Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World

Chapter 286: Freya’s Information And Move Against Town

The call connected immediately. Freya’s voice came through the speaker, her usual cheerful energy laced with an urgency Caelus couldn’t quite identify.

"Big Brother Origin!"

Caelus smiled at the familiar greeting, the bratty enthusiasm in her voice making him relax slightly despite the late hour. "Hey Freya, what’s going on?"

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end before she spoke again. "I need to tell you something important. I was passing by my father’s office earlier and accidentally overheard part of his meeting."

Caelus’s expression shifted immediately. Sylvia noticed the change and stepped closer, resting a hand gently on his arm as she tilted her head to listen in.

"What kind of meeting?" Caelus asked.

"My father was talking with some executives and contracted players," Freya explained quickly, her words tumbling out as though she was afraid she might forget something. "They were discussing a place called Genesis Town. One of the executives said it had been rising unusually fast and recently absorbed multiple nearby settlements."

Caelus raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"They said the rapid expansion would become troublesome if left alone," Freya continued. "Another executive suggested mobilizing their contracted players to suppress Genesis Town before it became even stronger. They were talking about sending people to attack it."

Sylvia’s eyes widened, her grip on Caelus’s arm tightening slightly.

"What happened after that?" Caelus asked carefully.

"I interrupted the meeting," Freya said with a hint of pride in her voice. "I told my father that Genesis Town belonged to my friend and insisted they shouldn’t attack it. He seemed really surprised by how serious I sounded."

Caelus felt a sudden warmth spread through his chest. The genuine care behind her actions touched him more than he had expected. "Did he agree?"

"Eventually he agreed to postpone the matter," Freya confirmed, relief evident in her tone. "I couldn’t hear everything, but they were definitely talking about Genesis Town. I thought you should know."

Caelus took a deep breath. Having a massive organization coming after him was the last thing he wanted right now. "Thank you, Freya. This means a lot."

"Of course!" Her voice brightened immediately at his gratitude. "You’re my Big Brother Origin. I couldn’t just let them do something like that without telling you."

"You really saved us from a potential disaster," Caelus said. "I owe you one."

"Just one?" Her bratty tone returned in full force. "You owe me at least three. Maybe four. Definitely enough to buy me all the snacks I want next time."

Caelus laughed softly. "Deal."

"Oh, wait," Freya suddenly added. "They were talking about something else too. I couldn’t hear that part clearly, but whatever it was seemed important."

"Any idea what it might have been?"

"No," she admitted reluctantly. "Just... be careful, okay? I don’t know what’s happening, but something felt wrong about the whole meeting."

"I will," Caelus promised. "Thanks again, Freya."

"Bye, Big Brother!"

The call ended, and Caelus slowly lowered the phone. His expression grew thoughtful as he stared at the dark screen for several long moments.

Sylvia watched him before finally breaking the silence. "So someone wants to attack our town?"

"It seems that way."

Sylvia tilted her head, her crimson eyes showing genuine confusion rather than concern. "Would it really matter if Genesis Town gets taken? We can just find another place, right?"

Caelus slowly shook his head, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. "It’s more complicated than that. Now that we’re Town Leaders, we aren’t simply players anymore. We govern everyone living inside Genesis Town. Players, NPCs, merchants, residents, everyone falls under our jurisdiction, and they depend on us for protection and stability."

He looked at her seriously. "If enough residents leave because they feel unsafe or unhappy, the town itself will gradually lose prosperity. If prosperity falls below the minimum threshold, Genesis could lose its Town status entirely. Without a Town, many future opportunities would disappear."

Sylvia’s expression shifted as the implications sank in.

"If people are already moving against us," Caelus theorized, "then towns must be much more important than we originally thought. It can’t simply be a place where people spawn. There has to be something deeper we haven’t discovered yet."

Sylvia nodded slowly in agreement, her earlier confusion replaced with understanding. They sat together on the couch and began discussing their next steps.

Caelus admitted that he had neglected Genesis Town after conquering it, focusing almost entirely on getting stronger.

That approach had to change.

"We need proper management. We need players who want to stay and fight alongside us, residents who feel safe, and merchants who want to do business inside our walls."

