Chapter 12: The Players

"It's too strange."

Only a few words came out of Cassian's mouth after he finished going through the important details.

He waved his hand, and closed the screen that contained classified information that was kept hidden by the governments across the world from the general public.

With the information in his hand, he was proven right. This wasn't a technology that was prevalent in this world.

It was something that only a few thousand humans could use in this world. And the strange part was that these humans weren't born in this world.

"Players, huh."

He scratched his temple, as he went through the shocking details that he had read.

It had only been a week since these strange people appeared in this world.

Based on the data that the government had gathered on them, these people called themselves Players and treated this world like it was a game.

The governments across the world thought about arresting and interrogating them about their origins. But whenever they tried to do that, some unknown force would stop them.

Based on the words of a government official, "It was like we were puppets, tied to a thread that couldn't do anything.'

There were a few statements that wondered if these people were aliens. There were even a few questions, asking if this entire world had been imprisoned by these aliens.

There wasn't a lack of unorthodox views either, which considered the possibility that they were drugged and hallucinating all of this.

"Humans who think the world is a game?"

"Esme, can you beam me down? I need to check something."

"Please select the coordinates."

"Aren't you a little too fast to send me away?"

With a smirk, Cassian stood up. He was going to test it personally. Which unknown force had imprisoned this world? And was it also effective against him? He wanted to see it with his own eyes.

He had already checked the things that he was worried about. The majority of this world wasn't in contact with a higher civilization.

If that was the case, at least the governments would be aware of it. Even the technology was far from threatening.

The strongest weapon this world had was something called a Nuclear Bomb, which was even weaker than a minor energy beam that even the weakest of ships in the Union used.

This world wasn't a threat to Fenrir. The only thing worth his concern was the humans. But he couldn't know more about them while sitting on his ship alone.

He was going to check things out personally. At the same time, he also took a few precautions.

He wore his gauntlets, which were barely thicker than woolen gloves. The gauntlets shared the same pure white shade as his clothes.

Only when they used an energy shield did their color change. They were the most expensive item he possessed, excluding Fenrir of course.

After putting on the white gauntlets, he draped a white robe on his back. He was kicked out of the Union, but his white robe still had the symbol of the Union.

"After I descend, I will grant you access to my thoughts. If you see something wrong, like an unfamiliar force trying to control my mind, bring me back immediately."

"If you see my vitals dropping, follow the same instructions. You got it?"

"Acknowledged."

"Good."

The last thing Cassian did was cover his face with a mask.

Just like his gauntlets, his mask also had a few unique features. The most important of which was that it allowed him to breathe through any toxic air. It had its own oxygen supply.

An energy shield could protect from everything, but not the lack of oxygen, after all.

"I am ready. Send me down." Cassian crossed his arms, and selected the coordinates for his descent.

These were the coordinates of the place that he wanted to check before dealing with the humans.

....

"My neck hurts. Is that thing ever going to come down? Or are they just teasing us?"

A player rubbed the back of his neck, giving it some stretching to relieve the pain.

Four hours had passed since the massive ship appeared in the air, but there were no movements from its side.

Most of the Players had already gotten used to seeing a massive ship in the air, almost treating it like a decoration as the excitement died down.

"So this is a Tower mentioned in the data."

Cassian materialized before a giant black tower that stood out from the rest of the structures in the city.

Its aesthetics didn't match the rest of the city's architecture, and there was a good reason for that. It also wasn't something for which the city could be credited.

It was something that had appeared around the same time these strange humans arrived on this planet.

He reached out and placed his hand on the tower.

"Esme, can you analyze the materials used to create this tower? It looks important. If I can salvage it, how many Ether Units will we receive?"

"Reporting to the Captain. The tower is still intact. It doesn't satisfy the salvage criteria. Unless you destroy it, I can't confirm the rewards for salvaging it."

"That's fine. Just give me a preliminary analysis. What's the least I can expect from it?"

"The lowest amount, based on the energy signature, should be one hundred Ether Units. We can receive more, depending on the things inside the tower."

"The lowest is a hundred? Now you're making me a little greedy."

Cassian was amazed by the value this old tower could provide. Just as he thought, this forgotten planet might be more of a treasure trove than he had imagined.

He clenched his fist in excitement.

"In that case, I will have to-" Before he could finish, he felt a forceful grab on his shoulders.

"Hey, idiot, are you cosplaying? Stop blocking the door before I thrash y-"

A young voice spoke, but it was too late. Cassian had already reacted subconsciously, throwing a punch.

He was in a foreign world, and his sense of danger was already heightened, making him react swiftly to what could be a threat.

His physique had already become stronger after the Synchronization, and the gauntlets increased his strength even more, turning blood-red.

A single punch, delivered with his full strength, completely disintegrated everything in its path.

Even the trees in the direct path of his fist within a hundred feet were destroyed.