God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 493: The Second Key Location

"This place matches the description he gave," Xman muttered to himself before stepping ahead.

The interior remained hushed. The receptionist glanced up as he walked in. "Name?"

"Xman."

After checking her records, the receptionist nodded. "He's expecting you. Room 307."

Without further inquiries, Xman climbed the stairs. Along the way, he noticed the building appeared mostly deserted. Aside from the employees, no other guests were visible, sparking his curiosity.

Moments later, he arrived at the wooden door marked boldly with Room 307. He drew in a deep breath and rapped on it twice.

"Come in," came the familiar steady voice from within.

Pushing the door open, he entered the room.

White Phantom stood by the window, already present inside.

"You made it," Gabriel stated evenly.

Xman nodded while shutting the door. "Yeah. And a lot happened."

Gabriel partially turned to face him, a spark of interest flickering in his masked eyes. "A lot?"

Drawing a steady breath, Xman recounted the events outside the hotel: his old teammates lying in wait, the bribed guards, and Scarlet's sudden intervention that halted it all.

"When she arrived, they left immediately," Xman said. "Then she fired the guards on the spot."

Gabriel heard him out in silence, not interrupting once.

"And she didn’t arrest you?" he questioned, barely able to credit the tale.

"No," Xman answered. "She just told me to be careful and left."

Gabriel stayed silent for several seconds afterward. He remained still, then gradually faced the window once more.

Beneath the mask, Gabriel's gaze sharpened a bit. White Phantom was now on the Adventure Guild's watchlist, and Xman surely was as well. If she'd spotted him, shouldn't she have detained him?

Why release him instead?

A sudden realization struck him.

As if reading his mind, Xman hastened to reassure. "You don’t have to worry about that. I am certain that she didn’t follow me here."

"You won’t exactly know if she did. After all, she is Hero Rank," Gabriel countered, sliding open the glass door to step out onto the balcony.

He spread his perception across a vast area. By now, Gabriel surpassed Scarlet in strength, granting him an expansive sensory range.

Should she be nearby, his detection would catch it. Though nothing appeared in the initial minutes, he lingered on the balcony a solid twenty minutes before pulling back his senses.

She hadn't trailed him. Strangely, her absence left Gabriel more uneasy than if she had pursued Xman.

Pondering her true motives, after moments of reflection, one possibility loomed largest: Could she already suspect it was him?

"By the way, where are the others?" Xman asked abruptly, jolting Gabriel from his reverie.

"Hmm. I bought the hotel," White Phantom responded offhandedly.

"You rented the hotel, you mean?"

"Bought. This property, alongside the workers, are now all under me," Gabriel clarified.

Xman froze in shock, his mind reeling as it processed the revelation. He knew White Phantom was formidable, but wealthy too?

"Damn!" the player thought inwardly. The longer he knew the man, the more enigmatic and captivating he seemed.

As Xman mulled over this, White Phantom abruptly approached the door and swung it open, exposing a staff member with a tray, her hand poised mid-knock.

"Your coffee is here." The woman pulled back her hand with a smile.

Having detected her approach in the hallway earlier, Gabriel gave a subtle nod and accepted the tray bearing a cup of coffee.

Sipping from the cup, he eyed Xman and remarked, "I trust you haven’t been slacking while you were away?"

Xman exhaled softly, rubbing his neck before replying. "I wasn’t slacking. I was actually doing some digging while I was away. This might sound hard to believe, but I think I know where the second key is."

Gabriel took another sip, leaning casually against the table, though his gaze stayed sharp on Xman.

He didn't respond right away, merely setting the cup down on the tray and fixing his eyes on him. "Where?"

Xman paused briefly, gathering his words, then declared, "The second key... it’s in the castle."

Silence fell over the room briefly. Gabriel said nothing, yet his stance indicated rapt attention.

"The castle," Gabriel echoed deliberately.

"Yeah," Xman affirmed. "I’m sure of it. I confirmed it from different sources. The second key is definitely inside the castle."

Gabriel averted his gaze momentarily, deep in thought. He wondered how Xman uncovered such intel so swiftly but held back the question.

Xman's research prowess was unmatched among those Gabriel knew, so he accepted the claim without reservation.

Besides, his plate was overflowing already; his sole aim was wrapping up business in the Stellar Kingdom and departing. Lingering posed growing risks.

After a pause, he met Xman's eyes again. "If the key is in the castle, then getting it won’t be easy."

Xman chuckled wryly. "Easy? It’s the opposite of easy. There’s more."

Locking eyes with him, Xman pressed on. "In order to get the key, you would have to infiltrate the castle," he explained, then added after a beat, "Specifically, the king’s chambers. You would have to infiltrate the Vermilion King’s chambers."

...

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