CHAPTER 72: MOST WANTED MAN

Gabriel and Anna returned to the outskirts where they had met the players before to make it easier for them to find him.

"Great job, you surpassed my expectations," he spoke as soon as they arrived, his voice sounding like that of a wise master addressing his students.

"Thank you, good sir," Ragnarok99 said. "It was all thanks to Sniperbowlegend here that we were able to pull it off."

"Oh, you flatter me too much. It was a joint effort." Sniperbowlegend scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.

"Still, if not for your great shot at that last moment, it would have been pretty hard to pull it off."

"So he can be this humble?" Bunny whispered beneath her breath, her eyes widening comically as if it was the most unbelievable thing she had heard.

Gabriel observed the banter without any intention of chiming in. When they eventually calmed down, he spoke again.

"Just as I promised, here are the items." He waved his arm, and the rewards simultaneously appeared in their hands.

This was no skill; rather, it was just him pulling out equipment from his inventory directly.

Bunny’s eyes widened in shock as she read the description and effects of her Frost Edge skill.

’An Uncommon rank at the start already! I thought the developers said the only available treasures that could be found at the start of the game were common treasures.’

Not too far away, Sniperbowlegend gasped after going through the details of the Wingleam Leather Bracers. Not only was it bronze rank, but the arrow travel speed boost was something extremely useful for someone like him.

Subconsciously, he began to feel bad that he would lose this item after the beta duration ended.

While everyone was testing out their various weapons with excited looks on their faces, Gabriel spoke again.

"Unfortunately, this is where we will part ways."

"Wait, you’re leaving already?" Bunny asked, her eyes slightly wide in surprise.

Gabriel gave a nod. "I still have many things to attend to in the capital. Whenever you want to find me, just head over there."

With that, he turned around to leave with Anna.

But suddenly, Bunny called out again.

"Wait, before you leave, I need to ask something.

He paused, raising a single brow. "And what’s that?"

"I know you won’t just attack the church for fun, so I was wondering, what did they do to you?"

As a streamer with over a million followers, Bunny knew this was critical information and would be a good subject to bring up in her streams to spark different theories.

"Like I said before," Gabriel calmly replied. "Come to the capital and find me, if you truly want to know."

"B-bu—" Before Bunny could continue, she realized that the two NPCs were long gone, and what was left in their place was a deep crater and debris.

"I guess we now have a new goal once the game officially starts," Sniperbowlegend whistled as he looked at the horizon.

"Yes, there’s something strange about this NPC." Bunny clenched her fist, eyes burning with new resolve. "When the real game begins, I’ll head to the capital to find him."

"Tsk, even I would find him, mind you," Ragnarok99 said. "NPCs like him who can easily give out such treasures are usually big shots."

Little did Gabriel know that his little action had a larger effect than he had thought.

Afterward, with the new treasures acquired, the group didn’t return to the city immediately. Instead, they spent the rest of their time hunting in the wilderness.

Thanks to the high-grade map that indicated monster hotspots, their leveling speed drastically increased. Day after day, they traversed dense forests and dry valleys, clearing out waves of beasts and rogue demons that roamed the outskirts.

Ragnarok99 remained as reckless as ever, often charging headfirst into battles. Yet, his skills noticeably improved with each fight.

Sniperbowlegend’s precision with his bow became sharper, able to shoot moving targets from impossible distances.

Bunny, on the other hand, slowly emerged as the group’s tactical leader, often directing them toward the best hunting grounds while keeping them away from overly dangerous zones.

Soon the end of the beta drew closer, and the trio met for one last time.

"Well... guess this is it," Ragnarok99 said with a faint grin.

"Yeah," Sniperbowlegend sighed, shouldering his bow. "But when the official servers open, we’re all heading to the capital, right?"

"Of course." Bunny smiled, her usual sarcasm missing for once. "We have to find him again."

***

At the same time, somewhere else, two players sat across from an individual in white, pristine armor bearing the symbol of the church.

One of the players was female, known as IceQueen, one of the top players famous for her high leveling speed in other games.

She was a silver-haired, ice-eyed beauty wearing a simple gown.

The other was ChaosCleric, a player clad in dark robes with crimson tattoos and a wicked grin on his face.

The armored man’s gaze slowly swept over the two seated before him.

"I’ll get straight to the point," he began, his voice deep and commanding. "There is an enemy of the church. His name... Broken Heaven. He’s a dangerous heretic who’s been causing trouble for the church."

"The church has deemed him a priority target. If you succeed..."

"You’ll be handsomely rewarded. Unique items, gold, and something even more valuable—access to restricted zones in the Holy City."

ChaosCleric’s grin widened. "Sounds deliciously chaotic. Count me in."

’A vague target with no clear starting point?’ IceQueen thought. ’Feels like a hidden quest.’

As if reading her mind, the man continued, "I trust otherworlders like you can handle such a mission. Of course, you may choose to ignore this task... but you’d be passing up on treasures few can obtain."

Just then, the developers monitoring the session realized this could be a hidden quest, and they quickly cut off the broadcast.

"They actually picked it up," one of the lead designers muttered in the monitoring room. "But we won’t broadcast this. Let’s keep this thread hidden for now."

Another dev nodded in agreement. "It’s better this way. Let’s see who really digs into the lore when the full release drops."

Back in the game—

After exchanging glances, IceQueen calmly said, "We’ll take it. But we’ll decide when to move. There’s no rush."

"Good." The man rose from his seat, the symbol of the church gleaming on his chest plate. "May the light guide you." With that, he walked away.

When he was gone, IceQueen stood up and said, "We’ll save this for the official launch."

"Fine by me." ChaosCleric nodded. "For now, let’s log off and find more information about this Broken Heaven."

The two agreed and logged off.

Unaware that a pair of top players had been tasked to take him down, Gabriel arrived at the capital.

* * *

Don’t forgot to support Extraction Talent! Let’s get more visibility on the app!!!!