Ren found himself standing near the circular table, directly opposite the priestess.
The sudden shift in the room's atmosphere was palpable. What had been a lively discussion moments ago now erupted into shocked silence. Eyes widened, and tension filled the air, crackling like static. Ren felt every gaze in the room lock onto him, heavy with suspicion, surprise, and latent danger.
Even the priestess, renowned in the game for her unshakable composure, showed a rare flicker of emotion. Her dark, veiled figure leaned forward slightly, her voice calm but laced with a sharp curiosity. “What... is this?”
The other council members of SIN were less composed. The room buzzed with a mixture of reactions—most were wary, some openly hostile, but Ren noticed a few were different.
In particular, the second and fourth-ranked members seemed more intrigued than alarmed. Their sharp, calculating gazes focused on him with an intensity that made his skin crawl.
Reus, sitting straighter now with an alert posture, was the first to speak. His voice carried an overwhelming authority, far stronger than before. “Who are you, and how did you breach this chamber?”
Velara, on the other hand, looked more disturbed than she let on. The fact that someone had completely evaded her senses troubled her deeply. Tilting her head slightly, she added in a cold, calculating tone, “More importantly, how did you escape all of our detection?”
Ren felt the weight of their questions pressing down on him. One wrong move could spell the end for him. The pressure in the room was overwhelming—unlike anything he'd ever felt before. The plan he had carefully crafted began to slip from his mind.
He glanced at the status screen. His theory was confirmed.
0:53.
0:52.
A countdown. Exactly one minute.
He had to act fast, but his body betrayed him. The suffocating pressure in the room felt like a blade constantly piercing him.
"Shit, this is way worse than I thought," Ren thought. "I can't even speak."
Just as panic began to take hold, something happened.
As the council members pressed him for answers, Ren's status screen flickered again, revealing a new message:
image [https://i.imgur.com/KNy0zJq.jpeg]
His eyes were drawn to the second skill slot on the screen. Previously empty, it now held a new skill that had unlocked just when he needed it most.
Suddenly, Ren felt a change within himself. His body and mind calmed. The intense pressure surrounding him seemed to lift, fading until it was completely gone.
Ren could hardly believe it. The name of the skill felt like a lifeline—a direct solution to the crisis he was in. He didn’t need to know every detail of how it worked; the implications were clear. It was time to put on a performance.
0:48.
0:47.
To the council members, Ren’s demeanor shifted entirely. The ordinary, almost frightened man before them suddenly exuded an air of cold mystery.
Without missing a beat, Ren allowed the skill to take over, feeling a strange calmness wash over him. His posture relaxed, his expression stoic, and his voice steady as he met their eyes one by one. “Who am I?” Ren repeated, his voice smooth and unfazed. “I’m someone who knows far more than you might think.”
The effect was immediate. The council members exchanged glances—some with narrowed eyes, others with reluctant respect. The hostility in the room began to shift, replaced by a growing curiosity.
Reus, who had been the most aggressive in his questioning, leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing in assessment. “Bold, for someone who appears out of thin air,” he remarked, though his tone carried less threat now. “But boldness alone won’t save you.”
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Ren’s expression remained unbroken, his calm demeanor unnerving to everyone in the room.
0:42.
0:41.
Francea, watching him with clear amusement, chuckled darkly. “You seem rather calm, given the situation,” she said, her voice low and menacing. “It’s like you don’t even realize how much trouble you’re in.”
Ren ignored her completely, as if she wasn’t even there.
The effect was immediate—her perfectly controlled expression faltered, revealing a flash of frustration. This was likely the first time someone had outright ignored her.
“How dare you ignore me like that?” Francea snapped, her anger slipping through. “Should I just kill you where you stand and use your corpse as my plaything?”
Ren's face remained unreadable. His calm gaze seemed to impress even the second-ranked member, judging by the slight shift in his expression.
But Francea was far from impressed. Her expression shattered, revealing pure rage. It was clear she was moments away from lashing out.
“Holy shit, she’s scary,” Ren thought, his outer calm masking the turmoil inside.
0:33.
0:32.
Time was running out. Ren had to act. The academy depended on it.
“You motherfucker!” Francea said angrily as she slammed her hands on the table in fury. “I swear, I will rip your body to shreds and burn it to the ground until none of it lef- “
“Half-Demon.”
Francea froze, her tirade cut short—not by the interruption, but by the word itself. A word she had never shared with anyone.
Her eyes widened ever so slightly. Ren's gamble had worked. But before she could react further, he had already moved on.
0:28.
Ren turned to Velara, who watched him with icy calculation. She had been the one who unknowingly brought him here, and her presence sent a chill down Ren’s spine. Without hesitation, he met her gaze and said,
“Resa.”
Velara’s cold composure flickered. Something—shock, perhaps—crossed her face before she regained control. But Ren didn’t linger to see her reaction.
0:25.
His eyes shifted to Faris, the silent young man who had watched the proceedings with an unreadable expression. Ren locked eyes with him and said,
“Union.”
For a brief moment, surprise flashed in Faris’s eyes before his usual guarded expression returned.
0:21.
Next, Ren turned to the boy in the second seat, his mischievous smile now laced with seriousness. He seemed almost eager to hear what Ren would say. Ren hesitated briefly but then met his gaze and said,
“Specimen.”
The boy’s expression morphed from shock to something far more dangerous—a smirk of twisted delight, like a predator spotting its prey. Ren’s stomach churned, but he had achieved his goal. The boy’s full attention was now on him.
0:17.
Finally, Ren faced Reus. His presence dominated the room, even more so than the priestess. Ren knew this was the riskiest part of his plan. With all the resolve he could muster, he looked Reus in the eye and said,
“Zenith.”
Reus's reaction was immediate. His hand shot to his head, as though an unbearable pain had struck him. The other members looked on in shock—Reus, the strongest among them, brought to his knees by a single word.
Ren knew exactly what was happening but had no time to dwell on it. Only one person remained.
The final obstacle.
Ren turned to the priestess. Her gaze was like staring into the void. She remained calm despite the chaos around her, though Ren sensed a glimmer of curiosity behind her eyes. She watched as her council members were subdued by a single word each, waiting patiently for her turn.
0:12.
This was it—the final test. Ren’s next word could either be nonsense to her or overturn everything he knew about her and the game.
With only seconds left, Ren gathered every ounce of resolve he had and locked eyes with the priestess.
“Solis.”
The room filled with an overwhelming pressure, so intense it snuffed out the tension from Reus. But Ren was more shocked by what he saw.
The priestess—the most enigmatic figure in the game, whose expression never changed—looked at him in sheer, unfiltered shock.
“H-How do you know that word?” Her voice, laced with accusation and disbelief, shattered the silence. None of the council members had ever heard her speak like this before.
Her words carried an otherworldly pressure, enough to break Ren’s focus even with his Perfect Acting skill.
0:05.
Five seconds left. Ren just had to hold on.
“Answer me!” the priestess demanded, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. “If you won’t speak, I’ll tear the answer from you.”
0:03.
She moved towards Ren, each step graceful but laden with peerless authority.
“Come on, two more seconds,” Ren urged himself, struggling to maintain composure.
0:02.
The priestess reached out, her hand mere inches from Ren’s body when—
0:01.
0:00.
The world warped around him, his body being pulled backward, back into the shadows.
Ren vanished from the room, disappearing right before their eyes.