Chapter 649: Sending a Message [1]

The scratching persisted.

With the Team Leader staring in Cedrick’s direction, he couldn’t stop scratching himself. Even as the damp sensation seemed to grow stronger with every scratch. Staring in Cedrick’s direction and seeing him stand before him, his mouth suddenly went dry.

"How does this make any... sense?"

He had seen and witnessed his death. How did he⎯Ah.

Then it finally hit him.

"Yes, you’re right."

Cedrick laughed while staring at the Team Leader.

"...From the start, I was just waiting for you to ’kidnap me’ and bring me here."

Laughing, Cedrick brought his hands behind his back.

"Just as you’ve been targeting Seth, I’ve been targeting you. No..." Cedrick suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing. "We."

The Team Leader’s entire face paled as he took a step back. His heart, which had just barely settled down, started to drum loudly inside his mind once more as his lips opened and closed repeatedly.

The unease he had felt before began to crawl deep within his mind as he stared at the figure in front of him, his words barely coming out coherently as he stuttered through each one.

"But I... I didn’t do..."

"You didn’t know your place. That’s all there is to it. You touched someone who was already eyed by someone else. We’ve been keeping a close eye on you, but now that you’ve stepped out of line, we’ve got no choice but to get rid of you."

"No, but... I am just doing something that you would’ve done eventually. If you really didn’t like it, then you could’ve warned me. Told me something."

The Team Leader began chewing his nails, one excuse after another spilling from his mouth as he stared toward Cedrick. As he spoke, his gaze drifted across the surroundings. With Cedrick’s sudden and unexpected appearance, he hadn’t had the chance to properly take it all in, but he now realized he was standing inside a massive room.

The room was at least several heads taller than him, the ceiling rising high as the entire place looked completely empty, tall pillars stretching in all directions. As the Team Leader looked around, he found himself breathless.

’This wasn’t here when I selected this place. This is an entirely new room.’

He looked in Cedrick’s direction, his heart pounding against his chest as he silently swallowed. At the same time, his nerves churned as the bracelet he wore wiggled, ready to strike at any second.

His actions didn’t go unnoticed by Cedrick who smiled at the sight.

"Don’t think about fighting back. I know everything there is to know about you." He paused before adding, "...We know everything there is to know about you."

As if cold water had been poured over him, the Team Leader found himself completely breathless as he stared at Cedrick.

’I thought I was being subtle...’

How...? How could he tell? In a way, it almost felt as though he could read his mind.

The Team Leader’s heart pressed even tighter against his chest, and sweat began to trickle down the side of his face. He was all too aware of his current situation.

...Too clear.

Especially about who was targeting him.

Cedrick knew and understood that he wasn’t the only one who possessed the ’Gate Developer System.’ Nobody quite knew how many others existed, or what its true purpose was, but in his years as a user, he had become aware of the hidden intricacies and organizations behind it.

That was when he became aware of one fact...

This world, it was their plaything.

Gates, anomalies, and the like... it was all just a... massive game.

A plaything of the numerous users.

But it was also one where the winner would inevitably become the true ’King’ and holder of the Lesser Key.

Aware of this, the Team Leader wanted to take part in the vast game. However, he quickly came to realize one thing... One cruel truth.

He was merely a dime a dozen, surrounded by far more terrifying users and creators who lurked in the shadows. And among those already frightening individuals were members of the ’Hand,’ who watched over the entire game from the dark, lurking, manipulating everything, waiting to claim it all as their own.

"Honestly, you might’ve lived longer if you hadn’t made a move on him. It’s not that I don’t understand why you did what you did. Truthfully, we completely agree with you. He stands out too much. People are starting to notice him, and the more they do, the more the cracks begin to show. Society doesn’t know about our game... and we intend to keep it that way, don’t we?"

Cedrick pressed his hand against his temple as he smiled at the Team Leader.

But the smile on his face faded just as quickly as it came.

"...But just because we agree with you, it doesn’t mean that you can touch him. Why do you think we haven’t done anything to him yet?"

Cedrick tilted his head, blinking rapidly. The Team Leader felt an unnerving, almost suffocating pressure as he caught that sudden shift in his attitude.

In the end, his lips parted as he hoarsely spoke, "...B-becuase you have plans for him?"

"Oh, dear."

Cedrick covered his face while shaking his head. He looked disappointed as he mumbled, ’I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t think you were this stupid.’

Dragging a hand down his face, tugging his skin for a brief moment, Cedrick’s cold voice slipped out in a low whisper.

"We don’t want our little game to be exposed. And with his current popularity, what do you think will happen if he suddenly dies?"

"...Ah."

The Team Leader’s face suddenly grew slack as it suddenly clicked in his mind. His expression changed quickly as he opened his mouth again, but Cedrick was having none of it as he spoke before he could.

"You should’ve known your place. None of this would’ve happened to you. But now, it’s a little too late. Since I was forced to come here, there’s no point in you being here anymore."

"!!"

The Team Leader’s heart seemed to freeze, his entire body stiffening as he clenched his fist tightly, the bracelet in his hand writhing intensely. He knew he had no choice but to fight, even if it would be a losing one. No, not even fight... if he could just escape...

"But I do have to say something."

Cedrick suddenly looked around.

"...You did design this place quite well. For a moment, I almost fell for it too. Especially the music... It was rather intuitive. Was that your way of teasing your prey? He did work with that Conductor."

"Huh?"

The Team Leader blinked, question marks appearing over his head as he stared at Cedrick. Designed this place? Teasing prey?

What?

What was he talking about?

"I’m curious, though. What happened to your anomalies?" Cedrick looked around, "How did you mess them up? Were you in that much of a hurry to finish? But that’s unlike you. You probably realized that I had arrived and activated them earlier than they were supposed to, which is probably why they failed."

Cedrick blinked again, his head feeling light as the crawling sense of unease from before intensified. Stronger than ever, it spread through him as his entire body began to tingle.

Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait⎯!

"Had it not failed, I would’ve had no choice but to resort to a more forceful me... Hm?"

As if also noticing the peculiarity in the Team Leader’s expression, Cedrick’s head tilted slightly, and in that exact moment, something occurred. Something that made both of them pause.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A sudden clapping sound.

One that was followed by a playful voice.

"Realized it yet?"