Chapter 83: Methods Unknown
"The campsite used by the expeditions inside this ancient ruin remains cold. Their tents were standing, cooking utensils were untouched, and personal belongings were scattered. A missing case, yet no struggle or fight occurred.
"Strange footprints that didn’t belong to the nine missing people were spotted. It didn’t look like there are part of the expedition team, and the Star Breaker is pointing to the fact that it was the individual that cause their disappearance.
"There seem to be burned documents scattered around from the ruins. Exact words left and distinguishable are ’circle’, ’beneath the old shrine’, and ’passage’. The rest are yet to be deciphered."
Cillian continued recalling the information he received from the Star Breaker in the missing expedition case while on the way toward the Hensel Hospital.
It had been a week since Cillian began gathering information about the case, yet he still hadn’t found any solid proof of what was actually happening.
He was keeping moderate, after all.
Cillian was playing it safe by not even stepping inside the ruin. The black flags above the investigators were like a reminder, slapping him in the face, that prying inside would definitely change the status of his flag, which still remained white.
Besides, Cillian had the Star Breaker to do the heavy lifting. There was no need to be directly involved.
This made mimicking their powers useless due to how careful they were to show them, and is only probably using it once inside the ancient ruin to investigate.
So Cillian settled for mimicking their voices in the meantime.
Right now, Cillian is going to attend yet another group consultation.
Cillian lowered his gaze to his pocket, where the Mouthful Eye, currently out of his inventory, was placed, as he kept rubbing the eye.
It somehow opened, but it never talked. The last time it was responsive was when they were trying to escape the Berserk State of the Captain of the Black Shepherds.
’Aiden escaped from the eyes of the people who went to rescue us at the Academy. There was no report that another Berserk Ruiner was found at the collapsed buildings. So, how is he taking so long to respond?’
It’s been over two weeks.
He needed the artifact to proceed with the plan, and he wouldn’t be able to use its abilities if Mouthful Eye were like this.
Cillian was starting to think that this was a scam of a reward, but he had to be patient. If he wanted to learn more about this world, relying on Aiden regarding this would be necessary.
Who knows how hard he was working to keep himself from berserking?
"Kid, we’re here."
Cillian watched the nearby Runic Gate, Hensel Hospital, which stood silently before him. Then, he grabbed the payment for the carriage driver.
Cillian went down and slowly made his way toward Hensel Hospital while gazing at the flag in his vision that had been marked by his system.
[Currently Marked Flag: 1/3]
[Target Flag: Arthur Potter
Current Flag: Death Flag
Status: Stable]
The moment Cillian marked Arthur’s flag, the screen from the marked flag never left his vision. It kept him updated about the status, which had three functions. These are weakening, stable, and escalating.
Arthur’s Death Flag had continued to remain stable, and there had been no slight changes throughout the time Cillian had observed him.
What made the Flag Mark so special was that Cillian could detect it no matter where he was. It was like having a single-target version of Nearby Flag Presence. Whether he was in the Undercity, the above-ground of the ancient ruin site, or his house, he could see Arthur’s flag like the little stalker he was, with nothing able to block his vision.
Even when he’s inside the Runic Gate.
It didn’t take long before he reached the consultation room. Cillian paused, watching the Death Flag inside using Nearby Flag Presence before entering.
"Hey, you’re late."
Arthur called out with a soft smile.
[Death Flag]
Cillian nodded once before darting his eyes across the room.
[Red Flag]
[Red Flag]
[Red Flag]
In a week, without having a single clue how Arthur was able to manipulate these people while not even lifting a finger, Cillian felt like he had encountered a wall.
Simple methods, such as observing, are not working. Adding the fact that he wasn’t able to use Mouthful Eye properly, Cillian was left with no choice but to watch everyone fall into danger as days went by.
Still, amidst all that, Cillian’s flag remains white.
Why... why... why...
Why was he the only one not affected by Arthur’s method of manipulation? In fact, Arthur had never once made a suspicious move toward him that would lessen the few clues Cillian already had about him.
How is he doing this with just simple words?
It doesn’t make any sense.
In the lists of voices Cillian had mimicked, Arthur was already one of them. He kept mimicking every chance he could get, trying to see if Arthur’s Piece had something to do with it, but nothing.
His Faceless would’ve already mimicked it after countless tries.
"Everyone, settle down now. Today, we will be doing the same group activity as we did last week."
Arthur clasped his hands together.
"Form a circle with your group now."
Their second week of group activity began.
...
Cillian watched as everyone from the consultation left after a few hours inside, appearing in peak condition as if they hadn’t had any trouble in their entire lives.
[Domino Trace Activated]
[Death Flag Probe Activated]
[Mental Load: 0%]
Cillian watched the active abilities on standby, feeling nervous as he remembered how he felt after using these dangerous abilities, especially since they required his mental load as a cost for activating them.
However, that time, it was different.
At that time, he was using it for himself.
Would it be worth the risk to see the potential deaths of Arthur? Would using Domino Trace on him and the other people in the consultation room provide him with clues?
He didn’t even know how it would go at all, and that made him slightly nervous.
But his heart was also pounding with excitement like the total psychopath he was. Still, the cons outweighed the pros.
’It will be my last ditch attempt.’
Cillian decided inwardly.
’So hurry up and wake up, you stupid artifact.’
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