CHAPTER 239: STEAL FROM THE CHURCH

On the outskirts of Whitebridge, a truck came to a stop right in front of the entrance. After the gate fee was paid, it drove inside with no restrictions.

As soon as it entered the town, everyone’s attention snapped toward the truck.

Stepping out of the Kelsa truck was a tall individual wearing a simple white mask that covered the upper half of his face. Naturally, his strange appearance drew some attention from both NPCs and players alike, but they didn’t find it odd and soon returned to whatever they were doing.

’Hmm, the player population here has increased more than before,’ Gabriel thought inwardly, adjusting the map interface before his eyes.

One might ask — why did he decide to cover up his face?

Well, the reason was rather simple—

He couldn’t risk being recognized.

Ever since he announced his guild, players had started flocking to wherever he appeared. It was impossible to move freely. Even worse, some guilds had begun setting up fake "Broken Dawn Camps" in beginner towns just to attract new recruits.

Gabriel didn’t have time for that nonsense, so he turned off his name display and threat level through the system interface.

This was a feature available to NPCs, but most of them weren’t even aware of it.

His boots echoed against the cobblestone path as he walked deeper into town, gaze sweeping over the crowd beneath the mask. Newly spawned players were easy to identify — apart from their floating names, there were their clumsy movements, random clicking, and wide-eyed reactions.

’This amount has far exceeded the previous time. If I remember correctly, even by now, players were relatively few,’ he frowned.

Little did he know that the developers were using him to market their game. All his fights and epic moments were being used as promotional trailers!

And thanks to his natural charisma, attracting players was easy. The most shocking part was the number of female players that turned up — their numbers were even higher than the males!

It was the first time since the launch of the first VRMMO that something like this had happened.

Of course, since he was inside the game, Gabriel had no idea about any of this.

He continued walking, ignoring the players who whispered as he passed. Even with the mask, his presence stood out — calm, deliberate, and intimidating.

Some assumed he was just a high-level NPC showing off, but they quickly looked away when they felt his gaze brush over them.

After a few minutes of wandering, he finally spotted who he was looking for.

A slender boy sat by the central fountain, holding a piece of bread in both hands and eating slowly. His face was quiet, eyes distant, and his movements nervous — as if afraid of being noticed.

"Found you," Gabriel murmured under his breath.

---

He approached quietly, the long shadow of his figure falling across the boy.

Logan froze mid-bite. The warmth of the bread suddenly felt bland. He looked up slowly, meeting the faint blue gleam of Gabriel’s eyes beneath the mask.

Those eyes were piercing — as if they could see straight through him.

"Um... can I help you?" Logan asked nervously, sweat glistening on his temples.

Gabriel said nothing at first. He stood silently, watching the boy for several seconds. Then, in a deep, composed tone, he finally spoke:

"You’re new to this city."

Logan blinked, then nodded. "Y-yeah. I just started today."

"Good," Gabriel replied. "Then maybe you’ll listen before judging."

Logan tilted his head in confusion, feeling his scalp tingle. "Judging? What do you mean by that?"

Gabriel crouched slightly so they were at eye level. His voice dropped low enough that only Logan could hear.

"I have a task for you."

A system notification blinked before Logan’s eyes.

[Ding! You have received a quest.]

[Title: Against the Church]

[Difficulty: Hard]

[Description: Infiltrate the Whitebridge Church and retrieve the Silver Offering Box from the northern prayer room.]

[Reward: ???]

[Penalty: Death!]

Logan’s mouth fell open, his eyes widening. "Steal... from the church?!" he blurted out.

Fortunately, the spot where he was sitting was slightly deserted, so no one overheard him.

Gabriel didn’t react; he remained as calm as ever. "It’s a quest that will benefit you greatly and elevate you to the top one percent in this game. So think carefully."

"Why would anyone steal from a church? It’s protected by guards and magic! And aren’t they supposed to be benevolent—helping the needy and all that?" he frowned.

"You’ll see when you complete it," Gabriel said simply, his tone steady and sure. "The church here isn’t what you think it is. That offering box isn’t meant for any invisible god or goddess."

Logan’s confusion deepened. He looked around nervously. "This isn’t a trick, right? I’ll get banned for this!"

Gabriel shook his head. "You won’t. I designed the quest."

That made Logan freeze. "Wait, what?"

Gabriel chuckled lightly under his breath. "Yes."

There was something unsettling yet strangely comforting in the way he spoke — confident, composed, as if he had seen this world more times than anyone else.

Still, Logan hesitated. "I don’t even know you," he said carefully.

"That’s why I chose you," came the calm reply.

"What do you mean?"

"You’re quiet. Careful. And you don’t have a reputation yet. Nobody will notice you slipping into the church."

Logan frowned. "You... were watching me?"

Gabriel tilted his head slightly. "Observation is a habit. You were the only one who didn’t try to fight slimes, flirt, or brag about your level. That makes you ideal for what I need."

Of course, all of this was complete nonsense — but it was necessary. He needed to play the role.

"Still—stealing? I’m not good with—"

Gabriel interrupted calmly. "You don’t have to fight. Just listen carefully and follow instructions."

He extended his hand slowly. "Accept the quest."

Logan stared at the hovering blue notification again. His heart raced.

He could decline. He should decline.

But something about this mysterious man made him pause.

There was a quiet authority in his voice — the kind that didn’t need threats or promises.

After a long hesitation, Logan clicked Accept.

[Quest Accepted: Against the Church]