Chương 516: Chapter 485: No More Hiding

"What do you mean the price of tickets has gone up to fifty coins?" Rina shouted at the Chel'Kari behind the counter. Her face was red, and a bit of spit landed on the fishbowl.

"It is simply the natural outcome. We handed out more coins than ever today, which means prices must rise. Have you never worked with economics before? If you have a good everyone wants, the price increases accordingly." The Chel'Kari delivered this in a calm, neutral tone, which only made Rina angrier.

"So now we can only stay for one night before facing certain death? We can't possibly gather enough materials to reach fifty coins!" Even in her anger, she didn't pose any real threat to the Chel'Kari.

"Oh, we are always thinking of our trading partners. However, you made a small error—we are no longer accepting materials. All such quests have been terminated." Rina stared at him, mouth open, before snapping.

"What?! You're throwing us out! We have no chance of surviving the night for long—this is murder!" Her emotions were all over the place, but the Chel'Kari remained completely unfazed.

"Please, there is no need for such accusations. As I said, we do care about our partners. That is why we have introduced new quests that reward exactly fifty coins. Materials are no longer useful to us. No—we require labor now, which is why the assignments have changed. You may join one of our crews. As mentioned, the reward is fifty coins. However, deductions may apply if the captain is not satisfied with your performance." That broke something—not just in Rina, but in everyone standing behind her.

The survivors from the kelp ball began shouting, swearing, some even releasing their aura. The guards immediately stepped closer, clearly prepared for this reaction.

"Calm down, or we will remove you and confiscate your tickets. Those who cannot behave have no place in this city," the guard commander roared. His overwhelming aura filled the chamber, and the humans fell silent at once.

"Good. Then everything is settled. I wish you all a comfortable night on the streets," the Chel'Kari behind the counter said dismissively. Rina and the others just stood there, stunned—caught between horror and rage. While they remained frozen, another Chel'Kari entered through a door behind the counter. It had purple chitin armor and carried a sheet of paper in one claw and a small black sphere in the other. Unlike the others, it didn't seem rushed or bothered by the hostile atmosphere at all.

"New orders from headquarters," it said calmly.

"There has been an anomaly on this planet. A normal human—without a blessing—won the first treasure hunt." The Chel'Kari with the fishbowl turned toward him.

"That should be impossible. And with how many points did he win? Probably just a coincidence."

"Normally, I would agree. But the event was rated at level seven difficulty."

"A level seven trial? Really? That's unheard of. Quite impressive for a normal human to barely beat the Chosen of this world."

"Oh, he didn't barely win," the purple one corrected, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Second place was the Chosen of Tenebrice—you know, the most powerful vampire god. He had five hundred million points. The human had over a billion." That finally got a reaction.

"Over a billion?" the Chel'Kari repeated, stunned.

"Anyway, it may not concern us directly. But if you encounter a human named Thalion—with red glowing eyes, golden skin, and wearing an ornate red robe of a blood ritualist—you are to report it immediately." Hearing this, Thalion subtly suppressed his passive eye skill. His glowing embers faded, leaving only the appearance of red, vampire-like eyes. The humans around him were already giving him strange looks—but he acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Yes, I will immediately inform the higher-ups if I encounter such a powerful high E-grade," the Chel'Kari behind the counter said with a dutiful nod.

"Very good—but he was actually F-grade when he won that trial. So you should be looking for someone in early E-grade now. A monster like this Thalion has probably gained several levels since then. We also have an image of him to help you identify him. Keep it here—most of the new humans probably don't even know what a blood ritualist's robe looks like. Anyway, have a nice day." With that, the purple Chel'Kari placed the black sphere into a runic circle on the table.

The runes lit up, and an image formed half a meter above it—depicting Thalion sitting casually on a railing, his hair flowing in the wind. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. … What did that merchant do—and why am I posing like that? Thalion thought. He looked more like a model in a photoshoot than anything else.

"What are you still doing here? Make room for the others—and remember to report this Thalion if you see him. There will be a substantial reward. Now move along. I have other customers." Thalion was more than happy to be pushed out of the building and walked calmly onto the open plaza. Rina staying right beside him—and staring at his mask—didn't help at all. The moment they stepped outside, she grabbed his arm and shoved him against the wall of the massive building.

"Hey, what was that? If you're really that strong, why didn't you help us—or at least say something?" She looked like she was about to snap.

"Okay, think about it. If I were that powerful, you wouldn't be able to push me against a wall, right? So maybe calm down a bit," Thalion said, trying to defuse the situation. She wasn't a threat to him—even if she tried.

"Yeah, sure. Do you think I'm stupid? Same name, same clothes—and those eyes, too. What an unfortunate coincidence." Fair point. Still, Thalion was momentarily distracted by Saranya complaining that she hadn't appeared in the image at all. Before he could respond, a loud alarm suddenly cut through the air. It was shrill and piercing. Red runes across the buildings and streets lit up, and a booming voice echoed through the city.

