Faust immediately relaxed and the golden light disappeared, returning everything to its normal speed.

"Oh, he’s fast."

Raid and Larson both turned to him with worried expressions, then checked on the avatar of the New God. The man’s trembling had gotten a bit worse.

"That power must stress his body," Faust observed.

Larson’s expression didn’t change, but a slight anger pulsed beneath his skin. "Yes. That’s why we need the Olympic Knights. Players strong enough to channel the New God’s power and without killing themselves."

Faust bit back a frown as he imagined anyone with that time-slowing power. They would be unbeatable.

"They still won’t be able to use all of the divine power without hurting themselves. But they’ll be far stronger than any normal Player."

Strength and chosen ones... this stank of something. Faust’s eyes widened as he realized.

"They are your primary contingency. A Player that is trustworthy, listens to you, and can beat any other Player."

Larson hummed in agreement. "There’s no such thing as ’trustworthy,’ but they are our final defense against tyrannical Players. Maybe you’ll be one of them."

Larson’s words came with a smile that wouldn’t reveal the threat beneath those words. They could use the Knights to exert a certain level of control over Players.

They were the ultimate threat.

What the older man hadn’t expected was the wild smile on Faust’s face. He cringed a little as he realized his mistake and went back to his phone to text someone.

The drive continued in silence.

◇◇◇

Compound Zeta was a huge steel facility visible from miles away. Its form glowed in the moonlight, surrounded by the moving red lights of cars surrounding it. Helicopter lights also blinked in the night sky, circling and landing on its massive roof.

It even had a runway for jets and planes.

There was no way this was built in just two days. Faust had passed this highway a lot on the way to the airport, but there hadn’t been a single sign of this thing. In fact, it had been a rocky outcrop and some weeds.

Larson, noticing Faust’s surprise, said, "We had help with it. You’d be surprised what one can accomplish with some divine help."

They rolled past the traffic of cars and military vehicles to a garage. Faust was about to get out when Larson held up a hand.

The garage closed, sealing them in darkness.

Then a recessed red light came on and a mechanical whine filled the small garage. It began to descend, and Faust blinked.

It was an elevator.

The car was taken deep underground. So deep Faust was questioning how many levels this place had. The building on top was impressive, but knowing they still had all this down here was daunting.

Could he escape this place if he had to?

Shadow Step might not work if they had spatial wards around this place. Magic circles and wards were the system’s domain, and the New Gods were its children, so it wasn’t outlandish to expect they had placed magic circles in the structure.

He decided to ask Zen to use his Tree of Knowledge or Death to check later.

Finally, they stopped descending and the wall in front of the car opened to a long driveway.

Blinking light arrows directed them to a massive hall, where a massive number of Players were moving. Almost a hundred thousand by Faust’s modest estimate.

The hall was gigantic and filled with so many moving people, he was a bit overwhelmed. Random powers exploded occasionally; drones and soldiers would swoop down to reprimand the aggressor.

Faust got out of the sedan and looked up at the roof that felt like an underground sky. So far away.

The noise was the first thing he felt. It flattened on him with an almost tangible force. Larson and Raid took out earbuds before they proceeded.

And the place was impossibly cool for the number of people in here at once.

’How much money are they expending just to keep the lights on here?’

What could even power this place?

His extreme senses took in the clashing smells and the field of powers exhibited by the Players in a rush that made him a bit dizzy. He could tell the direction of stronger Players in this place but not pick them out.

"This is a bit much."

Raid patted his back. "You won’t get used to it. I hate this place."

They guided him to a room and put a bunch of papers on the table. It was his personal documents and a form for his bio data. Dumb bureaucracy nonsense. He took some passports and then got on his way.

He was fully registered and didn’t have to wait in line like the other thousands of people. Benefits of being in the top ten.

So he added a request to get a room near Nirvana. He hated how quickly he was getting used to this internment nonsense.

Larson got him to his room and it was already stocked with his clothes from home. It was the perfect size, just a bed, wardrobe, bookshelf, and a table. The color palette of the room from the walls to the blankets was beige and deep brown.

Rubbing his feet against the soft carpet, Faust hummed in satisfaction. He would only be spending a while here after all; most of his time would be spent in the Origin Server.

"We’ll give an orientation in about thirty minutes," Larson said, leaning against the door of his room, which was a wooden panel that slid into the wall when it sensed motion.

He took a sip from his strange yogurt drink and continued. "Then the Knights will be announced."

"So quickly," Faust said.

"We’re going to need them soon."

With that, he was gone. Faust decided to lie down, reaching for the screen on the wall to lock the door and turn off the light.

Thirty minutes wasn’t long, but it was good enough for him to rest with his high Constitution.