chapter 180 unexpected suggestion

Mack finally managed to crawl out of the bush, wheezing. Leaves were tangled in his hair, his clothes were covered in dirt, and there was a very real possibility he had a concussion.

But his brain?

Completely undamaged.

Because despite everything, despite the pain, despite the very real threat of Cute Mist murdering him right here in the forest—

Mack had a plan.

Cute Mist, arms crossed, glared down at him. "Speak. Fast. Before I break your legs."

Mack dusted himself off as if she hadn't just thrown him like a ragdoll. Then, with an annoyingly confident smirk, he said—

"We must join Frost Eye."

Silence.

The words hung in the air like a bomb.

Cute Mist's face twisted in pure disbelief. "What?"

Mack nodded, completely serious. "Frost Eye. We join him."

Cute Mist just stared at him. Then, slowly, like she was processing something truly idiotic, she said—

"…Have you lost your mind?"

Mack sighed dramatically, stretching his arms. "Think about it. No guild will take us in. If we try to start our own, it'll take too long. But Frost Eye?"

He grinned. "He's strong, unpredictable, and most importantly—he thrives in chaos."

Cute Mist's eye twitched violently. "That bastard?!"

Mack nodded again. "That bastard."

Cute Mist's fists clenched. "Mack. Do you know what the first thing that bastard says to me every time he sees me?"

Mack raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Cute Mist took a deep breath. Then, in a furious voice, she mimicked Frost Eye perfectly—

"'Ah, the flat-chested one has arrived.'"

Mack snorted.

Bad move.

A very, very bad move.

Because the moment he let out that sound—

Cute Mist snapped.

"HE'S BEEN CALLING ME FLAT-CHESTED SINCE THE FIRST DAY WE MET, MACK!"

Mack waved his hands, backpedaling. "Okay, okay, I get it—"

"EVERY. SINGLE. TIME."

Mack tried to reason. "Mist, listen—"

But his next words?

They never made it out.

Because his survival instincts betrayed him.

His mouth, moving faster than his brain, said—

"Well… he's not wrong."

The forest went silent.

The birds stopped chirping.

The wind refused to blow.

Somewhere, in the distance, the gods themselves held their breath.

Mack had exactly 0.2 seconds to process his mistake before—

"MACK, YOU ABSOLUTE DEAD MAN—"

WHAM!

Mack was launched back into the bush at terminal velocity.

Mack lay in the dirt, staring up at the sky. His body ached. His dignity? Long gone.

Cute Mist stood over him, still fuming, arms crossed like she was considering whether to kick him again.

"So?" she snapped. "Do you have anything ELSE to say before I send you straight to hell?"

Mack groaned, sitting up slowly. For once, his usual playful smirk was gone. When he spoke, his voice was low—serious.

"Yeah. I do."

Something about his tone made Cute Mist pause.

Mack dusted off his clothes, then looked up at her, his expression unreadable. "Rainbow Solutions… It's already in his hands."

Cute Mist's brows furrowed. "…What?"

Mack stood up, stretching his sore arms. "Frost Eye. He's already playing them like pawns."

Cute Mist's fists twitched. "Tch. Explain."

Mack smirked slightly, his usual grin replaced with something sharper. "That private warehouse? The one storing all of Rainbow Solutions' high-value items?"

Cute Mist's eyes narrowed.

Mack leaned in, voice dropping to a near whisper. "It doesn't belong to the guild."

Cute Mist froze. "…What?"

Mack's eyes gleamed. "It belongs to Frost Eye."

The wind stirred between them.

Cute Mist's fingers twitched again, but this time, it wasn't in anger. It was something else. Realization.

Mack continued. "He's been scamming players for months. Manipulating trades. Taking a cut of everything. The guild thinks they're in control, but in reality? Every high-value trade they make… every rare item they store… every secret deal they think is private…"

He grinned. "It all goes through him."

Cute Mist's breath hitched.

She wasn't stupid. She had seen Frost Eye's unusual movements. The way he always had rare items before anyone else. The way he never seemed to care about gold yet always had more than enough. The way he laughed off losses, as if they were meaningless.

Now, it all made sense.

Mack tilted his head. "Rainbow Solutions doesn't even realize it yet, but they've already lost."

Cute Mist gritted her teeth. "Then why hasn't he destroyed them yet?"

Mack chuckled. "Because it's more fun to watch them dance."

Cute Mist clenched her fists.

Mack smirked, stepping closer. "But you? You don't want to watch them dance."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"You want to watch them burn."

Cute Mist said nothing.

Mack took a step back, shrugging. "If we join Frost Eye, we don't just survive—we take Rainbow Solutions down from the inside."

Cute Mist's eyes darkened.

For the first time today…

She wasn't angry.

She was thinking.

Cute Mist stared at Mack, her expression unreadable.

After everything he just said—after dropping a bombshell about Frost Eye's control over Rainbow Solutions— she could only think of one thing.

"Then why didn't you stay?" she asked, voice calm.

Mack blinked. Then, slowly, his face twisted into an expression of pure disbelief.

"…Mist, don't ask me dumb questions."

Cute Mist narrowed her eyes. "It's not dumb. You were in a safe position. You could've played along and benefited from it."

Mack scoffed. "Yeah, sure. But tell me—why would I stay in a guild that throws away the people who built it?"

He pointed straight at her. "You cleared that normal dungeon first, right?"

Cute Mist froze.

Mack's voice grew sharper. "Where's your credit?"

Cute Mist gritted her teeth.

She had none.

She had been the first to clear the dungeon. The first to figure out the mechanics. The first to make sure those arrogant fools in Rainbow Solutions didn't embarrass themselves.

And yet…

She got nothing.

No recognition. No reward.

Not even a mention.

Mack smirked, seeing her reaction. "You get it now, don't you?"

Cute Mist stayed silent.

Because deep down…

She already knew.

Cute Mist's jaw tightened.

Mack's smirk didn't waver as he crossed his arms. "You get it now, don't you?"

She stayed silent.

Because deep down… she already knew.

Mack took a step closer, tilting his head. "And let's not pretend you don't know the real reason you were thrown out."

Cute Mist's fingers twitched. "…What are you talking about?"

Mack let out a small chuckle, his voice almost mocking. "I already know your sister hates you."

Cute Mist's body stiffened.

For a brief second—just a split second—Mack saw something flicker across her face.

A crack in her anger.

She wasn't furious anymore.

She was cornered.

Mack's smirk widened. "She didn't kick you out because you messed up. She kicked you out because she wanted to."

Cute Mist's fists clenched, but this time, she didn't swing.

Because she knew.

He was right.