My Level Zero System

A figure appeared before Kain.

It was Tolimus, who had found Kain using the map.

Although he had anticipated this moment, Kain still feigned intense fury, forming a [Thunder Spear] in his hand and aiming it directly at Tolimus.

"I thought we had an agreement, Tolimus."

"Too bad, the agreement is no longer in effect."

Facing Kain's threat, Tolimus showed no fear. He even laughed loudly.

"Before, you were the one who proposed an alliance with me; now it's my turn."

"Kain, the one who caused discord in your team is Faith, and we're about to eliminate Faith. If you're interested, you can come with me right now."

"Oh, what proves that what you're saying isn't a trap?" Kain retorted, and Tolimus didn't back down.

"Didn't you say those weapon control tools needed the locations of the weapons? That's why you need to eliminate Faith? So isn't this too good of an opportunity?"

"Just help me defeat Faith, and our previous agreement will still be valid. I'll still let you go, giving you a chance to rebuild your forces. And I'll achieve what I want. How about it?"

Kain fell silent, lowering his [Thunder Spear] and appearing to ponder. Tolimus, though a little impatient, didn't press him, allowing Kain to think.

Ten seconds later, Kain raised his head.

"I agree."

"Now that's more like it!"

Tolimus couldn't help but exult, leading Kain away from the spot.

But in the very moment Tolimus turned his back, Kain subtly glanced behind him as if he knew something, yet he said nothing, his gaze returning without a trace.

This chess match was nearing its end, but the players had not yet finished their turns.

The Confrontation Begins

Tolimus led Kain directly to where his team was engaged with Faith's.

Unable to reveal his map in front of Kain, Tolimus had left four team members to harass Faith's team from a distance, creating a stalemate. At this moment, Kain suddenly spoke.

"You... have you met Faith?"

Clearly, despite his efforts to remain calm, he showed a hint of unease.

Tolimus calmly replied, "Yes, just to hold them back."

With that, he began commanding his forces, launching a full-scale assault on Faith's team.

In that instant, Kain's and Faith's gazes clashed once more.

Although it was just a fleeting glance, both Faith and Kain understood each other's intentions.

"Alright, what do I need to do?" Kain asked.

"Restrain that big guy, while we deal with the other four," Tolimus replied, not at all perturbed by Kain's questioning frown.

"Of course, I know he's the toughest opponent in Faith's team," Tolimus continued. "That's why your effort is enough for you to enjoy the reward, don't you agree?"

Tolimus's reasoning left Kain no room to refute. He was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Tolimus inwardly chuckled, feeling a small sense of satisfaction. Before, Kain wanted to manipulate them into attacking Faith without expending any effort himself. Tolimus was simply returning the favor.

At this moment, Kain, to him, was like a puppet on a string, doing exactly as he was told.

However, in the very moment Tolimus turned away, triumphant and off-guard, intending to launch his attack on Faith's team, the [Thunder Spear] Kain had been holding since their encounter—a weapon Tolimus had dismissed as a threat, believing he had Kain under control—suddenly became a decisive factor. Even the other team members hadn't questioned Kain holding the [Thunder Spear], seeing that Tolimus had no objections.

This was a meticulously orchestrated conspiracy from the very beginning, designed both to approach Tolimus and to bring the weapon close to him without arousing suspicion. Tolimus had even considered Kain's actions to be logical.

Just as everyone's guard was down, the [Thunder Spear] left Kain's hand, aimed directly at a member of Tolimus's team—an unforeseen target.

"Kain! What are you doing?!" Tolimus roared in fury and horror. If Kain had needed to go through the usual steps of accumulating power before releasing a magic skill, they would have been confident in stopping his sneak attack. After all, he was a mid-class Magus, and Tolimus's side wasn't lacking mid-class Magus either.

But the [Thunder Spear] in Kain's hand was like an arrow already drawn taut on a bowstring, waiting only for a release to fly. The steps of nocking the arrow and drawing the string had already been completed beforehand.

An outsider like Kain, invited into the mix, coupled with his team's forced dispersion to avoid immediate annihilation, made Kain seem like an easy target in this match. This was why Tolimus found Kain's act of keeping the [Thunder Spear] close perfectly reasonable; clearly, Kain was lacking a sense of security.

But Tolimus couldn't have imagined that this was precisely what Kain intended to feign.

Let's revisit the "playing dead" tactic used by prey in nature.

Many prey feign death to lower a predator's guard, thus successfully escaping. However, some prey feign death to bide their time, waiting for the moment when the predator is most off-guard. Then, the prey will spring back to life, delivering a fatal bite to the unsuspecting hunter!

This is exactly like Kain's situation now.

The targeted team member's body collapsed, immediately activating the invincible shield protection mechanism. After all, the [Thunder Spear] was Kain's most powerful magic skill; it would be difficult for any mid-class Magus to withstand a direct hit without defensive measures.

Tolimus could only abandon his questioning and quickly call on other members to rush forward and save the critically injured teammate. But at this very moment, Faith's team, which had been silent until now, seized the opportunity. They immediately launched an assault, forcing Tolimus's team to abandon their efforts to save the downed member.

Kain stood not far away, coldly observing the scene.

Witnessing this, a flash of realization seemed to strike Tolimus. He appeared to grasp something, roaring in fury.

"You... no... all of you! You planned and cooperated from the very beginning, didn't you?!"

All the clues came together, revealing to Tolimus a horrifying picture.