Chapter 107

Chapter 107
## Chapter 107: Unmasking the First Seat

The fact that the item was a mere imitation brought a faint sense of dissatisfaction, primarily because its true worth remained impossible to calculate.

“Incredible! Splashing 400 million gold on the very first day of bidding!”

“Doesn’t that put me at the top of the leaderboard?”

“I haven’t seen your face before—which territory do you hail from?”

A crowd quickly began to press in around Hudson. These were the various participants of the auction, drawn by the spectacle. To expend 400 million gold individually during the opening session was a feat guaranteed to cause a stir. Hudson remained the focal point of the group of outsiders positioned on the right side of the hall.

Across the room, among the ranks of the imperial aristocracy, Lord Darcan and the Lady of Dersian stood together. Even they couldn’t resist casting frequent, furtive glances toward Hudson.

“400 million on day one…”

“Where could a man like that source such wealth?”

“Surely he’s overextending himself?”

Though their words were laced with derision, their fascination was palpable. The nobles of the empire rarely acknowledged anyone they considered beneath them. Naturally, they wondered if this momentum could be sustained, and more importantly, which city had sent such a representative.

This post-auction gathering served as a prime social venue for networking, and the spotlight inevitably fell on those who had made the biggest waves.

*Who on earth is this person?*

The Lady of Dersian maintained a polite exterior, but her internal thoughts were simmering with resentment. No matter how deep one’s pockets, such reckless spending was unheard of. Where had he acquired a fortune of that magnitude? Rumors suggested it came from the labyrinth of the monster city. She had intended to be the center of attention, yet he had effortlessly usurped her position.

*Still no sign of the one in the first seat.*

Ignoring the collective gaze of the room, I scanned the area for the occupant of seat number one—someone ranked higher than even Darcan or the Lady of Dersian. My curiosity regarding the identity of number one outweighed everything else, yet they were nowhere to be found.

“I’m genuinely eager to see the treasures slated for tomorrow’s block.”

“This is quite the event. I might even put an item of my own up for sale just to stay in the game tomorrow.”

“Number 55 has registered a lot, hasn’t he?”

“Indeed, we’re all waiting to see what he’s brought to the table.”

Hudson leaned into the attention, skillfully guiding the flow of conversation. As the atmosphere reached its peak, a sudden notification flared into existence.

《The city of ‘Delphian’ has succumbed.》

《’Baal of the Four Evils’ has dragged ‘Delphian’ into the void.》

…

The alerts appeared without warning.

“Ugh!”

In that instant, a man nearby let out a sharp grunt. It wasn’t a loud outburst, but the sound escaped him the exact moment the news of Delphian’s destruction broke.

*Number 68.*

The timing was too precise. Unless it was a freak coincidence, seat 68 was a player. Fortunately, Hudson remained perfectly composed, showing no outward reaction. Aside from myself, it seemed no one else had caught 68’s brief lapse in control.

…

That aside, the news was grim.

*Delphian has been razed.*

Baal of the Four Evils had successfully claimed the city. Just a day ago, reports claimed that 3,000 elite fighters had assembled there to defend it. To think it was wiped out in less than twenty-four hours.

The heavy doors of the ballroom were thrown open as several knights sprinted inside. They moved quickly, leaning in to whisper the news of the fall into the ears of the high-ranking nobles.

“…What? Can that be verified?”

“It is certain, my lady.”

The Lady of Dersian’s expression shifted into a strange mask—a mix of suppressed satisfaction and genuine shock. Other nobles receiving the news shared that look; while they were bewildered by the speed of the defeat, the city was far enough from the empire’s borders to feel like a distant problem.

“Hahaha!”

The tension broke quickly, and the banquet resumed its boisterous energy.

—

The following morning marked the start of the second exclusive auction session. However, the seating arrangement had shifted significantly since the previous day.

*Number 2.*

I had been promoted from seat 55 all the way to seat 2, placing me directly within the section reserved for the imperial elite.

*So, they reshuffle the seating based on the previous day’s expenditure.*

It was a clear display of status. The Lady of Dersian now occupied seat 3.

