A voice emerged from the crowd, smooth and confident. "I will go."

Ace and Owein flinched at the sound, their eyes snapping toward the source. The voice belonged to none other than [EDRIS].

Before either of them could react, Dove’s success and [EDRIS]’s announcement had emboldened the students, and Moss gestured for him to proceed.

Owein’s hand shot out, gripping Ace’s arm. "We can’t let him go up."

Ace’s mind raced, but his gaze remained locked on [EDRIS]. He knew Owein was right. If the imposter went up the tower, he would almost certainly choose the wrong Shadow, dooming the real Edris and sabotaging their chances of completing the [MAIN QUEST].

But before either could act, another voice rang out, cutting through the tension.

"I will go."

The crowd parted, and Roos stepped forward once again, her calm demeanour a stark contrast to the chaos around her.

Her eyes locked briefly with [EDRIS] before turning to Moss.

"If I may," she said with a faint, knowing smile.

The room was silent, the weight of anticipation pressing heavily on every masked figure in the chamber. All eyes turned to Roos as Moss gestured toward the spiral staircase with a slight nod of approval.

"This student has already volunteered to go first," Moss announced, his voice calm yet commanding.

Roos glanced at [EDRIS], her expression unreadable beneath her mask. Then, with characteristic bluntness, she asked, "Can I go before you?"

The room collectively held its breath. [EDRIS], maintaining the illusion of Edris’s easygoing demeanour, shrugged with a nonchalance that felt oddly forced.

"Be my guest," he said smoothly, his tone betraying nothing.

Moss studied Roos briefly, his expression unreadable, before motioning her forward. "Go ahead."

Without hesitation, Roos stepped toward the staircase, her movements steady and deliberate. The moment her foot touched the first step, the entire tower plunged into darkness, save for a single spotlight that illuminated her ascending figure. Gasps rippled through the crowd as their view of the spiralling staircase narrowed to Roos alone.

The students standing below were a mixed bag of states—some had fully succumbed to assimilation, their eyes blank and their postures stiff, while others clung desperately to the last vestiges of their sanity. But at this moment, all eyes were fixed on Roos as she ascended. The display cases lining the staircase glowed faintly, each holding a figurine indistinguishable from the next.

Players murmured among themselves, their voices tinged with despair.

"How are we supposed to find the right one?" one whispered.

Another spat bitterly, "To think our life and death at this point is based on luck…?!"

Owein stood next to Ace, his gaze steady as he scanned the staircase. He felt Ace’s eyes on him and turned to meet his gaze. In that moment, no words were necessary; they both understood what the other was thinking.

There was a hidden clue in Moss’s instructions, something the man had deliberately withheld.

Ace’s mind replayed Moss’s words, his sharp instincts piecing together the puzzle. He glanced at the Shadows stationed beside each glowing display case, their dark, amorphous forms flickering like restless wraiths. The memory of Dove’s confident stride flashed before him—how she had walked up the stairs without once glancing at the figurines in the cases.

Instead, her focus had been on the Shadows themselves.

"The key isn’t in the figurines," Ace murmured, so quietly that only Owein could hear. "It’s the Shadows."

Owein’s eyes narrowed in agreement. "Your so-called [FACE] isn’t meant to be literal. It’s the counterpart—your identity before the Labyrinth stripped it away."

Ace’s jaw tightened as he watched Roos, who continued her ascent. Her pace was measured, her posture betraying no hint of hesitation.

Was she aware of the true key, or was she simply following her instincts?

Roos reached the midpoint of the staircase. The Shadows around her seemed to shift, their dark forms bristling as though sensing her intent. Below, the students watched with bated breath, their anxiety mounting with every second.

Ace’s gaze followed Roos as the stairs lit up one by one beneath her steps, casting an ethereal glow in the dim tower. Her movements were steady, deliberate, and oddly detached. Unlike the others who had gone before her, Roos seemed to ignore the display cases and the Shadows entirely.

She simply took one step after another, climbing as if none of this concerned her.

Ace frowned, his instincts pricking.

Was this a bluff, a bold act of defiance, or had she figured out something no one else had? He knew better by now to not underestimate the woman who was supposedly Edris’s old mentor. However, it was also impossible to tell what she was planning from her series of acts.

