MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player-Chapter 222: The Red-Eyed Bulls
"What’s wrong? Why the sudden question?" Marcus asked, curiosity flickering in his voice.
"Oh... it’s nothing. I was just asking," Chloe replied, though the words came out tighter than she intended. The faint strain in her voice betrayed a nervousness she could not quite conceal. She turned her head away, as if Marcus had unknowingly brushed against a secret she kept buried deep inside her heart.
The truth was simple, even if she would never say it out loud. Chloe desperately wanted Marcus to start a guild. She wanted him to be ambitious again, to chase something with the same fierce competitiveness he once showed on the court. Even if it was only within the virtual world of Dominion, she longed to see him build something that was truly his, something that proved his strength and displayed his brilliance for everyone to see. In her mind, all of it was for the future she hoped to share with him alongside Anya. If Marcus could rise high enough, then perhaps that future might actually become possible.
Chloe sighed inwardly.
Anya had already fallen hopelessly in love with this charming playboy, and if Chloe was honest with herself, she had given him her heart as well. No matter what Marcus chose to do with his life, neither of them could imagine walking away from him. Yet the reality outside their small circle was far less forgiving. If their families ever discovered the truth, the opposition they would face would be overwhelming.
Anya’s family would never accept a man like Marcus. To them he was nothing more than an ordinary person with no powerful background, no influence, no wealth, and no status. The idea of their daughter marrying someone like him would be completely unthinkable.
Because of that, Chloe could only place her hopes on Marcus himself. If he could carve out a name of his own, build a reputation, or accomplish something extraordinary that revealed his talent to the world, then perhaps Anya’s family would begin to see his value. Maybe then, just maybe, they would no longer stand in the way of their relationship.
And Chloe had absolutely no doubts about Marcus’s ability to succeed.
His time at Crestwood University had already proven that much.
Marcus had excelled in many areas during college, but his basketball career in particular had become something of a legend on campus. For four consecutive years he served as the starting point guard for the university team. Under his leadership, Crestwood, a school far better known for its arts programs than athletics, shocked the national collegiate scene by winning the university basketball championship four years in a row.
Individually, Marcus collected honors year after year. He was named Best Playmaker and Best Point Guard for four straight seasons, and he was voted Fan-Favorite Player every year he competed. During the final three years of his college career, he was also crowned the league’s Most Valuable Player.
On the court, the number six jersey of Crestwood University represented far more than just a position. Marcus was the one who controlled the tempo, dictated the rhythm of the game, and led his team with quiet authority. To the fans and supporters who filled the stands every season, he was a dominator, a commander, the king of the court. If not for his naturally low-key personality and his dislike of unnecessary attention, he might have already become a household name across the country.
Before he even graduated in his senior year, the national basketball team extended him an invitation.
Unfortunately, fate had cruel timing.
The offer arrived just after his family’s finances had collapsed, and not long after he had signed that painful agreement with Snow’s father that forced the end of their relationship.
If the national team’s invitation had come just a little earlier, he might have found a way to deal with the crushing debt that had suddenly fallen on his shoulders. Perhaps he would not have needed to break up with Snow. Even now, the memory of that moment still carried a dull ache.
As if that were not enough, the invitation also coincided with his mother’s severe illness. With his younger sister Amber still so young, Marcus had become the only pillar supporting the entire family. They depended on him for everything.
Joining the national team meant months of closed training camps and constant travel across the country. Under those circumstances, how could he possibly leave home?
In the end he did not hesitate. Marcus declined the offer, found a job close to home, and stayed behind to care for his mother and sister.
A person’s clothes may reveal their taste, their words may hint at their knowledge, and their behavior may reflect their character. But true capability is revealed only when someone faces real pressure and hardship.
Chloe stole another glance at Marcus as he flew beside her.
She had seen what he was capable of on the basketball court, and she knew that brilliance was not something that disappeared so easily. The calm, lazy persona he often showed the world now felt more like a mask than his true nature.
