Chapter 307

Chapter 307. Spotlight (9)

“Essential condition, huh…”

The same message had appeared last time when the VIP shop opened.

Judging from that, it seemed there were functions that were only accessible when specific situations or conditions were met.

‘This time, it’s the ranking program that’s the target.’

Without any hesitation, I pressed the ‘Yes’ button.

Then, a very satisfactory result unfurled before my eyes.

「Lesser Alpha (Hasan Mahdi Mussolini) has been registered.」

「You can check the details of the Alpha under the Ranking icon.」

Along with the system message, a new icon appeared on the left side of my vision, looking exactly like the Alpha symbol.

When I clicked on it, Hasan’s name and information, registered as a lesser Alpha, appeared.

It was like an upgraded version of the Bounty Hunter icon, so to speak.

It showed his status window, his current location, and whether he was undergoing purification or not.

Furthermore, a very impressive button was prominently displayed next to Hasan’s name.

［Forced Obedience］

Even without pressing it, I could guess its use, but I pressed it anyway.

“Whuaaah!”

“Oh.”

As expected, Hasan, who had been watching cautiously, began to struggle.

It seemed I could use the effect of the constraining magic tool through the system.

If anything, it was more convenient and confident than controlling someone with a constraining magic tool.

‘It doesn’t even require mana, and it can be done remotely.’

An unexpected boon, and I was extremely pleased with it.

I nodded with satisfaction.

Then, I began to skim through Hasan’s status window.

His level of Purification was 4, with a proficiency of 22.25%.

He was at a stage where he could purify another’s pathogen.

Once he reached Level 5, remote purification would become possible.

So, there was no reason to hesitate or waste any more time.

“What you have to do from now on is simple.”

It involved following the association’s orders to purify pathogens wherever required without fail.

Beyond that, nothing else was permitted to him.

Since he was kept alive solely for purification, accumulating battle experience or increasing mana was an unnecessary option.

“If you attempt to go hunting to advance further or if you disobey the association’s orders, I’ll come back.”

I have plenty of people to be my eyes and ears, and his location is reported to me in real-time.

After explaining kindly, I could see Hasan’s body, lying on the floor, tremble.

“And you idiot, everyone who needs to know already knows you’ve sided with Fabian.”

The fact that he tried to talk about it as if it was something grand was incredibly foolish.

“In this situation, would Fabian try to save you or would he try to silence you?”

“……”

“I trust you’re not stupid enough not to understand? Conduct yourself properly.”

If you cause trouble that makes me return, I’ll leave just your torso intact.

Having left my threats and warnings, I turned away.

Leaving the place where Hasan had been confined, I walked down the corridor for a brief moment.

Just as I exited the barrier, Persona came to meet me.

“Should I call the medical team?”

“I fed him a potion just before, so let’s leave him and later spread the word about the attackers.”

It would make him realize his position more acutely.

Fabian had already made a move to eliminate Hasan.

Of course, his plans had been discovered and all involved were arrested beforehand.

‘They were all labeled as targets for extermination by the association.’

People who had attacked civilians, committed crimes using player abilities, or murdered players.

He used players who had nowhere else to retreat to.

I didn’t know whether he threatened or made a deal with them.

‘Maybe he even promised immunity with his authority.’

Whatever the reason, Fabian had clearly attempted to mobilize them to get rid of Hasan.

‘According to Taeho hyung, there was something strange during the attack.’

Perhaps Fabian wished for Hasan to die at the scene of the attack.

Considering the circumstances, it wasn’t an unreasonable speculation.

As I contemplated, I extended a hand to Persona who was dismantling the barrier.

“Let’s make a call to Lily.”

Persona lent me a mobile phone without a word.

Using Gilenios’ abilities, I had made an illegal entry into America, without following formal procedures.

There was no need to leave evidence of this illegal entry through my own smartphone.

After a short ring, Lily answered the call, and I conveyed my message.

“He will listen well from now on. Focus on raising his Purification Trait to Level 5, and contact me if he shows any signs of disobedience.”

「Thank you, K. I am always indebted to you.」

“Well, so am I.”

「What about Fabian’s side? What do you intend to do with them?」

“That’s what I wanted to discuss.”

「Please tell me.」

After much deliberation, I shared my conclusion.

“For the time being, let’s watch them a little longer.”

「… May I ask why?」

As I sought an appropriate analogy, I said,

“Have you ever popped a pimple?”

「Pardon?」

Improperly touching an immature pimple can leave scars and cause the wound to run deep.

“That’s why we’re waiting. It doesn’t seem ripe yet.”

Anyone interested in the internal political dynamics of the association would be aware of the subtle power struggle between Fabian and Lily.

Everyone knew that the player recently added to the Alpha team was supported by Fabian.

Therefore, those who were behind this incident were evident without an investigation.

‘The only problem is the lack of explicit evidence.’

There is no evidence linking Fabian with those using the Hole willy-nilly.

This lack of evidence meant that directly charging him would be futile.

Even if we interrogated him, he could simply claim Hasan acted alone, and we’d have no grounds to dispute it.

But that doesn’t mean Fabian was innocent.

