What Ranoa saw in Fargil's manslaughter wasn't his mortal sin nor his hesitance for justice.
She rather could simply tell in his verdant eyes the sincerity of becoming a murderer for the sake of others. He would rather be a sinner than regret not being able to do something amidst the chaos of war and injustice.
"Fargil... Please be safe!" Ranoa shouted out, which stirs a concealed emotion inside his heart that he had long forgotten.
Back in ACO days, even before he attained the title of the top; Fargil was no more than a foot-soldier whose job was to support his team by providing healings and shields.
Since supports are shunned by ACO's gamer community, the treatment Fargil's team gets was no different than a slave.
They would always bring him wherever they please and put him to work by grinding dungeons, and after the farming session, they would always share him the worst possible gear sets, heck, he was considered to be lucky since other supports aren't getting anything, but they always bring him at least an item since his skills and proficiency as a support are top-notch.
Always having to endure toxic teammates, his views on them changed when he partied up with the previous top player of Alfahim Kingdom.
"Hey! Will Maqirelle really join our party for today?!" said an eager adventurer who's on the same team as Fargil.
"Yeah. This dungeon hunting grind will be a breeze! Maqirelle might be the best tank player in the Arkmeria, to be honest. She can push through monsters and soak up all the damage, and she'd still be full HP!" One of their team members behind was ecstatic to have a strong companion, exaggerating Maqirelle's image miles away.
"Hey now you guys, Maqirelle's here so she can ensure our mission today is accomplished smoothly. We're mining certain magical ores that only her can detect, which can be used for Sovereign-rank gear sets."
The rest of them wowed in the background. They suddenly became fired up knowing what materials high-ranking players used for their gears.
Apparently, once a player reaches the rank of a Sovereign, the rarity of items means nothing to them. Instead, they gain a greater rarity perception only accessible to them that defies the game's mechanics.
For an instance, normally, when mixing gold and silver during forging; the result could either be a greater golden sword or silver sword with enhancement.
But with the help of a Sovereign's greater perception, the combination of the said materials would result in electrum, the element that would pop out after gold and silver are mixed in real life.
This means in a nutshell, the greater perception would allow players to unlock the full potential of the real world's physics by also implementing the game's magical property system.
And by doing so, players can cook up gear sets that are meant for them, rather than following gear sets meant for everyone else.
"Alright! As a token of gratitude, the most competitive player after our grind today will receive a Sovereign-rank gear! So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Maqirelle's as feisty as ever, boosting the morale of her companions even before the fight.
"Holy crab! A chance to get a Sovereign-rank gear?! I'm in!"
"You dumbass! It's not just a Sovereign-rank gear... It's Sovereign-rank gear from Maqirelle herself!!! Let's effing go!!!"
And the rest shouted and clamored now that they knew they had the chance to get a reward from the top player of Alfahim Kingdom.
Even so, Fargil was the only one who wasn't so eager for Maqirelle's gift. He's standing beside the entrance cave thinking critically, assessing the outer layer of the dungeon as if he can tell there's something wrong.
"..." Fargil was silent and his eyebrows are connected.
"..." And Maqirelle had taken a glimpse of him, reckoning she had already found the companion he was looking for.
[ That guy was the first to notice the odd thing about the dungeon... Though he's right. This is a test, and only one of them will survive. ]
Maqirelle had led the joint operation onwards, hiding a crooked smile under her face now that her machinations had begun.