"The time has arrived to face the consequences of your actions!" Ric declared with a determined tone.

"Wait, Ric!" Yota interjected, tapping on Ric's shoulder.

"Huh? Why are you stopping me, Yota?" Ric asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… I think this is enough. They ought to have learned their lesson," Yota exclaimed, his face a mixture of anger and determination.

Observing Yota's expression, Ric thought to himself, "This is the first time I've seen him wear such a look. Well, I suppose my plan did work."

"Let's go, Ric," Yota stated with dignity and resolve.

Agreeing with Yota's suggestion, Ric nodded and proceeded alongside him. They navigated the obstacle course at a cautious pace, skillfully avoiding traps and leaping between pillars. Amidst it all, Yota remained silent without uttering a word.

Ric pondered, "He's uncharacteristically quiet. Perhaps it takes time to recover after a betrayal. Perhaps, Could he be undergoing a personality shift? If he does, it would indeed be a relief."

"Ric," Yota began.

"Hmm? What is it?" Ric responded.

"Weren't you…" Yota started.

"Weren't I?" Ric replied, internally contemplating, "Wait, Is he going to say 'Weren't you too lenient on them'? Could he really have changed?"

"Too…" Yota's voice broke Ric's thoughts.

"Too?" Ric queried, his mind racing with possibilities. "Really? Is he going to mention that I was too light on them? Is this a major shift? Has my naive friend finally…"

As Ric immersed himself in his optimistic speculations, Yota cut in, saying, "Weren't you too harsh on them?"

Ric's daydreams crumbled instantly. His shoulders slumped, and he looked at Yota with a mixture of disappointment and mock irritation. "Yeah, right. What was I even hoping for?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Yota asked, his confusion evident.

"I thought maybe you had acquired some new brain cells," Ric teased Yota.

"Huh?! Why would you say that?" Yota exclaimed, perplexed.

"Never mind. Maybe changing you is more difficult than any plan I could come up with," Ric sighed, his discontent palpable.

"Wait, hold on. Are you implying that you knew all along that Jimmy would betray me?" Yota asked in astonishment.

"Well, when he tried to drug us, I managed to stay awake by constantly pinching myself. I heard his voice then, but I wasn't entirely sure. However, it became crystal clear when he approached you about forming a partnership," Ric calmly explained to Yota.

“How was it obvious? It didn’t seem that way to me,” Yota inquired, his face showing confusion.

“Listen, when you attempt something and it doesn't yield results, what's your next step?” Ric posed a question.

“I'd try again, of course!” Yota exclaimed with determination.

“Exactly!” Ric affirmed, snapping his fingers.

“Oh, I see what you mean now! But… if you knew he was going to betray me, why did you intervene so late?” Yota raised an eyebrow, seeking clarification.

“Well, I wanted you to learn a lesson and change, even if it's just a little bit. But I guess I didn't succeed this time,” Ric admitted, a tinge of frustration on his face.

“No, Ric, you did succeed. From now on, I won’t be as trusting as I was today,” Yota declared, his resolve evident.

Ric's heart swelled with contentment upon hearing Yota's words. However, a nagging thought arose, “What if I had been slightly delayed? Despite my calculations, they could still have gone awry. Next time… No! there shouldn't be a next time!”

Ric abruptly stopped and said, “Hey, Yota, I had my locket in my pocket, but now it's gone.”

“What? Isn't that precious to you? Where might you have lost it?” Yota's concern was palpable.

“I think I might have dropped it along the way. You go ahead, I'll search for it and catch up,” Ric explained, trying to reassure Yota.

“Don't you want me to help?” Yota expressed his desire to assist Ric. However, Ric shook his head in refusal, as he left to find his lost locket.

Meanwhile, Jimmy and Vivi, who were knocked out, regained their composure. Jimmy handed a low-rank health potion to Vivi, saying, “Take this. It's a health potion. Drink it.”

Taking out two small bottles of health potion from his pocket, Jimmy consumed one himself. “Puah!” he exclaimed, wiping his mouth and discarding the empty bottle on the ground. Vivi approached him and inquired, “Jimmy, what's our next move?”

“That guy… How dare he humiliate me like that!” Jimmy fumed, his anger palpable.

“Jimmy, let it go. Our priority is to pass this exam—” Vivi tried to console Jimmy.

“Shut up! *****! Do you think I can just forget that humiliation?!” Jimmy yelled in anger, his frustration evident.

“But what can we do? He's way stronger than us,” Vivi voiced her concerns, her face filled with worry.

A sinister chuckle emerged from Jimmy, morphing into a chilling grin that seemed to mirror the depths of darkness within him. “Hehe, don't worry about it. I have a plan. We're going to make them suffer so much that they'll beg for mercy!” Jimmy's expression twisted into a sinister grin.

Suddenly, a haunting silence descended, the air itself seeming to hold its breath in trepidation. A voice, as chilling as a ghost's whisper, slithered through the atmosphere, sending shivers racing down their spines. "Oh~, do kindly indulge me with the details of this delightful plan," the voice echoed, each syllable fraught with an otherworldly resonance that reverberated through their very beings. In a frenzy of fear, they frantically searched for the source of the voice before casting their gaze upwards toward the pillar before them, only to be met with a nightmarish sight. Fear tightened its grip as they recognized the source of both the voice and the impending appearance. With Jet-black hair that seemed to meld into the shadows, eyes shining with a malevolent crimson glow, a grin that hinted at sadistic pleasure, and a lethal aura that promised only one thing—swift and utter annihilation—Ric stood perched upon the pillar. A murderous aura radiated from his very being, Ready to strike with deadly precision.