Chapter 5 – Seeds in the Dark
The moonlight above Halros cast a silver hue over its towering spires, but deep beneath the city, in the labyrinthine corridors of the Blackwind Sewers, Klaus moved like a phantom. The narrow stone paths smelled of rot and rust, the only sound being the soft drip of water and the almost imperceptible metallic clink of his boots.
This place wasn't marked on any map. Not yet.
It was a hidden zone—one he had stumbled upon in his previous life only months before his downfall. A failed event dungeon, buried in code and bugs, overlooked by developers and players alike. But Klaus remembered. And now, it was his again.
"Location confirmed. No patrols, no spawn events triggered."
His voice was low, barely above a whisper, as he communicated with Iris through a private voice channel.
"Then the perimeter's secure. I'll reroute the asset transport to the hidden node you marked yesterday. Are you still planning to deploy the merchant module tonight?" she asked.
"Not yet. I have other plans."
He stepped into a chamber that opened like a wound in the stone. Ancient columns, partially crumbled, lined the walls. In the center stood a raised platform covered in moss and etched with faded runes. It was beautiful, in a forgotten kind of way.
Klaus activated a command from his inventory. A faint blue glow wrapped around the platform as a translucent interface materialized.
[Hidden Zone Discovered – 'Sanctum of Dust']
[Would you like to claim this location as a Private Node? Y/N]
He selected yes.
[Ownership established. Hidden Node now linked to Ouroboros Enterprise Network.]
A slow smile crept across his face. 'First, infrastructure. Always infrastructure.'
This was more than a hideout. It was a vein of power, and he was going to mine it for everything it was worth.
---
While most guilds were fixated on dungeons and loot rotations, Klaus was executing a different strategy—one that spanned weeks, not hours.
The next morning, disguised as One, he reentered the commercial district of Halros.
The atmosphere was different now.
Since Saint Sword's sudden withdrawal from the Trial of Blades, the forums had exploded with theories. Clips of the duel had gone viral. Commentators speculated on his class, his stats, his absurd reaction time. But no one had answers.
And that's exactly how Klaus wanted it.
Mystery was a currency more powerful than gold.
But even in the shadow of curiosity, business had to move.
Ouroboros's Chamber of Commerce had begun to make waves. Subtle, deliberate waves.
Merchants who bought bulk from One noticed something strange: the items had unusually high stats for their tier. Craftsmanship tags hinted at rare materials. The pieces were too good to be early-game products—yet there they were, circulating quietly through the marketplace.
Klaus stood beside Iris in their private storefront—still unmarked, still hidden among the cluttered bazaar corridors. They observed from behind a false wall as a small group of independent players gathered near a merchant stall that bore no guild banners, only a single silver insignia etched into a hanging cloth:
A serpent devouring its own tail.
Ouroboros.
"Three days," Iris whispered, "and this brand already has market traction. They're asking where it comes from."
"They won't find out."
"Are we ready for contact?"
Klaus's eyes followed one figure in particular—a female archer with snow-white hair and a tattered beginner's cloak. She wasn't famous in this life. Not yet.
But he remembered her.
Code-name: Silence.
A solo sniper ranked in the top 50 of the previous timeline. Known for her emotionless precision and refusal to join any guild. In that life, she'd only made her name much later—long after the major powers had settled.
Now? She was still unknown. Still looking.
He tapped Iris on the shoulder.
"Deploy a custom item drop. Bait her into a trigger."
Iris nodded, already working on the backend of their merchant interface. Within moments, a special item appeared in the stall: Moonseeker Pendant. Mid-tier effects. Low price. But hidden in the fine print was a unique trigger condition tied to her player ID.
Less than five minutes later, Silence picked it up.
The moment she confirmed the purchase, a system message appeared for her eyes only:
[You've been marked by the Ouroboros.]
[A hidden path has been opened. Follow the silver flame.]
---
Two hours later, she arrived at the entrance to the Sanctum of Dust, drawn by the guidance marker only she could see.
Klaus waited inside.
He wore his Saint Sword appearance, but cloaked in shadow.
She stepped in with her bow half-raised, gaze cold and measured.
"You're him."
Klaus didn't reply immediately. Instead, he gestured to the center of the chamber, where a pedestal had appeared—projecting a rotating blueprint.
A bow design.
Custom.
Elegant.
Deadly.
"This is yours," he said.
She frowned. "What's the catch?"
"No catch. Just a test."
He threw a scroll across the room. She caught it without breaking eye contact.
[Quest: Phantom Trial – Complete an assassination of a corrupted noble NPC under strict stealth and time constraints. Failure results in lockout. No retries.]
Silence opened the scroll and scanned the details. Then looked back.
"You're recruiting."
Klaus nodded.
She raised her brow. "What's your angle?"
"I'm building something the current powers aren't even aware of."
He stepped into the light for the first time.
"I don't want your loyalty. I want your precision. Your silence."
Her gaze narrowed. Then she smirked.
"For now," she said. "I'll take the trial."
She vanished into the shadows.
---
That night, Iris returned with data.
"She succeeded. Killed the target in under half the allowed time. No alerts. Perfect run."
"She passed."
"And her reaction?" Iris asked.
"She'll come back. She's not loyal. But she's curious."
"And the others?"
"They'll follow. One by one. Handpicked."
He gazed into the forge, working on his next project—a sword that looked broken at the base, designed to appear like a failed prototype, but in truth layered with a double enchantment for stability and durability masking.
"The world is watching the surface," he said quietly. "But we'll plant our roots where no light reaches."
He gripped the half-finished weapon.
"And when they finally look down… it'll already be too late."
---
End of Chapter 5
[Word Count: ~2,050 words]