Chapter 397: Chapter 397

I let out a slow breath and forced myself to focus. This wasn't the time to let personal opinions cloud my judgment.

"Alright, listen up," I said, stepping forward. "We don't have time to argue. If we're going to win this, we need a plan."

Aric raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Oh, and you've got one already, do you?"

Ignoring his tone, I nodded. "I do and would you listen to me?"

I asked in annoyence and started to laid out my plan.

the plan is relatively actually simple. Give the code to me and you guys do the rest"

After a finished speaking, everyone looked at me strangely. Evidently not understanding what I meant.

Frowning, the first to voice out their confusion was Hora as he irritably asked

"…what sort of plan is that? and why you?"

Glancing at Hora, I raised my brow as I mockingly said The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩

"Isn't it obvious why?"

Instead of answering immediately, I answered back with another question as I looked at everyone.

"Normally if you had the code who would you give it to?"

Hearing the question, everyone started pondering. The first one to speak up was Evelyn who carefully said

"The strongest person?"

Nodding towards Evelyn, I answered

"Yes, that's correct."

"Hey! wait minute, going by that standard won't be the Aric be the strongest since he's 2nd rank in whole first year and you are the 3rd place.

Interrupting me once again, Hora asked in irteted voice.

Giving him and annoyence glanced, I said.

"Let me finish first before you open your trash mouth!"

"Just stopped it guys and You, Lucas, explain whatever you were going to explain."

At that moment, Evelyn steeped between me and Hora to stop the pointless arguments that would waste our time.

Giving her side way glanced, I continued.

"I was going to do so. Yes, by going ranking Aric should be the one to receive one but That is an option, yes, but not the ideal one."

With his hand on his lips, Aric frowned as he seriously asked

"Than what is the ideal one?"

Staring at Aric and the others, a faint smile appeared on my lips as I explained.

"The ideal candidate would obviously be someone who could run fast or hide well."

"Since we will be inside of a random map, if we were to be put in a flat terrain, someone who can outrun the opponent so that the other team wouldn't catch up would be the most appropriate."

"…and if the map wasn't plain but let's say filled with obstacles someone that could hide from the enemy's prying eyes would be the most obvious candidate"

Pausing, I looked at everyone and said

"…You guys are following what I'm saying right?"

Staring at everyone, and pausing for a moment to ensure they were following my train of thought, I watched as the gears turned in their heads. Some nodded hesitantly, while others still looked skeptical. Evelyn, however, seemed intrigued, leaning slightly forward.

"So," I continued, "the ideal person for the code isn't the strongest or even the one who can fight best. It's someone who can disappear, someone who can outrun or outwit the enemy while the rest of the team creates diversions or defends."

Aric folded his arms, narrowing his eyes. "And you think that someone is you?"

I shrugged. "Obviously. Have you seen my agility stats? Even if I'm not the strongest, I'm fast. Plus, I've got a knack for avoiding unnecessary fights. Let's not forget, I've got enough experience in VR simulations to know how to exploit the terrain to my advantage."

Aric crossed his arms, his expression still doubtful. "In short you want be the bait."

I smirked slightly and nodded my head and bluntly said

"yes, and you will be operating alone"

I'm glad he caught on.

With him being the most likely candidate for holding the code, chances were that the other team would mainly focus their attention on him. Therefore, if everyone was focused on him, with me holding the code, chances were that even if they caught Aric, by the time they realized he didn't have the code, it would've already been too late.

Staring into my eyes for what felt like an eternity, Aric eventually looked away and nodded his head.

Smiling, I secretly nodded my head.

With Aric listening to what I was saying, the chances of us successfully passing the tryouts increased.

…not that I was worried as originally Aric, Hora, and Evelyn made it past the tryouts.

Well, although I now knew that things outside of the plot could happen, with the plot armour they had, chances were that they were very likely going to pass.

As I was rejoicing at Aric newfound attitude, Zack, who was quietly pondering for a while, suddenly frowned as he asked

"But what if they don't target Aric?"

Hearing Zack question, I secretly nodded my head. He wasn't as stupid as I thought he was.

"Good question, I've also thought about that"

Yes, when I was coming up with the plan, I had already thought of this.

With Aric being the obvious target, the other team could also think that it was a trap and decide to focus on us…which wouldn't be ideal.

Fortunately, I had thought of this problem beforehand. Staring at Evelyn, Hora, and Zack, I smiled at them and said.

"That's where you guys come into play?"

Coking her head to the side as he black hair gently fell to her shoulders, Evelyn frowned slightly. "Us? What do you mean by that?"

I leaned forward, clasping my hands together. "Simple. Your role will be to create a second point of distraction. If the enemy team doesn't fall for the bait and goes after us instead of Aric, we'll need to keep them busy long enough for me to get the code to safety."

Hora scoffed, crossing his arms. "So, you're telling us to be cannon fodder while you run off with the code? Sounds like a great plan—for you."

I rolled my eyes. "If you're too thick-headed to understand, let me break it down. You're not cannon fodder. You're the frontline. Your job is to protect Evelyn, who'll provide cover with her ranged attacks, while Zack focuses on disrupting the enemy's formation. Meanwhile, Aric creates enough chaos on his own to keep their strongest players occupied. It's not rocket science, Hora."

Evelyn's eyes narrowed, though she seemed to consider my words. "And if they split their forces? Half for Aric, half for us?"

"Then you adapt," I said, shrugging. "We can't account for every possibility, but the key is to act quickly and decisively. If they split up, we'll already be one step ahead as long as everyone sticks to their roles."

Zack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And if they figure out you have the code?"

I smirked, leaning back slightly. "By the time they figure it out, I'll already be too far away for them to catch me—or hidden so well they won't find me until it's over. That's the beauty of the plan. It's not about brute strength; it's about misdirection and speed."

Evelyn sighed, brushing her hair back. "I don't like relying on someone else to hold the code, but… I'll admit it's a solid plan."

Aric nodded slowly, though his face remained stern. "It better work. If you screw this up, it's on you."

I met his gaze without flinching. "Don't worry, Aric. I don't plan on screwing up."

Hora muttered something under his breath, clearly still irritated, but Evelyn nudged him in the ribs to shut him up. Zack just nodded, though he still seemed skeptical.

"Good," I said, standing up and brushing imaginary dust off my uniform. "Now that we're all on the same page, let's get through this tryout and secure our spot in the tournament."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "And if your plan fails?"

I gave her a cheeky grin. "Then I'll owe you all an apology. But it won't fail, trust me."

The group exchanged glances, some more confident than others. But there was no more time for doubts. The tryouts were about to begin, and it was time to put my plan to the test.