Chapter 18 - Elegant's Secret

"It's not always the tears that measure the pain. Sometimes it's the smile we fake." - Unknown.

Yeol may be naive to place her confidence in people who support her. However, she was not a fool to linger on such themes for more than a day. She felt confident enough to create another ice shield around her heart. She did, however, recuperate this time faster than expected this time. I could see the rapid change that had occurred. She didn't air her grievances, instead focusing on defeating Rush on the Leaderboard. Maybe her ambition was to ignore the anguish she was feeling in her heart along with any possible emotional turmoil. Even if her heart muscles were contracting more than usual, she was resolute to ignore it. Even if it meant becoming a plastic doll, she was willing to stay put and not allow anybody else to toy with her trust as Anonymous did.

"Enough Rush, get back to your daily tasks, or I'll kick you out of our guild hall for breaking the rules. Please be held that we are an example of harmony rather than discord." Elegant wrote with a feeling of regularity in her words.

"Leader, are you serious? You're blackmailing me with the guild rank. How can you do so? That's all due to this incompetent idiot. You've got to be joking, "Rush wrote in annoyance.

"I'm serious, Rush. I'm here to play in peace, not to steal and fight members of another guild on the same servers. Show her some decency." Elegant clarified.

"You know what, Yeol? Let's it be I am leaving you as of now. However, please do not appear in front of my eyes. I hate to see the sight of you. And I have made you, and will continue to make you, responsible for Anonymous' expulsion from the game." Rush went offline after writing this directive.

"Allow him to be. Yeol, he's mad because Anonymous was about to share his G5 three-star complete set with Rush before switching to the G6/7 set. However, because of Anonymous's abrupt departure, Rush couldn't obtain those gears, reducing his CP and bringing Sky dangerously near his power. So he's irritated and can't think clearly." wrote Naru.

Yeol was reading everything in the world chat and waiting for Rush to go offline since she was not keen on causing conflicts, so she remained silent until Rush drifted away, but as soon as Rush went, she sprang back into the global chat system.

"Not to worry. Ms. Elegant, how do you keep such freaks under control? I'm not the kind to confront people. However, the manner you preserved your guild's dignity was incredible." Yeol gave a compliment.

"That's pretty much easy with a handful of experiences. Being a Manager sure teaches you a lot." Elegant elaborated.

"Wow, Ms. Elegant, you are a manager? That's amazing. Where are you from?"

"I am from Singapore, Liao! A 37-year-old guy with family and settled life. I am a manager at the Singaporean tourism faculty. Handling different teams, staff, and tourists gave me the experience of how to handle freaks, you know." Elegant wrote with a sigh of relief.

"That's amazing. Wait? Are you a Guy? No way!!" Yeol jotted with an astonished look. It seemed as though the ground underneath her was separating. Elegant had always struck her as a female rather than a male. She felt deceived in some ways, but she's not sure why.

Yeol had previously presumed that all female characters in-game were also female in real life. Nevertheless, since she discovered the Elegant's secret, she has taken extra precautions to ensure that the person she's speaking with is not playing a gender-bending game with her. Moreover, she discovered how fine a line exists between virtual reality and reality.

"Yes, I am a male. What happened? Why are you so surprised? It's not like my in-game persona represents my true gender." Elegant used a playful tone in her writing.

"However, I assumed that majority of ladies would select a female in-game character. Ugh, I was doing it all wrong." Yeol wrote while recuperating from the shock she had just endured.

"Don't tell me you're a lady. Are you?" Elegant questioned, her voice confident.

"Of course. I am a girl."

"Really? I seldom see female players on this platform. That comes as a surprise to me. Because your in-game fighting movements are not what a non-gamer would do, I had a sense you were a male. Yeol, you are gifted." Elegant lauded.

"Yes, Leader, she is a female," Naru replied to Elegant's previous query as she returned.

"Naru, you're running late. I'm already aware."

"Anyway, I'm leaving now, Yeol. See you later. We also need to take care of business. Please notify me if Rush causes any further problems."

"Sure, See you later, Ms. Ummm no...Mr. Elegant," Yeol wrote with a sense of awareness.

Yeol persevered with the storyline because she was deeply interested in the stories of the disciples/Masters and Demons. As she progressed, she became increasingly fascinated with the game's plot. As she persisted, her CP grew to 5 million. That was enough to place her at the Top20 of the Leaderboard. She was ranked 20th, behind Saki, Jayson, and others.

*Today's Event's Quick Review*

The events begin at 20:00 Server time with Guild Quiz, Nine-floor viper, Escort Quest, and Arena. Because this is not a Global arena system, the server arena was open all day.

Yeol was already aware of the two events because she had participated in them the day before. On the other hand, The Escort Quest and Arena were unfamiliar to her. That's what she needed to comprehend, so she returned to NPC Xu's cave. She visited since she knew NPC Xu might not be there owing to his extended absence, and she was expecting to see Fairy Lu. She rapped on the door.

"Fairly Lu, are you there? I am Yeol here to ask for some information," remarked Yeol.

A while went before Yeol knocked again, but no one opened the door. However, Yeol was startled to hear voices from within. The sounds were muddled, but she attempted to overhear their dialogue.

"That's not fair; how can someone have such skillset?"

"I assumed the developers already had that skill."

"Doesn't it leave us with no choice but to keep her away from that map?"

The Tale to be Continued...