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

Chapter 483 483: White Phantom

XMan stared at the message for a few seconds as he hardly ever got direct messages.

And when he did, they were usually from the same kind of people. Low level parties looking for a scout. Random players asking if he knew a shortcut in some ruin. Sometimes someone wanted him to check symbols or old quest lines they did not feel like reading themselves.

He clicked open the sender profile, but it was anonymous which made him more cautious.

Still, curiosity won in the end.

He typed back carefully.

[Hello. I'm XMan. What do you need help with?]

He hesitated, then added one more line.

[If it's about research or hidden lore, I might be able to help, but you will have to pay.]

Then he sent it and leaned back slightly in his chair.

A few moments later, in New Dawn, Gabriel received the notification.

He had just finished giving a short instruction to one of the supply workers when the forum alert appeared. He dismissed the worker, returned to his room, and opened the message without delay.

Gabriel read the words once, then typed back immediately, going straight to the point instead of beating around the bush.

[I'm interested in your Soul Key theory.]

On the other side, XMan froze when he saw the response.

Soul Key.

Out of all the things this anonymous person could have asked about, it had to be about the soul key.

He frowned slightly.

At first he did not believe it. Too many people had mocked him before. Some players even pretended to be interested just to waste his time or laugh at him later. Because of that, he did not rush to trust the message.

He typed back more slowly this time.

[Most people think that theory is nonsense. Why are you interested?]

Gabriel read it and gave a faint nod to himself. XMan's reasons were perfectly reasonable, and even if it were him, he would have been cautious as well.

Without thinking too much, Gabriel typed again.

[Because I have one.]

The reply appeared on XMan's screen, causing him to blink not once but twice.

For a second, he thought the person was joking. There was no way. Not after all this time. Not after everyone kept calling him crazy.

He typed, his fingers moving much more faster this time.

[You have a Soul Key? An actual one?]

Not bothering with more words than necessary, Gabriel opened his inventory, took out the dark key, and captured a clean screenshot of it in his hand. Then he sent the image through the forum message.

A second later, XMan saw it, his eyes widening immediately as he saw the clear image and the faint lines on its body.

And most importantly, the system text near it.

It was real.

XMan shot up from his chair so fast that it almost tipped backward.

"No way…" he gasped, his heart started beating harder.

All those posts.

All those replies.

All the times people laughed, dismissed him, or acted like he was making things up.

And now someone had actually found one.

Not only found one, but sent him proof.

His hands moved quickly over the keyboard.

[It's real. You actually found one. Where did you get it]

He paused, then typed even faster.

[No, wait. Sorry. We should meet.]

Gabriel read the replies calmly. At least now XMan believed him. He had thought more convincing would be needed.

[Good. Meet me near the outskirts of the Valerian Kingdom.] He typed and sent the message.

XMan swallowed. Valerian Kingdom was not exactly close, but it was reachable if he logged back in immediately and moved fast.

[Alright.] He typed back.

[When?]

[As soon as you can.]

The next day, XMan put the headset back on, logged into the game again, and started moving at once. His low level meant he could not use the faster routes, which were usually filled with high level monsters that stronger players preferred, so the journey took time.

By the time he reached the agreed outskirts, the sun was slowly disappearing.

The place was quiet. A broken stone path ran between small trees and old field walls. It was far enough from the main city traffic that people rarely bothered stopping there for long.

XMan looked around carefully but saw no one, so he stayed where he was and waited. A few minutes passed and the road remained empty, and his earlier excitement began to weaken bit by bit as doubt slowly crept in.

Maybe he had been fooled after all. Maybe someone found his old posts and decided to prank him, sending a fake screenshot just to see how desperate he looked. That would not even be the first time something like that had happened, since plenty of stronger players enjoyed messing with weaker ones just because they could.

XMan shifted his weight and looked down the road again, but there was still nothing. He let out a slow breath and lowered his head slightly.

"Idiot," he muttered to himself, feeling like he should have known better.

Just as he was starting to believe no one would come and was thinking about leaving, he suddenly noticed movement in the distance. A figure was walking toward him, and XMan straightened at once without even realizing it.

The person wore clean black leather armor, not ordinary player armor either. The outfit was clean and impossible to miss, and the figure also wore a strange mask.

The closer the person came, the clearer it became.

XMan's eyes widened because he knew that look. Not personally, but from the forum, from rumors, from clips circulating on the internet, specifically the ones from the Monkey Paradise dungeon. That white masked figure had become famous lately.

However, out of everyone he expected to meet, the last person he expected was him.

"White Phantom?"

…

Thanks to all those that support God Tier Extraction Talent with their valuable Golden Tickets and Power Stones. I really appreciate it.