Since the earlier conversation hadn't been whispered, the others nearby had overheard at least the gist of it.
Those who realized what was happening but hadn't acted in time were filled with regret, though they could only pretend to be indifferent on the surface.
Even worse off were the ones who had originally planned to join that group and beg Caleb for mercy. Now they were drowning in regret. Some held back out of pride, others out of loyalty to Ye Fan, and now it was too late.
Even Ye Fan himself was feeling incredibly conflicted.
"This guy…" he didn't even know what to say anymore.
After collecting his protection fees, Caleb ordered the Salamence army to open a path for the group that joined him, then turned and headed back up to the city wall.
On the way, he casually explained to a thoroughly confused Terrence and Hatsumi why so many new players had suddenly joined their side.
Watching Caleb walk away, the pretty girl who had spoken first gazed after him dreamily and sighed, "He's so handsome. I think I'm falling for him."
Her friend beside her twitched and deadpanned, "You call that love?"
"What else would it be?"
"You're just thirsty for his body and face. You're shameless!"
…
Caleb had effortlessly defused the crisis. After keeping Ye Fan's group trapped for five hours, Terrence and Hatsumi started sending in victory reports one after another.
The enemy forces were crushed!
The players below immediately vanished in flashes of white light, eliminated from the Instance.
Ye Fan's defeat marked the end of this game scenario.
The remaining stragglers were nothing before Caleb's Salamence army. Like loose sand in the wind, they were swept away...
...
Three days after sending Cynthia back, the Chaos Era Domination Instance officially came to a close.
Caleb stood side by side with his six Pokémon atop the city wall, chatting idly with Terrence and Hatsumi while waiting for the Instance settlement notification:
*Ding!*
[Special Instance 'Chaos Era Domination' is now settling...]
[Congratulations! You successfully defeated all other players and survived to the end.]
[Reward: 100 000 points have been deposited into your personal inventory!]
[You conquered a total of 5958 territories, the highest among all players. You are this Event's MVP!]
[Reward: <1x SSS-grade item random draw ticket> has been added to your inventory!]
…
~Outside the Instance~
Lately, the biggest topic in Infinite World was undoubtedly the Chaos Era Domination battle royale...
Today marked over a month since the Instance had opened. Normally, interest would've died down by now, but this time was different. Not only hadn't the hype faded, it had only intensified!
Every day, the top threads on the player forums asked: {Wait, that event STILL isn't over?!}
Some players returning from other Instances would immediately ask passersby if the Battle Royale was still ongoing. Then, after learning it was, they'd sigh in relief, teleport home, skip dinner, and dive straight into the forums.
In this strange atmosphere, a player suddenly noticed something: Ye Fan, ranked second on the leaderboard, had disappeared!
The news spread like wildfire, sparking a massive uproar among players:
"Ye Fan has vanished!"
"Impossible! Even if he lost, he's a veteran player... So he's gotta have tons of life-saving items…"
"What if it was an instant death?!"
By standard rules, a player disappearing from Infinite World could only mean two things.
First: The player died during an Instance run. In that case, everything tied to them; ranking, forum account, etc. would vanish.
Second: The player had saved enough points to buy a residency ticket into the Pokémon world.
"Wait, wasn't that event supposed to be non-lethal?"
"Yeah, it was."
"So… does that mean Ye Fan left? But why? What even happened in there? Why would he just ghost everyone without a word?!"
Within an hour of the rumor spreading, the entire Infinite World community was buzzing about it.
Some said Ye Fan got scared off by Caleb. Others claimed he was just tired and wanted to retire peacefully in the Pokémon-verse. But no one knew the truth aside from those who had joined his coalition.
Soon, however, an informed player posted the full story on the forums.
They detailed how over twenty players had banded together to attack Caleb's forces, and how Caleb summoned Arceus, Giratina, and even Cynthia, then single-handedly crushed the coalition.
The thread sent shockwaves through the community:
{WTF?! Arceus?! You're full of crap!}
{Full of crap my ass! I was there! And it wasn't just any Arceus, it was the full eighteen-plate Arceus! You have no idea how epic it looked, it felt like a dream!}
{I don't believe it. The poster must be insane… I've been in Infinite Space for ages and never heard of a player capturing Arceus. And if it's true, why doesn't Arceus show up on the leaderboard?}
{Believe it or not, I'm telling the truth.}
{If that's really the case, then is Caleb even human? I'm starting to understand why Ye Fan bailed…}
Just as players were still debating whether to believe it, the clear sky of Infinite World suddenly darkened. A massive storm cloud gathered overhead, heavy with ominous thunder...
Players recognized the scene and felt a mix of déjà vu and anticipation.
Sure enough, the next moment, a booming voice echoed across the realm:
*Ding!*
"Congratulations to player Caleb Chase for earning the Achievements:
- King of Chaos
- Favored by the gods
- I Have a Friend
- Mad Farmer..."
Before anyone could react, another announcement followed:
*Ding!*
[Large-scale activity Instance 'Chaos Era Domination' has officially ended. Player Caleb Chase and his team have achieved final victory. Each member receives a reward of 100 000 points!]
[Player Caleb Chase performed exceptionally and has been named MVP of this Event! The MVP-exclusive reward has been deposited into the player's inventory!]
[This event has concluded perfectly. We hope all players continue striving forward!]
At that moment, the entire Infinite World erupted in chaos.
All the legendary rumors about Caleb, whether half-believed, or half-doubted, were instantly confirmed in the minds of players..
And the name Caleb Chase? It was now etched into the hall of legends...
...
Caleb himself had no idea about any of this, and he certainly wasn't acting like the mysterious, aloof 'elite Trainer' people imagined him to be.
At that moment, he was sprawled on a couch like a lazy lord, ordering his servant, Dragonite, to give him a massage.
He had accumulated enough points in an instant, and his life suddenly became dull. With no new goals, Caleb radiated pure, unapologetic couch-potato energy.
He was debating whether to just enter the Pokémon world and retire, or keep grinding in Infinite World.
But before that, he had one last thing to do. Caleb opened his inventory and stared at that SSS-grade item draw ticket...