Building this secret room took a whole year. “So, what, you four have been scheming this selection thing since last year?” someone asked, eyebrows raised.
“Nothing’s set in stone,” another voice piped up. “I bet hardly anyone’s gonna crack this room. What’s even the point of this selection?
“Are the organizers just hell–bent on screwing over us quasi–second–tier city folks to feel good about their shortlist?”
Someone else chimed in, voice tinged with paranoia. “Or maybe… someone’s been watching our every move since this whole selection started.
“You think the bigwigs from Deariton are scoping out our performance today?”
A murmur rippled through the crowd as another theory surfaced, but it was quickly shot down.
“No way,” a skeptic scoffed. “We’re just small fry from quasi–secondary cities. Those Deariton hotshots are swamped. They don’t have time to creep on
us!”
“Exactly!” another agreed. “No chance. I’m telling ya, the organizers probably threw in all these checkpoints on a whim. “Just a quick way to weed out a bunch of us so they don’t have to stress over handing out the final spots.”
“Yup, that’s gotta be it!” Someone else nodded, convinced.
“Alright, enough yapping. Follow me!” Anastasia cut through the chatter.
She scanned the area, then started striding toward a narrow path off to the side.
Thanks to her connection with Troy, Anastasia had gotten a sneak peek at the secret room’s layout on an map.
She knew there was more than just the main checkpoint–a hidden side path led straight to the final one.
That path was originally built for workers during the room’s construction. It was so well–concealed that no one bothered sealing it off when the place was
finished.
The rules didn’t say anything about shortcuts being off–limits, so Anastasia, with the map etched in her mind, led her group of a dozen or so followers down the obscure trail.
They rolled up to the final checkpoint neck–and–neck with the ever–so–serious Raven.
Seeing no one had hit the last stage yet, Anastasia smirked, buzzing with confidence. “We smoked everyone getting here. That loser’s probably still trudging through like a good little soldier!
“What’s skill without some smarts? If you can’t find the fast track, you don’t deserve to stand by Scion’s side.
“Once I blaze through to the end and claim spot next to him, I’ll make sure that chick’s done for–no more strutting around like she owns the place!”
Anastasia was riding high, but her victory lap got cut short by a voice as cold as ice from right beside her. “Got a problem with me? Why not settle it right
now?”
Anastasia’s face fell. She whipped around and saw Raven and Mick strolling out of the passageway, cool as cucumbers.
Her jaw dropped. “You… how the hell did you clear the dungeon that fast? No way! There’s no way you could’ve done it legit. Did you swipe the map from the secret room beforehand? Spill it!”
Mick, standing by Raven’s side, let out a mocking chuckle. “The organizers keep that map locked up tight. You really think we’d get our hands on it? Come on, Miss High–and–Mighty Robinett, where’s that brain of yours?”
“Pfft, don’t give me that crap,” Anastasia shot back, unconvinced. “If you didn’t have the map, how’d you breeze through so quick?”
1/2
10:52 Wed, 25 Jun
Chapter 968
Then it hit her-
a new
theory. Her
eyes narrowed.
“Wait
a sec… you
must’ve tailed
us here
on
the sly!”
“Ha! Knew it,”
one of her followers
sneered
from
behind. “No way
she’s got
the chops
for this!”
The rest of
Anastasia’s
posse
glared
R
and
Mick,
their faces
dripping with
contempt.
AD
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