At not yet six in the morning, dawn had yet to fully prop up the sky.
The castle and the mountains around it were still shrouded in thick fog and shadow.
Ground floor hall.
The chill of late autumn seeped through the castle’s floor-to-ceiling windows, casting everyone into a cold and deathly silence.
With only the limited information the Shadow World currently provided, no one could tell where to even begin deducing the traitor’s identity.
At the start of a Shadow World scenario like this, for those challengers placed in plain sight, intelligence was exceedingly scarce.
No one knew what effects the traitor’s “Blood Authority” might allow them to borrow, nor what their exact mission objective was. The only clear detail in the Shadow World’s briefing was that traitors carried tasks completely different from those of ordinary challengers.
Which meant: in order to push forward their hidden objective, traitors would have to act. And once they acted, they would very likely leave behind flaws to be traced.
For that, what was needed was a detective—someone with professional insight and razor-sharp intellect—to catch those threads.
The detective, relying on their absolutely trustworthy identity, would also become the hub where other challengers could safely hand over intelligence, bearing the burden of exposing the traitors’ disguises.But accordingly—
The detective was also the most likely target for a traitor’s blade.
The other challengers had to find ways to protect the detective.
Though in this case, the detective himself… looked like he could fight just fine.
Inside the hall, challengers had scattered, gathering in separate corners.
Between strangers, there was no trust whatsoever; even opening their mouths was approached with caution.
Only those who had entered the Shadow World alongside their original companions showed any real trust.
It was clear to see: there were four teams, each made up of three.
That meant one of these teams harbored two treacherous hearts.
Or, two separate teams each held a single traitor.
Those selected as traitors in such “challenger-versus-challenger” Shadow Worlds were usually individuals whose minds were already deeply twisted, embodying the role of a betrayer perfectly.
For example, members of the Resurrection Church. They longed for calamity in the mortal world, eager for slaughter, eager to seize the treasures of others.
So the odds were high—
That the two traitors here were Resurrection cultists, their disguises in the real world flawless, without the faintest crack to be seen.
Even their own teammates who had entered together wouldn’t know their true identities.
Which was why, even though Lan Qi and Huperion stood clearly as Frey’s teammates, they gained not a shred of trust from the other nine.
“……”
Outside, ancient trees swayed in the wind, their rustling leaves the only sound breaking the stillness of the vast banquet hall.
No matter where they stood, all challengers fixed their eyes on Frey, waiting for him to speak first, to organize even the most basic exchange of information.
Expressionless, Frey swept his gaze over them, as if he cared little about who among this group was suspicious.
He voiced no opinions, and his eyes betrayed no flicker of emotion.
His silence, rather than arousing doubt, instead set some challengers at ease.
Odd as this detective seemed—
His calm and absolute confidence was far more reassuring than the kind of detective who, realizing the weight of the role, would panic under it.
“A brief introduction then. The three of us are from the Kingdom of Hedon, Ikerite Academy.”
That was all Frey said, glancing over the top of his sunglasses at the nearest trio.
He said no more, but his meaning was plain.
It was this group’s turn to speak.
Whether they said much or little was up to them.
Either way, the quantity and nature of their words would serve as a measure of their credibility in Frey’s eyes.
He might not be able to deduce their true identities immediately, but in the course of the Shadow World, every single sentence spoken now could later prove to be either a flaw—or a vital clue.
The first group, a trio, drew immediate attention for their striking presence.
“You’re from the Southern Continent too? We are the Kingdom of Canberra, Petras Merchant Guild.”
The one who stepped forward was a youth of eighteen or nineteen.
When he looked at Frey, it was as if a weight had lifted from him, his eyes burning with unhidden eagerness and the desire to show off.
“I trust you can tell at a glance who the young master is.”
The boy said proudly.
Behind him stood a silent but strikingly handsome man. His gaze was fathomless, like a deep lake, and the tear mole at the corner of his eye only added to his allure.
On the other side stood a woman, doll-like in her delicate beauty, her hair and eye color so similar to the man’s that they appeared to be siblings.
Frey glanced at Lan Qi, as if he wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
Lan Qi only gave a helpless smile.
From afar—
“My role in this Shadow World is Geographer… let’s see what it can do…”
The young master continued, seemingly half-reading his Shadow World panel as he spoke.
“I can access the general map and terrain nearby. For instance, this Lichtenstein Castle sits amid a range of mountains, with the defensive barrier of the Horning Empire cutting us off from behind. In front, there’s nothing but an eight-hundred-ninety-meter cliff, with a single bridge spanning it—the only usable path from the city-state into Lichtenstein Castle…”
Just as he was about to keep rattling off every geographical detail aloud, the man behind him gave two discreet coughs.
The boy jolted as though waking up, finally halting his tongue.
Obviously, this foolish young master had not realized blurting out too much in public was unwise.
Some crucial intelligence ought to be shared privately with the detective.
After all, openly revealing his role meant his words could be confirmed later, granting trust from both the detective and the ordinary challengers.
But exposing the Geographer’s highly valuable abilities also painted a target on his back, making him second only to the detective in danger.
Huperion and Lan Qi, silent behind Frey, quietly absorbed the information.
The Kingdom of Canberra was one of the strongest nations on the Southern Continent, long maintaining neutrality. Both the Shadow World Management Association and the Card-Maker Association headquarters were located there.
It was also one of the hardest places for the Resurrection Church to infiltrate.
The Petras Merchant Guild’s reputation was well-known across the Southern kingdoms.
While Lan Qi himself was also a rich young master, compared to Petras, his family wealth probably fell short by at least two digits.
So if this boy really was the Petras Guild’s heir, such a noble identity—one that could easily be recognized—was unlikely to be a fabricated cover.
Clearly, though, the boy was rather dim-witted. The type of young master dragged through the Shadow World by two exasperated guardians.