[3RD POV INITIALLIZED]
In a giant hall dimly lit up by a floating ball of blue flame, like a magical energy being gathered in one place, there were ten pillars surrounding the blue flame located in the center. The pillars stood at a height of around fifty meters, with each pillar having what appeared to be a throne on top, upon which a mysterious individual sat.
Surrounding the ten pillars at the center of the hall were hundreds of pillars, resembling sticking spikes coming down from the ceiling and the walls pointing toward the floating ball of blue flame, creating a maze-like structure within the hall.
The ten individuals present in this hall exuded a mysterious aura, their faces shrouded in darkness. Nobody in this world knew their identities, as they always operated from the shadows.
Due to the dim lighting provided by the floating blue ball, their appearances remained blurry, with only their figures visible. Their voices were distorted to prevent their identities from being exposed to one another. The first voice to break the silence in the hall came from a woman dressed in fur, with a revealing dress that showed her cleavage. She sat upon one of the pillars among the ten.
[Code name 7 speaking, there is currently a protesting activity at the zero zone island of the vibrant city,] she announced, her voice seductive and filled with wickedness. The mention of her code name indicated that she held the seventh rank in terms of power and resources within the hall.
Then, a distorted child-like boy's voice could be heard. [Code name 9 speaking, it is a sector that we do not have much control over. Let us just ignore them!]
Another deep, distorted male voice replied to the boy. [Code name 10 speaking, if we leave them unchecked, they will become a rebellious group. There might be a regressor representative in the vibrant city sector.] There was a hint of wickedness and sadism in his tone.
The child-like boy replied in a hurried tone, seemingly fearful of what was about to happen. [Code name 9 speaking, are you suggesting we should punish the protestors? Think strategically, this won't bring us any good reputation.]
Instead of the man with code name 10 replying, it was another man whose authority could not be questioned amongst these ten mysterious and powerful individuals. A voice so distorted that it seemed to be speaking from another dimension echoed throughout the hall.
[In one week, the divine judgment will arrive in the solar system. It is time for us to harvest the narrative energy to use replica magic.] The man said.
Even without mentioning his code name, this voice had already alerted the others to his presence. His code name was Genie, and the other nine people in the hall fell silent after his speech. He sat upon the highest pillar in the center and closest to the floating blue ball.
[Code name number 5 speaking, the plan for the survival game is to train rankers to obtain replica magic! Are we going to begin it now?] another female voice could be heard.
Genie responded, [Let us begin our plan. The first hunting ground is the vibrant city. Number 10, since you are the weakest, go and harvest the energy of those protestors.]
Number 10 stood up from his seat, towering at a height of approximately 1.90 meters despite being considered the weakest in terms of wealth, magical power and resources.
Furthermore, his replica magic was much weaker compared to the presence of the other nine people in the hall. Acknowledging this fact, Genie provided him with an opportunity to gain more power.
Number 10 bowed down and said, [I am grateful for the opportunity. I won't let you down, Father.]
Genie added, [Make it seem like they are fighting against each other. Don't let even a hint of our involvement in the massacre be revealed.]
With a hint of a wicked smile, number 10 replied, [Leave it to me, Father.]