Published at 5th of December 2025 8:03 pm

Chapter 198

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Got it.

The students nodded with grim faces.

Leo tapped the Mimesis control panel, pulling up a screen showing the possible fields and displaying it before the students.

We dont know which field well get. Neither our team nor Team 3 can plan field strategies until the exam starts, so for the first five minuteswhile Askanian is analyzing the field and forming a strategywe need to strike fast and seize the advantage.

A student raised their hand and asked,

But what about Yulia and Elias? They can strategize too. Narces ability is hit-or-miss, right? You said it only works on Lucas from a distance.

Since they couldnt outright reveal the peculiar fact that Narces ability worked on Lucas without even seeing his face, Narce had conveyed this to the students with a bit more ambiguity.

Leo shook his head.

Yulia and Elias are formidable, no doubt, but in a normal game, maybe. If the teams control tower collapses, its a different story. Playing on flat ground versus playing on crumbling earthobviously, its night and day. In chaos, any attempt to act will already tilt the situation in our favor.

Take down Lucas, and everything crumbles.

The others are skilled, but since their strategies revolve around Lucas, once hes down, itll take time to recover, and they wont be able to respond immediately.

That was the gist.

A student tilted their head, not quite getting it.

Is Askanian really that critical? Team 3 isnt entirely dependent on him. Why do we keep focusing on him?

Narce, lost in thought, stared into the air and muttered,

They dont get it. This is exactly why we have to do this.

Really?

Out of all the strategies the 24 students in the third round could come up with, Lucass are the most polished and the most devastating. The success rate isnt trivial either. You agree, right, Leo?

Not wanting to reveal how close he was to Lucas, Leo gave a curt nod.

And even if Lucas doesnt strategize, it doesnt matter to us, you know~

Narce raised his eyebrows and smiled, as if everyone should know this. Except for the student who asked, the three others seated around Narce nodded with serious eyes.

Even if Yulia, Elias, or someone else from Team 3 makes a strategy, itll reach Lucass ears. To avoid that, theyd have to exclude Lucas from team activities entirely, which they cant do.

And then what?

Any strategy Lucas perceives goes straight to Narce.

In other words, no matter who makes the strategy, Team 3 cant escape Team 1s grasp.

Guys, like the First Academy seniors said, some of Team 3 will come after us, while the rest search for the victim. Lets make one thing clear.

The students eyes turned to Leo.

Leaning on the table, Leo continued slowly,

We wont encounter *anyone* from Team 3 in this field.

.

Thrown into the same field but not meeting?

The students swallowed hard.

Only Ulrike, Class 1s top student, let out a chuckle.

Oh, this is fun. If Team 3 comes looking for us, we read it and move elsewhere first, right?

Exactly. The more we engage, the longer it takes to deal with them, and it causes unnecessary damage to our forces. Plus, since the exams theme is victim rescue, we need to finish even a second faster. So, we

Leo stared at the muted First Academy training footage, speaking in an emotionless voice.

wont let Team 3 hold us back for even a minute. We let them flail, and our team focuses on finding the victim.

Silence fell.

The guy always vying for first in the department is different, the students thought, looking at Leo with satisfied eyes. Of course, since everyone here was already a top performer, their thoughts aligned with Leos.

Then, Ulrike said with a laugh,

Wow, youre brutal, considering you were on the same team as Yulia until this morning. Come to think of it, you dont like Lucas much either, do you? Is that why?

.

After the potion competition, I thought you two got a bit closer, but guess I was wrong.

Leo swallowed hard, as if holding something back, and shook his head.

No time for chit-chat. Any questions?

Lucas is probably factoring in Narces ability and strategizing right now. They know about it, right?

At Ulrikes words, Leo shook his head, expressionless.

Doesnt matter. The moment we enter the field, his mind will be racing, and you cant stop thoughts.

Right~

Narce chimed in.

Theres no way around it.

The harder you try not to think, the more humans get trapped in those thoughtsespecially in a situation where you *cant* stop thinking.

So, consider this.

What if Lucas, accounting for my ability, voluntarily steps back from being the strategist?

Wouldnt Lucas think that far?

But we didnt build our strategy solely on marking Lucas. We have contingencies for countless variables.

Even if Lucas steps back, our response doesnt change much, and heres why.

Even when following someone elses strategy, Lucas always finds a more successful approach in the same situation. As always, even while following his teammates plans, hell keep analyzing and thinking, factoring in the environment.

Like in the second exam.

I cant forget the moment he instantly took over as team leader from Yulias command.

In Team 3s most desperate, critical momentslike being cornered or stuck in a prolonged standoffhis strategy will emerge.

Whether hes involved in strategizing from the start, jumps in at a critical moment, or deliberately avoids voicing his brilliant ideas to keep them from me, well catch the fleeting moment those thoughts cross his mind and make Lucass ideas ours.

Thats our answer to Lucass ability.

Sorry, but a match is a match.

