Cheng Shi was sharp. He'd noticed this teammate's scrutiny out of the corner of his eye long ago. Even with the man's eyes being that narrow, Cheng Shi had still caught his gaze.
But he didn't call it out. Instead, he carefully guided the rhythm of introductions, passing the next turn to him.
The squinty-eyed man studied Cheng Shi once more from head to toe, then spoke at a asured pace:
"What a coincidence—I'm also on the [Life] path."
"Zhang Jizu. [Life]. Priest. 2,490."
'Well, I'm screwed. Ran into an actual 2,400—no, 2,500!'
'And he's [Life] too!'
'What kind of [Life] follower could he be?'
Cheng Shi looked at this perpetually smiling teammate with a flicker of surprise. A single quick glance confird his identity.
A Gravekeeper.
Without a doubt—a Gravekeeper.
His neatly trimd hair and untended sideburns ruled out Gardener. His cold aura—chilling even through that squinty smile, radiating an unapproachable chill—made him unlikely to be an Offspring Priest. That left only the Gravekeeper.
'Interesting. A 2,490-point Gravekeeper.'
'Could he be...'
Cheng Shi returned a smile at Zhang Jizu, then shifted his gaze to the next person.
But right then, the [Folly] follower standing beside Cheng Shi let out a scornful laugh and spoke up.
"Two 2,400-level players who don't have the guts to reveal their professions. How can you two even smile?"
"Did you really think you could hide your faith just because this isn't a 2,400-level match?"
The instant he opened his mouth, practically everyone pegged him as a [Folly] follower.
And taking his cue, the others also faintly guessed Cheng Shi and Zhang Jizu's professions.
Most likely a Necromancer and a Gravekeeper—because neither of them looked remotely like [Prosperity] people!
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and smirked—because from that one sentence, he'd also deduced the [Folly] follower's score. This man wasn't above 2,400.
The squinty-eyed Zhang Jizu looked at this follower who literally peered down his nose at people. He wasn't angry in the slightest. Instead, he explained with thodical calm:
"The zygomatic major muscles in my cheeks pull up the corners of my mouth. The orbicularis oculi muscles around my eyes continuously contract to form crow's feet. That is how I smile."
"Any other questions?"
"Within my ability, I'm happy to explain."
"..."
"..."
"..."
'Oh boy, this is a real priest!'
Cheng Shi couldn't hold it and burst out laughing.
Following the explosion of laughter, the [Folly] follower's face went black.
He first shot Cheng Shi a look of displeasure, then turned a dark, cold gaze on Zhang Jizu and sneered:
"I hope your healing is as good as your mouth."
Zhang Jizu shook his head and corrected him again with perfect solemnity: "My professional abilities are stronger than my mouth—because my mouth, aside from eating and speaking, cannot influence other people. But my healing can."
"Pfft—"
"Kuh-huh-huh..."
Cheng Shi had completely lost it. And he wasn't the only one—several other teammates were pressing their lips tight, trying desperately not to laugh, lest the atmosphere beco unbearably awkward before the trial even started.
Still, this priest teammate had one seriously sharp tongue.
'Bro—your mouth absolutely does influence people. It influences them way too much. This [Folly] guy's nostrils are practically sealing shut.'
Sure enough, having failed at looking down on anyone, the [Folly] follower clamped his mouth shut with a silent seethe and gloomily averted his gaze.
Cheng Shi watched the scene with unbridled inner glee.
'There's a reason the paths are arranged the way they are. On the [Chaos] path, [Folly] ultimately leads to [Silence].'
'Hilarious. This opening is way too hilarious.'
Seeing that Nostrils had gone quiet, the teammate on the other side—having laughed his fill—continued with self-introductions.
"Scorpio. [Existence]. Assassin. 2,179."
"I'm a total newb. Hope the big brothers here will take care of ."
'Lies—though the lie is probably the second part.'
This young man with the assassin-thed outfit was clearly the energetic, cheerful type. It imdiately reminded Cheng Shi of Song Yawen, the contrarian assassin from before.
'Is the "contrast" archetype still trending in assassin circles?'
'Or is it already passé?'
'After all, trends are constantly changing.'
"No newb makes it past 2,100, little bro. You're being a bit modest." Gou Feng grinned, sizing up the assassin beside him. His tone carried so playful aning: "[Existence] assassins aren't to be trifled with. We should be the ones asking you to go easy."
