My Level Zero System-Chapter 324: Reverse

"It seems you truly haven't disappointed me, Kain."

However, Faith wasn't the only one who secretly observed Kain's behavior. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"That player representing the Egretta clan... Kain, right?"

"Why is he relaxing? In this situation?"

Cyrus thought to himself, his eyes uncontrollably drilling deeper into Kain. Of course, to stay safe, he continued using his familiar broad observation method, which perfectly fit the "clueless and shifty" persona he had constructed.

Truth be told, Cyrus didn't think he was the only one who could discover the existence of the Zento alliance. Even though the Raymon representative had changed two details in the pattern—the number of auctioned gold coins being 20 instead of 18, and not hiding the act of depositing gold into the treasury—by turn 5, when the four patterns from the Zento, Flamed, Raymon, and Don members converged, understanding their alliance became much easier.

In fact, Cyrus suspected that the only person who had discovered his calculations in turn 1 and continued to disrupt them in turn 2—Faith—had long since seen through that so-called alliance.

And now, there was another "suspect": Kain.

"No, that's not right. Concluding that Kain has discovered the alliance based solely on this behavior isn't logical."

"After all, on the surface, that alliance still holds the upper hand. Kain is still in a dangerous position; how could he relax? Unless..."

"That alliance can no longer threaten him!"

An "absurd" conclusion popped into Cyrus's head. It almost had to be dismissed immediately because it seemed to have no correlation, yet Cyrus did not abandon this line of thought. A more terrifying assumption had emerged, perfectly connecting the data points.

"Think again, Cyrus!"

"That's right, you have to think again, Cyrus. This game was never simple to begin with, let alone..."

Cyrus might look down on the heirs of the various clans, but he absolutely did not underestimate Faith.

And now, he smelled an even greater danger.

Cyrus almost lost control and let out a sharp exhale. For the first time in ten years, his mind was forced to operate at its absolute peak.

Before this, whether it was setting hidden traps before the game began or arranging the situation in turn 1 to lead to a winning strategy, Cyrus had always placed himself in the superior position—the hunter. But now, he had to be serious. Truly serious.

Because he wasn't the only hunter anymore.

Cyrus began to re-simulate the game.

"From turn 1, that young man Faith blocked my calculations, and he did it again in turn 2."

"At that time, I wasn't sure if Faith grasped my entire plan, but I had to assume he could, and that he did. Though I don't know how."

"Based on this premise, I can further assume that even though I was careful enough with the performance before the game started, Faith still saw through the disguise and put me in his crosshairs."

"Setting that assumption aside for a moment, this boy Faith... according to information from the Bethel clan's sources, he was originally just a member with no reputation at all. It's even said his family was involved in some past scandal that the Sword Clan kept hidden."

"Why would someone like that suddenly be pushed forward as the Sword Clan's representative for a resource distribution game?"

"One could assume Faith is a secret pawn trained by the Sword Clan—someone obedient to them. However, would that terrifying clan really let someone who doesn't even wear a sword represent them?"

As his thoughts raced, many details and pieces of information that had been lying dormant in Cyrus's mind began to surface and assemble themselves.

"In that case, the deduction can be reversed: Faith is not loyal to the Sword Clan. It's just that both sides reached some kind of agreement that allowed Faith to temporarily take this position. This wasn't something premeditated by the Sword Clan, but a sudden development. If it weren't, the Sword Clan heir wouldn't be so uncomfortable. Faith's appearance is a variable he didn't expect, which makes him worry about his own status. If this were a plan the Sword Clan had made in advance, a core member wouldn't fear someone without even a sword becoming the successor."

"So, why would a member with no loyalty to the Sword Clan, and no chance of gaining status even if he succeeds, enter this game?"

"The answer is likely: family."

"The Sword Clan is an extremely ruthless and harsh organization. I've heard that many clan members are trained by their own elders to be death soldiers, killing machines serving the clan. It's very possible Faith wants himself, or his family, to avoid this fate, which is why he proposed to handle this intellectual game himself."

"At this point, the reasoning seems solid, but if combined with the first assumption..."

"Right at the party, Faith discovered my existence. Coupled with the events of that night, it wouldn't be hard for him to deduce that I am the one behind the scenes."

"In this case, with the mindset of someone who needs to win, Faith should have stayed in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to set a trap. Because if he already knew my true identity, the trap in turn 1 wasn't actually that hard to spot."

"Yet, Faith exposed himself just like that, right in front of me, knowing full well I knew the depth of his calculations without any hesitation."

"This is not how someone who wants to win would act."

"If that's the case, I can make a third assumption: that the second assumption was just something Faith used to deceive the Sword Clan."

"He doesn't want to win; he wants to lose!"

Thinking this, even Cyrus himself felt a bit skeptical. Although his simulated assumption was logical based on the clues and filtered information, would Faith really want to commit suicide and even drag his whole family down with him?

Cyrus didn't believe Faith was unaware of the consequences of angering the Sword Clan.

"Unless..."

"Faith's way of losing will be a logical one, where no one can find fault with the details."

"Could that be why... he needs a scapegoat?"

Cyrus was startled; his breath even slowed for a beat.

He realized how Faith had utilized his own turn 1 trap.