At this time, Kaito's second uncle forwarded him a message. It was from the thief he had stationed near Elder Faelion.
"Master! I found the place. There's an NPC going crazy here. I got killed once."
The thief's message was tinged with frustration. He had just reached level 14 and was eager to finally join the studio team in the Misty Palace dungeon to level up. Instead, he had been cut down by an NPC for no reason at all.
Soon after, Kaito spotted the thief at the resurrection point. The young man's expression brightened the moment he saw Kaito approach. Despite losing a level, he was still full of excitement. To many players, Kaito known to them as Raen was already an idol. But to Genesis members, there was more than admiration. They could actually see him, fight alongside him, and be part of his Team. That alone filled them with pride.
"Boss Raen!" the thief called out, almost bouncing where he stood.
Kaito gave him a nod and said calmly, "Don't worry. I'll take you leveling with the main team."
The thief's excitement flared even more. To him, it was already an honor. But Kaito's words weren't just to ease his loss. In truth, Kaito had recognized him. His in-game name, The Thief's Way, wasn't ordinary. In Kaito's previous life, that same man had become one of the god-tier thieves who dominated the leaderboards. Kaito had even written his name into the list he had passed to his second uncle for recruitment.
Back then, Kaito had thought he could handle everything with his memories from his past life. When he led Genesis through the Misty Palace King-level run, he hadn't bothered with expanding his core team beyond ten. He had believed ten would be enough. Technically, he was right they did clear it. But the cost had been high. Every one of them had been pushed to the edge, and it was far harder than he imagined.
That was the moment Kaito swore never to repeat the same arrogance. No matter what, he would expand Genesis' core team to twenty members, the maximum a team dungeon system allowed. And he would fill those slots with nothing but god-tier players the very same talents who, in his previous life, had climbed to the top. The Thief's Way was one of them.
With that promise in his mind, Kaito gave the thief one last reassuring look. "Stay ready. Once I finish here, you'll be brought into the main group."
The thief's chest puffed up with pride. He bowed gratefully, and Kaito left him behind, running straight toward the Holy Church of Light where the real threat awaited.
What he saw when he arrived made his face turn grim.
Elder Faelion, the man he had traded Demonic Rabbit meat to countless times, no longer looked like a priest of the Light. His body warped grotesquely as black energy wrapped around him. With a crack, a pair of wings sprouted from his back. They resembled the Mist Queen Demon's wings after her transformation, though smaller and slightly damaged. Still, they radiated Abyssal energy strong enough to make the air tremble.
But it didn't stop there. Every time Elder Faelion struck down an NPC or a player, a bloody aura rose from the corpse and merged into his body. His wings grew larger, and the black flames burning on them grew stronger with every kill.
"This is bad," Kaito muttered under his breath.
The South Glade Town guard leader was only a Level 50 Iron-rank boss. Against normal threats, that might have been enough. But a demonized silver-ranked boss like Faelion was far beyond the guard's power. Kaito could sense it immediately the suppression in level and rank was overwhelming.
Faelion had already slaughtered every NPC inside the church. His body now stood at the church entrance, blocked only by a dozen patrolling town guards. They formed a line, spears braced, trying to keep him contained. But Kaito could tell they wouldn't last long.
If Faelion broke free and rampaged through South Glade Town, it would be a disaster. The current crop of players had no way to resist. The streets would run red, and the piles of corpses would only fuel his growth further, pushing him into an unstoppable frenzy.
Kaito clenched his fists. "If he makes it out, this whole town will collapse."
His thoughts raced. Who could stop him?
One name came to mind immediately: Viscount Elrick.
Among the NPCs of South Glade Town, only two stood out the Guard Leader and Viscount Elrick. And Kaito knew the truth: only Viscount Elrick held the strength to fight a demonized Silver boss.
NPC titles were not just for show. In Glory, there were two kinds of nobles. Some inherited their titles, passed down through bloodlines. Many of them, over generations, had lost the true strength of their ancestors. They carried the name but not the power. But nobles with fiefs were different. Fiefs were not inherited lightly. They had to be earned. If a descendant failed to live up to the title, the kingdom reclaimed the land and the title itself.
This meant that Viscount Elrick, the current mayor of South Glade, had truly earned his rank through strength and merit, not inheritance.
Thinking of this, Kaito didn't hesitate. He turned sharply and sprinted, activating Wind veil Steps to boost his speed. His figure blurred as he cut through the streets like a gust of wind, racing straight toward the Viscount's Mansion.
When he arrived, he was surprised to see a crowd of players lined up outside the gates, waiting to receive quests. From their carefree chatter, it was clear that the chaos at the church hadn't yet spread through town. They had no idea what kind of disaster was unfolding just a few streets away.
Although Kaito knew that leaking this news to the Everhold Dominion would definitely lead to their annihilation once again, he still didn't do it. If he fattened up Elder Faelion, it would be depressing if he couldn't complete the mission in the end! Kaito muttered under his breath. He kept the knowledge to himself and pushed forward.
The guards at the mansion didn't block his way. Instead, they stepped aside as if they had been expecting him. Kaito sprinted past them, ignoring the curses and shouts of the players still waiting in line. To them, he was just another adventurer cutting ahead.
Inside the grand hall, Kaito spotted Viscount Elrick. The man wasn't entertaining adventurers, nor was he issuing quests as usual. He stood silently in the chamber, waiting.
"My Lord Viscount!" Kaito called out, running up to him.
Elrick's eyes turned toward him. Perhaps because the mission had already been triggered, he didn't appear surprised. Instead, he slowly rose to his feet, his aura calm but heavy. He had always held a favorable impression of Kaito since the time the young adventurer had returned his lost necklace, and that trust showed now.
"Oh, it's you," Elrick said evenly. "You came in such a rush. Have you discovered the whereabouts of the spy?"
Kaito nodded firmly, his breathing heavy from the sprint. "That's right! The spy is none other than Elder Faelion, disguised as a high-ranking priest of the Holy Church of Light. I exposed his identity, and when his disguise was broken, he went berserk!"
Elrick's expression hardened, his gaze sharpening like steel.
"I tried to hold him back," Kaito continued, voice steady, "but he was too powerful. I paid a heavy price and lost some of my strength in the fight. Right now, he's trapped inside the church by the brave guards, but they won't last long. That demon is far stronger than they are. I had no choice but to come and ask for your help!"