Chapter 97 Royal Hide And Seek
Rishi had already requested the books from the library. It did cost him money, but Rishi valued his time more. He received the order in the evening; Rishi checked and discovered two books. These two books cost him all his contribution points; he could have ordered just the skill book and saved a lot of money.
Rishi pondered it for a long time after carefully considering all options. He had to use more credits to buy guidebooks, but the benefit was that these books contained a simplified way to master the skill and the insights of someone who had mastered these skills. It also saved him a lot of time that he would have needed to understand the skill books on his own.
The first was a black-and-white book titled 'How to Master Stealth Skill.' It was a book written specifically for an assassin who had mastered the advanced level of stealth. In this book, he discusses how anyone can learn to be stealthy.
'Back Stabbing Skill Guide,' was the second book, was a grey book with a black title written by an assassin for young assassins.
It covered every aspect of the backstab skill. Rishi decided to start learning stealth first, so he began reading the book; the book was lengthy compared to a typical skill book, but Rishi found it easy to read quickly due to his passive skill, 'enhanced focus.'
He finished the book in two hours and closed his eyes to meditate to remember everything. This book gave Rishi many insights and taught him about assassins' fighting style. This book also explains when and how to use this skill to get the most out of it.
Rishi had to learn this type of stealth technique step by step, beginning with the hide skill. Rishi had to learn how to hide without being noticed in order to master it; he had to stop breathing while trying to calm his heart.
The guide contains key points and tips on how to hide perfectly. Rishi followed these suggestions and tried to hide in the corridor from onlookers; It was stated in the book that those who are not assassins must learn this skill through this method.
Rishi worked on it for three to four hours, He was initially noticed by some students, who found it strange that someone was spying on them, but they ignored Rishi because he was in the courtyard, where everyone was under surveillance. Thanks to the expert's advice and Rishi's 'Enhanced Focus,' Rishi had figured out how to hide after some time.
He decided to conduct one last test. He stood quietly on the ceiling, watching his two roommates, who couldn't see Rishi. Manu noticed someone staring at him, so he searched the room with his senses and soon discovered Rishi staring at him and Lalit while hanging upside down like a Ninja.
"What are you doing there?" Manu inquired. Lalit followed his lead and came across Rishi. "You're playing hide and seek by yourself," he said.
Rishi remained silent and stared at them without saying anything. "Come down; we can see you," Lalit said.
"Sorry to disturb you guys; I was just practicing a skill," Rishi said.
"How about we play hide and seek?" Lalit suggested.
"There isn't much space in our room; everyone will be easily caught," Manu explained.
"We won't play here; we'll play in the corridor, and let's invite other students as well; it'll be fun," Lalit said.
"This is a good suggestion, but I want to add one more rule: if the person looking for other people finds someone, that person will also join him in finding others, and if the person hiding touches the back of the person searching and says 'Out' without being noticed, then the person of the searching team will be out of the game and cannot help others, and the person who gets 'Out' first will start the game in the next round," said Rishi.
"This makes it more interesting, and I will add one more rule: everyone can use their movement and search skill," Manu added.
"What should we call it now that it's a completely new game?" Lalit wondered.
"Let's keep it straight and simple, 'Royal Hide and Seek," Rishi smiled, completely unaware that this new game they had just invented would become famous all over the school before spreading all over the city and eventually becoming a state-level game.
Lalit, Manu, and Rishi went to ask their classmates to play with them. The other students were also bored because all they did all day was train and study, so they gladly agreed, while some students agreed because they wanted to befriend the All-STARS guild. Some students stated that they would serve as referees instead of participating in the game.
Twenty students have gathered in a short period to play, and five have volunteered to be referees. Manu clearly explained the rules to everyone, and they also decided on the area where it was permissible to hide.
After everyone was clear on the instructions, one person agreed to be the seeker, and he went to the corner to count to fifty, giving the other students time to hide. Every player began to hide—some inside the cupboard, some on the fan, and some beneath the table.
Rishi approached the tree near the player who was looking; he climbed the tree quietly, making no noise, and hid behind the leafy branches.
The referees noticed where these students were hiding; they saw Rishi take the risk, and one of them commented, "Isn't it quite risky?"
"It's a simple trick; do the unexpected," someone else said.
"Let's see how it turns out."
The seeker paused his counting and began to look around. He looked everywhere around him but couldn't find anyone. He approached the tree and stood with its support, asking, "Where are they hiding?" He looked around for a moment before moving on to other locations.
Rishi was concerned that he would be apprehended, but he remembered the fundamentals and stopped breathing when the seeker approached. He even tried to keep his heart rate under control, but it was pounding too hard due to excitement. Rishi had even stopped blinking a few seconds later.
When the seeker left, he finally sighed but didn't let down his guard. 'Man, that was close,' he thought to himself.
As the game progressed, students were eliminated one by one, increasing the number of seekers, which increased the search speed, and eventually, everyone was caught. Rishi was apprehended in the fifteenth place. The game was restarted after everyone was apprehended.
They all played for an hour, during which time Rishi improved. He was even the last person caught in the last two games. As the game progressed, everyone realized they needed to hide not only from the seeker but also from the other players.
After the game, everyone went to the mess to eat their dinner; this game helped Rishi improve his hiding skills; he asked everyone to join him again tomorrow evening.