"What did he just say?!"
"Check the cameras and the databases immediately. I refuse to believe our classified archives have been compromised."
"Impossible. He has to be bluffing."
"There's no evidence of theft."
"What sort of trick is he trying to pull now?"
Voices erupted in every direction — shock, dread, suspicion, and anger colliding all at once — when Eden continued, "By now, some of you have already inspected your archives."
"Huh." A faint, amused snicker slipped from Eden before he spoke again in that same leisurely calm. "Relax. The original documents are still in your possession. I merely produced additional copies of them."
"Inconceivable! There is no way anyone could steal those documents, let alone copy them right under our noses!"
"Many of you must think my claims are inconceivable," Eden murmured thoughtfully, tapping his chin.
"I wonder… how many of you would believe me if I said that not a single member of the Information Guild ever scoured for intelligence — except for yours truly?" Eden pressed a palm to his chest, grinning.
"Has he gone mad?"
"There's no way a person could be that capable; I refuse to believe it."
"Exactly what game is he playing?"
"Now that all of you are riled up…" Eden continued, his tone teasing, "I suppose I'll resume the story I left off earlier."
"You see, when I saw that corpse, I wondered, 'Why did he die?'" Eden murmured. The viewers scowled; it was obvious he had ratted the man out.
"What simple-minded answer — 'I ratted him out, thus I caused his death' — isn't that what you're all thinking? Well, not everyone, it seems," he added, a subtle grin spreading across his face. "No need to stare at me so intently, dear contenders."
Taking his time, he added, "I started to contemplate that man's death, and soon... My contemplation led to a revelation."
"All of this happened because the man asked for a loan. Why take a loan? Because money is a necessary tool for survival.'" Eden's eyes narrowed dangerously as he uttered these words.
"Many people hoard all the money they can to fulfill their desires," he continued, "but wishes are endless. True, some may hoard it for their family's better life, yet even the wealthy remain dissatisfied, always wanting more and more."
"In the end, everyone became a greedy dragon, hoarding whatever riches they could," Eden said with a genuine sigh. "What a sad state of affairs."
"Hypocrite."
"What is he even trying to say?"
"This man has gone senile."
"I know very well what everyone thinks of me. I can recite every word you all just said," Eden murmured. "You see… There isn't a single piece of information anyone can hide from me in this Transparent World I see."
At his words, several sharp-minded listeners narrowed their eyes, focusing on the terms 'Unhideable intel' and 'Transparent World', wondering, 'Does this have something to do with his unknown resonance ability?'
"The truth I realized when I saw that hung man — that hoarding resources would drive others to desperation for survival," Eden's voice turned cold, "is unforgivable."
"You may think I, too, fall into that category… but for those who hold immense wealth, tell me: what have you given to society?" Eden challenged, pointing sharply. "The Information Guild has provided employment, care, and service to all, without discriminating by class or affiliation."
"In the last decade, the Guild has actively offered immense financial aid to those struck by Lament, and continues to do so to this day," Eden pressed. "Now, those of you with wealth, what have you done? After achieving your riches, did any of you strive to contribute to the welfare of mankind?"
"What impudence! This is blatant slander!"
"Our family has been generous!"
"I am known as the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist!"
"Does he want to start another fight?"
"I am not ridiculing the donations you have made," Eden said, his voice cold. "Instead, I am questioning your method of giving — how you judge others based on their character and your biases."
"Tell me," he continued, eyes narrowing with disappointment, "what glory has that meager credit you gave achieved if you still divide the struggling based on their class? Doesn't your way of giving resemble more of an investment than true charity?"
"And if you wish to argue that we of the Information Guild are the same, where is your proof?" Eden paused, a triumphant grin on his face, "Oh, right, you have none."
"Hehehe," Letting out a satisfied laugh, he continued. "Whenever the Guild distributes resources, they simply leave a pile for anyone to take — no personnel present to decide who deserves what."
Eden sneered. "That was also my decision, for I knew that distinguishing people by class or affiliation would never dismantle the very system I loathe."
"Yet what I found most revealing in this act of giving was how some hoarded the wealth that was offered, while others took only what they needed," Eden said, a faint smile crossing his face.
"It was then I truly realized that unless I held complete control over the global economy, the vicious cycle would persist." Eden put his palm forward before curling it. "That is why, decades ago, I set out to seize the world's fund in the palm of my hand."
