[BONUS]

"How did you even acquired a pet?" From the looks of it, it was definitely a pet. Did she use some sort of special item that let her have one?

Ren had never heard of any item like that, though. Besides, pets were exclusive for the Hunter and Animist class. There were exceptions, of course, like Pii, who was a special pet, to begin with.

Mages couldn't have pets, but some could have familiars or form pacts with beast. The difference was that, pets were companions, so they didn't require mana to cast, and they could even travel together with their owner. In comparison, a beast acquired through a pact would only appear upon being summoned, which required mana depending on the beast's tier.

"I didn't," Evie answered. "This thing is a Djinni. Apparently, a Blue Mage can become a Djinni Master in the end. Do you know about it?"

Ren was surprised when he heard the accusation in her voice. He was also genuinely surprised by hearing what she said.

Although he had heard of Djinnis in his past life, Djinni Master was not among the classes that he knew about.

From what he gathered, Enchantress was the highest evolution of a Blue Mage. But based on what was in front of him now, there seemed to be a hidden class higher than an Enchantress.

From his understanding, Djinnis loved music and was often attracted to one. There were instances in his past life where Djinnis would form a pact with Enchantress players, but they were nothing noteworthy. And he wasn't aware of the specifics of how they work since, as he said, they were nothing noteworthy.

The one on Evie's shoulder must be a weaker type of Djinni. And it seemed like they functioned more like a pet than a summoned beast. It was safe to assume that the more powerful Djinnis, ones he didn't want to encounter, were only made for Djinni Masters.

But maybe there was also another angle as to why Evie acquired a Djinni so early. Was it because she inherited Meriyaah's will? That was the only logical explanation as to how she could have a Djinni earlier than other Blue Mages.

"No," Ren told her after thinking for a whole fifteen seconds. "But isn't this good news? I mean, even I didn't know about Djinni Masters. I think it's one of the legendary classes — one that will allow you to form pacts with a much more powerful Djinnis."

Evie stared Ren dead in the eyes. "They sing, dance, and play instruments to attract those Djinnis."

". . ." Ren looked to the side. So that was it. She didn't want to do either of those things! His fist went over to his mouth, trying to hide his smile and suppress the gales of laughter that were threatening to burst from his lips.

"Is that so? But you can already use instruments, right? Djinnis are powerful creatures, so having them aid you in battle will only make you stronger."

There was a hint of wavering on Evie's face upon hearing Ren's words. The little ooze she named Whitey was already useful during combat. What would happen if she formed a pact with more Djinnis — rather, was there a limit to how many Djinnis she could form a pact with?

But to actually sing, dance, and play . . . Just the very thought of it made her want to change classes.

"Though I wonder how you could already form a pact with Djinnis at your current subclass. You're not even an Enchantress yet."

"They said that I would definitely become one since I inherited Meriyaah's will."

"I guess getting that will came with perks. And speaking of which, Sebastian said that you should go to Lone Valley to get Meriyaah's second item."

At the mention of another artifact, Evie's eyes shone with delight, and she blurted out, "Will you come with me then?"

". . ."

". . ."

The both of them were surprised, and Evie immediately added, "I mean . . . if you're busy, then you don't have to . . ."

"Sure," said Ren. "Just tell me when."

". . ." Evie caught her tongue as she looked into Ren's eyes.

Something definitely changed between them. Something sweet, exciting, but also concerning. And Evie didn't want to think about that 'something.' She was the first to break eye contact.

"Thanks."

Silence lingered between them, and everyone who saw the two would agree that they made a picturesque view. Isolde was one of those few.

Even from a good meters away, Isolde could feel that something was definitely going on between the two. It was palpable.

A foreign feeling clawed at Isolde's heart, robbing her of her newly obtained happiness. This wasn't the kind of thing that she wanted to see after winning the first blood of the first-ever world boss.

But she already knew it . . . from the start, Ren wasn't into her. She was just hopelessly hoping. It was for the best that she backed out now while she was ahead.

She accepted defeat, especially in the face of the obvious fact that he already liked someone. Instead of going and forcing herself between the two, it was better to let them be and retain her friendship with Ren than be the jealous enemy.

Isolde retreated towards her group with a broken heart but with a peaceful mind.

She'd get over him . . . It was always like that.

On the other hand, Alice was blunt and straightforward. She crept to Ren's back and steadily peeked from his shoulder, much to Evie's surprise.

"Are you perhaps . . . ," Alice's smile stretched her face that turned her eyes crescent in a creepy way, "Ren's lover?"

". . ." Ren closed his eyes tight and almost screamed, "No."

Alice flew over them and placed her hands on her waist. "Huh? I'm usually never wrong about this kinds of stuff."

Narrowed eyes piercing at Alice, Ren's displeasure was palpable. If Evie started to avoid him because of her, he would personally exorcise her himself.

"Who is she?" Evie questioned. A cue for Ren to introduce Alice again.

"A ghost?" Evie was amazed.

"That again?" Alice grumbled. "Why does everyone keep on saying that? I'm not a ghost, okay? I'm just . . . paler than normal and suffered some kind of curse that made my limbs fall off."

". . . I see." Evie then addressed Ren about the World Boss. "Are you okay? What happened back there?"

Evie was going to console him for not getting the kill, but it seemed like Ren wasn't affected by the loss one bit.

( . . . continuation on NOTES)