Chapter 179 : World Summit?

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Sora and Kara sat at the table, enjoying breakfast with Henri and Marie. The warmth of home, the laughter over simple stories, and the way Henri kept stealing portions from his wife's plate made Sora remember the laughs he had with his family in the past. But as the meal ended, Sora knew it was time to return to reality.

They said their goodbyes, promising to return soon, and then headed outside.

Walking side by side through the quiet streets of Ales, Sora broke the silence first. “What do you think? Who sent those players to guard my parents?”

Kara glanced at him, thoughtful. “It’s hard to say. Could be a government, the Adventurer’s Guild, or a guild interested in recruiting you.”

Sora frowned. “I don’t know if I should be grateful or cautious. Whoever it was, they had enough resources to keep two high level players this long. Mom said there has been a rotation of guards for the last five months.”

Kara nodded. “At least your parents are safe from harassment, but we should still figure out who’s behind it. It’s strange they didn’t reach out directly to you.”

Sora smiled, "Well. I've received thousands of friend requests, and had communication blocked with strangers. So they probably tried but failed..."

Kara looked at him from head to toe, "And with the veil, the mask and everything else, it's no surprise, I guess."

They walked a little further before Kara’s expression softened. “What about us? What’s next?”

He smiled at her. “I don't know what to do for now... What do you want to do? What's your dream?”

“My dream?” She looked up at the sky, her voice quiet. “I don’t know if I’d call it a dream. But I want to help people—not just in one village or one country, but everywhere. I want to make their lives better, even if it’s just in small ways.”

Sora took a moment to absorb her words, his gaze fixed on her. Then, with a small smile, he said, “I like that. It suits you. Can I join you? Help you make it happen?”

Kara smiled warmly at him, though her eyes showed a hint of playfulness. “You can start by helping your parents level up. You promised them!”

He chuckled. “Fair point. But why stop there? I can leave a clone behind to help them gain levels.”

Kara raised an eyebrow. “Then why can't you protect them by keeping a clone by their side?”

Sora grew quiet for a moment before answering. “I'm not sure how far my clones can survive without me being in the same region as them.”

Deciding to get an answer, he summoned a few clones and sent them off in different directions. They soon disappeared into the distance.

Satisfied with his experiment, he continued, “Still, you never know what might happen. No one knows what tomorrow holds, and getting stronger can’t hurt, right?”

Kara’s expression became strange. “You sure about that?” she asked.

Sora caught the meaning in her words. “True… we did get stronger, but at a huge cost. I’ll make sure my parents don’t have to go through that, then.”

She laughed softly, almost bittersweet. “You’re still a little naïve, you know that? But that’s not a bad thing.”

He smiled, brushing her comment aside. “Maybe. But what about you? Why do you want to help people now?”

Her voice grew quieter. “Because I’m tired of the training, the fighting, the blood on my hands. I know you’ll say I haven’t hurt many people, but I’ve still harvested people’s time. I’ve killed almost a hundred people in the tower’s trials. Helping people… maybe it’s a way to make up for it. Of trying to be better than I was.”

Sora stopped and turned to her. “Kara, you’re already the kindest person I’ve ever known.”

She shook her head, a faint sadness in her smile. “I'm not sure about that, but thank you…” She paused, then pointed ahead. “Look over there. It seems like people have been waiting for us.”

Sora followed her gaze and spotted a group of players gathered outside the adventurer’s guild. Among the crowd, a few familiar faces caught his attention.

[Clémence Berger – Level 180]
[Pedro Luiz – Level 175]
[Morgan Casey – Level 180]
[Hannah Stone – Level 180]

Kara, noticing the strength of the group, commented. “So many level 180s… What are they all doing here?”

"Even Hannah is there. From her smug expression, she's probably unaware someone's after her life." Scanning the players in the crowd, he noticed someone else he knew.

It was someone cloaked in a long robe that obscured most of their body. A hood concealed their head, and a black mask hid their face. A pair of round glasses peeked out from the mask.

[Sin Soo-Yun – Level 160]

Kara smiled, noticing their information broker among the players, "Our friend is there as well. And it seems that he's part of a larger force."

Sora nodded, noticing Sin Soo-Yun standing behind other players with similar outfits.

"Time to show ourselves..." He said.

Sora removed the veil surrounding the two of them, and saw the players 's surprise as Kara and him appeared in front of them.

Sora had taken his Ralph Eden appearance and Kara, had also removed her mask.

Morgan immediately greeted them warmly, his grin as wide as ever. “Ralph! It’s good to see you outside the tower. You left the tower quite early! You didn't really need the rewards, right?”

Clémence nodded in agreement, quieter than usual. “It’s been a while.”

