God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

Chapter 458: Power Shuffle [Final]

The chubby man standing up immediately attracted everyone’s attention. Several officials turned their heads toward him with confusion written across their faces. Some frowned while others whispered quietly to the person beside them.

"What does he think he can say that we have not already said?"

"He did not speak earlier. Why now?"

"Is he trying to stand out?"

Their whispers carried across the table, but the man ignored all of it. He adjusted his spectacles slowly and looked toward Gabriel with calm eyes.

"My Lord," he began in a steady voice. "The others have already explained why they believe they are useful. I will explain something different."

The room quieted again. Even the people who had been whispering stopped talking. Some looked at him with irritation in their eyes.

They hated people like this. People who felt that they were smarter than everyone else.

"I expected Henry to die eventually," the chubby man spoke.

Several people stiffened in their seats.

"What are you saying?" someone muttered.

Another official looked around nervously, clearly worried the statement might anger Gabriel.

The chubby man did not look at them. His attention remained on Gabriel, as he was the most important person in the room.

"Not specifically today," he continued calmly. "And not necessarily by you. But someone stronger would eventually replace him. That outcome was inevitable."

The room grew even more tense, and Gabriel’s eyes flickered with interest.

"Because of that," the man continued, "I prepared records for the next ruler long before today."

Now several officials looked visibly uncomfortable.

"I kept clean records of the camp. Food supply numbers. Hidden reserves Henry kept away from the public. I also tracked which officials have been quietly stealing resources."

That statement caused immediate reactions.

A man near the center of the table shifted in his chair. Another person avoided eye contact completely. Someone else clenched their jaw.

The chubby man kept speaking without hesitation.

"I also kept track of who in this room is actually competent and who is pretending to work."

Now several people looked openly angry, but none of them interrupted.

The man turned slightly and looked back at Gabriel.

"My Lord, if you wish to remove useless people, I can help you do it immediately." Then he spoke again.

"However, before I continue, I request permission to point out the corrupt officials and those who have been pretending to work."

All eyes shifted back to Gabriel.

Gabriel had been watching the man carefully from the beginning. His expression did not change, but there was clear interest in his eyes now.

"What is your name?" Gabriel asked.

"Arnold," the man replied calmly.

Gabriel nodded once. "Go ahead."

Arnold inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. Then he turned toward the officials seated at the table.

"This man," he said, pointing toward one of them. "He claims to manage supply records. However, over the past three months several shipments disappeared under his watch. The missing resources were never reported."

The man immediately slammed his hands on the table.

"That is a lie!"

Arnold did not react and instead continued speaking.

"Two shipments of medical herbs. One shipment of preserved food. And one crate of metal tools. The records show they were received. They were never distributed."

The man’s face turned pale and sweat began to run down his forehead.

Arnold then pointed toward another official.

"This woman claims to manage worker rotations. In reality she assigns the hardest work to refugees while keeping her relatives in easier positions."

The woman opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. She could only slump back in her seat.

Arnold calmly continued, turning toward another person again.

"This man has been accepting bribes for favorable housing placements."

"And that one," he added, pointing to another official, "has been reporting false repair costs for construction materials."

The atmosphere in the room shifted quickly.

People who had been sitting confidently moments earlier now looked nervous. Some avoided Arnold’s gaze. Others looked toward Gabriel anxiously.

Arnold listed several more names with precise explanations. Each accusation came with details. It became clear that he had been keeping records for a long time.

Sophie watched the entire exchange carefully. Her eyes flicked between Arnold and the officials he was exposing. The precision of his statements made it difficult for anyone to deny them convincingly.

Seraphina observed quietly as well. Her expression remained calm, but her gaze lingered on Arnold with noticeable interest.

Eventually Arnold stopped speaking.

"That concludes the individuals I consider unreliable," he said.

The room fell silent again.

Gabriel looked around the table once. Several people had lowered their heads. Others looked terrified.

Arnold remained standing calmly.

Gabriel finally spoke.

"You kept records for the next ruler."

"Yes," Arnold answered confidently.

"And you expected someone stronger to remove Henry eventually."

"Yes."

Gabriel studied him for a moment longer and then asked a question he had been meaning to ask from the beginning of this interaction.

"What made you think so?"

"Because Henry was incompetent," Arnold replied calmly. "He only cared about women and living lavishly. He was not ambitious. I was certain that the day someone more powerful appeared, he and Dominic would be replaced."

"Hmm. I see." Gabriel nodded.

He looked at Arnold for a while, trying to see if the man was bluffing, but he could not find any sign of it. In the end he decided to trust his instincts.

"You will work under Sophie."

Arnold blinked once but remained composed, hiding a smile on his chubby face.

"You will assist her in managing the internal operations of this base. She will oversee daily administration. You will handle the records and organizational work."

Arnold bowed his head slightly.

"Understood, my Lord."

Gabriel leaned back in his chair slightly.

"I am not a diplomat," he said calmly. "My place is on the battlefield. The base requires people who can manage it properly."

Sophie gave a small respectful nod.

"I will make good use of him. You do not have to worry about anything going wrong."

"Of course. I trust you," Gabriel replied.

A smile slowly appeared across Sophie’s face.

Arnold remained silent, but there was a faint look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"And," Gabriel suddenly spoke, turning his gaze toward the others who immediately flinched.

"As for you scammers," he continued in a voice as cold as ice, "you will all be executed publicly as a clear warning for anyone who plans to follow your example."

When those words were spoken, the faces of several people turned pale while others collapsed into their chairs.

And with that the meeting came to an end.

—

Meanwhile, far away in the Broken Dawn main camp, a figure slowly appeared as a player logged into the game.

Brawler X stood inside the familiar camp entrance. His shoulders were tense and his face looked tired.

For a moment he remained still. His eyes moved slowly around the camp. There was a sad and conflicted expression on his face which he struggled to hide as he forced himself to appear neutral.

"They are not real people. Nothing I am doing is wrong," he muttered under his breath as he stepped into the camp.