[Galaxy City.]
[Galaxy Association.]
The main hall of the Galaxy Association in Galaxy City was typically a hub of bustling commerce and strategic planning. Today, however, it was subdued, dominated by a pervasive, chilling tension.
Whispers replaced the usual chatter:
"Who is that man? I can't even stand ten meters from him without my Spirit Energy feeling constricted."
"I don't know, but he's undoubtedly a high-level fighter, maybe even a hidden King. Placing an S-rank mission on a low server is unheard of in the history book."
"The risk is suicidal. Spectral is freakishly powerful. We need to save our own world, not start killing our own pillars of strength."
"Even if the reward is a Legendary Class weapon and armor of your choice, we won't try it. That's a trap."
The unknown man, cloaked and hooded, walked with an almost silent, deliberate pace out of the mission hall, ignoring the palpable fear he instilled. His presence was so heavy it felt like a distortion in the atmosphere.
The relative silence was abruptly shattered by a shout of unchecked greed.
"Hey! Is this an S-rank Mission! Wow! Bring Spectral back, dead or alive, reward: Any Legendary Class weapon and armor of your choice! This is incredible!"
A player named Ken, his face flushed with excitement, stood beneath the glowing mission board, flanked by his three grinning guild mates. They were low level players, novices to the high-stakes politics of Galaxy Fall.
".....?!!"
Instantly, the cheerful faces of Ken and his team froze. They felt the overwhelming pressure—the combined, cold, killing intent of every player in the hall fixed upon them. Ken's smile evaporated.
"Umm... Leader—" one of his mates stammered, pointing at the crowd.
"What is this?!!!" Ken, the leader, instantly roared, swinging around to the nervous receptionist.
"How dare you accept such a mission and even place it here?! Do you want me to kill you, Peter!!" Ken yelled, grabbing the receptionist's collar.
'He changed this fast? He was just excited about the reward!' Ken's team thought in disbelief. Ken's panic was a desperate attempt to show solidarity with the high-level players who clearly despised the mission.
"Sorry. Sorry..." Peter stammered, his huge reading glasses falling on the desk. "I don't have the choice. He is just too powerful. He bypassed all protocols."
"TSK! Where is he?! He should come here now!! I will show him!!" Ken blustered, trying to save face.
"I am here."
A calm voice, devoid of inflection, spoke directly behind Ken.
"AHHH!!"
Ken let go of Peter and jumped away in fright. His team was stunned, having not registered the slightest sound of movement as the hooded man materialized inches away.
They quickly checked the stranger's profile:
[Information:]
[Name: N/A]
[Nickname: N/A]
[Level: 189]
[Attack: N/A]
[Health: N/A]
[Defense: N/A]
[Agility: N/A]
[Magic Attack: N/A]
[Note: Player status is heavily obscured by a seal.]
"Level 189?!" Ken shrieked in terror. He immediately bowed, repeatedly slamming his forehead close to the floor.
"I will never say anything bad against you, sir. Forgive my insolence!"
"But you said you wanted to see me," the man observed calmly.
"Um... That was..." Ken frantically looked around, then desperately pointed at the mission board. "Sir, please! Can you take away that mission?"
"Oh? Why would I do that?"
"You would do it because it's wrong! It undermines the very foundation of our survival!"
".....?!"
Everyone turned as Grace, flanked by a determined Phillip and her most trusted guild members, strode into the center of the hall. Phillip's face was set in a mask of cold fury.
Grace stepped directly in front of the hooded General, her posture radiating controlled defiance.
"You must take that mission off the board," she stated, her voice trembling slightly but remaining firm. "If you don't, we, the players will take it off. Your duty is to provide missions that strengthen us to fight the monsters, not turn us against one another. This mission won't only hurt individuals; it will fracture our future alliances! We cannot accept this self-destruction."
"How does it affect your future?" the man asked, his tone still utterly placid.
'Strange,' the General thought internally, slightly bewildered.
'These children aren't even scared of me, a Level 189 authority. Have humans changed this much in their resilience?'
"What are you saying, girl! This is a chance for massive power gain!"
All heads turned again as Ethan, the leader of a moderately powerful but notoriously warrior guild, entered the hall, followed by Miranda, Angela, Alice, and ten of his members. Ethan wore a sneer of naked ambition.
"You? Aren't you Senior Ethan? Why would you consider taking this quest? Spectral is also a student of the same university we all went to!" Phillip snapped.
"Loyalty is for the weak, Phillip," Ethan smirked. "We are here to gain. If we can take down that arrogant bitch, we can get stronger faster!" He looked out at the assembled players.
"What do you all say?! Do you think you can't be as strong as Spectral?! We can all get powerful!"
The crowd reacted not with excitement, but with contempt.
"Is this guy crazy? Spectral solo-killed five World Bosses in a row. He can't even kill one with his whole guild."
"And he calls her arrogant? What a fool. Just another greedy idiot."
"He might be one of the jealous ones. I am so disgusted he is a human like us."
".....?!"
Ethan blinked, surprised by the collective coldness, but quickly recovered, leaning into his pitch.
"This General isn't simple! He promises legendary gear! That shows his strength and his reach across the servers! I know most of you want to get back to search for your loved ones and restore our world. With these Legendary items, I will—"
"Senior Ethan! Don't try to convince anyone!" Grace interrupted, her eyes blazing. "We know what is good and what isn't! We aren't kids! We all need to get stronger together and fight as one! What you're doing is against that unity!"
"Hey! You're just a kid! How dare you speak to him with such disrespect?" one of Ethan's guild members yelled, stepping forward menacingly.
'It seems there are still some who are purely greedy, only thinking about themselves,' the hooded General mused, assessing the split in the room.
'The self-sacrificing idealism of the young against the ruthless ambition of the power-hungry. How does this fractured group even expect to defeat my target?'
He finally raised his hand, the subtle gesture drawing every eye in the hall. The air grew heavy once more, and all whispers ceased.
"I have made my decision," the man announced, his voice echoing slightly in the silence.
"My decision is..."