After four pieces of equipment had fallen into Hiroto's hands, the crowd finally began to stir. At first, most players had only been watching silently, too afraid to offend the Everhold Dominion by shouting openly in the regional channel. Yet when Hiroto—under the guise of Dancing Wraith—snatched up piece after piece, someone in the crowd finally snapped.
"At worst, we could just delete our accounts and start over after making a quick buck!" one bold player yelled, his words echoing across the square.
That single remark was like lighting a spark in dry tinder. Suddenly, others began to follow suit, emboldened by the sight of Hiroto's repeated success.
Yes—Dancing Wraith was actually Hiroto, cleverly disguised by the Mask of Nocturnis that Kaito had given him. The mask not only altered appearance but could even change a player's displayed name. To put on a convincing show, Kaito had instructed Hiroto to play the part of a reckless buyer, loudly cursing Everhold Dominion on the regional channel so that the others would dare to follow his example.
And the plan worked brilliantly.
At first, only five or six people joined in the cursing. But after that, the numbers began to snowball. Human nature was predictable—people tended to follow the crowd, and as the saying went, "The law does not punish the masses." Could Everhold Dominion really afford to retaliate against every single person in South Glade Town who shouted insults at them? The absurdity of the idea gave everyone courage.
The town square soon turned into a frenzy, dozens upon dozens typing into the regional channel without hesitation.
Kaito watched the scene unfold with a sneer tugging at his lips. He knew exactly how far he could push this. The Everhold Dominion couldn't possibly punish every single player who cursed them—but they could certainly target the loudest voices, the most enthusiastic few dozen.
And once word spread that Everhold Dominion was retaliating against random players, their carefully constructed image of dominance would collapse into paranoia. Everyone would become insecure, constantly questioning whether they might be next. Some might even go so far as to transfer all their assets, delete their accounts, and start over from scratch.
But that wasn't Kaito's concern.
He was simply doing business. He had promised to sell the gear cheaply, and the players had agreed to the method. If they wanted to curse and suffer consequences afterward, that was their choice. He wasn't about to take responsibility for what happened once the sale was over.
"Grave mind," Kaito muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Consider this my first real gift to you. You dared to muddy the waters, so I'll flip the entire pot."
The thought made him almost laugh.
Of course, there was still the issue of Everhold Dominion members sneaking into the crowd, pretending to be ordinary buyers. But Kaito had already anticipated this. With the experience of his past life—where he had fought countless battles against them—he knew their members far too well. Their tricks couldn't escape his sharp eyes.
Sure enough, not long after, one of his cousins suddenly spoke in the regional channel:
Regional Channel
Thief's Way: "Walking Statue, aren't you from Everhold Dominion? The last time I killed the Rhine, you were right there next to him!"
Raen: "Oh? Really? In that case, this player's purchase is void. Damn it—wanting to take it back after donating? How shameless can you be?"
The crowd erupted in laughter, jeering at the exposed spy.
Kaito's cousins had been instructed beforehand to help by naming and shaming any familiar Dominion members who tried to slip in. It wasn't just for fairness—it was for spectacle. The more Everhold Dominion was embarrassed publicly, the more hesitant they would become about showing their faces here.
When Kaito had finally sold off a full hundred pieces of equipment, the frenzy in South Glade's town square gradually died down. The heated chatter cooled, and the crowd's excitement began to settle into murmurs of satisfaction and awe.
Regional Channel
Raen: The sale is over! I don't know if it's because The Everhold dominion has been slaughtered so many times, but the quality of their dropped equipment has really gone downhill. Most of it was stock gear—I couldn't even be bothered picking up everything. My inventory has its limits, so that's all for today! Hopefully, Captain Grave mind can be generous enough to provide his subordinates with better equipment next time, so our next gear sale will have more variety. Until then—dismissed!
The jab at Grave mind sent a ripple of laughter through the crowd. Players grinned, some even clapping, while others rushed to share the recording of Raen's words across channels.
At that moment, Kaito activated Wind veil Steps in tandem with Mana Step, his figure blurring into motion. Under his precise control, his true form seemed to melt into the air, slipping through the edges of the square with ghostlike ease. To those watching, he simply drifted away.
No one dared follow. For one thing, it was well known Raen rarely bothered to conceal his movements—if he wanted to be found, he could be found. But once he chose to vanish, chasing him was as good as chasing smoke.
Meanwhile, his silhouette—actually one of his cousins, now wearing the Mask of Nocturnis—continued blending into the sea of players, walking naturally among them. At a quiet corner, "Raen" slipped behind a line of stalls, his appearance shifting seamlessly into that of a nondescript stranger. The disguise scattered any lingering suspicion. Moments later, he was gone.
"Where the hell did he go?"
"There were so many people here, and he disappeared the moment he turned the corner. How are we supposed to track him?"
"No way. Let's just report back to the higher-ups."
Several Everhold Dominion thieves uncloaked from stealth, their expressions dark and sour. Their mission to shadow Raen had failed completely. They hadn't dared to pursue openly—every instinct screamed it would be useless. Once Raen vanished, there was no catching him.
All they could do was accept defeat, grit their teeth, and fade back into the crowd, nursing the humiliation of yet another failed pursuit.
Kaito leaned against the wall of the quiet alley, his presence hidden beneath the dim glow of a streetlight. The sounds of pursuit had already faded, leaving only the faint hum of the city around him. A few minutes later, a familiar figure approached—his second uncle, arriving at the coordinates Kaito had sent earlier.
"Second Uncle," Kaito greeted in a low tone. "How did it go? The procurement I asked for—were you able to secure it?"
His uncle gave a faint smile, a touch of relief on his face. "Yes. With the backing of StormLife guild and Crimson Rose, things are progressing more smoothly. The resources you requested are being delivered steadily. And—" he produced the sealed demonic rabbit meat from his inventory, "—I also bought all the Demonic Rabbit meat you asked for. Quite a bit of it, too."
Kaito took the meat into his inventory, his expression softening. "Good. This will help with the next step." He set it aside, then looked his uncle directly in the eye. "But there's something else I need you to do."
His uncle arched a brow. "Something else?"