CHAPTER 255: QUEST REWARD

[Ding! You have completed the quest, Masked Anomaly]

[Ding! You have received +700 EP points.]

After confirming the rewards, Gabriel didn’t spend any more time inside the dungeon. He began making his way back to the entrance.

Meanwhile, outside, hundreds of players had already respawned near the dungeon gate. The city center was filled with noise and chaos, everyone talking at once.

"Damn it! I lost ten levels!"

"My inventory’s empty!"

"They shut it down right before I got the kill!"

"Kill? You never even scratched him!" someone yelled back.

The arguments spread like wildfire. Some blamed the devs; others blamed themselves. And in the midst of it, a few players stood quietly, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Did you see it?" one whispered. "He wasn’t even serious. He just... toyed with us."

"Yeah," another muttered. "That’s not a player. That’s something else."

The whispers continued. Soon, the entire plaza buzzed with one name—White Phantom.

A new legend was born that night.

---

Forum Chat – Realm of Ascendency Official Board

User997: I lost everything. Ten levels gone. Screw that dungeon.

User500: Bro, I don’t even care. Watching that guy fight was worth it.

User1: The White Phantom didn’t even flinch. Dude’s a walking death flag.

User30: You guys think it’s Broken Heaven again?

User44: Nah, different style. Same vibe though.

User77: Doesn’t matter who he is. I don’t ever want to fight him again!

---

After exiting the dungeon, Gabriel’s next location was Edgar’s place.

After the entire ordeal, most of the players had already logged out to unwind, so he didn’t encounter anyone else on the way.

He had accumulated quite some grime from the battle—though he wasn’t physically dirty—so he first went to the nearest hotel just outside the Monkey Paradise dungeon.

The receptionist looked slightly curious about his mask but wasn’t bothered enough to ask. He was given a safe room without trouble.

It didn’t take long—twenty to thirty minutes later, he was spotless and dressed in a fresh pair of clothes.

What he didn’t expect was to encounter two familiar faces immediately after stepping out of the hotel.

"Oi, why does he look so familiar?"

"Keep your voice down, Alice. He’s standing right there, and he can hear you."

Gabriel looked at the two, wondering how they had found him. He placed his hand on his face just to confirm if he was still wearing his mask—so how...?

Then it struck him.

’I was probably reported to the Adventurer Guild, wasn’t I?’ he thought with a faint, bittersweet smile.

Naturally, those faces were none other than Alice and Lilly.

Alice had that annoyingly curious stare, as if she could unmask him with her eyes alone, while Lilly looked professional and respectful as always.

The healer was one of the few Gabriel admired—alongside Scarlet—because of her work ethic.

As for Alice... she was very strong and dangerous for her age, but also extremely childish.

"Mister," Lilly greeted with a faint smile. "You must be wondering who we are and why we’re here—"

"I know who you are and why you’re here," Gabriel said coldly, his tone stern and distant. It was as if he didn’t have the patience for small talk.

"Oh, huh... that." Lilly scratched her head with a slightly embarrassed look. "Follow us, then," she said with a forced smile.

"Hey, wait—"

Before Gabriel could even take a step, Alice grabbed his arm.

He narrowed his eyes from within his mask but didn’t say a word. The chilling coldness that subconsciously leaked from him made Alice retract her hand and take a step back.

"Have we met before?" she asked. "Your smell... everything about you feels familiar."

Gabriel wanted to answer that question, but then he remembered Alice’s peculiar talent—nicknamed the Lie Detector. It allowed her to sense when someone was lying. She had even used that skill against him several times in the past without his knowledge.

He needed to be careful. "I’d rather not talk about that," he replied calmly.

"Wait, what do y—"

"Sorry, sir." Lilly quickly stepped in. "Apologies for the young miss. She’s still inexperienced, you see."

"Wait, no—!" Alice tried to speak again, but Lilly gave her a firm look.

"Please just ignore her. The Adventurer Guild is not far from here."

---

Some time later, Gabriel arrived at the Adventurer Guild and was led directly into an office he knew all too well.

Scarlet’s office.

As soon as he entered—under Alice’s lead—Scarlet raised her head from the pile of paperwork.

When their eyes met, a brief gleam of recognition flashed across hers.

"You can excuse us," Scarlet said to Lilly, who quickly nodded and left the room.

"Take a seat," Scarlet said, turning her attention back to Gabriel.

Once he was seated, she spoke evenly. "Why did you come back to the capital?"

Gabriel wasn’t shocked that she had seen through his disguise. During that brief exchange of glances, he had already realized she’d figured it out.

Still, it was surprising how easily she’d done so.

"How did you know it was me?"

"That’s a secret," she said lightly.

"Okay." He didn’t push the matter further. If she wasn’t going to reveal it, there was no need to force her. Everyone had secrets they wanted to protect—perhaps, like his own talent, hers was connected to her abilities as well.

Scarlet leaned back in her chair, her pale eyes fixed on him. The sound of paper shuffling was the only noise in the room for a few seconds.

"What happened in the Monkey Paradise dungeon?" she asked.

Gabriel exhaled quietly, resting his elbows on the chair’s armrest. "A small conflict," he said. "Between me and a few otherworlders."

Scarlet arched a brow. "A small conflict?"

He didn’t answer immediately. He knew that response wouldn’t satisfy her, but he also knew how the guild worked—the less they knew, the better.

Scarlet crossed her legs. "You do realize the report says you wiped out over a thousand players inside that dungeon, right?"

Gabriel’s gaze remained calm and neutral. "They attacked first. I defended myself."

Scarlet’s expression stayed composed, though internally she felt like facepalming.

’It seems he has a knack for offending people... I bet those otherworlders will make him their biggest target now.’

Her thoughts carried no anger—only exasperation. After all, this wasn’t the first time Gabriel had drawn trouble.

At that moment, he finally spoke again, tone steady. "From what I understand, this world’s balance allows superhumans to handle matters between themselves, right? The King’s Guards deal with public issues, but when it comes to Awakened clashes, it falls under the Adventurer Guild’s jurisdiction."

Scarlet gave a slight nod. "That’s correct. Think of the King’s Guards as the police—protectors of the people. But for cases involving Awakened or those with system powers, we step in. They wouldn’t even survive stepping into a fight like that."

Gabriel leaned back, thoughtful. "So, if I had killed an inhabitant of this world instead of otherworlders..."

"You’d be fined—possibly imprisoned," Scarlet said firmly. "But in this case... well, the rules are on your side. Otherworlders can respawn. It’s not exactly murder when they’ll wake up minutes later, right?"

Gabriel’s lips curved faintly beneath his mask. This was exactly the point he wanted to make. "So I’m cleared."

Scarlet nodded. Yes, the law favored him—but one thing was certain: some brave or foolish otherworlders would still come after him.

Finally, Scarlet stood and went to the window, staring out at the bustling streets of the capital. After a moment, she gestured toward the door. "You’re free to go. I’ll handle the paperwork."

Gabriel stood and gave a short nod. "Thanks."

Before leaving, he turned back toward Scarlet one last time.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Keep my identity a secret," he said—and left before Scarlet could answer, leaving the vice guild leader watching his back.

When he was completely gone, she muttered softly, "Sure, I will."

---

Outside the guild hall, the sun was setting, the moon already rising to paint the capital in silver shadows.

Gabriel entered his truck and moved through the streets of the capital silently, blending into the crowd. His next stop was Edgar’s tower.

***

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