The first thing Celio saw after opening his eyes was an old man with a moustache, staring straight at him.
A mixture of yelling and laughter resounded outside, a stark contrast from the silent office chamber he found himself in.
Celio blinked, dumbfounded by the situation. He looked at the old man, who sat in the armchair in front of an office desk. Behind him was a full-sized mirror hung on the wall; through it, Celio could make out his own reflection.
He wore a maroon blazer, which was adorned with gold lining, and black dress pants. On the left chest pocket of his blazer was an intricate-looking pin. The entire outfit reminded Celio of the school uniform he used to wear when he was still in the academy.
As the beast tamer glanced around his surroundings, he noticed a glowing screen in the corner of his vision; it trailed his gaze wherever it went, as though it was built into his eyes. He shook his head left to right, and even though his vision blurred, the labels followed, remaining clear as day.
"Celio? Is there something wrong?"
The old man spoke, breaking him out of his astonishment. With a jolt, the beast tamer reflectively shook his head. He glanced toward the old man, and his gaze fell on the nameplate holder on the wooden table.
[PRINCIPAL of MW ACADEMY]
Even though it was a nameplate, there was no name, just occupation. Celio blinked again, his eyes shifting from the plate to its owner.
Weird.
"I know we've already gone over this in the official enrolment letter, but I would like to welcome you again on behalf of the entire MW Academy. It is a pleasure to have the top scorer in the kingdom join our wonderful community for the next three years."
The Principal gave him a kind smile.
"If there's anything you need help with, feel free to let the administrators know anytime."
After his mini-speech, the Principal looked at Celio in anticipation, and the latter muttered a word of thanks from habit.
The whole situation was giving Celio major school flashbacks.
Since the Commander sent him to the academy two years earlier than the usual age, Celio also managed to graduate earlier, with decent grades, too. At the time, the younger Celio still obeyed his parents' orders; he studied hard at school and was quite skilled in pleasing his professors.
Amidst his reminiscing, something clicked in his mind as Celio's eyes widened. The situation had unfolded so abruptly, only now did it register in his mind that he was in the Labyrinth.
After the fight with the Commander, he'd headed down to the treasury and took a token on impulse. He'd told the Commander that he would survive the Labyrinth and prove his competence, in exchange for the freedom of choice.
To take on the role of the new Commander or follow his wish to explore the world and become a righteous person—this was a choice he wanted to make for himself, on his will and his alone.
The Commander had called his aspirations juvenile and naive, but Celio paid it no mind. He was used to the dismissiveness.
Pushing his thoughts aside, he lifted his head to see the Principal eyeing him with a broad smile, one with lips curved upwards, extending all the way to his cheekbones.
It was a very unnatural smile. Celio couldn't pinpoint exactly what was off, but the more he stared at it, the more uncomfortable he grew.
In fact, there was something unnatural about the Principal himself. The old man's face was entirely symmetrical, even the wrinkles, as though every facial feature was standardised and pieced together.
Celio considered himself quite good at recognising faces, but with the Principal, it felt as though he'd forget what he looked like the moment he turned away.
Aside from the moustache, there was nothing memorable about the old man's face, yet it was precisely this mundane appearance that he found unsettling.
"I, uh… Principal?"
Since he didn't know the old man's surname, he could only address the man by the title on his nameplate.
"Yes, Celio?" The Principal gave no reaction to the beast tamer's awkwardness as his smile deepened.
"What, um, what should I do now?"
"Have you forgotten, Celio? The opening ceremony is starting shortly. You must head to the auditorium now," he said. "I'm sure everyone is excited to hear your speech."
Celio blinked twice.
Speech? What speech?
Despite not understanding a thing that came out of the Principal's mouth, Celio dazedly nodded and headed toward the door. His mind flashed back to the scene right before getting pulled into the Labyrinth. Edris had also been there, and there was a token in his hand.
If his Master had also entered the Labyrinth, it would be wisest to meet up with him first. He could figure things out from there.
