62 – Bait

“Everyone, get yourselves together. Time’s ticking—we’re starting the hunt.”

They had barely landed, and before anyone could find their footing, Irene had already overstepped her bounds and issued orders to the entire team—completely bypassing the Divine Child, who was supposed to be the captain.

“Irene, we just got into the secret realm,” the Divine Child in Irene’s team began, “the dizziness hasn’t worn off yet. Let’s rest for a moment. Besides, I doubt we’re the only ones who locked onto Teresa’s team. If other squads also go after her, it could devolve into a free-for-all. That wouldn’t work in our favor...”

But Irene answered his concerns with a sneer of contempt.

“Oh, come on, my dear Divine Child—aren’t you a bit too cowardly? Standing here making it sound all righteous and heroic—what, are you going to charge in first when the fighting starts?”

“I...”

“All you need to do is stay in the back. Whether it’s an ambush or a direct confrontation, we’re the ones who’ll handle it. You don’t need to worry—just keep feeding us intel from the rear,” Irene said flatly. The message was clear: We only brought you into this team because it was convenient. Don’t get deluded into thinking you’re the real leader. If you’re not lifting a finger, then keep your mouth shut.

“...Understood.”

The Divine Child sighed and nodded helplessly, powerless to challenge Irene’s seizure of control.

And just like that, the true power dynamic of the secret realm match was established—Irene was calling the shots, not the nominal captain.

“Alright everyone, no time to dawdle. The spoils won’t pick themselves up,” Irene said with a predatory lick of her lips. She raised her token, and the whole team entered a number in unison: 30.

Two inconspicuous red dots instantly lit up on the token’s display.

“Follow me. Move out with everything you’ve got—don’t let the others beat us to it.” Irene had now fully taken over command, rendering the Divine Child irrelevant.

But that was to be expected—one teammate was Irene’s loyal lackey, and the other was a classmate who naturally leaned her way. Of course no one was going to listen to the Divine Child.

“Wait, hold on a second...” Watching the three teammates charge ahead and leave him behind, the Divine Child felt a wave of despair.

They were obviously ignoring him. After all, a Divine Child only had the physique of an ordinary person—how could he possibly keep up with a Divine Princess?

Falling out of sync with the team’s Divine Child was a huge misstep...

Without protection, a Divine Child was dangerously vulnerable—and without their Divine Child, even Divine Princesses were at risk.

This was madness.

The Divine Child couldn’t even find the words for his frustration. What kind of team had he ended up in?

But like it or not, the match had started. He had no choice but to trudge along and try to catch up with teammates who had already disappeared from sight.

***

Meanwhile, atop a small hill—

A light breeze played with the satin-like strands of my hair. One hand on my hip, the other relaxed near my hemline, I—platinum-blonde and sharp-eyed—gazed down upon every blade of grass and leaf below, my emerald eyes sweeping over the open field. With the Elves’ exceptional vision, everything was crystal clear.

The butterfly hairpin at my temple traced a soft arc of blue light as my gaze shimmered.

Divine Appraisal, activate.

In a single breath’s time, every detail—swaying bushes, trembling leaves, insects around the roots—nothing escaped my notice.

Yet, this wasn’t solely the work of Divine Appraisal. Much of it came from my own innate perception.

I had an exceptionally high affinity with nature. In the forest, every leaf, flower, and tree was like an extension of my senses. I used that connection to unleash an all-encompassing Divine Appraisal over this entire forest.

It didn’t take long before some uninvited guests showed up.

Pursuers. Two teams, for now—Teams 13 and 22.

After a quick scan of their information using Divine Appraisal, I canceled the skill.

My mental strength wasn’t enough to sustain it for long—just a glance was all I needed.

I raised both hands, closed my eyes, and let my toes hover lightly above the ground, feeling the forest’s feedback through the wind that toyed with my hair. My wheat-gold locks—falling like grain to my knees—swayed like a tail.

They were close—within a hundred meters.

I opened my eyes. My olive-gem irises fixed calmly on the “bait” I had released below.

Never underestimate the intelligence of others. If you want a fish to bite, you need bait—at the very least, you have to give these fledgling students a signal that their ambush has worked.

And what was the bait?

I crouched silently and looked toward “Dylin,” who was running in my direction from below.

I had set the puppet to “Follow Mode,” then retreated at a pace it simply couldn’t keep up with.

The point wasn’t to get away—it was to create the illusion that the poor, blind Divine Child had been abandoned by their Divine Princess.

And that was indeed the case. That puppet was never the real Dylin. If it followed me, it would only drag me down—so why not use it as disposable tactical bait?

Hidden atop the hill, I had no fear of being spotted. The forest was my natural ally, my camouflage. At most, my location would show as a vague red dot on their tokens.

Just as I’d expected, both teams lit up with joy upon seeing “Dylin” on the run. They glanced at their tokens and saw that the other red dot (me) was still quite a distance away.

Clearly, the Divine Child had been abandoned.

If either of them could eliminate him, their team would gain one point—and that would likely guarantee they wouldn’t be eliminated themselves.

But then came the problem: their Divine Children weren’t idiots. As soon as they sensed Dylin’s presence, they also sensed each other's presence.

Both teams’ Divine Children hesitated. Would engaging in a fight right now be wise?

Teresa might not be the only one being pursued. If the two teams fought over a single target, they’d just be helping whoever came next.

Sure, the lone Divine Princess who abandoned her Divine Child didn’t pose much of a threat—but this possibility couldn’t be ignored.

Divine Children, more than any other role, were expected to think strategically, to plan ahead.

That’s why they were usually made team leaders and tacticians.

Unfortunately for them, they had overlooked one thing:

They weren’t the only ones in their teams.

Just like how instinct sometimes overrules reason, no matter how much the Divine Children wanted restraint, their teammates had other ideas.

Add in the fact that these freshman teams hadn’t had much time to build coordination, and it led to the inevitable outcome—

Each team had a Divine Princess who charged ahead without waiting, eyes gleaming with excitement, bolting straight toward the fleeing “Dylin.”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.