas, be on high alert, and report any suspicious activity," Elio suggested, a sense of determination in his tone.
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