It was a hastily improvised idea, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized there was no other way.

A method he could attempt only because of the significant gap between himself and the demon.

Jhin slipped past the demon's claws by the narrowest margins, approaching into close range.

'If I can't get everyone out, then I'll have to drag the demon outside instead.'

The demon's slashing claws came swinging in a purely offensive flurry, but Jhin had already confirmed them through Soft skills.

With just a slight twist of his body, he evaded the blow and grabbed the creature's wrist.

"...Rocket! Lykan!"

With a single sharp shout, he hurled the demon to the side.

Rocket and Lykan, who had been waiting inside the crown, were summoned and immediately charged toward the flung demon.

By now, Lykan had already mounted Rocket.

As the demon tumbled across the ground, Lykan seized it tightly.

"Run!!"

Tutu-tututu!

At the order, Rocket immediately tore through one of the church walls and bolted outside.

He didn't stop until he was no more than a tiny dot in the distance.

Even as the demon thrashed, it was futile.

Those two were, at the very least, mid-boss or boss-level monsters.

Even if, as bound spirits, they now appeared somewhat diminished, they were still more than capable of restraining a mere demon.

And before long—

The spirit linked to the Hundred Ghosts quivered faintly.

There was an explosion.

Judging from the sound, the demon must have self-destructed.

Of course, it had no effect on the Hundred Ghosts.

"...You! Are you not afraid of Lady Marguerite's wrath?!"

Meanwhile, the Company members shouted furiously, eyes blazing.

They thrust their hands forward simultaneously, concentrating their power.

A dark magic circle formed ominously beneath Jhin's feet.

[You have stepped on the skill, 'Magic Circle of Marguerite (D)'.]

From it rose black, ghastly hands.

They reached up from his ankles, legs, shoulders, neck — grasping at him, trying to suppress him.

At the same time, a cutting, biting chill grazed his skin.

[Player 'Cartel' has activated skill, 'Marguerite's Curse: Fear (E)'.]

[Player 'Ollip' has activated skill, 'Marguerite's Curse: Intimidation (E)'.]

[Player 'Sind' is...]

But Jhin only laughed coldly.

"Wrath, huh…"

[Activating skill, 'PowerFocus (F)'.]

As he stepped hard, the ground flipped in a fan shape.

The magic circle was rendered useless, and the dark hands were torn apart in an instant.

"Don't make me laugh."

[Activating skill, 'Composure (S)'.]

[All status effects are nullified.]

With just one more step forward, all curses weighing him down were stripped away.

Only sharp sparks scattered around his body.

Pazzzzik!

"H-How could he break Lady Marguerite's magic circle?!"

"Pour more Power into it!"

"Kill him!"

"Uaaaaagh!!"

All of it—utterly pointless.

Jhin spoke.

"You've got the wrong idea."

In a flash, Jhin vanished from sight.

When he reappeared, he was standing before a Company member—close enough to seize his head before the man could even react.

"Hands are faster than eyes—and your life is shorter than your faith."

"Wh-what do you mea—"

"I'll show you what you should really be afraid of."

KWAANG!!

Without hesitation, Jhin slammed the Company member's head into the ground.

The concrete floor caved inward with such force that the entire church trembled as if struck by an earthquake.

[Player 'Cartel' has died.]

[You have acquired item, 'Dungeon Disease Antidote'.]

He turned his head, golden eyes gleaming.

"Etch this into your memory."

Another Company member summoned dozens of snakes hidden inside his sleeve.

The serpents shot forward through the air, baring sharp fangs—

But Jhin didn't dodge.

[Activating exclusive skill of equipment 'Goblin King's Crown': 'Grand goblin Army'.]

In an instant, goblin armor enveloped his entire body.

The snakes' fangs couldn't even pierce it—their teeth shattered on impact.

Jhin conjured goblin flames in both hands and muttered lowly,

"From now on… if you meet me, you'll die."

Like a ghost, he approached, and with a thorn, pierced another Company member's heart.

Blood sprayed from the burst torso—but he paid it no mind.

"If you run, you'll still die."

The next one—he pierced clean through the abdomen.

"If you hide… you'll die too."

Wherever his eyes landed, they flinched and recoiled.

Some froze in place, paralyzed by fear.

It was only natural.

These were nothing more than low-level Company players who could barely powerge support buffs for demons.

Before a true high-level player, they couldn't even muster resistance.

"...Urgh!"

All they could do was flail pathetically.

Jhin closed the distance in a flash.

His thorn blade bisected another's skull.

"So go hide somewhere deep."

By now, Jhin's voice had become a chorus—woman, man, elder, youth…

A multitude of voices blended into one: the eerie voice of the Hundred Ghosts.

That chilling voice pierced straight into the ears of the trembling Company members.

And the message wasn't meant for just them.

"The day I find every last one of you… will be your last."

KWAANG!!

"…So, how was it?"

Later, after letting a few Company members escape to relay his message, Jhin returned and relayed everything he had learned to Bellatris.

And from her tone as she asked, he realized—

She already knew everything that had happened.

Even so, she had sent him there.

'Just like her.'

Seeing it for yourself is better than hearing a hundred explanations.

Rather than wasting words, she had sent him directly into the field.

She knew Jhin wouldn't lose.

There was no need to explain—it was just a tactical deployment.

Jhin replied quietly.

"I understand now why this is something you couldn't resolve on your own."

"Glad we're on the same page."

Bellatris grinned.

"Exactly. I can't solve this. Because I can't properly understand the logic of the people in District 3."

For someone armed to the teeth with reason, rationality, and intelligence, Bellatris had one flaw—

She couldn't understand those on the opposite side.

'If you're weak, you should get stronger. Why let yourself be manipulated by cults?'