"We need to make people actually want to be there," Sylvia added.

"Exactly."

"Then I will be the Queen, and you will be the King," Sylvia said with a small smile.

The conversation naturally shifted, and Caelus remembered a detail that had been lingering in the back of his mind. "Elite Rank."

Sylvia looked at him questioningly.

"Unlike the Abyss, promotion here isn’t automatic," Caelus explained. "We first need to obtain an Ascension Token, and only then can we begin the Elite Ascension Quest."

"Do we know where to find one?"

"Not yet," he admitted. "We’ll think about it after entering today’s Domain. I checked the internet, but most of the information implies it depends on luck."

Suddenly, Sylvia’s eyes locked onto his forehead. She pointed a finger at him with a curious expression. "Your horns disappeared."

Caelus blinked in surprise and reached up. His fingers found smooth skin where the small blue horns had been just hours ago during their transformation in the Volcano Trial.

He immediately opened his System interface. New notifications appeared before his eyes.

[Ding!]

[Chaos Dragon Body Updated.]

[Half Dragon Transformation Unlocked.]

[Duration: 2 Minutes]

[Cooldown: 4 Days]

[Effects:]

[Transforms the user into a Half-Dragon state.]

[x4 All stats]

[Significantly increases abilities.]

[Allows free manifestation of Chaos Dragon traits.]

He wasn’t surprised; he had entered this form before. The duration was extremely short, but that could be fixed in the future.

Below that, more notifications caught his eye.

[Your draconic automatically appear during combat.]

[Outside combat they may be hidden freely.]

Caelus experimented with the new ability immediately.

He focused his will on the transformation, watching as the small blue horns emerged from his forehead, their circuit-like patterns extending around the base.

He made them disappear with another thought, then brought them back again. The process felt completely natural, as though he had been doing it his entire life.

Sylvia watched with wide, curious eyes before laughing softly at the sight. "That’s actually pretty convenient."

"Very," Caelus agreed with a grin.

Sylvia checked her own System, finding similar notifications waiting for her.

[Ding!]

[True Progenitor Transformation Unlocked.]

[Duration: 2 Minutes]

[Cooldown: 4 Days]

[Effects:]

[Awaken the complete True Progenitor bloodline.]

[Greatly amplifies all Vampire abilities.]

[x4 Stats]

She activated it briefly. Her eyes transformed immediately, the sclera darkening to pitch black while her irises became vivid crimson with vertical, slit pupils.

Small, elegant fangs appeared as her presence became noticeably more refined and regal, carrying an ancient authority that demanded respect rather than fear.

She quickly deactivated it, her silver hair settling back around her waist as her normal appearance returned.

"Beautiful," Caelus commented without thinking.

Sylvia’s cheeks flushed pink at his words, and she looked away with a playful smile.

Since everything in Volcano Land had been so intense and exhausting, they decided to spend the rest of the day at the apartment without any training or planning.

They cooked dinner together in the small kitchen, Caelus handling the main dishes while Sylvia repeatedly stole bites of food before it even reached the plates.

"That’s the third time," Caelus said with mock annoyance as she grabbed another piece of meat.

"I’m helping you taste test," Sylvia replied innocently, chewing happily.

They ate together on the couch while watching television, a random comedy show playing in the background as they criticized the terrible jokes and laughed at the actors’ exaggerated expressions.

Sylvia leaned against Caelus’s shoulder as the evening continued, her warmth spreading through him as they scrolled through online weapon prices on his phone.

"That one looks expensive," Sylvia pointed at the screen.

"That’s because it’s Transcendent rank," Caelus explained. "Ours should sell for similar prices."

They had originally planned to visit the auction house before entering the Domain to sell their weapon.

However, after a quick phone call, the receptionist informed them that the sale had been postponed to a later date due to an overload of item submissions.

Caelus frowned at the news, but ultimately didn’t complain. They were a credible organization, and he could wait.

Soon, night fell.

[Domain has opened!]

Seeing the prompt, both of them entered the Origin Ascension Domain together.

Reality twisted around them as space distorted, the familiar sensation of crossing between worlds washing over them as they arrived back in Genesis Town.