After going to Jakob's room and taking all the uniforms he could find, Darien quietly shut the door behind him and headed toward the general library.

But before he could turn down the corridor, he bumped into Mirielle, who seemed to be heading straight for Jakob's room.

A friend had apparently seen him moving through the hallway earlier and mentioned it at dinner, prompting Mirielle to come and confirm for herself.

"It's you. You're finally back?" Mirielle asked over Darien's haste.

"Yes, but temporary," answered Darien.

"You're acting strange," his friend said, narrowing her eyes. "You even lied to me."

Darien sighed quietly, realizing she wouldn't move unless he settled this.

"Lie? How?"

"You said you were the sole survivor of your party, but I saw Ayn today!"

Darien's eyes widened at the mention of the name Ayn, the Judas he had completely forgotten.

This was dangerous. Ayn was a loose end to everything he had encountered in the Primordial World!

A chill of anxiety crept through Darien as he hoped nothing had gone wrong so far in his ignorance.

He knew Ayn would be restless and suspicious of Vincent's eerie absence, and his instincts would have him watching every corner of the academy for a silver-haired student.

And since Vincent had slain the real Jakob, Ayn spotting him now would immediately tell him something was off!

Quickly, Darien asked if Mirielle had spoken to Ayn. To his relief, she shook her head, saying she had only seen him from afar.

Lowering his voice, he then asked her to do him a favor.

Mirielle was to approach Ayn and ask if he had survived the dungeon trial alone with his party.

When Ayn answered yes, she was to respond, conflictingly, that she had seen Darien.

"Why would you want me to lie in our dead friend's name?!" Mirielle demanded.

But Darien's tone turned grave as he told her she had to trust him—that Ayn was a traitor.

The word alone shivered the innocent girl.

She hesitated to wonder but complied since Jakob had been her childhood friend.

Reluctantly, she agreed to his plan: to tell Ayn that she had seen Darien hovering outside the academy gates, looking fearful and unwilling to enter.

That message, Darien knew, would make Ayn fully suspicious that Darien must be guilty of Vincent's death.

Out of his own guilt, Ayn would then try to track him down or report him.

And when he did, "Jakob" would be waiting.

With no more time to chatter, Darien thanked Mirielle and sent her off to fulfill the task before turning and making his way toward the general library.

He still had his student credits intact, so gaining access to the ancient depository posed no problem.

With most students away for dinner, the place was silent, leaving him to wander undisturbed among towering shelves of forgotten wisdom.

An hour passed before he finally uncovered the kind of works he needed.

He also easily retrieved the tomes about beings like himself, Cursed Borns, their origins, and the theories surrounding their abhorrent nature.

Seven tomes in total, and with a simple brush of his fingers upon each cover, Darien assimilated their knowledge directly into his consciousness.

He let the information settle before returning the books to their places and exiting the library.

Hopefully, by now, Mirielle had done exactly as he had asked.

He left the academy through the gate, activating <Perfect Stealth> to blend into the darkness of the night.

It didn't take long before his eyes spotted Ayn.

'Haha. Guilty fool,' Darien thought with a cold smirk.

Silently, he trailed behind, watching Ayn's cautious scanning of the alleyways and corners.

Ayn only checked the nearest buildings, not searching too far.

He fully believed Mirielle's words because he thought a beautiful girl like her wouldn't lie.

But that didn't mean he was convinced Darien was still where she had mentioned, as the brat was a scurrying, restless rat.

'I will get you, Darien,' Ayn thought confidently as he reached the end of the last alleyway of his search.

As he turned to leave, his eyes caught sight of a lone figure standing at the other end.

The figure remained still for several seconds before beginning to approach him in silence.

'Freaking thieves!'

Ayn thought bitterly as he gripped his staff and raised it defensively, signaling his identity as a student warrior from the academy.

As if that would stop a dangerous person.

Slightly frightened, Ayn barked, "Get away!"

But the figure didn't stop. Still walking, he only halted where light spilled over his face, Ayn's eyes widening.

That wasn't a thief.

"Ja…kob?" he breathed in disbelief at the sight of the walking dead.

Meanwhile, Darien enjoyed every second of his revenge.

The horror on Ayn's face was gold to him, an expression he knew he'd never forget.

But this was a moment for justice, not entertainment.

Raising his hand, the ground beneath Ayn erupted with deep rumbling sounds.

Krrr-chk!

Two rocky hands burst forth, gripping his feet and locking him in place.

The instant he was trapped, Ayn's expression shifted from shock to dread as his eyes narrowed on Darien.

He realized Jakob was a dud and incapable of this, meaning only one thing.

"You…" he muttered.

Not saying a word, Darien smiled faintly as he deactivated <Faceless Masquerade> to reveal his true self.

As he did, the rocky grasps crept higher, crawling up Ayn's legs like living stone.

His silver hair and blue eyes were more horrific than before. After all that cultivation, Darien was even way taller than Jakob now!

Ayn almost wished this were an undead Jakob instead of the real Darien standing before him!

"Darien, please! I didn't mean to betray you! It was Vincent—he made me! I was scared, I had no choice! We were partners, weren't we? Please, let's talk—let's talk!"

Darien watched the pleading student coldly, unmoved, as <Seismic Clutch> engulfed him completely.

With brutal force, the stone construct constricted.

–100!

–134!

–125!

[You slayed a Rank 1 Being]

Even before being dragged beneath the ground, Ayn's body went limp.

The crushing damage alone had ended him.

'Pathetic,' Darien thought.

He had no sympathy for traitors. To him, they were worse than true enemies.

Glad that Ayn's last sight had been of him, Darien reverted his appearance to Jakob and walked away, leaving the useless loot behind for any fortunate person who might stumble across it.

As he strode deeper into the streets, he felt as if someone was watching him.

Quickly, Darien picked up his pace, switching through lanes and alleys to try and confuse his pursuer.

But whoever it was seemed unaffected by his <Perfect Stealth>, tracking him with uncanny accuracy.

Darien decided to confront whoever this was.

He spun when he reached the end of one more alleyway, his eyes narrowing as a bright surge of power gathered at his fingertip, ready to fire.

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