That was Bellatris's thinking—and she couldn't comprehend otherwise.

She was too perfect.

Too detached to empathize.

Too immune to emotion to accept what didn't make sense.

'Because this isn't a matter of the mind.'

As she looked at Jhin, there was a flicker of anticipation in her eyes.

She seemed sure that he had the answer.

Yes.

There was a way.

She asked,

"So what is it? How do we solve this problem?"

Jhin shrugged lightly and answered— "Let's hold a festival."

It was on the rooftop of New Capital Hospital.

From there, you could faintly see the district borders. The two of them had come up here, seeking a quiet place to talk.

And yet, what he said was—

Bellatris furrowed her brow as she responded.

"…What did you just say? A fest… what?"

"A festival. Don't you understand? Let's hold a festival in Ark."

Bellatris looked at Jhin with a face full of irritation.

In the sigh she let out, a jumble of complex emotions tangled together — her conflicted feelings were fully apparent.

"Hah… That's really your answer?"

Jhin shamelessly nodded his head.

Then Bellatris pointed down below, at the ambulances moving busily and the residents of District 3 who, even while groaning in pain, weren't being properly treated in time and were instead just being handed numbered slips.

"You say that after seeing this? A festival? A festival, in times like these? Do you really think that's going to solve anything?"

Her words made sense to some degree.

No matter who looked at it, the mood in Ark wasn't one where people were cheering happily, drinking excitedly, and enjoying themselves in some joyous 'festival.'

But Jhin was resolute.

"That's exactly why we need to hold it."

"…What do you mean?"

"Ark has already lost the trust of District 3. And honestly, the South New Capital n government is functionally meaningless now. Ark is an institution made only for players."

What he felt most strongly after coming to Ark was that the "South New Capital n government" was essentially on the verge of collapse.

There was definitely a government representative named Dean among Ark's executives, but the influence of players was so strong that he no longer held the authority he once did.

The current world was ruled by the law of power.

The weak had no choice but to be weeded out.

That was the reality of this RPG-turned-world.

Jhin looked straight into Bellatris's half-closed eyes and decided to clearly convey his stance.

Bellatris remained silent for a moment, then sighed and spoke again.

"…Fine. I'm sure you have your reasons. I may not agree, but I guess you believe this is what Ark needs right now."

"That's right."

"Alright. I'll delegate all authority to you, Kyle. Your strategies have never been wrong, not once."

"A wise decision."

Jhin quietly looked down at the people of District 3, who were so still that not even cries could be heard.

A festival.

That was the one and only strategy to restore Ark's trust.

The next day, a special announcement was released throughout Ark.

Special Announcement

* A festival will be held in Ark's central plaza this coming Sunday.

* Eligibility: Open to everyone.

* Non-combat players wishing to set up shop on the festival grounds must submit an application through the site.

* Recruiting staff for the central stage. Interested parties must submit applications through the site.

* For more details, please refer to the site.

Players whose devices had been specially modified with Power received the notice via text, and the people of District 3 were informed by loudspeaker announcements or through hand-distributed flyers.

The sudden news of the festival.

Ark's residents reacted in all kinds of ways.

First were those who reacted like Bellatris had:

"What? A festival?"

"Now, of all times? Have they lost their minds?"

The damage from the Lizardman attack hadn't even been fully repaired yet.

On top of that, the recent outbreak of dungeon disease and the news of the Grid's appearance had stirred up public anxiety more than ever.

Not to mention that even Ark's veteran players had left to raid the "Lizardman's Spring."

It was only natural for people to voice concerns.

Of course, not everyone felt that way.

"A festival… this is an opportunity."

"Smells like money!"

"Finally, Ark is paying attention to non-combat players too!"

Non-combat players — those who had awakened so-called "production" skills — were overwhelmingly in favor of the festival.

After several crises, the internal economy had shriveled up.

Items that sold well were all combat-related, and everything else saw virtually no consumption.

Especially players with skills like architect, sculptor, or chef — they had no real place in Ark.

Because they were utterly useless in combat.

At least chefs could offer food buffs for combat purposes, so that job hadn't been entirely neglected…

But the others weren't even worth a glance.

"Seriously, Bellatris is so unpredictable."

"…I heard this festival was actually planned by Kyle."

"What? Kay? Wasn't he in the dungeon?"

"I dunno. I thought so too, but apparently he's back in Ark now."

And so, the special announcement that spread throughout Ark sparked hot conversation among the people.

Some were worried.

Some welcomed it.

Some didn't care at all.

Meanwhile, in a certain tavern, a player dropped his heavy bag onto the table with a thud and casually placed an order.

"Chicken breast salad, please."

"…This is a bar, you know."

"Chicken breast skewers, then?"

"We do have chicken, but…"

"I don't eat flour. Could you maybe take the breading off and just grill the breast?"

"I-I'll try…"

And except for the man who had just entered, a group of players in the tavern were drinking heavily.

They seemed to have just returned from battle — spots of blood were still visible on their gear.

"Leo , what are you talking about? A festival?"

"Arch , is your phone on silent again?"

"Why?"

"Check your texts first."

Leo quickly pulled out his phone at Saros's words.

A notice had been sent out like an emergency alert.

"…Damn, when did this get sent out? They're really holding a festival?"

"Yeah. Isn't it ridiculous?"

Leo nodded silently.

Honestly, the atmosphere throughout Ark was so grim that it wouldn't be strange for funeral music to be playing day and night.

And they were holding a festival in a place like this?

"…It's like dancing disco at a funeral. What kind of idiot comes up with an idea like this?"

At Leo 's furrowed-brow remark, Saros quietly replied:

"Kyle's idea, apparently."

"…The Kyle I know?"