Chapter 125: Frey Begins to Investigate

It was not yet six in the morning, and the glow of dawn hadn't risen to illuminate the sky. The castle and the surrounding mountains remained shrouded in thick fog and shadow.

In the main hall, the chill of late autumn seeped through the castle's floor-to-ceiling windows, plunging everyone into an atmosphere of cold, deathly silence. Based solely on the information currently available regarding the Shadow Realm challenge, no one could discern how to deduce the identity of the Traitors.

At the very start of the Shadow Realm scenario, intelligence was extremely limited for the challengers exposed in the open. They knew neither the effects of the vampiric powers the Traitors could wield nor their specific mission objectives. However, everyone had noted that the Shadow Realm's briefing had stated that the Traitors held objectives completely different from those of the ordinary challengers.

This implied that the Traitors would inevitably work to advance their goals and such actions would likely leave behind flaws or clues. Therefore, a Detective possessing professional insight and exceptional intellect was needed to uncover these leads.

Relying on an identity that commanded absolute trust, the Detective would serve as a focal point, a figure to whom other challengers could safely entrust information, while shouldering the heavy responsibility of unmasking the Traitors.

By the same token, the Detective was also the most likely target for the Traitors' lethal schemes. The other challengers would need to find ways to protect the Detective. Then again, this particular Detective seemed more than capable of holding his own in a fight...

In the hall, the challengers had gathered in four distinct groups. There was no trust between strangers. Even the act of speaking to one another was approached with caution.

They placed their trust solely in the companions they had entered the Shadow Realm with. It was easy to see that there were four teams of challengers, each consisting of three members. This meant that one team must harbor two individuals with sinister intentions. Or perhaps two teams each contained a single Traitor.

Those selected as Traitors in this type of adversarial Shadow Realm scenario were often individuals with deeply twisted natures, people who could perfectly embody the Traitor mindset.

For instance, members of the Church of Resurrection, who either desired to unleash natural disasters upon the world, or craved slaughter, or the violent seizure of others' treasures. There was a very high probability that those two Traitors were indeed members of that cult.

Such cultists would have cover identities in the real world that were flawlessly crafted, leaving absolutely no flaws. Even the companions who had entered alongside them were unaware of their true status as cultists.

Consequently, even though Lance and Hyperion clearly appeared to be on the same team as Frey, they failed to gain the slightest bit of trust from the other nine individuals.

Outside the window, an ancient tree swayed in the wind, its rustling leaves the only sound breaking the silence of the cavernous banquet hall in the sanctuary. The challengers, wherever they stood, kept their eyes fixed on Frey, waiting for him to take the lead and initiate the exchange of basic information.

Frey looked over the group with an impassive expression. He appeared utterly unconcerned about which of them might be hiding a secret. He offered no opinion, and his eyes remained unreadable.

This silence did not breed confusion. Instead, it put many of the challengers somewhat at ease. As strange as the Detective appeared, his calm, absolute confidence was far more reassuring than a Detective who was panicking after realizing that the burden was too heavy for them to bear.

"Let's start with brief introductions. The three of us are from the Kingdom of Hutton, specifically, Ikerite University," Frey said concisely. His gaze shifted over the rims of his sunglasses to fix upon the three individuals standing closest to them.

He said nothing more, yet his intent was clear. It was that group's turn to speak, and it was up to them to decide how much, or how little, to reveal. Whatever information they shared would serve as the basis for Frey to weigh their credibility.

Frey might not be able to immediately verify the authenticity of the other challengers' identities, but as the events within the Shadow Realm unfolded, any word spoken now could become a slip-up or a crucial clue.

The first group was a trio that immediately drew attention from their distinctive appearances. The one who stepped forward to address Frey was a young man who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen. "Are you folks from the Southern Continent, too? We're from the Kingdom of Cambella, specifically, the Petras Trading Company."

He was instantly reassured upon seeing Frey. His eyes openly displayed both enthusiasm and a desire to impress. The youth continued with a hint of pride, "I'm sure you can tell at a glance who the young master is here."

Standing behind him was a strikingly handsome man who appeared reticent and reserved. His eyes were deep, like an unfathomable lake. A mole at the corner of one eye added to his allure.

Beside him stood a woman whose features were as exquisite as a doll's. The color of her hair and eyes closely matched the handsome man's, suggesting they were siblings.

Frey glanced at Lance, seemingly wanting to say something, but decided against it. Lance simply offered a helpless smile

The young man continued, "My role in this dungeon is Geographer... Let me check the effects..."

He kept speaking, seemingly checking the Shadow Realm information panel as he talked. "I can access a rough map and the terrain details of the surrounding area. For instance, Lichten's Castle, where we are now, sits within a continuous mountain range. Its rear is cut off by the edge of the Honing Empire's defensive barrier, while the front faces an 890-meter-high cliff. A bridge connects it to the rest of the region, serving as the only viable path from the city-state to the castle..."

Just as the young man was about to spill all the geographical details openly, the male guard behind him gave a couple of soft coughs, finally snapping him out of it. Clearly, it wasn't a good idea for this foolish young master to reveal so much in public. It would have been better to share key intelligence privately with the Detective.

While openly declaring his role would allow challengers to quickly verify the information, thereby earning the trust of the Detective and ordinary challengers, it also exposed the highly valuable ability of the Geographer. This would inevitably draw the special attention of the Traitors, making him a target second only to the Detective in terms of danger.

Hyperion and Lance stood silently behind Frey, quietly absorbing the information. The Kingdom of Cambella boasted the greatest overall national strength among the kingdoms of the Southern Continent and had maintained neutrality for years. Both the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association and the Card Maker's Association headquarters were located there.

It was also one of the hardest nations for the Church of Resurrection to infiltrate. In fact, the Petras Trading Company was a renowned name among the nations of the Southern Continent. Although Lance was also the scion of a wealthy family, the Petras Trading Company possessed a fortune many times larger, easily two decimal places greater.

If this young man truly was the young master of the Petras Trading Company, then such a prestigious and easily recognizable identity would hardly be the ideal choice for a disguise. Clearly, the guy wasn't very bright. He was the type who needed to be ferried through the Shadow Realm by the two "carries" on his team.