In a Civilized Manner

"I've been waiting here—just for you."

Amidst the office bathed in moonlight, the two men faced each other. Taking in Alton's expression, Edris let out an airy laugh.

"You don't look so well."

"How did you know?" Alton took a step back, enlarging the distance between them. "How did you know I would come here?"

"Well, you're looking for the papers." Edris shrugged. "But too bad you couldn't get to them, unlike last time. "

" I don't know what you're talking about."

Watching the man's eyes dart around, Edris sighed.

"Ekaush isn't here," he said. "You should really choose someone with better eavesdropping skills next time. At least someone who wouldn't make it so obvious to stand right out the door."

Employing eavesdroppers was one of the most unwise tactics to use against Edris. With Owein and Celio both by his side, it didn't cost much to flip the situation to his advantage.

"Let me guess. Ekaush told you the papers were on the seventh floor?" Edris stood up from his seat and strolled across the room. "But have you ever considered this?"

He smiled gently.

"Something that even he knows. Do you think I wouldn't?"

Edris purposely had Ace give out false information to the group—that the exam papers were in the office.

He'd suspected that Ace may be restricted in freedom during the dash, so he ensured the man had long relocated the papers from the seventh floor to the first Hidden Location.

Seeing the current situation, his considerations proved to be spot on.

"This is my return gift to you for trying to make me the scapegoat from last time." Edris's smile dimmed. "Congrats on making a fool of yourself."

Alton narrowed his eyes. "So what if you figured it out? Once the [FINAL EXAM] finishes, only the top fifty ranked would survive the Labyrinth."

At this, he sneered. "If I remember correctly, you're ranked over one hundred. So who are you to be speaking to me?"

At Edris's nonchalance, Alton lunged forward and reached for his collar, pulling him from the chair. The latter, making no effort to struggle, took in his anger with a smile.

"Don't look at me like that. Now, you don't want to be punished for violating the Labyrinth's no-combat rule on top of intruding on the Principal's office. But I suppose you've done much more." Edris said. "No. 39. That was your doing, right?"

Alton's expression loosened along with the grip on his collar. He pushed Edris back into the chair and took a step back into the room's shadow.

"So what if it was?" His tone was cold as he drew out a card from behind. "The only ending awaiting the incompetent is to be weeded out. She would have been eliminated sooner or later, so I put her to good use."

"You really have a fetish for making others your scapegoats."

"Do you feel bad for her? No need." Alton laughed curtly. "Because you'll be joining her soon."

Edris raised an eyebrow. He eyed the card in the man's hand.

"So this is how you got her to take your blame willingly."

"For someone with such a half-assed ranking, you sure got a lot of people surrounding you," Alton said. "You may be crafty, but in the end, you're just another player under the Labyrinth's controls."

He rubbed the card between his two fingers, and it bent over, sculpting into a syringe.

"No. 39 was no match for me in terms of strength. Neither are you, so don't bother resisting." He strolled towards Edris once more—this time, with the tip of the syringe gleaming in the moonlight. "The [UNTRUTH SERUM] will put you in your place. I wonder how your followers, how that No. 1 brat, would react after being stabbed in the back—"

What interrupted him was Edris's stifled laugh.

Alton froze in his steps. Something was unsettling about the dark-haired man that made him uneasy. "What's so funny?"

"Not much. It's just that this one-man show—" Edris peered at him with a tilt of the head "—it's quite amusing."

"No. 111!"

"All these accusations, but not one has been on point." Edris paid no attention to his tantrum. "So, allow me to make some corrections."

Spinning in his chair, he stood up and strolled towards the windows covering the entire wall, unveiling the night campus in their view. Alton thought he was feigning nonchalance, but his expression stiffened after seeing the look in his eyes.

Edris pressed his own neck to the syringe tip. The act was done without hesitation, so swift that it caught him off guard.

Alton instinctively retracted his hand with the syringe and stared at him incredulously.

"You…"

Ever since the confrontation began, an indescribable feeling of anxiety had been tugging at the back of his head. Just a moment ago, Alton was sure that the slender-looking man in front of him would be no match for him. But when the man voluntarily approached him who was holding the syringe, Alton's hands reacted faster than his mind could process.

What was he afraid of?

Oblivious to the man's internal turmoil, Edris continued with his own stream of thoughts. "First, you asked whether Ekaush was the one that exposed you..." He shook his index finger left and right. "It was yourself.

"Your [MAIN QUEST] is to rank first, right?"

Alton's eyes became even wider. "How did you—"

"Since No. 1's position came with so many privileges, it was practically impossible to get to him directly. So instead, your plan to sabotage No. 1 was to get to everyone around him.

"First was me, then No. 39, and even Ives. Not to mention your whole collaboration with Ekaush… But your plan had a fatal logic flaw."

Edris shrugged.

"No. 1's brain… It's made up of everything bright and happy in this world. Although he's ranked first, he's been helping other students to improve their grades like a saint. No one would actively try to sabotage someone trying to save their lives—unless No. 1's downfall is what would make them survive."

At least not the average person.

If Celio were gone, that would clear out one empty slot for survival. But one extra slot meant nothing for students whose skills weren't qualified to fill that slot. Celio himself, on the other hand, was worth far more than the one spot he occupied.

In other words, for most players, Celio must have a place in the game.

Although everything he'd said so far was pure speculation, it must have been on point, because Alton was coming at him with the syringe in his hand, ready to stab it into his neck.

Edris pivoted to the side, barely evading the tip of the syringe as Alton crashed into the window.

