Chaos and Order - A Multiverse Fanfic

0092 Red Sun - A 9th-Floor Contestant!

Kai did not have any idea about the strength of a Contestant above 4th floor.

All he could do was to make an educated guess based on his experience and the Stat, Perception.

His team members had told him during his Initiation mission that the higher the danger, the more susceptible his Perception would become to it. So, following that logic, the moment he had entered the house, his Perception should have been screaming bloody murder.

But Sonia had added more to it. It's also a double-edged sword, she had told him. The higher the gap between you and the other Contestant, the higher will be the chances for Perception to fail. If your attacker has an overwhelming advantage over you in Perception, he can easily trick you too.

If it was only this, then Kai wouldn't have named Robin a monster.

The thing was, Selene was within him. Her Perception was even higher than him. It was her second highest Stat. Yet, even she had failed to notice a Contestant's presence. Then didn't that mean...

Kai licked his lips, sweat drenching his back, chest, and ass alike.

He looked at Robin, who had stopped after just taking a step out of the kitchen. He was a muscular, green-eyed and red-haired adult, seemingly in his late twenties. He was wearing a loose white t-shirt over airy blue shorts.

For a moment, Robin just stood there at door, carrying a tray.

Then Kai trembled, waves of emotions bombarding him like never before. His Perception had indeed failed... However, the Advance Emotions Manipulation was still working fine as if it didn't care about the target's power level at all.

So, yes. Kai trembled, sensing the exact same emotions oozing out of Robin as those oozing out from himself. Moreover, Robin's green eyes were terrifyingly planted on... Petyr.

Suddenly, something clicked in Kai's mind, his pupils widening beyond imagination.

"What happened?" Kurt demanded. "Bring the tea or have you prepared it for the air?"

Robin slowly, taking one small step after another, approached them and placed the tray on the table.

There were only two teacups on it.

"Didn't you look for how many guests there are?" Kurt said gruffly. "Well, it doesn't matter. Serve them first. I will have mine later."

Robin did as he was told.

He placed both teacups in front of them, but his eyes never left Petyr's face.

"You two drink," Kurt said, standing up. "Let me bring the map. Maybe it will be of some help to you." The old man left the room, walking with brisk steps.

There was an odd silence in the room, with Robin standing beside the table, looking down at Petyr.

Kai's heart was thumping wildly, thinking of the conclusion he had just come to. He too looked at Petyr, hoping the Book's Character would stand true to his name, coming to the same conclusion as him. Inside him, Selene shuddered like a leaf, sending tremors after tremors, as goosebumps rose over his skin.

Then it happened.

Robin suddenly fell to his knees, his head pressing down on the floor.

"Contestant Red Sun greets His Noble Presence," Robin whispered, not daring to lift his head. His back was drenched with sweat even more than Kai's.

Kai's thoughts screamed in joy as he confirmed his doubts.

I was right! He thought, calming down his breathing. Petyr doesn't have Stats. So, like I couldn't sense Robin's presence, Robin must not have sensed Petyr's too. That's why he brought two cups of tea. Only when he saw Petyr did he realize that there is one more Contestant. A Contestant whose Perception is so high, that even his Perception got tricked.