With that thought, Narce activated his power.

[Then a giant wave swept over the boy. And then, nothing. What? Did it wash him away? The boy was gone, and the beach was calm. For real.]

A random thought.

It wasnt clear, but Narce vaguely picked up what Lucas was thinking.

As expected, hes already dodging thoughts, knowing Ill read them.

Still, theres a limit.

It seems like hes deliberately thinking about a novel now, but once the exam starts, he wont have a choice.

Of course, whether Lucas will let us take him down so easily or

Come up with something completely unexpected.

Thats what Im really curious about.

Even using Foresight, all I see now is our team winning.

Leo tapped the clipboard, drawing attention.

Alright, lets go over it one last time. We counter Askanians strategies directly, minimizing contact with Team 3. Since we can read their plans from a distance, we break through and wrap everything up quickly. Thats all you need to remember.

Feels a bit cheap, though. Basically, were stealing their strategy and finishing in 15 minutes.

Ulrike said with a laugh.

Back when she was Eliass team leader in the second exam, she got dragged around, but since then, its like she awakened or somethingher playfulness has grown like during the potion competition.

Leo shook his head, giving Ulrikes light, cheeky tone a pointed look.

Its a legitimate strategy. Reading the enemys moves and still letting them act is not conscienceits arrogance and a mistake.

Yeah, youre right.

The students nodded at Leos words.

Ulrike, already grinning like this was too much fun, propped her arm on the chair.

Man, game over. Lucas and I got along during the potion competition.

Dont let emotions sway you.

Obviously. Why would I let emotions ruin this fun chance to read the enemys mind and use it myself?

As someone whos consistently topped Class 1, Ulrike knew damn well what not to do during an exam.

Just then, the situation rooms lights went out one by one. Only the sunlight streaming through the wall-sized window kept the room from complete darkness.

Beep

[Five minutes until the exam begins. All students, please proceed to the waiting room immediately.]

The students eyes met. Tension hung thick, but their confidence and certainty in their skills shone in their gazes.

Faint smiles crept onto their faces.

Narce stood up, grinning.

Its time. Lets go.

***

It seems Narces ability works especially well on Lucas.

In the exam setters waiting room, a First Academy professor watching the situation room footage smiled and glanced at the colleague beside him.

Professor, what do you think? No way out, right?

None. Man, this

Even you, who set the exam, feel stumped?

Yup.

At that, hollow laughs erupted from the First and Second Academy professors watching the situation room cameras.

The main exam setter, a First Academy professor, nodded and rubbed his chin.

Its exactly as Team 1 analyzed. No matter what Team 3 says or where they silently lead, it all gets transmitted to Lucass brain as thoughts. Its like exposing every secret to the enemya completely disadvantageous situation for Team 3.

Whyd you set it up like this?

I didnt know Narces ability worked that well on Lucas.

The professor chuckled, looking at the other professors.

But it worked out. Even if its not a perfect counter, this is a chance to see how well Team 3s kids can come up with a second-best solution in a crisis.

Second-best solution.

The professors, listening with arms crossed, nodded.

Finding a second-best solution would be a miracle.

Team 3 is bound to lose this game.

No, with such a lopsided starting point, losing is inevitable.

What matters is how hard they try to overcome the situation, even in defeat.

Hope Team 3s kids dont get too discouraged already.

With that thought, the professors watched the students move.

At the same time, in Team 3s waiting room.

[Three minutes until the exam begins.]

Arghhh!

What do we doooo?

As soon as we reached the waiting room, our team started freaking out.

Still, we didnt waste the strategy planning time given.

We shared our unique abilities, attack, and defense methods, and extracted info about Team 1s members from the students whountil yesterdaywere on different teams, compiling it all.

Of course, I just listened and read a book. Still am.

Those bastards are doing everything right and still freaking out.

Lucas! Why the hell are you so calm?!

Oswald grabbed my shoulder while I was reading and wailed.

Should I cry too?

No Narce can read all our thoughts, right?! Especially yours, in real-time! You gonna read a book in there too?!

Youre gonna burst my eardrums, Oswald.

Shit, sorry. But whether you use the strategies in your head or not, anything you think is viable, and they get to steal it all! All those game-changing ideas you showed in the second examdozens of them, gone! Were screwed before we even start, arent we?!

Yulia and Elias are there.

At my half-assed reply, Oswald shook his head with a despairing look.

But, Lucas, listen. Any strategy Yulia or Elias comes up withyoud have thought of already, right?

What?

Elias let out a hollow laugh and turned away.

Oswald, ignoring Elias and everyone else, kept rapid-firing at me.

Even if thats not the case, any strategy we share with you goes straight to Narces brain, right? So not only do we lose everything, theyll sabotage us every step of the way! Youd have figured this out already!

Thanks for the high praise.

No! Thats not it!

Fine. Youre right. Were totally fucked. Were done for. Thats what you wanted to hear, yeah?

