"What do you want?"
Chen Qi looked at Taruno Gike, his face devoid of expression. The private detective seemed to have his own agenda.
'Of course, if he's overreaching with some delusional fantasy, then I'll just have to apologize.'
"Lord Executor, I have no other intentions. I simply wish to follow and serve you."
Taruno's eyes burned with fervor. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
He had made his decision the moment he saw the video.
······
"Heh. Worthy of the most famous private detective. It seems you know some things you shouldn't."
Although the title "Executor" surprised him, Chen Qi remained perfectly calm.
'In my mind, Executor must be another term for a player.'
'The King's Game has been running for who knows how many years. It's not surprising that a few resourceful people have managed to gather bits and pieces of information.'
Facing Taruno, Chen Qi was now in a position of power, holding all the cards.
"Lord Executor, I truly didn't mean to invade your privacy."
"There have always been rumors in the Dark Web World. They say that after King Gutaf established a Monarchy in the Lanyu Kingdom, he appointed 52 Executors to help solidify his throne and rule the Kingdom."
"Legend says that the Executors not only have secret identities but also possess special abilities."
"That is why I took the liberty of making a guess about your identity."
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Taruno's temple. Chen Qi's calm, bottomless stare was suffocating, making it hard for him to breathe.
His instincts, honed through countless brushes with death, told him that if his answer failed to satisfy the man before him, he would be dead in the next second.
······
"It seems you know quite a bit!"
"So tell me, why do you want to work for me? What makes you worth my while?"
Chen Qi's expression remained impassive, but only because he was doing his utmost to suppress his excitement.
'This Taruno fellow has really given me a surprise.'
The so-called Dark Web World was a network of mercenaries, information brokers, smugglers, and other underground forces.
'I didn't expect this private detective's business to be so extensive, reaching into the underbelly of society.'
'Of course, that was just a minor surprise. The real prize was learning the origin of the Executors.'
'If the Executors Taruno mentioned really are players, and you combine that with the name "King's Game," then King Gutaf of the Lanyu Kingdom becomes highly suspicious.'
'Assuming all the Cards in the "King's Game" correspond to a standard deck of playing cards...'
'...then the 52 players would hold all the cards except for the two Jokers.'
'Could the holder of the Big King Card be King Gutaf?'
'It's hard to believe this is a coincidence. The rumors from the Dark Web World might not be baseless after all.'
'If my guess is right, Gutaf became King 43 years ago.'
'And that means the King's Game has likely been active for 43 years.'
'How utterly chilling!'
······
"Lord Executor, I want to pledge my loyalty to you because I hope to gain your protection!"
"As you know, in my line of work, it's inevitable that I'll make a few enemies. Especially now that I have dealings in the Dark Web World."
"I believe I have a talent for gathering intelligence, so I should be able to provide you with some small assistance."
Taruno spoke with great apprehension; this was the biggest gamble of his life.
The moment Taruno guessed Chen Qi was an Executor and realized he hadn't yet established his own intelligence network, he knew this was his chance.
He didn't want to be a private detective for the rest of his life.
······
"I have to admit, you're very smart. I've always admired smart people—especially those who have the courage to seize an opportunity."
"This is a check for one million. Take care of Hu Wanhai for me."
After a moment of thought, Chen Qi decided to accept Taruno's pledge of allegiance.
'What I lack most right now is information of all kinds, and Taruno has shown up at the perfect time.'
'If he can pass this test, I'll increase my support for him.'
'I can't believe the other players don't have their own intelligence networks. I absolutely cannot afford to fall behind in that department.'
······
"Rest assured, Lord Executor. Within three days, Hu Wanhai will completely disappear from the face of the earth."
Taruno excitedly took the check. He knew his gamble had paid off.
As for how to handle Hu Wanhai, with money, that was never an issue. The Dark World was crawling with assassins.
Chen Qi was very satisfied with Taruno's performance. 'A smart man, indeed.'
'In contrast, Ireland, who started as a vagrant, is both stupid and reckless.'
'He's a billionaire now, but he's still getting into jealous squabbles with a gang leader.'
'And what's even more foolish, he got personally involved in a real-life brawl?'
'Wouldn't it be easier to just crush the guy with money?'
'In any case, even with a Superpower, I have no intention of charging into the enemy's den to take out Hu Wanhai myself.'
After seeing Taruno out, Chen Qi once again immersed himself in an ocean of knowledge.
He was now desperate to decipher all of Jomoya's diary and learn more of the King's Game's secrets.
'Otherwise, if I foolishly run into other players, I might get screwed over and killed.'
'The wealth and status I have now are nothing but a beautiful bubble.'
'It's fine to enjoy it, but I absolutely cannot get lost in it like Ireland.'
······
Magic—or more specifically, the Magic of the Temya Magic Academy—was completely different from what Chen Qi *thought* it would be.
There was no meditation like in novels and anime, nor were there any "mana strings" or "magic crystals."
It was recorded in the book *Magic Introduction* that for a Mortal to master Magic, they needed a Spirit Awakening.
After Spirit Awakening, one had to use the Special Sensing between Heaven, Earth, and Man to construct a Magic Array. This Array was used to Summon the Four Symbols Book. Only after signing a contract with the four elements—Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water—could one obtain Magic Power and cast Magic.
'The books I found earlier, like *Celestial Star Geography* and *Earth Vein Structure Science*, are prerequisite knowledge for constructing a Magic Array. I don't need to rush to learn them just yet.'
'What I need now is Spirit Awakening.'
But the method for Spirit Awakening described in the book was written in a very... peculiar tone. It was filled with unwillingness and resentment.
For this to appear in a textbook was truly surprising to Chen Qi.
"In 14533 AD, the World Government, led by the V5, promulgated the first Human Covenant since its founding: the *Human Spiritual Awakening Bill*. From that point on, all other paths to power vanished. Only one method of Awakening remained in the human World, and the glory of Magic was no more."
Huh?
Chen Qi stared at the passage, completely bewildered. 'So, Magic is obsolete?'
Of course, Chen Qi knew about the World Government and the V5.
The V5 referred to the five great super-Empires. The World Government was the Human Alliance, formed by the V5 in conjunction with all the other nations of humanity.
Today, the World Government had grown to include 7,000 member nations and adjudicated all disputes in the human World.
'But the *Human Spiritual Awakening Bill* is outside my scope of knowledge. This is probably the sad reality of living in a small country like the Lanyu Kingdom.'
'The great achievements of human civilization are rarely felt here.'