Chapter 212: Weak and Pitiful Talent, Sky City

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Weak and Pitiful Talent, Sky City

Seraphina Sullivan saw their data, and it was nothing short of terrifying.

She was so utterly shocked that for a moment, her mind went blank.

’Level 5 Players?! And two of them?! You’ve got to be kidding me! How did two Level 5 juggernauts sneak into a Level 1 dungeon?’

At this, Seraphina had a sudden realization.

She herself had used an item to enter this Level 1 dungeon, despite being a higher level.

’Obviously, they must have used a Special Dungeon Card to enter the Junkheap Ruins.’

Still, their levels were staggering to Seraphina.

Especially when she saw their data. They didn’t just have one Talent each, and they were on a completely different scale compared to her.

What truly sent a chill down Seraphina’s spine was the Player named Yana Yates.

He looked completely harmless.

He had the reassuring look of a "weak and pitiful" innocent, but it was absolutely a Disguise!

’He looks like a pushover... no, that’s not it. Easy to bully? That’s not right either.’

Seraphina’s mind raced.

Clearly, Yana Yates’s appearance was deceptive.

And his [Weak and Pitiful] passive Talent was practically a system exploit!

It directly tapped into other people’s subconscious desire to protect and trust him. It was the most brilliant form of camouflage and the perfect trap!

’The Puppetry Technique is even controlling a Level 5 Player... and that Player has no self-awareness at all. That Puppetry Technique is terrifyingly powerful.’

Seraphina glanced at Evan, who stood as silent as a mountain.

It was hard to imagine he had once been an independent Level 5 Player.

Now, he was a puppet who had lost his identity, existing only to obey.

For Yana Yates to be able to Control a Berserker of the same Level, one could only imagine how dangerous he was.

And that wasn’t even mentioning his other two Talents.

’The tactical value of [Space Exchange] is immense. Whether for escaping, launching surprise attacks, or coordinating with his puppet, it’s absolutely terrifying.’

’And [Weak and Pitiful] is practically a god-tier Mind Control Ability. It lets him blend into any environment, gain trust, and stab you in the back when you’re completely defenseless.’

Seraphina realized something. Even now, after seeing his utterly villainous stats...

...deep down, she still felt an inexplicable trace of pity and a desire to protect the "weak" image of Yana Yates!

Her rational mind was screaming alarms.

But her emotions were whispering things like, ’Maybe he has his reasons,’ or ’He really doesn’t seem like a bad guy.’

’Damn it!’

Seraphina cursed under her breath and, without hesitation, viciously pinched her own thigh.

The sharp pain that shot through her snapped her back to her senses.

’This Ability is too powerful.’

Seraphina forcibly suppressed the absurd wave of sympathy brought on by his Talent.

’I absolutely cannot get near him. I’m being affected even from this far away. Who knows what would happen if I got any closer.’

Seraphina issued the sternest possible warning to herself.

These two Level 5 Players—especially Yana Yates—were far more dangerous than the dungeon itself!

They must have a reason for entering this dungeon in Disguise.

She had to be exceedingly careful not to become their next target or get caught up in their plans.

Of course, Seraphina wasn’t completely without a way to handle this potential threat.

Knowing their real names and that their Levels far exceeded the dungeon’s restrictions...

...a familiar, once-successful strategy immediately surfaced in her mind.

She hadn’t forgotten the system’s cold, stern warning when she used the Lv1 Special Dungeon Card to enter this world:

[Attention: Player Level detected as Level 2. Restrictions apply when entering a lower-level world. Player is advised not to expose their Level 2 Player identity, or they will be eliminated by the system.]

This rule applied to her, so it must apply to those two Level 5 Players as well.

The punishment for them might be even more severe!

If she shouted out their real names and Levels in front of everyone right now...

...the system’s Rule Power would likely descend in an instant and eliminate them completely!

It would be just like back in The Insect Frenzy dungeon, where she had used the rules to get that high-Level Player killed.

At this thought, a cold glint flashed in Seraphina’s eyes, and a flicker of killing intent stirred within her.

Eliminating high-Level Players who posed such a grave threat to her...

...was the best way to guarantee her own safety.

Her lips parted, ready to announce their names to the crowd.

However, just at that critical moment...

...information about an item leaped from the depths of her memory in a flash!

[Punishment Removal Card]: Special Function Card.

Effect: When a Player triggers a system punishment mechanism, this card can be used to forcibly negate one impending punishment.

Seraphina herself had never triggered a system punishment.

But she instantly realized that if the system judged her for exposing her higher Level and was about to eliminate her, she could probably use this card to negate the penalty!

So, by that same logic...

’Even I thought to prepare a life-saving item like this. They’re Level 5 Players! Their experience, resources, and survival skills are far superior to mine. How could they possibly not consider the risk of being detected and punished by the system for entering a low-level dungeon? How could they not have prepared countermeasures in advance?!’

The thought was like a bucket of ice water dumped over her head, instantly cooling her down. Her heart clenched, and a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.

That was close!

’If I had rashly exposed them just now, and they happened to have something like the Punishment Removal Card...’

’...or an even higher-tier immunity item... the consequences would be unthinkable!’

’Not only would I fail to use the system to eliminate them, I would completely expose myself!’

’A Level 2 Player who knows their secret and tried to attack them would have no chance to resist against two Level 5 juggernauts—especially not against Yana Yates, with his terrifying Puppetry Technique and Space Exchange Ability.’

’I’d suffer the same fate as Evan and become a mindless puppet!’

’No, I absolutely can’t risk it!’

Seraphina made a swift decision.

Without absolute certainty, without knowing what cards they were holding, laying low and keeping her distance was the only correct choice.

The best thing to do for now was to avoid provoking them and simply observe.

"What are you looking at? You’re staring so intently."

Nelly Nash, who was beside her, noticed Seraphina looking off into the distance and asked curiously.

Seraphina put on a relaxed expression.

She gestured with her chin toward Yana Yates’s group, playing into what Nelly Nash might assume. "It’s nothing. I just thought that group... they have a certain air about them. They don’t seem like the rest of us."

Nelly Nash followed her gaze. Her eyes swept over Yana Yates and his companions, and her expression shifted to a mixture of disdain and knowing comprehension. She snorted.

"Hmph! You mean them? One look and you can tell they’re high-and-mighty types from Sky City! Look at them. They’re trying to act calm, but they can’t hide the disgust in their eyes for this place. So prim and proper. You can tell they’ve never known a day of hardship."

As she spoke, Nelly Nash patted the huge, modified metal guitar on her shoulder—both an instrument and a weapon—her tone laced with sarcasm.

"It’s a rare sight. These upper-class types, all coddled in their safe little nests, actually deigning to come down to this filthy hellhole to become a Purification Envoy? I don’t know if they’ve lost their minds or if they’re up to something else."