The Box: Fate
Chapter 50 — The Knowledge Gap
The morning sun over the city of Liya was completely hidden behind the dark, purple clouds of the Second Monarch Axel Hatanaki and Sharky Bee walked quickly through the busy streets, heading straight for the central Hunter's Guild After the intense meeting with Vahn the Iron-Heart, they expected the entire city to be talking about the arrival of the legendary Level 65 Star-Rank Hunter
However, as they entered the grand hall of the Guild, everything looked normal Hunters were drinking ale, checking ordinary bounty boards, and laughing There was no panic, no crowd, and no sign of a crushing obsidian aura
"This is weird" Sharky Bee whispered, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger "Vahn walked through the main gates yesterday His presence was huge Why is nobody talking about him?"
"Let's ask the boss" Axel said, his brow furrowing as he led the way to the heavy mahogany desk at the back of the hall
The Guild Master of Liya, an old man with a thick grey beard and sharp eyes, was busy looking at a leather map He looked up and nodded as the two young men approached "Ah, the vanguards of the Forsaken Fort What brings you to my desk so early?"
"Guild Master" Axel leaned forward, lowering his voice "We're here about the traveler who entered the city yesterday The powerful Hunter in the grey cloak Vahn the Iron-Heart Where is he?"
The Guild Master blinked, looking genuinely confused "Vahn? A traveler in a grey cloak? My scouts haven't reported anyone of that description entering Liya If a high-rank hunter arrived, I would be the first to know As far as the Guild records are concerned, no such man has arrived"
Axel and Sharky Bee exchanged a sharp, startled look Vahn was definitely in the city—he had literally fought them in front of their hotel
Sharky Bee leaned closer, his eyes narrowing "Wait If you don't know him... what about the others? The ones who call themselves 'Players'? Do you have any records of them?"
The Guild Master chuckled, shaking his head as he rolled up his map "Players? What is that? A person who plays games? My boys, this is a dangerous world, not a playground We have Hunters, we have Knights, and we have Mages I have no idea what a 'Player' is supposed to be"
Axel froze, a sudden realization hitting him like a physical blow He slowly turned his head to look at Sharky Bee
The normal people of this world—the NPCs—had absolutely no idea about the system They didn't know about the "Box" they didn't know about the WhatsApp links, and they didn't understand the word "Player"
"Guild Master" Axel asked carefully, his voice tight "How do you measure strength here? What about the Level system? The experience points?"
"Levels? Experience?" The Guild Master laughed out loud "You speak in strange riddles today, Axel We don't have 'levels' A man is strong because his spirit is strong We can see our own personal Status—our inner strength and health—if we meditate, but we cannot see it in others We judge a hunter by his rank and his deeds, not by a number"
The old man's face then turned incredibly serious He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper "If you want to talk about true power, you look at the top There are Five Apex Hunters on this continent Gods among men They have never been defeated, and their status is beyond human comprehension But numbers? No We don't use numbers to measure a god"
Axel and Sharky Bee didn't ask any more questions They bowed respectfully and walked out of the Guild hall, their minds racing
They ran all the way back to the hotel, bursting into the private room where Zanaki was currently polishing his boots while talking to Hanzoe
"Zanaki! We have a huge problem!" Sharky Bee shouted, slamming the door shut
Zanaki looked up, raising an eyebrow "What? Did Vahn steal your daggers?"
"No" Axel said, panting as he sat down heavily at the table. "The people here... the locals They don't know anything They don't know what a 'Player' is They don't see numbers or levels They only know about their own Status if they check it inside their minds To them, Vahn is completely invisible because he hid his identity"
Zanaki paused, his draconic eyes blinking in confusion "Wait... so to a normal citizen, I'm not a Level 39 Dragon King? I'm just a guy with a glowing hand?"
"Exactl" Sharky Bee said, his face pale "And there's more The Guild Master mentioned the 'Five Apex Hunters' The strongest people in this world We thought we were just fighting demons and the Architect... but we might have to deal with the strongest native humans of this world too, and we don't even know their levels"
Zanaki sat back, the cocky smile completely disappearing from his face The rules of the Box were breaking apart They were trapped in a world where their greatest advantages—their levels and system knowledge—meant absolutely nothing to the people living in it
The game was no longer a game It was a completely blind reality