Chapter 42: Revealing Freya's Secret [2]
Freya's POV:
???????!— The explosion released a powerful tremor in the air. The flames engulfed the tent, the blazing heat making quick work of what was once inside.
I left a message to Myung Joon and deleted my call and chat history.
Cautiously scanning the area, I made sure that no one else was nearby.
I had to use alot of mana to incinerate the food. Using one of my ultimate skills was out of the question. Using ultimate skills always left behind a mana signature that any skilled supporter could easily trace back to the caster.
The MOLLE packs, dry bags, and vacuum-sealed containers were all fortified with enhancements, making them resistant to fire or water which can spoil the food. That is why burning everything was tough.
"No one would have a clue that I was behind all this, heh!" A chuckle of amusement left me.
As I turned to head back, my footsteps resumed their rhythm.
But suddenly, a noise distrubed my retreat and my amusement vanished.
Puzzled, I looked below.
Soon the frown lines on my forehead deepened as I saw what was beneath me.
There, right beneath my foot...
My right foot was stepped on a mud pool.
This was...odd. This was a forest where mud shouldn't exist. This place was all artificially made, no room for rain or humidity. Plus, this particular spot was supposed to be dry as a bone, which is why they put the food tent here.
'So, how on earth...did a mud pool end up here?' In that very moment—!!
'I heared something!'
"What was that...? Who's there?!" I warned to whatever this was.
A creepy feeling crawled over me, as if someone's eyes were on me.
Like a predator's on its prey.
I looked around, scanning the towering trees that surrounded me.
What could have gone wrong? The entire plan was perfect?
But, there was nothing. No sign of anyone or anything.
"Must have been the wind," I reassured myself, as I dismissed the eerie feeling. But the slight frown didn't wash off.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I quickly made my way.
***
Third Person's POV:
-"How did this happen?"
-"I'm already starving, and I can't even eat?!"
-"Seriously, what is our leader doing?"
-"This is ridiculous! How can such a thing happen?"
Suddenly, Takahashi's voice reverberated through the crowd, forcefully silencing the murmurs.
His gaze swept across the group, projecting authority and annoyance.
Indeed, the tent housing the precious food rations had been burnt under mysterious circumstances.
The absence of sustenance meant a lack of energy, a dangerous situation when surrounded by monsters and other classes.
"You can't even figure out who the hell destroyed our food ration?" Takahashi's finger blamed Aeravat, pointing at his incompetence.
"You're supposed to be the leader, but throughout the dungeon trial, we've constantly lost members due to your inept leadership. You fail to detect traps, to locate the dungeon entrance, and to protect the team. And now this?"
Aeravat stood there, burdened by the accusations.
Aurora moved through the crowd, her face tense with worry. "The search team we dispatched earlier has been wiped out. I just received the report," she announced.
"What?! How did that happen?" Aeravat asked, his voice echoing the collective shock and confusion of the others that followed suit.
-"Can we really trust our leader?"
-"I feel like we're going to fail this dungeon trial."
-"This is such a waste of time!I will just eliminate myself! "
-"I miss professor Riya's beautiful face!"
Emily stepped forward, interjecting before Takahashi could add fuel to the fire. "Fighting won't solve the problem." Emily tried to diffuse the tension.
Meanwhile, Aeravat was lost in thoughts, his mind trying to make sense of the troubling developments.
"I think I've figured it out..." Aeravat suddenly declared, his voice drawing the attention of the class.
"What did you figure out?" Takahashi demanded..
"Ever since the beginning, our class have been mysteriously eliminated, and odd incidents have happened that shouldn't have. Even the last search team I sent was eliminated by another class. It can't be a coincidence. Someone has to be leaking information."
"What exactly are you suggesting?" Emily asked, her eyes narrowing.
Takahashi's anger flared, and he forcefully grabbed Aeravat's collar. "So you're saying we have a spy among us! Is that what you're trying to say?!"
Aeravat issued a chilling warning. "Let go of me."
"Don't you dare shift the blame onto others for your own incompetence!" Takahashi retorted, pushing Aeravat and gripping his collar tighter. "You're trying to sow discord among us, claiming there's a spy!"
"I said LET GO!" Aeravat's voice thundered, releasing power and a heavy amount of mana pressure was released in that moment.
The force caused silence to descend upon the class.
***
Noah's POV(Point of view):
"I said LET GO!" Aeravat's voice boomed, shaking the surrounding air.
Forced, I sank to one knee, struggling to handle the sheer power radiating from the bastardized mc.
"What the hell is up with his strength?! Makes no fucking sense!"
I wasn't the only one kneeling; the rest of the class also found themselves in a similar position, literally.
Takahashi, taken aback by the sudden display of power, stood frozen for a moment.
'Is this why they are called the main characters?'
Maybe I really should fuck off, run far away from the main storyline.
[Sensing unknown force, electromagnetic field forming around Master.]
A stifled gasp escaped me as I felt the crushing pressure being lifted.
