My Level Zero System-Chapter 249: Checkmate (2)

So, when did all of this begin?

The answer might actually shock Faith himself.

It was from the very first moment he and Faith met.

"This encounter was, in essence, Faith’s display and imposition of power over me."

"Faith’s invitation letter, sent to me, showed that he intended to invite me as the host, while I was merely a guest."

"When the letter was sent, the messenger’s attitude was extremely dismissive and somewhat contemptuous towards me. So, although Faith always acted courteously in front of me, he inadvertently or intentionally revealed his disdain for me, treating me as an inferior."

"The academy’s flower garden was originally a shared asset that all students could use. But when I arrived, there was no one there but Faith. He sat there, imperious as a king in his own kingdom."

"Finally, this chess game, though seemingly played in good faith, actually contained Faith’s contempt."

"He wanted to use this game to do two things: first, to probe my thinking, and second, to suppress me in the field he was most confident in: intelligence."

Intelligent, arrogant, insidious, and dangerous.

That was how Kain pictured Faith at that time.

At that moment, Kain had a thought.

"This certainly isn’t everything Faith plans to do. For someone like him, the most obvious action is always just the tip of the iceberg, always a deception to attract others’ attention."

From that moment, Kain had already guessed Elna’s role in the whole affair.

But he wasn’t sure.

Indeed, he wasn’t sure.

The thinking of someone like Faith was very difficult to grasp, let alone the broader implications.

He could recognize the signs, and thus deduce Elna’s role. But remember, these signs entirely originated from Faith. If this was his trap, he could deliberately expose Elna to shift Kain’s attention away from her, making her—a failed spy—then become the true threat. Faith could even go further.

Too risky. Just guessing that Elna was the initial smokescreen wasn’t enough.

So, Kain looked down at the chessboard.

And the moment a chess piece moved, a bold idea sparked in Kain’s mind.

"That’s right, I can’t guess everything Faith will do..."

"But what if I could? Because at its root... this idea of Faith’s... was planted in his head by me."

And Kain, from a time when Faith hadn’t even realized it, had made his first move.

Combined with the previously circulated information about Faith knowing of his assistance and leadership in safely guiding many other students out of the Dungeon.

Kain intentionally made a bold move, so that he could plant the following thought in Faith’s head:

"You seem to have quite a bit of confidence in your pieces, huh?"

"You could say that."

Faith wanted to probe his thinking?

Then Kain would allow him to know just how much Kain valued and trusted his teammates.

So, at this moment, how would Faith, an arrogant individual seeking to stomp on Kain, react?

"He values his teammates highly? Just as I suspected."

"Then let me... give him a surprise."

The moment this thought appeared in Faith’s mind was also the moment he stepped into Kain’s deepest trap.

All those strategies, deceptions, and diversions would serve one ultimate goal: to briefly expose Myra’s betrayal of Kain’s team. This would not only be a severe psychological blow, but Kain’s team would truly lose because of Myra.

But precisely because it was Myra, Kain always knew that no matter how Faith twisted his strategy, Faith’s penultimate strategy would always revolve around Myra. And that is why he won.

So, why did he know it was Myra and not someone else?

This, of course, was not a wild guess.

In fact, a long time ago, Kain had vaguely discerned a smoldering resentment burning within Myra. Although she vehemently concealed it, Myra’s hatred would occasionally reveal itself during moments of distraction.

The Chess Game Unveiled

Isn’t this the ideal seed for Faith to exploit a weakness?

Before that, Faith had already guessed that Myra’s resentment stemmed from her mother. It was a tragic past that no one dared to touch; even her father—a nobleman with certain power—could only allow grief to torment him and dared not investigate. That was also why Myra was determined to enter the Tower of Magus; she wanted more power, more authority, to investigate the truth about her mother years ago.

So Kain guessed that Faith would not resort to oppressive tactics; his arrogance made him dislike such methods. Instead, Faith would play a softer hand, persuading Myra with a condition like this:

"Help me defeat Faith. If you do as I say, I and the Sword family will help you."

