Godlike Player in a Game-Like World

''W-what? I- '' Belicia's face went white when she heard this. She was so shocked that her voice and body trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes were wide open as she stared at the man in front of her.

She had kept her brother's existence hidden from everyone for years, especially to avoid a situation like this, and now the man in front of her was threatening to harm her brother. This was exactly what she feared the most.

Belicia's body gave out completely, and she collapsed to her knees as she thought. 'How, how did he learn? The only person who knows this… Herman? ''

Belicia raised her head to face Loran Demugen, her young master, with trembling eyes and received her response.

''Haha, did you really believe Herman would keep your secret? Besides, who do you think is supporting him in his research? '' As Loran looked down at Belicia, the glint in his green eyes grew brighter.

''No matter how hard you tried to hide it up until now, Belicia, I know every move you make. And now your crippled brother will bear the brunt of your misbehavior. What a pity. ''

''No!!! Please no. '' Belicia began pleading on her knees. She couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. She knew the man in front of her wasn't threatening her; he was simply telling her what will happen.

''Hahahah, It's too late for that now. I've already given orders to Herman. Don't worry, your brother's body will be used for purposeful research. ''

''I can't let that happe…blerghh…''

As Belicia struggled to her feet with desperation, she met the man's eyes shining in the dim light of the room, and a feeling rose in her throat as she fell to her knees again and began to vomit blood.

''Stay like that. '' Using a firm voice, the man spoke.

Belicia lacked the strength to even confront the person in front of her, let alone save her brother.

''Know your place, Belicia. Other than the Demugens, you have no family. '' The man stated as he shifted into a more comfortable position in his chair.

''P-please, d-don't hurt h-him. '' She felt as if she was going to pass out at any moment. But she begged for her brother once more, using all the willpower she had.

''Oh, I'm sorry, but it's already too late. Additionally, I believe I should include this information. Including your brother, everyone else will be Herman's test subjects. I believe you don't mind. '' The man chuckled and said again sarcastically.

'No! '

Belicia's last ounce of strength to keep herself on her knees vanished with those words. She then fell to the ground on top of the freshly vomited blood.

'They're all going to die because of me. I'm going to cause my brother to die. '

She was left with nothing but regret and guilt as the blood she was lying on was mixed with the tears that were streaming from her eyes.

''I am sorry. '' As she began to lose consciousness, Belicia mumbled one final time, trying to get her brother and others to hear her apology.

But then something unexpected happened, and just as Belicia was about to lose consciousness, all the pressure on her vanished.

''Hm? What is it? Why are you disturbing me now? '' Loran inquired, his gaze drawn to the darkness of the room. Being disturbed at the height of his amusement enraged him.

''I'm sorry, master, but I need to report something.'' Loran was staring at a silhouette that slowly emerged from the shadows, made his way over, knelt, and respectfully addressed him.

''Talk. You've already ruined my fun. What is so important? ''

The man turned to face Belicia, who was lying on the ground and started speaking once he realized that his young master wasn't bothered by her presence.

''We learned a while ago that there was a fight between item holders in a nearby location. And when we went to check the area with the information, we discovered that the fight had already ended. ''

''Did you find out who they are? They're either overconfident or just plain stupid because they're fighting near Demugen family territory. '' Loran asked curiously.

In general, he gave these concerns a high priority. Because he was one of the family's potential future heads, he needed to pay close attention to these developments for both the family's safety and, more importantly, its reputation.

The person delivering the report gulped nervously before continuing, ''We believe there were two people involved in the fight. We have no information about one and can only speculate about the other one who was killed during the fight.''

''What do you mean? You couldn't find anyone involved in the fight, and the only person you suspected was just a wild guess? Who is he? '' Loran became enraged again as the mystery surrounding the incident grew.

''I apologize, young master. Herman Ashskin, a member of the Blood Organization. We suspect it was him because the fight took place in his territory, but we can't be sure because we couldn't find his body.'' The man said quickly before lowering his head once more.

'Herman? ' Loran was surprised to hear Herman's name.

Hearing Herman's name, Belicia also raised her head and looked surprised at the man kneeling on the ground, waiting for the next words to come out of his mouth.

''How do you know he was killed during the fight if his body hasn't been found?'' Loran inquired, suspiciously.

''Because there is no way of surviving a fight like that. The area has disappeared completely. Everything has vanished. Neither the old factory nor its immediate surroundings, not even a single piece of garbage, remained. Our suspicion is that a high-rank item holder became enraged and attacked his territory. ''

The man's description of the area, which was filled with dread and voice trembling, indicates that he must have seen the place firsthand. That kind of damage could only be done by a high-rank item holder, and upsetting one of them required no brains at all.