A point guard is the player who touches the ball more than anyone else. They are responsible for bringing the ball safely across the court, organizing the team’s offense, and creating scoring opportunities for their teammates. Beyond individual skill, the position demands vision, control, and leadership. A great point guard must read the entire court in an instant, react faster than everyone around them, and command the flow of the game like a conductor guiding an orchestra. It requires sharp reflexes, quick thinking, and a deep understanding of teamwork.
Chloe knew Marcus possessed all of those qualities.
And yet he showed no interest in starting a guild, no desire to establish a legacy for himself in Dominion. The thought made her sigh again. Watching him ignore such a golden opportunity felt like seeing priceless talent slowly gather dust. It was not just a pity, it was a waste of the very years when his potential should have burned the brightest.
Somehow, she had to convince him. She needed to find a way to rekindle that competitive spirit that once drove him forward.
Marcus’s success was not only about his own fulfillment anymore. It was also their only chance of standing against the inevitable disapproval of Anya’s family.
People often said that behind every successful man stood a woman who believed in him.
Chloe quietly promised herself that she and Anya would become exactly that.
For a while afterward, the three of them simply chatted as they flew, their conversation light and relaxed while the scenery drifted past beneath them. They allowed their mounts to glide through the sky without any particular destination, enjoying the freedom that came with open air and endless space.
Chloe’s Cloud-Mist Gale Steed kept pace with Marcus’s Violet Thunderwing Steed, though Anya barely paid attention to her surroundings. She remained comfortably nestled in Marcus’s arms, her small rounded hips resting naturally on his lap as the mount carried them forward through the wind.
Marcus felt a faint awkwardness stir within him, the old feeling in his heart unsure how to handle such closeness, yet the warmth of her body and the soft fragrance in her hair made it impossible to deny the quiet happiness blooming inside him. Almost unconsciously he tightened his hold around her waist and drew her a little closer, breathing in that sweet scent.
What surprised him most, however, was Chloe’s reaction.
Or rather, the lack of one.
Normally she would have protested immediately if she saw them being this intimate, yet now she simply continued flying beside them without saying a word. Her silence only made Marcus’s imagination wander in dangerous directions.
A mischievous thought quietly formed in his mind.
One day, he wondered, would he get the chance to hold the fiery and heroic Chloe in his arms the same way he held Anya now? What would it feel like to embrace her? Compared to Anya’s soft and graceful figure, Chloe’s body carried a far more explosive charm, full of strength and vitality. The idea of seeing that confident, sharp-eyed woman soften into something gentler in his arms created an unexpectedly fascinating image in his mind.
Shaking away the thought before it went too far, Marcus turned his attention back to the game.
Both Anya and Chloe were currently level nineteen, so he decided to help them reach level twenty first.
After giving them enough time to enjoy the thrill of flying, Marcus guided their mounts downward toward the ground. While descending, he repeatedly activated Insight, scanning the surrounding terrain in search of suitable monsters.
It did not take long before he found exactly what he wanted.
In the middle of a wide open plain, a massive herd of bulls wandered slowly across the grasslands.
Marcus focused his skill on one of them.
—
Red-Eyed Bull
Level: 35
HP: 5,000
Description: A herd of ordinary bulls that accidentally consumed demonic Red Crane Grass, causing their temperament to become extremely violent and bloodthirsty. They now regard human blood as the most delicious food imaginable and will aggressively attack any human they see in order to drink it.
Skills:
Horn Charge (Active): The bull lowers its head and charges forward with its horns, increasing attack power by 50 percent and carrying a 5 percent chance to knock the target back and stun them.
Bull Rush (Active): The bull enters a frenzied state surrounded by a red aura, doubling its defense and movement speed.
—
Marcus studied the herd for a moment before a grin slowly spread across his face.
The individual stats of the bulls did not impress him much, but their sheer numbers certainly did. They roamed the plain in thick clusters, dozens of them gathered together across the grass.
And that meant only one thing.
This was going to be an excellent grinding spot.
