vrcanaries Chapter 92 Rumors
Chapter 92 Rumors
Bang
"Someone's coming out..."
Just as I heard the voice of the person in front of me, I felt a cool night breeze.
"Hey!" The person who approached me was wearing a neat uniform with the Hunter Association's insignia printed on it. His serious expression and cold eyes exuded an aura of authority. He looked me up and down, as if assessing me.
"Give me your name and hunter ID," he commanded, holding a notebook in his hand.
I paused for a moment, recalling familiar scenes from the game, organizing my thoughts, and then answered.
'He must be a member of the association. Everyone else should have left already, and this place has been set up as a crime scene.'
“I am Morse Scott, from the Arcadia Hunter Academy. My ID is here, you can check it out.”
He quickly jotted down the information, then looked at me expectantly. "A student of the Arcadia Hunter Academy?" He seemed to confirm my identity, his gaze shifting from doubt to understanding.
"You've been in the instance for a long time, and we need to ask you about your experience."
They led me to a waiting area, and I began to recall what had happened in the dungeon, from Fred's betrayal to being swept away by the dungeon boss monster's attack.
Next, I explained how I was suddenly sucked into another portal and trapped in a space different from the instance environment.
Since this event is not widely known, I did not use the term "hidden level" or mention the name of the monster; I simply recounted my experience in the dungeon.
The official listened attentively, jotting notes in his notebook as he spoke. "Your encounter with the creature you described is quite unusual; the initial investigation report found no trace of it. We need to conduct a thorough analysis of this area."
Although I saw him trying to disguise it as an anomaly, I knew he actually understood that it was a hidden level.
"And what about Fred Nelson? Did you run into him inside?"
I can't claim I killed Fred in the copy. I need him to remain alive in the federal records. After all, announcing now that I killed him would only cause me unnecessary trouble.
"No. I didn't encounter anyone after I was swept away by the attack of the decaying treants."
The investigator leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, deep in thought. His calm, poker face made it impossible to read his mind; he seemed to be assessing my story, looking for any signs of inconsistency or deception.
“Your experience is indeed unique and deserves in-depth investigation. We will thoroughly investigate this matter,” he responded calmly.
I simply nodded, showing no sign of doubt or nervousness. "I am willing to cooperate with your investigation. I believe that what I encountered at the copy shop is far beyond what is commonly known."
He nodded in agreement. “Your cooperation is crucial. We will continue our investigation, and we may need to question you again as the investigation progresses. You may leave now, but please remain available for further questioning at any time.”
“Understood,” I replied, accepting his instructions. After all, those in power love nothing more than seeing people willing to cooperate.
I left the waiting area for the investigation and took a taxi back to the college.
We entered the instance on Saturday, and a whole day has passed in this world; it's Sunday evening now.
And so, I left that place and soon returned to the academy.
......
In the dimly lit office, the two officials exchanged a wary glance as they watched Morse Scott leave the room.
"What do you think?" Official A broke the silence.
“I’m not sure,” Officer B replied. “His story sounds plausible, but something just doesn’t feel right.”
An official activated a covert device, triggering a special ability. The device glowed faintly, processing the data presented by Morse.
“He’s not lying,” Officer A announced, a puzzled frown on his face. “All the indicators point to him telling the truth.”
Official B frowned and leaned back in his chair. "Perhaps he's just a very good liar, professionally trained to deceive these devices."
Official A shook his head and examined the data carefully again. "I've honed my skills for years; it's hard for a trainee to fool me."
“Anyway,” Officer B said, “we need to report this to our superiors. So, what about Fred Nelson?”
An official sighed and tapped his fingers on the table. "Fred has disappeared. We've searched every known location, but he's vanished into thin air."
“Notify your superiors that his whereabouts are unknown,” Officer B suggested. “They will have a plan. As for the child, we should continue to monitor him; I have a feeling something is off about his story.”
Official A nodded and sent an encrypted message to his superiors. "Indeed, I had the same feeling. There's something strange about that kid, like something's lurking somewhere. He's even stranger than those people in prison."
A series of complex events have become increasingly perplexing, requiring them to stay one step ahead. The war between the Hunter Association and the Demon Contractors intensifies over time.
As for Official B, he slowly tapped his watch, pressed a small pin, and began writing a message to his "superior."
......
Upon returning to the college, the first thing I did was immediately go back to my room, the place I had missed for 30 days.
Having spent a whole month in the Forest of Time, I felt like a homeless person. Despite constantly cleaning myself and using a high-quality tent, nothing felt better than being back home.
After taking a long hot shower, I was alone in my room, looking at my smartwatch.
