Chapter 27: The Truth Of What Happened

The scorched earth, the scent of blood and ash—none of it had faded from the air yet.

Daniel’s gaze paused on each of them.

"You guys... really are idiots." His voice was cold, but laced with a razor-thin edge of mockery.

No one answered. Not Neve, not Lana, not Aron. They were clearly angry—but fear, distrust, and shock ran deeper than their rage.

No one dared speak.

"That drink you poisoned... Honestly, I didn’t even notice at first." Daniel shrugged, then continued:

"But Vorak picked up the scent. The poison stank."

"Well, he’s a dog-like beast, right? I guess it’s natural he’d notice." Daniel chuckled a little.

Aron clenched his teeth. Lana and Neve didn’t move.

Aron had completely ignored Vorak’s sense of smell at the time.

"I didn’t see him say anything. So how did he tell you?" Neve asked angrily.

"You don’t know how beast tamers work? There’s a kind of telepathy between tamer and beast. I’m not a beast tamer, technically, but I still have that ability."

"Besides, I had a feeling you’d pull something eventually."

"Aron, right? By the way, you seriously suck at hiding your expressions. Did you think I’m an idiot? One look at your dumb face when you looked at Lunaryl, and I knew you’d try something eventually." Daniel looked at Aron, a hint of real irritation behind his calm voice.

Why did it feel like everyone thought he was some fool?

"If you knew, then why’d you drink it?" Aron finally snapped, his patience broken. He scowled and raised his voice.

"Because I trusted your father." Daniel’s smile faded. He stepped closer and stared straight into Aron’s eyes.

"....."

Another silence. Heavier this time.

"You’re an Awakened, rank D, right? But you’re weak. I can feel it. Your stats are average at best, and my intuition doesn’t see you as a threat. There’s nothing dangerous about you."

Daniel took another step forward, his tone laced with mockery.

Aron frowned. His jaw trembled. But still... he said nothing.

"That’s why I stuck close to you at first. Made up a little story and stayed near someone who probably had a bunch of defensive items from Daddy."

Daniel stepped back, hands behind his back, and laughed.

It wasn’t uncommon. Everyone knew rich second-gens always brought tons of high-tier items into the Tower.

"But then I noticed the way you looked at Lunaryl. The way your eyes lingered on her... It was obvious you’d either try to kill me or at least knock me out. And since Vorak was there, killing was off the table. So you’d probably go for knocking me out."

"Wait... you knew we were gonna run into a beast?" Lana finally spoke, catching the subtle clues in Daniel’s words.

Daniel tilted his head. "Yeah."

"That’s ridiculous. If we hadn’t been forced, we never would’ve crossed paths with it. You’re just trying to act cool now." Aron scoffed.

Neve and Lana nodded in agreement.

Daniel raised his hand to his mouth, trying to hold back a laugh... but he couldn’t. He burst out laughing.

"You guys are so stupid. I mean it."

"You’ve got one of the top ten guilds in the country backing you. You think it’s an accident you got dropped in front of a rank B beast? You really think that?"

"You—!" Neve’s eyes went wide. She couldn’t stay silent anymore. She shouted.

"Calm down, calm down... Let me tell you something interesting."

"Ever notice how the Mother System never says random stuff?"

"What do you mean?" Aron asked with a frown.

"Pay attention sometime. The Mother System never says ’run away.’ It always says ’survive.’"

Silence. Lana and Neve glared at him. Aron remained quiet.

"The moment the final beast showed up... the system said: ’Survive for four hours against the Final Beast.’ It didn’t say run. It said survive."

He stepped forward, his tone turning more serious.

"You know what that means? It means there’s no escape. That beast follows you until you die... or until you survive the time limit.

At first, I thought like you guys—that maybe I could run away. That’s why I stuck with you. You were an extra layer of protection."

He chuckled.

"And when I pretended to pass out, I was sure you’d bring me along. Vorak was too valuable to leave behind. You weren’t dumb enough to run off without a protector."

He paused.

"You really think I’d just sit there with a bunch of bastards plotting something shady right in front of me?" Daniel’s voice quieted, but there was a sharp thread of contempt beneath it.

"When the system gave that message, I knew there was no way out. Fighting was inevitable. So the best move was to stay in character... until the time was right."

Daniel continued:

"Oh, and that rank A item you guys used... seriously impressive. I don’t know where you got it, but damn, it worked. Not only did it weaken the beast, it drained all your mana."

He stood with arms crossed.

"That’s when I decided to drop the act. I might not be able to take on a rank B beast... but three rank D Awakened with zero mana and drained stamina? With my stats? That’s easy."

He glanced at Aron.

"And now? I’ve reached rank D... and I’m about to be the top performer on this floor. Just imagine the rewards I’m gonna get."

An icy silence spread. Aron and the other two looked at him like they were facing a monster.

"You’re... you’re a monster!" Lana’s voice trembled as she spoke.

Daniel blinked. Then smiled. Not his usual smile—something different. Something between satisfaction and emptiness.

"Thanks. It’s been a while since someone called me that."

Then his gaze drifted slowly toward Lunaryl. The elf was still unconscious.

"But I’ve got a question." His eyes moved back to Aron.

"That look you gave her... it wasn’t normal. It was hunger. Greed. But not the gross, pervy kind people expect. You were excited. Like seeing a royal elf made your day. Why? What about her got you so fired up?"

That really bugged Daniel. He didn’t know much about elves—so what was it that made a rich, powerful second-gen like Aron that excited?

"What’s wrong? Can’t figure it out for yourself?" Aron took a deep breath. His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I’ve got a guess. Actually, a few memories came back... Your class rank—it was never made public, was it?" Daniel still wore that calm smile.

Lana and Neve turned to face Aron.

"Normally, that wouldn’t matter. But heirs of top guilds? Their class rank is always made public. It’s how they build trust, win support, hype up the crowd..."

Daniel continued:

"But you... nothing. Yours was kept hidden." He paused, then said softly:

His expression hardened.

"There could be a lot of reasons for that. But one of them stands out above the rest... Your class rank is trash, isn’t it?"

Aron frowned. He didn’t reply.

"It dosen’t matter how much of a genius I am. I’ve only been Awakened for a week. You? Eighteen years old. Son of one of the most powerful men in the country. A full rank above me. And I felt nothing threatening from you."

"It’s pathetic, really. But it can only mean one thing. Your class rank... is garbage." His voice dropped to a near-whisper.