[System Window – Ark]
NAME: Noah Orthar
AGE: 20
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE:
Innocent (Divine)
PERSONAL SKILLS:
Gáe Bulg
STIGMA:
Innocent Shall Receive a Second Chance (489-->488)
OVERALL STATS:
Stamina: E (30)
Strength: E (20)
Dexterity: E (25)
Vitality: F (10)
…
Noah sat there calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Well, this time, at least, it was a painless death.
But the last moment—Adam's bloodied lips forming that single word, Liar—kept replaying in his mind.
Noah exhaled slowly as his mind was piecing everything together.
Truthbane.
Adam's ability wasn't something as simple as detecting lies—it was something far more terrifying. It was absolute. It didn't matter if the person answering a question believed they were telling the truth or if they lacked the full picture.
The moment Adam asked a question, reality itself was forced into a binary state: truth or falsehood. If the answer given was false—whether intentional or not—Truthbane rejected it outright. And if it was an undeniable lie…
Reality shatters.
Adam wasn't merely a human lie detector. His ability unearthed hidden truths that no one, not even the liar themselves, knew.
It could expose things that should have remained unknown, and pierce through fabricated realities.
In that last run, Adam had asked, Do you think another team ambushed us?
believing it to be true, I had answered yes.
And yet—Truthbane had denied it.
Which meant that his answer, no matter how much sense it made, had been wrong.
And that could only mean one thing:
The attack had not come from an outside force.
It wasn't an external ambush. It wasn't another team lurking in the jungle.
It was one of them.
Well… removing Cedric from the equation, since I saw him die twice in the most brutal ways imaginable…
That left only Elara and Vespera.
But why?
Why would they do this?
Let's say one of them wanted to win the prize for herself. They wouldn't be able to—not alone.
…No. That wasn't true.
Judging by how easily they killed us in cold blood, they absolutely could do it.
One could lift heavy weights like an ant. The other could disappear for a full minute.
Now that I was actually thinking about it, they were both insanely capable.
How the hell did I not realize this before?
The first two runs, all I cared about was the game.
But I had completely ignored a critical fact.
I wasn't just in some high-stakes challenge.
I was walking a tightrope over a bottomless pit, and every time I slipped, I only barely survived by a hair's width.
If it weren't for my divine attribute—Innocent Shall Receive a Second Chance—I would have died.
And not just once.
Not even two days had passed.
And yet, I had already died—what? Ten times? More?
Noah slapped himself with both hands, his palms stinging against his cheeks as frustration welled up inside him.
The answer had been so simple.
All he had to do was not team up with them.
If he had just walked away—if he had just picked another team—none of this would have happened.
And yet…
Even as he cursed himself for the stupidity of it all, something in him whispered that each of these deaths wasn't meaningless.
Every time he died, there was a lesson. Something unseen. Something he needed to understand.
It wasn't about avoiding a wall in his path.
It was about breaking through it.
And this time… this time was different.
This death had meant something.
He could feel it in his bones.
But no more.
This was the last.
He swore it.
…
As they walked through the jungle for the third time, Noah's mind was a flurry of thoughts. The same path, the same situation. He needed to think of something—anything—to break out of this cycle.
He suddenly stopped, turning to his team. "I'm going to take a… uhhh… a piss," he muttered before slipping into the trees.
Adam's eyes met his for a split second, and Noah gave him a subtle nod, whispering, "Be wary of the girls."
Once he was hidden from sight, Noah settled under a tree, his senses sharp. The same sounds of the jungle surrounded him, but now, his focus was entirely inward.
With a quiet breath, he whispered into the air, "Paimon... help. I know you're listening. If you do, please... help."
Nothing.
A few moments passed in silence before he repeated it. "I need knowledge. I need the best you've got."
And then, with a soft flicker, a small version of Paimon appeared on his shoulder.
Noah looked at Paimon, his voice low but clear, "I would like to ask a question."
Paimon tilted its tiny head, waiting for Noah to continue.
