My Level Zero System-Chapter 250: Admit and regret

Standing before a formidable opponent like Faith, he remained unconcerned, calmly facing every challenge.

But when confronted with Mera's silence, Kain felt a surge of apprehension.

He had meticulously calculated that this plan would be a win-win, with no one suffering losses. Mera was a reasonable person; she would surely understand why Myra did what she did. Myra would also achieve her desires, and their team would still secure victory.

Yet, sometimes, human psychology remained too difficult to fully grasp.

Kain, in the end, couldn't bear it.

He didn't want this incident to create a rift between Myra and Mera. Thus, he revealed the truth, taking all the blame upon himself.

Myra was not at fault; she was merely enticed by Faith, and the root cause of this situation stemmed from Kain's very first move.

In the end, Mera still said nothing.

Kain's expression darkened. It seemed his move not only failed to salvage the situation but made things somewhat messier.

"I just hope their relationship can improve somewhat."

He sighed, his gaze fixed forward. After all, they still had one objective to complete.

"Almost there!"

Pegasus's team moved with increasing audacity, seemingly sweeping everything aside in their path, for they were nearing the victory flag's location.

Just then, a scout frantically announced activity nearby.

Before they could react, Kain's team launched a surprise attack.

This battle was hardly unpredictable. Faced with Kain's overwhelming numbers, Pegasus's team quickly fell. The Golems' combat prowess was indeed formidable; even without lethal magic, their sheer speed, strength, and durability were enough to pose a significant threat to the Magus.

In her final moments, Pegasus weakly asked Kain how he knew. She had assumed that even someone with a map showing other teams' positions wouldn't be able to discern her intentions so quickly.

Kain simply replied that he had known from the beginning.

In their key discussions, both Kain and Faith only spoke about knowing each other's advantages, never mentioning anyone else's. This was partly to disarm Tolimus and Pegasus, and partly to prevent them from realizing that Kain and Faith had already guessed their advantages.

Specifically with Pegasus, she had deduced that Tolimus possessed the advantage of knowing other teams' positions because she held the advantage of knowing the victory flag's location. This was similar to how Kain inferred that someone would possess the location of the secret weapons, because he had the advantage of the control tools but not the weapon locations.

Therefore, she believed that the other teams wouldn't guess, as they lacked a solid premise like hers to draw conclusions.

This wasn't entirely wrong, but Pegasus made a mistake at one point.

She thought that advantages would be very random and almost unpredictable, which is why a premise was needed to uncover the truth. But for Kain and Faith, once they discovered the "archetype" of this game, they could continuously narrow down the types of advantages, thereby deducing the most logical advantage to incorporate into this round. This advantage had to be highly strategic but not immediately imbalance the game. These two criteria alone were enough to filter out most random possibilities.

In the end, Pegasus could only smile and accept defeat, relinquishing the victory flag's location.

Ironically, the location of the victory flag was right beneath where Tolimus's team had initially appeared, just a few meters deep underground.

That meant Tolimus's team was literally just a few meters away from victory.

He'd probably die of rage if he ever found out.

Kain ordered a Golem to dig. Very quickly, dozens of cubic meters of earth were excavated, revealing the simple victory flag encased within an egg-shaped shield.

Although this shield repelled all intrusions, Kain's hand could easily pass through it.

The moment Kain touched it, the victory flag transformed into a golden light, enveloping his vision and everyone around him.

When their vision stabilized, they found themselves in a large plaza, surrounded by throngs of students in the distance. This scene was identical to the opening ceremony, with three distinct groups of students.

The only difference was that now, they were the main characters.

The silence lasted only a moment, then erupted into fervent cheers. Clearly, while they didn't fully understand the process by which Kain's team won, what they had shown was enough to convince everyone why they deserved to be in this position.

"Congratulations, Kain, Mera, Myra, Katie, Elna. This is the reward you deserve."

The principal's voice resonated throughout the plaza. Then, tiny stars appeared from thin air, automatically attaching themselves to the lapels of their robes. Each person received three additional stars.

