The world seemed to shrink, compressing down to the polished surface of Master Lorian’s desk. The three small stones red, blue, and white sat like a challenge, while the three statements hung in the air, a web of logic designed to ensnare him. The weight of his future, the culmination of two years of secret, agonizing work, rested on the next sixty seconds. Rina held her breath behind him, a statue of anxiety.

Sergeant Borin stood stiffly, his expression grim. Ray’s mind, however, was a silent storm of activity. The panic that would have paralyzed the old Alex Chen was a distant echo, suppressed by the calm, analytical discipline he had spent years cultivating. He didn’t need an Active Immersion. His own mind, augmented by the constant Ambient Presence of his archetypes, was more than enough for this. The Eccentric Scholar took the lead, its love for puzzles and pure logic surging to the forefront.

“Premise: Exactly one statement is true,”

The Scholar began, its mental voice crisp and academic.

“Variable: The stone’s color (S).”

“Possibilities: S=Red, S=Blue, S=White.”

“Analyze all three scenarios.”

His mind raced, processing the logic paths with a speed that felt like lightning.

“Scenario A: Assume the stone is Red.”

“Statement 1 (“not red”) is FALSE.”

“Statement 2 (“is blue”) is FALSE.”

“Statement 3 (“not white”) is TRUE.”

“Result: One TRUE, two FALSE.”

“This scenario is logically consistent with the premise.”

“Scenario B: Assume the stone is Blue.”

“Statement 1 (“not red”) is TRUE.”

“Statement 2 (“is blue”) is TRUE.”

“Statement 3 (“not white”) is TRUE.”

“Result: Three TRUE statements.”

“This violates the premise. Therefore, the stone cannot be Blue.”

“Scenario C: Assume the stone is White.”

“Statement 1 (“not red”) is TRUE.”

“Statement 2 (“is blue”) is FALSE.”

“Statement 3 (“not white”) is FALSE.”

“Result: One TRUE, two FALSE.”

“This scenario is also logically consistent with the premise.”

The Scholar paused.

“Anomaly detected.”

“The puzzle has two potential valid solutions.”

“If the stone is Red, Statement 3 is the truth.”

“If the stone is White, Statement 1 is the truth.”

“The question as stated "which of my statements is the lie, and which is the truth” is therefore flawed, as it implies a singular answer. However…”

The Gritty Detective’s cynical voice cut through the academic analysis.

“Forget the color, kid. It’s a shell game.”

“He’s not asking you to find the pea; he’s asking you to find the lie.”

“What’s the one thing that’s constant in all the scenarios?”

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The final piece clicked into place with beautiful, absolute certainty. Ray looked up, meeting Master Lorian’s smug, expectant gaze. Only thirty seconds had passed.

“The problem is a fascinating one, Master Registrar,”

Ray began, his voice calm and even.

“It appears to have two possible outcomes depending on the stone’s color.”

Lorian’s smile faltered. He had expected a guess, not an analysis of his methodology.

“If the stone in your hand is Red,”

Ray continued, laying out his logic as clearly as if he were demonstrating a mathematical proof,

“then the only true statement is the third one: ‘The stone is not white.’”

“The first two would be lies, this perfectly fits your rule.”

He paused for a beat.

“However, if the stone is White, then the only true statement is the first one: ‘The stone is not red.’”

“The other two would be lies, this also fits your rule perfectly.”

He looked at Lorian, not with the arrogance of a boy who has found a flaw, but with the simple curiosity of a student seeking clarification.

“Since I cannot know the stone’s color, I cannot definitively state which of those two statements is the truth.”

“But that was not the entirety of your question.”

Lorian’s face was now a mask of stone. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowed.

“Your question was also to identify the lie,”

Ray said, his voice dropping slightly, drawing his small audience in.

“And there is one statement that is, by logical necessity, a lie, regardless of the stone’s color.”

“That is Statement Two: ‘The stone in my hand is blue.’”

He laid out the final proof.

“As we established, if the stone were Blue, it would make all three of your statements true, which violates the primary rule that exactly one is true.”

