Chapter 156: The Burden of the Spider
Players monitoring the game's registry watched with a mix of shock and morbid fascination as the names of the "Demon Trio" flickered and went dark in their Binders.
In the logic of Greed Island, this meant only two things: the players had left the game, or they were dead.
The former was quickly discounted. In the chaos of the Masadora raid, several players reported looting [Leave] cards from the Spiders during the spell-spamming frenzy. The Trio had been stripped of their exit strategy.
That left only one conclusion: Bonolenov, Feitan, and Phinks had all been eliminated by Kurapika's team.
The realization shifted the atmosphere of the game instantly. The "Demon Trio" was gone, but in their place stood a new, potentially even more dangerous force: Team Ronin.
Like the Spiders, Ronin's group was under Battera's contract. Their stance on the remaining players now became the most vital piece of intel in the game.
Nickes was among those contemplating this shift. Standing beside him was Genthru, who was supposed to be in deep hiding.
Genthru was fuming internally.
His original plan was to use the Spiders' reign of terror as a smokescreen, eventually betraying his alliance to seize their cards and then emerging as the "hero" of a new organization.
Now, that plan was ash. With the Spiders dead, the alliance expected him to return their Restricted Slot cards. The logic of his "safe-keeping" gambit was gone.
Worse, he feared Ronin's team would become the primary "Clear Team." If they started speed-running the game, they would mop up the remaining rare cards before he could make his move.
He had to adapt. He needed to get close to them, gain their trust, and find an opening to plant his bombs.
Approaching them as a "victim" of the Spiders who wanted to help hunt down the "Bomber" (himself) seemed like a solid, albeit ironic, play.
No. I need to be more subtle, Genthru thought. I'll wait for them to trust me before I reveal the Countdown.
Nickes wasn't the only one wanting a meeting. However, many groups quietly withdrew, too intimidated by the reports of Ronin's strength to risk a face-to-face.
In the end, only seven people—including Nickes and Genthru—used [Accompany] to meet Ronin's team.
While the game world was in an uproar, a somber scene unfolded in a small residential house in the real world.
Shalnark, Machi, and Nobunaga were gathered in a room.
In front of them sat the Greed Island console. On the connected television screen, the icons representing Phinks, Feitan, and Bonolenov were greyed out.
Dead.
They had arrived at this safehouse three days ago, having been given the address by Phinks before he logged in.
None of the three had much interest in entering the game themselves. Shalnark had spent the time tracking a new lead on a pair of Scarlet Eyes, hoping to secure them before Ronin did.
They had assumed Phinks and the others would finish the healing quest and log out within a week.
Now, their brothers were gone.
Shalnark's mind immediately pinned the blame on Ronin.
According to the reports Phinks had relayed from inside, there were no players or NPCs capable of threatening the Trio. While clearing the game was difficult, simply collecting spell cards for a trade should have been safe for Spiders.
Even if they were arrogant and attracted attention, killing all three simultaneously was statistically improbable—unless a monster like Ronin had pursued them.
"Should we go in?" Machi asked, her voice tight.
She hated the feeling of being reactive. The constant stream of deaths—Uvogin, Omokage, Isley, and now three more—felt like she was back in the junkyards of her youth, watching Sarasa's body being discovered.
Shalnark shook his head slowly.
"If Ronin followed them in, or if they found a new enemy... our entering now won't change the outcome. We'd just be exposing our positions and walking into another trap."
He let out a long, weary sigh. "And if it was Ronin... then Feitan's death means he went all out and it wasn't enough. Feitan was prepared for a deathmatch. If he lost, the gap is wider than we feared."
Nobunaga slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the plaster. "DAMMIT!"
The Phantom Troupe had never been this humiliated. Since meeting Ronin, "humiliated" had become their default state.
"Are we just going to let him pick us off? Is there still no word from the Boss?" Nobunaga demanded.
He wanted a fight—even a suicidal one. Anything was better than this slow, agonizing erosion of their family.
Shalnark didn't answer.
With Ronin holding the absolute initiative, Shalnark didn't know what cards they had left to play. Reclaiming the Scarlet Eyes seemed like their only remaining leverage to limit Ronin's growth.
"I'm going back to Meteor City," Machi said, standing up. Her expression was blank, her eyes dead.
Hunting for eyes felt like a waste of time now. She wanted to be in the city when the end came. She wanted to wait for the boy to come for the Head.
She wasn't afraid of the Troupe ending. She was only sad that they had failed to find Sarasa's killer before they were all gone.
Shalnark opened his mouth to stop her, but the words wouldn't come.
As Machi walked past him, Nobunaga followed. "You aren't coming?"
"I'll get those eyes first," Shalnark said. "Then I'll join you in the city. Don't worry."
Nobunaga nodded silently. The room felt heavy, suffocating.
Ronin had become the Sword of Damocles hanging over the Spider. They didn't know when he would strike next, or who would be the next to fall.
Watching the empty room as the others left, Shalnark packed up the console and prepared to depart.
Inside the game, Ronin met Genthru for the first time.
He didn't reveal any recognition. With Kurapika taking the lead, the seven visitors were ushered into the hotel's meeting room.
Ronin knew what they wanted. They wanted to see if the new "Sheriff" in town was going to play by the rules, how the loot would be divided, and if Ronin intended to purge more contractors to free up space for his own team.
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