Chapter 8 – Shadow Puppeteer

Friday – 4:07 PM.

Eight hours had passed since the exam began.

Panic was rising in all classes.

Accusations were flying. Fake avatars were being suspected. Students were being followed, questioned, even threatened.

And amidst this controlled chaos... Winner moved forward.

Invisible.

Unfathomable.

Class D’s Quarters – Deserted hallway.

Salia closed the door after a quick exchange with a student from Class C. A well-placed rumor had just slipped from her lips. Another false lead.

But this time, she hadn’t improvised.

> “Third diversion. You’re clear to move to the next phase.”

That was the coded message Winner had left on a folded piece of paper, discreetly slipped into her bag. Their method was simple: no phones, no direct contact. Just papers, coded exchanges, and well-placed glances.

> And everyone believed Salia was leading the offensive.

Meanwhile, Winner...

He had studied the weaknesses.

Class B relied too much on a small group of nervous, paranoid leaders. He had seen one of them hide their supposed Avatar in the infirmary for an hour.

He leaked a rumor into Class C:

— “Apparently, Class B is hiding their Avatar there.”

The result: an explosive confrontation between B and C, ending in two incorrect accusations, and -200 points for both.

> “One simple word is enough to spark a wildfire.”

Saturday – 10:13 AM.

The game took a new turn.

Winner infiltrated a group of chatty girls from Class A. How? By sending a naive student from D to flirt with a girl from A. She took the bait. And while they chatted, Winner listened from the shadows of the adjacent room, through a simple air vent.

He learned that Class A’s Avatar might be a quiet boy who always hangs out alone in the library.

> Target located.

But he didn’t share the info with Nero. Nor with the class.

Not yet.

Saturday – 3:00 PM.

Salia was now the number one suspect.

Classes B and C agreed that “the girl with the cold eyes” was behind the sabotage.

Her? She said nothing.

She knew Winner was using her as a mask, but she accepted it.

Why?

Because he alone had earned their class +400 points in a single day… without drawing any suspicion.

And she… she loved it.

> “Are you sure they won’t find out it’s you?”

— “They can only discover what we show them.”

Saturday – 10:00 PM.

While most were sleeping, Winner silently slipped into Class C’s common area.

He wore a black hoodie, altered his walk, and even tinted his glasses to hide his eyes.

He searched the lockers.

Found an abandoned bag. Inside: a card, a duplicate. A rare object, but most importantly... a copy of Class C’s real Avatar card.

> Jackpot.

He didn’t tell anyone.

Not yet.

Because he knew… the greatest power is knowing when to strike.

To be continued…