Chapter 88: Facing Off Against Victor and His Group (1)

"Fifteen minutes left until the fourth mission is complete. I can’t wait!"

Claire stared at the timer panel in front of her with excitement.

Rose also looked excited.

For two whole days, they had been dealing with constant mental torture.

Although Raven had managed to handle everything, the uneasiness and nausea still lingered.

Fortunately, the mission would be over soon, and they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Raven simply stood beside them without saying a word.

His eyes remained fixed on the countdown timer.

Suddenly...

[A group has been detected within a 100-meter radius! A challenge invitation has been sent!]

Rose and Claire were startled.

"Another challenge? What should we do, Raven?" Rose asked curiously.

"Decline," Raven replied indifferently.

He pressed "No," and the panel disappeared.

But the very next second, the panel reappeared.

[A group has been detected within a 100-meter radius! A challenge invitation has been sent!]

Rose and Claire’s expressions darkened.

"What’s going on? Isn’t the invitation supposed to disappear for several hours if we decline?" Claire complained irritably.

Raven narrowed his eyes. A suspicion arose in his mind, but he didn’t dare jump to any conclusions. Instead, he simply pressed "No" again.

[A group has been detected within a 100-meter radius! A challenge invitation has been sent!]

The message appeared once more.

Claire and Rose’s hearts pounded as they looked at Raven, wondering what he would do.

They still had one chance to decline. But if they declined again and another invitation was sent, they would have no choice but to accept it.

Unless they had a teleportation talisman like the one Raven had given them before.

But even that seemed impossible.

There was no way Raven could have another artifact that expensive.

Raven declined the invitation again, which meant they had used up all three chances.

Second by second, time passed, but the invitation didn’t appear again.

Rose and Claire let out a long sigh and exchanged relieved glances.

But suddenly...

[A group has been detected within a 100-meter radius! A challenge invitation has been sent!]

Both of them gasped when they saw the message. Their faces went pale, and cold sweat broke out across their bodies.

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

There were only ten minutes left.

She didn’t know what would happen when the time ran out, but they were still trapped inside the game zone. Maybe they would die.

Or worse, they might be trapped here forever.

Raven gave a faint smile.

"So that’s how it is..."

He calmly looked at the two of them.

"Don’t worry. I know who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"Huh?"

The two were taken aback once again.

Raven had no intention of explaining. Without hesitation, he pressed "Accept."

Whoosh!

All three of their bodies instantly turned into particles of light and vanished from sight.

Rose and Claire opened their eyes, only to find three people standing across from them.

There were three men, each with a completely different look.

The man on the left had a nerdy charm, complete with a bowl cut, while the man on the right was tall and muscular.

He had short brown hair and a scar running down the right side of his face.

But the most striking of the three was the man in the middle. He was tall and muscular, though not as bulky as the brown-haired man.

His long black hair fell down his back.

He wore something that looked like a vest, but it was made from monster hide.

His eyes were sharp and cold, as if they could see right through anyone who met his gaze.

A name appeared above each of their heads.

The man on the left was Jason, while the man on the right was Thomas. The man in the middle was Victor.

"V-Victor?" Rose exclaimed in surprise.

Among all the teams that had challenged them, she never expected Victor to be their opponent.

"Pfft..."

Victor laughed at their reaction.

"You didn’t expect this, did you?"

His gaze then shifted toward Raven, and a meaningful glint flashed in his eyes.

"But not you, Raven. Don’t tell me you already suspected this?"

Rose and Claire were surprised once again. They turned toward Raven at the same time, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Something like that," Raven replied casually.

"Tsk!" Victor clicked his tongue. "You’re something else. Those greedy people really picked the wrong person to target."

"H-Hey, Victor, is this for real?" Thomas swallowed hard. "Did he really know about this beforehand? How did he figure it out?"

Victor shrugged.

"How should I know? As for whether he’s lying or not, just look at his face. Does he look surprised, like the two women beside him?"

Thomas stared intently at Raven, but there was no change in his expression. If anything, he seemed to be wearing a faint, knowing smile.

Thomas swallowed hard. He had underestimated Raven until the third mission was over.

The man was incredibly cunning and clever, managing to deceive everyone at the ancient site.

Even Victor—whom Thomas considered a monster because of his extraordinary intelligence and instincts—had been played like a puppet in the palm of his hand.

And now, Raven had surprised him once again.

"Damn it. How can there be people as smart as those two?" he muttered in frustration.

If only he were as smart as Raven and Victor, his life on Earth wouldn’t be so difficult.

"Sending three groups just to make sure my team had no chance to refuse. I have to admit, you’re really something, Victor," Raven said with a small chuckle.

Thomas, Jason, Claire, and Rose were taken aback once again.

"So, those first, second, and third invitations were sent by other groups just to use up our chances to refuse the challenge that came after?" Rose asked in amazement.

"That’s right. Victor has been targeting us and wants to deal with us personally," Raven replied indifferently. "He’s probably frustrated because I’ve defeated all the idiots he sent."

His voice carried a hint of mockery.

"What did you say!?"

Thomas was furious and was about to attack him, but Victor stopped him.

"Don’t let him provoke you. Do you want to be punished by the gods?"

The threat startled Thomas, and his courage instantly deflated like a balloon losing air.

Attacks were strictly forbidden, let alone killing. The punishment was extremely severe.

Victor turned his gaze toward Raven.

"All right, enough of this nonsense. Raven, I’ll admit, you’re really something. You’ve managed to anger the gods with your behavior. Do you know they’ve been targeting your group?"

Raven’s expression remained calm as usual.

"Of course I know. But do you really think..."

A mocking smile appeared on his face.

"I’d be afraid of that?"