Chapter 129: Lance Only Cares Whether Everyone is Happy or Not

In the faint autumn light, the silhouettes of eleven people stood against the backdrop of the cliffside, resembling ancient statues that were silent and still. The challengers stood on the rubble-strewn path and gathered in small groups of two to three. Ever since the Detective had abruptly vanished from the "map," there was no one left to oversee the next steps.

Admittedly, the young master of the Petras Trading Company, who had openly shared intelligence as the Geographer, and Lance the Lawyer were the most trustworthy challengers remaining. However, because the information they provided could theoretically be deduced or uncovered through specialized magical surveying, neither commanded the same absolute trust the Detective had enjoyed.

The young master was eager to show off, and he had intended to step up and assume the Detective's mantle. However, a pointed glare from his bodyguards caused him to choke back his words, leaving him too intimidated to utter another sound. Clearly, having their foolish young master take the lead would only invite trouble and draw unwanted hostility.

Lance, meanwhile, simply smiled without speaking, maintaining his usual gentle, courteous, and dashing demeanor. It was impossible to guess what was going on in his mind. He showed no intention of acting as an interim leader. Indeed, judging by his attitude, he seemed to have no desire to take over for the Detective at all.

The wind from deep within the valley swept past the group, carrying a subtle chill that caused the mist to swirl, scattering and gathering in turn. Amid this brief silence, the challengers began to calm down and analyze the situation once more.

Even though the progression of the Shadow Realm challenge had undergone a fundamental shift due to the Detective's extraordinary actions, there was still a two-day wait until the Detective returned with the answer.

Casualties were very likely to occur during these upcoming two nights. No one knew if they would be the next victim. Unless, of course, there was another expert capable of further countering the Traitors during this two-day window.

Just then Lance smiled composedly, murmuring as if to himself, "I imagine there must be two people right now trying hard to act as if nothing is wrong. That must be exhausting."

Upon hearing him break the silence, the others were momentarily taken aback, unsure of what he meant. Hyperion was the quickest to grasp his intent. She immediately covered her mouth with a hand, looking gleeful as she teased, "Yeah, it's so infuriating, isn't it? Want to jump down and catch the Detective? There's still time, you know?"

Having spent so much time in close proximity to Lance, Hyperion had mastered his signature, top-tier brand of snarky provocation. Yet, with her delivering the lines, it took on the distinct air of a villainous noblewoman.

"...Someone out here is probably going out of their mind with anxiety right about now." After Hyperion helped stoke the fire, the others seemed to gradually catch on as well.

"Yeah, how come their faces aren't even turning red?"

And so, after the first person spoke up, the rest of the challengers all joined in, ruthlessly mocking the Traitors. There was a certain catharsis in finally releasing all that pent-up frustration.

"You stupid Traitors, kneel down and kowtow to us right now, and we promise not to kill you."

"You've only got two days left, yet you're still stubbornly keeping up the act."

"Keep it up, and someone's gonna start shedding tears."

Even though hurling insults might not achieve anything tangible in a practical sense, at a moment like this, anyone unwilling to join in, or anyone who tried to snap back in defense would immediately reveal exactly where their loyalties lay.

After enduring over three hours of intense psychological pressure inflicted by the two hidden, malicious Traitors with their superb acting skills, all the other challengers thoroughly loathed them. They had been itching to drag them out and beat them to a pulp for ages!

Mocking the Traitors rashly when the situation was dire would have only made them look desperate and fueled the Traitors' arrogance. But now, thanks to the Detective's brilliant move, the pressure dynamic had completely flipped. With the tide finally turning in their favor, rubbing it right in the Traitors' faces was the perfect way to shatter their composure!

More importantly, the Traitors were already on the verge of a mental breakdown thanks to Frey's masterful play, yet they were forced to pretend to be part of the group, laughing along with everyone else at their own predicament. It was a pure test of mental resilience.

Standing by the cliff's edge, the challengers felt a massive sense of relief. They now had a chance to vent their emotions while simultaneously scrutinizing each other's expressions like judges. The two Traitors clearly possessed immense mental fortitude. Even while subjected to such humiliation and torment, they managed to maintain their act flawlessly.

However, this only made the challengers enjoy the process even more. The young master from Cambella led the charge with the most gusto. His two bodyguards looked rather resigned, yet they still chimed in to echo him. As for the group from the Krati Empire, they were all quite ladylike. They were unskilled in hurling insults or employing snide sarcasm, so they could only resort to polite-sounding barbs to mock the Traitors.

The three clergy from the Northern Continent were a different story. The executioner, possessing the most explosive temper, launched straight into a verbal tirade. While the paladin and the priest were somewhat more restrained, they immediately began praying for the Traitors, which was a gesture that could well be considered a sophisticated form of torture.

Watching everyone finally ease the tension that had kept them on edge all morning, Lance crossed his arms and let out a sigh of relief.

He was like a therapist who genuinely cared about everyone's state of mind. His philosophy differed from Frey's. Frey prioritized efficiency and problem-solving, often dragging everyone around on a whirlwind of activity from the crack of dawn. Lance, on the other hand, prioritized a harmonious, friendly, and healthy atmosphere among the group.

Hyperion turned to look at his expression. She could read his thoughts perfectly. That guy was surely feeling satisfied right now, believing he had successfully relieved everyone's mental stress and performed another virtuous deed. He was a lost cause.

If any new teammates were to join them in the future, she really wanted someone who could join her in roasting Lance. Having no outlet for her snarky comments made her feel incredibly stifled. Nevertheless, her observation of Lance was also driven by a high level of vigilance regarding his every move.

She felt that, following Frey's actions, Lance was now adding fuel to the fire, pushing the Traitors' mental state to the breaking point. If he was willing to take a gamble and summon the Poet of Boundless Love, the situation could fast-forward straight to the final showdown.

However, the problem with the Poet was that it didn't distinguish between friend and foe. It was far too unpredictable. In a Shadow Realm dungeon where challengers were gathered together under immense psychological pressure, the Poet was undoubtedly the most dangerous summon card to use.

The consequences of summoning it were completely unforeseeable. An unexpected summoning could inflict varying degrees of psychosis on the other normal challengers, or even lead to a total party wipe.

Earlier in the grand hall, the challengers had been under greater psychological pressure than the Traitors. Had Lance rashly summoned the Poet then, he would likely have been mistaken for a Traitor making the first move.

Even now, with the Traitors under greater pressure than the challengers, choosing to blow the situation wide open and start a fight, while offering a high probability of victory, would likely result in the sacrifice of several innocents. It could even lead to the accidental killing of a Traitor, thereby attracting their contracted vampire count.

The best possible outcome was undoubtedly for everyone to join forces and capture the Traitors alive. Whether it was the emergence of the two Traitors within the Shadow Realm, who harbored malicious intent toward the real world, or the implications inherent in Hyperion's own identity as an Actress, which made her a prime target for attack, all signs strongly suggested that cultists from the Church of Resurrection had infiltrated this Shadow Realm challenge.

For the sake of their graduation project, "Seeking the Sealing Primal Tablet," Hyperion knew that Lance would certainly seize this rare opportunity to capture a cultist alive and extract information! That meant he likely wouldn't rashly summon the Poet and flip the table on the situation.

"Hyperion, why are you looking at me like that?" After sensing her staring at him, Lance turned his head and looked at her, his expression full of puzzlement.

"It's nothing." Hyperion shook her head. She had no desire to listen to any more of Lance's declarations about doing good deeds. Since he was still maintaining that air of guileless composure, it could only mean one thing: he clearly had even more ways to mess with those two Traitors' heads.