God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

Gabriel paused in his steps and turned back slightly. ”What is it?”

IceQueen reached for the desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a folded letter. The paper itself looked old fashioned compared to the screens and systems everyone used now, which made it stand out immediately. She held it out without hesitation, and Gabriel stepped back toward her, took it from her hand, and opened it while the others in the room stayed quiet.

As his eyes moved across the contents, IceQueen began to explain.

”A few days ago, one of my private channels received that invitation,” she said. ”It did not come through the forum, guild board, or public system. It came through one of my own networks. According to the source, there are only ten invitation slots in total.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed slightly beneath the mask.

Ten slots.

That number alone made it clear this was not an ordinary mission, and what bothered him more was that he did not remember anything like this from his past life. From what he knew, the first major tournament should have been the next large event around this time, or at least the thing people were preparing for. This invitation, this mission, and the fact that it was being treated with this level of secrecy did not fit what he remembered at all.

Could the timeline really be changing that much?

That thought sat in the back of his mind while he kept reading.

IceQueen noticed the brief pause and the way his attention sharpened. A small smirk passed across her face because she could already tell she had gotten him interested. Once that was clear, she continued speaking without waiting for him to ask.

”The mission is simple on paper. We go to Tianlan, enter the Buried God’s Tomb, and retrieve the Core Suppressing Spike. It is an ancient nail, roughly the size of a spear, driven through the heart of the corpse inside to keep it dead.”

Gabriel lifted his gaze from the letter.

”Why remove it?” he asked. ”If the spike is keeping the god down, taking it out sounds stupid.”

IceQueen did not look offended by the question. She only folded her arms and answered in the same calm tone as before.

”Because the spike is failing.”

Her eyes shifted to the city lights behind him for a second before returning to his masked face.

”The scouts confirmed that cracks have started appearing on it. If the suppressing spike breaks while still lodged inside, no one knows what kind of change that will trigger. The people who sent the invitation believe the safer choice is to retrieve it under controlled conditions before the seal collapses on its own.”

She paused and added, ”In short, the spike is no longer stable enough to trust.”

Gabriel looked back at the letter.

That explanation made enough sense. If the thing keeping the corpse down was already cracking, leaving it there might be more dangerous than removing it with a prepared group. Still, that did not mean the mission itself was safe. Going into the grave of an ancient god with only ten invited guilds sounded like exactly the kind of thing that swallowed careless people whole.

Having witnessed what the power of a god was truly like, Gabriel understood what she was saying. A mission like this would require more than ten guilds to participate.

He tapped the edge of the paper once with a finger and asked, ”What are the rewards?”

ChaosCleric glanced at IceQueen, but she let out a small breath and answered directly.

”Access to the tomb itself is already one reward,” she said. ”Beyond that, the invitation mentions divided rights to any secondary treasures found inside, favor from the Tianlan royalty that issued the request, and first selection priority over items judged non essential to the main objective.”

Gabriel stayed still, not because he was thinking about the rewards, but rather the corpse itself.

An ancient god.

Even dead, that kind of corpse was not ordinary. The thought of what could be extracted from something like that made his interest rise sharply, though none of it showed on his face. If he could get close enough to that corpse and use Extraction, the kind of reward it might give would be beyond anything he had touched so far.

It could be a skill.

It could be a treasure.

It could be something even bigger.

He kept his tone flat when he asked, ”And you want me involved because you think your current group isn’t enough.”

IceQueen nodded without trying to hide it.

”That’s right. With our current strength, I’m not confident. With you there, the chances change.”

Gabriel folded the letter once and handed it back. ”I’ll think about it.”

IceQueen accepted the paper and studied him for a second. She clearly wanted a firmer answer, but she was smart enough not to push too hard too early. A mission with only ten slots was already valuable enough that she knew pressing too much might do more harm than good.

”For now, that is enough,” she said afterward.

Gabriel gave a small nod and finally turned toward the door again. ChaosCleric moved aside, and Vv did not say anything as he passed, though Gabriel could still feel that quiet pull every time his eyes brushed that armored figure. He filed it away again. There were more urgent things to think about now.

...

Far away from Stellar City, inside New Dawn, Sophie stood inside one of the administrative rooms, her posture straight as she looked over a few reports on the table. Her veil hid most of her expression, but the slight stillness in her hands made it clear her focus was on more than paperwork.

A knock came from the door.

One of the guards stepped in after getting permission, his back straightening even more the moment he stood before her.

”Lady Sophie,” he said, bowing his head slightly. ”A visitor has arrived.”

Sophie lifted her gaze from the table, a frown appearing on her face. ”Another one? Who is it this time?”

The guard hesitated for just a second before answering. ”A woman from Tianlan.”