"You know what your losing point is?" Edris continued talking, "Your vision's too narrow. You distrust everyone and only work against those around you when you could've taken advantage of their potential instead."

He clicked his tongue.

"What a waste of resources."

"What was I supposed to do?!" Alton hollered, not a trace left of his usual gentleman façade. "The damn Labyrinth's rules are absolute. I only did what anyone else would do to survive if they were in my position."

Peering towards his bloodshot eyes, Edris had no particular expression on his face.

"Your affinity is dropping," he said. "I guess acting so desperate isn't in line with your [ROLE]."

In the beginning of the Labyrinth, Alton had given a speech to the other players on the importance of keeping in [ROLE]. For others, it was advice; for Alton, it was a seed planted for his advantage later on in the game.

But his words had sounded so genuine, so real, that Alton himself had come to adhere to his own advice.

Indeed, two months later, the seed he planted had finally outgrown its latent period and reached fruition.

Except—the fruit was toxic.

And it would be devoured by no other than himself.

Alton dragged himself to his feet, a contorted smile tugging his face. "Quit talking as if you know everything. If you were me, you would have done the same!"

"Oh, but I'm not you." Edris sighed. "So instead of trudging the entire circle, have you ever considered a quicker way?"

Under Alton's incredulous gaze, the man stifled a laugh, as if his efforts in the past three months accumulated to nothing but a joke.

"If you had just asked."

If Alton had simply asked for the spot, Celio would have given it to him.

That's just who Celio was.

Under the Labyrinth's rules, those ranked in the Top 100 will be the ones to survive the Labyrinth. Alton's [MAIN QUEST] was to rank first on the exam, and because of his conceitedness, the man chose the hard way around and plotted an entire scheme for Celio.

"No. 1 is more naïve than you think." Edris shook his head. "Ranking first is your main question—not his. Yes, the original role was hardworking and talented, but he did not have to get first. You get what I'm saying now?"

Because of his own embedded prejudice and hatred towards others, Alton ended up ruining it for himself.

Truly, a pitiful man.

"But should you really be wasting time with me right now?" Alton was no longer listening. He let out a shaky laugh. First subtle, then increasing in laughter as he bent over. The entire office reverberated with his hysteria.

Edris only observed him in silence.

If one were to look at him right now, no one would link the current No. 2 with the vice president from the Blade Hunter’s Association.

The Alton now was no more than a student from MW Academy who’d been caught red handed in his attempt to cheat.

"My affinity is decreasing, but you're not far from punishment either. Even if we're caught here, with the [UNTRUTH SERUM]…" His back jolted straight, and his eyes filled with a new harshness. "I'll make sure to take you with me."

"It seems like you still don't grasp the current situation."

At that moment, the window behind them flickered, and a whirl of wind surrounded them both. What Alton thought were curtains turned out to be one-sided shades. Outside these windows stood Owein and all six professors. They peered into the room as if watching a theatrical performance.

Among them was Magenta, who looked towards Alton with a stoic gaze.

Before Alton could utter a single word in defence, she spoke up.

"No. 2—you will be punished for trying to steal exam material," she said. "You will also be punished for violating Rule #5 of MW Academy."

As she said that, the rule’s description surfaced in Alton's field of view, as if serving as evidence for his downfall.

Rule #5:

Life is valuable! MW Academy hopes to cultivate a loving environment; please do not engage in physical violence with one another.

In the case of a conflict, notify a professor immediately!

"I-" Alton's eyes widened as they darted Edris's way, then back to the professors. "But he—"

"Oh? I guess you didn't know." Edris sighed beside him. "I'm here at the request of the SAA to investigate the issue. Apparently, there have been reports that someone may try stealing test materials again. Our starting points were different in the first place."

As the situation finally hit him, Alton turned to the man with bloodshot eyes. "This was a trap for me all along."

"The fairest part of this Labyrinth is that there is no absolute fairness at all, even in the so-called rules." Edris merely smiled. "It all depends on whether you know how to manipulate them."

Alton stepped back, footsteps in disarray. It didn't take much for onlookers to realise that his affinity drop was pushing the man towards insanity. The man suddenly dashed forward, as if something urged him on. With his fists, he pounded relentlessly at the window between him and the professors. Of course, his desperate cries failed to reach the other side.

Moss looked at the student in discontent while Aureolin stuck out her tongue in disgust. Sky didn't even bother looking up from his mirror.

In his last moments of clear-mindedness, Alton steered his gaze towards the pink-haired woman standing on the other side of the window. His lips quivered, but no words came out.

At Alton's intense stare, Magenta peered back. Her brows creased, but no sympathy seeped through. She then lowered her head, stranded hair falling before her forehead. For a moment, it almost seemed the woman would say something to defend him. Her lips moved silently, carrying an unspoken message only Alton could hear.

Game over.

The next moment, Alton let out a heart-wrenching scream so high-pitched it didn't sound like it belonged to a human. Before anyone could stop him, he raised the [UNTRUTH SERUM] to his neck and stabbed it to the side. The scream came to an abrupt stop, and Alton was no more.

"…What a shame."

Two voices occurred alongside one another, yet were separated by the impenetrable window between them.

No. 2 slumped onto the floor, his eyes aloof.

"I guess he wanted to end himself before the Labyrinth did."

Giving the man one last glance, Edris turned to the door. His tone alone sounded like genuine apprehension, but the smile on his face said otherwise. "Appreciate the show, though."

At the same time, Magenta lifted her gaze from the mess inside the room and shook her head. "An unsatisfactory performance."

No. 2 stayed silent.