The middle-aged man who realized he had fallen into a trap couldn't help but show a panicked expression. He immediately began to struggle desperately, but no matter how hard he tried, it had no effect. He couldn't break free.

"I can't move..."

"Of course, you can't move. If it were that easy, all my efforts would be in vain. It took me a lot of effort to set up this cement trap."

Perhaps knowing that struggling was useless, the middle-aged man gave up and looked up at Ryuto.

"Is this trap your doing?"

"Sigh... It took me a lot of effort. I'm exhausted today. This trap is way beyond the scope of my job. It's like an evil overtime work. They really don't treat corporate slaves like human beings. Shouldn't the relevant authorities do something about it? Although I didn't bribe anyone beforehand."

Saying that, Ryuto sat down directly on the ground, looking completely exhausted.

The middle-aged man didn't want to believe it.

"Putting that aside, the most important thing is that you shouldn't have had the time to prepare."

"Well... Although I didn't have time after the game started, I actually prepared beforehand. After all, time is something that can be squeezed. Anyway, I'm working overtime here for free. This can be considered as abuse. This is what they call a corporate slave, sigh... I've lost to work again!"

For some reason, it felt as if Ryuto had made up his mind, and he spoke with a stronger tone.

"So, the reason you chose to be bait here is because the trap is here?"

"Right. Although I was attacked, I was the one who chose the location."

Thinking of reversing the assassination and making the assassin follow his own steps, the middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh inwardly, even though Ryuto was the enemy.

"...But how did you make me fall into this trap? You shouldn't have been able to predict my movements."

Why do I feel like I've become a teacher? It's really troublesome. This déjà vu feeling...

"You're right. No matter what method I used, I couldn't predict your movements."

"Then..."

"But I can make up for it with other methods."

"Other methods?"

"Yes, if I can't predict it, I can directly manipulate it."

"Is that so?"

After hearing the answer, the middle-aged man seemed to understand something.

"You're right, it sounds simple when you say it, but it's not that simple in practice. You have such strong physical abilities that you can jump so far. Ordinary traps wouldn't work at all. Sigh... The basic attributes of the enemy are so high, this game is clearly breaking the rules, it's a bug. Reality is indeed a crappy game."

Ryuto's emotions seemed a bit excited as he spoke. It was as if he was expressing his determination and venting his frustrations. After venting, Ryuto returned to the main topic.

"Anyway, the first step is to let Hiyori dodge your attacks, though she might not be able to completely avoid them. When your planned attacks fail and your attacks are always dodged, you will inevitably become impatient. That's the first step. Then, find the opportunity to attack. At that moment, you should become conscious again due to the pain. At the same time, you know very well that you have the advantage in terms of strength. So you will definitely find a way to create an opportunity where Hiyori can't dodge your attacks. Once you confirm that your opponent can't avoid it, you will attack without hesitation. At that moment, all Hiyori needs to do is to follow your lead and block your attack. Since you will definitely stop in front of her, just make sure Hiyori stands a little behind the trap before you attack."

Although it sounded reasonable, there was a big problem.

"What if I suddenly attack you in the middle? Then won't your plan fail?"

Yes, this plan is based on the premise that I won't actively attack the target. Once I do, this strategy won't work anymore. Moreover, even if I'm the Sword Mage of the Far East, I can't guarantee that I can prevent myself from attacking the target in any situation.

Ryuto seemed to have expected the question and his response to the middle-aged man was calm.

"So that's why Hiyori didn't appear at first and suddenly attacked you. The idea was to divert your attention to her, although it's not guaranteed. It all depends on the individual, no one can guarantee anything. Hm... if it didn't work, then it's up to fate. But today, luck was on my side, so it should be fine. It seems like I'm quite lucky today, haha."

Ryuto said with a bitter smile.

The middle-aged man couldn't help but feel surprised, even frightened. At first glance, everything seemed improvised, even coincidental. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that all of this had been carefully planned. Not only did they know his abilities, but they even understood his mindset. With the information they acquired, they were able to deduce various possibilities. Although there was no concrete evidence, they were quite certain. The middle-aged man realized that he had fallen into a trap, and everything was within their expectations. The fear within him grew stronger.

Was this the reason why that person wanted to get rid of him? It was unexpected that they had already anticipated this. Although he didn't know how they found out about his existence, the fact proved that they were correct in recognizing him. And now, he understood why they allowed him to use that ability.

Since that was the case, he had to eliminate him now, or else it would become a huge problem in the future.

However, Ryuto's words suddenly interrupted the middle-aged man's thoughts.

Ryuto, with an unusually serious expression, pretended to cough a few times.

"Cough... cough... What... What's... your name."

He managed to utter a fairly rigid sentence in a foreign language.

...

Because of the overwhelming shock, the middle-aged man had no reaction and just stood there. It wasn't because Ryuto's pronunciation was terrible; it was just too sudden for him to adjust.

Ryuto, on the other hand, only held his head in frustration.

"It's quite difficult indeed... foreign languages. Well, let's just speak in our native language."

As he spoke, Ryuto's eyes suddenly changed, as if he had transformed into a different person. He appeared exceptionally calm, and his sharp gaze was intimidating.

"So, who are you exactly, should I address you as 'masked man' or 'Professor Ishida'?"