Cole looked past Zich immediately after the door opened, and the moment his eyes landed on the massive entrance hall behind him, his expression changed visibly.

"You actually rented this place?" he asked slowly, almost as if he still could not fully believe what he was seeing.

Zich frowned slightly. "You are repeating yourself."

Cole ignored that completely and kept looking inside the mansion. His eyes swept across the polished floor, the wide staircase further inside, and the expensive decorations placed around the hall. He had spent years inside Layer One already, working under Arnold and earning far more than ordinary players, yet even he still lived inside a high grade apartment near the upper district.

Meanwhile this brat who had only recently entered the mountain somehow skipped directly toward mansion level housing.

It made no sense at all.

Cole had already investigated him before. A graveyard keeper from the outside world with no known backing, no guild, and no wealthy family connections should not have been able to gather this kind of money so quickly unless something strange was happening behind the scenes.

The more he looked at the mansion, the more unreasonable everything felt.

"You really rented a mansion before me," Cole muttered while rubbing his forehead lightly. "I suddenly feel like I wasted several years of my life."

Zich leaned against the doorway calmly. "That sounds like a personal issue."

Cole’s mouth twitched at Zich’s words. Sometimes he genuinely felt the kid was too blunt for his own good.

"At least let me inside," he said afterward while clearing his throat. "You cannot seriously expect me to stand outside the entire time."

"We can talk here."

Silence followed immediately.

Cole stared at him with disbelief.

"You are not even going to pretend being polite?"

"I opened the door. That already counts."

Cole exhaled slowly through his nose. He tried glancing sideways afterward, clearly attempting to peek further inside the mansion interior, but the moment he shifted slightly, Zich moved casually and blocked the angle completely without changing expression.

The movement looked natural; It was also shamelessly intentional.

Cole’s eye twitched faintly. "You are unbelievably selfish,"

"You are not here to check out my house, are you?" Zich replied calmly before folding his arms and asked in a serious tone. "Why exactly did you come?"

Cole clicked his tongue softly before straightening properly again.

"The shelter Lord wants to see you. It is better if you follow me now."

Zich frowned slightly after hearing that.

"What for?"

"If I knew every detail beforehand, I would not be standing outside begging to enter another man’s mansion," Cole replied dryly.

Zich remained silent briefly. Arnold calling him personally this early after the incident last night was not exactly comforting, especially because the Shelter Lord clearly suspected more than he openly admitted.

That alone made this meeting troublesome.

Still, refusing outright would only create more suspicion.

"Give me a minute," Zich finally said.

Cole nodded once.

A few minutes later, Zich stepped back outside after securing several things inside properly.

The two walked through the privileged district quietly afterward and entered the normal district.

Several players passing nearby slowed slightly after noticing them together, especially after recognizing Cole. Whispers spread almost immediately between nearby groups, and more than one gaze lingered toward Zich longer than necessary.

Zich ignored the whispers completely and kept walking with a straight face. Compared to monsters, gossip was far less dangerous, though significantly more annoying.

"Are you sure he’s truly the winner of the event?"

"He looks so...weak."

"Yes that’s him."

Cole glanced sideways once after hearing the whispers but did not comment on them either.

Eventually they arrived before the large office building near the center of the settlement.

The guards stationed outside immediately straightened after noticing Cole approaching. One of them briefly looked toward Zich afterward with visible curiosity before quickly stepping aside.

Cole pushed the door open first.

"Inside."

Zich stepped through the entrance calmly, but the moment he entered properly, his eyes narrowed slightly after recognizing the people already waiting there.

Helen sat near the left side of the room wearing pale silver clothes, and the moment she saw him her expression brightened noticeably before a faint smile appeared across her lips.

"You were invited as well?" she said, the smile not leaving her face as if she had seen an old friend whom she had not seen in a long time.

Zich gave a small nod toward her without speaking further.

On the opposite side sat Jayden.

Unlike Helen, he completely ignored Zich’s arrival outwardly. His posture remained stiff while one hand rested against the arm of the chair beside him, though the slight tightening around his jaw made it obvious he had noticed him immediately.

Even without looking directly at him, the hostility in the room became easy to feel.

The atmosphere inside the office felt uncomfortable almost instantly.

Seated behind the large desk near the center of the office was Arnold himself.

The Shelter Lord looked calm as always, though his sharp eyes briefly lingered on Zich longer than everyone else before he gestured toward the remaining empty chairs.

"Sit."

Zich walked toward one of the seats quietly before taking his place.

The moment he sat down, Helen glanced toward him again briefly before looking away afterward, and although Jayden pretended not to notice any of it, the tension around him became noticeably colder.

Cole quietly moved toward the side of the room afterward and leaned against the wall without interrupting.

Arnold observed the room silently for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"If you are wondering why all of you were called here," he said calmly while resting both hands together atop the desk, "it is because each of you has been selected as settlement representatives."

Zich’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Representative?

Representative for what?

He was not the only one confused. Even Jayden, who had been acting distant the entire time, finally shifted his attention fully toward Arnold.

Meanwhile Helen frowned slightly and asked the question that had already appeared in everyone’s mind.

"Representatives for what?"