"Just joking, big bro. My core principle is sincerity. Others treat
well, I treat them with a true heart."
Hearing this, Cheng Shi's smile vanished in an instant. His spine snapped taut, and his eyes narrowed to slits.
'Zhen Xin? Where's Zhen Xin?'
But he imdiately realized he'd been too paranoid. This "true heart" wasn't that Zhen Xin.
'Oh—just sincerity...'
'Treating people with sincerity is nice. After all, I'm all about sincerity too.'
At that thought, his rigid body suddenly relaxed. He laughed at his own jumping-at-shadows paranoia.
Seeing Cheng Shi laugh, the little assassin grinned back:
"What, big bro—don't believe ?"
"I'm truly honest and cooperative. The only reason I've made it this far is because I got carried by the big shots in trials. For big shots, I'm genuinely, sincerely obedient to the letter."
"..."
'Wait, wait, wait—could you please stop throwing around phrases that sound like nas? It's giving
a headache.'
Watching this chatterbox go on about how honest he was, Cheng Shi's inner mischief bubbled up. He curled his lips and said:
"I don't disbelieve you—it just reminded
of sothing. A friend ntioned matching with soone called 'Earth Scorpion'—an Old Hunter. Had so skills but liked playing underling. That wouldn't happen to be your alt account, would it?"
"?"
Scorpio blanked. Then he frowned and shook his head—but the instant he finished shaking, he froze in place. He stared at Cheng Shi with startled eyes, his expression enormously complicated.
He clasped his fists toward Cheng Shi: "Well played, my respects!"
Cheng Shi waved off the complint, but the curve of his smile only deepened.
Because he'd bluffed it out. This Scorpio was a follower of [Ti]—an Another Day Assassin.
It wasn't just Cheng Shi who noticed. Everyone else astute enough had seen through Scorpio's identity, because his reaction was too precise.
When Cheng Shi said "Earth Scorpion," Scorpio hadn't reacted at all. But the mont Cheng Shi ntioned "Old"—as in "Old Hunter"—the little assassin had already begun shaking his head.
Anyone present who wasn't an idiot could tell Scorpio's denial was about the faith, not the na. That ant he could only be the other faith under [Existence]—[Ti].
And upon learning he was an Another Day Assassin, everyone's guard went up a few notches.
They had to be cautious, because the Another Day Assassin was a profession that pushed [Ti]'s path-reading to its absolute extre. They could cross between different projected futures and kill their target in another tiline, then overwrite the result onto the current reality.
If an assassin like this also had so talent for disguise, then anyone targeted by them might die without ever knowing how they'd been killed.
Because they didn't die in the present—they died in a future fabricated by the Another Day Assassin.
Hence the na: Another Day Assassin.
But the group's wariness wasn't just about the assassin. It was equally about Cheng Shi's probe. Unraveling the little assassin's cover with a single sentence made this [Life] mage soone they couldn't underestimate either.
'Mage—truly the representative of intelligence.'
And this was exactly the effect Cheng Shi wanted. He needed to establish an "don't ss with " image right from the start, so nobody in this unexpected trial would keep eyeing him.
Seeing Scorpio shake his head with a rueful smile, Cheng Shi seized the mont to ask:
"What did you pray for?"
"Uh... hard to say, but I can guarantee it won't affect anyone in this trial."
Everyone raised an eyebrow at that, expressions turning contemplative. Cheng Shi didn't push—whether soone shared was their right. He turned his gaze to the final teammate, excluding the [Folly] follower.
This teammate wore a long trench coat and carried a retro wooden case—looking every bit like a spy from so mysterious organization. Seeing everyone's eyes converge on him, his expression froze. He gave a nervous laugh:
"You big shots staring at
is making
anxious. I'm just a nobody—an even smaller nobody than the Another Day Assassin."
Cheng Shi wanted to laugh. 'Your outfit is anything but nobody material, buddy.'
The trench coat man noticed his teammates' odd expressions and realized his appearance wasn't exactly convincing. He shook his case and said with a casual laugh:
"A gift. This is a gift—nothing mysterious."
"I'm a pastry chef. Made so pastries for everyone."
"Oh right—introductions first. I'm Mo Shu. [Descent]..."
"Sigh, I probably can't hide it anyway. Fine, I'll co clean. I'm a Scavenger. A Scavenger at 2,116 on the Ladder."
...
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