The Witch’s Web and the Guild’s Gambit

Aya Tone finally stirred awake as dusk settled, having slept deeply.

He had already canceled his classes for the week, needing the time to prepare for the impending operation.

“Big White? Where is she?”

The empty living room was shrouded in dimness, every trace from the morning now gone.

He assumed Big White had tidied everything away during midday.

A pang of hunger struck him.

Aya Tone’s hand instinctively went to his stomach, which felt hollow. Having slept through both breakfast and lunch, his hunger was now a gnawing emptiness.

Unable to locate Big White, he decided to head to the refrigerator in search of a quick snack to appease his rumbling stomach.

“……”

Staring at the utterly empty refrigerator, his previously relaxed hand clenched into a tight fist once more, a vein throbbing visibly on his forehead.

‘Good heavens, she really wiped out all my emergency rations last night!’

Fortunately, his four-dimensional backpack still held a final stash of emergency rations; otherwise, he truly would have starved until Big White’s return.

With a piece of dry ration clutched between his teeth, he lightly swiped a finger across his screen. It vividly displayed the commotion stirred up by the Adventurer’s Guild that very morning.

Most had opted to accept the Guild’s commission. While the reasoning behind such an unusual request remained unclear, who would turn down a safe and lucrative opportunity?

The few who chose to travel to other cities were primarily non-locals, for whom ‘leaving the city’ was essentially ‘returning home’.

On the “Little Broken Site,” the events of yesterday had caused a complete uproar, with everyone in a frenzy.

“Damn it! Has the Little Witch gone completely mad with poverty? Clearing a hundred dungeons in a single day? Is she trying to leave nothing for the rest of us to live on?!”

“The Little Witch is incredible; her stamina is simply captivating…”

“And here I thought the Little Witch had vanished for months, perhaps to retire. Who knew she was just holding back for such a massive comeback?”

“Seriously! Talk all you want, but can you please stop hogging all the E-rank dungeon commissions? Show some decency!”

“……”

Having enthusiastically scrolled through the comments, Aya Tone felt a surge of playful mischief. Using his fake ID, he registered an account under the name “Witch White.”

He then posted a comment beneath the E-rank adventurer’s thread.

“Everyone, stop bickering. I’ll clear all the E-rank dungeons myself tonight!”

After waiting for a brief period and receiving no replies, Aya Tone’s interest waned. He closed the “Little Broken Site” and opened an anime streaming platform, embarking on his daily journey of catching up on shows.

Some might wonder why he didn’t simply watch on the “Little Broken Site.”

A ridiculous notion!

What respectable person watches anime on a “respectable” platform?

Unbeknownst to him, his comment, which was destined to be lost in the vast sea of posts, would soon be unearthed and brought to light.

There was no escaping it; the name was simply too distinctive. Coupled with the audacious statement, it was difficult for anyone not to suspect if this account belonged to the true “Little Witch.”

Immediately, a flurry of arguments erupted.

Some were convinced it was genuine, while others dismissed it as a clever imitation.

After all, Aya Tone was unlike other S-rank powerhouses; he lacked an official management team and a consistent online presence.

Therefore, this sudden appearance seemed, in every conceivable way, to be a fabrication.

By the time Aya Tone reopened the “Little Broken Site,” his private messages had already surged past 999+.

He glanced at them, noting that they were predominantly inquiries seeking to ascertain his true identity.

In response!

Aya Tone promptly blacklisted every single sender, then activated the setting to block messages from unknown users.

His movements were swift and seamless, executed with absolute precision.

Online, one should always cultivate an air of mystery, that particular elusive quality.

The kind of mystique that evokes the classic line: ‘After a thousand calls, she finally appeared, her pipa half-veiled.’

‘I’ll blacklist everyone first, pretend to be a fake, and then pull off a big reveal. Just thinking about it is fun.’

‘In any case, this account was registered using a female ID. If it were truly exposed…’

‘It would simply be what it is.’

‘Could they possibly trace him through the internet and physically confront him?’