As Celio placed his hand on the door handle, the glowing labels in front of him flickered, and a message popped up on the interface.
YOU HAVE AN INCOMING QUEST! [INITIAL QUEST] DETECTED!
ACCEPT [INITIAL QUEST]?
[YES] [NO]
NOTE: Player must complete the [INITIAL QUEST] in order to unlock the [MAIN QUEST]
"Celio?" The Principal spoke again, noticing the hesitation in his action.
"Y-yes?"
Celio answered instinctively, almost jumping on the spot. The next second, his eyes bulged at the new words appearing on the interface.
PLAYER [CELIO] 'S INITIAL QUEST: Give a motivational speech to the first-year student body at MW Academy!
TIME LIMIT: 60 minutes
Before Celio could process what was going on, his vision was bombarded with yet another new message, this time right below his [PLAYER STATUS].
PLAYER ID
Celio
LABYRINTH
#53
PLAYER STATUS
Normal
ROLE DESCRIPTION
You are an incoming student who got into MW Academy through exceptional grades and a Scholarship of Excellence! Congratulations on your admittance!
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Thanks to your talent and hard work, you managed to seize a spot on this year's acceptance list through top-notch examination results and outstanding interviews.
You love learning and always arrive fifteen minutes early for each class. You are enthusiastic and actively seek opportunities to foster meaningful connections with prominent figures for your future career.
INITIAL QUEST: Give a motivational speech to the first-year student body at MW Academy!
CLEARING QUEST (MAIN):
[UNLOCKED AFTER THE COMPLETION OF INITIAL QUEST]
"What the…?"
Catching himself mid-sentence, Celio glanced at the Principal cautiously, but the latter seemed to pay no mind and gave him another smile. The Principal was either selectively ignoring his strange behaviours or didn't find them strange in the first place. Both were equally concerning.
The Principal strolled past him, turning the handle with his gloved hand. He turned to the beast tamer with the same smile he'd kept on his face throughout the entirety of their conversation.
"This way," he said. "Everyone is waiting."
***
Rows of students filled the auditorium, with even more trickling in from behind.
Edris glanced around him, an indiscernible frown forming across his face. He'd lost sight of Ives the moment they entered the auditorium, and with the hoards of people pouring in, he doubted he'd be able to find her anytime soon.
Aside from the seven-year-old, he had another matter to worry about. The moment he accepted the initial quest, his screen profile had been updated with the task, as well as a detailed elaboration of his "role."
Edris exhaled, narrowing his eyes at the interface displayed before him.
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!
Thanks to your filthy rich parents, you managed to seize a spot in this year's acceptance list despite your subpar examination results and butchered interviews.
You're accustomed to skipping class, and you dislike learning. The only reason you agreed to your parents' request to attend the academy is because of your unrequited love, also a student at MW.
INITIAL QUEST: Find your unrequited love!
CLEARING QUEST (MAIN):
[UNLOCKED AFTER THE COMPLETION OF INITIAL QUEST]
"…"
Edris massaged his temples.
Indeed, this Labyrinth was growing stranger by the second.
"Got a headache? Are you sick?" the freckled boy asked beside him, and the dark-haired man waved him off.
Though he didn't know the purpose of these "roles" nor their questionable context, he suspected many uncertainties would be elucidated in this opening ceremony.
Edris peered around the area, taking in the sea of maroon.
He did a vague head count of the bodies in the building. Over a hundred were present, but he reckoned at least two hundred as people were still entering.
He and the freckled boy had situated themselves at the back of the auditorium, results of the latter's request, who aimed to dash straight to the cafeteria after the opening ceremony.
"But an assembly first thing in the morning? So annoying." He clicked his tongue. "I wanted to see the cafeteria and other facilities, especially the dorms we're staying at."
"Do all the students stay in dorms?" Edris asked.
As a traveller, he'd been picking up jobs and busy surviving ever since he could remember. Besides interactions with scholars and youths for money-making purposes, he never bothered to look into the details of academies himself.
