Chương 28: A Bitter Victory

Saad's heart raced, not only from the battle he had just fought but also from the burning gaze of Ruth, the furious archer. Her piercing glare felt like it could sear through his armor, and he found himself momentarily frozen under her anger. Ruth's appearance was as striking as her fury. She wore a tunic, figure-hugging pants, and sturdy boots, all of which seemed to accentuate her tall and slender figure. A thick furry cape draped around her shoulders, and a small sachet adorned her waist. But in that moment, Saad's focus was solely on the storm of emotions emanating from her narrowed eyes.

Instinct told him to flee, to log out and escape this confrontation. But as adrenaline still pulsed through his veins, he decided to play it cool. He approached her with a hint of confidence, although he couldn't quite suppress the nervous twinge in his voice.

"Hey, look, I was the one fighting it first. You showed up just in time to help out." He attempted a casual shrug, hoping to defuse the situation.

Ruth's reaction was far from what he had hoped. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh that cut through the tense air. "Oh, really? I must've missed the memo that said flailing around and struggling for your life counts as fighting." Her words dripped with sarcasm, each syllable a verbal jab that struck at Saad's pride.

Saad's patience began to fray, his own frustration building. "I wasn't flailing! I was strategically assessing the situation!" he shot back, his voice edged with defensiveness.

Ruth's eyes narrowed further, her expression bordering on incredulous. "Strategically assessing? More like stumbling around like a lost novice."

His heart pounded in his chest, his annoyance growing with every exchange. "You're not the only skilled player in this game, you know. I had a plan!"

Ruth crossed her arms, the fabric of her tunic rustling with the motion. "Sure looked like it." Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, and Saad's patience finally snapped.

"You know what? I don't have to stand here and take this from you," Saad retorted, his voice growing louder as his frustration boiled over.

Ruth scoffed, a smug grin dancing on her lips. "Oh, please. Run along now, little hero. I've got better things to do than listen to your excuses."

Saad's anger matched hers now, his face reddening as he clenched his fists. "Excuses? You think I need to make excuses? I held my ground against that monstrosity, while you just stood there taking shots from a distance!"

Ruth's eyes blazed with fury, and she stepped closer to him, their faces now mere inches apart. "You have no idea what it takes to be an archer, do you? It's about finesse, strategy, and timing—things you clearly lack."

Saad's chest heaved with indignation. "And you think charging in without a plan is a better approach?"

Ruth's voice was a low, seething growl. "At least I didn't spend half the battle floundering like a fish out of water."

The words were like a slap in the face, and Saad's anger surged. "You think I needed your help? I would've taken that thing down on my own!"

Ruth's laughter was a bitter, cutting sound. "Oh, please, spare me the delusions. You were struggling to even defend yourself. If I hadn't shown up, you'd be now waking up to reality, you thief."

Saad's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I was holding my ground! And stop calling me thief! You were the one trying to get 'my' prey."

Ruth's gaze turned ice-cold, and she leaned in, her voice dripping with venom. "You call that holding your ground? Pathetic. Maybe I should have let it kill you and then attacked it."

The air crackled with tension, their anger fueling the charged atmosphere. For a moment, it seemed like they might come to blows, both fueled by their pride and stubbornness. But then, as quickly as it had ignited, the intensity began to wane. Ruth's anger didn't dissipate entirely, but it softened. She turned away, her gaze no longer a blazing fire but a simmering ember. It seemed like she had let her anger out and couldn't see any reason to stay here any further than that.

As she started to leave, Saad's voice caught her attention one last time. "Hey, wait. I get it. You're pissed because you wanted that kill, and I get that too. But if I hadn't stepped in and didn't do anything, we might both be staring at the respawn screen right now. So, yeah, maybe we're both stubborn as hell, but at least we're still breathing. Besides I had to do it for the quest!"

Ruth glanced back at him, her expression a mix of annoyance and something else—a grudging acceptance, perhaps but that didn't mean that she was going to leave just like, "Why do you think I attacked it, dumbass?". Without listening to another word, she turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Saad to his thoughts.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, Saad realized that as much as he wanted to brush off the encounter, it had left an impact on him. He climbed the slippery stairs of the well, his body still recovering from the battle, and his mind mulling over the clash with Ruth. As he emerged from the depths, he couldn't help but feel liberated. Having stayed under the surface for so long in darkness had really taken its toll.

And as he glanced back at the entrance to the well, he couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in Ruth's words. He had faced a powerful foe, a threat that had tested his mettle, and he had emerged only victorious because of her. The memory of the battle, the clash of weapons and the surge of adrenaline, remained etched in his mind. It was a reminder of how poor his combat skills were. Saad clenched his fist.

'I need to complete the defense training and then train my whip skills. I am going to use me active skills every day and increase their mastery. Now that the limit because of being under level 10 is lifted, I should become proficient in using it.' Saad thought as he absentmindedly made his way back to the association.

Saad put his radiance globe back in his inventory, a tangible reminder of the battle he had just fought. His gaze lingered on the level 11 chest, but he decided to save that for later. Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to, and that was to get his rewards. Irene, the player receptionist, was busy tending to other players, but when she caught sight of Saad, she smiled at him. Saad knew that professional smile all too well, but still smiled back as he waited in the line, wondering if he should talk to another receptionist next time. What if Irene started to think something weird about him?

"Good evening, Saad. How can I help you today?" Irene asked in a lighthearted tone and Saad cleared his throat. He didn't want to come off as he was boasting but he had done so well.

"I want to receive my reward for the arachnid infestation clues quest and I have also defeated the Arachnid queen and cleaned all wells of despair." He was boasting but so what? Now that he thought, he had done extremely well. So what if he had to take a little help? In the end it was his victory.

"Let me have a quick look!" Irene said with a surprised look on her face and held her hand out, "Your association card?"

As she asked for his card, Saad took it out of his inventory and remembered that his inventory, despite the added slots was suffering. He needed to see if there was a way to expand it. Irene grabbed his card and then asked him to wait as she disappeared in a room behind. Saad decided to just look around and could see that due to it being night time in the game world, the only people around were players. He could even see two or three groups and that reminded him about he has had made not even one online friend. What was he going to do later if he needed to team up? He sighed heavily. He caught Irene coming out and holding a pouch.

"I have confirmed it. You have completed the Hint's quest and also you have indeed killed the queen and cleaned the wells. Though since the latter two quests weren't officially assigned to you by the association, but according to the guidelines of adventurer association, since you have still helped Seraphia by dealing with a huge threat, we can't be ungrateful to our young heroes." Her words and tone made it rather obvious that she was using the suggestion system, because really, hearing those words in 'real life' really made it hard for Saad. Sadly there was no skip button.

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