By now, I had a fairly good understanding of the Hole.

That understanding allowed me to have a surer conviction beyond just suspicion.

‘That bastard has sided with the traitors.’

Therefore, everything made sense if Fabian hoped Hasan would be dragged down alongside the attackers at the assault location.

From the enemy’s perspective, Alpha was a pesky entity that should be eliminated.

Alphas were supposed to collapse from fatigue or failure of timer management after being infected with Kerak and receiving a terminal diagnosis, but they were instead revitalized and returned to the frontlines.

Thanks to various circumstantial evidence, I was already certain of Fabian’s betrayal.

Yet, instead of taking immediate action against him, I suggested leaving him be for a reason.

“There will be many involved. We should wait until it’s well-ripened and then remove as many of them as we can in one go.”

「… Understood.」

Leaving the root, not just the little tendrils, would only lead to a repetition of the same events.

To prevent such occurrences, we must eradicate the faction entirely.

Just like when I swept away the Chinese human traffickers’ base cleanly in the past.

“By the way, Taeho hyung, I assume, will return home.”

「Yes, I’ll arrange for a flight and see him off.」

“See you next time then.”

「Take care.」

After ending the call with Lily, I returned Persona’s smartphone and turned away.

Then, heading towards the emergency exit where there weren’t any CCTVs, I called out.

“Gilenios.”

As if wedging into the space, he suddenly appeared and gripped my shoulder.

We then entered the gap.

On the way to the next destination, the Philippines, I mulled over my thoughts.

Not all problems had been resolved immediately.

‘Still, it was worth waiting for that bastard to make a move.’

At first, it was only to have an excuse to tame someone with a record.

But the result of that patience ended up catching a far bigger fish than expected.

The existence of a traitor wasn’t all that shocking.

I’d already encountered Zhang Tianyu.

‘It must have spread everywhere like an accursed disease over time.’

Though aware of their existence, I hadn’t intervened because I had no method to catch every one of them.

I had no way of knowing how and where they spread, so how could I apprehend them all at once?

Hence, the unexpected tail of the traitors emerging through Hasan was a welcome sight.

‘Struggle all you want. In the end, you’ll face me.’

Now that they had caught my attention, they wouldn’t meet a pleasant end.

Their reasons or intentions for siding with the enemies weren’t my concern.

I had no interest in their circumstances or goals.

It was merely because they obstructed my path that I intended to remove them.

Hence, no mercy would be extended to them.

When the time came, I wouldn’t hesitate to stain my hands with their blood again to uproot them.

As I solidified my resolve, Gilenios held on to me, pulling us out of the gap.

“We’ve arrived.”

We had reached our destination.

“Standby.”

“Yes, yes.”

Looking around the crowded area near the Hole filled with police, men in suits, and many reporters with cameras, I sighed.

‘Media control doesn’t seem to do too well here either.’

If there even existed a country where it did.

I clicked my tongue inwardly as I pulled out Giolan’s Invisibility cloak from my subspace pocket.

Draping it over myself, I approached the Hole.

‘The corrupted area is rated 5-star.’

Chances of a general-rank appearance were low, categorizing it as mid-to-low difficulty.

Thus, the necessary closure time was relatively short in a typical situation.

However, this time, the duration until closure was exceptionably long, naturally drawing many eyes.

Especially considering the players who entered to close this Hole belonged to the Palao Guild.

Outside of the Association and the European Alliance Guilds, Palao had the third-largest membership.

Hence, many voices pointed out the excessive concentration of power.

Given my position as the Guildmaster, it was expected that I’d draw attention.

If I made an appearance in this situation, it would be troublesome.

I maneuvered through the crowd and entered the Hole.

Nearby, I spotted a group of players gathering.

Approaching them, I took off the cloak.

“Who…?!”

As soon as my presence was revealed, the person who spotted me locked eyes with me and froze.

“K, K…”

“No way, it’s really K.”

“How did you get here?”

“Should we greet first?”

Whispers echoed.

Surprised by my sudden appearance, they exchanged glances and awkwardly extended their greetings.

Amidst that, the froze guy regained his composure and saluted immediately.

“Guildmaster, sir! I am Toma Armand, party chief of the 7th Squad under the Philippines branch! It’s an immense honor to meet you!”

His greeting was overly enthusiastic and deferential.

Momentarily, I unconsciously observed the other’s responses.

Trying to gather information on why someone I’d never met acted this way through the responses of others.

Through this, I concluded that such a reaction from this player named Toma wasn’t that outlandish.

“Gosh, almost blew my eardrum.”

“Our party leader hasn’t changed…”

“Let’s not interfere. It’s a dream come true moment for our party leader.”

From what I gathered, this Toma seemed to harbor quite favorable opinions of me.

As the party leader, it seemed excessive.

‘When had he ever met me?’

It felt odd and uncomfortable.

But I wasn’t intending to bring that up.

I was here to check what I needed.

“I’ve respected you for a long time!”

“Yes, thank you.”

Hence, I terminated Toma’s excessive greeting with a formal reply.

And then quickly moved on, before he could pile on more words, presenting my purpose first.

Damned System