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

Chapter 518: Attacking the Black Star Clan [1]

A few days passed after that.

Gabriel stayed inside Scarlet’s room the whole time and focused on recovering. His external wounds closed first, while the deeper damage inside his body took longer and left him weaker than he liked.

Scarlet came in and out during those days without much noise.

Sometimes she brought medicine and food. Sometimes fresh bandages. Other times she only checked the state of his injuries, changed what needed changing, and left again without wasting words.

Gabriel noticed that more than once.

She was still cold. She was still strict. She still spoke in the same flat tone most of the time. Even so, those small actions showed another side of her, one that most people in the guild probably never saw.

She was not some emotionless machine.

She simply did not waste herself on things she did not care about.

On the fourth day, Gabriel finally sat up properly without his vision blurring.

Scarlet was standing near the table, folding a used strip of cloth into a neat square. The room smelled faintly of medicine, clean water, and that same light soap scent that had been there since he first woke up.

"I’m fine now," Gabriel said.

Scarlet glanced at him and gave a short nod.

"You are better," she corrected. "Not fine."

Gabriel let that pass. A little later, when he finally stood on both feet and tested his body without any sharp pain stopping him, he turned to her and spoke more seriously.

"Thank you," he said. "I owe you one."

Scarlet waved it off without even looking at him fully.

"There is no debt. We are allies. I am certain you would have done the same for me."

Gabriel was quiet for a second. He never liked owing anyone, and he liked being in someone’s gratitude even less. Since words clearly meant little here, he opened his inventory and took out a treasure. It was not something cheap either.

Scarlet’s eyes moved to it.

"You do not need to do that," she said.

Gabriel placed it on the table anyway.

"I know. Take it."

Scarlet looked at the item, then at him. In the end, she did not argue further.

Not long after, Gabriel left the room.

He moved through the Adventurer Guild quietly, and by the time he stepped out into the city again, the air outside felt strangely normal compared to everything that had happened over the past few days. The streets were busy, players moved about as usual, and the city had already shifted its attention to newer rumors, even though Darius Aston’s disappearance was still being discussed.

Later that day, Gabriel met up with XMan again at the deserted hotel, which was now his, with all the workers acting as his personal servants.

XMan had been waiting there, and the moment he saw Gabriel, relief flashed across his face.

"You’re really okay," he said. "I was starting to think the city swallowed you."

Gabriel did not reply to that. He simply reached into his inventory and dropped one of the Soul Keys into XMan’s hand.

XMan’s eyes widened immediately.

"You really got it," he said, staring at the key like it might disappear. "Damn. You really got it."

He turned it carefully in his hand, his excitement obvious. It was one thing to suspect the key was in the castle. It was another thing entirely to actually see it.

Gabriel watched him for a second and asked, "You sound surprised."

XMan coughed lightly and looked a little awkward.

"To be honest," he admitted, "I was not entirely sure."

Gabriel stared at him, trying to keep his expression from changing.

"You were not sure?"

XMan raised both hands quickly.

"I was close. Very close. But not completely certain."

Gabriel’s face went flat. For a second, he just looked at him without speaking. He had nearly died in that castle. He had crossed paths with the king himself. And the one who sent him in had not even been sure.

"I could have lost my life for a guess."

XMan looked embarrassed.

"You still got it."

"That is not the point."

XMan lowered his head slightly and muttered, "Fair."

Silence fell between them for a moment before Gabriel asked the next question.

"Where is the last key?"

XMan straightened and answered more seriously this time.

"I’m still working on that," he said. "But one thing I’m certain of now is that it is not in Stellar City."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You’re sure?"

"Yes," XMan replied. "That much I can say with confidence."

Gabriel gave a small nod. That meant his business in this city was done, at least as far as the Soul Keys were concerned.

"You can go," Gabriel said. "Keep researching."

XMan blinked once.

"And you? What do you plan on doing while I’m away?"

"I have something else to take care of."

XMan frowned slightly, curiosity showing on his face, but he nodded and left without asking more.

Once he was gone, Gabriel stood there for a short while before calling out quietly.

"Grizzlenaught."

The ground rippled as the massive spectral bear rose from below. Held within its grasp was Barry. The blindfolded summoner looked far worse than before. His posture was stiff, his breathing shallow, and he could barely raise his head to meet Gabriel’s eyes.

Gabriel studied him for a moment.

Even without asking, he could tell that whatever Barry had experienced while being kept underground had left its mark. The man no longer looked like someone calculating survival. He looked like someone trying not to break.

Barry avoided his gaze at first, then forced himself to look up.

Gabriel’s tone remained calm when he finally spoke.

"I have a use for you. You’re going to take me to the Black Star base."

***

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