Sin Soo-Yun, standing quietly behind his group, gave a small nod. Pedro, waved lazily from his spot, as if the gathering were nothing unusual.

Hannah Stone stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Sora. “It’s good to see you, Ralph,” she said, extending her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about your exploits.”

Sora's expression didn’t change as he regarded her hand, but he made no move to accept it. “I've heard of your exploits as well.” he said, offering no further words.

The tension was immediate. Hannah’s smile disappeared, and she slowly withdrew her hand. A ripple of unease passed through the group, the atmosphere growing heavy.

Morgan, understanding the reason behind the tension, clapped a hand on Ralph’s shoulder, breaking the silence. “Congratulations on your Ascension inside of the tower, mate. There’s a lot to talk about, and we’ve got a meeting room ready for us inside. Plus, there’s someone waiting to see you.”

Sora was surprised, his curiosity piqued. “A friend?”

Morgan grinned. “You’ll see. Come on.”

The group entered the adventurer’s guild, their presence drawing the attention of the few low-level players inside. Whispers rippled through the air as the gathered players cast nervous glances at the high-level figures passing by.

Sora sighed at the attention. 'Ales isn’t used to this kind of spectacle.'

They were soon led to a private hall deep within the guild. A long table dominated the room, surrounded by chairs on either side. Near the far end of the table, Sora immediately spotted someone familiar, visibly reading something on a tablet.

“Guild leader Kim,” Sora smiled, pleased with the surprise.

The ARAM guild leader looked up from his reading, a smile on his face. “Ralph. It’s been a while.”

Sora returned the smile, pleased. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Of course, since you've been avoiding me,” Kim Dong replied, standing to shake his hand. “But we’ll catch up in a moment. Take your seat first.”

Morgan gestured toward the main chair at the head of the table. “This is your spot today, Ralph. You’re the reason everyone assembled today.”

Sora complied, taking the seat next to Kim Dong. Kara settled in beside him, her gaze flickering between the gathered players.

As the others filed into their seats on either side of the table, Sora noticed the chair at the opposite end remained empty.

He leaned toward Morgan, who was settling nearby. “Why are some people standing when there's an empty seat there?”

Morgan gave him a knowing smile. “That’s reserved for someone important. They might not show up, but we’re leaving it open just in case.”

Sora's curiosity deepened, but he chose not to press further for now.

Turning to Kim Dong, he asked, “So, what’s all this about? Why are you here?”

Kim Dong chuckled softly, setting his tablet aside. “They want something from you. And I'm here to make sure no one tries to bully you.”

Sora leaned back slightly, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Bully me? They can always try...”

“Well,” Kim Dong said, his tone meaningful, “You're not the only one they can target if they're after you. Let me help you. Emily hasn't returned yet, but you can count on me.” Turning to Kara, he added, "You too, Kara."

Sora leaned back in his chair, a hint of curiosity on his face. “So, who are all these people? It feels like I just walked into a world summit.”

Kim Dong smirked, clearly enjoying Sora’s reaction. “Not far off, actually. Let me give you the short version.”

He pointed subtly toward a man standing to the side, engaged in quiet conversation with another well-dressed individual. “That’s Admiral Figaro, the Great Admiral of the French Naval Army. You’ve probably seen him on TV before. He had created the military and player force after the World Update.”

Sora scratched his temple. “Heard of him but never knew what he looked like... Why would such person come here today?”

Kim chuckled. “You should know the answer, my friend.”

Kim continued, clearly enjoying his role as the informant.

“Over there,” Kim said, nodding toward a tall, man sitting in an inconspicuous spot and smiling to a woman sitting next to him, “is the last president of the United States of America before the system reshaped the world. Edward Mccall. Don’t be fooled by his smile, though— He's rumored to be the person behind the [GODS] guild.”

Sora blinked, trying to process the scale of the gathering. He had seen the last president of the USA on TV before, but did not recognize him.

'He looks 30 years younger than when he was president...' he thought.

[Edward Mccall - Level 178]

'And from what I feel from him, his power matches his level...' He mused.

Kim then gestured toward the woman next to him. “That's his wife. She's also rumored to be behind their secret service, but my broker was unwilling to give me any information about her. The woman in yellow? That’s Hu Lexin, the leader of the Chinese faction. The man next to her is the last Indian Prime Minister. And see that guy surrounded by those four female guards? That’s Moussa Kagate, the head of the Nigerian government.”

Sora frowned. “All these world leaders… What are they doing here? Couldn't they have sent someone to represent them?”

Kim shook his head, "You have something of incredible value, and they all want it, or part of it."

Sora sighed. "The [Haven of Peace]..."

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