"Buddy, I think you just got here. This isn’t so truth or dare ga..."
A guy from the crowd pulled the cloaked Berserker back into the throng of onlookers.
"Oh? Then what is it?" the Berserker asked, taking the bait.
"Heh... I saw the whole thing from the start," the man said with a sleazy grin. "I thought it was a hidden System Character too, but it was just that Skyblade guy in disguise."
His voice was loud, carrying perfectly to atball, who froze mid-shuffle.
"Damn, that’s just ssing with him! Look how exhausted that Warlock is. Why didn’t any of you tell him?" The Berserker’s voice sounded genuinely rough and honest.
"Pfft, are you blind? The entire core of the Renegade Alliance is right there, including their guild leader, all watching the show."
"Exactly. We’re just enjoying the circus. This ’atball’ is a real dumbass."
"Mainly, I just want to see how many more steps he can take."
Suddenly, the dam of silence broke. A wave of laughter and mocking comntary washed over the square.
"Ethan, I think we really took this too far," Victor said, his face paling as he heard the crowd’s cruel turn.
When it was just their inner circle ssing around, even if atball found out later, he wouldn’t truly be angry. At worst, he’d plot so harmless, petty revenge against Leo later—the kind of ribbing that only happens between brothers.
But this... with this many people watching and now hurling insults... this was different.
THUMP.
Just as Victor finished speaking, atball violently shoved the cask off his back. The effort seed to drain the last of his strength. He braced his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, then slowly turned to face Leo , who had hopped down with the cask.
"atball, listen, man, it was just a joke," Leo said, finally pulling off the hat and scarf.
atball stared at him for a long mont. He straightened up, seeming to regain a sliver of his composure. He pointed a finger at Leo, ready to speak, but the words caught in his throat. His hand trembled slightly before he emphatically jabbed the finger at Leo three tis, a wordless accusation.
Then he lowered his arm and turned his gaze to Ethan and the others.
"Druid God?" he spat, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping him. "Guess everyone was right. You never really saw as one of you. You’re all in this together, and I’m just the outsider, right? If you’ve got your little clique, why even bother dragging along? Saw so potential in my hidden class? Thought you could use ?"
He took a shuddering breath, his voice rising to a raw, furious roar. "Well, screw this! I’m done! You all gang up to make a fool out of , think I’m a fucking idiot? Fine! I’m out!"
With that, he grabbed the Renegade Alliance insignia on his chest, ripped it off, and slamd it onto the cobblestones. He ground it under his heel until it shattered into pixels.
[Ding... System Alert: Guild mber ’atball’ has left the guild!]
Standing before Ethan, atball’s appearance instantly changed. His ornate robes and powerful staff vanished, replaced in a blink by tattered, common-grade gear that made him look like a beggar. His character na was still visible, but the guild tag beneath it was gone, leaving him starkly alone.
"atball, wait..." Leo, Williams, and Victor all moved forward, trying to block his path. A tense, physical struggle ensued as they tried to hold him back.
"Boss, say sothing!" Leo pleaded, turning to Ethan for help as atball strained against them. "Punish , fine! But don’t let him leave!"
"Seems like an overreaction to a simple joke," Ethan said, his voice calm and low. He wasn’t even looking at atball, instead studying his own fingernails. "Maybe the man just wants to climb higher. I wonder... did soone make him a better offer?"
His words landed like a physical blow. Everyone froze—the three holding atball, atball himself. They all stared at Ethan with utter disbelief. Even Lyla looked at him, completely baffled.
"So that’s what you think of ," atball said after a stunned silence. He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Fine. Guess I was blind."
He violently shook off Leo’s grip. The crowd, seeing him storming forward, instinctively parted, creating a path for him to leave.
"Ethan..." Lyla tugged on his sleeve, her voice worried.
But Ethan said nothing. His gaze was fixed on the direction atball had gone, his eyes shadowed and cold.
Everyone nearby saw that look.
"Send him back to the starter zone," Ethan murmured, his voice so low it was almost inaudible. But those closest to him—Victor, Lyla, Leo—caught it.
Everyone who heard those words felt a chill run down their spine.
After delivering that line, Ethan turned on his heel and strode purposefully towards the city’s central teleportation circle. Victor and the others exchanged uncertain glances. After a mont’s hesitation, they followed.
Stepping into the shimring light of the circle, Ethan activated a group teleport. In a flash of energy, the world dissolved and reford around them. They found themselves in an unfamiliar city. It was just as crowded as the center of Harmony City, but here, patches of dirty snow clung to the ground and the architecture was rougher, more utilitarian.
"Is this... Blackridge?" soone muttered.
Ethan remained silent, simply taking the lead. They all knew his mood was foul. atball had been with them since the early days of Ethereal. His sudden departure, and the manner of it, had to have hit Ethan hard. And Ethan’s comnt about "climbing higher"... it was loaded. They trusted Ethan implicitly. If he said sothing like that publicly, without trying to stop atball, he must have a reason. He must have evidence.
Could it be that atball had blown up a small joke into a major scene on purpose? Was this his way of cutting ties with a clear conscience because he’d already found another guild, another path? From what they knew of him, it didn’t seem likely... but Ethan was rarely wrong.
Ethan led them on a winding path through the streets of Blackridge until he stopped in front of a dimly lit tavern. He pushed the door open and entered without hesitation. Moving with a familiar ease, he headed straight for a private booth in the back.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
He rapped three tis on the door.
After a mont, it cracked open. Ethan sidled through the narrow gap. Victor and the others shared another look, then filed in after him.
The first thing they saw inside was a woman in form-fitting leathers. She wasn’t classically beautiful, but she carried an air of sharp, dangerous competence. She looked every bit the Rogue.
She opened her mouth to speak as they entered, but Ethan cut her off with a sharp gesture, his expression grim.
"Don’t. Is he here?" Ethan asked directly.
The woman’s face darkened, but she stayed silent, giving a single, curt nod.
Satisfied, Ethan motioned for his group to follow him into the inner room of the booth.
"Holy shit, it’s you?" Leo blurted out as they entered.
Everyone stared. Inside, a man was in the process of shoving a spoon up under his hood. The sound of loud, enthusiastic chewing filled the room. The man was feasting.
It was the sa cloaked Berserker who had appeared out of nowhere on the streets of Harmony City. The one who had poured fuel on the fire.
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