Theodore’s voice echoed through the camp. Everyone couldn’t move; they just felt at a loss.

"Guys! Class-1C is here!"

Every student in Class-1D immediately turned. Conversations stopped, laughter died, several students shot to their feet as weapons appeared and mana surged.

And then, nothing happened. Class-1C never emerged from the bushes.

"..."

"..."

"..."

One of Class-1D’s students frowned.

"Where?"

Theodore pointed dramatically toward the forest. "Right there!"

Everyone stared, but nothing happened. Soon after, a vein appeared on someone’s forehead as he called out Theodore’s name.

"Yo."

"Yes?"

"There’s nobody there."

Theodore blinked. "Huh?"

The entire camp collectively looked at him like he was stupid. Deep within the bushes, Siv nearly burst out laughing.

Olivia covered her face, Alex bit his hand, Audrey seemed confused, and Ren and the rest of the class looked the same.

Only Cassien smiled.

"What’s happening?" Ren whispered.

Cassien never took his eyes off the camp. "Watch... watch and observe."

Meanwhile, Class-1D had completely abandoned whatever they were doing. Half the students were now standing, several had moved away from their positions, and others grabbed extra utilities.

A few even left the supply pile entirely, exactly as Cassien wanted.

Theodore scratched his head. "Maybe they moved."

"YOU THINK?!"

"Could’ve sworn they were there."

A shoe flew through the air. Theodore ducked, and it ended up hitting another student. A fight almost started, and Cassien watched it while smiling proudly.

"Class Rep."

Olivia immediately understood. "The supplies."

"Correct."

Near the center of the camp, the pile was nearly left unguarded now. Everyone’s attention remained focused on Theodore, the perfect distraction.

"I’m confused..." Ren pondered out loud. "Is that guy with us, or is he just stupid?"

Cassien looked back. "I honestly don’t even know," he lied. "Maybe he just has some type of dyslexia, if that makes any sense."

"It doesn’t."

"Close enough."

Even Audrey looked disturbed by that logic because something strange happened. Cassien suddenly removed one glove. Mana slowly flowed around his fingertips as thin blue threads appeared.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

They stretched outward through the bushes.

’The weapon mastery isn’t going too bad, now I just have to connect.’

The threads continued extending, sliding across the ground and wrapping around tree branches.

They coiled around roots, connecting to rocks, tents, crates, and supply bags like a giant spiderweb.

And nobody noticed. Not Class-1D. Not even his own people.

Only Olivia did.

"I’m glad to have you on our side."

Cassien laughed quietly. "I’m glad to be your assistant."

[Mana Threading] activated, and the forest suddenly became his puppet stage.

One finger moved, and a sleeping bag shifted. Another finger moved, and a crate slid across the dirt. A third finger moved, and a tent began crawling away.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Alex blinked.

"What?"

More things began moving. The supplies weren’t being carried; they were moving by themselves, slowly but surely.

Inside the camp, nobody noticed. Theodore was still arguing with everyone.

"I’m telling you they were there!"

"You absolute idiot!"

"I SAW THEM!"

"You saw a squirrel!"

"IT WAS A BIG SQUIRREL!"

The argument intensified.

Meanwhile, Class-1C’s entire inventory was slowly escaping. A food crate vanished into the bushes, then more followed.

A tent disappeared, a medical kit followed, and the water purifier slid away like it had developed free will.

Cassien grinned. He twitched another finger, and a supply box climbed over a root.

’I was a bad guy back on Earth. But one thing I never was is a thief.’

One student finally glanced backward.

"..."

He blinked.

"..."

He blinked again.

"..."

The supply pile was gone. Completely.

The student’s soul nearly left his body.

"GUYS!"

Theodore stopped arguing. Amelia walked over lazily, and the three women bullying Audrey stepped forward as well.

"What?"

"THE SUPPLIES!"

Everyone turned and witnessed something they would never forget.

Everything they had in their possession, not just the stolen products, but also their own supplies that they had purchased, was floating away into the forest, almost like it was being abducted by ghosts.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Cassien slowly stood up from the bushes. A hundred blue mana threads glowed beneath the sunset.

Connected to every stolen item, his black coat fluttered behind him. And for the first time, Class-1D finally saw him.

Cassien spread his arms.

"Good afternoon."

Absolute silence spread, then his smile widened.

"I believe you’re carrying something that belongs to us."

And every mana thread lit up simultaneously.

The forest glowed blue.

The war had officially begun.

...

"What...?" One student rubbed his eyes. "No, seriously, what?"

Another pointed.

"ARE THOSE OUR TENTS?!"

"Why are they flying?!"

"HOW ARE THEY FLYING?!"

Cassien tilted his head.

"You know, that’s a wonderful question."

Theodore immediately pointed dramatically.

"BOSS!"

Cassien looked back, mustered as much strength as he could while pulling all of Class-1C’s stolen supplies toward them, and took the extra supplies stolen from Class-1D for himself.

"Get out!" he yelled.

Everyone listened and scattered, but Olivia made sure to keep them composed.

"Follow me!"

The direction they were heading now... was the same direction where the Obsidian Peaks lay.

Cassien himself turned around, kept the basket in his arms, and spun around.

"See you guys later... underclassmen."

The basket was in his grasp. Theodore, in one final attempt to redeem himself, swung his heavy sword, stabbing through Cassien’s clothes as Cassien allowed it.

’Good aim.’

Then Amelia looked ahead.

"Get him!"

The three women spotted Audrey in the far back.

"Don’t let that bitch get away with this!"

These consequences had been building for hours. The exam’s first day hadn’t even finished, and everything was already being rushed.

No one was waiting to move the pieces throughout the defense.

Every leader prioritized their offense.

Class-1C was now a little far from Cassien, but it was nothing he couldn’t catch up to once he regained his rhythm.

He was simply waiting for his mana to replenish because the amount he used had burned through his reserves.

Cassien looked down at the items.

"This’ll be nice for later."

As he continued to move, his instincts sharpened so no one could catch him unexpectedly.

Then he felt a small shock in his hands.

Cassien looked down.

’It’s... gone?’

He looked all around him, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Until he saw it.

A shadow.

A small figure.

A human silhouette.

The uniform revealed that the person belonged to Class 1D.

But Cassien just couldn’t make out the person’s face as they stood on a tree branch, basket in arm, wearing a smug grin.

The figure looked straight down at Cassien.

"Not this time, [Bastard Side-Character]."

For the first time since coming into this world, Cassien felt genuine fear.

And then he learned.

’Even a psychopath can feel afraid in fantasy worlds.’