Chương 366: Chapter : 366

Ira stared blankly at the flowing river water.

"Statistically speaking, finding six small objects in a one-square-kilometer area without tracking magic will take approximately four hours. The match ends in ninety minutes. We will run out of time." Luna let out a huge yawn. She rested her head on Zinia's shoulder.

"I am too tired to look anymore. Can we just ask them to give us the rings?" Naomi spun her daggers in her hands. She looked across the river. She saw a flash of red and gold armor moving through the trees. It was another patrol from the 7th Unit. They were mocking them. They were laughing as they ran past. Naomi gritted her teeth. She felt a strong surge of determination. She refused to give up.

"We need a miracle," Naomi stated firmly. She looked at her team.

"We need a way to see through these trees. We need to know exactly where those rings are hiding right now." Ken lay on the grass. He heard Naomi's words. He heard the frustration in Sayma's voice. He heard the loud, annoying boos coming from the stadium crowd. He opened his dark eyes. He looked at the blue sky. He did not want to run anymore. He did not want to check another empty bush. He was completely done with cardio for the day. His legs hurt, and his suit was dirty. He realized he needed to step in.

He needed to fix this problem the lazy way. He needed to end the scavenger hunt so he could go sit on a bench and relax. Ken slowly pushed himself off the grass. He dusted off his pants. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He slouched his shoulders. He put on a small, goofy smile. He walked quietly away from the group. He walked toward a large, leafy topiary bush. He needed to get out of the direct line of sight of the broadcast cameras. He needed a few seconds of privacy. He was ready to find the rings.

He was ready to cheat.

Ken Eliot ducked behind a massive topiary bush. The green leaves were trimmed into the shape of a giant, standing bear. The thick branches perfectly hid him from the floating broadcast cameras zooming around the sky above. The stadium crowd cheered loudly in the distance. The noise bounced off the tall concrete walls of the arena. Ken let out a long, dramatic sigh. He leaned against the fake bear. He looked down at his navy blue suit. Gray dust covered his pants. His shoes were completely scuffed.

He really hated running. Running required entirely too much energy. The giant artificial garden was way too big. He did not want to spend the next hour and a half walking in circles to find small pieces of jewelry. It was a massive waste of his valuable time. He just wanted to go home and take a long nap on his soft couch. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. He reached into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of wrapped strawberry candy.

He unwrapped it slowly and popped it into his mouth. He chewed it with a happy, relaxed expression.

"I need to finish this scavenger hunt fast," Ken whispered lazily to himself.

"If we keep guessing where to look, my legs will fall off. I need a massive shortcut." Ken closed his dark eyes for a fraction of a second. He did not cast a flashy spell. He did not chant any loud magic words. He did not summon any dark energy. He simply focused his mind. He deployed the absolute laziest, most efficient cheat code available to a hidden god. He used a microscopic, completely undetectable trick. He called it Visor Vision.

He tuned his eyes to the exact magical frequency of the two golden rings his team had already found. He opened his eyes. The entire world shifted instantly. The green bushes, the stone walls, the tall trees, and the dirt paths turned entirely transparent. He could see straight through the entire one-square-kilometer arena as if it were made of clear glass. Glowing golden dots appeared in his vision. They sparkled brightly like tiny stars scattered across a map. Ken scanned the area quickly.

He saw exactly where every single remaining ring was hidden. One was tucked inside a high tree branch. One was resting underwater. One was buried under a plain stone bench. He effortlessly memorized the exact coordinates of all eleven missing rings in exactly three seconds. Ken blinked his sleepy eyes. The X-ray vision vanished. The garden returned to its normal, solid colors.

"Perfect," Ken smiled a goofy smile.

"Now I just have to make them find the rings. I have to look completely clueless while doing it. It is time for some premium acting." Ken stepped out from behind the topiary bush. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could go. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He shuffled his feet on the grass. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. Princess Iris stood near a large stone archway. She held her silver rapier tightly. She looked very stressed.

"We need a new path. The 7th Unit is moving entirely too fast. We are losing this race." Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She looked at her neat notebook.

"We checked the eastern quadrant. We found absolutely nothing. We must sweep the northern hedges." Ken walked right into the middle of the group. He let out a loud, theatrical yawn. He stretched his arms high into the air.

"You guys are doing way too much planning," Ken complained loudly.

"Planning makes my brain hurt. We should just follow my gut feeling. My gut is very smart. Especially when it is hungry for snacks." Naomi turned to look at him. She did not scowl. Her attitude toward him had changed over the last few days. She smiled a warm, friendly smile. She crossed her arms casually.

"Your gut feeling, Ken? You want us to trust your stomach to find ancient magical artifacts?"

"Yes," Ken nodded proudly. He pointed a lazy finger toward a fake wooden birdhouse hanging from a nearby oak tree.

"For example, I have a really strong feeling about that birdhouse." Laxmi tossed a tiny orange spark of fire between her hands. She laughed out loud.

"A birdhouse? Why would a magical ring be inside a birdhouse?" Ken put on a totally serious, goofy face.

"Because I had a very lucky dream about pigeons last night. Pigeons are a sign of great fortune. I am telling you, the pigeons spoke to me in my sleep. We need to check that birdhouse right now." Zinia crossed her strong arms. She looked up at the small wooden box in the tree.

"You dreamed about pigeons. That is your entire tactical strategy."

"It is a flawless strategy," Ken bragged. He nudged Naomi gently with his elbow.

"Come on, Naomi. You are tall. You can reach it. Do it for the pigeons." Naomi shook her head. She found his ridiculous behavior very funny. She walked over to the large oak tree. She reached her hand inside the small, dark hole of the fake birdhouse. She expected to find absolutely nothing but dust.