Chapter Twenty-One: The First Lie
Daehyeon's voiceice was a practiced balm of reasn's voice was a practiced balm of reasn, a stark contrast to the simmering tension in the room. "We can get through this together," he said, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. "The System wants us to turn on each other, but we're not monsters. We're a team."
A few of the students seemed to relax, their shoulders slumping in relief. His words were a soothing lie, the kind of comfortable fiction that had governed their lives before the Gates. But Minwoo knew better.
He stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Daehyeon. "A team?" he said, his voice a low, cold rasp. "And who's on this team, Daehyeon? You? A Level 1 student who was hiding under a desk while we were fighting to survive?"
Daehyeon's confident facade cracked. "I... I was a mage," he stammered, his face flushing. "I had no skills yet. I had to be careful."
"Careful?" Minwoo scoffed, a single, sharp laugh that cut through the silence. "The System just told us that if we fail, we lose five points from a random stat. We're on a three-day deadline. We can't afford to be careful. We can't afford to be a team." He looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over the pale, terrified faces. "The Captain is in this room. One of you is already lying."
The word "lying" hung in the air, a poisoned arrow. The brief sense of camaraderie that Daehyeon had fostered shattered, replaced by a new, more potent fear. Everyone looked at each other, their gazes hardening into suspicion.
A girl named Sora, her face pale, took a step back from her friend. "Why would someone lie about their class?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Because the Captain doesn't want to be found," Minwoo replied, his gaze unwavering. "And because the penalty for being wrong is too high. You're a hunter, Nari. Are you really going to trust a team that has a spy in it? Are you going to risk losing your Strength just because someone's a pretty face?"
Nari, who a moment ago had been listening to Daehyeon, now looked at him with a new kind of suspicion. "He has a point," she muttered.
Daehyeon, desperate to regain control, pointed a shaking finger at Minwoo. "You're the one spreading fear! You're a Level 5! You have the highest level in this room! You're the Captain!"
The accusation, though logical, felt like a desperate gambit. Minwoo just smiled, a cold, empty expression that sent a shiver down Jihun's spine.
"Am I?" he asked, his voice a quiet challenge. "Then why did I just tell you my level? Why would the Captain reveal their power, their biggest secret, so soon? No, Daehyeon. The Captain is smarter than that. They're hiding. They're waiting for us to tear each other apart."
Minwoo's words were a cold, calculating stream of logic that left no room for doubt. He had just turned the tables, using his own power as a weapon against his accusers. The hunt wasn't about finding the strongest hunter; it was about finding the cleverest liar. And in this new world, lies were far deadlier than any blade.
The tension in the room snapped. The students, now convinced that a friend or even their leader could be the enemy, began to disperse, their faces masks of paranoia. Daehyeon stood alone in the center of the room, his plan in tatters, his authority gone. The first lie had been told, and the first hunt had begun. Minwoo, the master of this new game, had just made his opening move.