CHAPTER 257: AN INVITATION FROM THE GRAVES FAMILY

Gabriel fell silent for a moment, pondering. He highly doubted there would be anyone as reckless as him to overcharge the weapon—but at the same time, you never know.

Just to be on the safe side, he ordered Logan to continue creating the Hellfire Turret while giving him a long side quest to come up with a way to stabilize the overheating issue.

"Appreciate your help, Master Orin," Edgar said respectfully, giving a small nod.

The hologram nodded in return before fading out.

Gabriel didn’t spend too much time in Edgar’s shop. Now that he was here, there were still certain business transactions he needed to complete before thinking about returning to camp.

He quickly drove down to the black market.

On the way, he leaned back in the driver’s seat of the Kelsa truck, one hand lazily on the wheel while the other flicked open his system interface.

The [Realm of Ascendency Forum] loaded in seconds. He scrolled through the trending section, already certain that his actions in the dungeon would cause a widespread reaction.

The first topic title immediately caught his attention:

#1 TRENDING: "THE WHITE PHANTOM INCIDENT – WHO IS HE?"

He arched an eyebrow and tapped it open.

---

Thread: THE WHITE PHANTOM INCIDENT (Mega Post)

Player BlitzMage007: Confirmed footage from Monkey Paradise Dungeon! Timestamped clips attached—one masked player slaying thousands of players effortlessly.

Tabitha_Oliver: No joke, he literally moved faster than spell detection. My screen froze before the hit even registered.

Chris_Cole: He was smiling. I swear I saw it. Like he was enjoying it.

Kamynyx: No NPC fights that intelligently. Whoever he is, he’s not your average! I even dare to say that dude is on the same level as Broken Heaven!

Readerinthewind: They’re calling him "The White Phantom" now! Because he appeared, slaughtered everyone, and vanished like mist!

Name_le55: White Phantom... that name’s actually badass ngl.

VexedSoul: Badass? Dude, he wiped out over a hundred of us. He’s a demon in human skin.

Nickante: Still, respect. I’ve never seen swordsmanship like that. Not even from top guild elites.

---

Gabriel scrolled down a little more, watching post after post stack up, the views skyrocketing by the second.

2.3 million... 3.1 million... 4.5 million views.

The reactions were a mix of awe, fear, and wild theories.

’So they nicknamed me the White Phantom?’ he thought, not finding the title bad in any way.

In fact, he was terrible at coming up with names himself. Furthermore, he kind of found the name interesting.

He kept reading to kill time as the thread shifted to live reactions and memes.

---

Aminiminal: Someone zoomed in on his mask—it’s a custom item. No official blueprint exists for that design. Devs, care to explain?

AdminWatcher: Reminder: There is currently no confirmed report that "White Phantom" is an NPC. Please refrain from spreading misinformation.

Kyle_Hibert: Plot twist: He’s Broken Heaven’s alternate account.

OmegaYellow: You think so? Their fighting styles are completely different.

BigTank: Doesn’t matter who he is. I’m not stepping into Monkey Paradise ever again.

Nightmares: [attached image of a glowing mask appearing behind a screaming player avatar]

TheJadeBooty: DevSpy: Devs right now: [gif of people screaming in an office fire]

DaoCultivator007: ArcadiaGuildRep: He’s now officially the most-searched player on the network. Over 50,000 tags in the last 3 hours.

ForumBot: #WhitePhantom has reached GLOBAL TRENDING. Ranked #1 on the server for the past 2 hours.

---

He soon saw another thread—it seemed to be more of a debate.

Thread: "Was the White Phantom Right?"

Robert_Hooper_0487: He killed other players, sure. But they attacked first. Isn’t that self-defense?

Liam_Christie: Bruh, self-defense? He overkilled them. That’s not justice, that’s slaughter.

Daniel_Daye_4365: Doesn’t matter. Players respawn. No harm done. If anything, he proved how broken the current combat system is.

Jason_Miller: I say he’s a necessary evil. Someone needed to remind the loudmouths that strength has consequences.

Geronimo_Roum: That’s right. I heard from special sources that the AzureDawn Guild tried to take away his rifle and sell it off... if not, he’s been minding his business.

Alexis_Figuerora: The devs are probably sweating right now lol.

Gabriel tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting.

They weren’t wrong. The devs were probably panicking.

---

Some time later, he arrived at the black market. He drew quite the attention because of the Kelsa truck he drove.

Some players nearby felt the truck looked familiar and began whispering about it.

When they saw him step out, everything fell silent.

For a few seconds, no one dared to speak. The sight of that black coat and the faint metallic glint of his mask under the dim lamps—it was unmistakable.

One of the players near the entrance dropped his cigarette, his expression stiff. "T-that mask... no way..."

Another elbowed his friend. "Oi, that’s him, right? The guy from Monkey Paradise...!"

The whisper spread like wildfire through the crowded market hall. In seconds, the tension grew so thick that even the merchants paused mid-trade.

"White Phantom..." someone muttered under their breath.

The name struck the crowd like thunder. Players froze—some stepping back unconsciously, others whispering in panic.

"Why is he here?"

"Damn it, not this guy again—"

"I lost ten levels last time! I’m not fighting him!"

Gabriel wasn’t planning to fight anyone to begin with.

A burly warrior in a crimson cloak quickly unequipped his sword and turned around, pretending to browse a potion stall instead. Another—a mage—quietly deactivated his mana aura and avoided eye contact.

Similar things were happening all throughout the black market. A few even outright logged out.

He ignored all of them, not even glancing around. His boots clicked softly against the stone floor as he made his way toward Damian’s shop.

"How can we help you, sir?"

Because of the commotion, Damian had personally come out to receive the guest who had graced his shop.

Gabriel glanced around, and when no one was looking, shifted his mask slightly, revealing half of his face.

As soon as Damian saw this, his eyes lit up like stars. "Good thing you’re here. There’s something important I’ve been meaning to tell you... it’s about my family."