Ethan and his team stood frozen, the harsh finality of Mirabella's words echoing in the silence.
'What more could she want? Monster cards, gold, company? She has it all now, thanks to Carl,' Ethan thought, fueling his resentment. 'Why is she acting so arrogant?'
"You think because you linked up with Carl you're anything great?" Alice scoffed, folding her arms across her chest in pure disdain. "I know you're just leeching off him because he knows Spectral!"
Carl was genuinely stunned. 'Leaching off me?'
From the very start, he was the one who was the freeloader. He tagged along with Mirabella, gaining Boss monster cards and enormous piles of gold coins without ever doing the hard fighting. His job was merely to attract monsters, a role far less demanding than the rewards. Hearing Alice accuse Mirabella of leeching off him made Carl feel like the group had lost their minds.
To his utter confusion, Miranda stepped forward, her face twisting into a bright, sickeningly sweet smile.
"Carl," she called out, her voice dripping with artificial affection.
"Don't let this vermin get in your life. You'll simply be disgusted by her. You should come with us. We are better, smarter, and stronger than she is."
Carl's internal world tilted. Back in their school days, he would have done anything for Miranda; as the school's second beauty, earning her favor was the ultimate prize. But now? He wasn't the same Carl. His worth wasn't tied to the social hierarchy of Earth, and besides, the number one beauty was standing right next to him.
Seeing Mirabella remain silent, Carl took a confident step forward, puffing out his chest, ready to defend his Queen.
"I will ask only once," he said, his voice unusually steady. "All of you should get out of the way, or I won't be nice."
Miranda's sweet smile cracked into a frown, and she instinctively took a step backward. Ethan, however, stepped forward, attempting to use camaraderie to manipulate him.
"Carl, my bro! Don't tell me you're sticking with her. We already have ten members in our guild. With you and Spectral joining us, we will rule this entire server! Besides," Ethan paused, turning his gaze toward Mirabella with poorly hidden disgust:
"Spectral is the most powerful player, the number one on the power ranking board. If he joins us, or at least takes us all into the Ghost Guild, we will all benefit massively."
Carl frowned. Though he might not have been the wisest student, he had gained a keen sense for opportunism. 'These guys aren't here for me. They're only here for Spectral's power. How transparent.'
With a swift, practiced move, he summoned an Epic-class dagger to his hand—a weapon he had gotten from a Boss drop, thanks to Mirabella.
"Foremost, we aren't friends," he snapped, the resentment years of being overlooked bubbled up. "Truthfully, I hated you from the start. Your arrogant personality, all because you're wealthy on Earth. But let me pop your bubble: this is Galaxy Fall. Your wealth means nothing here! Get that into your empty brain, or I will force it in."
Ethan's face twisted in rage, but he forced a fake, oily smile. Going against Carl was now going against the Ghost Guild—and none of them were strong enough to openly challenge Spectral. Ethan knew there had to be a reason Spectral accepted only Carl, and that recognition had vaulted Carl to the second spot on the ranking board.
'Imagine the power we'd gain if we all joined the Ghost Guild,' Ethan plotted.
"Right, right… We won't say anything about her again. But," Ethan continued, making a swift strategic pivot, "Can we help you with something? At least, let our two guilds be allies."
"I don't see that happening in five lifetimes," Mirabella muttered under her breath. Then, she started walking directly toward Ethan.
"...?!"
The group frowned, expecting an aggressive challenge. But to their shock, Mirabella walked right past Ethan as if he were a piece of furniture, completely invisible.
"Carl, we have a mission to take care of," she said, not slowing her pace. "We need to go get that high-class weapon."
"Yes, My Queen!" Carl glared one last time at the stunned group and quickly followed Mirabella.
"Hey. Did you hear her?" Alice whispered in surprise.
"A high-class weapon?" Miranda murmured, her eyes wide with greed. "It must be higher quality than the Epic weapon Carl is holding."
"I agree. There are only Epic-class weapons and below in Galaxy City shops. This weapon might be critical," Ethan nodded, his resentment quickly transforming into focused greed. He turned to his guild members.
"Okay, everyone. It seems those two are on a mission. We will follow them. Once we get the chance, we will steal their weapon. I take the weapon, and you all can take the remaining loots," he said, the pure greed reflected in the eyes of his followers.
Gaining a powerful weapon was the single biggest jump in power available, and they were all desperate for it. With quiet stealth, they began trailing Carl and Mirabella, making sure to keep a considerable distance.
Ethan was determined: he would steal the weapon and prove to Carl that without a proper team, his newfound power under Spectral would eventually fail.
___
[The Devil's Grave.]
Mirabella stopped abruptly at the entrance to the Devil's Grave ruin. Carl, staring at the bones and decaying skeletons with a hint of genuine fear, caught up to her.
"Hey… you're close to becoming an Awakened Player. Why are you still so scared?" Mirabella whispered, frowning at his visible anxiety.
"Huh? Why are we whispering?" Carl whispered back, then added, "And I am not scared! Just bad memories. You can't blame me—we lost ten people the last time."
"Okay, I get it," she conceded. "Look over your shoulder, toward the bush on the east. Act like you're looking around."
Carl obeyed, glancing around casually until he spotted Ethan and his entire group poorly concealed in the thick bushes.
"Do they truly think they can hide from Assassins who are Masters in the field?" Mirabella shook her head with disdain, already calculating the ambush, and a way to deal with Ethan.
"So what's the plan now?" Carl whispered, enjoying the strategic secrecy.
"Of course, we enter the ruin, and wait for them to follow," Mirabella said, a devilish smirk playing on her lips. "This will be fun."
With that, she calmly stepped into the perilous shadows of the Devil's Grave entrance.