Naturally, his claim of clearing all E-rank dungeons was merely a bluff.

The lower the dungeon’s rank, the easier it was to activate, but also the more inherently unstable it became.

‘With so many E-rank dungeons, they’d practically work him to death!’

“Stop sending me private messages! I don’t chat with perverts; perversion is contagious!”

After adding that final comment, Aya Tone dismissed the online commotion from his mind.

With his sudden interjection, the prevailing sentiment online immediately shifted.

Users flooded the comments, launching into a furious online crusade against him, even momentarily forgetting the widespread clearing of dungeons.

****

Vermillion Bird Guild.

“Aya Tone not pursuing a career as a market manipulator is truly a waste of talent,” Fire Finch mused, watching the comments online steadily escalate, a chuckle escaping her lips.

Indeed, every action taken by Aya Tone seemed capable of sparking unforeseen repercussions.

Had she not been certain he harbored no such intentions, she might have even believed him to be a calculating strategist, meticulously planning every move.

“Should we try to suppress the current online frenzy?”

“No need,” Fire Finch replied. “Let it run its course; it will serve perfectly to sow confusion among Qian Mian’s ranks.”

Qian Mian might have a thousand faces, but in this modern age, who among them doesn’t use a mobile phone to access the internet?

Even if the information proves false, it will undoubtedly plant a seed of doubt in people’s minds.

What if, by some chance, it truly is the case?

Everyone harbors a subconscious sense of wishful thinking. When faced with incomprehensible events, they will naturally latch onto this seemingly absurd piece of information as the sole truth.

And their role, from the shadows, was simply to fan those flames.

“Find some internet trolls and boost Aya Tone’s account’s popularity.”

Aya Tone had presented her with such a grand gift; it would be a shame not to make the most of it, wouldn’t it?

“Understood.” The secretary pushed open the door and departed. The instant it swung open, the uproarious laughter from the logistics department outside flooded into the room.

Fire Finch pressed a hand to her forehead, gesturing for the secretary to quickly close the door. She truly wished to avoid the cacophony of the logistics department, whose joyous frenzy had reached indescribable levels.

‘Never mind…’

After all, they hadn’t slept for nearly two days, diligently cataloging generations of magic crystals and core.

Ahem, understanding and tolerance…

Retrieving the last remaining map of high-risk dungeons, Fire Finch’s gaze drifted, lingering on the areas marked in red.

Qian Mian?

They were spoken of with terror, yet in reality, they were nothing more.

Even a thousand individuals, amidst Yan’an City’s colossal population, were but a mere drop in the ocean.

Once fear truly takes root, would they still dare to stir up trouble?

Their task now was to prepare the bait, then lure the rats out of their holes.

Last time, Aya Tone had acted with such swift decisiveness, denying Old Hu any opportunity to escape.

Consequently, the other “faces” remained oblivious to the true events that had transpired.

Their plan would proceed as scheduled. With several suburban dungeons in the Imperial Capital now in a berserk state, it was likely these “faces” would soon initiate their own operations…

A faint smirk touched Fire Finch’s lips as her finger tapped rhythmically against the red markers on the map.

‘I wonder if these rats will enjoy the food I’ve prepared for them?’

If the adventurers who accepted the guarding commissions paid close attention, they would easily discern that the areas requiring protection were all residential zones situated remarkably close to high-risk dungeons.

Or, perhaps, certain public areas.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite, so what more can be expected from these inhumane rats?

Now, everything was poised, simply awaiting the rats to succumb to temptation and scurry willingly into the waiting trap.

Over the next few days, an oppressive sense of impending storm settled over the entirety of Yan’an City.

Aya Tone had also escorted Lin Ling and the others back to the academy. They were all discerning enough to refrain from mentioning Aya Tone’s true identity.

This spared Aya Tone the necessity of taking drastic measures against them.

‘Knowing too much, after all, was rarely a blessing.’

Lin Ling: –I wanted to ask, but they held me back…–