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"What do you want to talk to me about? I don't think it's just to drink tea."

Sitting next to Kane, Ilya held her smile for a moment and took a sip of tea before answering.

"I just have a few questions, and I'd like you to answer them for me."

Kane looked at her briefly, intuiting what kind of questions these were.

"What do you want to ask?"

"I want you to tell me about the 'Historical Void' scenario."

'I knew it,' Kane thought and replied, "Didn't you watch the news? You could ask the people they interviewed; I don't think I know any more than they do."

Ilya watched Kane for a moment before she quirked a small smile and calmly said:

"I'm not interested in people interviewed by the government, I'm interested in you, don't you think it's funny? Between all the questions and news about significant changes in the world, with new biomes and strange monsters...

"It was mentioned in the news in this city that the people summoned to the 'Historic Void' stage say they completed it thanks to a group of four people: three men and one woman."

Kane arched an eyebrow, not quite understanding. He had seen the news during his stay in the hospital recovering, where they talked about the world's changes. It didn't surprise him as much as it happened in the game.

He did not understand why Ilya talked about that group that had cleared the "Historical Void" scenario. However, the more he thought about it, something he had forgotten entirely came to mind, and he realized how careless he had been in that regard.

'Right, how did I not notice? When I was in the Historical Void, I introduced myself as Merlin Hermes in front of Rachel, and many people listened to me.'

Kane immediately remembered what happened in the Historical Void and quickly connected with what Ilya had just said.

His actions left a deep impression on the summoning survivors in that scenario. He killed most of the monsters that suddenly attacked them, activated his "Mark of the Emperor of Calamity" trait, and faced the final boss upon reaching the end of the maze.

These actions, whether he wanted to or not, left an imprint on the survivors. Besides, based on the interviews of those survivors, it wouldn't be hard to find him, as his unique characteristics made him easy to identify.

'I certainly was pretty careless about that part...' he thought as he sighed internally.

But did Kane regret what he did in the 'Historical Void'?

Of course, he didn't!

He would do it again, but next time, he would be less reckless and more careful to avoid being recognized. However, it was too late; he likely already had several enemies, and many organizations and guilds started paying attention to him.

Kane pushed his thoughts away and fixed his gaze on Ilya, who had a slight smile on her lips.

"I can't answer that question."

Ilya put her index finger to her lips, thought for a moment, and said:

"It seems you didn't understand my question. I want you to tell me what the stage was like."

"It was a maze; you heard it on the news."

"Hmm, I see. Do you know what that creature they mentioned was?"

Kane shook his head.

"You seem to misunderstand something. Just because it left a deep impression on those people doesn't mean I know everything about the Historical Void."

'I actually know quite a bit, though,' he thought to himself.

Ilya sighed softly upon hearing this and changed the subject.

"By the way, do you belong to any guilds?"

"No, I don't belong to any at the moment."

"Then how about joining mine? I'll make you a good contract and assign people to protect your family around the clock. You know that many summoned who became history-devouring monsters were children of guild presidents."

Kane was silent, thinking. He knew he had some enemies now, but he wasn't worried about his family; he just needed to change his appearance and lay low while he leveled up.

"For now, I have no intention of joining any guilds, but thank you," he said as he stood up and grabbed the eight-legged wolf sleeping soundly.

"By the way, Merlin Hermes, can you give me your number so we can communicate from time to time and have tea?"

Kane nodded and gave him his number since he didn't know when he might need help. Besides, he saw nothing wrong with having a guild president's contact.

Seeing that Kane had already left, Ilya got up and put the tea set back in its place. Then she looked out the window, which overlooked the whole city, and a smile played on her lips.

"Merlin Hermes, what an interesting person. Despite his questions, he didn't give me any clear answers... I have to get him to join my guild. I can't let someone else have him."

...

Kane had already left the Silver Hand guild with his pet and was satisfied that things had gotten simple enough to retrieve the eight-legged wolf.

'I'm going to have to stop at a stylist to change my hair color and buy contact lenses for my eyes,' he sighed.

He hailed a cab and headed straight for Players Administration.

An hour later, Kane, now dyed white hair and green contact lenses, got out of the cab and stopped in front of an imposing building.

People were coming in and out of its doors: some in armor, others in wizard robes. Various clothing and armor mingled in the headquarters of Player's Administration.

After taking a deep breath, Kane made his way to the building. After a few minutes that seemed like forever, his turn came.

"Can I help you with anything?" the worker asked with a professional smile.

"I'm here to check in."

The worker picked up a crystal and placed it on the desk.

"Place your hand on this crystal and infuse your mana; this is how we will determine if you are a Player," he explained.

Kane placed his hand on the crystal, closed his eyes, and concentrated, searching for the mana flowing through his body.

In that state of deep introspection, with his eyes closed and his mind focused, he could visualize every nook and cranny of his being, from the complex networks of veins that ran through his anatomy to the constant flow of blood. He could even perceive the movement of platelets in his bloodstream.

His internal exploration finally led him to his core. As he contemplated that reservoir of energy, he tried to direct it into his hand.

To his surprise, the energy responded to his will and began to flow into the limb holding the crystal. Within seconds, as the mana made contact, the crystal briefly lit up.

The worker, seeing the crystal glow, began to type rapidly and asked:

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Kane Jineman."

After a few minutes, the worker continued typing and handed Kane a Player card.

The whole process was quick. It took Kane longer to get to Player's administration than it did to complete the paperwork.

With his card in hand, he exited the building site.