After stepping out of the engineering workshop, Kaito pulled his hood a little lower and vanished into the winding corridors of the Black Market. There was no time to linger — not with what he had planned.
The auction was still an hour away.
That gave him just enough time.
Let's deal with Everhold before things get noisy.
Slipping past cloaked NPCs and patrolling vendors, he found a discreet exit formation tucked behind an alchemist's stall. The same teleportation seal he'd used to enter flickered as he activated it again, and within moments, the quiet chaos of the Black Market vanished into a ripple of blue light.
When the light faded, Kaito found himself back at the edge of the forest. Without hesitation, he turned and began making his way toward South Glade Town.
.....
After 10 minutes, just beyond the South Glade perimeter.
The sun hung low, casting golden rays across the outer forests, and the air buzzed with faint tension. The chatter of players and the stomping of armored boots echoed faintly in the distance. From behind a grove of trees, he could just barely make out a familiar logo — a dark, angular crest etched across multiple players' backs.
Everhold Dominion.
There they were. Loud, arrogant, and gathered near the town outskirts like they owned the place.
Kaito moved in closer, crouching behind the foliage. There were around a hundred of them — some seated, some standing, all lazily watching the dungeon entrance as if they had all the time in the world.
Right at the center stood Rhine, arms crossed, barking some order at his subordinates.
Kaito didn't hesitate.
He stood up, casually strolling out of the trees.
Then — he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted:
"Hey, stupid! Rhine Yeah, you! Look here — I've got a gift for you!"
The heads of nearly every Dominion member snapped toward the voice.
Too late.
From beneath his cloak, Kaito hurled a bundle of Cryo-Core Orbs directly into their midst — a mix of Basic and Intermediate-grade units. The orbs shimmered mid-air, a deadly sparkle catching the sunlight as they soared like shooting stars across the grass.
"Time to run."
And run he did.
Kaito turned on his heel and bolted toward the opposite tree line. The second those orbs made contact, the blast radius would easily engulf everything within 10–12 meters — and he'd thrown enough to make sure even Rhine couldn't dodge in time.
The cryo core bundle hit the ground.
A flash.
A hum.
Then — BOOM.
The forest shook with the eruption.
Shards of fire-laced energy tore across the clearing. Screams echoed. Players were flung like ragdolls. Even those outside the core blast radius were knocked flat from the shockwave.
And by the time the smoke began to clear…
Kaito was gone and so were the players of Everhold dominion.
.....
While Kaito was making his way back toward South Glade Town, he had already sent a quick message to his team:
"Move the moment you hear a loud boom."
They didn't ask questions.
Inside the inn, Suzune stretched lazily on the bench near the window, twirling a dagger between her fingers.
"Man, what kind of boom are we talkin' about?" Kaede muttered, half-joking.
A second later, a muffled shockwave rolled through the ground — windows rattled, and the distant sky near the edge of town briefly flashed blue-white.
BOOM.
A thunderous roar echoed from the outskirts like a firework made of fire and lightning.
Suzune sat upright. "...That kind of boom."
Kaede was already up, clutching his staff. "That was some kind of magic, wasn't it?"
Hiroto peeked through the inn's door, then turned with a grin. "He really did it. Brother really does some incredible things sometimes."
Meirin exhaled and stood. "Good. Then we move. Formation."
The Genesis members quietly slipped out of the inn, moving in coordinated steps through the alleyways toward the Echoing Deep dungeon — exactly as planned.
....
Meanwhile…
At the South Glade Respawn Point, the air shimmered with golden light as player after player materialized on the platform.
Rhine appeared with a thud, landing on his back.
"God—DAMMIT!" he groaned, clutching his head. "What the hell was that?!"
Around him, several Everhold members were silent, some numb from the shock, some at the loss of their equipment.
One of them, still blinking, muttered, "I swear I saw a bag of marbles flying at us… then everything turned white."
Another chimed in, "No way those were just marbles. That was a freaking artillery strike."
Rhine sat up, veins bulging at his temple. "It was him. That damn Raen. He did this."
A scout then ran over. "Captain…. I saw the Genesis team going towards Echoing Deep Do we follow?"
Rhine's face twisted into a sneer as he got to his feet, dirt clinging to the back of his armor.
"Follow them?" he snapped, brushing off his chestplate. "Of course we follow them! That bastard just made fools out of us in front of the entire town!"
Rhine's communicator buzzed sharply before he could finish his command.
He glanced at the caller ID — his stomach sank.
[Guild Leader — Everhold Dominion]
Tapping the line, he braced himself.
A sharp, irritated voice barked through immediately.
"Rhine, are you brain-dead? I just watched the footage. Your squad got blown up by some fireworks shit— and in front of a crowd, no less."
Rhine opened his mouth. "Guild Leader, that was Raen—"
"I know it was Raen! And now the forums are flooding with clips of you face-first in the dirt! You've turned Everhold Dominion into a meme overnight."
"You've already wrecked the guild's image twice today. If it happens again, I don't care if you're my brother-in-law — I won't be able to keep you in command. You're not untouchable, Rhine."
Rhine grit his teeth, eyes narrowing.
"Before that guy reaches the next city, I want him wiped."
"I don't know how you do it but, I'm talking zero. Force a full death penalty. Wipe his EXP. Empty his wealth. Strip him down and make him log out crying."
"You let him get away now, and there's no point in calling us Dominion."
The communicator went silent.
Rhine stood frozen, his expression unreadable.
Behind him, a few Everhold players shifted uncomfortably.
"Uh... Boss Rhine?" one of them ventured. "What do we do now?"
Another followed nervously, "Should we chase them? Or wait near the dungeon?"
Rhine's fingers curled into fists.
"Do whatever the hell you want! Just leave me alone!" he snapped, his voice edged with frustration and something deeper — something dangerously close to despair.
The players instinctively took a step back.
He knew.
He knew that using his guild numbers in South Glade wouldn't work. Not anymore. Not against that guy.
After facing Raen, twice, Rhine had come to understand something most of his subordinates didn't:
That bastard wasn't just lucky. He wasn't just skilled either. He was dangerous.
And it terrified him.
I can't beat him head-on.
Not even with twice the numbers.
Yet he couldn't just walk away either.
Not when his brother had spoken.
No — not his brother. The guild leader.
Cruel, cold, and utterly detached.
Rhine was family by marriage, sure, but he was never family in that man's eyes.
He still remembered the day an officer was demoted in front of everyone for underperforming during a minor skirmish. The guild leader didn't blink. He didn't even look back.
Rhine had seen it in his eyes.
If he failed again, he wouldn't be spared. Family or not.
He took a deep breath, gaze falling toward the distant dungeon gate.
Even if we chased them now, Genesis would already be inside. There's no benefit.
And Kaito?
I don't even know where he's hiding. He could be watching us right now.
He exhaled sharply and made up his mind.
I need help.
This isn't something I can handle with numbers alone.
Time to hand this over to someone far more dangerous.