Few weeks already passed, and Megumi levelling up quite a lot thanks to Ren. Even so, she know for sure, that she still been left far behind. The proof is, even she manage to steal few of Ren's monster, but Ren still get a few more. As expected, healer really are useless in case of offensive. The experience points she got started to drop significantly now, Ren must be so too. She predict, in a few days, Ren must be moving forward to the next place.
Sky is already dark, followed by bone-chilling cold air. Don't forget the Lullaby Forest's thick fog in the night, make Megumi can't appreciate the stars and moon that are so beautiful in the night sky above. But she can't go back. She still need to stalk her archenemy, Ren.
"Megumi, you there, right?"
Ren is calling her, making her startled. But looking at Ren's expression, she shouldn't know Megumi's whereabouts. Megumi holding her breath, doesn't move an inch and keep looking at Ren.
"Come here and warm yourself. Tonight seems colder than usual." Ren continued, casually poking the bonfire with a stick in her hand. "If you don't wanna come, then just make the bonfire yourself over there"
Megumi dumbfounded. Is this a trap? If yes, then I won't get caught up in this.
Even though she thinks like that, don't know why but her body seems to betray her and going out from her hiding place, approaching Ren. She looks at her, annoyed and just sit across Ren. "Hmph! I'm still mad at you" Megumi pouted.
"I don't remember doing anything to make you mad." Ren replied calmly. Her reply makes Megumi shot up with anger once more. She pointed at Ren and yell angrily "You leave us because I'm a healer, right? Because I don't want to hear you? Because you get jealous that Jay attention is on me?"
"Huh? Are you kidding me?" Ren replied looking disgusted. "Then lemme ask you this. Why don't you change your job now?" Ren asked, looking straight to Megumi's eyes. The question, that eyes, it's like a sword piercing straight to Megumi's heart.
"T-that's because… errr…I… wanna be a healer…" Megumi murmured, can't help but look away, sweating profusely.
"Hee… then they leave you too because of that, right?" Ren shot another piercing question. It seems like there are 2 invisible sword pierching Megumi now.
"I..I am the one who… leave them" again she murmured, sweating more. Of course thats a blatant lie. Her face feels hot, and it must be became redder from embarrassing herself.
"Hee… a healer trying to do solo leveling?" a smirk blooming in Ren face. "How long that I leave you guys again? And you still in that level? With that much time and you still in this newbie place? Your leveling way is really reaalllyyy effective, isn't it? Not to mention, it's the first time in my life to see healer focusing on STR stats. You know that there's no monk job in this game, right? And…" She continued with mocking tone. Every line she said seems stabbing Megumi with more and more invisible swords. Megumi's pointed finger—and her whole body withered like a died plant, until she sat back down depressed.
"I know already, yeah I'm that stupid !" Megumi cry out loud. "you don't need to remind me" she continued pouted. A brim of tears in the corner of her eyes, but still refusing to fall. She hugging her legs, and buried her face between her legs. Ren sighing, and finally stop teasing her anymore.
"I just think that if in the end you still need to change your job, then do it faster. That way, you won't be left so far behind like this" Ren explain. It's just like Ren can read her mind, about why she can't bring herself to change her job. Ren have a point there. But Jay said… Nevermind. Jay, the one she loved and the one who crush her. Megumi can't help but feeling down again, drowned with her crumpled feelings. "Besides, I left because I fed up seeing him playing friendly with that fake smile. It has nothing to do with you" she continued quietly, almost as she just talk to herself.
"What?" Megumi asked still pouting.
"Nothing" Ren answered immediately.
Megumi that still in her state of mind didn't have the strength to ask further. If Ren said nothing, then let it be. Silence back to cover these 2 people again. Try to saving her face, Megumi tried to insult Ren back. "You said that I still in this newbie place, but aren't you here to grinding too?" She murmured, raised her hand towards Ren to open a hologram page of Ren's character profile. Her eyes widened to see Ren's level that already doubled her level. WTF!
"What did you say?" Ren asking, turned her gaze from the campfire towards Megumi. She in the middle to poking the fire earlier that she didn't pay attention. "Nothing" Megumi reply immediately and keep her mouth shut again.
"What… you already that strong…" she murmured to herself, hugging her leg tightly. Isn't that makes it looks like Ren staying here just for Megumi? Her hearts beats faster than usual, like its gonna burst out. A tint of red blooming in her cheeks. Thanks to the bonfire, Ren won't realize she blush at her. If Ren is a boy, Megumi definitely gonna fall in love right now.
After about an hour in silence, Ren finally broke the silence that had enveloped them. "I'm going to Eldoria's Ruin tomorrow." She said. Megumi understand immediately. That's a high level dungeon, full with high level monster. Even in Ren's level now, she definitely gonna have a rough time if she did it in solo. So that's mean, she need to join a party. And joining a party for that high level dungeon means she can't bring Megumi there.
Megumi just replied with a short "Oh" like she doesn't care. In fact, she feel sad. Not because she need to hunt another party for stealing exp, but something else she can't even explain. But what do you expect? Begging Ren not to go? Or begging Ren to bring her along? She can't do that.
"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep first" Megumi said. She let out a piece of cloth from her inventory and set in on the ground before laying down on it. She is about to turning her back to Ren when Ren threw something to her. Megumi checking it, to find what is that. It's turn out a necklace, a beautiful one with emerald gemstone embed in it. But that's not the one its charming point. The bonus effects it give is priceless. Double the INT stat and reduce 50% of skill's casting time.
Clearly, this must be dropped item of a world boss monster level. Not like region boss monster who exist in each region at the same time, world boss monster are so hard to find because it only exist 1 in the whole Celestia. No, that's not mean there are only 1 world boss monster. There are a lot, but they can only exist once a time. World boss monster need to be defeated, before the other world boss monster can be spawn somewhere in Celestia world. Usually, you know the place where the world boss monster spawn just from the world quest issued by the Eden's Kingdom. Ren must be using her 10 years luck to find it first.
"You seriously giving this to me?" Megumi ask, looking at Ren in disbelief.
Ren nodded. "It's no use for me" She added. It's true. This accessories is limited for magic type job like mage or healer. So if assassin use it, it just like a normal necklace. But still, if you sell it to a player, you can get millions of gold for sure. Even if you just use it as normal necklace, it looks so beautiful.
"Thank you" Megumi said. Unconsciously, a happy smile bloomed on his face, still looking at the necklace. But she quickly realized what she was doing and changed her expression. "Ehem, well, with this, I forgive you" she continued, while turning her face away to hide the blush like a tsundere girl. Ren can only sighing, and said again "like I said before, I don't remember doing something bad to you…sigh…whatever". She can't help but smile too, looking at Megumi who doesn't listen and just equipped the necklace. "It suits you" she commented.
"Really? Thank you" Megumi replied. Just like Ren mocking her before, she balance her INT and STR stats everytime she got levelled up, after she is been dump by her party. It's because she need more damage by hitting with her wand to steal the monster. That makes her unable to utilize her skills optimally. So, this necklace is really helping her.
It's really a happy night. Megumi almost can't sleep and just looking at the necklace in awe. She doesn't remember when exactly she fall asleep last night. But when she open her eyes, it's already morning, and Ren is already gone.