The Failed Attempt

The next day, Xin woke up to the sound of his mother's voice, shouting at them to wake up.

"Come on, you two! It's already ten in the morning!"

Still feeling sleepy, Xin tried to go back to sleep, but his mother's voice persisted, as if she was right beside him.

"Wake up? It's a Sunday! We're supposed to rest!" Xiaxia complained groggily, clearly not pleased with being woken up.

"We've already done all the chores yesterday. We have every right to sleep in," she added.

"It's already ten in the morning! You've been up all night playing that stupid game!" their mother retorted.

Knowing that his mother must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, Xin reluctantly got up and went to his mother, who was in the middle of an argument with his sister.

Without a word, Xin handed the remaining money to Evelyn. The crumpled bills totalling to thousands of dollars left her and Xiaxia stunned, gaping at Xin in disbelief.

"Y-you . . . Where did you get that money?!" Evelyn asked, almost shouting.

"And you still have that much money left?!" Xiaxia questioned with wide eyes.

Xin yawned, looking rather bored. "I got it by playing the game."

"What did you do in that Newbie Island?" Xiaxia muttered to herself. "If I knew it was that lucrative, I wouldn't have left so early."

"Can I go back to sleep now?" Xin asked, yawning again as he scratched his back.

"Of course, of course. You can sleep in our bedroom. What do you want for lunch?" Evelyn asked, her excitement evident as she counted the money, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Anything," Xin replied without care. He accepted the offer and headed to the bedroom to resume his sleep.

Xiaxia looked like she was about to do the same when Evelyn grabbed her hair, stopping her in her tracks.

"Not you," Evelyn said firmly. "You will help me make dinner."

"Egh? Not fair!" Xiaxia complained.

Evelyn stared at Xiaxia with dead set eyes, and Xiaxia couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance to Xin.

"If you want to go back to sleep, then give me money," Evelyn demanded.

"What? I don't have any right now. I told you all my money was used for a dungeon raid. Just wait a little while after we finish the raid," Xiaxia bargained.

Evelyn simply rolled her eyes. "Then no sleep for you. Come on now, I still have other things to do."

Xiaxia grumbled under her breath but complied, knowing she had no choice in the matter.

=======

That afternoon, after taking lunch, Xin logged back into the game and was greeted with a commotion in Seagull's Nest.

It appeared that the two groups that attempted to retrieve the oil had failed miserably. The Reef Riders had spotted them before they even reached the raider's hideout.

"They got ambushed by the sea! Their boats got sunk!" one player exclaimed.

"They should have known better than to use boats. It's in the forums!" another player grumbled.

"I think they were just trying to show off," someone chimed in. "They wanted to be the first ones to do it by boat and get famous on social media."

Xin shook his head at their foolishness. The guide clearly stated that using boats would attract attention and was not a good idea. He had already known this from the forums, but it seemed like some players still refused to listen and learn from others' mistakes.

As the players discussed their next plan, Xin quietly slipped away from the crowd and headed towards the beach. He wanted to explore the area and see if there was any other quest he could complete while waiting for the others to figure things out.

Xin wasn't in a rush, and he knew that patience and careful planning were key to success in Guildbane.

Xin checked his auctioned items, and seeing the substantial amount of money he had earned, he felt even more motivated to continue his adventures in Guildbane.

"Lord Schrodinger!" Skylark's voice called out, and Xin turned to see her rushing towards him, clearly out of breath. "W-wait . . . damn it!"

Xin waited patiently as Skylark caught her breath, curious to know what she wanted.

"Are you free right now?" Skylark asked, still panting. "We could really use some help. Some of our members left, and we badly need players to fill in the blanks."

"Is it about the Oil quest?" Xin inquired.

"Yes," Skylark replied.

Before Xin could decline, Skylark interrupted him, "Wait. Hear me out first."

Xin remained silent, allowing her to continue.

"You can be the leader of the group," Skylark proposed, "and any rare items we find that suit your class and race will belong to you. How about that?"

The offer sounded too good to be true, and Xin couldn't help but wonder, "Why me? My level is just seventeen."

". . ." Skylark hesitated and looked away, her expression betraying that something was indeed off.

"If you can't tell me, then goodbye," Xin said.

"Wait!" Skylark grabbed hold of Xin's clothes, feeling compelled to explain, "It's because those guys are very arrogant and demand that all loot will belong to them."

". . ." Xin remained silent, allowing her to continue.

Skylark sighed, realizing she had no choice but to elaborate further. "This is a common thing in the game, after all. The guys who have higher levels have more pride and demands than the rest."

So that's the reason, Xin thought. Skylark wanted him because she believed he wouldn't demand much and that he looked like a noob.

Well, he was a noob, so Xin didn't mind that assumption.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in partnering up," Xin declined politely and walked away.

Skylark could only watch as Lord Schrodinger left, feeling somewhat disappointed yet again.