As Roos reached the uppermost section of the spiral staircase, murmurs of confusion began to ripple among the students below. The tension was palpable; everyone’s eyes glued to her every step.

It was then Ace felt it—a presence behind him.

He turned slightly, his senses sharp despite the mana restrictions of the tower. A figure approached from behind, footsteps muted against the ambient hum of tension. In the thick gloom, it was impossible to make out details, but Ace's muscles tensed as soon as the person spoke.

In the oppressive darkness of the Dread Chamber, the mana restrictions rendered it impossible to discern the identity of whoever approached. Still, the moment they spoke, Ace stiffened. The voice, cold yet familiar, hovered behind his ear in a low whisper.

“No. 39,” he muttered under his breath.

The woman’s sudden appearance could only mean one thing: the [SECRET ORGANIZATION] had made their move.

No. 39 didn’t waste time with formalities. Her voice carried a peculiar edge—calm, yet insistent—as she leaned closer.

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“There’s a secret spot in this tower,” she said. “It holds something important. You must find it..”

He turned his head slightly, watching her out of the corner of his eye. The longer she spoke, the more dissonance he felt, like an instrument being played out of tune.

There was something off about her.

Ace’s first thought was that No. 39 might not be who she seemed. His mind flicked to Robin, Nest’s operative, and how they had once infiltrated the Labyrinth by posing as the Principal in a previous cycle. Could Robin be masquerading as No. 39 now?

Yet… no. Something about this wasn’t adding up.

Ace scrutinised her as she continued, her voice gaining an almost mechanical rhythm. “You must hurry. You must find it before Nest.”

Nest.

Her words lingered in the air, and Ace’s instincts tugged at him, signalling that something was fundamentally wrong. He threw a cold glance over his shoulder, putting some distance between them. No. 39’s posture didn’t shift. Her form seemed unnaturally still, her presence radiating an unfamiliar intensity.

“How do you know Nest?” Ace said, his low voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

At his words, she stilled completely. The silence stretched uncomfortably long, the weight of it pressing on him. Ace stood with his usual posture, but his muscles tensed indiscernibly beneath his blazer, ready to strike at any moment.

Finally, the woman spoke, her voice dropping into an unsettling monotone.

“Remember what you came into this world for, 004.”

The name struck him like a hammer blow. His name, stripped down to an identity that might as well belong to a stranger. The hollow cadence in her voice drew an unignorable pressure—almost like she wasn’t speaking of her own volition.

Ace’s gaze sharpened. His lips parted to press further, but before he could speak, his [PROFILE] suddenly flared into view. A new message appeared, the glowing text stark against the gloom.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A HIDDEN QUEST:

Player Ace 004—head to the Principal’s Office!

TIME LIMIT: ???

REWARD: Memory Fragment (1/5)

The abrupt instruction and the mention of a reward pulled his focus momentarily. When he glanced up, No. 39 was gone.

Ace scanned the space around him, his expression stoic but his thoughts racing.

Just as he attempted to piece together her cryptic message, a sudden commotion erupted among the crowd.

Owein nudged him urgently. “Look!” He pointed up at the staircase.

Ace tore his gaze from the notification. He turned sharply, his focus shifting to the tower’s apex.

Roos had stopped just a few steps shy of the summit, her form illuminated by the spiralling stairs. Slowly, she turned to face the crowd below. For a long moment, her figure remained eerily still, illuminated against the faint glow of the tower.

Then, without a word, she reached into her pocket and pulled out three identical cards, each with a bomb icon plastered on it.

Ace narrowed his eyes. He recognised them immediately.

Skill cards.

A student’s panicked voice cut through the growing chaos. “That’s—!”

Before the student could finish, the tower erupted into chaos.

The glass casing over the display cases shattered all at once, cascading down in a shower of brilliant shards that sparkled like diamonds. The explosion sent tremors through the entire structure, and students screamed, ducking to avoid the falling debris.

Among the Shadows stationed near the tower's exterior, several figures ripped off their cloaks. The rebels from the [SECRET ORGANISATION], each wearing explosives strapped to their chests, dispersed to various corners of the space.

Cold determination hung on their faces as they moved—they intended to take the tower down with them.

Moss stepped onto a balcony overlooking the scene, his usually composed demeanour giving way to a flash of alarm.

