Chapter 92: Red Sun - A 9th-Floor Contestant!
Kai did not have any idea about the strength of a Contestant above 4th floor.
All he could do was to make an educated guess based on his experience and the Stat, Perception.
His team mbers had told him during his Initiation mission that the higher the danger, the more susceptible his Perception would beco to it. So, following that logic, the mont he had entered the house, his Perception should have been screaming bloody murder.
But Sonia had added more to it. It’s also a double-edged sword, she had told him. The higher the gap between you and the other Contestant, the higher will be the chances for Perception to fail. If your attacker has an overwhelming advantage over you in Perception, he can easily trick you too.
If it was only this, then Kai wouldn’t have nad Robin a monster.
The thing was, Selene was within him. Her Perception was even higher than him. It was her second highest Stat. Yet, even she had failed to notice a Contestant’s presence. Then didn’t that an...
Kai licked his lips, sweat drenching his back, chest, and ass alike.
He looked at Robin, who had stopped after just taking a step out of the kitchen. He was a muscular, green-eyed and red-haired adult, seemingly in his late twenties. He was wearing a loose white t-shirt over airy blue shorts.
For a mont, Robin just stood there at door, carrying a tray.
Then Kai trembled, waves of emotions bombarding him like never before. His Perception had indeed failed... However, the Advance Emotions Manipulation was still working fine as if it didn’t care about the target’s power level at all.
So, yes. Kai trembled, sensing the exact sa emotions oozing out of Robin as those oozing out from himself. Moreover, Robin’s green eyes were terrifyingly planted on... Petyr.
Suddenly, sothing clicked in Kai’s mind, his pupils widening beyond imagination.
"What happened?" Kurt demanded. "Bring the tea or have you prepared it for the air?"
Robin slowly, taking one small step after another, approached them and placed the tray on the table.
There were only two teacups on it.
"Didn’t you look for how many guests there are?" Kurt said gruffly. "Well, it doesn’t matter. Serve them first. I will have mine later."
Robin did as he was told.
He placed both teacups in front of them, but his eyes never left Petyr’s face.
"You two drink," Kurt said, standing up. "Let
bring the map. Maybe it will be of so help to you." The old man left the room, walking with brisk steps.
There was an odd silence in the room, with Robin standing beside the table, looking down at Petyr.
Kai’s heart was thumping wildly, thinking of the conclusion he had just co to. He too looked at Petyr, hoping the Book’s Character would stand true to his na, coming to the sa conclusion as him. Inside him, Selene shuddered like a leaf, sending tremors after tremors, as goosebumps rose over his skin.
Then it happened.
Robin suddenly fell to his knees, his head pressing down on the floor.
"Contestant Red Sun greets His Noble Presence," Robin whispered, not daring to lift his head. His back was drenched with sweat even more than Kai’s.
Kai’s thoughts scread in joy as he confird his doubts.
I was right! He thought, calming down his breathing. Petyr doesn’t have Stats. So, like I couldn’t sense Robin’s presence, Robin must not have sensed Petyr’s too. That’s why he brought two cups of tea. Only when he saw Petyr did he realize that there is one more Contestant. A Contestant whose Perception is so high, that even his Perception got tricked.
The situation was so laughable, and yet equally terrifying, that Kai did not know what to do.
One wrong step, one wrong word, and Robin would annihilate them to hide his sha. Kai stared at Petyr, who was calm despite the strange turn of events. Don’t fuck it up, Petyr, he prayed within.
Petyr turned out to be calr than Kai had thought him to be. He sipped his tea, looking down at Robin. For a few seconds, he said nothing, and Kai noticed Robin’s ears becoming red, and his knuckles going white.
"Which floor?" Petyr asked, putting the cup on the table.
Robin sighed, standing back up. "9th floor, Sun and Moon Organization, my lord," he said, then trembled, hastily adding more to his words. "It’s a small organization. You must have not heard of it."
"Guess my floor," Petyr said, smiling.
Kai and Robin both shivered, seeing that smile. It had an authority behind it, a sense of unmatched power lingering around at the corner of his mouth.
"I... I dare not do such blasphemy, my lord," Robin said, his breathing going awry. "I dare not."
"Do it," Petyr said, chuckling. "I command it. Take your best shot."
