CHAPTER 158: THE CHURCH’S SUMMON

Gabriel replayed the videos a couple of times when he noticed something interesting about the dark summon.

Zooming in and slowing the frame, he discovered that the summon didn’t possess an ethereal body but instead appeared like a spectral entity made out of smoke.

However, within its smoky form, he was able to glimpse the insignia of the Holy Church.

He played the clip again, watching as the summon swelled, growing larger with every horde it devoured.

A cold thought pressed into his mind. What if the summon wasn’t just a beast—but a prototype? A weapon meant to devour players, monsters, maybe even entire guilds?

Gabriel pondered the best method to deal with such a summon. He didn’t need to be physically present to know that if the Adventurer Guild encountered this thing, it would be a disaster.

’Since tomorrow is the last day, the chances of running into this thing are pretty high.’

With a quick gesture, he continued scrolling through the chat, finding it entertaining to read.

Soon he found someone had posted another short clip. This time, the summon briefly clashed with a goblin general.

These generals were powerful. Even for Hero Ranks, surviving a confrontation with one was almost impossible.

If he wanted to know how big of a threat this summon was, then its encounter with the red goblin general was the best way to gauge it.

He clicked on the clip.

It showed a muscular, red-skinned goblin wielding a sword half its own size. After witnessing the carnage, the goblin general confronted the summon and slashed mercilessly, only for the wound to knit back instantly.

The clip ended with the goblin general’s head rolling across the ground, the summon letting out a hollow roar as its body swelled even larger.

’It’s unkillable.’ Gabriel’s eyes widened in shock. The comments just below the video were brutal.

...

DaoistHko: Nah nah nah, regen and devour??? Delete this trash.

Chris_Cole: Lmao cope harder. It’s balanced.

Kyle_Hilbert: Balanced? It ate a whole squad and leveled up MID fight. I’m uninstalling.

iiHOSSii: Funny how this only happens when the Holy Church is around... almost like it’s scripted.

Krillin01: If this thing shows up in our zone tomorrow, I’m logging off early.

Jessierose3600: That’s a goblin general—almost BOSS monster tier. And it looked like free EXP for that thing. What chance do we have?

maninder_bhatti: No way devs would give one guild a broken summon like that. Must be a bug.

KamiNyx: Bug my ass. Look at the regen speed—this is designed. That’s a prototype. A raid killer.

...

Gabriel’s eyes flickered at the screen as more and more reactions came flooding in.

ForumModAlt: Reminder—keep it civil. Stop spamming conspiracy theories.

Haifuri: Civil? That thing just soloed a general and got STRONGER. Next event it’ll eat us too.

LaughingLich: Watch, tomorrow it’s gonna wipe the Adventurer Guild live on stream. Can’t wait.

GuildlessKing: If the Holy Church really owns this... then GG. They’re about to sweep the event rankings.

Gabriel’s fingers lingered over the comments. He fought the urge to interact. He had questions too, but in the end he decided to hold back.

Just then, he saw another trend—this time, they were talking about him.

RedFangMain: Wait... someone confirmed it. Ken of Crimson Star is DEAD??

ChurchBeliever: Impossible. That guy was Level 86 and engaged to Lilith Valentine herself. No way an NPC did it.

’Engaged?’ Gabriel blinked. He hadn’t known Lilith Valentine and Ken were engaged.

Regardless, this revelation didn’t make him regret his actions. Ken had come for him—he’d be damned to let him have his way.

CrimsonStarFanboy: It’s not impossible. It’s confirmed. He was killed by that NPC "Broken Heaven." That bastard will pay.

ChaosFan13: LMAO first ChaosKnight, now Crimson Star. This NPC is on a guild-killing spree. Call him "Guild Destroyer."

Spectator10: Don’t joke around. Crimson Star won’t let this slide. That NPC’s days are numbered.

[Ding! You have awakened the title: Guild Destroyer]

’Another title?’

[Guild Destroyer: Enemies from guilds suffer -5% stats when facing you. Killing high-ranking guild members has a chance to cause [Panic] in their allies. Guilds see you as a threat; independents are more likely to ally.]

Seeing the title, Gabriel didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

It was both a fortune and a curse. If he wasn’t careful, he might make more enemies in the long run.

Moments later, he exited the forum when he couldn’t find anything else of interest.

For the rest of the night, Gabriel stayed awake, strategizing on how best to handle the monster if he encountered it—and how to prepare for backlash from Crimson Star.

It was always better to be prepared than caught off guard.

Meanwhile, throughout the Valerian Kingdom, news about Ken’s death had spread. On the streets, citizens whispered in hushed tones.

"What do you think will happen to that kid?" one person asked.

Another sighed, defeated. "That kid had a bright future ahead... able to solo three goblin generals at once. It’s unfortunate he killed Ken."

"Does this mean the Edgeburne military will attack the Valerian Kingdom over his death?"

"Even though Gabriel Reyes is powerful and talented, I don’t think the king would sacrifice millions of citizens’ lives. They’ll hand him over to Edgeburne if it comes to that."

Within the midst of the gossipers, a tall figure walked. If Gabriel had seen him, he would have recognized him instantly—Damian Grey.

"This is bad," Damian muttered under his breath, tucking his arms into his sleeves.

After watching the death of Ken along with dozens of Flaming Rose members, Damian had been shaken. Not because he was mourning, but because of the troublesome path Gabriel had chosen this early on.

"The only person who could protect him from the Edgeburne military and the Tempest family is Thomas Voss. But that old crook is currently unreachable. Who knows where he is now."

***

Author: Thanks to all those that support Extraction Talent with their valuable Golden tickets and power stones I really appreciate!