“You!” he bellowed, his voice slicing through the chaos.

The rebels paid him no mind. They began setting off smaller charges strategically placed along the walls of the tower. The already fragile structure groaned under the pressure.

Amidst the chaos, Ace’s eyes darted upward. Roos had been knocked off balance by the explosion, her footing giving way on the narrow staircase. Her body pitched forward, and for a fleeting second, it looked as if she might catch herself. But then, with gravity’s relentless pull, she fell.

Roos fell like a comet, her figure illuminated against the glowing shards of glass that rained down around her. The Shadow closed the gap swiftly, its trajectory locked on her as if compelled by an unbreakable tether.

The explosion reverberated through the tower like an unholy symphony of chaos. Shards of glass cascaded from the shattered display cases, catching the dim light and scattering it across the spiralling stairs. The sharp, crystalline fragments fell like a deadly rain, glinting with an almost mocking brilliance. Students screamed, their cries blending into the cacophony of destruction. Shadows surged erratically, their forms shifting as though feeding off the pandemonium.

Amidst the turmoil, Roos's figure emerged near the apex of the staircase, framed against the crumbling tower. Her footing faltered, and before anyone could react, she was falling. The air around her warped with the velocity, her green hair billowing as gravity claimed her.

Ace’s steps halted mid-stride. His head snapped toward the centre of the tower, his sharp gaze locking on the spiralling chaos. Time felt suspended, the air thick with tension. To his side, Owein reacted on instinct. He surged forward, body tensing as he prepared to aid.

“Wait.” Ace’s voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos like a blade. His arm shot out, stopping Owein in his tracks. “Go find your [FACE]. Then, the fake Edris. We’re running out of time.”

Owein turned to him, puzzlement flickering across his androgynous features. “But…she’s falling.”

But Ace didn’t answer immediately. His pale eyes, usually cold and stoic, burned with an intensity as they fixed on a shape hurtling through the gust after her. The dark mass leapt among the Shadows of the upper staircase, its form blurring into a streak of black as it descended.

It moved with a predatory grace, cutting through the shards of glass like a hawk diving for prey. It wasn’t erratic like the other Shadows—it was deliberate.

Calculated.

“That’s...!” Owein started, his voice laced with uncertainty.

“Edris,” Ace said, his voice barely audible amidst the din.

The single word fell like a weight between them. His gaze didn’t falter, his sharp features unyielding. There was no mistaking it—he could tell by the way the Shadow moved, the remnants of humanness buried beneath its distorted form. Even in this warped state, Ace recognised the man who had been his reluctant ally.

The Shadow—Edris—descended in a blur of darkness, his formless edges rippling against the faint light of the shattered displays. Below, Roos tumbled through the air, her expression obscured but her figure bracing for the impact that seemed inevitable.

Glass and rubble swirled around them as though the entire tower had turned into a vortex of chaos. The students below cried in panic, many backing into corners to avoid the shards and the encroaching Shadows. Others stood frozen, their fear making them statues amidst the destruction. The oppressive aura of the tower seemed to amplify, thickening the air and distorting perception.

Ace’s gaze hardened, his sharp mind working quickly. The fall wasn’t the endgame—it was the beginning of something else.

“He’s revealing himself now,” he muttered, more to himself than Owein.

“What do you mean?” Owein demanded, his eyes darting between Ace and the Shadow plunging after Roos.

“He waited for this moment. He’s doing it on purpose.”

As Edris’s Shadow form closed in on Roos, the two became silhouettes against the chaotic backdrop of the tower’s destruction. Around them, the Shadows stirred with frenetic energy, as if their existence was tethered to the spectacle unfolding before them.

Owein’s fists clenched, his voice low. “If that’s really him, what’s he doing? Why now?”

Ace didn’t respond immediately. He watched, unblinking, as the Shadow’s tendrils reached for Roos, not with malice, but with a desperate, almost protective motion.

“He’s reclaiming something,” Ace finally said, his voice quiet but firm. “Or he’s about to lose everything.”

The air around them shifted again, the weight of the impending conclusion pressing down on everyone. Time seemed to crawl as the Shadow and Roos plunged into the abyss together, leaving nothing but a trail of shattered glass and stunned silence in their wake.

Less than two hours left until the end of Labyrinth 53.