(Leo's POV)
Leo looked at the list long and hard, and after thinking about it carefully, he decided to buy only two items from the treasure room.
Firstly, he bought the Nightmare Set daggers for 399 CP as he felt like it may aid him in his mission to slay the black dragon down the line, and secondly he bought the skill [Full Counter] from the list of skills available for purchase for about 120 CP.
Full Counter was a defensive yet highly lethal skill that allowed Leo to reflect any attack back at its source with double the power.
It required precision and timing, as Leo had to absorb the incoming attack's force at the perfect moment, using his own mana to redirect it.
This skill wasn't just limited to physical blows—magical attacks could also be reflected, making it versatile in both close-quarters combat and ranged encounters.
The true strength of Full Counter lay in its ability to turn even the strongest enemies' attacks into their own downfall, provided Leo could withstand the initial impact.
While it was mana-intensive and risky if mistimed, mastering this technique could make him nearly untouchable in battle, especially against overconfident opponents who relied on brute strength.
Before participating in the second rankers event, Leo would probably have not seen the benefits of having such a move in his arsenal, however, after the second rankers event he did.
He needed a move which did not drain on his stamina and allowed him a chance to fight back when he had no room to evade an enemy attack.
With two empty skill slots still at his disposal, Leo decided that [Full Counter] albeit only a legendary ranked skill, was still worthy enough to be learnt.
Satisfied, he donated the rest of his CP to his brother, hoping that the man could buy something useful for himself, and get a skill or two more to improve his skill set.
*******
(Meanwhile, Cervantez's POV)
Cervantez leaned casually against the wall, his tablet in hand, but his attention wasn't on the treasure list.
No, his gaze kept flickering toward the other side of the room where Pink Lotus stood, gracefully browsing through the available items.
He didn't dare get too close, but from the corner of his eye, he watched her, hoping to catch even the smallest glimpse of her smile as she examined the selection.
'How can someone look so calm even while choosing between legendary items?' he thought, his heart fluttering at the way her brow furrowed in concentration.
'She probably already knows exactly what she wants…..'
He stood there, still and quiet, trying to look nonchalant, yet his eyes betrayed him as they drifted back to her again and again. Every time Pink Lotus reached out for an item, he found himself holding his breath, as if her choice might reveal some secret part of her he didn't know yet.
'She's so focused… should I try talking to her? No, no… what would I even say?'
As if she could sense his gaze, Pink Lotus suddenly glanced in his direction. Cervantez panicked, his heart leaping into his throat as he fumbled with his tablet, pretending to scroll through the list. His fingers moved frantically over the screen, though he hadn't even glanced at a single item yet.
'Act natural, act natural…' he chided himself, feeling the heat rise to his face.
'She wasn't looking at me… right?' he wondered, as sweat beads began forming on his forehead.
For a few moments, he kept his head down, hoping she hadn't noticed him staring. But out of the corner of his eye, he could see her returning to her task, seemingly unaware of his awkward attempt at stealth.
Looking at this, Cervantez let out a small sigh of relief, but his heart continued to race.
'Get it together, Cervantez. She's just another ranker… okay, not just another ranker, but still. Focus! You're here to pick a treasure too' he told himself, as he tried to focus on the list of items, but to no avail.
Minutes passed, though to Cervantez it felt like hours, and during these fleeting moments, he couldn't help but sneak a few more glances at Pink Lotus, and once she was finally done with her selection and began looking around the room, he forced himself to focus on his own choices.
'Alright, alright, pick something and go. Stop acting like a lovesick idiot–' He told himself, as only after he had his fill of staring, did he finally make a choice on what item he wanted.
Scrolling through the tablet, Cervantez found a sword that caught his eye—a sleek, elegantly crafted weapon that seemed perfect for his fighting style.
Without a second thought, he made his purchase, barely acknowledging the weapon's stats, as his mind was still on Pink Lotus, and on methods to talk to her.
However, unfortunately for him, the moment he was done making his selection, the elf employees in the room announced that everyone had made their picks and that the event was now officially over.
At that moment, all of them got suddenly teleported out of the treasure room and back to the actual Terra Nova Online game world, as with it, Cervantez lost his chance to talk to PinkLotus in private.
"Damn it…. I thought I'd definitely at least say hi!" He muttered out loud, as at that moment he felt incredibly sad that he didn't gather the balls to go and introduce himself, despite having the opportunity to do so.
'Maybe next time… maybe next time I'll actually talk to her….' he thought, as he resolved to definitely not let the chance to talk to her be missed, whenever it may present itself.
In its own way, today had been magical enough for him, as although he did not get to talk to PinkLotus, he gained a lot of benefits from the second rankers event and even had the opportunity to memorize her face and expressions to his hearts content at the end.