“Therefore, the stone cannot possibly be Blue, which means the statement that it is Blue must be an absolute falsehood.”

“That is the only constant in the puzzle.”

He finished, then bowed his head respectfully.

“Statement Two is the lie.”

The silence in the room was profound. Rina and Borin were completely lost, but they understood that something extraordinary had just happened. Master Lorian stared at the eleven-year-old boy, his mouth slightly agape. He had used this riddle for years to humble arrogant senior students. Most guessed wildly. The best of them, after minutes of thought, might find one of the solutions. None, in all his years, had ever deconstructed the puzzle’s flawed premise and found the single, elegant, logical absolute at its core. Lorian slowly leaned back in his chair, a strange, new light in his eyes. It was the look of a prospector who, while digging for iron, had just struck a vein of pure, impossible diamond. His predatory smile was gone, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated academic awe.

“Remarkable,”

He breathed. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure.

“The examination slot is yours, Lord Croft. Report to the main hall in two weeks’ time.”

“I will make the arrangements personally.”

[SKILLED APPLICATION DETECTED]

[EVENT: LOGICAL DEDUCTION UNDER PRESSURE]

[PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: INSPIRED]

[Host successfully analyzed a flawed logical paradox, identified its core constant, and presented the solution with flawless rhetorical clarity, completely exceeding the parameters of the test. Largest Mastery Gain.]

[Mastery Gain: Deductive Reasoning +15%. Academic Parry +10%.]

[MASTERY CAPSTONE REACHED….]

[….]

Ray barely noticed the system's alert, his thoughts consumed by the interaction with Master Lorian.

Later that evening, back in the quiet of their room at the inn, the adrenaline of the day finally faded. Ray lay on his bed, his mind replaying the encounter. He had won. He had secured his chance. It was only then, in the quiet calm, that he remembered the cascade of system notifications he had ignored during his confrontation with Lorian.

“System,”

He thought,

“Show me the logs from my arrival at the academy.”

The familiar blue screens appeared, and he scrolled past the evaluation for his Academic Parry. He paused at the next lines, his eyes widening as he read them.

[MASTERY CAPSTONE REACHED: 'Deception' at 100%.]

[You have transcended mimicry and achieved true artistry in this skill. You do not merely tell lies; you construct realities.]

[NEW SYSTEM FEATURE UNLOCKED: THE UNDERSTUDY PROTOCOL]

A new feature. His heart began to beat faster. He focused his intent on the last line, and a new, detailed window opened, a help file from the system itself.

[The Understudy Protocol (Level 1)]

[Function: Allows the Host to impart a skill to one designated, trusted individual, referred to as the 'Understudy'.]

[Designation: The Host may designate one Understudy at a time. This requires close proximity and a significant one-time expenditure of cognitive resources to establish a 'Resonance Link'.]

[Skill Transfer: The Host may share any known skill, regardless of mastery level. The Understudy receives the skill at a base level (1%), but also gains a permanent 'Learning Synergy Boost' for that skill only.]

[Synergy Boost: The Understudy's mastery gains from their own practice will be boosted by a percentage equal to the Host's current mastery in that skill. Example: If Host mastery is 70%, the Understudy's earned gains are increased by 70% (eg. a +1% gain boosted by 70% will become +1.7% gain). ]

[Safeguard: The Resonance Link transfers skill potential only. It does not transfer memories, personality traits, or Personality Bleed effects.]

Ray stared at the text, his mind reeling with the implications. He could teach his skills. He could empower an ally, give them the tools to survive alongside him. His mind immediately went to Rina. He thought of her brave, terrified face as she stood between him and Malachi, of her unwavering loyalty and kindness. He was powerful, yes, but he was still just one small, physically weak boy. He couldn’t be everywhere. He couldn’t protect everyone on his own.

“But with this… I could build a team.”

He looked out the window at the distant, brightly lit spires of Solhaven Academy. He had come here seeking a shield. But the system, as always, had just handed him a sword.