My Level Zero System

This condition might seem a bit unfair to Selena, but she genuinely had no other options left.

Selena was affiliated with Faith's team of students from the Sword family, but unlike Faith's loyal subordinates whom he nurtured, she was more of an outsider.

Of course, she had tried to leave Faith's team before, but it wasn't that simple.

Firstly, Selena realized that this academy didn't just have regular classes; it also had extremely harsh elimination challenges. If she left Faith's group and was left alone, she likely wouldn't survive.

Naturally, she had the right to give up, but Selena didn't want to. It was similar to how, despite her fear of Faith, she still didn't pass up the opportunity to use the Sword family to climb up and escape the lowly status of "the prostitute's daughter."

Secondly, after leaving Faith's group, Selena still needed to find a way to secure herself. But she had no connections here, and her talent was near the bottom tier in the academy, so no one would invite her to join a team. In other words, once she left Faith's group, she would be stranded alone. That's why she requested to join Kain's ranks.

Although Kain was just as terrifying as Faith in Selena's eyes, at least from what he showed, his desire to control others wasn't as intense as Faith's. Furthermore, Kain's group was quite promising, so joining him seemed like the most logical choice for her.

Of course, this process was anything but simple. Joining Kain's group was only Selena's minimum goal, and she had never settled for the minimum as her first outcome.

"I want more. Otherwise, I won't tell you the locations of those things."

Selena began making other demands out of habit, but the words had barely left her mouth when she regretted them.

Sure enough, before she could even retract them, Kain turned to leave, as if he simply wouldn't accept any concessions.

Seeing this, Selena panicked. She quickly raised her hand to persuade him.

"Wait! I... don't you need the locations of those things? That's why you called me here, right? I..."

"Know your place, girl."

Without Selena, he had many other ways. But without him, Selena had no other choice. Compared to Faith, she was too weak.

Stared down by Kain's golden pupils, Selena trembled, then fell silent.

Finally, Selena could only agree to the minimum conditions.

Kain showed no joy in cornering Selena; he saw right through her type. Once she received any preferential treatment, she would devour it without hesitation, and then she'd want even more.

Her greed was like a bottomless pit; the more Kain gave, the more he would lose. Moreover, Selena's past and experiences, steeped in the scent of self-interest, made her a purely opportunistic individual.

So, when dealing with this kind of person, a strict transaction is best; there's no need to consider emotions or connections other than benefit.

Even if Faith was "wicked," he didn't mistreat those under him. Selena was no exception, but all she remembered was his control over her. Therefore, if another hand reached out, she would readily become a traitor.

After the negotiation with Selena, all the necessary conditions for Kain's plan were in place. He had acquired the locations of the weapons.

This play, no matter how intense and prolonged, was finally ready for its curtain call.

He returned to his team's lounge area and handed over the weapon locations to Myra. He told her that as soon as an opportunity arose, she needed to quickly separate from the team to find them, ensuring the team's ultimate victory.

Kain even meticulously recreated a complete map from memory and gave it to Myra.

"Once we're inside the arena, I'll pinpoint the exact locations and report back to you."

"Got it, you can leave it to me."

Myra patted her chest confidently, her hand tightly clutching the small map.

But as soon as she left, Kain sighed. He glanced at Myra's retreating back as if wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent, letting her disappear from his sight.

Suddenly, at that moment, a knock sounded from outside.

"Kain, can I come in?"

It was Mera's voice.

"Don't hesitate."

Hearing Kain speak, Mera pushed the door open.

She had intended to use the remaining time to encourage him. But as soon as she entered, Mera realized there was something off about Kain's state.

He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the wall, his head slightly bowed, his expression a little downcast as if he had just experienced some setback.

"What's wrong?"

She quickly approached, placing a hand on his forehead, and asked with concern, as Kain's complexion was indeed quite poor compared to his usual state.

Feeling the warmth of the hand on his forehead, Kain suddenly calmed down. The tightness in his chest eased. The dejected expression on his face receded, replaced by his confident, reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired from earlier."

Seeing that Kain was still hiding things from her and wasn't being truthful, Mera wasn't angry at all; she even set that matter aside. She simply gently stroked his somewhat disheveled hair and softly said,

"Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

A look of pain flickered in Mera's eyes.

Although the relationship between her family and Kain was quite good and harmonious, a part of it was built on an exchange of benefits.

Their father, Lord Wilfred, assisted and befriended Kain because of his potential and because he could help his daughter achieve what she wanted. Myra wanted to use Kain's talent and innate abilities to secure a position in the Tower of Magus, to the point where it seemed she was quite clearly trying to "use" Kain thoroughly. Even though Kain didn't pay much attention, Mera noticed.

Only Mera herself didn't know what truly valuable "something" she wanted that Kain could provide.

It was as if, as long as everything remained as it was, simply being behind him was what Mera desired most from the depths of her heart.