Around the glossy wooden table, three people sat together. Seated at the front, Shinso clasped his hands, raising them to mouth level as if offering a silent prayer—but it's more as a way to block their view than out of reverence.
Across from him sat two individuals.
Hatz, a pale-skinned boy with short, wavy black hair and piercing blue eyes, had a small mole beneath his eye that added to his charm. He wore a plain tank top, his right shoulder wrapped in a dark red cloak that extended to his knees, secured by a wide, striped belt.
Beside him was a tan-skinned, bald, slender boy clad in a dark blue tracksuit with red-orange outlines—Shibisu. Unlike Hatz, his face had deep wrinkles, almost clown-like in appearance, yet his calm demeanor made it clear—this was not someone to underestimate.
Two blank sheets of paper lay untouched on the table. No one bothered to pick them up. Shinso merely stared at them in silence, like an HR officer silently asserting dominance over a pair of nervous interviewees.
But instead of asking, "Why should we hire you?" he spoke in a cold, businesslike tone: "So… what do you want to discuss about this form?"
Hearing him speak, Shibisu finally sighed in relief. "Scouts have an assignment. We need to make ten friends..."
"I understand," Shinso replied, already tuning him out. What was the point of listening to an explanation when he already knew the reason behind it? Yet he still asked.
Though he understood, Shinso didn't agree right away.
"I just want to ask you something," he said, eyes sharp. "Am I the first person you approached... or not? Whether I accept will depend on your answer."
Shibisu met his intense gaze without flinching.
"Yes."
"Oh?" Shinso's eyes narrowed into slits. "Why is that?"
"To be honest... you're the most dangerous Regular here," Shibisu began. "Your behavior is inconsistent. I've been analyzing it from the start—your actions and motives don't line up."
Shinso didn't respond, but his silence was an invitation. Understanding the cue, Shibisu continued.
"First, you conducted a fake exam to eliminate the weakest teams among us. Your reason was to reduce the number of competitors. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I found it... intriguing."
He glanced at Hatz briefly, then back to Shinso. "You talk about fairness and encouragement, yet you do underhanded things behind everyone's backs."
"When you pinned the blame on Yeon and asked the administrator to interfere, it was obvious you were trying to provoke an emotional reaction from her—to analyze her stance within the Yeon family. At first glance, your actions seemed impulsive, even childish... but it was a mask. A distraction to conceal your true intent."
"In fact, you were worried about your teammates. Someone like her wouldn't break from something so petty... unless she was already at her limit."
*The upcoming exam focuses on team coordination... I didn't realize it until now, but he seems to have already figured that out. Not only that—he's been taking action to relieve the pressure on his teammates, completely on his own,* Shibisu thought.
"Second, your concern isn't limited to your team but extends to the Tower itself. If, by chance, the Administrator disapproved or discriminated against your actions... you were prepared to kill him."
*Yes, this is the intriguing part. Rankers are the ones who've conquered the Tower—they hold the highest positions a resident can attain. Being a Ranker symbolizes strength, prestige, and capability.*
*And yet... He seemed ready to challenge one of these powerhouses over something that, on the surface, feels trivial. It's incomprehensible. Would he really go that far for his teammates? Or is there another reason behind it? I can't tell. But one thing's certain—he's willing to fight them.*
The once relaxed atmosphere grew heavy.
Hatz, who had been silently listening, widened his eyes in disbelief. He was stunned—but trusting in his teammate, he said nothing, only observed.
It wasn't unheard of for Rankers to be killed—but that was an Irregular's domain. Among Regulars, the only known person to defeat a Ranker was Princess Adori Zahard—and even she did it as an A-rank Regular. That was the lowest rank known to achieve such a feat. Maybe others had done it before her, but none were below her level—and all were on the cusp of becoming Rankers.
"At first, I thought you were just confident the Administrator wouldn't punish you, like you were someone who saw several steps ahead. But then I recalled your earlier display of strength... We mistook you for a Ranker."
*That's right. His confidence—the way he speaks, the way he moves everything forward—it's all so perfectly executed that, if the Administrator hadn't shown up, we might've believed every one of his lies.*
"Among Regulars, Princess Adori is the only one known to defeat one. I couldn't help but think... your strength might not be any less than hers."
Shibisu dropped the bomb, and silence followed. Long, tense silence—until Shinso finally broke it.
"You almost got it right," he said, neither confirming nor denying the analysis. "Though your answer is incomplete... I don't mind."
"It's true I hide my intentions behind seemingly simple or childish actions. After all, who would suspect something as complex and calculated hiding beneath such obvious behavior?"
*Yes, that's true. I didn't even think about it myself—I only realized it after Hatz told me what happened while I was trapped. He actually redirected the attack... toward a Ranker. He had enough time to grab Anaak and avoid the attack, but instead, he chose to redirect it at a Ranker. That wasn't an accident—it was a clear act of provocation. Which means... Either he's confident in the rules—that no Ranker would dare harm a Regular—or he has the strength to back it up.*
Shinso raised his index finger, signaling correction. "But you got one thing wrong..."
"My strength is more or less at the peak of a B-rank Regular—just one step away from low A-rank." (Lie.) I'm not confident I could kill a Ranker. (Another lie.) But I am willing to fight until I die." (Somehow... the truth.)
He spoke without hesitation, weaving lies and truths so seamlessly that it created contradiction. The formula should've been 90% truth and 10% lies. But Shinso chose the reverse—90% lies, 10% truth. Yet somehow ... it was more convincing.
In reality, just 1.1% of Urek Mazino's template was already far greater than Karaka's overall strength—a High Ranker feared even among his peers. When Urek used just 1%, he destroyed 65% of Karaka's body. And that Slayer could kill ranker easily. Assuming Shinso's power level at 100, using just 30-40% would be enough to take on a Ranker. And so far... He had only released 15%.