Chapter 47

47. Ant Nest (7)

I was happy, but it wasn't the time to be happy.

What exactly caused the Hidden Piece to activate now?

And how will this Hidden Piece end?

That was the problem.

'The other party isn't good either. Out of all those people, it had to be him...'

Karoon, the imperial spy.

Among the veterans, no one liked him.

Not only because of his stiff tone and cold personality,

but also because he would often suddenly appear and snap a player's neck.

So some veterans called him the 'Bad Ending Maker.'

In fact, Karoon is a character with unique events.

When you encounter him outside the main story, a situation like this unfolds.

At this point, the user is given two choices:

-Fight

-Talk

The problem is, if you choose 'Fight,' you have a 99% chance of being wiped out.

Even after entering the final chapter, defeating Karoon is by no means an easy task.

In other words, the user has no choice but to select 'Talk' and engage in a fierce psychological battle with Karoon.

And then,

'About 80% of the time, your neck gets snapped.'

This is why Karoon is called the 'Bad Ending Maker.'

Karoon is a man who, before being an academy teacher, is an imperial spy.

If he deems someone a threat to the empire, he will snap their neck without hesitation.

"Damn...! There are so many of them!"

Karoon muttered as he checked the opposite side.

I couldn't help but panic. He seemed uninterested in me.

'Is it not a Bad Ending Hidden Piece, but another Hidden Piece that activated?'

A Hidden Piece I didn't know about.

The possibility that it activated couldn't be ignored.

Then,

'When did he get here?'

Of course, he might have just arrived.

He must have thought something happened here and found the secret passage easily.

"Zero! Snap out of it! We need to leave this place immediately!"

Karoon shouted loudly.

I could feel the danger of the situation with my whole body.

Yes, it's possible.

There are countless demons and many students to protect.

But,

'Karoon isn't that kind of character, is he?'

If it were the Karoon I know, he would have hidden his panic.

Not only because he is naturally cold, but also to prevent his anxiety from spreading to the students.

In other words, the conclusion is one.

'He's acting.'

Years of espionage.

An expert in lie detection and interrogation.

The one who guards the emperor from the shadows, in the lowest and darkest places.

That's exactly who

'The imperial spy, Karoon.'

Once I thought this far, the assumption that he just arrived was erased from my mind.

Karoon must have been watching me all along.

Probably.

"Zero! What are you doing! Hurry up and follow me!"

Karoon extended his hand with an urgent voice.

What will happen if I take that hand?

I'm not sure, but I don't want to be dragged along.

"Hehe, isn't something strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anyone can see that the cliff on the other side has been hit by a major attack... Why don't you point that out?"

"..."

Karoon made a rookie mistake in his acting.

Small and large rocks were still falling, and the ants were in chaos.

Most importantly, the opposite cliff was clearly marked.

"...I see. Could it be that you did it?"

"Hehe, how could that be?"

"Then who did it?"

"Oh, I was just curious about that too."

"..."

Karoon's eyes showed a slight irritation.

Why is he looking at me like that?

I was genuinely curious.

"...There might have been someone else. They could be the culprit behind this incident."

"Right. And the culprit is from the Lester family."

"What do you mean by that?"

"That mark. It's the 'One Palm' of the Lester family, isn't it?"

"..."

One mistake often leads to another.

We know that Luna is a survivor of the Lester family.

Knowing the 'One Palm' technique is natural.

Did he realize his mistake? Karoon shut his mouth tightly.

There aren't many opportunities to corner Karoon.

I could instinctively feel it. When to use 'that skill.'

"Strange. You couldn't have missed that it's the mark of 'One Palm.' Then..."

I opened one eye and used the [Open Eyes] skill.

"Are you pretending not to see it on purpose?"

Karoon's expression hardened.

As expected.

Karoon witnessed my [One Palm] and was watching me for some reason.

"Hehe, you made a mistake, Mr. Karoon..."

No.

"Mr. Imperial Spy."

Was it too provocative?

Karoon contorted his body in strange ways.

Thud, thud.

Karoon stretched his body and adjusted his posture.

The flustered appearance was gone, and his body seemed 1.2 times larger than usual.

And then,

"...I don't like smart rats."

Karoon's eyes glinted coldly.

"To know my nickname. That's surprising."

Karoon approached me.

A leisurely pace.

But when I closed and opened my eyes, Karoon was already in front of me.

A face full of scars, a menacing look.

Eyes that could easily kill a person.

With the activation of Karoon's special Hidden Piece leading to a bad ending.

