Chapter 50: The Pianist’s True Identity and the Soul Collector’s Ambush

Despite the numerous acquaintances stored within Bai Tong’s memories, Noah found herself momentarily unable to identify the exceptionally distinguished man standing before her.

“Ahahaha… Indeed, to you, I am merely a pianist, a fleeting acquaintance.”

A twitch played at the man’s lips, his in-game avatar mirroring his real-world visage perfectly. This uncanny resemblance only amplified the peculiar embarrassment he felt at Noah’s utter indifference towards him.

“A pianist?” Noah diligently sifted through Bai Tong’s memories, finally arriving at a look of dawning comprehension.

During a particular banquet hosted by the Bai Corporation, Bai Tong, having sought respite on the balcony, had engaged in a most pleasant conversation with a refined pianist, eventually forming a genuine friendship.

It was only as they prepared to part ways that Bai Tong had unveiled the pianist’s true identity.

“You are… the CEO of the company that developed ‘Light of Mysteries,’ one of the most promising game producers… and your name is…”

Noah strained to remember, pressing a hand to her forehead in vexation, her ample chest momentarily yielding as her elbow pressed with a subtle force.

The man, meanwhile, regarded Noah with a hopeful expression, patiently awaiting the articulation of his name.

“Ceobe!” Noah exclaimed, a flash of inspiration illuminating her eyes as she spoke the man’s name.

“……” The atmosphere solidified. The man, his face devoid of expression, adjusted the spectacles on his nose, a terrifying gloom settling at the corners of his now smile-less mouth.

“Not a single letter was correct. My name is Bai Yuan, not some… ‘wise’ appellation like that.”

And inexplicably… he felt as though he had been insulted.

“So, Ceobe, what do you intend to do to me?” Noah, having completely ignored him, adopted a combat stance, the luminous full moon once again appearing above her, poised for an all-out confrontation.

The man’s previous movement had left her with a profound sense of trepidation; from his extended hand, she had perceived a fear unlike any she had ever known.

It was akin to a dormant king cobra, erupting with thunderous speed, sinking its fangs into its prey’s neck, injecting venom, and delivering a single, fatal strike.

Even though she understood that players possessed inherent limitations compared to the native inhabitants of this world, and that being slain here wasn’t tantamount to true death, Noah remained resolute in deploying her ultimate trump card against the man confronting her.

“…Fine, it doesn’t matter. My goal is merely your soul; nothing else is of consequence.” Bai Yuan pressed his spectacles forcefully, as if to embed the lenses into his eye sockets.

He called up the system menu, and under Noah’s wary gaze, manipulated several keys.

“Initially, if you had simply continued living solely as Noah, apprehending you would have undoubtedly demanded considerable effort. Yet, you chose to revert to your player identity, even presenting yourself on my doorstep. Truly remarkable.”

Bai Yuan’s voice regained its customary calm, and his placid tone sent a shiver of unease down Noah’s spine.

Before she could even react, the man recited in a mechanical drone:

“Player ID A01205, action prohibited.”

“!” Noah’s eyes narrowed, her dragon wings unfurled, poised to retreat, only for her limbs to seize up like rusted machinery, rooted immovably to the spot.

Despite her strenuous efforts, she could not shift an inch. A cry of alarm solidified in the center of her throat, unable to escape.

“Then, though a little later than planned, I shall claim your soul.”

Bai Yuan advanced calmly towards the immobilized Noah, his movements precise as clockwork, imbued with an elegant grace. He extended his slender right hand, inching it closer to Noah’s forehead.

Beginning from his fingertips, the slender hand transformed, acquiring a translucent, blue-glowing quality, akin to a primordial essence closely related to the soul itself.

Noah detected an ineffable danger emanating from it; she instinctively knew that if the man’s hand truly penetrated her mind, her soul would undoubtedly be extracted.

‘Yet, this sensation… why does it feel so unexpectedly familiar?’

Powerless to move, Noah could only watch as Bai Yuan’s translucent hand stretched towards her glabella.

Just as his fingertips were about to make contact, the Rosemary’s Embrace on Noah’s right hand suddenly erupted with a pale blue light.

“What!?” Bai Yuan gasped aloud. His hand met an invisible barrier of pale blue light, preventing further advance.

The unexpected resistance caused him to recoil instinctively, his legs shifting as he attempted to retreat.

However, it was already too late; simultaneously, a cluster of pale spiritual flames ignited on Noah’s chest—the runestone Letitia had entrusted to her before her departure.

A grotesquely twisted, pitch-black greatsword cleaved forth from the abyssal Mariana Trench, severing Bai Yuan’s right arm before he could even retract it.

“Ugh!” Bai Yuan instantly felt an excruciating pain, as if his soul were being incinerated.

His face contorted as he clutched the place where his King’s Power had just been lost, staring incredulously at the bizarre greatsword.

The pale spiritual flames, still enshrouding the runestone, surged forth from the space between Noah’s ample bosom, coalescing into the projection of a Demon King clad in a black gown.

She slowly opened her eyes, within their dark crimson depths lay a profound stillness of death and majesty.

Noah’s body instantly regained its freedom; the Demon King’s single stroke had even temporarily severed her connection to the system.

“The Demon King… Letitia!” A flicker of genuine panic finally crossed Bai Yuan’s usually composed face. He realized he had just stumbled upon a truly formidable opponent.

Being adept in soul arts and leveraging the system’s power, there were two individuals in this world he most dreaded encountering:

One was Yemina of the High Tower, the High Priestess of the Holy Church Empire, one of the system’s founders, who still retained the highest administrator privileges within the system.

The other was Letitia, the Demon King of the Mandorn Empire—a millennia-old Great Lich who commanded countless souls and wielded the power to sever them.

The former wielded sufficient authority to chastise him, operating as he did under a player’s identity, while the latter possessed the terrifying ability to breach the world’s confines and directly assault a soul in reality.

Simply put, even if she appeared to be nothing more than a pixelated figure within the game, Letitia could effectively reach through the network cable and slay the player sitting before their screen.

“Don’t even think about escaping!” Seeing Bai Yuan call up the system, and realizing the direness of the situation, Noah’s hand coalesced a radiant cyan lightsword.

Together with the Demon King’s greatsword, wreathed in spiritual flames, they formed a pincer movement, poised to cleave Bai Yuan down.

However, in the very next moment, Bai Yuan’s body vanished into thin air. Both greatswords swung through empty space, failing to turn Bai Yuan into a sandwich filling.

“Just as I thought…” Noah’s eyes narrowed.

As she had surmised, Bai Yuan’s disappearance was due to him ‘logging out’ of this world, and his elusive appearances were a result of him setting his ‘login point’ wherever he wished to materialize.

Typically, ordinary players could only log in at inns within towns or at campsites established in the wilderness upon logging out. Bai Yuan, however, had exploited a loophole using his administrative privileges.

This explained why Clennina had been unable to detect his assault; in a world where the system permeated everything like air, to Clennina, it would have been as if the very air she breathed had suddenly attacked her.

In a sense, it was far more terrifying than any ghost story.