Aftermath

A hush fell over the crowd as all eyes fixated on the leaderboard, an array of emotions flickering within each gaze.

Shock, disbelief, disappointment, and anger danced across their faces.

1. Aeravat Indrath: 890 points...

2. Myung Joon: 759 points...

3. Takahashi Aoi: 750 points...

4. Karthik Trivedi: 740 points...

5. Kai Lee: 735 points...

6. Noah Grey: 730 points...

7. Ellie: 725 points...

8. Aurora Lewis: 725 points...

9. Emily Reed: 710points...

10. David Smith: 705 points...

11. ..

14. ...

15...

21 Spid Masiumph: 685

.

.

My pupils quivered as I stared at my ranking.

In that moment, the realization of my mistake came crashing down on me.

The toll of exhaustion, low mana, sleepless nights, the dirty jungle, constant discomfort of sweaty body, the dirt clinging to my skin and the unforgiving vision of the surrounding light all took their toll on me, clouding my mind.

In the midst of it all, I forgot a crucial detail about the dungeon trials. It was a very tiny detail. Important nonetheless. Perhaps this was just my way to cope or excuse myself for this mistake but that was all I could have given, it was now past and what was past was past.

'Whoever survives the dungeon trial until the very end is rewarded with additional fourty points, while those who are eliminated get a deduction of fourty points.' This important fact slipped my mind...

In the end, main cast like Emily were eliminated, while I stayed until the end.

My ranking went to heights far beyond what I had initially anticipated just because of those extra fourty points...but the given difference as huge as eighty points.

'Fuck me sideways,' I cursed in my mind

The thought of how others would react?

Particularly the main cast and the professors, weighed heavily on my mind.

But then again, maybe nobody will ask anything?

I had no wish to face the questions my unexpected success would bring.

Perhaps many would label me as a cheater? But in the end...I couldn't bring myself to care.

Fueled by defiance, I swiftly descended from the stage, leaving the area before anyone could wake up from their daze.

***

Professor Riya's POV:

I was seated in my office, engrossed in analyzing the data collected from the recent dungeon trials.

Across from me sat a certain student.

I dove into the submissions, as I inspected the smart bracelets one by one.

While these bracelets lacked camera, for the sake of privacy, they recorded voices and offered numerous other data like mana readings and others.

And at this moment, I needed to uncover...one thing that was bothering me

"Ahem!" I cleared my throat. While I studied the leaderboards chart of the dungeon trials, one name was annoyingly catching my attention from time to time: Noah Grey.

Just a few weeks ago, I dismissed him as an ordinary student, an average Joe of sort. But today...

Someone who was registered 1872, leaped to the 6th position in the dungeon trial? That's nothing sort of teleportation.

Coincidence?

Dumb luck?

Cheating? No, cheating definitely wasn't possible given all the evidence, but then question is, how?

In the office, the air circulated evenly, due to the AC. The soft glow emanating from the LED adorned the room with a comforting ambiance, while the lingering aroma of coffee tickled my nose. Yet, none of it were successful in keeping my curiosity in check.

"Apologies, Aeravat, for summoning you here. It's merely a formality," I stated, my gaze still fixated on the leaderboard.

"No need to apologize, ma'am. It's my pleasure to assist you," the student replied with a composed demeanor, exuding proper manners and respect.

One could easily assume he came from a well-regarded background based on his eloquent speech.

"Umhm, would you fancy some tea or coffee?" I offered, lightly tapping my finger on the name Noah Grey etched on the chart.

Noah's official rank stood at 1872.

And according to the smart bracelet's readings he was (G+).

Interestingly, his mana sometimes skyrocketed during the dungeon trials...

But, what was more strange was the absence of any recorded voice data in his bracelet. It was almost like someone deleted the recorded data. The possibility of someone hacking the bracelets crossed my mind, but that was highly unlikely...

But..

"No, it's alright, ma'am," Aeravat curtly replied to my earlier offer.

I decided to dig deeper, looking directly into his eyes. "Let me confirm this. Noah disclosed the location of the dungeon to you?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, leaving no trace of dishonesty in his tone.

"And he was the one who discovered that Freya was the spy?" I asked further.

"Yes, ma'am, that's correct," Aeravat reassured me, his voice devoid of deception.

Inhaling deeply, I let out a "huff",

taking a moment to gather my thoughts. "You may go."

As Aeravat left, the echo of the closing door resonated, leaving me behind, alone with my thoughts.

I shifted my focus to the file before me, containing Noah's personal information, only to find certainblank pages at the end.

'What are you hiding kid?'

The more I think, the stranger it seemed.

The clerk and administrator assured me that Central Union, had no available data on Noah's past.

Central union, the most powerful authority on this planet, had no background information? Absurd!

'This had to be a joke; someone was clearly attempting to hide something,' the frown on my face deepened as the possibility crossed my mind.

Grabbing my phone, I dialed a number, waiting for an answer.

After a brief pause, a distinctive —𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑘! echoed through the speaker, followed by a gruff voice, ["𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒂? 𝑹𝒊𝒚𝒂?"]

"Hey, Juan, I was wondering if you could do me a small favor, if you're able to?" I requested.

["𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅?"]

Nervously, I twirled a strand of hair between my fingers, glancing at the files scattered across my desk.

"I'll send you the necessary details. Could you try to dig into the background of this guy for me?"

Pausing for a moment, I added, "Oh, and please keep it strictly confidential."

***

Noah's POV:

I gazed on my bank balance, which now displayed an astronomical sum of money.

Slowly, a devilish smile spread across my face.

"He... hehe...heuehueheueheuhaaaahahahaha!Haaaaaahaha! This is incredible!" Amusement controlled my brain before any rational response.

Gradually, I managed to regain my composure.

Taking a deep breath, I checked at my table, which was littered with various wires, gadgets, computers, and screens. Everything was interconnected.

Yes, at the moment, I was in my room.

I rubbed my head, deep in thought, but a sudden realization struck me, "Oh! Shouldn't it be just about time?"

The Genova incident was fast approaching, I didn't had many more months in my hand.

If everything went according to plan, there won't be any trouble.

It was also time to get my hands on the second Mystery, [Solaris Amulet].

Unlike the ill-fated protagonists in novels, I was fortunate enough to avoid the unwelcome knocks of trouble on my door.

𝑻𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒌!