Elena stepped forward, her voice firm with determination. "We're here to put an end to your reign, Russet. You won't get away with your treachery any longer."

Russet let out a mocking laugh, her eyes narrowing in amusement. "Oh, how noble of you, my dear Princess. But you see, I have all the power here. Your little band of misfits is no match for me in my territory."

Prince Zeroth gritted his teeth, his grip on his sword tightening. "I know that you've captured Princess Elaine. Where is she?"

Russet's eyes widened a little upon the sight of the Prince. "Even the Prince of Drow is here."

Russet's smirk widened as she leaned back on her throne, reveling in their defiance. "Oh, how amusing. It seems you still don't understand that you walk into a trap."

When she finished her words, she gestured with her hands, and from the shadows came in soldiers and . . . players.

Not just any players . . . Ren was very familiar with them. It was White Unicorn and Guns and Knives.

"I . . . Isolde?" Ren uttered. He got to admit that he was shocked to find her here.

Guns and Knives have only Isolde and Xian left, while White Unicorn still has Eric, Erica, and Serine.

Isolde's face brightened at the sight of Ren, and she was about to call his name. The words were in her mouth, but she quickly covered them with her hands when she realized that she shouldn't have known about Ren's other side.

Unlike Isolde's happy faces, Xian, Erica, Eric, and Serine weren't happy the least.

"When you mentioned an enemy that we must defeat, I didn't know that it would be our fellow players," Erica said to Russet.

"Players or not, you already accepted the quest," Russet lazily answered, "don't worry, once you kill them, you'll have your rewards as promised . . . and so much more."

"Ugh . . ." Serine rubbed her temples. "When we stumbled upon this quest, I thought that we had finally struck gold. That this would raise us to the top and we could finally get our losses back but . . ."

She looked at Ren, Elena, and the Prince before sighing. "Why them?"

"Ren might not pose a threat, but . . . those two NPC's stat are huge," Eric voiced out after using [Monocle] on Elena and Zeroth.

"What now?" Erica asked.

"We will kill them, of course," Xian said without room for argument.

"Huh?" Isolde flinched at the words of her cousin. "Kill . . . them?"

Xian looked at her like she had grown horns. "Why not. It's our quest."

"Maybe we could work this out." Eric stepped forward. "Ren. We don't want to fight you. Maybe we could talk about this."

Russet was't happy, and her eyes narrowed at Eric and the others. "Be careful, mortals. Betraying me has dire consequences."

While they were talking on the other side, Elena was asking Ren about Isolde and the others.

"Do you know them?"

"Yeah." Ren knew that there were certain quests that would make players fight each other. He just didn't know that this was one of them.

He guessed that their previous groups disbanded, and this was the final outcome of White Unicorn and Guns and Knives. He didn't know what happened, but . . . this wasn't a fight that he looked forward to.

It would be a pain to kill Isolde because of his friendship with her, but he couldn't stop now.

Not when he came this far.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked Eric. If they could be swayed to abandon their quest with Russet, that would be the most ideal outcome.

Eric's face brightened a little upon hearing that Ren wanted to hear them out. At least there was hope for negotiations.

"If you will let us into your group and share the profit of the world quest, we will gladly switch sides," Eric said, and his comrades nodded in agreement with him.

It was the only way for them to recover their losses. An offer that could match Russet.

"Hoi. I can hear you, you know!" Russet growled.

Ren's brows furrowed as he listened to Eric's proposal. Sharing his spoils with the others was out of the question. His rewards would go to Evie. It was the reason why he chose to be alone in the first place.

If he wanted to share his spoils, he should have brought Leon and the others along.

If there wasn't that debt, he might reconsider, but something like teaming up was out of the question.

"If we were to let you join us, how can we be certain that you won't betray us further down the line?" Elena asked when Ren was quiet.

Eric's face brightened slightly, hopeful that the NPCs were open to negotiation. "We understand your concerns, but we assure you that our loyalty can be bought. We are willing to fight on your side and share in the spoils of this quest. It's a win-win situation for all of us."

Ren's gaze hardened. While the prospect of avoiding a confrontation with Isolde, Eric, and Erica was tempting, he couldn't let his emotions drove away his rational thoughts.

He needed the money.

And besides . . . he wasn't a nice guy to begin with. He was selfish, and Isolde knew that too.

"I appreciate your offer," Ren said, his voice firm. "However, I must prioritize the success of this quest and the rewards it holds. How about this . . . If you choose to align with us, you will have the opportunity to continue exploring the Fey Realm and reap the benefits. But if you refuse . . . then this is the end of the line for you."

A vein popped on Xian's head. "W-what did you say?"

Serine frowned. "Such arrogant words. You may have those two NPCs around you, but . . . we have the whole army and Russet on our side."

"Now you're talking about me," Russet uttered at the side.

Isolde could only shake her head. Leave it to Ren to agitate everyone into fighting with him. He had that special talent of agonizing his enemies, after all.

"Enough talk!" Russet stood from her throne and ushered her soldiers. "Kill them!"