Chapter 40: The Price Of Power

"You... You... You?!" Philip’s previous anger and pride evaporated instantly, replaced by absolute, unadulterated awe.​He instantly ran towards Mirabella, dropping to his knees and grasping her legs in a desperate, frantic plea.

"Please!!! Help us Spectral! We will do anything! You can have any of our loots! And can I add you as my friend! I can call you if I see anything too powerful to handle! Like World Bosses!!" His transformation from protective vice-leader to groveling subordinate was instantaneous and total.

​Everyone was dumbfounded. This was the always cold Philip, who rarely showed his emotions, now acting like a child. Even Carl was stunned by the extent of the reaction Mirabella’s true power elicited.

​"You don’t have to beg me... And I already said I want to help. You can stand up." Mirabella slowly helped him up, her movements calm amidst the chaos she had created. Her assistance wasn’t rooted in sympathy, but in a desire for efficient information gathering.

​Grace stared at her people, some being the classmates she entered Galaxy Fall with, then back at Mirabella, trying to reconcile the casual girl with the mythical figure.

​"So you were in the school for?" Grace asked, needing to understand the connection.

​Mirabella snapped her fingers, and a candy appeared in her hand. She removed the wrapper, and placed the sweet in her mouth.

​"Yep, I came to the school for sweets." She said, her explanation utterly trivial and yet completely sincere to her.

​"Wow? That is Spectral!!"

"Such great aura! Going back to our world invaded by monsters just to get sweets!"

"I want to be like you!"

​The guild members behind Grace, their disappointment forgotten, said in shock. Mirabella’s sheer power allowed her eccentricities to be interpreted as the whims of a genius.

​"It’s nothing, now... Where is the Village?" she dismissed the praise, focused on the task.

​"Come on!! I will take you there." Philip said with a smile, his eagerness now centered on fighting alongside a titan.

​"Yes!! We will get back our loots!!"

"Yes!"

​The members yelled in joy, their fighting spirit back in full force. With Spectral with them, they believed they could even kill a World Boss.

​At some distance from them, a lady frowned deeply. She quickly covered her face with her cloak hood and walked briskly towards the gate. She had seen enough.

​A team of twenty muscular male players, with crude tattoos all over their bodies, entered the village, bright smiles on their faces. They looked less like organized soldiers and more like opportunistic predators.

​"Hahaha! We gain so much today!!" The man walking ahead, clearly satisfied, let out a loud laugh, looking at the darkening sky.

​"Come on!! Let’s get this to the leaders." He added, walking towards the main and biggest building in the Village, made from bamboo, signifying the Skull Guild’s status, while the rest of the houses were made of clay.

​Knock! Knock! Knock!

​The three naked people in the main room paused. The woman kneeling before the two men, quickly swallowed what was in her mouth, stood up, and cleaned her lips with a practiced efficiency that spoke of emotional detachment.

​"Who is it?!" The muscular man, asked with a frown, annoyed at the interruption.

​"Leader Veer!! We got more treasures from some ignorant people! We want to see what the leaders like from them!" The voice outside said.

​Veer smirked, a coarse expression, and turned to the other two.

​"Seems we have something to celebrate with." He said, then yelled at the group outside: "Wait."

​"I will be back." The lady turned and walked towards the bathroom, while the men picked up their underwear, putting them on.

Kino immediately collapsed onto the couch.

​"Wow... Who would have thought, the leader of G5 girls is so sweet." Kino said with a smile, his tone dripping with shallow appreciation.

​"Hahaha... Indeed, we just need to pay ten mid-grade monster card... Back in earth, I won’t even dream of having such a beautiful woman." Veer laughed.

​"I wonder how her girls will taste, Kino."

​"Hahaha! You haven’t tested them? They’re all sluts." Kino said carelessly, displaying his ingrained misogyny and contempt for those weaker than him.

​"Who are sluts?"

​The two men froze. They looked over their shoulder, seeing Eve walking out of the room, dressed now in black shorts and a T-shirt. Her expression was hard and cold.

​"Nothing, Eve." Kino quickly said with a placating smile. He recognized the power hierarchy—she was their contracted ally, not their conquest.

​Although they’re all leaders of their own guilds, Eve was the strongest, already a Lv26 player, followed by Veer, a Lv25, and lastly Kino, Lv24. The two men knew Eve would have slept with countless men to get these cards to get stronger, but they rationalized her choices as her problem, blinded by their own selfish lust.

​"Good... I thought you are referring to my girls as sluts." She sat down on a sofa, crossing her legs, her posture conveying immediate authority.

​"We are working... You employ us, and we do our job, and lastly, you pay us..." She gestured a finger at the two. Eve’s entire existence in Galaxy Fall was a transactional endeavor, driven by survival and power, utterly detached from genuine human connection.

​Veer and Kino nodded, and tapped their Galaxy Bracelets. Five purple monster cards appeared from each of them, making ten, and flew towards Eve, who tapped her bracelet, taking everything inside.

​Veer nodded at her, and yelled: "Come in!"

​After some seconds, the door opened, and five of the twenty members who just arrived entered the room.

​"Boss." They greeted Veer, their respect tinged with fear.

​’These Prisoners... If he doesn’t have that many Monster cards, I won’t even be in this village,’ Eve thought with a frown, silently judging her partners while maintaining a professional facade.

​The first man, tapped his bracelet, and more than 20 green and 10 purple monster cards, with gold coins, and even weapons appeared before them, landing lightly on the center table, stunning Eve.

​’So many things?!’ She was genuinely stunned. Her mind immediately wondered what she could achieve with so many treasures.

​"Boss Veer! These are the loots we got from many people, and even got some weapons in it. We also encountered some monsters and killed them, getting more monster cards." He explained, eager for praise.

​"Hahaha!! Good work Shaw!! For that! Take these 20 green monster cards, and the low class weapons with you. You guys work hard, that’s your reward." Veer’s generosity was a calculated display of power and meant to solidify his subordinates’ loyalty.

​"Wow!! Thank you so much Boss!" Shaw quickly bowed.

​Veer picked up a pouch of gold from the five bags, and tossed it to Shaw: "Really, enjoy yourselves."

​"You are the best, Boss!!" Shaw said with a smile, and quickly grabbed the things mentioned. With another flattering smile, he walked out with the other four, leaving the leaders alone.

​"Wow... Your second in command truly knows his stuff." Kino said with a smile, his eyes fixed on the loot.

​"Yeah!" Veer smirked, and turned to Eve, his eyes filled with renewed confidence and lust, fueled by the fresh plunder.

​"What do you say Eve? I have more things here. Will you spend the whole night with me? Only me." He asked, his smirk widening into a grin.

​’Didn’t expect I will gain double the amount I paid you do you? I will have you the whole night.’ He thought, blinded by his own greed and the intoxicating feeling of dominance. He was utterly unaware of the grim reaper moving towards them.