Arghhh

Oswald let go of me, went to the wall, started banging his head, and muttered something.

What do we do? What do we do? Is this the end?

Auguste and Florian looked slightly worried but were holding it together better than Oswald.

Elias slung an arm around my shoulder and laughed.

Haha, Lucas so chill~

Gotta be chill. Until 30 seconds before it starts.

Hm, planning to strategize against Narce 30 seconds before? Not prepping now, but actually starting to think 30 seconds out?

Yup. Right now, Im keeping my head empty.

Man, this is gonna be good~

Tell me about it.

Tsheringen, listening to our exchange, smiled softly.

Youd think my laziness and distraction would piss her off, but she just watched, amused, like Elias, fully trusting me.

[One minute until the exam begins.]

Argh!

[59, 58.]

Zzing

The door separating us from the exam field opened.

Blinding light flooded the dark waiting room, where only a red signal light had been blinking.

[55, 54, 53.]

We stepped into the endless white expanse of the exam field.

Then, a sudden thought made me raise an eyebrow slightly.

Hm.

Huh?

Oswald, his face ashen, reacted.

I turned to the team and said,

Came up with something a bit early.

[45, 44, 43.]

Oswald, staring blankly at me, widened his eyes. Auguste and Florian had the same reaction.

What?! You thought of something? What?!

Theres a bit of risk, though. Can you promise me?

What is it? Im in.

Elias piped up on his own.

Thankfully, the other teammates didnt seem to disagree.

Yeah! To counter that bullshit ability, theres gotta be some risk! Just tell us what it is!

Oswald shouted like hed rip out his liver for me.

But it was too early to voice the risk and solidify the thought.

[23, 22, 21.]

I looked at the team and said simply,

Ill trust you guys. Trust me.

***

[3, 2, 1. Begin.]

Whoosh

Narce opened his eyes in a fierce gust of wind.

He saw Team 1 students shielding their eyes and scanning the surroundings, just like him.

Above, the sky stretched wide, with red brick structures blocking parts of it. Below, a city sprawled.

A cock tower, Narce.

At Leos prompt, Narce nodded.

This was the moment to unleash the power hed been saving for the next 15 minutes.

Narce, holding his head and closing his eyes, suddenly snapped them open.

Hm?

Leo and the other Team 1 students turned to him.

Leo, studying Narces face, asked,

What? Something wrong?

Narce didnt answer. Instead, he gaped, unable to believe what hed read.

Wha-what?!

Whats wrong? What is it?

What the hell? Why

His bizarre reaction sparked confusion on Team 1s faces.

Whys it so jumbled? Its like standing blindfolded in the middle of a crossroad thats the vibe. And whats with the coffin?

Huh? Stop with the metaphors and explain properly!

Ulrike, completely lost, said in a voice full of questions.

No answer came. Narce froze, staring blankly into the air, then slowly turned to Leo.

The moment we enter the field, his mind will be racing, and you cant stop thoughts. You said that earlier, right?

Yeah.

Youre right. You cant stop thoughts. But what if you enter the field, delay situational judgment, and disrupt perception?

Thats impossible! Like you said earlier, itd be more effective to just walk in blindfolded

Ulrike stopped mid-sentence.

The amusement vanished from her and the teams faces.

Leo, whod been standing with a confused look, turned pale with shock.

***

Proper mummy experience.

Now I just need to find a coffin and climb in.

Half-mocking my choice, I focused on the surrounding magic and sounds.

The same wind I heard when I met Strauch. And faint magic, untouched by human presence.

A clock tower.

Yup, Luca. You figured it out~

A voice from behind moved forward.

Elias seemed to be standing in front of me.

I know, but Im slow. Probably a beat behind you guys.

Exactly! Weve been checking out the view below for like five seconds, and you just now got it~ By the way

Something, like a finger, lightly touched my nose and pulled back. The texture of gauze brushed my skin.

Wonder how Team 1s reacting~

I answered with a smile.

At this point, maybe Ill channel Leos way of thinking.

Pretend Im Leo.

Hed focus on the exams intent and format.

Syncing with near-strangers and rescuing multiple victimsthe most effective win condition here is time.

The less time spent, the more it proves the teams unity and skill, staying true to the victim rescue theme.

So, Leo would use all the info and strategies Im thinking, reverse-engineering them to bypass our team entirely, quickly find the victim, and wrap things up.

So, whats your strategy now, Luca?

Not happening.

Think Ill let you blow your nose without a fight?

If were throwing punches, were throwing punchesIm not letting it go easy.

Theres one way.

Turn the info coming to me into muddy water.

Make it impossible to read anything useful.

The fact that my movements will be restricted and their hour of strategy planning is wastedthose balance out.

What matters is this.

Now, the starting line is even.

I slightly lifted the cloth covering my eyes, looked at Elias and the team, and smirked.

What else? We take them down one by one, the classic way.

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