"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked in an indifferent tone as my brain froze for a second at his offer. "I might not be powerful, but I'm not an ordinary person either," the man replied with a faint smile on his lips.

"My ability allows me to notice things that other people would never notice," he explained as he adjusted his glasses. "Like the fact that you've been steadily getting stronger while killing the undead creatures," he remarked, causing my eyes to narrow.

Or that you're no longer getting stronger at the same pace," he added, and I debated whether to kill him right here and now, for what he knew. "I'm guessing that killing the same enemy results in diminishing returns?" he asked, pausing and searching my face for some reaction.

'This guy is dangerous. He already knows too much. I should kill him now before he reveals any more to the people monitoring the game.' I quickly closed the distance between him and me as Bloodsport materialized in my hand.

"No one is monitoring us right now!" he exclaimed with his hands raised in the air as soon as I reached him ready to bash his skull and be done with it, causing me to stop with a frown.

"The micro-drones the game master uses to monitor the game, none of them are present right now!" he hurriedly added, his blank expression replaced by a nervous one.

"And you know this because of your so-called ability?" I asked with an indifferent face as I stood in front of him, still debating whether to kill him right here and now.

"That's right," he replied as he slowly reached into his pocket, retrieving a notebook. "This is the schedule of the micro-drones. They usually stick to specific patterns and routes as they are limited in number," he explained, flipping the notebook to a page that had a map of the city inscribed with the routes of these so-called drones.

"Even if I believe you, that doesn't mean I should spare your life," I said as I raised Bloodsport, pointing straight at the man's forehead. "You know too much," I added as I poked him in the forehead, forcing him to take a few steps backward.

The man's aura had no signs of falsehood, but that doesn't change the fact he's a threat.

"That's exactly why you shouldn't kill me," the man said as he gathered his bearing after stumbling backward for a couple of steps. "I used to be an executive in Corp city, and I managed to dig up a lot of information with my ability by abusing my position," he explained, regaining his blank expression.

"I might even know a thing or two about this game that no one else does. I can help you," the man added, adjusting his glasses. "So what if you do? There can only be one winner and survivor in this game anyway," I replied with a careless shrug.

"Or are you saying that you'll help me win only to die yourself?" I asked with a bemused smile. "That's not the case," he replied calmly, causing me to frown, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Something unexpected will happen, and there will be no winner as the game will never reach the last stage," the man added, and I didn't find any indications that he was lying on his expression or his aura.

'That lines up with what Demira and Flatliner said. This guy might be on to something.' I gestured for him to keep talking with my hand, saying nothing.

"The OWR is planning a raid on this place, and they're even sending the Deterrent of all people to take care of the game master," he stated with a blank expression, casually dropping a bomb in my lab.

'The fucking OWR is sending the fucking Deterrent to crash this party?' I felt my mind freeze again as these words kept echoing in my mind.

The OWR or the Old World Republic is a faction representing the combined remains of Law and Order from the prosperous era before the unveiling and the supremacy war.

It's a coalition of all surviving governing bodies from across the world who quickly joined forces after the destruction of the war, trying to gather the pieces of human civilization and creating the OWR in the process.

Still, they couldn't do much because the warring factions heavily outnumbered at that time, but things changed when the Deterrent suddenly showed up, seemingly from nowhere.

The Deterrent was and is probably still the most powerful human in recorded history, according to what people say, anyway. It's with his help that the OWR became the behemoth it currently is.

Fortunately for all of humanity, he wasn't an ambitious man and was content with trying to do what was right. And although he gave the OWR an edge over its rivals, he also became its moral compass, ensuring that the OWR wouldn't abuse its power too much.

But people didn't start calling him the Detterent as soon as he showed up, of course. He earned that moniker by being a literal Deterrent to all the factions on power, along with several alien races that appeared on earth during the unveiling, thus becoming a symbol of the status quo, and I say status quo because there never was any real peace after the war.

And that man is going to stop this game. I had no idea how to feel about this.

The fact that the Deterrent will be arriving here personally to end this game could mean I'd have a better chance of surviving it if it ends before I meet something out of my league.

But it also means that the game master is a lot more dangerous than I gave him credit for if the Deterrents has to make a move himself to deal with the overly dramatic clown.

It also means that I was now in danger of turning into collateral damage in a fight between two all-powerful entities.

"Ah-ahem," the man coughed in his hand, trying to get my attention as I had apparently stopped paying attention to him, occupied with the bomb he dropped on my lap.

"Alright, you have my undivided attention," I said as I turned to the man, giving him an intense look. "I'll listen to what you have to say at least," I concluded, waiting for him to talk.

"As I said, I can give you a steady stream of supplies and contestants for you to execute and get stronger," he offered in a meaningful tone. "The keyword here being execution, as I will bring you nothing but troublemakers," he explained.

"You will be fully within your right to kill these people for disturbing the peace in your turf, so to speak," he added with a casual tone as if he wasn't talking about people's lives.

"So you won't have to worry about contestants uniting against you and hunting you down, out of fear that you will kill them next," he remarked. "And I'll need from you is to continue being intimidating as you have been so far, to keep most people in this area under control," he concluded with a shrug, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm assuming that troublemakers mean people who make trouble for you, right?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, genuinely feeling impressed by this man's plan.

It was a win-win situation, no matter how I looked at it. This guy will get to control the area and reap the benefits that come with that while I get a steady stream of supplies and EXP, as even if there are no troublemakers, he can easily frame anyone with whatever he wants if he's in charge.

"Yes, along with any real trouble makers who disturb the piece in this area too," he replied honestly, not even trying to deny it. "Let's say I agree. What then?" I asked with a thoughtful expression, still considering his offer.

"Then, we survive until the OWR crash this party," he replied with a shrug. "And if we survive that too, I want to work with you," he added with a faint smiling expression.

"Oh?" I remarked in amusement, waiting for him to elaborate. "I have already been kicked out of Corp city, and the only place that would take me is the OWR," he explained with a sigh.

"And even if I go there, I'll never a reach high rank there because of my past in Corp city," he added, ambition oozing out of his tone. "So I want to bet on you instead," he stated with a confident smirk.

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"Your power to grow through killing makes you a variable, one with infinite potential," he stated with a calculating expression. "As long as you survive this game, then there is no doubt in my mind that you will achieve great things," he concluded, reverting to his neutral expression.

"So what your saying is that you want to help and elevate yourself in the process?" I asked with narrowed eyes. "Correct," he replied, causing me to smile.

"Well, I could use a smart man like you, but let's survive the game before we talk about anything else," I said as I extended my hand towards him, asking for a handshake.

"What should I call you, by the way?" I asked as he took my hand, firmly shaking it. "My name is Clark Weaver, but you can call me whatever you want," he replied carelessly.

"Clark, it is then. My name is Kaden Solomon, but you can call me boss from now on."