*And yesterday’s 68… is absent.*

Every other participant had returned, save for the man in seat 68. Had they identified him as a player and eliminated him? Or was there another cause for his disappearance?

“…The Black Goat.”

Suddenly, the individual in seat 1 spoke. His voice was low as he looked directly at me—not at Hudson’s physical form, but at *me*.

The man in the first seat hadn’t placed a single bid the day before. Despite my massive spending, he retained the top position. He was clad in a formal tuxedo, his entire face and body obscured by a stark white mask.

His voice resonated directly within my mind.

*-Yesterday’s 68 was a player. You recognized that as well, didn’t you?*

It was a bold, direct provocation. The voice felt as though it was vibrating inside my very skull. It wasn’t a standard whisper or a long-distance transmission skill; I would have sensed those immediately.

*The Golden Rule thread.*

A shimmering golden strand now connected the two of us. This was a private channel facilitated by the ‘Golden Rule,’ heard only by those physically linked to it.

*He can utilize Golden Rule fragments for this?*

This was a sophisticated application that went far beyond the ‘auto-translation’ Hudson had mentioned. Hudson, confined to his stronghold, likely had no idea this level of private communication was possible.

*He’s transmitting words along the connection.*

I didn’t vocalize my internal thoughts. Instead, my reflections appeared as text before me, allowing me to choose exactly what to send back through the link, much like a primitive string-and-can phone.

*…He knows about the existence of players.*

If I hadn’t misjudged his words, he had explicitly used the term. Furthermore, he likely knew exactly why seat 68 had vanished and was testing to see if I shared that knowledge.

But why? Why target me?

*One thing is certain—his status exceeds even that of Lord Darcan.*

As the host of the auction on his own land, Darcan should have been the highest authority. Yet this masked man sat before him, and the imperial nobles accepted it without question. Knowing their disdain for anyone they viewed as social inferiors, his presence suggested one of four things: he was a high-ranking archduke, a member of the royal bloodline, a representative of the Papacy… or a very high-level player.

*Players aren’t the only ones who can manipulate the Golden Rule. Pangenians have entered the abyss before. But it’s a strong lead.*

Even the creatures of the labyrinth used these fragments. While the ability didn’t prove he was a player, it certainly made it a possibility.

*-Who was 68?*

I opted for a facade of ignorance. Seat 1 continued to watch the auction stage, acting as if he weren’t paying me any mind at all.

*-Do you truly not know? Or are you simply indifferent?*

His tone suggested my ignorance was unlikely. I weighed my options carefully before reaching a grim conclusion. 68 was dead. He hadn’t just moved or fled; he had been erased.

*-There is no point in providing cover for someone who no longer exists.*

I was implying there was no reason to defend a ghost. Moments later, the voice of number 1 echoed in my head once more.

*-I am a player.*

I felt a surge of internal irritation. What was this man’s game? Claiming to be a player out of the blue? Was he trying to bait a reaction? He had already probed my knowledge of 68, and now he was making an outright confession. Did he expect me to stumble over such a blatant claim?

However, his next statement was enough to nearly shatter my composure.

*-Ah. Perhaps this name will ring a bell. I am ‘MintChocoDelicious.’ It’s a pleasure.*

—

Delphian has been destroyed!

The news sent shockwaves through everyone who received it. Over 3,000 casualties. Despite the presence of several transcendent-tier individuals, the city had been leveled in a single day.

*-Did Darkstar ever get an official report?*

*-Complete silence so far.*

*-Is it possible Darkstar couldn’t escape?*

*-If even Runxter failed to make it out, does that mean everyone was wiped?*

*-This is insane… how does a major city just disappear overnight?*

*-Delphian was a major neutral hub, right?*

*-One of the three legendary forge cities. They were supposed to be mass-producing heavy weaponry for the campaign.*

The player community was in a state of absolute turmoil. Only yesterday, the players mobilizing to take down the Four Evils were full of bravado. Given the sheer numbers and the power involved, losing seemed impossible. Delphian wasn’t just any city; it was a fortress of industry. They had enticed the best fighters with top-tier equipment and turned the city itself into an impenetrable siege engine. The blow was devastating.

