My Level Zero System

"They must be fighting tooth and nail by now. I really hope this battle can last a little longer," Pegasus thought, leading her team forward cautiously.

As expected, her team's starting position and the victory flag's location were quite far apart. That was why she had to make the most of every moment.

Suddenly, a scout member ran back, reporting to Pegasus that there was commotion from a battle ahead.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, Captain. The disturbance seems quite significant. What should we do now?"

Hearing this question, Pegasus fell silent in thought. Just a second later, she made her decision.

"Let's take a detour."

This was the most logical decision she could make.

If they encountered two teams engaged in battle, those teams would absolutely not let them pass easily. They wouldn't believe that Pegasus's team would just walk by and then leave; even Pegasus herself wouldn't believe it if she were in their shoes.

They would fear that once a victor emerged, Pegasus's team would jump in and wipe out whatever remained. Thus, there was a high probability that her team would be simultaneously targeted.

Therefore, to avoid such a scenario, she could only lead her team on a detour.

"Damn it, this position is a bit off from their predicted battle zone. Why are we so unlucky?" Pegasus muttered, looking at the extended path they now had to take.

Pegasus had no idea that what she and her team were diligently avoiding was merely a random whirlwind created by Mera. If Pegasus's scout had been a bit bolder, or if Pegasus herself had been a bit more daring, they would have discovered that there was no battle or obstacle at all.

Their minds had never considered that someone would waste their magic simply to intimidate. At the same time, their psychology was like a chain leading them along the precise path that the strategists had laid out, like chess pieces that could only move in the exact ways they were allowed.

Compared to the other teams, Pegasus's team was closer to the finish line than anyone else. However, the distance wasn't close enough for them to risk a gamble.

This is actually quite easy to understand.

For example, imagine Pegasus is a young girl playing somewhere and decides to go home. As she gets close, she sees her house separated by a small stream. She could simply jump across and run straight home, which is right in front of her. But this carries a certain risk: she might miss the jump and fall into the water. Not far away, there's a wooden plank bridging the stream. If Pegasus walks across it, she can get home safely without any obstacles. However, walking to the plank would take her three times longer to get home.

So, in this scenario, what would Pegasus usually decide?

Of course, she would choose to jump across.

Because in her mind, home is right there. At most, she'd get wet and then run home to change.

This is a common psychological phenomenon: "almost there." The closer people get to the finish line, the more inclined they are to become reckless and impulsive.

What about the reverse case?

Pegasus is still facing the stream and the wooden plank, but now she is quite far from home.

In this situation, she would take the detour using the plank. The reason is simple: she would think that if she missed the jump, she'd have to drag her soaking, sticky clothes for a long distance until she got home. Compared to that, taking three times longer to cross this stream—which in this case means just a few minutes—becomes a reasonable trade-off for Pegasus.

That's why she decided to take the detour.

Logically speaking, whether the stream and the plank are there or not, it's still the same distance and the same obstacle to overcome. Yet, in the intuition of Pegasus and others in this situation, these circumstances feel entirely different.

Intuition loves to deceive people with decisions that seem logically and probabilistically sound.

That's also why Kain was confident he could hold Pegasus back until he was done.

…

Meanwhile, at the battle between Tolimus's and Faith's teams.

In that moment, Tolimus seemed to realize that Kain and Faith had conspired to trick them.

This fueled his fury the most, as he never expected these two, who appeared to be at odds, had secretly joined forces from the beginning.

Kain, however, maintained a cold, calm expression. Regardless of what Tolimus was thinking or speculating, what happened next would force him to follow Kain's lead.

And this was why.

"Tolimus," Kain called out, met by a furious roar.

But Kain remained unmoved. He didn't even bother to acknowledge Faith, who stood by with a narrow-eyed smile, as he continued,

"I'm offering an alliance once more."

"Tolimus, I'll help you and your team fight against Faith's team. Currently, your team is short a member and overwhelmed. Without me, your team's annihilation is only a matter of time."

"Therefore, you have no other choice."

Tolimus fell silent, realizing that indeed, only by relying on Kain could his team hope to stay in the match.

At that moment, Faith, who had been quiet until now, spoke to Tolimus, and the offensive paused.

"Tolimus, our previous agreement is still in effect. Kain possesses those tools; that's why he orchestrated all of this and deliberately came here to help you. If you let him achieve his goal, he'll escape with my map."

"At that point, no one in this arena will be a match for Kain."

"Tolimus, join me in eliminating Kain and seizing his tools, and I will let you leave."

Faith's words plunged Tolimus into silence once more.

His mind was a tangled mess, writhing in the logic and choices presented by both Kain and Faith. The entire battle seemed to fall into a lull; no one made another move, all awaiting Tolimus's decision.

He was in a panic.

At this moment, Kain opened his mouth to object.