Chapter 69: Showing Identity

"Step forward one by one. We will all bear witness and confirm that you are not members of the Raven Group," Victor said, his voice booming throughout the hall.

Everyone stared at the tower in awe. They couldn’t understand how Victor had managed to obtain such an artifact from the administrator.

But since the gods had already intervened, none of them dared to oppose him.

"I’ll go first."

A short man raised his hand.

All eyes turned toward him.

Victor nodded.

"Go ahead."

The man walked toward the tower and pressed his palm against its surface.

Under everyone’s gaze, a bright red light flashed.

"W-What’s happening? Why is it red?" one player exclaimed.

"Ah, right. I forgot to explain," Victor said. "Red means you’re not a member of the Raven Group, while green means the opposite."

His gaze fell on the short man.

"You may go. Thank you for participating."

The short man let out a sigh of relief. Although he knew he wasn’t a member of the Raven Group, being stared at by hundreds of people at once was still nerve-wracking.

After him, the players stepped forward one by one and touched the tower with their palms.

None of them turned green. All of them glowed bright red.

In the back row, Rose and Claire turned pale.

"R-Raven, what should we do?" Claire asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Rose didn’t say anything, but her gaze never left Raven.

Raven shook his head.

"There’s nothing we can do."

Even he hadn’t expected the test administrator to intervene to the point of giving Victor such an artifact.

Hearing his answer, Rose and Claire exchanged desperate glances.

"But don’t worry. I’ll figure something out. You two stay right here."

After saying that, he turned and walked toward the back.

"Raven."

Hiding behind a pillar, Reyna waved to him.

Raven approached, making sure everyone’s attention was still focused ahead.

"Do you need something from me?" Raven asked.

Reyna didn’t answer. Instead, she immediately wrapped both arms around Raven’s neck and kissed him.

Caught off guard by her sudden move, Raven almost lost his balance. Fortunately, he quickly regained his footing and gently supported her as he kissed her back.

They stayed like that for several minutes before finally pulling apart.

A thin strand of saliva remained between their lips, making the moment even more intimate.

Tears welled up in the corners of Reyna’s eyes as she gently stroked Raven’s cheek.

"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Victor’s plan. Ever since Leo’s plan failed, Victor and the others have been watching his every move—including mine."

Her voice was filled with desperation.

If only she had told Raven earlier, he wouldn’t have gotten himself into this kind of trouble.

"It’s okay."

Raven patted her head.

"I have a way to handle this."

Reyna was surprised and hesitant. The situation was truly dire now.

That two-meter-tall tower could verify Raven’s identity no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

But since Raven had already said that, Reyna had no choice but to trust him.

"By the way, I have a gift for you."

She pulled something out and showed it to Raven.

"Ta-da!"

Raven stared at it, stunned.

A blue crystal floated above Reyna’s palm.

"T-This..."

"Leo found it by accident in a mysterious hall. He was curious, so he picked it up, but he had no idea what it was for. I saw the same crystal that Claire showed me earlier."

Raven was at a loss for words.

He had thought it would be difficult to collect all the Crystals of Hope. After all, the third mission was almost over, and he only had one crystal so far.

And now, Reyna was giving him another one. He almost wanted to burst out laughing.

Composing himself, he smiled and accepted the crystal.

"Thank you for your kindness, Reyna. I owe you one."

Reyna’s face flushed with embarrassment.

"In that case, I’d like my reward later, after we leave this place."

She stood on tiptoe and leaned closer, bringing her lips near Raven’s ear.

Raven’s expression shifted slightly before he chuckled softly.

"I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my word."

He gently nibbled on Reyna’s ear, causing her to let out a soft moan.

From the raised platform, Victor watched as each player touched the tower one by one, his expression growing more serious.

"It’s taking too long. If this keeps up, we won’t have enough time," Erina said beside him.

Victor looked down and saw that at least forty people had touched the tower so far.

But there were still more than five hundred players left.

"You’re right. Do you have a way to speed this up?" Victor asked.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Erina said with a slight smirk. "Just have three people place their palms on the tower at the same time."

Victor was taken aback. He felt stupid for not thinking of something so simple.

Turning to the players below, he ordered, "Everyone, I’m changing the rules. Three people, step forward!"

Everyone was surprised, but no one objected.

With the new rule, the screening process went much faster.

Within twenty minutes, at least eighty percent of the players had been checked, and not a single one showed any signs of being part of the Raven Group.

The clock showed only five minutes remaining before the third mission ended. Victor and the others began ordering the players to hurry.

Finally, only eighteen people remained.

"R-Raven, what should we do?" Claire asked in a panic.

Raven patted her on the shoulder.

"Stay calm. Let me take the lead. You guys stay here."

After saying that, he stepped forward with two other players.

The two players placed their hands on the tower, and a red light flashed.

Raven didn’t do the same right away. His hesitation naturally drew everyone’s attention.

"What are you doing!?" Kael snapped. "Hurry up and put your hands on the tower!"

Raven ignored him, his gaze fixed on Victor.

"Victor, I know your true intention behind all this."

His words shocked everyone.

"What do you mean?"

Victor narrowed his eyes.

"Don’t think you can hide it from all of us. The gods’ mission only mentions a reward for those who succeed in killing the Raven Group. Even if we manage to find them, you obviously intend to kill them yourself, don’t you?" Raven sneered. "That way, you’ll be the one to claim the reward. And what about us?"

He laughed derisively.

"We get nothing."

His words instantly silenced the hall. No one had expected him to be bold enough to say something like that so openly.

"You..."

Kael was furious and about to attack him, but Victor quickly held him back.

Victor’s expression remained impassive, but his eyes were filled with an overwhelming killing intent.

"Are you Raven?" he asked coldly.

Everyone was taken aback once again and stared intently at Raven.

Raven revealed his true identity.

"Yes, I’m Raven!"

As soon as his hand touched the tower, a bright green light flared up.

"He really is Raven!" one player exclaimed.

The others were equally shocked. The person they had been searching for was right there among them.

"Hahaha!"

Victor suddenly burst out laughing.

He drew the two daggers from his waist and leaped toward Raven.

"Since you were foolish enough to reveal yourself, die!"

Just as his daggers were about to reach Raven, a majestic voice echoed throughout the hall.

[The third mission has ended!]