Chapter Ninety-Nine: Exposed?

Lancer calmly checked the time before heading toward the teleportation point. Along the way, he passed by several members of the FFF guild, who greeted him as usual. Naturally, Lancer responded in kind. No one could have imagined that just moments ago, these two groups had been playing a tense game of hide-and-seek—the hiders dreading the unspeakable punishments awaiting them once discovered, and the seekers each harboring their own secret motives. Lancer truly could not fathom how they managed to greet him so nonchalantly.

“Well, at least there’s something more important to focus on right now,” Lancer mused inwardly, also grumbling about the absurd one-month time limit imposed by that ridiculous hide-and-seek game.

Standing before the Blood Pact's gates, Lancer couldn’t help but sigh. Their facilities, while not necessarily more expensive than his own guild's, at least looked far superior. He silently cursed the youthful whim that had influenced his choice of residence.

As one of the top frontline guilds, its members were naturally experienced frontline players. Upon seeing Lancer, they greeted him warmly. Meanwhile, a few so-called "newcomers," unaware of the frontline situation, whispered questions about Lancer to those nearby.

Without ceremony, Lancer pushed open the door and found Asuna reporting to someone. Beside her stood a figure who had appeared less than five minutes ago but was said to be a high-ranking official. Listening intently to Asuna’s report, the man gave off an aura that made Lancer want to mock Kazuto Kirigaya—within the guild, Asuna handled most of the daily management, while Kirigaya was more of a spiritual figurehead. If Lancer didn’t know Kirigaya was the mastermind behind everything, he would have warned him not to be sidelined.

Asuna paused appropriately upon hearing the door open abruptly. Though the Blood Pact’s office had no entry restrictions, few would dare enter without knocking.

“Please leave. I have business to discuss with Guildmaster Lancer,” Kirigaya waved the others away. Lancer obediently took a seat nearby, muttering, “Why isn’t there a sofa in this room?”

Asuna glanced worriedly at the two men inside. The last time they’d met alone was during the campaign to conquer the fiftieth floor. Since there was no twenty-fifth floor, that stage had been a significant hurdle. This time, however, did not seem related to that matter; they had only just reached the seventieth floor, still some distance from the seventy-fifth. Despite her concerns, Asuna stepped out.

Once the door shut behind them, Kirigaya made no attempt to conceal Lancer’s summoning of a massive screen, which transformed the entire room into a sea of data.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Lancer asked coolly, arms crossed, the only furniture remaining the chair he sat on.

“Nothing much. I suppose you’ve already figured it out,” Kirigaya shrugged, holding a cup of coffee.

“How did you find out?” Lancer’s gaze sharpened, no longer the relaxed demeanor he had on entry.

“You have someone above you, don’t you?” Kirigaya sipped his coffee without directly answering, instead cryptically gesturing upwards.

“How do you know that?” Lancer didn’t care if his information had been exposed. Renge had not imposed strict confidentiality, but Lancer preferred to keep things simple. Revealing his identity would only cause complications and potentially alter the original course of events.

Since arriving in this other world, Lancer had been changing gradually, but ultimately, everything tended to revert to its original trajectory. This world was no different, for there existed a true “God” who could alter the rules at will or restore them effortlessly. Thus, Lancer had always proceeded cautiously to avoid uncontrollable changes. Yet now Kirigaya had openly confronted him—something Lancer had never anticipated.

“Fine.” Lancer stood and locked eyes with Kirigaya. As he rose, the chair dissolved into data and vanished from the space.

One was the world’s “God,” controlling all lives; the other, a butcher feared by both dark creatures and nobles alike on countless battlefields. Their silent confrontation was a contest of will, each attempting to dominate the other with sheer presence. Gradually, Lancer gained the upper hand. Kirigaya controlled most lives but not Lancer’s—and Lancer was under a threat: Renge.

Renge’s presence represented countless possibilities. The scientists’ atheism was outright refuted. She held what was most precious to Lancer. He had fought to his current position for his dream, driven himself mad for that dream, even holding hostage the lives of everyone in the game solely for it. Lancer could not judge him; this was a man who sacrificed everything for his dream.

“Alright, I admit defeat,” Kirigaya said, not with sorrow but resignation. Then he asked Lancer, “Can you tell me your identity?”

“What good would that do you? Just tell me why you sought me out.” Lancer was no braggart who liked to broadcast his affairs. Though Renge hadn’t demanded secrecy, he preferred fewer people knowing about this.

“Very well...” Kirigaya reverted to his usual self. The world of flowing data remained, but now there were two sofas and a small table.

“Have a seat.” Kirigaya picked up the tea and took a sip.

Lancer sat down without pretension. “Can we get something to eat?” he suddenly asked.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Kirigaya rolled his eyes, and soon various pastries appeared on the table.

“Come out, Tianyi!” Lancer called.

“Nana~ Can I have some?” Tianyi appeared immediately, kneeling on the sofa where Lancer sat, pointing at the pastries.

“Go ahead. I ordered them just for you.” The only person Lancer knew with advanced cooking skills was Asuna, and she was no fool—if he couldn't justify it, it wouldn’t happen. Now, with a free food provider, Lancer wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

Kirigaya stared speechless at Tianyi enjoying the food. Renge had revealed Lancer’s identity but never mentioned Tianyi. As an electronic diva, Tianyi was a resident of the digital world, not an outsider like Kirigaya. Naturally, Kirigaya had never noticed her. Even now, Kirigaya found no records of Tianyi in his logs. Curious yet unwilling to waste time, he turned to Lancer.

“Do you know the labyrinth beneath the first floor?”

Kirigaya asked, and Lancer, acquainted with the Tooth King for quite some time, naturally knew that area was a training ground for the army.

After Lancer nodded, Kirigaya continued, “The labyrinth has undergone changes these past few days that even I cannot reverse.” He waved his right hand, and a picture instantly appeared before Lancer—nothing but a lush patch of grass.

“Grass? What’s wrong with it?” Lancer saw nothing unusual—just grass.

“While there’s grass inside the labyrinth, there’s no such highland grass. Ordinary players can’t fight sudden enemies in such terrain.” Kirigaya then sent several more photos to Lancer.

“Moreover, I can’t scout this patch of grass. From the last visual memory of several players who broke in and died, it’s certain someone’s there.” Though Kirigaya had caused many deaths, he wasn’t a psychopath. Knowing someone was killing people in his territory and being unable to stop it, he turned to Lancer.

“Any findings?” Lancer asked out of habit, knowing Kirigaya probably felt cornered.

“Yes.” Kirigaya nodded and replied, “Blue-and-gold armor and a longsword set with a blue gem—that’s all we’ve found. The image is too blurry to see the person.”

Lancer froze at Kirigaya’s words, then whispered in disbelief, “Could it be...”

Sa~ Sorry everyone~ VBF was just too... well, I just finished typing it now~ Here it is~