Chapter 55: The Weight of Expectation
The room was frozen.
Not in fear, not in confusion, but in something deeper—an uncertainty that settled in the air like static before a storm. My words had shattered whatever preconceived notions they had about me, leaving them with nothing but the overwhelming realization that I was something outside their understanding.
Those who had defended me were too stunned to respond, their mouths slightly open, their bodies tense as they processed the magnitude of what I had just declared.
But those against me?
They erupted.
"This is a joke!"
"He's delusional!"
"You think you're above them?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"
And leading that furious outcry was Elliot Vance.
His face twisted with sheer disbelief, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He had already despised the idea of me standing among them, but now? Now I had challenged the very foundation of his reality. In their eyes, Mr. Fox and Mr. Dust were legendary figures, untouchable in their respective fields, and yet I had claimed to be greater than both of them.
"You arrogant—" Elliot stormed forward, his breath ragged with anger, his voice rising over the others. "You're just spewing nonsense to sound impressive! You don't have the skills, the experience, or the proof to back up anything you just said!"