"Haah… a pity. Those dogs I once fed ended up biting the hand that raised them while they were still pups," Eden sighed, a sad smile touching his lips. "Honestly, I should have destroyed them then and there, but…"
"I became indebted to them, because another realization dawned on me." His tone grew melancholic. "Seizing the world's funds was never difficult for me. I could have created a utopia where everyone had at least food, shelter, and clothing."
"However… once I became the ultimate giver, who would give after me?" Eden voiced the thought that had gnawed at him.
"If I broke the cycle of economic disparity overnight, wouldn't I simply create an even more vicious cycle — one of complete dependency?" Eden asked, helplessly shaking his head. "I would end up achieving nothing."
"Pitiable, aren't I? With no teacher to guide me through this wretched life, I walked a path of destruction as— kugh—" Eden hacked up a mouthful of blood, crimson spilling from all seven orifices as he forced out, "—as I was never given proper guidance."
At that brief display of weakness — the simple act of coughing blood — a great shift rippled across the world.
Transparent, glass‑like pearls shimmered across the sky, visible to all for three full seconds before, with a mere gesture of Eden's hand, they vanished into thin air.
Yet the damage was done, and an uproar immediately followed.
"What were those?"
"My Resonance never detected them."
"How strange… I couldn't feel their frequency at all."
"Was that the Guild Master's Resonance ability?"
"I suppose the cat's out of the bag!" Eden declared with a blood‑streaked smile as he began removing the three layers of his clothing — revealing a horrific sight to the world.
Eden's chest was open — no, not torn, but fully transparent like flawless glass. "The Information Guild had only one true collector of intelligence," Eden stated, "and that was me. My Resonance ability, which I call the Sleepless Eye, has been watching over all of Solaris III."
"By constructing glass constructs and arranging them according to the world's natural ebb and flow — hiding them from sight — I observed this ignorant world for nearly eighteen years… completely unaware that my ability had been operating in perpetual Overclocking mode," Eden confessed in self-mockery.
"What a sad state of affairs, honestly— puke." Vomiting another mouthful of blood, he forced himself to continue, "Time is ticking for me, so I believe it's best I bring this two‑decade farce to an end."
"I currently hold twenty‑two percent of the global wealth. If I simply die, the resulting upheaval would be catastrophic. That is why I have written a will, which I will now make public." Eden straightened slightly before beginning.
"I have allocated four percent of my wealth to my former employees. This amount will be distributed evenly to them every month until it runs dry." He paused briefly before continuing, "for the fifteen percent of my wealth..."
Eden drew a slow breath before he continued, "I have entrusted it to a Perpetual Purpose Trust, one designed to operate independently, managed by an autonomous system to ensure the money is used solely for building self-sufficient communities and providing a transient lifeline for the poor."
"Once active, the fund will run on its own, beyond any human control, gradually distributing resources according to measurable progress, ensuring that my wealth serves its purpose long after I am gone." By the time he spoke those words, Eden's figure resembled a crumbling sandcastle.
"Lastly… for the remaining three percent… I have transferred that fund to my once-trusted dogs. Heh!" Eden wore a sad yet grateful expression as he whispered, "Keep on being the Hounds you are."
"Now that we are in the finale," Eden pointed somewhere as the camera shifted toward what looked like a missile, "Being cooped inside my office, I came to miss those days when I watched fireworks by the lakeside."
"Me and the empire I built," Eden snapped his fingers as the missile activated and shot straight toward the mountain range.
Though singular at launch, it dismantled mid-air into tens of thousands of smaller missiles that rained down upon the range. A massive explosion followed as Eden spread his arms, declaring, "Only I alone can destroy both."
Eden's body was engulfed in the immense shockwave as debris tore through the scene, the camera feed collapsing into static before the broadcast cut out entirely.
The entirety of Solaris III watched this spectacle, unaware of the wilted howls of the Hounds.
"You are an absolute madman, Pookie," one of the Hounds muttered, while another chimed in, "Yeah, couldn't you have dissolved the Information Guild more cleanly?"
"Exactly, you even hurt yourself in the process," another agreed. Someone else added, "The real issue isn't that he's injured, but that he took the commission while still having fifty-one fractured bones."
"I still have a hundred and fifty left," Kurian whispered through the small earpiece, just as a low, husky voice joined in, "Kurian, are you certain about this resolution?"
"No need to fret, Leader…" Kurian replied with a faint smile, "I have devoted my life to the Ghost Hound. Everything I do may or may not benefit mankind, but it will always benefit the Ghost Hound."
Signing off from the call, Kurian stepped into the forgery. "Hey, Boss, would you mind taking a look at my sword?"
To be continued...