Chapter 137- Reverse Results

Chapter 137: Chapter 137- Reverse Results

Chapter 137- Reverse Results

After taking a deep breath, Rize finally calmed down as he cleared his throat. "Well, ahem, I’m sorry for that reaction and... Hugging... you."

As he said those words, Rize slowly realized the scope of what he had just done. He, a nobody, hugged the princess of the greatest empire in the world without even asking her. That would possibly get his head cut off if he did it in front of Venera’s parents, as that was a great crime that nobody had dared to do before.

’Shit, why the hell did I hug her?! Am I stupid?! What would she think of me now that I did such a thing?’ He screamed in his head as he tried to hide his facial expression from changing. He could see that Venera was still shocked by what he did and was trying to stop the atmosphere from becoming even more awkward than it already was.

’You’re stupid, Rize! So stupid!!’ He clenched his teeth subtly as he tried to forget what he did and focus on the matter at hand.

"Don’t worry about it, Rize. Thank you for... worrying about me." She said with a faint smile. "Nothing bad will happen to me, so rest easy." She explained in a soft tone.

"Mmm. I know... I know that, but... Things are really not looking good, Venera." He said. "Ever since this test started, abnormal things keep happening, and it is only getting worse."

"I’ve heard of what happened. Was it in your class?" Venera asked.

"Yes, and then it happened again as I was coming down the stairs a bit ago." He said.

"Again?" Venera’s expression changed when she heard that. "It’s..."

"I thought it was one case, but no, whoever did this seems to be targeting candidates. I don’t know their goals, but if they keep on poisoning people... We could be the next target." He said.

Venera could reach that conclusion instantly when she heard of the second incident. If it happened twice, who said it won’t happen again? Or perhaps something even worse than that.

The problem was, they were kind of stuck in that building, as leaving meant they’d be disqualified from the test, and nobody in their right mind would do such a thing, even in the face of such a threat.

"Do you have any idea who it could be, Venera?" Rize asked.

"No... It could be anyone. But... If I have to put my money on someone..." She muttered as she looked at Rize. "Fate."

"I also suspected that it could be him," Rize replied. ’But... That doesn’t sound like something Fate would do. Not at this moment. Even if he didn’t mind sacrificing innocent lives for his goal, attracting trouble toward him would be incredibly stupid.’

If anything, it would be very uncharacteristic of him to do that because of how stupid an idea this is. The academy is the last entity in the world that you would want to antagonize. They have the resources and power to eradicate your existence, even if you are a very important figure.

They have the backing of every major power in the world, and so if they needed someone killed, they were going to do it one way or the other. No matter how smart or shrewd Fate is, he cannot escape the wrath of the academy if he really gets on their bad side.

That was why Rize didn’t think that it was Fate. But, of course, with all possibilities open, he knew Fate was one of the major suspects.

"Let’s go. We can’t keep talking here where everyone could eavesdrop." She said as she grabbed his arm and led Rize to the section where their rooms are. Each candidate has been given a room to rest in for the day. It wasn’t anything fancy, as it only had a bed, a bathroom, a table to study on, and a drawer where they could put their clothes.

It was, however, quite cozy and warm in the cold weather. To unlock the room, all they had to do was pass their watches over the lock, and it would open automatically, as the watch is basically an identification tool too.

Venera closed the door as they walked in and locked it. Then, she spread her senses to make sure everything was clear before she sat on the bed.

"Remember what I told you earlier today? About being careful, Rize?" Venera said.

"Yeah... You did say that." Rize replied.

"I’ve had a hunch that something bad was going to happen. I didn’t know what it was or when it was going to happen, and I frankly expected it not to happen so early into the second test."

"..."

"We have underestimated how different this test is from the tests of previous years. Whether it’s in how the academy is handling it or what kind of people are participating..." Venera said as she bit her lower lip. "However, I’m certain of one thing now..."

"... What?" Rize asked as he leaned against the chair and focused on her.

"More people will die during this test... A lot more people." She said. "I suspected that it could happen, but now I’m certain that we are going to witness something that has never happened before in the history of the academy."

"Many people?" Rize asked. "But wouldn’t that be a huge detriment to the academy and its reputation?"

"That’s what I thought too at first, but... What we didn’t really notice was how the academy has been on a very subtle decline for a few years now. They are losing power slowly, and their influence isn’t as great as in their heyday. They have been looking for a way to regain their power. When I looked into it, I did notice a pattern." Venera explained. "The tests have been getting marginally harder every single year for almost a decade now."

"..." Rize listened carefully, not being aware of this information before.

"They wanted to take more talented individuals, so the bar has reached a new level. Now that twice the number of candidates have joined this year... They perhaps decided to take things up another notch. A notch they have been edging toward for a while now."

"Venera... What you’re saying... This is no joke." Rize said with a frown. ’This has never been mentioned in the story before. Sure, the test was harder this year, but if her claim that they were ready to put candidates through deadly tests... Then that changes everything completely.’

"I know, and that is why I’m still trying to fully confirm it. This test isn’t that yet... But the second part and the potential third one could really go to another level." Venera said. "We need to be careful and take things very carefully. Even if the tests so far are somewhat easy. You never know when it truly becomes deadly."

Rize nodded his head slowly as he tried to absorb everything Venera said. It was a lot, and if proven true, could really cause a huge turmoil that would spread across the entire world. People wouldn’t be pleased that their children are being subjected to deadly tests. It could very much end the academy right there and then.

However, what if... What if...

’What if it has the opposite effect?’ Rize asked himself. ’What if death makes people revere the academy more? And make their reputation soar again as the destination for those who seek the peak of awakened power?’

That question alone was bound to be the biggest mystery for a while.