My acquisition of massive, liquid funds from the Hunter's Bazaar accelerated my timeline. The only remaining external variable was physical security during the high-stakes digital infiltration of Elder Varen's Nexus. I could not afford any distractions or external threats.
While Kael and Rork were too high-profile to eliminate, the ambient threat level was rising. The minor bullies who resented my success, particularly Joss (the E-Rank who attempted sabotage) and a few of Rork's more aggressive lieutenants, were growing bolder. Their petty schemes, while trivial to me, were becoming a time-consuming nuisance.
I decided to clean house. The elimination had to be discreet, final, and appear to be the result of their own visible flaws.
---
The Academy's lowest tiers were rife with illegal Shadow Duels—unmonitored, high-risk fights where desperate hunters gambled their essence and gear. My targets, being arrogant and greedy, were frequent participants.
My scheme was not to fight them, but to ensure their catastrophic failure in the Duels.
The Target: Joss (The Saboteur) Joss relied on cheap illusion runes to win his duels, masking his mediocre combat skill. I used my logistics access (via Unit 77) to tamper with his next opponent—a low-tier, but specialized, Rank E fighter known for high-frequency mana detection. I didn't sabotage Joss's runes. Instead, I used a minute, untraceable amount of the Mana-Sensitive Dust (from my old brewing side hustle) and applied it to Joss's favorite illusion gauntlet. The moment Joss activated his illusion in the chaotic environment of the Duel, the Mana-Sensitive Dust forced his runic output into a massive, uncontrolled spike. The spike didn't destroy his rune; it simply created a blaring, unmistakable energy signature that glowed violently for two seconds—just long enough for his opponent's specialized detection gear to lock on. Joss's opponent, confused but alerted to the perfect weak spot, landed a critical, disabling strike. Joss was not killed, but he was permanently disabled from further combat. His failure was attributed to a catastrophic, inexplicable runic malfunction—a risk everyone knew existed in the illegal Duels.
The Target: Rork's Lieutenants (The Reckless) Rork's two main lieutenants were both heavy-set D-Ranks who relied on immense kinetic charge attacks. They were entering a Kinetic Pit Duel—a fight to the knockout. I did not touch their armor or weapons. I exploited the environmental physics of the Duel pit itself. The pit used a standard-issue Kinetic Dampening Field to prevent collateral damage. Using my absolute control over localized gravitational fields, I initiated a constant, silent, minute oscillation in the Dampening Field's lowest frequency. The change was imperceptible, but it subtly offset the kinetic weight distribution of the entire arena by exactly 0.5%. The two lieutenants, executing their planned synchronized charge, relied on absolute ground stability. The subtle, invisible oscillation caused their immense kinetic charge to become structurally unstable. The moment they collided mid-arena, their force vectors were misaligned by that critical 0.5%. They didn't hit their target; they hit each other, resulting in a spectacular, simultaneous, self-inflicted knockout and severe injury. The official report stated a "fatal miscommunication" during a high-risk maneuver—a common event in chaotic Duels. Their elimination was clean, final, and entirely attributed to their own recklessness.
---
Within a week, the three primary threats to my survival were removed, their exits logged as the unfortunate but predictable results of high-risk, low-intelligence gambits. No one suspected foul play. The E-Rank hunter was nowhere near the duels; he was logged in his quarters, dutifully preparing his academic submissions (courtesy of Kael and Rork).
The environment was now secure. I had eliminated the physical noise and solidified my financial position. The path to Elder Varen's Conceptual Protocol file—the final stepping stone to the Query Card—was clear. The time for silent preparation was over. The time for the digital siege had arrived.