I was able to move once again, the suffocation gone.
"What... what just happened?" I exhaled my confusion. 'Damn, I didn't know Nano could do something like that?'
Well to be honest, I didn't really know much about Nano...as strange as it is. There definitely must be some story behind why Nano was created. I was sure, it wasn't created for me.
Gathering my thoughts, I stood up.
'It's time.'
It's time that I step into the scene.
***
"Hey! What's up?" I greeted, my presence immediately capturing everyone's eye.
Aeravat, with a skeptical look asked, "Oh, you? What do you want?"
Before I could reply, a voice interrupted,"This isn't the time to be messing around, pal. Piss off." It was some random NPC.
"Alright, alright, calm down, everyone," I tried to cool everyone, extending both my hands and flapping them like ducks to fan some oxygen into their retarded brains.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure of all eyes, I let out a nervous laugh. "Haha, well, aren't things interesting?"
Just then, Emily approached from the side, her expression curious. "What's going on, weirdo?" She asked.
Dispite her mocking comment, she was cute, even her 'weirdo' felt so cute to my ears! I already wanted to simp all over her. Sadly the day I break her foul mouth, it won't look cute no more.
And I was definitely planning on breaking that foul mouth of hers.
"You guys said there's a spy, right? Well, I think I can figure out who it is," I explained my existence or more specifically why I was daring to breath around the main characters.
I turned to Aeravat, silently seeking his permission, knowing that the rest of the main cast would simply brush me off.
"Oh really? And how do you plan on doing that Mr. Weirdo?" Soon another voice entered me, surprising me with its melody.
It was Aurora, who stepped forward with a quizzical expression that hinted at the disdain she had for me.
She was cute too, and I was definitely planning to fix her attitude one day.
I glanced at Takahashi, who only shot me a vexing glare for God knows what reason.
"Would you be willing to comply?" I asked, my eyes now locked on Aeravat.
He was the only one whom I didn't hate from the main cast.
"What is your plan?" Aeravat asked, his expression void of any discernible emotion.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure of the situation, I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure.
'This is intense,' I thought to myself.
Taking a deep breath, I focused my gaze on the class.
'Approximately one fifty students.' I counted in mere seconds.
"We don't have all day here?" Aurora spelt out my retard ass from the side, impaitence on her face reminded me why I needed to fix her attitude.
I began, "I believe it would be best if the entire class gathered together. Perhaps this way I can better investigate and determine the truth."
Despite its unconventional nature, Aeravat listened to my strange and random request, calling the entire class to assemble.
A total of one-eighty students stood before me as Aeravat brought them near the remnants of the burned tent.
I carefully scanned the faces of everyone present before declaring to Aeravat, "Now, this is just a theory, but consider this: The cooking tent was burned without leaving any traces. It is possible that someone planned this whole thing in collaboration with other classes long before the dungeon trials even began."
"Yes, what's your point?" Aeravat asked, his expression filled with confusion.
"Well, according to my hypothesis, the person who burned the tent should also be the spy. And that spy must have used fire magic."
I gestured towards the class while locking eyes with Aeravat, "It might be helpful if someone with expertise in support magic can check for any remnants or traces of fire magic in the tent."
Aeravat nodded in agreement and turned to Sophia.
After a few moments of investigation, Sophia confirmed, "He's right. Fire magic was definitely used here, but there are no mana signatures. It's going to be impossible to determine who the culprit is based solely on this."
Sophia gave me a questioning look, as if to say she expected more from my deduction.
"Of course, we can't pinpoint the spy using just this much. However, what we can conclude is that the person who burned the tent must be a fire magic user. Someone with fire affinity. And since I don't have fire affinity, it's safe to assume that I am not the spy?" I stated.
As soon as those words left my mouth, half of the crowd erupted in laughter, mocking my declaration.
-"Really? Is that his grand plan? To proclaim his innocence in front of everyone?"
- "Hahaha, bro, he is so stupid!"
-"I highly doubt that. Even if he were the spy, he would crumble under the weight of such an accusation."
"Exactly! Just like I am not the spy, those who do not have fire affinity, cannot be the spy!" I shouted above the laughter and sneering in an attempt to make my voice heard.
Aeravat, still confused, asked, "And what is your point?"
"My point is, let's separate the class into two groups: those who have fire affinity and those who donot."
When my point began to make sense and everyone understood my reasoning.
Aeravat followed my instruction and devided our class into two groups.
One consisting of seventy students who had fire affinity, and the other of one hundred-ten students."
I motioned for Aeravat to follow me as I stepped inside the remnants of the burned cooking tent.
Pointing towards the MOLLE packs, dry bags, and vacuum-sealed containers that remained relatively unscathed, I stated, "Take a look. They are enchanted with fire-resistance. It's highly unlikely a fire magic user would intentionally set the tent ablaze. It's just pointless."
Aeravat's expression shifted from confusion to intrigue.
This was my cue to elaborate the bullshit.
Maybe bullshiting was my superpower?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l