Noah hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, as if weighing the implications. "…"
The air around them seemed to shift. Paimon paused for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter, tears actually welling in its eyes as it floated in midair.
"Haha, finally!" Paimon cried, voice trembling with glee. "Never expected to be summoned in my entire life in this way, let alone be asked that question!"
…
Noah reappeared from the trees and silently made his way back to his team.
As they resumed walking, the tension in the air between Noah and Adam was noticeable.
Noah's mind raced as he was still haunted by the past runs, and he spoke, with a low and tense voice.
"I have a feeling one of the girls is going to kill us," Noah muttered, his eyes scanning the shadows around them.
Adam's grip on his double daggers tightened at the words, his expression became unreadable.
"Let me ask you, Is one of the girls a traitor?" he asked, his tone steady but sharp, like a blade being drawn from its sheath.
Noah met his gaze, not flinching. "Yes."
Adam didn't refute it, but the air between them thickened. "Who do you think it is?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper, as if every word was a calculated move in a deadly game.
Noah's gaze flicked toward Elara, then to Vespera, his voice barely a murmur. "Elara."
Adam's eyes flickered with surprise before he shook his head. "No," he refuted, the words quick and firm, but there was something in his eyes that betrayed a hint of doubt.
Adam's heartbeat quickened, yet he stayed calm, "Do you think Vespera is going to kill us?" he asked, locking eyes with Noah.
"Yes."
Adam's grip on the daggers tightened even more, but he refuted it once again. "No."
The silence between them grew thick.
Noah didn't feel like his theory was wrong—he knew the direction was different this time.
He was sure of it. This time, they wouldn't die. This time, they would survive.
Adam turned his gaze away, deep in thought.
…
She walked carefully, her eyes constantly scanning the group, noting how tense everyone had become.
Noah, in particular, was more restless than usual, moving in and out of position, acting strangely.
It was unsettling, and her suspicions grew. She had planned for everything to go smoothly, but Noah's odd behavior made her wonder if something had gone wrong.
Trying to shake the doubt off, she decided to push forward with her plan.
She'd have to be clever, maybe even alter it slightly, but it was time to continue.
Before everything began and when they were still in the first floor She spotted a girl who appeared to be an airhead, easy enough to manipulate, and invited her into a temporary alliance.
Then, she spotted a tall, muscular man who seemed like the type who wouldn't ask too many questions. With little more than a look, she brought him into their fold.
All the while, she kept a careful eye on the Orthar siblings. Her gaze lingered on them for a moment longer than necessary, wondering if her plan would fail now.
But no, she had already worked this out. She nudged Cedric closer to the group. Everything was going according to plan.
Still, Noah's unpredictability gnawed at her. The warning he'd given earlier had been odd, but now it was clear that he was the biggest obstacle to her success.
She had to deal with him first, without attracting attention. That meant splitting from the group and disappearing into the shadows.
Her clothes changed, transforming into the dark attire of an assassin.
She pulled a poisoned dagger from its sheath, feeling its weight in her hand.
She scanned the area—her team was only a few trees away, and Adam, the airhead girl, and Cedric were all within view. But one person was missing. The one she needed to take out first. "That fucking—"
Before she could react, a dagger pierced her hand, making her drop her weapon.
The poison-coated tip melted a portion of the ground as it fell, its deadly remains burned the earth.
The second dagger came quicker, slashing through the belt at her waist, which held the rest of her poisoned knives. Panic surged through her as she whirled to face her attacker.
From the shadows, a voice cut through the air, cold and mocking. "If I remember correctly, you had about eight poisoned knives. You killed Cedric with five, Adam with two, and Elara with one... and you broke my neck. Which means there are no knives left."
Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to comprehend the words, but it was no use. The reality was impossible to ignore.
There, standing in the shadows just beyond the bushes, was Noah. And from the look in his eyes, he was more annoyed than anything else.
"You were supposed to be smarter than this," he continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "I thought you had a backup plan, in case this one failed. But now, it looks like you're the one who's about to fail."
His eyes bore into her, unblinking and cold, and she couldn't even move as the realization hit her: she had underestimated him.