Game's Extra: Starting With SSS-Ranked 1000-Death Talent-Chapter 80: People From Association

Noa smirked at his question.

"It seemed like you knew it as well. Care to explain?" he demanded.

Meanwhile, yawns were heard around them as the students woke up one after another.

"What’s happening?"

"What is this place? Where are we?"

"I don’t know. All I remember was going inside some hole with Mr. Arnold and then... It’s too blurry, I can’t recall."

"It’s the same for me as well."

They talked among themselves, disregarding Noa and his team.

Instead of lying low, he clapped and drew their attention.

"For a reason I am too lazy to explain, Arnold’s clones aren’t with us anymore. So, as the top student of the academy, I am tasked with taking you guys back."

His words met with silence.

"Why should we believe you?" urged a boy with a long nose.

"What’s your name?" Noa asked.

"Sherlock Morningball," the boy answered proudly, crossing his arms.

"Listen up, you are stuck here with no one to nanny you or mama to breastfeed you. Luckily for all of you, I happen to be both stronger than everyone else and generous enough to lead you out of this death trap. Either you are coming with me, or you are dying with your balls hanging down from those icy islands," Noa didn’t hold back.

"And for your information, I don’t care which option you pick. I am leaving," he added.

His harsh words were followed by a longer silence.

Until the silent murmurs replaced it.

Instead of waiting for them to make up their mind, Noa began strolling and took the lead.

No one complained or questioned him this time.

The question he exchanged with Arthur was soon forgotten and neglected.

Knowing the way around the maze, he located the gate in less than an hour, with a hundred students following him.

’I feel like I am a shepherd,’ he mused.

As the blue and purple colors mixed around the gate with magical reverence, Noa glanced at Sherlock and smirked.

"See? That’s what happens when you follow someone competent. Remember this feeling."

The boy wanted to retort, but found no time.

Noa flipped him the middle finger and jumped through the gate, with Martha and Ezra mirroring his actions.

Seeing their craftiness, he couldn’t help but laugh as the mana embraced his every cell.

It led him out of the First Abyss, bringing his body back on Velrox.

Suddenly, Noa was standing inside a room.

A room with a faint scent of blood and an absence of light.

He was the one to discover the corpse first, his lips curling into a smile.

"Is that Arnold?" Ezra asked, nearing a bloody scene.

"He is dead! Someone killed that asshole," Rika responded, her surprised voice higher than usual.

Martha and Arthur said nothing.

The former remained silent, studying the dead body from afar.

As for the latter, he guessed who could have been the culprits or partially responsible for Arnold’s death, his eyes peering into Noa for answers.

Soon, others arrived as well.

Some screamed, others tried to check his condition and call the police or teachers.

"What is this?" asked a female student, checking on the teacher.

She was too afraid to touch him, but the huge golden coin on Arnold’s forehead caught her attention.

It was half palm-sized and was bright with the number Zero engraved on it.

"A message from the killer?" others chimed in.

"Zeroed out," someone said, and it spread like wildfire.

Teachers arrived quickly and began the evacuation, leading students out of the chamber.

They asked questions, but Noa cared about none of them.

He notified Dusk about his return and gave further instructions.

"Good job. Start the next plan."

"Your wish is my command, Master Zero," Dusk replied.

Then, Noa browsed through the web and found a particular post he was searching for that showcased the gory details of a dead teacher.

Pictures of him begging for forgiveness.

Video of him coming clean about his sins and mentioning how corrupt the government actually was.

He admitted the crimes he was about to commit, but also put the blame on government officials who directly issued the order.

The video wasn’t long.

But his pleading, half-dead condition showed how desperate he was.

There were two additional pictures taken after his death.

One showing the golden coin and a broken watch stuck at 00:00.

The public went into a frenzy.

Millions of people saw the post, and countless new comments appeared every second.

Some doubted the authenticity of the article.

Others were too terrified to show their feelings.

But there were people who actively discussed the subject, touching various topics that started only a week ago.

Everything seemed connected.

Red Order was the first shady organization that showed itself.

Most of their activities were hidden in the shadows, but their last two actions—killing the Demon King and attacking the Association—drew significant public attention.

Now, someone who was displaying himself as a Zero appeared and directly challenged the government.

News after news followed Velrox.

The danger and uncertainty increased each day, making life more stressful.

Meanwhile, Noa was following the academy principal and two other instructors.

An entire class walked beside him, ignorant of the situation in the outside world.

"Where are they taking us?" Martha whispered.

"I don’t know," Rika shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe they want to start investigating, and we are going to get questioned."

Arthur guessed the same thing.

But he seemed more nervous than others, as if he had been the culprit.

Noa patted his shoulders.

"Get your shit together. We all know you aren’t capable of doing that," he said so others wouldn’t hear him.

Arthur was taken aback for a moment.

Yet he quickly regained his composure and nodded.

In the meantime, the principal took them into a grand hall, in a place where uniformed officers and undercover government lap dogs waited.

"They have some questions," he announced to the students.

’They will question us one by one,’ Noa mused. ’But we can’t lie.’

He understood how the world worked and knew that someone capable of detecting lies would be sent.

So, he had to pull himself out with a twisted truth.