There were messages from people I had never contacted before.
[Ethan: Morse, are you alright?]
[Ethan: I was so worried about you. Are you alright?]
[Ethan: Morse, remember to reply when you see this message.]
[Ethan: I should have been with you. It's all my fault.]
[Ethan: If I were stronger, I could have stopped all of this.]
Seeing this information, I couldn't help but think that this guy was really suited to be a protagonist. Even though I was just an ordinary person he met at the academy, he still showed concern for me.
This alone is enough to prove that this person has the potential to become a hero. I cannot determine whether someone is a hero based solely on their feelings, but at least they have met one of the necessary conditions for becoming a hero.
Even so, I still can't help but complain.
'What are you talking about? Are you a child?'
I slowly typed on the keyboard and began replying to the messages.
[Morse: I'm fine, don't worry about it.]
Ethan's reply came almost immediately.
[Ethan: I'm relieved you're alright. If you need anything or want to talk...]
I didn't want to prolong the conversation, so I interrupted him.
[Morse: I'm busy, don't bother me unless it's important.]
That sounds cold, but I don't care. Even though Ethan is a nice person, it doesn't mean I don't mind him entering my private space.
Ethan doesn't know me well enough to understand this, and I have neither the energy nor the interest to explain it.
[Ethan: Okay, if you need...]
I put my phone away, cutting off further communication. This message was enough, as Ethan would contact the rest of the team and Emily soon. I would receive the rewards for the dungeon and exploration, and a small record would be added to my profile.
The Hunter ID and profile website are like a resume. By putting your previous dungeon experiences into your Hunter profile, others can see them, and it can also improve your overall score in the Hunter rankings.
This is how global hunters are ranked, primarily based on their achievements rather than individual skill.
After sending the message, I lay in bed for a while and soon fell asleep because I was exhausted. The battle with the Time Guardians had drained my strength.
......
After sleeping and resting, I woke up very early. Calling it morning isn't quite accurate, as it felt more like midnight. The sun hadn't risen yet, and there weren't many people around, so I went straight to the training ground and began my daily training as usual.
Thanks to the past month, my muscles and body have become more toned, but it has cost me a lot of money because I have been eating the food I buy myself since there is no college cafeteria.
After some physical training and archery practice in the club room, I finished my morning routine and returned to my room to prepare for the day's lessons. If I remember correctly, there's a dungeon exploration soon, on Monday. So, it's best to prepare in advance.
After having a hearty breakfast in the college cafeteria, I headed towards my first class.
However, the feeling in the corridor was different this time; the whispers were louder than usual. It was as if there was a strange heaviness in the air, and most importantly, I felt many eyes on me as I walked through.
What's going on?
In fact, I've been feeling strange looks for a while now, but it seems like they're increasing. Because I'm quite sensitive to how people look at me, I know something must be wrong.
As I approached the classroom, the usual chatter grew louder. I couldn't ignore the whispers; they were far more intense than usual. Gossip was spreading.
"He's definitely a criminal."
“I heard he got involved in some very suspicious things.”
"...He's an adulterer, do you believe it?"
Their words were filled with surprise at me, but to be honest, I was more surprised than they were.
Why did this suddenly happen?
It's not hard to understand that someone is spreading rumors about me. It's a common form of bullying. People always exploit this universal human trait.
We are beings driven by curiosity, jealousy, selfishness, pride, a thirst for attention, and a desire for entertainment. Therefore, dramatic events like this always manage to capture people's attention.
"I heard he has a criminal record in another city."
"...He has connections with some suspicious criminal organizations."
"...He has connections, which is why he's gotten away with nothing so far."
"Exactly, how could an orphan get into this academy? He must have connections."
The rumors were spreading. I overheard their conversation, but at that moment, there was nothing I could do.
Judging from the way they spoke and their tone, it was clear that most people didn't believe me.
This is normal, because most people don't have the necessary reasoning ability to confirm facts, and they accept something as fact after it happens.
"..."
"..."
"..."
I walked to my seat and sat down, and I noticed several pairs of eyes and hushed conversations around me.
This isn't the first time I've faced these kinds of rumors and scrutiny. I'm quite familiar with this kind of thing, and right now, the best approach is to ignore them; trying to clarify will only backfire.
'Those who are targeting me won't stand idly by when I try to clarify things. First, I need to find out who they are.'
Currently, the identity of those responsible for spreading these rumors remains unknown, and fighting an unknown enemy is one of the most difficult things.
Therefore, I simply focused on preparing for the upcoming course. The rumors gradually faded from my sight, like a distant storm.