Chapter 78: Mission Four Begins! (2)

When Leo explained the fourth mission he’d received in a dream, Reyna felt a little suspicious—almost skeptical.

A small doubt still lingered in her heart. But now, she no longer dared to underestimate Leo.

This man was truly favored by the gods. He was one lucky chosen one. As for why the gods had chosen him, Reyna had absolutely no idea.

"Luckily, I’d already told Raven about it."

Reyna let out a sigh of relief as she patted her chest.

She was sure Raven would be surprised too. And he would definitely thank her, giving Reyna a good reason to ask for a reward later.

Just imagining the reward she’d receive made her body feel warm, and her legs trembled slightly.

"I can’t wait..." she whispered, biting her lower lip.

...

"R-Raven, what should we do?" Claire asked nervously.

The fourth mission was truly terrifying.

What made it even worse was that their group had been placed on the gods’ bounty list, with incredible rewards offered for their capture.

With more than one hundred and fifty groups still remaining, the chances of running into another group, whether intentionally or by accident, were pretty high.

Rose was just as panicked as Claire, but she had strong self-control and managed to keep her emotional turmoil from showing.

Raven remained calm as he patted Claire and Rose on the shoulders.

"Don’t worry. I’ve already thought of a plan."

He wasn’t just saying that to calm them down. He had genuinely thought things through.

Reyna had told him about the mission last night, so he was already prepared to face it.

Even so, there was some additional information Reyna hadn’t shared with him.

First, a member of a group could betray their own group by revealing the identity of the Kyoshi Mark bearer to another group.

Those who did so would receive a "traitor" mark on their forehead.

However, there was no punishment beyond that mark. They would also be automatically expelled from the group they betrayed and become a player without a group.

At first glance, that didn’t seem like a big deal. But then again, every mission was group-based.

Without joining a group, Raven had no idea whether a player branded a traitor would still be able to participate in future missions.

Muria’s earlier explanation hadn’t been very specific on that point.

But Raven understood what she meant. If players were allowed to betray their own groupmates, the chances of a group falling apart would become very high.

"Just as expected of the gods. They truly enjoy watching us weak humans kill one another," he said with a mocking laugh.

He was reminded of Malphas’s words from earlier.

"You may form groups and trust your friends. But remember—only a hundred people can survive."

Those words served as both a reminder and a seed planted in the hearts of all the players, making it difficult for them to build strong relationships with one another.

The fourth mission, which had just begun, would only make that seed grow.

And in the end, the outcome was predictable—there would be massive betrayals, whether for short-term gains or long-term plans that even Raven could see coming.

Second, there were the rules. A group didn’t need to meet face-to-face to challenge another group.

They only needed to be within a hundred meters of each other. Once they were, an invitation notification would appear for both sides.

Each group had three chances to decline the invitation. But after the third attempt, they would have no choice but to accept and be transported into the game zone.

The game zone itself was a special dimension where the two groups would face off against each other and begin their guessing game.

Buzz!

A black light suddenly appeared on Claire’s forehead.

Rose was startled and pointed at it with a trembling hand.

"C-Claire, your forehead!"

Claire rubbed her forehead and felt something strange, almost like a tattoo.

She hurried to the stream beside the cave and looked at her reflection.

"I-I’m the one bearing Kyoshi’s Mark!" she cried in horror, her face turning pale.

The mark was shaped like a phoenix with outstretched wings.

Raven and Rose rushed toward her.

"Raven, what should I do? I’m the one with the mark," she sobbed, her voice filled with panic.

Raven crouched down and hugged her.

"It’s okay. Do you trust me?"

Claire buried her face in his embrace.

"Mhmmm... I trust you," she replied hoarsely.

"Then stop being afraid. I’ll protect you. That’s my promise."

Hearing his gentle words, Claire’s body instantly relaxed.

[Ding! Claire Hiragi’s affection has increased! Current affection: 99.99!]

Raven smiled inwardly. Just 0.1 more, and Claire would be entirely his.

Previously, he’d been a little overwhelmed by the thought of finally having a chance to conquer her. Now that the opportunity had arrived, he was determined to make the most of it.

After calming Claire down, Raven helped her to her feet before looking deeply into Rose’s eyes.

"Only the three of us can see the Kyoshi Mark. I trust you, Rose. Please don’t let me down."

Rose understood what he meant and didn’t get angry. From the very beginning, Raven and Claire had been together.

That made her the one most likely to betray them.

Rose punched Raven in the stomach, making him wince in pain.

"R-Raven!" Claire hurriedly supported him. "Are you okay?"

Rose seemed completely unfazed by his pain and snorted in annoyance.

"Damn you, Raven. What do you take me for? Do you really think I’m ungrateful?"

"Ahem!"

Raven coughed before slowly straightening up and looking at her with resignation.

"Don’t get the wrong idea. I just wanted to make sure Claire was safe. Is that wrong?"

Rose fell silent, unable to argue with that.

"I understand."

In the end, she gave in and promised, "I won’t betray you. I swear on my name."

She had already been betrayed by Dariel and knew how painful it was. She didn’t want to be lumped in with that damn man.

"Thank you," Raven said softly.

From the very beginning, he had never suspected Rose of betraying them. After all, she was the woman chosen by the system.

Both her personality and character were the best among all the women he knew.

His goal in doing this was simply to make Claire even more dependent on him.

Only by fully controlling her emotions could he make Claire obey him without ever daring to defy him.

"All right."

Raven brushed the dust off his coat.

"Let’s go."

Claire and Rose nodded.

But suddenly...

[A group detected within 100 meters! A challenge invitation has been sent!]