With my most direct threats neutralized, the time for the high-stakes digital intrusion into Elder Varen's Nexus was imminent. However, I needed one final, massive cash infusion to acquire the specialized, one-time-use temporal masking sequence required to hide my intrusion from the Central Authority's external monitoring grid.
My target for this final windfall was the arrogant elite—Kael and Rork. They were too powerful to eliminate, but their inherent flaws—Kael's vanity and Rork's rage—made them predictable financial instruments.
My scheme: The Calculated Provocation. I would force them into a financially ruinous public gamble, ensuring their losses flowed directly into my hidden accounts.
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The annual Academy Gauntlet was announced—a public, high-stakes competition where students bet massive amounts of currency on their own performance. Kael and Rork were the main attractions, each betting their accumulated wealth on achieving the top score in their respective disciplines.
I publicly inserted myself into the center of the pre-Gauntlet betting pool. I didn't bet on myself; I orchestrated the ultimate slight against their pride.
I approached the betting terminal, ensuring my action was visible to both Kael and Rork. I placed a massive, high-profile bet: a single, enormous wager against Kael's perfect score and Rork's maximum kinetic output.
The whispers spread instantly. The E-Rank "Trash Grass" kid, who was known for hoarding small profits from his brewing business, was betting everything he had against the Clan's two geniuses.
Kael's Reaction (Vanity): Kael approached me with cold, intellectual disdain. "Jackal, you are embarrassing yourself. This is statistically insane. Do you truly believe my Arcane precision will falter?" I maintained my calm, flat demeanor. "Your precision is flawed, Kael. It relies on instinct and visible effort. You will exhaust your mana on unnecessary complexity before the final target. You lack efficiency."
Rork's Reaction (Rage): Rork simply slammed his fist onto a nearby railing, his Lava Bear spirit flaring with rage. "You think I can't hit maximum force? You want to see 'inefficiency,' I'll burn this entire stadium to prove you wrong!"
My insults were perfectly tailored: attacking the core logic of their power—Kael's complexity and Rork's force—making them desperate to prove my analysis wrong, not just my bet.
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They were so focused on crushing my analysis that they abandoned their usual calculated approach and focused on maximum spectacle.
Kael's Downfall: In the Arcane Precision Challenge, Kael, desperate to prove his limitless endurance, executed a series of maneuvers with zero efficiency optimization. He maintained high output far too long, trying to impress the crowd. My Hyper-Focus had calculated the precise moment his core would suffer mana-flow stagnation due to over-compression. At that exact moment, I made a small, silent adjustment to the arena's ambient humidity (using the trace moisture manipulation learned from my Trash Grass spirit's original knowledge). The minute environmental shift caused his over-compressed mana flow to stutter, forcing a visible, mid-challenge mana correction that dropped his score just below the required perfect threshold. He failed the bet. His loss was publicly blamed on "environmental anomalies."
Rork's Downfall: In the Kinetic Force Challenge, Rork, desperate to prove his raw power, ignored his safety parameters and channeled maximum output to hit an impossible force reading. He did hit the maximum reading—but the sheer, uncontrolled power surge registered by the Mana Ledger was categorized as a system overload error. The excessive, unoptimized force damaged his specialized training gear. He won the kinetic challenge but was forced to pay the massive financial penalty for equipment destruction, a cost that immediately negated his winnings and wiped out his savings.
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The result was a clean, catastrophic financial loss for both Kael and Rork, who had bet heavily on their own flawless performance. My immense counter-wager paid out instantly.
The public saw a miraculous victory of Dax Jackal's baffling luck and the unpredictable nature of high-level competition. The Clan Elders focused on punishing Kael's and Rork's lack of control, viewing them as valuable but flawed assets.
I had successfully leveraged their rage and vanity into the final, untraceable capital infusion required. I had the necessary funds for the temporal masking sequence.
The final, silent phase of my mission was here. The time for observation was over. The time to steal the ultimate secret was now.