Faith’s Sword family—that was the key that made Myra grit her teeth and accept this pact, betraying those closest to her.

In this process, Myra realized how difficult and distant a spot in the Tower of Magus was, even with Kain’s help. Meanwhile, a contract with Faith and the Sword family was right before her eyes. As long as she signed it, regardless of the match’s outcome—even if she didn’t need to betray them and Kain’s team was eliminated early—she would still receive the help she desired.

The truth of that year had truly weighed on Myra for too long.

Her father could only desperately resort to alcohol and work to try and forget the past. Mera had gradually moved on and no longer truly wished to pursue this past. While Myra knew they did this not out of selfishness, but to ensure the safety of the rest of their family, Myra herself had never given up. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

And that was also how Kain helped Myra.

Because she still didn’t violate the agreement, still wholeheartedly assisted Faith’s team. So no matter what happened, Faith would still have to abide by the contract.

No one was wrong; it was just that Kain was one step higher than the opposing player. He turned Faith into a chess piece, and no matter how cunningly this piece shifted its strategy, it could only maneuver within the order of the chessboard, which was "Myra."

Faith was almost dumbfounded, and everyone else was equally stunned, too shocked to speak. They felt as if their heads had exploded. Everything Kain revealed, every word he spoke, they could understand, but when combined, it froze their minds.

Only Kain, for the first and only time in this long battle, offered a satisfied smile towards Faith.

"Checkmate."

At this moment, Faith’s expression was strangely calm.

Kain thought that, given his personality, Faith would laugh loudly for a while and then launch into a tirade.

Instead, Faith seemed to accept his defeat very quickly. He calmly turned to Myra, who was still dazed, and said,

"Though I have lost, you have still fulfilled your end of the bargain, so the agreement remains valid."

Myra was bewildered, then she lowered her head, her emotions unreadable. A glint of cunning flickered in Faith’s eyes, but it vanished quickly; only he knew what he was calculating.

Mera, now recovered, looked at Myra, her sister, no longer with accusation, but only with heartbreak. She finally understood why Myra had done it.

At that moment, Kain stepped between the two girls. He looked at Faith and calmly stated,

"So, what now? One last stand, or hand over the map?"

Faith smiled and casually tossed the map that had belonged to Tolimus to Kain. Kain caught it, but still held out his hand towards Faith’s team.

"Goodbye."

"Let Elna return to help your team. After all, technically speaking, she’s still a member of your team." Faith said suddenly. Kain was surprised for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright."

As soon as he finished speaking, three [Thunder Arrows] shot out, striking all three of them and eliminating them from the match. They didn’t resist, simply letting it happen.

Elna, seeing this, could do nothing. She could only sigh and once again gathered under Kain’s leadership.

How ironic it was that a team with two traitors ultimately ended up fully assembled, with no one missing.

Now, their final task was simply to pursue Pegasus’s team and find the victory flag.

To avoid wasting any more time, they quickly set off. These Golems not only served as combat tools but could also be used as a means of transport for Kain’s team, allowing them to rest and recover energy during the journey.

Kain and Mera each sat on one shoulder of a Golem, while the others each sat on the shoulder of a different Golem.

During this time, Mera seemed a bit distracted, her gaze constantly drifting towards an indeterminate space.

Suddenly, Kain’s voice broke the silence.

"Mera, are you okay?"

She reacted, shaking her head as if to say she was fine, but Kain clearly knew it was just a disguise. He sighed, clenching his hand slightly.

"It’s my fault."

"Huh?"

At this, Mera finally turned to him, a puzzled look on her face.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because the core of my plan required your sister’s betrayal. Thanks to that, we could win, and your sister could also receive help from the Sword family."

Kain revealed his true intention. His strategy was truly perfect, hitting two targets with one arrow.

But it couldn’t deny one truth: he was indirectly the reason Mera had to endure this betrayal.

Hearing this, Mera uncharacteristically fell silent with him, causing Kain a surge of apprehension.

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