I kept walking and made my way toward the room I was staying in. In front of the hotel, I saw Gyoma—he saw me and greeted me. I went up to Gyoma and studied his body. I was preparing myself for what I was about to say. I took a deep breath and began to speak.
Gyoma, rather than speaking in response to my strange behavior, looked at me with curious eyes.
"Did something happen, Rei?"
"It's interesting how we run into each other here every time."
Gyoma scratched the back of his neck, laughing gently.
"Coincidences are everywhere, Rei. You know, the world is unpredictable and a complicated place."
"That may be. But I know you know about the game I played. On top of that, you lied to me about the first game. No one plays a team game in the first game."
After what I said, Gyoma had a small moment of realization and continued listening to me.
"At the same time, I heard something about a Supremacy Club—apparently they have players. You're one of them, aren't you?"
"What?"
"After my game, you kept observing me on behalf of the club. Also, I heard you've never been defeated, but that's probably not entirely true. If a non-member defeats a member, the member is expelled from the club—either killed or threatened into silence. The non-member who won then accepts membership because the club is too powerful. This way, neither side talks about the defeat because of what would happen to them. The same goes among members. When you defeat each other, you don't talk about it—and that's how it will be in the tournament too. Since they don't know your identities, they won't be able to tell you've been defeated. You're trying to create a perception of being invincible. I understand. I can understand these things, but don't worry—I won't tell anyone."
After listening, a small smile appeared on Gyoma's face, and he slowly applauded me with his hands.
"You're good, Rei. You're really good. You're truly worth them telling me to observe you. Well then, if I think about it—what did you aim to gain by saying this? You're not an egotistical, arrogant person. You wouldn't say something like this just to satisfy your own ego. So you want to show me a bit of yourself, impress me, and create an opportunity to register for the club. You said these things to steer my thoughts toward having you tested. After all, you know that we're the ones who find people. I understand—that's logical. I'm aware of it, and being aware of it, I'll give you what you want. Come to the front of the club tomorrow evening at seven. I've sent the location to your phone."
"Alright."
"Interesting, Rei. Truly interesting..."
Gyoma slowly walked away from me. After watching his walk with my eyes for a short while, I bought some food from the hotel shop. After taking care of my needs, I quickly went to my bed and, not wanting to feel anything else, tried to fall asleep quickly and slept.
One Hour Later — Gyoma, The Dark Deserts
As I continued walking through the dark deserts to make my way to the club, I suddenly heard footsteps behind me. The moment I turned around, I realized a knife was being thrust toward my stomach. I was being targeted for death by the city's bandits. After shifting my body to the right to evade the knife strike, the bandit swung a second blow sideways toward my neck. After ducking to escape that strike as well, I delivered a hard straight kick to his stomach. As he fell to the ground and there was distance between us, the bandit realized he was in danger and quickly fled.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"These city bandits just never end, do they? He almost plunged that knife into my stomach."
After continuing on and entering the club, I spent a bit of time and then mentioned the situation to one of the authorized members.
"He figured out that I was observing him, and he even understood the club's true inner workings without ever having come here. What's more, he said it to steer things in his own favor. He also put on an incredible performance in the game. I think we should test him—he seems talented. What do you say?"
"If he's as good as you say, fine, let's test him. I saw the game he played too, after all. That game falls into the category of cursed games among the games played. No one can pass the cursed games, but a first has happened. That kid surpassed himself and made it out of that white room. Truly interesting. Even our leader is interested in him."
"You're right. It would be logical to test him. By the way, while walking through the desert, I saw a small black dragon. Have they awakened again?"
"Yes, they start waking up around these months."
"I see."
Meanwhile — With Her Father and Z
"How are things going between you and Rei?"
"It's going well, Father. He's a polite kid, but he seems a bit cunning."
"Cunning in what sense?"
"He's subtly trying to benefit from me. But people are self-serving, so I didn't mind it much."
"I understand. Still, be careful."
"Alright, Father."
When I woke up, after making brief preparations, I went to my workplace and cleaned around for an hour. I put the supplies away in the storage, and after receiving my pay in the hall, I saw Z sitting on the red couch in the hall. I went over to her.
"Hey. You were here too?"
"Yes, I'm waiting for my father to arrive. Did you get your pay?"
"I did."
"I'm curious, Rei. What was it that brought you to these parts?"
"Me? Well, my mother was killed a long time ago. I killed the person who killed her. Then, as time went on, I found myself around here."
Z experienced a small surprise at what I said.
"I wasn't expecting an answer like that."
"What about you? Why are you here?"
"Nothing special. Ever since I was little, I was trained by my father to follow in his footsteps. I always had money. As long as I had money, I kept on winning too. I wanted to make my father happy—I wanted to follow his path. I want his approval because when my mother abandoned me, he came, took me in, and raised me. That's why I want to make him proud."
"I see. And it seems like you're on the path you want."
"Yes, things are going well for now. My father is pleased with me. By the way, Rei, you're aware of the orbs at the market, right?"
"I'm aware, but they're very expensive. No one buys them."
"Not just from him. You can't use them inside a game; they're generally used in daily life."
"True. If they could be used in a game, people would probably buy them even if they were expensive."
"Do you want to use me, Rei?"
As Z asked the question, she kept looking at me intently, studying me. I thought for a short moment.
She's bluffing.
"No, I don't."
"I see, good. Well then, would you like to join the cult?"
"Would it be a problem to join while becoming a club member? I'm not a member of any club yet, but I could be in the future, so that's why I asked."
"I see. It won't be a problem, don't worry."
"Alright then, I'd like to join."
"Okay. I'll tell my father—they'll take you in among them."
"Thank you."
The Garden of the Supremacy Club
I was sitting alone on the wooden floor, watching the dark sky. Suddenly, multiple bandits started charging toward the building. The moment I saw them, I shouted to alert the members. A few of our members came outside. When the bandits rushed at us, we quickly took them down thanks to our superior combat skills. They were writhing in pain. I began to crush the skull of the bandit lying on the ground—the one who had attacked me earlier. My shoes were hard; I was stomping on his head, trying to break his skull. A gentle, same smile was present on my face.
People think I'm smiling because I'm soft, but this kind of smile usually appears on my face when I'm imagining crushing them. After all, I've been alone since I was little. Life taught me to be a sadist. I didn't become a sadist—life made me a sadist.
Eventually, I crushed the bandit's skull with my foot. The bandit lay dead on the ground. I told the members behind me to gather the bodies and take them to the back. Then I clapped my hands together and took a deep breath. Calmly, as if nothing had happened, I sat back down on the wooden floor and continued watching the dark sky. After my savage act, the members had decided to keep their distance from me this time. I continued calmly watching the sky alone. A gentle smile was present on my face.