SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will - Chapter 379 Learning about Frey's Master [1]

Chapter 379  Learning about Frey’s Master [1]

Moon had taken Frey out on a hunt for this very moment.

The instant he saw the tracking rune hidden inside the staff’s inscription, Moon had begun planning for a scenario exactly like this. Every decision after that point had been calculated. The invitation to hunt together, the words coming out of his mouth, the willingness to let Frey walk beside him and observe his fighting, all of it was bait.

And Frey who had been playing it safe, had taken it without question.

The Runesmith had grown complacent near the end. He believed his experience as a veteran gave him the upper hand over a fresh Evolver. He believed the tracking rune had gone undetected. He believed the sleeping poison mixed into the beef jerky had done its job.

He had decided to risk everything in a single play, and in doing so, set the stage perfectly for Moon.

When the heaviness first crept into Moon’s limbs back inside the crevice, he had recognized it immediately.

 It wasn’t natural fatigue. His body was strong, his stamina far from spent, and his Eye of Truth had revealed enough.

Moon had cast [Purify] the moment he identified it. A few casts of the spell flushed the toxin from his system. He had been prepared to evolve the skill on the spot if it wasn’t potent enough to handle whatever Frey had given him, but it was.

From that moment on, Moon had been awake. Playing the role Frey expected of him while listening to every word the man said.

Every single word.

“What about those deadbeat Evolvers in the base? Is there more to it than meets the eye?” Moon asked.

After the recent progression of events, Moon no longer believed what Joseph had told him about the base in particular.

He had a few minutes left before the paralysis runes deactivated. There was no rush, he would get every answer he needed.

“They are failed products of the master. People that lost most of their sanity when exposed to Her Majesty.”

Moon’s frown deepened. Those people were considered failed products, losing their sanity from exposure to a single person.

A complete mind manipulator? If she is, the effect doesn’t seem to work from a distance. Otherwise she wouldn’t have let Frey expose her. Unless she’s doing this on purpose. Letting me learn about her, drawing me closer on my own.

“What do you mean? Elaborate.”

“They were unable to handle Her Majesty’s powerups.” Frey said. “Their minds broke during the process. She keeps them alive because they still have a use. When the base is endangered, she sends them outside as puppets. Bait if you will, They draw the attention of spirits and powerful beasts away from the rest of us.”

Moon remained silent.

The picture assembled itself in his mind piece by piece.

The woman would attempt to enhance these Evolvers with whatever her ability was. Those who survived the process became loyal servants. Those who didn’t were left as hollow shells, stripped of their ability to think clearly, unable to do anything but sit against a wall and stare at nothing unless given a command perhaps.

And when danger arrived, they were sent outside. Confused, disoriented, unable to understand what was happening. They would stumble into the open, attract whatever threat was nearby, and run. They would keep running until they couldn’t run anymore.

Or better put, died. The people Joseph had described as people that had lost their ambition. The ones he claimed had given up on becoming stronger and chose to rot in the cave.

They hadn’t given up on anything. They hadn’t lost their motivation because they were weak but because they were stripped of such feelings of motivation.

Mentally drained until nothing was left but a body that breathed out of reflex.

Moon stared at Frey calmly. “How strong is your master?”

“My master is a First Star Evolver.” Frey said. “She has multiple peak-rank fresh Evolvers under her command. Including me.”

A First Star Evolver. That was at the very least equivalent to ten fully filled acupoints if not stronger depending on how close she was to being a Second Star Evolver. She was significantly stronger than Moon’s current combat power. Certainly, not an opponent he could challenge head-on right now, at least not alone.

“What about the woman you saw me with earlier? Is she a part of any of this?”

“She’s not. The master isn’t interested in women. Not unless they’re exceptionally strong. And that woman didn’t seem strong enough to warrant attention.”

Isabelle had been overlooked. That meant she was either genuinely below the threshold of interest, or she had been smart enough to hide her true strength after sensing something was wrong with the base.

Given what Moon had seen of her, he was leaning toward the latter.

Isabelle had two Rare skills and a class built for endurance and physical strength. She wasn’t weak by any measure. It was clear to him that Isabelle was playing weaker than she was to avoid drawing the wrong kind of attention from the people inside the hideout.

‘Smart woman.’

“Final question. What class does your master have?”

Frey remained silent for a moment, ” I don’t know. Nobody does. We aren’t that close to the master. We just obey and hope we get our rewards.”

Moon frowned. The man was acting like a pet waiting for a treat after performing a trick. He was obedient, eager, and completely unaware of how it looked from the outside.

“What kind of rewards? Be more precise.”

“Pills.” Frey said, and for the first time since Moon had pinned him down, an emotion other than fear flickered across his face. It was hunger…a longing that sat deep behind his eyes. “Pills that make us stronger. And make us feel good.”

Moon’s eyes shrank.

Pills that make them stronger and feel good.

The pieces fell into place like a puzzle. This wasn’t just a hierarchy built on loyalty or fear. It was an addiction cycle.