Chapter 79: The Arrogant Enemies

Whoosh!

Raven, Rose, and Claire slowly faded away.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in an unfamiliar place.

They were standing on a high altar surrounded by thick clouds.

"Hahaha! So, our first opponents are you, Raven!"

Laughter rang out behind them. The three turned around and saw three people—two men and a woman.

The man on the right was tall and burly, with a bald head and thick eyebrows.

A large axe hung from his back.

A name appeared above his head: Kurgen.

The man in the middle was the complete opposite of Kurgen. He was skinny and short, with large, bulging eyes and an annoying-looking face.

A name appeared above his head: Trias.

Meanwhile, the woman wasn’t particularly attractive. She was slightly chubby, with a pimply face and eyes as small as pea seeds.

Her name was Sona.

Raven looked at them calmly and asked, "So what if we’re your first opponents? Are you scared?"

Trias burst out laughing.

"Scared? Are you stupid? We’re actually excited! I can’t wait to kill you with my own hands!" he said enthusiastically.

He was one of the people who had searched for Raven throughout the ancient site during the third mission.

He had even spoken to Raven without realizing that the man they were looking for was standing right in front of him.

To Trias, this felt like a blatant insult.

Raven simply smiled without saying a word. But now he knew that many people still held a grudge against him.

"All right, enough talk! Let’s get started!" Trias said coldly.

[Ding! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Enka, a subordinate of the Administrator.]

A mechanical voice echoed in all directions.

[I am the supervisor of this game zone. So don’t even think about cheating, understand?]

All six of them nodded in unison.

[All right, let’s begin. But first, I need to introduce some new rules that Administrator Muria didn’t get a chance to mention. First, both groups must select one person they trust to act as the guesser. To determine which of the two selected individuals will go first, we’ll use a coin toss. I’m sure you understand what I mean, right?]

"We understand!" Trias replied firmly.

[Second, if one of the guessers correctly identifies the Kyoshi bearer in the opposing group, that person won’t die immediately. You’ll still have a chance to turn the tables if the guesser from the group whose Kyoshi bearer was identified also makes a correct guess. In that case, the score will be tied. The game will end automatically, and no one will die.]

Everyone’s expressions changed upon hearing that—even Raven’s.

"You mean a tie can prevent death?" Sona asked.

[Something like that.]

Trias, Sona, Kurgen, Rose, and Claire all breathed a sigh of relief.

They had assumed that the two groups entering the game zone would inevitably lose one of their members. But it turned out that wasn’t the case.

Only Raven didn’t see it as an act of kindness from the gods. He was certain—one hundred percent certain—that there had to be a reason behind it.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

[Oh, one more thing. Whether your group ends in a tie with no one dying or someone dies later, both sides will have their memories erased. That way, you won’t be able to reveal the outcome of the match to the other group, which could put the group that lost earlier at a disadvantage.]

Hearing that, everyone nodded in understanding.

Raven was quite satisfied with that rule. He had thought about it earlier, but fortunately, the gods weren’t that stupid.

[All right, that’s it. Let’s start the game.]

After Enka’s voice faded, a white panel appeared in front of the six of them.

[Who will you choose as the guesser?]

Each group submitted its chosen name.

Claire pressed "Raven" without hesitation. Rose did the same.

Raven also selected his own name.

[Raven, the leader, has been selected.]

Buzz!

A wall appeared between Raven and the two women behind him.

The opposing team chose Kurgen as their guesser. Just like with Raven, a mysterious wall appeared between him and his teammates.

"Hehehe!" Kurgen laughed, rubbing his nose. "We’ll see you lose later, Raven!"

Raven simply smiled without saying a word.

Sring!

A coin appeared above them.

[Who will choose first?]

Enka’s voice rang out again.

"How about you go first? I feel sorry for you since you’re going to die today," Kurgen said arrogantly.

Raven couldn’t help but laugh at his annoying, arrogant words.

However, he wasn’t provoked.

"Since you’re so kind, then..."

A smile appeared on his face.

"I choose heads."

[In that case, your opponent will choose wings.]

The coin spun through the air before landing on the floor.

The image of wings appeared before them.

"Hahaha! How pathetic!" Kurgen laughed. "It seems luck is on my side."

[Choose the Kyoshi bearer on the opposing team.]

Enka’s voice echoed in all directions.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Kurgen pointed at Raven. "The Kyoshi bearer is Raven!"

Sona and Trias nodded in satisfaction. They were one hundred percent certain that Raven was the bearer.

[Are you sure? I’ll give you five seconds to reconsider.]

"No need! I’m certain Raven is the Kyoshi Mark bearer!" Kurgen replied firmly.

[Your answer has been locked in and cannot be changed. Please keep that in mind.]

Kurgen crossed his arms smugly.

[Please select the Kyoshi bearer from the opposing team.]

Raven looked at Kurgen, Sona, and Trias. Each of them appeared confident, as though they were certain Raven wouldn’t be able to guess correctly.

Unfortunately, what they didn’t know was that Raven possessed a cheat that no other player in this test had.

"System, help me," he ordered indifferently.

Meanwhile, Kurgen grew annoyed as Raven stood there motionless, showing no sign of making a choice.

"Hey, hurry up and choose! Are you trying to stall?"

His outburst snapped Raven out of his reverie.

Raven smiled and waved his hand.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"Damn, this is so annoying," Kurgen snapped irritably. "Hurry up!"

Despite Kurgen’s urging, Raven remained completely calm. He looked at Kurgen, then shifted his gaze to Sona before finally fixing it on Trias.

He raised a finger and said coldly, "He... is the bearer of the Kyoshi mark."