Kaito listened carefully, then nodded without argument.
He knew the influence his grandfathers held within the family. His uncles respected them deeply. If both the eldest and the second grandfather supported his proposal, then winning the vote was practically assured.
And as for how his uncles would know of their support ? Kaito already had a simple solution in mind. He could discreetly pass the idea to his cousins. Once they understood the potential benefits, they would naturally speak to their fathers, pressing them to support the change.
It might not be the most straightforward approach—some might even call it underhanded—but Kaito had no hesitation. He knew what was coming. He knew the dangers and opportunities the future would bring. And above all, he believed his plan was the best path for the Ren family right now, whether or not everyone could see it yet.
....
After Kaito, his grandfather, and the other elders left the underground study, they didn't linger. Each returned to their own quarters, their minds clearly still working through everything that had just been discussed. Kaito also headed straight for his room.
The moment he stepped inside the villa area, he didn't bother sitting down or resting. Instead, he walked directly into the RV where his gaming pod was set up. He had already spent the entire daylight cycle in Glory dealing with matters in the real world, and now, in-game, night had already fallen.
That didn't bother him. Nighttime in Glory simply meant different opportunities—and right now, it meant uninterrupted time for forging. Without wasting another second, he slipped into the pod, the familiar interface lighting up as the login sequence began.
The world of Glory came into focus, the corrupted moonlight casting a faint, eerie glow over the terrain. Almost immediately, Kaito checked his friends list. His other family members—everyone except his grandfather—were already online.
He sent them a quick message, asking where they were. Their reply came back almost instantly: they were grinding levels in the Corrupted Swamp, grouped with teams from Storm Life Guild and Crimson Rose. The arrangement wasn't just for efficiency—it was also a precaution. With Kaito absent earlier, there had been a real concern that Everhold Dominion might try to launch an ambush. Teaming up with two allied guilds ensured that they wouldn't be caught off guard.
Right now, Kaito had already informed the Stormlife Guild and Crimson Rose about the Lantern of Dusk, allowing them to farm during the night as well. He had even advised both guilds to keep searching for Lanterns of Dusk in South Glade Town so they could enable more of their members to farm after dark. Many other guilds were envious, but since they still didn't know about the Lantern's existence, only Genesis, Stormlife, and Crimson Rose enjoyed this advantage.
However, Kaito knew the secret wouldn't last long. Both guilds were large, and just as they had spies in other guilds, other guilds also had spies within them. It was only a matter of time before the information leaked. Anticipating this, Kaito had already suggested selling Lanterns of Dusk to outsiders after some time before the secret became public. This way, they could profit early—and perhaps even use this news to expose some of those hidden spies.
After Kaito told them about some precautions to take in the corrupted swamp area he disconnected and left for the forging life guild, the familiar sounds and sights of the virtual world surrounded him. He had one clear goal in mind—head straight to the Forging Life Guild and resume advancing along his forging path. His pace was steady and purposeful, but just as he was about to make his way through the dimly lit streets toward the guild building, a notification popped up in his interface.
Incoming Communication Request.
The sender's ID read: Grim shade.
Kaito frowned slightly. The name didn't ring any bells. He ran through his memories—both from his current life and his past one—but he was certain he had never crossed paths with anyone by that name. Since it was someone he didn't know, and because he disliked unnecessary distractions, his decision was quick.
"If it's someone I don't know, there's no reason to waste time. Let's just reject it."
With a tap, he declined the request without hesitation and resumed walking toward the Forging Life Guild.
On the other end, Grim shade stared at the rejection notification, an unfamiliar sense of discomfort rising in his chest. This was… unusual. Normally, players and organizations with any sense of ambition would seize an opportunity to speak with him, eager to form ties. Being dismissed outright was a first.
Still, he couldn't let personal pride get in the way. The higher-ups had already given him a direct order—make contact with Raen. He had no choice but to swallow the irritation and try again later.
This wasn't just idle curiosity. After Grim shade had reported the information about Raen and the mysterious flame to the underworld internal network, they had immediately begun an in-depth analysis. Their experts concluded that the flame was extraordinarily valuable, with over a 80% probability of being an epic-ranked item.
If that was true, it was something the underworld could not afford to let slip away. Grim shade's task was now clear—negotiate with Raen, one way or another, and secure the flame for the underworld.
Grim shade sucked in a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. Losing his composure now would only make things worse. Steeling his nerves, he sent another communication request to Raen.
Once again, the notification came back almost instantly—Request Rejected.
A flicker of disbelief crossed his face. Crap… I can't believe this. Who turns down my calls? Gritting his teeth, Grim shade muttered under his breath, Let's see how long you can keep this up.
Without giving himself time to hesitate, he sent yet another request.
On Kaito's end, the repeated interruptions were beginning to grate on his nerves. The moment the familiar chime sounded again, his patience snapped.
"This is getting irritating." Without hesitation, Kaito rejected the call for a third time.
That was enough. Kaito quickly pulled up his system interface and navigated to the communication settings. Within seconds, he toggled off the option to receive calls from strangers.
The system confirmed the change with a soft chime, and the intrusive blinking icon disappeared from his vision.
Closing the interface, Kaito let out a small sigh of relief. The noise, the interruptions, the constant flashing prompts—all gone. The world of Glory suddenly felt quieter, calmer… almost peaceful.
Just as Kaito thought the matter with Grim shade was over, he pushed the incident to the back of his mind and continued on his way. Entering the Forging Life Guild, he walked straight to the counter and spoke to the NPC attendant.
"I want to rent an intermediate forging room for five hours," he said.
The NPC nodded, processed the payment, and handed him the key to one of the private rooms. Kaito had booked the room to cover the entire night cycle of Glory. Once he was done, he planned to log off—he still needed time in the real world to train his cousins, making sure they could perform better in the game.
Stepping inside the intermediate forging room, Kaito was greeted by the familiar warmth of the forge and the steady glow of enchanted tools. He had barely taken a few steps when the peace was shattered.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The system's message notification rang out repeatedly, each chime coming so quickly that they overlapped into a continuous, maddening chorus.
Kaito froze, staring at the flood of alerts. "Just where did all these messages come from?" he muttered. Then his eyes narrowed. "Grim shade… again?"
The persistence was almost absurd. The man had sent several hundred messages in a row, spamming Kaito's inbox as if his life depended on it. The messages varied between aggressive and desperate:
Do you dare to accept a voice call?
Do you even know who I am?
Are you even reading this? I know you are.
There's a big opportunity waiting for you right now. Contact me immediately.
Kaito couldn't help but shake his head. From one angle, Grim shade was downright annoying. From another… the sheer determination was impressive.
Still, his curiosity was piqued. Why was this person going to such lengths to reach him? After a moment's thought, Kaito sighed and opened his settings once again, switching the option to allow calls from strangers back on.
If Grim shade was so eager, Kaito might as well hear him out—at least once.