Rat

The gameplay mechanics were straightforward.

Gin would pose a question, and participants would collectively determine whether it was a truth or a lie, just like the good old days.

"Are you ugly or fugly?"

"Hey! Isn't that the same thing?"

"You're old yet not married. Are you just not good with girls?"

"What's with these questions…"

"Are you gay?"

"Even if I am, WHICH I'm not, that would be offensive."

Gin directed a single question at each member of Ariana's squad, intentionally posing challenging inquiries to Adrian, Mandy, and Freda.

Even Ariana herself was not spared from being questioned, although the level of difficulty differed from that applied to the others.

"You are very beautiful ma'am. Are you beautiful?"

"Heh, of course."

The game inexplicably lifted Ariana's mood, casting a lightness over her. Even Oliver, who was nearby, couldn't help but soften his gaze as he observed the scene unfold.

Gin approached Oliver, deep in thought about the question he would pose. Meanwhile, the commander anticipated the impending query with eagerness, only to be met with disappointment when the question finally came.

"Will you trust me from now on?"

Oliver stared blankly at Gin, and his expression quickly revealed the cringeworthy nature of the statement as he made a sour face.

"What bullshit are you spouting now? It didn't even answer the question, truth or lie."

"Just answer."

Oliver let out a soft sigh as he nodded, "All right, geez. No need to be so dramatic."

"That's a lie already, newbie! Oli already lied!"

On the sidelines, Ariana, known for her boldness within the group, pointed her finger at Oliver with evident disgust, who promptly reciprocated the gesture in a playful exchange.

Yet Gin didn't mind that at all.

'That's enough.'

Gin respectfully nodded at his commander before moving on to the remaining three members, who remained curious, hesitant, and suspicious about the ongoing game.

First, he faced the loud one, Trex.

"If you're going to ask me something stupid, then stop. I have enough of this bullshit game of yours—"

"Exactly two days ago while we were patrolling at the towers. Where were you inside these towers? Are you perhaps in the area where we stored all of our food? Tell me the truth."

Trex's eyes widened in surprise, and a wave of anger mixed with hatred swept over him as he analyzed the question.

He shouted, "What are you talking about!? What's with this question... Wait, don't tell me you are blaming me for that! Who is sane enough to cut the supply of food for everyone here?"

Gin merely stared at him and restated, "Where were you at that time?"

"This is so stupid! No one would believe me if I did! Well, there is one but now he's dead!"

Almost instantly, the relaxed atmosphere began to shift into something more peculiar. The unfolding situation remained shrouded in mystery, with the individual who initiated the game likely being the only one aware of what was truly transpiring.

"Tell him, newbie." Ariana, who removed all her smile, pressured Trex from speaking, specifically demanding an answer.

Trex bit his lip, tapping his feet nervously as he reluctantly answered. He avoided the ominous energy radiating from Ariana, likely out of fear of the consequences.

"I—"

"…"

"I was trying to find something at the underground base of the first, second, and third towers! I will not tell you what I'm trying to find but my location is that place!"

As everyone fixed strange gazes on Trex, Gin subtly glanced towards Oliver's side, attempting to discern any reaction from him. However, there was no discernible response from Oliver.

'Nothing?' Gin mused inwardly, 'I was hoping to find something from this guy since he was acting very suspicious, but it seemed he was telling the truth. Or my gamble on Oliver's powers is not right at all?'

Releasing a defeated sigh, already contemplating a new course of action in his mind, given Trex's questionable response, Gin turned to the person next to him to pose another question.

"What about you, sir? Where have you been?"

"I was with Nina when we were patrolling through the storage room in tower three. If she's alive, she should be able to back my claims. That's all I remember if I think about the time properly."

"I see, thanks."

Gin swiftly shifted to the next person, poised to expedite the process, when unexpectedly, Oliver spoke out of nowhere.

"Lie."

"…"

"That was a… lie, Brad."

Gin's eyes widened as he redirected his focus to the individual named Brad, who appeared even more shocked upon hearing the statement issued by the commander.

"Why would you lie to something like that, Brad? Come on, you can tell the truth. It's not like this is serious anyway." Oliver joked as he chuckled while looking at his vice-captain.

"Oy, the commander is talking to you. Answer truthfully." Gin, who showed a glint of dangerousness in his eyes, calmed down as he spoke.

'I was right on the mark!' Gin mused inwardly as he clenched his fist.

Taking chances in a situation with no guarantees is risky, but that's the nature of such gambles. It's a choice between risking it all or facing potential loss.

Either risk or lose it all.

Gin steeled himself for the possibility of losing trust, his position, and perhaps even risking his life, all in the pursuit of resolving the situation. He was willing to be branded as suspicious of his peers, accusing them of affiliations with the opposing camp, just to bring matters to a conclusion.

Yet what if his plan didn't fail?

It might turn their situation around.

