But to the shock of the whole school, she didn’t even retaliate. Instead, she looked shy, her face slightly flustered by the sudden turn of events.

"Make sure you’re careful next time. I understand that it was indeed a mistake today, but I won’t take it lightly next time. Am I clear?" Miss Bella said quietly, not even waiting for Trevor’s answer as she walked straight to where she had been heading before.

The students stood there, the surprise evident on their faces.

They couldn’t believe Miss Bella had actually let it slide so easily, but those who had been there earlier already knew that it had truly been a mistake.

Trevor, on the other hand, immediately quickened his pace and started walking toward the classroom. According to the clock, he was still about 30 minutes early, and since Caroline had told him there was something urgent they needed to discuss, he didn’t waste any more time getting there.

The moment Trevor entered the class, Caroline was already seated as usual, a book in her hands.

She was lost in reading, as always.

But the instant she noticed Trevor, her expression immediately turned serious. Trevor picked up on the change right away, and it made him hesitate even more.

He quickly sat beside her, his face carrying a deeply worried expression.

"Well, what’s the problem?" Trevor said, breathing a little heavily.

Caroline remained quiet for a moment, as if trying her best to structure her words before saying them out loud.

"Well... first, I’m sorry about collecting the game so suddenly. My dad took it for a conference meeting today. He needed to test it out a bit before the meeting," Caroline said softly, her voice far from normal.

It was obvious that she still didn’t know how to say what was truly on her mind.

Trevor was already starting to lose his patience, panic slowly setting in.

"Don’t worry. Just tell me what it is, no matter how good or bad it is," Trevor said, looking deep into her eyes as he tried to calm her down and get the information he desperately needed.

"Well... I’d like to ask you a question. Please don’t take it offensively." Caroline paused to take a deep breath, and Trevor remained silent, knowing that interrupting her might only slow her down.

After a brief moment of silence, Caroline finally spoke.

"Are you a dungeon explorer? Or... maybe someone living with you is? Like your mom, your dad, or your siblings?" she asked, locking eyes with Trevor.

Trevor paused.

He didn’t know how to respond to the question. He knew very well that her father was the head of the Hunters’ Organization.

If he revealed anything by mistake, both he and his mother could be dead before sunrise the next morning.

Trevor took a deep breath. He knew Caroline could be trusted, but it didn’t seem like the right time to reveal such information, if he was even willing to reveal it at all.

"Why do you ask?" Trevor replied calmly, his face expressionless as he tried not to give anything away.

Caroline lowered her head again.

"Well... ancient magic was sensed in your house yesterday," she said carefully.

"And when I say ancient magic, I mean the use and breakdown of mana was detected in your house yesterday," she added, as if trying to make sure he fully understood.

Trevor leaned back calmly.

Of course, he should have known better than to get close to someone whose father was the head of the Hunters’ Organization.

But it was already too late.

He knew exactly what Caroline was talking about. After all, they were taught in school that when someone who uses ancient magic resides in a place, the atmosphere around that location becomes mana-depletive.

Since the use of mana from the atmosphere forces nature to strive for balance, it increases the production of mana in those specific areas.

"Well, I am not a dungeon explorer, and no one uses ancient magic around our neighborhood, so you must be mistaken," Trevor said calmly.

He had already made up his mind. He was not going to tell Caroline anything about himself, at least to protect himself from further harm.

"My dad is sending some hunters to your location tonight," Caroline finally dropped the bomb on Trevor.

Trevor froze internally.

He knew for sure that if they arrived, they would immediately discover that they were dungeon explorers and would not hesitate to erase them from existence.

Trevor tensed up but managed to keep a straight face. It was already more than obvious that he was doomed.

"Well... as long as you’re not a dungeon explorer, the men won’t hurt you. They just want to make sure you’re clean," Caroline said reassuringly.

But Trevor’s mind had already drifted far back home.

Reluctantly, he spoke.

He was quite certain that the device she used to drive to his house had been fitted with equipment capable of detecting the concentration of mana in a specific area.

Still, Trevor was confused.

He had been to her house a few times, and she had even brought him back to his home. Did that mean the device hadn’t been attached during those times? Or had he already been under suspicion all along?

Trevor ran through every possibility in his mind when he suddenly remembered an important detail.

The game.

In the game, he had chosen ancient magic.

After thinking for a while, Trevor began piecing everything together, his theory finally taking shape.

He clearly remembered the moment he had been unintentionally logged out of the game without his consent.

It was obvious now.

Her father must have traced where the game was being played, checked the history, seen the ancient magic selection, and then sent his daughter to retrieve it, with a detection device attached to her vehicle to confirm his suspicions.

Trevor’s eyes immediately turned calculative.

If his theory was correct, then his life was already in danger.

With a long sigh, Trevor finally spoke.

"When exactly are they coming?"

His voice was hoarse, his eyes fixed on Caroline. He could no longer fully believe her words, but he still had to ask.