In a Civilized Manner

Alton's death spread across the entire school the following day.

While local students were shocked about the sudden news of the second highest ranked in the academy, the players were calmer towards the whole situation.

After all, Alton was not only No. 2 but also part of the SAA. For him to go down, the man must have done something himself for the Labyrinth to discard him.

Even those who once called themselves No. 2’s followers showed a lack of reaction towards his death. Some even showed relief upon hearing the news, since it meant that another spot had opened up in the top rankings.

In the end, they were only using each other for their value and power.

Unlike No. 2, the discussion around No. 12 was practically nonexistent.

The freckled boy had vanished from Labyrinth 53, just like that.

“The death of No. 2 comes as devastating news for us all,” the Principal’s voice echoed throughout the auditorium. "However, it also comes as a reminder for our fellow students.”

His face, structured with complete symmetry, even had tears rolling down both cheeks at the exact same time. He wiped them off with a handkerchief. Despite the tears, the unnaturalness of his facial muscles made it hard for one to tell if he was actually crying.

“The [FINAL EXAM] is in two days. The professors and I know you must all be under great pressure,” he said. “Please do not push yourself too hard. Have faith in your abilities, and do not be afraid to seek help if you are feeling too overwhelmed.”

An uneven wave of applause occurred after his speech.

The rows of students clapped monotonously, comprising both the native students and the ones who had already assimilated. Among them also stood Ekaush. His head buried low among the student body, as though being weighed down by an invisible entity.

The players did the same half-heartedly, hearing yet obviously not listening to his words. Many of their minds were still reciting the Weisha content that may be on the exam tomorrow.

Some students, mostly the players, openly scoffed at his empty words, calling the Principal a hypocrite under their breaths. With everything the Labyrinth had pulled, many were closing to the point of both physical and mental exhaustion.

The Principal did not react to these remarks. “[DETENTION] has been fixed." He smiled. “So worry not and focus on your final reviews. You are all in good hands.”

In other words, do not try anything funny.

With that, the Principal stepped off the podium, marking the end of his speech. As he turned around, his black pupils briefly skimmed the crowd, locking upon a certain dark-haired student.

Edris stared right back.

The eye contact lasted for no more than a second, yet within that second an eternity seemed to have passed before the Principal retracted his gaze and disappeared into the back.

The crowd dispersed, with students breaking into their own conversations. Some talked about the items they discovered during the [PRE-EXAM DASH], while others retreated to their own space, edging closer and closer to despair.

At this point, it had become almost impossible to distinguish between the players, the natives, and the assimilated.

Edris turned away from the auditorium.

This was the final countdown.

***

The night before the [FINAL EXAM], Celio came knocking on Edris’s door.

The group had just dispersed from their final meeting to finalize details for tomorrow's [FINAL EXAM]. Both Ives and Celio had headed back to their rooms, but the latter appeared to still have something to say.

“…Master?” He poked his head through the door. “Are you asleep?”

Edris was on his bed, a plate of sugar cubes resting by his table counter.

Ace was hanging out the window. The white-haired man took a glance at the boy and, without saying anything, released his grip on the ledge and disappeared.

“…”

Celio blinked twice.

Edris, nonreacting towards the series of actions, casted his gaze towards the boy standing by the door.

“You’re not going to come in?” He said.

Owein’s body, halfway tucked in his blanket, rose again. He looked at Edris’s way with dead eyes. The latter smiled innocently in return.

There were still ten minutes left until the curfew.

With a sigh, Owein got up from his bed and strolled out the door, not forgetting to take his yarn with him. The room grew silent once more with his departure, leaving the two in the private space.

Celio stood a meter before him, his eyes cast downwards. Although it was he who sought Edris, the boy found himself unable to open his mouth.

So, instead, Edris was the one who spoke.

“Your mind is on No. 12.”

“It is," Celio admitted. "I should have warned him more.”

"Why?" Edris’s voice was calm but prompting. “Why do you say that?”

“I just thought…” Celio swallowed. “I just- since he acts so goofy with others all the time, it must be easy for people to take advantage of him. But I just left it be. I just thought it was best for him to experience the mal-intentions firsthand and learn his lesson the hard way. But I didn’t think it would end up like this.”