Robin bowed. "For you to fool my Perception," he said ekly, "you must be from the 12th floor."
Petyr laughed. Robin staggered back, his face becoming pale as he saw Petyr shaking his head. "Good guess," Petyr said. "But not correct."
And that only ant one thing. Petyr was from a floor higher than the 12th. The sheer ridiculousness of the lie made Kai tremble. How far could they stretch this lie? The question struck his mind like a hamr.
Robin took an audible gulp. "I wonder what brought you to this place, my lord," he said, trying to smile. "Is he... your disciple?"
Robin looked at Kai for the first ti as if he wasn’t even worth a matter of discussion.
Petyr nodded. "This little one has quite a Worth," he said, slyly.
Robin raised his eyebrows, and realization dawned on him. "Oh! So, my lord is preparing him for the Tournant of Worth," he said, nodding to himself. "Well, now I know who will be the winner. But... I don’t know if throwing him against three 4th-floor Contestants is a good idea."
Three?! Kai’s eyes widened. Where’s this third one ca from?
Robin narrowed his eyes at Kai. "But that is good too," he said. "Only this kind of talent is worthy of being noticed by my lord."
"How long have you been here?" Petyr asked.
Robin smiled wryly. "Well, we must do these things once in a while," he answered. "It’s been a week this ti."
"Haha!" Petyr laughed. "Ah, yes. I rember guarding Ash. That was quite a while ago."
Kai’s mouth almost twitched.
One the other hand, Robin’s face lit up in awe, drowning his fear and horror under it. "Well, I wish I could help your disciple, my lord," he said. "But we know I can’t. So here’s sothing as my well-wishes to your disciple. I just hope you will rember this one’s na."
Robin took out a box after saying that, which seed kind of like a cigarette case.
He opened it up for Kai to see. So 20 red capsules were lined inside it, all gleaming with a low redness.
HP Capsules! Kai exclaid, but he didn’t dare let any emotion co to his face. The ones that I bought never glowed like this, either. Their quality must be extrely higher than the ones I have consud.
Even then, there was a frown on Petyr’s face, and that frown made Robin shudder.
He hastily reached into his Inventory and took out another thing.
"I think this lucky guy must be looking for completing his Attribute Points Quota. Let
give him a helping hand," Robin said, smiling, and placing a rock on the table. "I have only one left, I am afraid. I know it isn’t much, but it works perfectly and ets the boy’s needs."
A rock?! Kai thought, confusingly. He so wanted to touch and bring it to his eyes but refrained.
Petyr didn’t humble himself. "A rock?" he asked, amused by its sight.
"Huh? My Lord, you didn’t recognize it?" Robin asked (-Kai’s heart almost gave away-). "Oh, you must not have been too much to the Harry Potter World. This is no rock. It’s a cake. A rock cake, made by Rubeus Hagrid himself."
Petyr smiled, and Kai had an inkling that he wouldn’t ask for more things.
The lie was stretched thin, now that they had taken gifts or bribes from this monster. Logic told them to just fuck off from this place as soon as they could. Petyr nodded, and Kai put the HP Capsules in his MRB and the Rock Cake in his pocket.
"Red Sun from Sun and Moon," Robin repeated, seeing the two things disappearing. "May I have the honor of knowing your Code Na, my lord?"
Petyr looked thoughtful. "Red Sun, I will rember you," he said, after a few seconds. "You have the honor of being in the presence of... Purple Mist."
"Purple Mist... Purple Mist..." Robin muttered and was about to ask sothing again when Kurt entered the room, holding many docunts and a large map.
"What are you doing?!" Kurt rebuked Robin. "Go prepare another tea for ."
Robin scampered off, not before giving a courteous bow to Petyr, ignoring Kai.
The old man passed the docunts and the map to Petyr. "Here, take this," he said. "Just do nothing stupid."
Petyr gave an assuring smile. "Good sir, trust us," he said, leaning over for a whisper. "We have never failed. I think we must go then. The sooner we start, the better."
From the corner of his eyes, Kai saw Robin’s head peeking out from the kitchen, smiling sheepishly.
9th floor... Kai gulped, looking away.
All he wished now was to never ever cross paths with this man again.
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