"Everyone, cheer! The first-year champions have emerged!"

Following the principal's voice, the cheers grew even more intense.

Finally, the champion's victory ceremony concluded. Kain returned to his dormitory, head slumped, almost falling asleep in the bathtub. This tournament was just as exhausting as conquering a Dungeon.

Fortunately, the principal had mentioned that the second and third-year student tournaments were only just beginning. So Kain had at least two more months to rest and prepare before challenging other champions for their stars.

In reality, Kain wasn't overly fixated on this challenge, or even on gaining the opportunity to enter the Tower of Magus. That's why he helped Myra by securing assistance for her from the Sword family, treating it as a backup plan to resolve her issue. If even the Sword family couldn't solve this problem, then it was highly likely that Myra entering the Tower of Magus would be useless, or even if she became a high-class Magus, it would still be futile. After all, not everyone could leverage the Tower of Magus's power; being protected was already the maximum.

"Ugh, the problem now is how to make amends with Mera..."

Submerged in the hot water, Kain sighed, burying his face in his hands. Honestly, Kain was already regretting his slip of the tongue earlier. Perhaps, this was the only imperfection in his plan, a black stain on a white cloth.

Kain wasn't upset or hateful towards Myra; their friendship remained, albeit now tinged with a layer of mutual benefit. He'd done what he set out to do for her, so he had no regrets there.

But his connection with Mera was far more unique. And Kain knew his actions had hurt her.

"Damn it, Kain! How could you be so stupid..."

Kain cursed himself, tearing at his hair.

He didn't want to lose his close relationship with Mera. He didn't want Mera to look at him with coldness and disdain. He didn't want Mera to stop smiling at him.

Damn it, what should he do?

The more he thought, the more frustrated he became. Kain submerged his head in the water, desperate to calm down.

In truth, with his intelligence, he could easily devise several plans to reconcile with Mera, restoring his "good guy" image. But that wouldn't be genuine. It would just be a pretty picture Kain painted to please Mera, and himself.

Sincerity—that was a heavy word.

After thrashing around in the bathtub for a while, Kain finally got out. He lay on his bed, deep in thought. His roommate wasn't there, so Kain was alone.

Suddenly, Mera's familiar voice echoed from outside the dormitory.

"Kain!"

Hearing that, Kain nearly leaped off the bed. He quickly composed himself, got dressed, and headed downstairs.

Sure enough, Mera was waiting below. Kain couldn't discern any expression on her face, so he felt a bit anxious, raising a hand to scratch his head.

"Ah... what'd you call me out here for?"

"Come with me this time." Mera's voice was light.

Kain pursed his lips for a moment, but then he nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked side-by-side, and to avoid being discovered, they took a smaller path out of the academy.

Both of them walked in unusual silence. Mera stared straight ahead, while Kain occasionally glanced at her, his hand clenching and unclenching, betraying his clear distress.

Kain wanted to speak, but hesitated, unable to commit.

Finally, Mera led Kain to the very spot where she had first taken him when they went out to the city together. They sat down, and the silence remained.

At last, Kain forced himself to speak.

"Mera, actually..."

But he got no further. His throat tightened, and the words caught, swallowed back down.

What could he say now?

What truth could he offer her now?

What could he possibly explain?

The truth was clear: Myra's betrayal stemmed from him, and he had admitted it. If he denied it now, wouldn't he be lying to Mera?

Especially when... she had always treated him with sincerity.

Ultimately, Kain fell silent.

Suddenly, Mera leaned over, resting her head on Kain's lap.

He looked down in surprise, their eyes meeting in that instant. And he saw the mischievousness hidden in her gaze.

"Mera..."

"How was my performance?"

Mera covered her mouth, chuckling, looking at Kain with a hint of anticipation. Kain could only nod, bewildered.

Performance?

What was this, exactly...?

"I never thought our smart and decisive Kain could have such adorable moments."

Mera said with a laugh, which made the bewildered Kain finally understand, and then force a wry smile.

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