After failing to save No. 12 from the Shadows at the elevator last night, Celio immediately tracked down Ekaush's room the next morning. As the top-ranked in the academy, it wasn't hard for him to obtain information on what happened.

The card he used to undermine the freckled boy was called the [FLIP-FLOP].

Upon activating the card, the player could switch identities with another student whose ranking was either one above or one below him.

Ekaush just happened to choose the former, which turned out to be the freckled boy.

It was an injustice, undeserved death.

An unspeakable devastation overcame Celio upon learning the truth. Just as curfew ended this morning, he had immediately gone to Ekaush's room for a confrontation, only for the man to have already assimilated with his [ROLE].

"He took the easy way out." Celio stared at the ground. "It wasn't fair."

"It wasn't." Edris agreed. "But you knew that already, didn't you?

"Yet you're still being weighed down by regret."

Celio pursed his lips into a line.

“I guess so,” he said. “I just… We weren't even close. But we could have been.

"I just realized that I never even learnt of his name—if he even had one.

"I wish things had turned out differently."

Edris didn’t voice any consolidations. With a soft exhale, he patted the chair across his table, and Celio sat down.

"I know what you're thinking," Edris said. “Currently, your mind is filled with alternative situations. What if I had told him earlier? What if I had interacted with him more? What if I had talked more with him?

“You’re thinking about all these hypothetical situations—things that could have but did not happen.”

Celio's hands gripped the wooden edge of the chair.

Edris’s voice retained its usual calmness. “But Celio—there are no what-ifs. These hypothetical thoughts would only affect your mentality.”

“I’ll pull myself together. Don't worry," the boy said quickly. “I won’t let this impact the plan tomorrow.”

“Forget about the plan for now.” Edris shook his head. “Do you remember the last thing No. 12 said to you?”

At the sudden question, Celio’s words came to a halt. He blinked as his mind flashed back to last night, and the final smile on No. 12’s face as they brushed shoulders.

The next moment, his eyes lit up.

Seeing the boy’s reaction, Edris knew his work was done here. Knowing his personality, the more Celio tried to get something off his mind, the more it would bother him.

That said, the best way to deal with this type of mentality was to redirect and reform.

Redirect the feeling to the true target, and reform the frustration into something different, something of more value.

Edris tossed the last sugar cube into his mouth and stood up.

“It’s getting late. Big day tomorrow.” He gave Celio’s shoulder a firm press.

“We’ve got a firework show on its way.”

***

Despite the conversation, the night still ended up a sleepless night.

The dormitory, though silent under the moonlight, housed only awake. Carrying a collective sense of insomnia, the students of MW Academy gathered in front of the academic building the next morning.

Edris, Celio, Ives, Owein, and No. 39 met on the side of the building. At the entrance, the six professors, including Ace, stood in a line. The Principal was nowhere to be found.

At Magenta’s command, the students were led into the academic building in an orderly fashion. Before stepping through the doors, each student was to undergo a set of scanning for security purposes.

Stepping through the security bars, Edris waited a bit before the lights turned green. He’d stored the cards back into the interface prior to entering, which proved to be a wise choice, as the student a few lines away saw his own cards confiscated.

In groups, the students then took the elevator up, stopping on the sixth floor.

The Shadows led them through the twists and turns of the hallway. As Edris stood outside the test room, he skimmed his profile information one last time.

PLAYER ID

Edris

LABYRINTH

#53

PLAYER STATUS

Normal

ROLE DESCRIPTION

You are an incoming student who got into MW Academy by bribing the Principal. Congratulations on your admittance!

You… [EXPAND FULL DESCRIPTION HERE]

AFFINITY LEVEL

80%

CARD SLOT

Blazing Torrent

Earplugs

[EMPTY]

NOTE: Future card slots may be unlocked as a reward

PLAYER [EDRIS] 'S MAIN QUEST:

Confess to your unrequited love during the [FINAL EXAM]!

TIME LIMIT: 00:03:05:46

Everything was in its place.

It was finally time for the [FINAL EXAM].