Chapter 210: The Art of Being Shameless

Under the envious stares of the crowd, Marcus broke into a light jog, leading Anya and Chloe back toward his private mansion. The two women drew attention wherever they went, and with Marcus in the middle, it was impossible not to stand out.

Anya did not seem to mind at all. She let him guide her forward, her fingers wrapped around his hand without hesitation. Once they entered the mansion, she leaned against his shoulder almost instinctively, as if it were the most natural place for her to be. The closeness showed how much she trusted him, and the faint scent clinging to her only made the moment more intimate.

Marcus removed the Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask, revealing his real face. Seeing him like this, Anya visibly relaxed. She stayed close as they sat down together, her posture soft and unguarded, clearly at ease in his presence.

After their previous date and what had happened by the Lotus Pond, Marcus had sensed something quietly changing between them. It was not something he could explain or put into words, but the feeling had returned to what it was when they first met, simple and warm. Something he thought had faded long ago was slowly coming back to life.

Being with Anya felt easy. There was no tension, and no need to overthink anything. It simply felt right.

Chloe, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She sat stiffly beside him, her body tense as if she might bolt at any moment. When Marcus held onto her hand, she tried to pull away, but he did not let go. Realizing resistance was useless, she stopped struggling and allowed her hand to slacken in his grip, even as her thoughts spiraled.

She wanted to leave, yet she could not bring herself to stand up and go. The conflict showed clearly on her face as heat rose to her cheeks, giving her a look that was far more shy than she would ever admit. It softened her usual heroic presence in a way that was unexpected and strangely appealing.

Marcus had not expected her to react like this, let alone comply so easily. It was a side of Chloe he rarely got to see.

That fragile balance shattered the moment Chloe noticed him smiling at her. Panic flashed across her face as she snapped back to her senses. She told herself she could not let this man get the upper hand. With a sharp tug, she pulled her hand free and shot him a glare, reclaiming her space and her composure in one motion.

The realization hit her a second too late. She had actually let him hold her hand. While she forced herself to look angry, her heart was pounding far too fast, and beneath the embarrassment was a feeling she did not want to examine too closely.

Marcus could not help thinking how quickly women could change their moods. He was in a good mood himself and was just about to tease her when Anya spoke, her voice full of admiration as she looked around.

“Marcus, is this your place? It’s beautiful. Did you buy it?”

“I wish,” Marcus replied, laughing a little as he scratched his head.

“Even if it’s only in-game property, the location and layout are incredible,” Anya said. “People online say a place like this would be worth at least twenty million dollars.”

Since the latest system update, players could purchase houses and guilds could buy territory, but the prices were absurd. Even the smallest homes cost over half a million, far beyond what most players could afford.

Marcus’s mansion sat directly across from Dragon’s Peak Citadel Plaza, occupying a massive plot of land. Between the location and the scale, it was one of the rarest properties in the game. It was the kind of asset no one would ever sell, making its true value impossible to measure.

“Was this from the quest you just finished?” Anya asked. “Marcus, what kind of quest takes that long? You couldn’t be contacted at all.”

The worry she had felt during that time surfaced again as she leaned closer, watching him closely.

“You and Chloe can guess,” Marcus said, clearly enjoying himself. “There was a system announcement earlier.”

The expedition to the Mist Veil Palace had gone far better than he expected, and there was no reason not to enjoy the moment, especially with two beautiful women sitting in front of him.

“What quest? You were probably off flirting again,” Chloe said. Now that she had steadied herself, seeing him act so proud irritated her. She could not resist taking a shot.

“Does flirting with you count?” Marcus replied without hesitation. “Because that’s at the top of my list.”

The line landed cleanly. Chloe glared at him, but he could tell it hit harder than she wanted to admit. He had no idea why she always called him a womanizer or a playboy. He liked attractive women, that much was true, but he had standards. He was not interested in just anyone.

“You…”

Chloe was left speechless. She could only glare, her frustration growing while her face burned even hotter. Against his open shamelessness, she had nothing to say.

It was true what people said. A man with no shame was hard to defeat.

“Marcus,” Anya said suddenly, her eyes widening. “Was it you? Did you break the seal on the Mist Veil Palace?”

“That’s right,” Marcus said, grinning. “And since you figured it out, I’ll show you what I got.”

He began placing item after item onto the table. Anya and Chloe stared as the loot piled up, stunned into silence. When the Divine and Demonic artifacts appeared, disbelief was written all over their faces. These were items most players only ever heard about.

“What level are you now?” they asked at the same time.

Chloe was especially shaken. She could not understand how someone who always seemed lazy and carefree had accomplished something like this. Out of the Golden equipment laid out before them, more than half required Level 40.

Level 40 gear only dropped from enemies of the same tier or higher. To collect this much, he had clearly faced opponents far stronger than most players would dare challenge.

Anya looked at him with clear pride, genuinely happy for him. Even Chloe, despite herself, let a small smile slip through.

“Heh,” Marcus chuckled, completely satisfied.

He leaned back and continued without any hint of restraint. “Before you stands the most admired man in Dominion. Owner of the top-ranked pet, the Shadow-Stained Gryphon King. Rider of the Divine Mount, the Nightmare Dragon Steed. The number one player on the Dominion leaderboards. Stonehaven, Level 31 Royal Knight”

As he spoke, he summoned both companions. The Shadow-Stained Gryphon King appeared first, followed by the Nightmare Dragon Steed. In one smooth motion, Marcus mounted the dragon.

Mounts were normally forbidden within city limits, but those restrictions did not apply inside a private mansion.

Seated atop the Nightmare Dragon Steed with the Gryphon King circling nearby, Marcus looked completely different. The teasing grin was gone, replaced by calm confidence. Power and authority radiated from him in a way that left no room for doubt.

Anya and Chloe were silent, exactly as Marcus had hoped.

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