Chapter 62: Discrepancy

Eren noticed the discrepancy immediately.

Ormann said he brought the flashlight as his ’one’ item for the License Exam. A very prescient choice considering the situation they found themselves in.

And yet, Eren saw him use a knife during their sunspore hunt.

He could only have one item or the other. Not both. Eren didn’t think the United Governments would make an exception for Ormann by letting him bring a knife and a flashlight, both of which were immensely useful in the Subterranean Burrows.

And Eren had a feeling that his knife was the actual item he brought with him.

The speed, efficiency, and skill he used to cut down those tendrils to obtain the lootbox first was not something an amatuer could demonstrate.

So, he must have obtained the flashlight somewhere else... or someone else, for that matter.

It was a question that had been lingering in Eren’s mind ever since Ormann showed off that flashlight. Where could he have obtained that?

He must have stolen it from an examinee. But who? And when?

It wasn’t until Eren remembered something that Ormann said earlier that the pieces started to connect with each other.

In Ormann’s desperation to convince Eren and Celeste to join them in the Quicksand Burrow, he revealed something he shouldn’t have.

’You guys went through that tunnel and survived the flails and traps with very limited sunspores. This Quicksand Burrow will be a piece of cake!’

They told everyone about their limited sunspores. But not about the flails. How couldn’t have known about it—unless he fell in the same hole as Eren and Celeste. Except, much much earlier.

Ormann must have been the source of footsteps they saw earlier in the tunnel.

It would explain why he would know the traps of the tunnel, and why it had no sunspores in their path.

Eren and Celeste didn’t get unlucky. They were simply too late. Ormann got ahead of them and harvested all of the sunspores along the way.

Following that logic, piecing together the disparate pieces of facts, then a grim history began to unfold.

Perhaps Ormann didn’t fall by himself. Perhaps, Tristan fell with him.

And in that darkness, Eren could only speculate about what happened. Perhaps, Tristan truly just fell wrong on his head and died instantly. Or perhaps, Ormann saw Tristan bring out the flashlight from his pockets and wanted it all for himself.

Either way, that story ended with Tristan’s death, and Ormann obtaining the flashlight.

It would make sense. Eren inspected Tristan’s corpse. He had no item with him.

Now, this convoluted conjecture could simply be just that. A conjecture. An educated guess. Because it would seem unlikely that Ormann would end up in the same group as Eren and Celeste, given the circumstances.

But that could be explained by serendipity, or luck, or even the heavens playing its usual tricks.

Or it could be explained through two schemes and plans coinciding with each other.

Ormann chose this group because its members seemed weak. They were vulnerable and in desperate need of a guiding hand. And he could take advantage of that and make them do whatever he wanted.

Eren chose to stay with this group because they were the perfect herd to blend himself with. They were innocuous enough to be invisible amongst the eyes of the other Awakeners.

Through that, Ormann and Eren found themselves in the exact same situation, which led Eren to his conclusion.

Ormann was using them for his own gain.

He seemed to know something about this Quicksand Burrow. That desperation he showed wasn’t one of surprise. It was relief. As if he had finally stumbled upon the very thing he wanted in the first place.

And opportunistic people like him were rarely generous.

If the opportunity presented itself to Ormann, he would let someone drown in their own blood to achieve what he wanted. He could even deliver the final blow to secure his goals.

Eren was almost a hundred percent sure Ormann would lead them to their deaths in the Quicksand Burrow.

And Eren couldn’t wait to see why.

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Five minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

The Quicksand Burrow was tucked in a forking path secluded from most tunnels frequented by the Awakeners. Less sunspore used here.

They entered the tunnel. It looked the same as any other Burrow, until Ormann clicked the flashlight open. Its bright ray of light illuminated almost the entirety of the cavern.

In front of them was a sea of churning sand. It seethed and moved like Charybdis, manifesting as a giant whirlpool at the center where the sand flowed down into.

Falling into this trap was a death sentence. They’d get sucked down into their suffocating demise.

The walls around them were made of smooth limestone blocks. No handholds for them to scale their way to the other side.

Only way through was the stalagmites in the ceiling. These cone-shaped minerals grew from the ceiling, two to four feet in height.

They were slick. Water dripped from their sharp tips. No way to physically hold on to them. They had to use a Reinforced grip hold on and swing their way forwards, and hopefully, avoid a slow death getting swallowed by the sand.

"I’ll go first," Ormann volunteered. He fastened his flashlight on his shoulders, with the bulb pointing backwards.

A very selfless act, it seemed. He’d brave the traps first, while also making sure everyone behind him was illuminated.

It was a gesture very much appreciated by the rest of the group. Henry and Abe volunteered to get the burden of taking point, but Ormann insisted.

"Just follow my lead."

Ormann looked at his hands and manifested a red aura around his fists. They snaked around his arm, forming the vague image of igneous chains.

[Immolating Irons]. A 6-star Martial Manual.

Eren took a stroll in his Mind Palace and found its corresponding scroll. Within a few seconds, all of its secrets were laid out in front of him.