"AaaArRgGhh!"

Isolde's muffled cries were drowned against the soft cushion of her pillow. The frustration was eating her alive!

All that grinding and quest hunting gone!

Just like that!

And she was going to start from the very beginning again.

Her advantage over the others was gone!

It was like she was going to enter the game the first time again!

It might not be unremarkable in real life because of the time difference, but it was like five days in the game.

Isolde released a heavy sigh.

She stumbled over the bed and went to one side of her wall that displayed her medals and awards. Revolving one of the frames, her walls opened to reveal a secret compartment that keeps most of her precious gun collections.

And her little baby at the moment was her family's top-of-the-line Gambino SX4X7 shotgun, specifically for the world's most demanding class of gun owners, including the Olympians who compete every four years for the title of the world's best in skeet and trap shooting.

But of course, hers were custom made with her name engraved on its blue finish steel barrel.

The SX4X7 Gambino shotgun model was priced well over $400,000 due to the 12-gauge, side-by-side shotgun's performance capabilities and the striking aesthetics created through engraving.

Far lighter than most other shotguns, Gambino's break-action shotgun features a 66-inch barrel and weighs just over seven pounds unloaded. With blue finish steel and whiter and blue front luminous sight, the SX4X7 Gambino Shotgun was further set apart by its hand-sculpted and custom-engraved receiver and sidelocks with a rebounding-hammer firing mechanism.

After a while of cleaning her baby piece by piece, Isolde carefully placed it back in its rightful place as the centerpiece of all her collection.

She placed both hands over her hips and released a satisfied smile.

Looking at her collection, Isolde regained her calm, and she could think clearly again. It always worked whenever she was feeling frustrated and out of mood.

She then went to bed and lay on her tummy.

It was nearing eight in the morning in the real world, and Isolde immediately logged in on COVENANT's App.

This allowed the user to be connected with her avatar and everyone else in the game. She could also check her messages, items, and status in the app.

Isolde retrieved Ren's number from her deleted logs.

She hesitated at first but decided to send him a message in the end.

[Isolde: You're right. Just six members couldn't defeat the boss.

Rather, do you know the final boss? You could have told me that it's a Thunder God with an exaggerated ATP.]

She then pressed send before she changed her mind.

A minute passed, and Isolde just stared at her phone without blinking. Her eyes were strained, and her expectation felt duller each second that there was still no reply.

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. . .

. . .

Isolde released a sigh.

Did I come too strong? Should I have said sorry instead of blaming him?

Isolde bit her nail, and she was worried that she had made a blunder again.

Why wasn't she gifted with social skills?

Maybe he was busy? She comforted herself.

Just as she was about to take a bath and refresh her mind, a notification rang on her phone.

She stumbled onto her bed once more and checked her notification in a hurry.

[Ren: If I told you the final boss, would you not have entered?]

Isolde didn't even notice that she was smiling from ear to ear as she quickly typed her reply.

[Isolde: You're right. I would still have entered and got wiped out in the end.]

Isolde was so sure that she would still enter to see for herself.

There was no one to blame but herself.

[Ren: I thought as much]

Isolde hesitated before she typed.

[Isolde: How did you know? Are you a beta tester? Or have you been in Thunder Cave before us?]

. . .

. . .

There was a whole minute of silence, and Isolde wanted to smack her head for asking that question.

Why did she always have to make everything complicated?

Her line of thoughts was disturbed by a notification rung on her phone, and she scrambled to open it.

[Ren: Is that important?]

She immediately typed.

[Isolde: No]

She didn't care if Ren was a beta tester or that he had acquired the beta tester guide.

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What's important was . . .

Isolde took a deep breath and typed slowly, thinking of each word she was typing.

[Isolde: Why do you want to help me? We're nothing but strangers, and I don't believe that we have met or encountered each other before.]

. . . Ren is typing . . .

The veins in Isolde's eyes were turning red from looking at her screen too much, afraid that she would miss Ren's reply.

[Ren: I'll be honest with you. I plan to put a group to raid dungeons and complete quests that otherwise couldn't be soloed in the future, and I want you on my team. No commitment attached.

Equal sharing of loot and rare items belongs to those who benefit it the most]

". . ." It was good and all, especially that 'no commitment attached' thing, but . . .

[Isolde: Why me?]

Isolde's heart thumped, waiting for Ren's reply. At the moment, she didn't know which answer she was hoping to know.

[Ren: Because the game interface incorporated real-life battle skills. You're very good with guns, right? You've won numerous medals before, if I was not mistaken. Your face was sometimes plastered on news and billboards. Isolde Gambino, the youngest shooting prodigy. That's you, right?]

Isolde wasn't the least bit surprised that Ren knew her. Her family was famous, after all and her face was indeed plastered on magazines but mostly because she was the daughter of the Gambino Casino Empire and not because of her skills in shooting. On the outside, they were nothing but a harmless perfect family who ran numerous casinos in Zone A. But in the dark, they were weapon manufacturers and dealers.

Isolde sighed.

She didn't know why she was a bit disappointed that Ren was after her talent with sharpshooting more than anything else.

Idiot.

Isolde said to herself and hit her head.

Of course, he would be after her skills and not her.

Who would want a daughter of a scary family? And a woman who was manlier than most men?

She was never pretty, and she knew that.

She was good with guns, fighting, and sports. She always outplayed every male in her school.

No boys would like her.

It was evident with her ex-boyfriend, who left her because he couldn't stand feeling like he was the woman in their relationship.

Though she admitted that she was rather boyish on the outside, she was very much a girl on the inside who also liked boys and wanted to experience that rush of giddiness when experiencing love like everyone else.

Isolde released a big breath once more and typed.

[Isolde: Sure. Just hit me up if you want to party.

Likewise, I can message you if I want you to join us, right?]

The latest_epi_sodes are on_the . website.

[Ren: Sure. No problem here.

That is . . . for the right price, of course.

And I'm speaking of real money.]

[Isolde: Money? Shouldn't the equal sharing of loot enough?]

[Ren: You can take the items. I'd rather have the money.]

[Isolde: I thought you're rich.]

[Ren: Just because I was there when the game opened doesn't mean that I'm rich.

I'm poor and in need of money.]

". . ." Then . . . could it be that he was indeed a beta tester?

[Ren: Is my status a problem?]

Isolde quickly replied.

[Isolde: No, I think I prefer it that way. More treasures for me.]

[Ren: Good then.]

[Isolde: Rather, are you good enough to be paid for your services?]

[Ren: You'll know once we partied.]

Isolde's lips curved upward and they said their goodbyes.

At least he wasn't after her name but her talents.

That was a first.

No.

In fact, Ren was the very first who went after her not because of her family's name but because of her skills with guns.

It felt good for once.

A gentle knock on the door woke Isolde from her line of thoughts.

"My lady? Your father wanted me to inform you that there will be an urgent family meeting later at lunch. Every member of the main family must attend without fail."

Urgent family meeting?

That was rare.

Their family hadn't had one since the day her father was appointed as the head of the Gambino family.

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And after the game openings?

Isolde thought.

Could it be related to COVENANT?