"Satan?"

"Yeah... That world has a split between the Material Realm (Assiah)—which is like the Human World—and the Void Realm (Gehenna), basically hell. The whole thing is a war between exorcists, crusaders, and all kinds of demons."

"So every player ran into Satan as the final boss?"

"Exactly. The system gave us the mission but didn't mention anything about a final boss. Then, out of nowhere, Satan shows up… and everyone—even Pigeon—got caught in it."

Lying on the bed, Orban looked worn out. After a full day of rest, he finally started opening up about the mission.

"Thankfully, I was pretty far from the action. Plus, the main character of that world was there, so the fight ended fast. I somehow made it out alive."

Beishi and Xiang Nan listened closely as he laid it all out, bit by bit, deep in thought.

Satan.

Just hearing the name tells you it's not some regular enemy. That thing's on a whole different level—a literal god-demon, the ruler of hell.

"The mission format's changed," Xiang Nan said after a long pause.

"In the earlier Reincarnation rounds, players were just thrown into deathmatches. Meet the basic requirements, and you go back to the main world. But now—starting from Round Nine—the system's forcing us into story-driven missions. And that's a big deal. Once you're in the story, you're tangled up with the main world on a deep level."

He looked at Orban.

"For players who've only gone through a few rounds, their knowledge of other worlds is still full of holes. Some haven't even adjusted to the whole Reincarnation vibe. Throwing them into a world with an entirely new power system? It's a disaster waiting to happen."

"You said it yourself—those demons can possess people and have supernatural powers. And the exorcists all fight differently too. That's stuff you need to figure out fast. And by figure out, I mean really understand how the system behind their powers works. You also need to understand how power behaves in that world. Clearly, your group of intruders... didn't pass that test."

Orban lowered his head.

He wasn't just talking about a few Hunter x Hunter players. He meant every player from the multiverse who entered the Blue Exorcist world.

Orban, in some twisted stroke of luck, got saved by a character from that world's story.

"Starting from Round Nine… the battlefield has completely changed. You've noticed that, right?"

Xiang Nan turned to Beishi.

"Yeah. It's not about players fighting players anymore. We're up against characters from other worlds now."

"And the system's tests are more intense too. If you want to finish a mission in a foreign world, you need to quickly understand its environment, power structure, and mechanics. That takes serious mental strength and a sharp eye for power systems."

Xiang Nan frowned. "Honestly, Round Nine might be where the real multiverse competition starts. The early rounds? Just warm-ups to get you used to how the Reincarnation system works."

"The mission the system gave you was to stop demons from invading a stronghold in the Material Realm. That means you were on the human side. So ideally, you should've teamed up with native human players early on. But as intruders, you instinctively saw them as enemies. You didn't engage with the plot, didn't try to work with local players or characters… didn't prepare."

"So when the war broke out, all you had was yourselves. Even if you formed a squad, it couldn't compare to the native forces. The exorcists know demons better than anyone. Your group had a massive intel gap. Even if you were fighting at full strength, you were only getting 60–70% of your potential out there."

Xiang Nan raised a few fingers to count. "I wasn't there, but based on what you're saying…"

"First: You all had a blind spot. You assumed intruders and native players had to be enemies. But the fact that you were saved by them? That proves the Blue Exorcist world works differently than the earlier ones."

"Second: The info gap. No need to explain more.

"Third: You still don't understand what the multiverse battlefield really is. I've told you—each world may have different systems and power rules, but deep down? It all comes down to power—how it's used, how it changes, how it's controlled. You didn't take time to study that. You just scratched the surface. But if you want to actually survive and thrive, you have to understand the core logic of a world's power system. That's your ticket to adapting and evolving."

"The early rounds of the Extinction Game made everyone too rigid. Sure, the multiverse is full of world-versus-world battles, but every world is different. Blue Exorcist has a clear setup: humans vs. demons. The native players are under constant pressure, constantly fighting. They don't have time to chill. So if they're in the Reincarnation system at all, they're probably desperate for allies."

"That's why their attitude toward intruders is different. Their world is so dangerous, they're probably hoping someone from outside can help. A lot of them probably aren't even hostile toward you. Even if they are cautious, you should've tried asking for help."

Xiang Nan continued calmly, analyzing as he spoke.

"If I had to guess, all the native players are on the human side, right? No demon-aligned players?"

"Yeah."

Orban swallowed, stunned. He stared at Xiang Nan.

If he hadn't been there himself, he'd swear Xiang Nan had experienced it too.

"The Material/Void split you described? Way too clear. The system would never let players spawn as demons—they'd have way too much of an advantage. That's why the human players are forced to stick together. From a gameplay perspective, it's actually a good thing. Way better than the cutthroat mess we had in Hunter x Hunter."

"You survived, and that's already a miracle. But if you're thinking about pushing into Round Ten, you better be ready. The system's getting brutal. It doesn't want specialists anymore—it wants well-rounded, balanced players."

Xiang Nan glanced at the system panel. Right now, Orban was clearly the top-ranked player in the Hunter x Hunter group.

"You're one step away from beating the Extinction Game. But I'd bet the system will give you a choice before Round Ten: walk away, or move forward. It's up to you."

He gave a faint smile.

"So… what do you think I should do?"

Orban asked, his voice low, eyes fixed on Xiang Nan.

"You want the truth?"