Chapter 207: NONE OF OUR BUSINESS.

Chapter 207: 207: NONE OF OUR BUSINESS.

"You should have known your place..." Jason said in a low, malicious tone as he gripped Rayder by the chin.

Then, having said his piece, he kicked Rayder aside and walked out of the room without hesitation.

The other four scoffed before following behind him, leaving Rayder kneeling helplessly on the floor.

Rayder gasped, shaking his head in disbelief. "No... No..." He looked around the now-empty room, his expression crumbling. "You can’t do this to me... You can’t abandon me like that. You can’t..."

He remained on his knees, gasping as the reality of his situation sank in. He knew exactly what was coming his way. He understood what they were all capable of, and he knew his end was near.

But he didn’t want to go down like that. He didn’t want everything to just end like that because of something he did without thinking too much about.

He had worked hard to get here. He had enjoyed all these privileges and benefits until now. And he had gotten used to the feel of it all.

So he certainly couldn’t go down at all.

At least, not now.

---

News of the dungeon incident had become the hottest topic at the academy over the past few days, especially with recent reports suggesting that the government investigation was drawing closer to the school.

Rumour had it that the investigators had managed to connect the dungeon incident to the academy in some way. Although it was still speculation, students had witnessed government officials and investigators making their way in and out of the academy over the past few days.

As a result, everyone was beginning to suspect that the mysterious dungeon incident might actually be traceable to the academy after all.

"But how’s that possible? That makes no sense, though..." Kael said as the five of them sat around a cafeteria table, having lunch.

As usual, they had gathered together, and the rumours flooding the academy had naturally become part of their conversation.

Kael continued, "The dungeon incident seems like something too powerful to be connected to the academy. What if it’s just an anomaly dungeon in another form or something?"

"It might not be as predictable as you think," Simon replied. "The reports said it couldn’t be linked to a mere anomaly dungeon, so there must be more to it."

Ryan nodded. "And maybe there’s actually some connection between the academy and the incident. But how...? That’s the question now."

June and Nyx exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the others.

"But what could it be...?" Kael asked, looking at Ryan. "Do you think it might be connected to the killing incident and Finn in general? Because that’s what everyone’s saying."

Ryan sighed. "It could be, or maybe not. Wouldn’t that be too obvious, though?"

As they continued discussing the possibilities, Ryan turned to June.

"What do you think? Do you also think it’s related to the academy, or maybe Finn and the killing incident?"

June remained quiet for a moment, thinking it over before slowly shrugging.

"It could be... or it could not be. I’m not really sure."

Ryan nodded slowly. "We’re not investigators, so we’ll probably have to leave it to them to figure out what’s going on." He shrugged.

"What if we ask Finn?" Kael suggested casually, making everyone turn to look at him.

He quickly explained, "I mean, it’s a big case. If we can find something out about it, it’ll add to our résumés."

Ryan sighed. "We’ve already added enough to our résumés. Let’s make do with that and avoid getting too involved in this."

Kael leaned closer to him, a playful smile spreading across his face. "Did you also add my name to your résumé? Because yours is in my heart résumé."

"...."

"...."

"...."

An awkward silence followed as everyone stared at Kael.

He blinked and scratched his head. "Well, I guess that didn’t come out the way it did in my head..."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "You’ve been using those Tumblr-recommended pickup lines for ages now. Give up already."

Kael grinned. "No. I’m not giving up until you accept my heart."

June, Simon, and Nyx couldn’t help smiling at the two of them. Kael had been pretty open about his pursuit of Ryan, shamelessly throwing out pickup lines and making his moves whenever he got the chance, much to Ryan’s endless frustration.

"Never," Ryan replied, shaking his head as he looked away.

"Besides," he continued, returning to their earlier discussion, "this case seems bigger than we might think. I believe we should stay away from it and let the government handle things. We’re still students, after all... not superheroes or something."

June, Nyx, and Simon slowly nodded in agreement before Simon turned to June.

"The dungeon incident happened to the team from your brother’s guild. How are your brother and Syll handling it, though?"

Everyone turned to June, who sighed and shrugged.

"Well, my brother has been busy lately. He’s always at work with Syll, and the two of them have been working alongside the government to find clues and, hopefully, save the team."

Ryan sighed. "It’s pretty sad, considering we don’t even know if they’re still alive."

June nodded slowly. "But they’re doing their best, I suppose."

Kael shook his head. "It’s kind of crazy, considering we were there when the team left for the mission. Now they’re nowhere to be seen."

Ryan sighed again. "Let’s not dwell on it too much. We can only hope the government finds something. They have more resources than we do, so they should be able to uncover something eventually."

With that, they all nodded in agreement and continued their lunch.

---

That night, June and Nyx met at their usual spot on the rooftop.

Nyx was already there waiting when June eventually arrived, carrying a pack of cupcakes that he shared with him.

"Sorry I’m late. Ryan apparently wouldn’t let me leave because he wanted me to give him recommendations." June smiled as he handed Nyx a cupcake.

Nyx smiled back. "It’s okay. I don’t mind waiting at all."

The two stood together, smiling as they gazed at the sky. They took their time talking about how their day had gone, although it was mostly June doing the talking while Nyx listened with a smile, his gaze fixed intently on him.

After June finished rambling about how stressful his classes and practice sessions had been, he turned to Nyx.

"What about you?"

Nyx smiled and shook his head. "I’m fine. As long as you’re okay."

June smiled, shaking his head slightly before turning back to admire the scenery.

However, as they stood there quietly, June couldn’t help thinking about everything that had been happening at the academy lately. For some reason, the entire situation bothered him because he couldn’t remember any of this happening in the original novel.

That made it difficult to predict what might happen next, and he hated the fact that, as a transmigrator, he no longer had a clear idea of where the story was heading.

The strange dungeon that wasn’t an anomaly dungeon... How was he supposed to categorize something like that? Was it something he should be worried about, or was it simply an anomaly dungeon in another form?

He couldn’t tell.

And if it was something else entirely, could it have anything to do with Nyx?

Curious, June finally decided to ask.

"Nyx..."

Nyx turned toward him with a smile. "Hm? What’s wrong?"

June hesitated, searching for the right words to express his concerns without making them sound wrong. He didn’t want to upset Nyx while trying to get some answers.

If the investigation eventually traced the incident back to the academy, June was worried it might somehow lead to Nyx. The last thing he wanted was for Nyx to become entangled with the government.

"Well... the thing is, I was worried and wondering if..." June trailed off, staring at him with a smile as he struggled to find the right words.

Nyx smiled reassuringly. "What’s wrong? You can tell me. I’m listening."

June hesitated before finally asking, "I was wondering if you’ve felt strange lately. I mean, have you experienced any sudden surge in power or something...?"

As June spoke, he noticed Nyx’s expression change. The enthusiasm on his face faded as he lowered his gaze to the cupcake in his hand.

June immediately noticed the change and wanted to speak up to reassure him. But it was already too late, because Nyx spoke first.

"I didn’t do it..."

The words were brief, yet they carried so much weight that June instantly felt guilty for asking.

Nyx slowly lifted his head, his eyes meeting June’s.

"I didn’t do it... Trust me..." His voice faltered slightly. "I... I didn’t do it."

June panicked. The atmosphere between them had suddenly grown tense and painfully awkward, and he could immediately tell what had gone wrong.

Nyx had misunderstood him, and that was the last thing June wanted to happen between them right now.