"You . . ." Scar's face displayed a mix of surprise and confusion upon seeing Ren and the others. He quickly composed himself, putting on a smile as he said, "I heard about what happened with my sister and you."

Ren chuckled, his tone laced with amusement. "Oh, did she also mention how she wasted a legendary item on me?"

Scar's smile faltered, and a hint of tension entered his voice. "Yes, she did . . ."

Cang Lu chimed in, his words filled with a mischievous tone. "You know, there's a hefty bounty on your head. Maybe we should take him out and claim the reward from you, Scar."

Angelica interrupted her tone firm. "We don't have time for this."

Cang Lu quickly changed his tune, wagging his tail beside Angelica. "Of course, just joking around. Who has time to waste on him, right?"

The tension in the air lingered as the two groups faced each other, their motives and past interactions adding an underlying layer of uncertainty to the encounter.

". . ."

Scar's expression remained inscrutable, leaving everyone uncertain of his true emotions. It was unclear whether he was irritated by the interruption or simply indifferent to Ren's presence.

"Consider yourself lucky," Scar finally spoke, his tone implying a sense of urgency. "We're in a hurry, so I'll overlook your presence." He started to lead his group forward, attempting to pass by Ren and the others.

However, Isolde stepped in, blocking their path.

"Unfortunately for you," Isolde declared, her hand firmly gripping her rattling gun. "You won't be going any further."

A heavy silence descended upon the scene, suffocating the air with tension. The clash between the two groups seemed imminent as they stood locked in a standoff, each waiting for the other to make a move.

Robert's face twisted into a scornful sneer. "Seems like you have no fear at all. Whether you're the host or have those NPCs by your side, I'll crush you!"

Black Lion instinctively readied themselves for a fight, but Angelica swiftly intervened, extending her arm to halt any immediate attacks. "Wait," she commanded.

"Wait?" Invayne scoffed, glaring at Angelica. "Who are you to give orders?"

Angelica ignored the defiance in Invayne's voice. "If we can avoid this fight and save our numbers, we should try to reason with him. Or . . ." Her eyes pierced through Invayne. "Do you want a bloodbath that will further deplete our resources and supplies?"

Invayne was rendered speechless, unable to respond with a word of objection.

"There are only four of them," Cang Lu pointed out, his gaze shifting between Ren, Isolde, and the two NPCs accompanying them.

"It's not Ren and Isolde we should be worried about," Aragon chimed in. "Those two NPCs are trouble."

Silence settled over the group once again as they weighed the consequences of their actions and contemplated the potential outcomes of their choices.

A palpable silence enveloped the group, with an unspoken understanding shared among all except Mike and Cang Lu. Everyone could sense it — the formidable power emanating from Elena and Prince Zeroth, making them unbeatable foes.

Joker stepped forward, his laughter cutting through the tension. "So, what is it that you want from us? I highly doubt you'd come here just to kill us without any ulterior motive."

Ren maintained a composed demeanor. "I simply desire the Scepter of Season," he stated matter-of-factly.

Invayne hissed, dismissing the notion, but Joker quickly interjected. "If you only need it temporarily for a quest, I see no harm in lending it to you."

Ren stifled a laugh, realizing Joker's misunderstanding. He didn't have any bad blood with him, but unfortunately for him, he was on the wrong side. "Not borrow. I want it permanently. Although, you could always try to win it back through an auction once I'm done with it."

Invayne's anger flared, her grip tightening on the scepter. "You're so arrogant! It's only because of those two NPCs with you that you're acting like everything belongs to you!"

Ren shrugged nonchalantly. "And what if I am?"

Invayne bit her lip, her retort held captive on her tongue.

Mike approached Scar, urging him, "Let's just kill them. We can take them down and those NPCs too. We'll get some rare items for sure once we're done with them."

"Idiot," Angelica muttered under her breath, exasperated by Mike's suggestion.

Hixel let out a mocking laugh. "Sure, you can kill some NPCs, but I highly doubt you can defeat those two. They're not your average everyday NPC you just meet on the side of the street." Without any means to check the NPCs' stats, they could only speculate about their power. "But hey, go ahead and give it a try if you want to risk reducing your own stats to zero."

Frustrated, Mike groaned and shot Hixel a glare, who only grinned at him in response.

Ren interjected, "Have you made a decision? We don't have time for your quarrel. Either hand over the scepter willingly or . . ." he raised his own scepter, pointing it at the opposing group, ". . . we can always settle it the hard way."

"Arrogant little prick!" Robert hissed, his anger evident as the veins on his hammer-pounding arm bulged.

"Let's just kill them." Elena stepped forward, her wisp ready to attack, but Scar intervened with a commanding voice.

"Wait," he said, looking directly at Ren. "How about this? If you can defeat me in a PvP fight, I will give you the scepter. But if I win, you must allow us to join your group and participate in the clearing of the World quest. And whatever treasure, EXP, and gil we acquire is ours."

Black Lion and Sleeping Dragon's tense expressions relaxed a little at Scar's proposal, and some couldn't help but laugh at his smart thinking.

"Have you lost your mind after your time in the Fey Realm?" Ren taunted. "Why would I accept such an offer when these two could easily kill all of you, and I will get the scepter in the end?"

Their smug expressions quickly turned sour.

Cang Lu angrily smacked his leg against the ground. "Hey, you said you wouldn't let anyone else join your group! So what's she doing on your side? Isn't that unfair?"