Chapter 66: Vip Rooms

"What just happened? I’m not seeing things wrong, am I? Lord Lurker actually bowed his head!?"

"This... could all those rumors actually be true? If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean the real scale of this is even bigger than we thought?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, you idiot! If someone from a great family in the Elite Region is bowing his head, that means the true identity of that hidden Master is clearly on a scale far greater than we ever realized!"

"...Isn’t Daren finished, then? He just insulted the wrong person."

Faced with a crowd this large, all with their phones out, this news was clearly about to spread at an insane speed, likely dominating the entire Elite Region before long.

Lurker understood this all too well, aware that he should protect his own reputation and never lower himself needlessly.

But... could he really just let this slide?

If comparing who was more terrified right now between Daren and Lurker, Lurker would confidently say his own fear ran considerably deeper.

Judging by Daren’s pale face, the excessive cold sweat, and his entire body straining to hide that he was genuinely trembling with fear.

’You absolute idiot! What has this fool actually done!? What if Lord Julian gets furious and wakes up that terrifying persona of his again?’

Lurker genuinely wanted to rip his own hair out until it went completely bald. Whatever happened, Lurker refused to offend the man standing before him, not even slightly.

That was a calculated move, a product of pure survival instinct, something Lurker had never once resorted to, not even when meeting someone Rank-A.

Breathing hard, Lurker lifted his head, looking at the guard, who stood frozen in confusion.

"Come here. You, escort Lord Julian to his seat properly, you already know that card genuinely belongs to him now."

After that, Lurker turned back to Julian. "Lord Julian, please leave everything here to me. I’ll handle it, you don’t need to worry about anything else here."

Julian stayed silent, saying nothing, simply standing there, creating a tension so heavy it weighed down on Lurker completely. His fists clenched tight, sweating, as he silently prayed Julian wouldn’t be too furious over all this.

Fortunately, after what felt like an eternity, Julian finally nodded.

"...Fine."

The guard flinched, breaking into cold sweat as he hurried toward Julian, terrified, his expression grim.

"M-my apologies for my rudeness earlier, not recognizing you, my lord. I’ll escort you now, please, this way."

Watching the guard open the door and step inside, Lurker then watched Julian slowly follow, walking in as well.

After that, Lurker let out a breath of relief, his breathing still ragged, but every ounce of tension he’d been carrying finally eased.

He calmed himself for a few minutes, then shot a furious glare toward Daren.

"Do you have any idea how close you just came to dying?"

Daren looked utterly foolish, unable to say a single word, standing there in bewildered silence. Lurker continued:

"Not just you, you idiot, I might’ve ended up dragged down by your reckless behavior too!"

"B-but... Lord Lurker... I-I genuinely had no idea he was actually—"

"Quiet! I never said you could speak," Lurker snapped so sharply that Daren flinched, pressing his lips shut tight. "That’s exactly why you shouldn’t act without thinking things through properly, you fool. Did you honestly think I’d just let my card get stolen without noticing?"

Letting out a long sigh, Lurker turned away and added:

"I’m withdrawing every investment and terminating all cooperation between our two families."

"H-huh!?" That statement shattered Daren’s composure entirely, staring at Lurker in terror, on the verge of tears. "Lord Lurker! You can’t do that. I know I was wrong, but isn’t this excessive? Please, show me a little mercy!"

Mercy... Lurker mulled over that word, and a dark smile immediately crept onto his face.

"Exactly right... this is mercy. That man already showed you mercy simply by letting you live. And do you honestly think I’ll continue working with someone who’s made such a monumental mistake? Unfortunately, that’s not something I’m willing to consider."

Lurker didn’t hesitate for a moment. He didn’t care about the fate of Daren’s mid-tier family, whether they went bankrupt or not meant nothing to him.

After all, this was entirely about protecting his own family. Lurker had no intention of getting dragged into trouble just to keep propping up Daren.

That was Daren’s own problem now, one he’d have to solve on his own.

***

’W-what exactly just happened back there? What’s with that card? I don’t know anything about it!’

Julian walked, following the guard. He genuinely couldn’t manage to say a single word, staying silent, cold sweat dripping down his face.

Daren had suddenly gone on about this card and that card, while Julian had assumed the card was simply a standard requirement for any guardian attending this event.

But judging from Daren’s reaction, that apparently wasn’t true at all.

’What exactly was this card Lord Lurker gave me!?’

For a moment, Julian genuinely felt numb. He felt like his life might actually end up behind bars over some incomprehensible mess.

He let out an incredibly long sigh, unable to understand why problems like this always seemed to chase him down.

Fortunately, Lurker had arrived just in time and vouched for him. Julian had no idea what would happen next, but he wanted to throw this whole issue as far from his mind as possible, refusing to dwell on it any further.

His mood soured because of it.

Recalling Daren’s reaction, spiraling into panic and terror over his own misplaced suspicion, and Lurker too, looking equally terrified out of sheer guilt.

Of course, in that moment, Julian, who’d appeared calm on the surface, had actually been the most terrified of all, without a doubt.

Right now, following the guard, Julian had made his way up to the second floor of the building. He was led down a corridor lined with doors, and the guard opened one of them, revealing to Julian a room that wasn’t particularly large, but spacious enough.

It was a fully enclosed private room. A single chair sat in the middle, facing a closed window, while on the other side stood a sofa and tables piled high with sweets.

’Oh...! That actually looks good?’

Julian’s mood instantly improved. The energy that had drained from him earlier came flooding right back into his body.

"L-Lord Julian, once the event begins, the curtains around this room will fully open. That way, you’ll be able to watch."

’Ah, so this room’s deliberately kept closed off for now, then.’

Julian nodded in understanding. After a brief word of thanks, the guard hurried off. With that, Julian glanced at the sweets for a moment, then picked up a plate of pastries and took a bite.

’This... tastes absolutely incredible...!’

Sweet strawberry cream melted on his tongue, the cake itself soft and perfectly balanced, complemented by delightful additions like a sprinkle of cheese on top and a single cherry.

Julian sat down in the chair facing the closed window and savored the treat. In that moment, with his mind completely at ease, he heard an echoing announcement.

"The Elite Academy Admission Evaluation will begin shortly, and the curtains for the VIP seating area will now be opened."

Julian took another spoonful of the sweet cake and enjoyed it once more.

’So, the event’s about to start? Right on time.’

He nodded, satisfied, and the next instant, the curtains around him suddenly, almost magically, drew open, leaving behind only the wall at the back, facing out toward the corridor.

Julian watched in awe as the curtains slowly rose, the sound of gears turning above the room signaling machines at work.

Next, Julian realized he was actually positioned somewhere quite high up, looking down at a field below, its floor smooth and polished, like a futsal court.

But that wasn’t what left Julian genuinely puzzled.

’....Where exactly am I?’

Julian found himself in a genuinely strange place. He could see the Elite spectators all seated in designated chairs down below.

Then, glancing left and right, he noticed other rooms similar to his own, each apparently occupied by two people.

"....."

’What is this?’

Why was he here?

Wait...

’Didn’t the host earlier mention that the curtains for the VIP rooms would be opening?’

"...."

There was no way...