"We are under attack. All citizens take defensive positions. Do not interfere with the guards, or you may be treated as hostile." That wasn't all. The plaza seemed to serve as a gathering point, and within moments it was packed with people. Rina released him, staring wide-eyed toward the city walls, where powerful auras erupted as the Chel'Kari defenders unleashed their full strength. But the chaos didn't stop there. The bullies had returned—and this time, they had even more people with them.

For them, this was the perfect opportunity.

"Hello, Rina. We've heard quite a bit about you," a broad-shouldered, bald man with several missing teeth said with a grin. He looked exactly like the kind of man you'd expect to lead a group like this.

"Do you really want to risk something like this inside the city? You know what the punishment is," Rina snapped. The man just laughed, joined by his group.

"Really? The guards seem a bit busy right now. I'm even giving you a chance—hand over your coins and tickets, and no one gets hurt." That was, of course, where opinions split. Rina and the others weren't willing to give up a single coin. The bullies were outnumbered—but clearly the better fighters. Not only were they higher level, they also had far more experience fighting other humans. Thalion considered his options. He could kill them all.

And with the Chel'Kari distracted by the attack, it would be the perfect moment to deal with the incursion pillar as well. Just as he was about to decide, a system notification appeared. Hello, Lyrian again This is the last notification before the second system event begins in three days Thalion's mind was racing. Too many things were happening at once, and he wasn't sure how to approach this unusually complex situation. Now that he thought about it—how had this incursion obtained his image?

The merchants he had saved must have survived and sold it. But how were they connected to this place? In theory, the distance between them should have been far too great. And how had the merchant woman even learned that he had won the treasure hunt? Questions upon questions and no answers. His thoughts were interrupted as more auras flared around him. The bullies were preparing to attack the other citizens. Just as he was about to drop his cover and deal with them himself, a loud thud echoed through the plaza.

A Chel'Kari corpse landed beside them. Half its body was missing, and what remained wasn't in much better shape. The chitin armor was shattered in multiple places. The gathered humans stared in shock at the remains. Then she arrived. A woman with long blue hair and eyes as deep as the ocean landed beside the corpse. Her aura had been concealed at first—but a moment later, it exploded outward, overwhelming everyone present. Water gathered behind her, condensing into a deadly formation. It was obvious.

She had come to wipe out the entire city. And she didn't seem to need any help.

"Wait!" the bully shouted, hands raised defensively, eyes wide with panic. She didn't hesitate. The water behind her condensed into ten spears and shot forward. Some raised their arms in desperation. Others screamed. A few managed to conjure weak shields. It wouldn't have been enough. But Thalion was faster. A crimson barrier rose between them and the attack. It pulsed with power, blocking the full force of the strike—only a few cracks forming along its surface. The woman's head snapped toward him.

And that was when he recognized her.

"Seraphina?" he asked, surprised. What were the odds of meeting her here? She reacted instantly to her name, tilting her head—but with the mask and his altered appearance, she didn't recognize him. So Thalion released a portion of his aura and removed the mask.

"Thalion? What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, finally connecting the dots. The red eyes and golden skin were new—no wonder it had taken her a moment.

"YOU KNOW EACH OTHER?!" Rina shouted, jumping back. The others followed, slowly retreating. No one wanted to get caught in the crossfire.

"Hm… I'm not entirely sure," Thalion said casually.

"I've mostly been leveling. I also wanted information—and the incursion pillar. By the way, why are you running around mass-murdering on your own? And what happened back in the tutorial? We could have used your help against the undead. That was way too close." Everything felt slightly surreal.

"I killed most of my people. Only a few escaped after I renounced my blessing," Seraphina replied, absentmindedly playing with a strand of her blue hair.

"Turns out my mother is the Chosen of Mari—and she's on this planet too. They are hunting me, so I need to get stronger as quickly as possible. Because of that, I couldn't participate in the first system event. I assume you didn't either?"

"It was fine. Pretty hard, but I ended up in first place," Thalion said with a shrug.

"You lying bastard," Rina muttered from a few meters away. Seraphina's head snapped toward her at the insult.

"Let's talk later—after we've killed everyone in the city, alright?" That, of course, was not alright. At least not entirely.

"Actually… could you leave the humans alive? Not everyone—this group over there was pretty annoying. But I need information. So don't kill the Chel'Kari with the fishbowl helmets. Also, I want to destroy the incursion pillar." He paused briefly.

"Yes… I think those are my terms. If you agree, I'm in."

"Fine by me," Seraphina said with a nod. She didn't seem entirely happy, but willing enough.

"By the way… before we start—do you still have that snake water form?" Rina, meanwhile, looked like her brain had stopped working entirely.

"Wa… wa… wa… water form?"