*-No, seriously, what happened? Is everyone dead? Someone give us an update—my friend was there and his status went dark.*

*-Speak up.*

*-Are you kidding me right now? You want to die?*

*-Go ahead and try it.*

*-Where are you located?*

The stress was boiling over, with users turning on each other in the forums. It was total chaos.

*-Something is wrong. Usually, at least one survivor would have posted a ‘safe’ update by now.*

*-They probably all got dragged into the abyss.*

*-Someone needs to go check.*

*-How do you check a place that’s been swallowed by the void, you idiot?*

*-What is going on?*

*-Wait…*

*-Am I seeing this correctly?*

A flood of panicked posts began to hit the boards simultaneously.

*-A new notice just went live, didn’t it?*

*-If the five cities connected to the Mount of Cultivators fall into the abyss, the Four Evils becomes ‘the Abyss Itself’?*

*-What the hell does ‘the Abyss Itself’ mean?*

*-That’s not even the worst part of the notice.*

*-Wait, who edited the announcement?*

*-Does this even make sense?*

*-Earth… it’s coming to Earth…*

…Baal of the Four Evils is targeting Earth?

*-Where is it going to land?*

*-The location isn’t listed.*

*-If 3,000 fighters and transcendents couldn’t stop it, what chance does Earth have?*

*-We have to nuke it the second it appears.*

*-Monsters from the transition only take real damage from Golden Rule-infused strikes—what is a nuke going to do?*

The sudden alert turned the panic into a frenzy. Baal was coming to Earth. If the combined forces of Pangenia couldn’t halt its progress, the result for Earth seemed inevitable. Worst of all, there was no way to know where the strike would fall.

*-This is the end, isn’t it?*

*-The erosion rate is already at 20%.*

*-The first breach was Necrolord Ahram, and this second one will be much worse…*

*-Ahram was halted by Randolph, but there’s no guarantee this time.*

*-The Four Evils combined with a demon invasion? Earth is finished.*

*-Where are Gracia and the Master? What about the other heroes?*

*-Both have gone silent.*

*-Runxter, we’ll forgive the ‘running’ this time, just show up and tell us what to do.*

*-Any word from the Pangenians? Other cities were supporting Delphian.*

*-The whole world is panicking. As far as I can tell, there were zero survivors.*

*-The players need to unite before the rest of the cities fall…*

*-But who’s going to lead us?*

*-Gracia just appeared!!*

*-Where?*

*-YouTube Live! She just started a broadcast!*

The news that Gracia had gone live spread like wildfire. Players flocked to her channel, but when they saw her, they were left confused.

*-She looks terrible.*

*-Wait… why is her hair suddenly white?*

*-What is she saying?*

*-She says she’ll take the monster down, but only if someone brings her the ‘Hydragon’s Soul’?*

—

…MintChocoDelicious?

That was a handle known exclusively to the player base. No inhabitant of Pangenia could possibly know it—yet the man in seat 1 had claimed it as his own.

*Is MintChocoDelicious an imperial operative?*

The Empire’s hatred for players was no secret. Had he managed to infiltrate their highest ranks? Or was this entire exchange a sophisticated trap designed to expose me?

I maintained my composure, my face a mask of indifference. I owed my lack of reaction to my ‘Eternal Lord’s Heart’ trait, which granted me an unshakable mental state.

Just then, a familiar chime sounded.

《A new ‘notice’ has been released.》

The announcement manifested once again, mirroring the previous day. The timing was impeccable. If he truly was a player, he wouldn’t be able to ignore this.

*-…It seems Baal of the Four Evils is making a move toward Earth. Do you have a plan to stop it?*

To my surprise, seat 1 addressed the notice directly. There was no way he could have known it would appear at that exact second. Did this confirm his identity? Was he actually the legendary MintChoco?

I realized I couldn’t keep playing dumb forever.