It's a truly dire situation, but there's still hope.

There's a skill that shines in such situations.

'Mental Defense... Indeed, morale is important in such times.'

The ability to think rationally in such a situation is a huge advantage.

I recalled the information about Karoon in my mind.

'The imperial spy, the emperor's shadow, an expert in assassination and espionage.'

Rodelin is also a character with excellent reasoning skills, but not like Karoon.

'He's still young and lacks experience.'

Moreover, he's weak to emotional appeals.

He can be easily swayed with a little persuasion.

But not Karoon.

To him, emotions are like grains of sand on the street.

After a rough espionage life in various countries, any naive lies would be easily detected.

'I've deceived many people, but Karoon is in a different league.'

Most importantly, we are alone in this place.

If one of us dies, it will be quietly buried.

Of course, that one person will be 100% me.

"The imperial spy... I haven't heard that nickname in a long time."

"Hehe, really?"

Karoon grabbed my collar and lifted me into the air.

Below my feet, a sheer cliff appeared.

"Right. I killed everyone who mentioned that word."

"Hehe, you did. It would have been better if you had told me earlier."

Karoon's expression changed subtly.

Because I wasn't panicking.

Why wasn't I panicking?

'It's strange.'

The demon attack, the students in danger.

Finding an abnormal presence like 'me' in the midst of it all.

It's an emergency within an emergency.

But a skilled person like Karoon can handle this situation.

Knock me out and restrain me.

Ensure the children's safety.

Then torture me to extract information.

This is the most rational and efficient method.

But he chose to act and talk to me, which is troublesome?

It means there's a special reason.

And that reason is likely

'Related to the Lester family.'

From what I can see, Karoon seems to have a connection with the Lester family.

As I mentioned, he isn't allowed to have emotions.

But he shows favoritism towards Luna?

'There's something involving the Lester family. It's not in the game, but I'm sure of it.'

I had a strong feeling.

Uncovering the relationship between Karoon and the Lester family.

That's the key to tackling Karoon and

the only way to get out of this situation.

"Enough of the pointless jokes. Your brain must be struggling to come up with excuses. I'll ask the questions. You just answer."

What a considerate gesture.

Actually, it's one of the techniques to gain the upper hand in a conversation.

It doesn't matter to me, though.

What's more important now is

'How to lie without being detected.'

Karoon uses various methods to detect lies.

Comparing with his information, logic and reason, eye movement, breathing, and pulse changes.

'The most important thing to be careful about is...'

Eye movement, breathing, and pulse changes.

The physical movements that can't be controlled are the problem.

'Fortunately, I'm a squint character.'

The eyes are so small that eye movement isn't a concern.

The problem is breathing and pulse changes.

I have [Mental Defense], which helps me maintain composure.

But it's uncertain if this skill can control heart rate.

In this situation,

'Mix lies with the truth.'

The most perfect lie is one that contains about 30% truth.

A psychological battle through conversation will now unfold.

The first psychological battle between a veteran and the imperial spy.

Whichever side wins, it will be a dirty and intense mental struggle.

Karoon's eyes glinted coldly.

"Are you a bastard?"

A bastard from the Lester family.

Are you a half-sibling to Luna?

'Is that your conclusion?'

It was a reasonable inference.

But,

"Hehe, no. The great Lester family wouldn't do that, would they?"

"..."

Karoon shut his mouth.

He must have been caught off guard by the counterattack from the first question.

Karoon's first question.

It seemed straightforward but had a hidden trap.

'He must have thought I would answer 'Yes.''

Of course, saying I'm a bastard would increase my chances of survival.

There's no genetic testing technology in this era.

But that's only if the 'lie' works.

'I still don't know if the Mental Defense skill can control heart rate.'

If I had said, 'Yes, I'm a half-sibling to Luna. Poor me, huh?' and the Mental Defense skill couldn't control heart rate,

I would already be in the afterlife.

'I must have thought of at least 20 ways to pressure me if I said I was a bastard.'

So I told the truth.

'But I can't say Karoon gained nothing.'

Karoon, who shows mysterious favoritism towards the Lester family.

If I were a bastard, he would have treated me like Luna.

But now that he knows I'm not, he has nothing to hold back.

In other words, Karoon sacrificed his first question to gain

the authority to end my life at any time.

"Then how did you learn the Lester family's sword technique?"

The first hurdle is cleared.

Now it's time to experiment and confirm [Mental Defense] and extract information in reverse.

I swallowed hard and opened my mouth.

"I learned it."