player POV-Chapter 46: Trap 1

I sat in my seat and looked at my teammates when suddenly I felt something strange...

as if someone was staring at me from behind.

I turned my head toward it and saw a figure with long blue hair, its color fading like ocean waves at dawn. Her eyes were the color of a clear sky—calm, yet carrying sharp intelligence—and her fair skin added softness and elegance to her features.

Our eyes met for a moment...

It was... Elisa Rietman.

Beautiful...

She was beautiful beyond words up close.

I kept staring at her for a few seconds until I heard a voice filled with mockery.

"Why are you staring at her like that, you idiot?"

I turned toward the source of the voice and saw a boy standing beside me, wearing a half-mocking smile. His brown eyes clearly reflected sarcasm directed at me.

He had short brown hair and ordinary features, but there was a confidence about him that made him slightly annoying...

Do I know him?

I looked at him carefully, trying to remember whether I had seen him in the game before. After searching my memory for a while...

I shook my head slightly.

He must have been one of the side characters, so I ignored him.

When he noticed my indifference, his expression changed quickly.

His mocking smile turned into intense anger as he looked around.

"How dare a nobody with no talent ignore me like this?"

Seeing his unjustified anger, I looked at him with a mix of surprise and confusion.

Getting angry at someone after mocking them?

Maybe this was some new form of bullying... I didn’t know such a thing existed.

I looked closely at his face. His features were tense, his eyes blazing with anger, his lips pressed tightly together—but in a strange way, it all looked... ridiculous.

I couldn’t hold back my laughter, and a small, broken chuckle escaped my mouth.

"Heh..."

At that moment, he noticed my reaction.

His anger flared even more, and he shouted sharply,

"What’s so funny?!"

He stepped closer, his face red with rage, eyes glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me. Yet all the force he tried to show only made him look even stranger—and more pathetic at the same time.

I burst out laughing this time, clutching my stomach from how hard I laughed, and said while trying to catch my breath,

"Please... get your face away from me, or you’ll kill me!"

Low laughter immediately spread around us.

Then I heard someone sitting beside him say,

"He’s right, Kar. Stop making those expressions—it’s hilarious."

Kar stood there for a moment, speechless.

He looked around and saw everyone laughing quietly, then turned his gaze back to me, seeing me clutching my stomach and wiping tears from my face after laughing so much...

After a long pause, Kar shouted and pulled out his knives from his pockets, gripping them tightly and pointing them at me. Red threads appeared around his body.

"Shut your mouth, you bastard, or I’ll cut it off and roast it for you!

With my talent—something a nobody like you could never dream of!"

When I saw him draw his knives, I was ready to draw my sword, but before I could, I felt the atmosphere around us change.

Before I could do anything, I heard a cold voice coming from the front.

"Is it entertaining for you to waste my time like this?"

Silvar adjusted his posture and clasped his hands together, then looked at Kar.

His gaze was cold beyond description.

Sweat began to pour from Kar’s body as he looked at Silvar, who seemed to have lost his patience.

"Why are you behaving like this in front of me?

Who do you think you are to draw your weapon in my presence?"

"B–but he was the one mocking me..."

Silvar looked at Kar with a gaze that sent chills down the spine.

"Did I ask you for a reason?"

Kar’s body trembled uncontrollably. His breathing slowed as he spoke in a shaking voice,

"I– I was just—"

"Shhh."

Silvar cut him off, raising a single finger. A simple gesture, yet more than enough to silence him.

"I don’t want to hear any excuses," he said coldly.

"This is your final warning. If you draw your weapon in my presence without my permission again... I will kill you."

Kar nodded violently in agreement, his body drenched in sweat as if he had just come out of a bath.

After the threat Silvar delivered, the room fell silent for a moment—until Silvar broke it with a calm voice and a smile on his face.

"Well then... now that we’ve had a bit of fun, why don’t you introduce yourselves?"

Before Silvar even finished speaking, Kar stood up from his seat. His voice still carried fear and tension.

"My name is Kar Pearson. Rank 188."

When I finished introducing myself, Silvar nodded slightly at me, then turned his gaze toward the person sitting next to Kar.

The moment that person noticed Silvar looking at him, he jumped up lightning-fast, so fast that his chair fell behind him.

"My name is Ron. Rank 423."

He was thin, with short black hair, and eyes that moved around nervously.

His features were slightly sharp, his face pale, as if he hadn’t eaten for a long time.

Had he just come out of a famine or something?

That was honestly the only thought that came to my mind as I looked at him.

He remained standing for a long time, waiting for Silvar to tell him to sit.

Silvar finally nodded to him, and Ron let out a small breath before picking up the chair that had fallen earlier.

Silvar then looked at the girl sitting near me. She stood up in a slightly alluring way, her voice carrying a bit of shyness, her face flushed as she looked toward Silvar.

"Lia Drake. Rank 125."

She was of average height, with brown hair reaching her shoulders and large eyes that reflected gentle shyness.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her features soft, and her modest smile carried a natural charm.

Silvar looked at her for a moment, nodded, then turned his gaze toward the boy sitting near me.

"Drake Silmen. Rank 790."

He was relatively tall, with a strong build and broad shoulders. His dark hair was cut neatly, and his eyes were slightly sharp.

Silvar then shifted his gaze to another person.

"Simon Enzabi. Rank 580."

He glanced at him briefly, then moved his gaze to Elisa, who seemed largely uninterested in what was happening around her.

After looking at her for a moment, he said,

"Now that we’ve gotten to know each other... let me tell you about the plan we’re going to follow."

He looked at all of us and then smiled broadly.