113 At the end of the Lair

It was bright inside the Tieflings' Hidden Lair coming from the torches hanging on the wall. A thick layer of dust and sand coated everything with a pale fuzz. Piles of stones and crumbled walls lay slumped at the corners.

A patch of the stonework here had decayed and crumbled, leaving fragments scattered on the ground. A charred crescent of metal was all that remained of a pair of broken manacles.

From a distance, Ren and Lily heard a faint noise that could be a growling creature, or something, scraping across the floor. It resonated through the halls.

There were also faint sounds of stone tapping on stones, and a sharp, clear patter noise suddenly jolted down the hall coming from the decaying ceiling above. It seemed like any moment, the place would cave in.

Ren walked the main hallway that could fit at least ten people side by side, and he knew that what he'd face was going to be in numbers. That was how COVENANT was designed. The narrower the path, the lesser the enemies they would face at every meter or so. And the broader the path, the many enemies they would face at specific distance.

Ren was a little worried because the Tieflings Level might not be the same as aboveground.

However, his worries were unwarranted faced with his first Tieflings bout. Ren used [Probe] on one of the four Tieflings before he sighed in relief.

The Tieflings were on the same level as above, but Ren wasn't complacent. The Tieflings he would face near the Boss's room might be a whole new level.

Without wasting any more time, Ren fought the Tieflings while Lily just took a step back. She didn't want to do anything with those humans with devil skin and horns. If she had a chance, she would snatch Pii right off Ren's shoulder and run for it.

Or better yet, log out from the game?

Lily believed that once she had Pii, she would automatically acquire it as a Pet, not knowing that the game didn't work that way. She only just arrived in the game at its opening, so she and her friends were just noobs.

A pet could never be stolen from another player. But it could be given to another Animist or Hunter as a gift. However, it could be stolen if it was just an egg since the system considered it an item.

Ren swiftly moved to the side at the incoming Tieflings. Back against a wall, he made sure that the Tieflings couldn't land a critical hit against him while he simultaneously cast water balls at the horned humans.

Lily just watched Ren fight the four Tieflings in awe. She forgot once more that it was Pii she was here for and not admiring Ren fight.

But there was something about the man that Lily's eyes kept coming back to him. It was either how he fought and killed his opponent within seconds or how he moved gracefully like his every step was calculated.

It was mesmerizing from an outsider's point of view, especially since he defeated his opponent within minutes without even breaking a sweat.

Lily only recovered after Ren journeyed forward without a word.

"H-hey wait . . ." Lily immediately went after Ren and stayed a meter behind him. She was uneasy because the scenery suddenly changed into something like vast abandoned halls, giant pillars supporting the ceiling, and bones scattering at every corner.

There were even vermin running to and fro, and Lily froze when something ugly and hairy went passed through her boots. Then and there, she wanted to log out, but . . . her green eyes strayed at Pii, and her hesitation disappeared.

If she logged out now, she would never have this chance again. She would never meet Pii again.

Lily's face brightened when she thought of something.

In comparison, Ren's face crumpled when a notification pooped on his screen.

[Player Lily is sending you a Friend Request]

Ren didn't have to turn back to know that the girl was looking at him with expectant eyes. He felt her heated stare piercing his back.

Ren really underestimated the desperation of the woman to own Pii. He really thought that she would give up after a minute or two and scurry back to her friends.

However, he didn't care and didn't have the time to babysit anyone right now.

Lily's lips curved into a charming smile as she waited for Ren's reply. She was confident that Ren would accept her invitation. She personally sent one, and he should feel special and honored right now. He was the first person she ever sent a friend request while dozens lined in her list for her to accept their invitation.

With a notification popping on her screen, Lily's smile fell right off her face. Not only did Ren declined the request, but he also blocked her like he knew that she would spam the request nonstop if he didn't accept.

Lily's cheeks puffed, and she felt her body heated. She was consumed with the emotions of anger, shock, frustration, and something that she couldn't put a finger on . . . a foreign feeling that she realized was amusement.

Why she felt like that was beyond her. Maybe because there was finally someone who wouldn't succumb to her charms?

"Why didn't you accept?" grumbled Lily, voice like a whisper. But with all the silence, she was sure that Ren heard it.

And she was right, Ren did heard her, and he chose not to answer while Lily complained some incoherent words.

Ren tried his best to ignore the girl who was still tailing her nonstop. He was only glad that Lily was quiet though her silence was piercing. It made anyone feel uncomfortable.

Pii was just staying close around Ren's neck, so the latter thought that the cave was just a straight path with no hidden rooms. If there were rooms, they were visible, and in those rooms were regular chests guarded by low lever dessert beast.

After traversing almost an hour in the Tieflings' Hidden Lair and defeating a bunch of Tieflings and some beasts along the way, Ren and Lily finally rounded a corner towards a giant arch where they heard faint whispers. And with it, they saw figures of statues made of stones along the way in different poses. One thing in common with these statues was their horror-stricken eyes.

Ren stopped while Lily bumped against Ren's back when the latter suddenly paused. She took a step back and rubbed her nose.

"What is it? Are you finally going to give Pii to me?"

"Hush." Ren hissed, and Lily immediately clamped her mouth shut at the sudden brash action, and she stomped her feet when Ren didn't even spare her a glance when he walked ahead.

Come to think of it. Ren hadn't even looked at her once the moment they entered the Lair.

This man . . . Lily thought but didn't finish her sentence when Ren walked forward and checked what was going on behind the giant arch.

Upon inspection, Ren's eyes bulged at what he saw.

Inside a large hall enough to fit ten Hogs, where the only light was coming from the twin moons above a large hole in the ceiling, dozens of Tieflings were surrounding an altar. And on that altar was a massive beast in chains while the Shaman Tiefling was chanting and feeding it [KangKong Balls].

The shaman had skin like amethysts, and its two horns were bigger than the rest, curling on his forehead before twisting upward. His long dark hair was braided while his eyes were obsidian black.

Oh . . . so that's why they stole those [KangKong Balls]. Ren mused to himself before he used [Probe] on the Shaman Tiefling and the Serpent like Beast.