The Mastermind

'N-no way…!'

Rey's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the back of a certain boy among the bunch of students who walked towards the gate.

His Status Window was bare for him to see, and it made Rey shiver to his core.

What he saw… defied all his expectations.

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: Adrien Chase.

- Race: Human (Otherworlder)

- Class: Necromancer (A-Tier)

- Level: 12 (78.54% EXP)

- Life Force: 10 (+50)

- Mana Level: 20 (+30)

- Combat Ability: 5 [+45]

- Stat Points: 55

- Skills (Exclusive): [Skill Creation]

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Inventory]. [Necromancy]. [Darkness]. [Grand Defense]. [Greater Spatial Magic]. [Greater Weapon Summon]. [Healing]. [Armament]. [Full Resistance]. [Full Boost]

[See More]

- Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

[Additional Information]

A true mastermind. One who lurks in the shadows and causes others to do his bidding while laughing underneath his mask.

His goals remain a mystery too…

[End Of Information]

Rey felt a bitter feeling rise up within his stomach as he looked at even more of the Skills that the boy had.

He counted nineteen!

'T-this… this kind of guy existed in our class?!'

He always knew the malefactor behind the incidents in class was formidable and smart, but not to this extent.

'His Stats and Levels are low, but his potential and his Skills…'

Even his Class was worrying.

But there was one thing that truly shocked him the most—down to his innermost cote.

'[Skill Creation]… I saw that Skill back then…'

Sweat covered Rey's face as he remembered the Skill-selection period.

There was no way he could forget something like that.

After all…

'… That Skill costs 100 Karma Points!'

In essence, it was an SSS-Tier Skill; on the same level as his own.

Rey remembered thinking it was impossible for anyone to get such a Skill, since that would mean they would have to be perfect.

He wasn't even sure Adonis could get something like that; and the boy was as perfect as they came.

However, his eyes weren't deceiving him here.

'I can see it clearly! He has an SSS-Tier Skill!'

How was that even possible?!

As Rey was having this thought, he saw that the boy he was intensely staring at stopped dead in his tracks.

'W-wha—?!'

Adrien Chase—as his name was called—slowly turned back.

His gaze felt distracted, but he looked behind him and Rey felt like his gaze was piercing him directly.

'H-he noticed my Appraisal?' Rey's thoughts were a jumbled mess as he felt saliva forming within his throat.

Right as he was having this near mental breakdown, he was met with a smile.

Adrien, the true mastermind, was smiling.

'Is he smiling… at me?'

Before Rey could even say or think anything more, his mind went blank.

He didn't know what to do or how to react.

The smartest thing to do now would be to chase him down and capture him, but Rey wasn't even sure he could win.

Not unless he new the Tiers of each Skill he possessed, and more information on his capabilities.

Just as Rey could mimic Skills, this one could create them.

They were at a stalemate in that department.

'I have superior Stats, but something about him feels dangerous.'

Rey felt like if he made a single move now, it would be over for him.

'I'll expose myself, no doubt. All my plans and actions up until now would be useless.'

There was no way he wouldn't be recognized as Ralyks.

'Speaking of Ralyks… does he know I'm him?!'

Rey didn't know how much this guy knew, but he knew how far he was willing to go.

There was no doubt in his mind that this malefactor was the one who caused Adam's death; and now he was just going to walk away.

He was leaving the Estate's gates scot free—no recompense for his actions whatsoever.

To what end? Why did he sow so much conflict in the first place?

'How was he even able to hide such a Skill?!'

Rey realised how foolish that last line of thought was. After all, he too had been able to hide his own Skill.

'I believe his previous Class was Mage, and his two Skills were [Inventory] and [Water Magic].'

Other than that, Rey didn't know anything about him.

He wouldn't have even remembered his name if he didn't see his Status Window.

'I also don't remember anyone bearing that name in class. Now that I think of it… I don't know him at all.'

Adrien Chase wasn't someone he ever noticed.

He had never had a single conversation with him, and he never spotted him during training.

It was almost as if he didn't exist at all.

'And someone like him is finally free from the Royal Council. Is this what he wanted all along? Freedom?!'

But that didn't make any sense!

If Adrien wanted to leave, he could have just done so without resorting to all of this.

He could have left and defied the rules long ago.

'Maybe he didn't want to draw attention to himself while doing it. He wanted others to go with him in a seemingly natural way.'

He might have orchestrated—or at least sped up—the instability among the students, causing the inevitable to arrive much faster than normal

The result? He was able to leave with the crowd while remaining hidden from sight.

No one would suspect a thing!

'T-this is… it's too unfair!'

Rey clenched his fist and bit his lip as he looked at the back of the very boy he had been searching for all this time,

Now that he finally saw him… there was nothing he could do.

'He's so close…'

Practically a couple meters away from Rey's reach.

'… But he feels so far away.'

Rey thought of a bunch of Skills in his arsenal that he could use, but they would either be too flashy or ineffective.

And so, Rey—the highly revered Underworld Dealer, Dragon Slayer, and Anomaly—could only watch, suspended in a single position.

… Completely rendered powerless by a weaker foe.