Gin had a vague understanding of how Oliver's abilities functioned. Whether it was one specific power or multiple, the intricacies didn't matter at the moment.

'An ability to distinguish lie and truth!'

How could he know that? 

His firsthand experience during the interrogation about contracting Horrors left Gin with a clear understanding of Oliver's abilities.

With that kind of idea, he estimated that amongst the squad, there should be a rat, receiving orders. 

Someone who became the eyes of the Horror outside, whom Gin thinks is controlling the whole battalion of Horrors there.

That explains the strategic method of trapping them in the towers. No matter the methods they used, these monsters anticipated all of them, resulting in casualties on their side.

Everything moved methodically hence there's not even a single monster slayed on the side of the Horrors.

This made Gin suspect and form this plan.

Brad shrugged as he stated, "As I said, I was in the storage room in the third tower with Nina."

Freda and Ariana, discerning Gin's maneuvers, began readying themselves discreetly so as not to alarm Brad. Meanwhile, Oliver's countenance grew increasingly contorted, betraying a deeper reaction to the unfolding events.

"Lie again…"

Brad, whose expression had remained enigmatic until now, displayed a peculiar mix of emotions as he sighed, "You didn't have that power three years ago, sir. It's not surprising, but I understand now. You acquired it during the expedition, didn't you? I'm sure it came from that grimoire."

Oliver's eyes shook as he stepped back, "Who the fuck sent you!?"

Trex and the woman from earlier rose to their feet beside Oliver, casting disturbed glances at Brad. Meanwhile, Ariana's squad encircled the area, leaving Brad with no escape routes.

"Hey, you said your name was Gin, right?" Brad sighed as he looked at the guy who plotted all of this, "I'm very impressed by you. I should've known sooner that you were doing it to fish me out."

Gin smugly retorted, "Oh, yeah? Does that mean it proves my point? You are in cahoots with Horrors, specifically the entity outside of the tower?"

Brad shrugged, poised to speak, when suddenly Ned and Mandy, the quickest members of the squad, swiftly drew their weapons and struck the traitor.

Slash—!

Though both of their swords didn't meet anyone as Brad dodged all of it by merely stepping back.

"Oliver, give me the Crux of Unseen Wonder and nobody has to die." 

Brad scratched his face as if attempting to remove something hidden beneath the surface, leaving everyone in shock.

His relentless scratching intensified until his skin tore away, unveiling something concealed within.

Pulsating black veins like worms wriggle in every part of his face. His eye sockets were swollen to the point it could even called eyes. The tissues on his disgusting muscles were visible and seen yet the foul stench it was emanating was enough to make someone vomit.

Ariana who was against taking this problem any longer, gritted her teeth and formed the hand seals and stance to use her power.

"Don't!"

Yet Gin strongly disagreed and stopped her right away.

"We should kill him right now!"

"I know but you didn't need to be the one to do it. Your power is an ultimate skill and I'm sure you couldn't use it repeatedly."

Gin turned his gaze towards Oliver, awaiting the order he would give. Having done everything within his power to expose the rat among them, Gin recognized that it was now up to Oliver to decide how to handle the situation.

"You want the book?"

"Yes, give it to me."

"You'll let us go once we surrender it?"

"That's what 'he' wanted. 'He' didn't want to gain casualties on his side which is why we're going through this method."

Oliver surveyed his men, Ariana, and her squad before redirecting his gaze to Gin. With a sigh, he fixed his eyes on Brad once more.

Schch—!

Oliver gestured with his right hand, seemingly passing through an unseen barrier. In an instant, he summoned an eerie-looking grimoire from this mysterious subspace.

A thick, dark reddish grimoire emerged, featuring a single shut eye at its center, now revealed for everyone to see.

It was emanating a much more ominous aura than Brad himself. 

Gin and everyone else felt a nauseating churn in their stomachs at the palpable malevolence emanating from the book. Ariana, standing on the side, sensed her powers screaming within her head, urging her to eliminate the threat immediately.

'You are hiding something like this, Oliver?' Ariana asked herself inwardly.

"Here." 

Oliver tossed the book across Brad, prompting everyone to step back. Unable to contain himself, Gin whispered his complaint to the commander.

"That was not a very smart move…" Gin remarked, "That was the only thing that is holding to keep us like this… If you willingly gave it up, then what's the point of this negotiation."

"Just watched."

Despite his words, Gin couldn't help but discern traces of nervousness in Oliver's expression.

While Oliver could have asserted it with confidence, there was an uncertainty in his demeanor, as if he, too, wasn't certain about what would unfold next.

"Hah, finally!" Brad shouted in ecstasy, raising the book above the air just to gaze at it.

Then, he simply stood there, seemingly lost and purposeless.

"U-uh…"

The eye on the grimoire, which had been closed, opened on its own.

"Who…are…you…"

And the grimoire… spoke.