I was eventually able to free myself from the clutches of everyone present.
"...Ukh."
I gripped my collar, leaning against the side of the corridor for support. I couldn’t see my reflection in the mirror, but I didn’t need to... I could feel how much of a disheveled mess I must have looked. They had all latched onto me like octopi, squeezing from every direction and draining the air from my lungs.
’Remind me not to do this again.’
I still felt shivers just thinking about it.
But...
It didn’t feel too bad. At least, with this, I could now act more openly.
’I might not fully reveal my powers openly, but I’ll slowly start to transition and show glimpses of them. This way I can be more open about my need for fragments, and so on.’
This was something that I had debated for quite some time. It was a necessary step for my growth.
Trrr! Trrr—
"Hm?"
Feeling the vibration in my pocket, I pulled out my phone to check, though I quickly wished I hadn’t. The moment the screen lit up, my forehead tightened, lines creasing deep as I stared at it.
"What sort of...."
All sorts of people were sending me messages.
[Jamie]: That was crazy. I... didn’t think you’d actually go into a gate with sunglasses. You’re really a lunatic.
[Idris]: Wow, you’re a real maniac, aren’t you? I knew it beforehand, but damn... No wonder your games are so good.
[Ryan]: Boss... That was crazy.
After the initial wave of confusion passed, I found myself browsing the internet. That was when I stumbled across the flood of articles about the incident, and among them, a certain photo caught my eye.
"....."
One of them showed me, caught in the frame, wearing a pair of sunglasses.
Beneath me, a certain silver-haired figure appeared.
—Sunglasses in a gate? Who is this maniac...?
—This bastard kicked a girl who was that pretty. Get this fucker arrested!
—Who tf is this maniac lmaooo
—I know him. Check this out lol. This isn’t the first time he pulled this shit.
—Here’s his link. Fucking lunatic.
I stopped reading the comments from that point on. It was clear nothing good would come from them. Just a glimpse was enough to make my blood boil.
My heart sank as I closed down the comments.
All sorts of titles were being thrown around, some even dragging up a certain dark past of mine. Before I realized it, the name had started to undergo changes, until I was suddenly upgraded from the ’lunatic with the sunglasses’ to the ’ maniac with the sunglasses’.
The people in the comments weren’t the only ones who were talking about me weirdly. The people in the Guild, or more specifically, the people who had seen me in the last moments, were also looking at me weirdly.
The thought made my stomach churn, but I could only hold it in.
’I just did what was necessary to survive.’
Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, I slipped away toward a more private spot. Only then did I take out the fragments I had managed to recover from the gate.
"Hmm."
My brows knitted as I examined the fragments. Even at a glance, I could see they lacked clarity, their murky surface indicating their impurity. Though I had managed to clear the gate in the end, the result was far from satisfactory.
I understood somewhat why.
’In the end, I didn’t really find out the reason behind the fire at the hotel.’
No, maybe I did...
I sat back and thought about everything that had happened. While it was clear that the gate had changed significantly due to the involvement of the cult, it was also true that the hotel was linked to the cult.
Thinking about the last scene that I had witnessed, I came to a conclusion.
’The fire most likely started because the cult wanted to sacrifice people to start something.’
But what were they trying to sacrifice for? And why were they doing it again?
I was never able to find this out.
The only clues I managed to uncover were the strange mural with the faceless figure at the top and the number 71.
Besides that, I didn’t have anything else to go with.
’I know for a fact that there must be some sort of link, but I can’t seem to figure out what exactly that link is.’
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I scoured the internet for clues, but came up empty. I knew how important they were, and I wanted to uncover even the smallest lead, yet no matter how hard I searched, nothing turned up. It was almost as if all information about the mural was hidden.
Perhaps it was...
"...How annoying."
I even went as far as using the Guild database, but my clearance wasn’t enough.
In the end, the only thing I could do was give up.
"I’ll need to ask the Section Chief later, or even ask Kyle. Maybe with his clea—"
Trrr! Trrr—
As my phone buzzed again, I glanced at the screen to see who had messaged me. I stood up slowly, letting out a quiet sigh as I tucked the device back into my pocket.
"I guess it’s my turn."
It was time for me to write down my statement regarding the incident.
***
"Hmm."
Fingers tapped in a steady rhythm against the cold metal table. Behind it, the Section Chief sat hunched over, eyes scanning the scattered papers and statements piled before him. The stress of the workload was evident in the tight lines across his brow.
"...This is troublesome."
There were a lot of things that he needed to handle and take care of.
From the media’s framing of the incident, to the unexpected costs incurred for deploying agents into medical facilities, angry sponsors, and finally to the published rankings of the Trials. There were so many troublesome things that he needed to take care of.
Especially the rankings...
Due to the disruption caused by an outside influence, many participants were unable to perform at their peak. In addition, a number of key individuals sustained injuries, further complicating the aftermath.
This made the situation incredibly difficult for him. It put him in a really tight spot.
"Kyle and Zoey are a must, so that’s fine."
The two hadn’t done much in the Trial this time around, but it was mostly because they were under orders. Their role was to gather as many people as possible and keep them protected from whatever was happening. They fulfilled their job very well.
Aside from the two of them and their team, a few others stood out.
But in particular...
"This team."
The Section Chief played a particular clip. It showed a specific group managing the situation with remarkable precision. Everything unfolded seamlessly, without a single problem. Despite their relatively low Order, the team operated with the kind of calm efficiency that suggested years of experience.
For a brief moment, they gave off the impression of being a seasoned veteran unit, far more established than their rank would imply.
But it wasn’t like there weren’t any mishaps.
They did suffer one ’casualty’.
Nonetheless, their performance was extremely noteworthy. Enough to catch his eye, and the eye of the public, as several articles had been released about them. At one point, their stream in particular reached a total of [50,000] concurrent viewers.
Tensions were high. The comments were going wild.
Yes, it was none other than Seth’s group. Their performance was extremely noteworthy.
Trrr! Trrr—
Even now, his phone was buzzing with calls from sponsors. Things were looking up for them, but at the same time, the Section Chief felt troubled.
While their achievements were outstanding, a couple stood out especially.
The Section Chief stared at the monitor in front of him, his expression growing grim.
[Official Offer] — Seth Thorne 5,000,000$
[Official Offer] — Myles Holms 8,000,000$
Seth and Myles had finally begun to draw the attention of other groups. This was exactly what the Section Chief wanted to avoid, as he had hoped to keep their presence hidden for as long as possible.
"Shit."
The worst part was that he had no choice but to show them the offer.
He wasn’t willing to give them away, but he also couldn’t force them to stay.
"How troublesome. How troublesome..."