GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Vol 2 - Chapter 26.1: Multithreading

"How did you know about all this?" Lyvenna's voice cut through the silence, her tone measured but pointed.

The question hung in the air. Vel felt all eyes turn to him.

He was hoping to avoid this exact question. But here it came. His mind raced for a plausible explanation that wouldn't reveal too much about his unique understanding of the world's systems.

Vel raised his finger, performing what he hoped was a mysterious smile, and said, "It was a secret I've learned in my old village."

A long pause followed. Silence fell over the classroom as Vel stood still, almost frozen. He waited for the awed whispers or respectful nods that always followed this revelation in the anime he'd watched back in his old life. The silence stretched for several seconds—too long.

Then the silence broke.

"Are you taking us for a fool?!" Rohen exclaimed, his face contorting with disbelief.

"What kind of explanation is that?!" Enya added, her brow furrowed.

Vel flinched, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Well, it had clearly worked in one of the anime he watched. He was hoping for the same reaction here, but apparently the 'NPCs' were too smart for that trope.

Mira shook her head slowly. "Even my little brother comes up with better excuses when he steals cookies from the jar."

Tomas stared at him with a mixture of disappointment and second-hand embarrassment. "I expected better from you, Vel."

Vel's cheeks burned with humiliation. He'd forgotten the fundamental rule of this world. These weren't one-dimensional characters who would accept mysterious non-answers; they were people with critical thinking skills and expectations of logical explanations.

"Your old village, Oakhaven, was known for teaching advanced magical theory to children?" Lyvenna's tone dripped with skepticism. "Fascinating. I should inform the Archmagister that we've been overlooking a valuable educational resource all this time."

Vel couldn't tell if Lyvenna was being serious or sarcastic with her comment about Oakhaven. Her expression remained unreadable as she awaited his response, one eyebrow slightly raised.

He sighed deeply. There was no point maintaining this charade. It would only make him look more suspicious.

"Well, no more hiding it," Vel admitted, shoulders slumping slightly. "It was Voss."

"Voss?" Lyvenna's expression shifted to genuine surprise. "Eliander Voss?"

Vel nodded, feeling the weight of his classmates' stares. "They wanted me to join their... 'circle'. Some of the spells they mentioned have similar principles to this one."

The tension in Lyvenna's posture eased slightly, though her eyes remained sharp with interest.

"I see," she said carefully. "And what did you tell them?"

"I told them I needed time to consider it," Vel replied carefully. "They offered some theoretical knowledge as... encouragement for my decision. Apparently they're quite eager to complete their circle." He shrugged. "Though I have no intention of actually joining them."

Tomas whistled low. "You turned down the Pantheon Circle? That's either very brave or very foolish."

"The Pantheon Circle has been recruiting aggressively this year," Mira noted. "I heard they approached three students in the standard classes alone."