At his question, the freckled boy furrowed his brows.
"Of course we do. It's one of the best things about MW Academy." The freckled boy stared at him with eyes of apprehension. "Dude… Are you sure you're okay?"
Edris shrugged in reassurance. During their short time together, he had already grasped the boy's core personality: naive and simple-minded.
The best type of person to utilise to gather information.
"Come to think of it, the entire student body is here, right?"
"Mhm, why?"
"Is the person I am in love with here as well?"
The freckle boy's jaws dropped, but he quickly regained his composure. He peeked around, and after ascertaining nobody was listening (nobody could hear them in this sea of noises, anyway), he leaned forward with a smirk.
"Are you finally ready to make a move?"
Edris arched an eyebrow. "You know who I'm talking about?"
He didn’t even know himself.
"Of course, dude. Love is all you ever talk about."
"Hm, is that so…" Edris lowered his gaze, thinking.
If it were himself in real life, Edris would never openly proclaim his love interest to those around him. But again, it seemed that every player in the Labyrinth was assigned a role, so this must be the original's personality.
Quite obsessive, if he'd say so himself.
He suspected there were more to these "roles"; otherwise, the Labyrinth wouldn't give the players all this information about them.
For now, Edris decided to go along with what the freckled boy was saying, just to be safe.
"Wait, why do you ask?" The boy stepped back in epiphany. "Do you want me to act as wingman? I'll call the person over for you."
Edris stared at him. "Who are you going to call over?"
"Y'know, that person."
"Who?"
The boy wiggled his brows. "You know who."
"…"
Was he doing this on purpose?
Oblivious to the man's inner thoughts, the freckled boy sighed dramatically. "For real, though. Who else would be so bold and flashy to catch your eyes?"
"Bold and flashy?"
Was that the unspoken requirement for finding his "unrequited love"?
Their conversation was interrupted by a screeching sound from the speakers around the auditorium. All talk dispersed, and all eyes turned to the figure approaching the centre stage.
A short, old man walked up to the stage. Lowering the stand that held the diffusal orb, the man patted his moustache and cleared his throat.
"Good morning, students. As the Principal, I would like to provide the first welcome to you all. Welcome to MW Academy." His voice boomed throughout the auditorium, followed by a wave of applause.
"You are all here today thanks to your hard work and dedication. Countless all-nighters, endless self-doubt, accumulating uncertainties—we know it all. But all your efforts have paid off, because here you are, standing on the grounds of MW Academy itself. Hard work always pays off, and you are its proof."
The Principal's speech was met with sympathising reactions. Some students nodded while others sniffed into their handkerchiefs, as if recalling some emotional memories.
Edris glanced around him, then back at his role description.
"…"
Hardwork, huh?
"The academy and all its professors have seen something special in you all, which is why we have invited you to join this prestigious, one-of-a-kind community." The Principal paused and took a step sideways. He directed the attention to the left of the stage.
"These people will be your pillars of support, your books of knowledge, your guide on your journey to success. Now, please welcome your professors as they enter the stage!"
At his words, five people emerged from the back of the stage, each followed by a spotlight as they made their way to the centre. Each was dressed in a white suit and wore black shoes, gloves, and shades.
Despite the uniformity in appearance, the five professors had unnaturally bright hair colours, and standing side by side, they formed a strange unity to the eye.
Indeed, even Edris would have mistaken them for fairy tale characters—if it weren't for the person at the very end of the line.
In any normal circumstances, someone with white hair would undoubtedly stand out amidst a crowd. But when standing with a row of other crazy-haired individuals, all wearing the exact same outfits, even that would turn normal in comparison.
But even so, he recognised him almost immediately.
Less than an hour ago, he'd been resting in his pocket as a pink fluff, and an hour later, Edris found the man back to his human form, face stoic and overlooking the entire auditorium.
Edris furrowed his brows.
What the hell was Ace doing up there?