After his speech, the Principal made his way down the stage. No applause followed.
Three seconds.
That was the duration of the silence.
It was also how long it took for the auditorium to fall under complete chaos.
The message crashed onto the players like an avalanche, bringing hysteria among the entire student body.
"Woah, what's going on all of a sudden?" The freckled boy inhaled sharply, narrowly dodging a student who was almost double his size, headbutting his way.
Unbelievable things were unfolding before his eyes. Some people stripped their clothes, some people chased after others' clothes. One of the students roamed through the crowd in tears, urgently searching for someone sharing their exact date of birth.
Edris felt his wrist grabbed as he was yanked sideways, toward the edge of the auditorium.
He took a few breathers, then glanced down at the two hands gripping his wrist. They belonged to a young girl, someone he knew quite well.
"Mister Edris, are you alright?" Ives tugged his wrist, apprehension apparent in her eyes.
Her face flushed from oxygen deprivation, and her smooth, short hair was now a bird's nest from squeezing past all those students.
Edris blinked, then gave her a nod.
"And you?"
Ives nodded. The two of them cast their gaze on the ensuing chaos in the auditorium.
Players who'd already finished their initial quests exhaled in relief, while those who had not entered a frenzy. People trampled over each other, desperately trying to complete their quests. Some dashed out the door while others hurled themselves out from the windows.
Although everything happened within a minute, each second felt like an eternity, a harbinger of death to the players who had yet to complete their given quests.
But, of course, forty seconds was nowhere enough for them to prepare and execute their plans.
The countdown reached its end, bringing with it a strange stillness throughout the auditorium space.
The temperature around them dropped. Players who had been struggling seconds ago now stood limp, gaze aloof as they stared around in confusion, as though it wasn't them leading the chaos, to begin with.
The muscular man who was running around, headbutting others, rubbed his head, visibly puzzled.
Edris narrowed his eyes. It looked as if they'd really transformed into students of MW Academy.
Although a minority, a few players did manage to complete their initial quests during the countdown's final moments. Those players slumped onto the ground, lips quivering and gasping for air.
Taking in the disoriented state of the auditorium, Edris calmly withdrew his gaze. The moment the countdown ended, all surviving players received a new message on their interfaces:
Congratulations! You have completed the [INITIAL QUEST]!
Updating [PLAYER PROFILE] now…
The display flickered, and new headers rolled out onto the display.
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.
AFFINITY LEVEL
100%
CARD SLOT
1. Blazing Torrent
2. [EMPTY]
3. [EMPTY]
NOTE: Future card slots may be unlocked as a reward
"Affinity level and card slots?"
To his surprise, the first space in the card slot was already occupied. The familiar name brought him back to the Nolmes Slums. Edris's eyes widened, mind flashing to the card he'd snatched back at Pub Paradise.
Back then, he and the Crown Prince had been ambushed during their interrogation with the tattoo man. The latter had been killed in the process, and the culprit had bailed the scene immediately. All that had been left in the room were three cards.
Now, one of them had appeared as an item on his Labyrinth profile.
"The assassin at the pub… was he a Labyrinth survivor?" Edris lowered his gaze, thinking. "No, more importantly—the card he used as a weapon came from the Labyrinths?"
He wasn't given time to think further, as another message entered his view.
Updating [MAIN QUEST] now…
[MAIN QUEST] updated!
PLAYER [EDRIS] 'S MAIN QUEST:
Confess to your unrequited love during the [FINAL EXAM]!
TIME LIMIT: 89:23:59:55
"…"
Forced his eyes away from the blinding words on the screen, Edris spun around and searched for the woman in the portrait. No luck.
He inhaled through his teeth.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
When he first received the initial quest, he'd considered the possibility of the main quest as a continuation. Indeed, he'd thought it was possible, but he'd also considered many, many other alternatives.
To think it was actually a continuation…
"Classes will begin tomorrow."
The professor with a bright yellow fedora stepped onto the stage. She stared straight ahead, dismissive of the sense of dread wafting through the air.
"You may use the rest of the day to rest, or you may also head to explore the campus and your dorms."
Ignoring the students' looks of abhorrence, the professors stood up and entered a line. It was then Edris realised that Ace was gone. Facing the auditorium, which was now a mess, the professors placed their right hand over their chest.
The one standing in the centre took a step forward. Her eyes swept across the room, landing on Edris for an extra second before she tipped her fedora downwards and entered a graceful bow.
"This officially concludes the opening ceremony. MW Academy is delighted to welcome you all." She paused, glimpsed up, and as she did so, Edris caught the subtle smile tugging her lips.
"Good luck, our leaders of the future."
***
After the opening ceremony, the students, including those who'd failed the initial quest, systematically dispersed throughout the campus. They'd long recovered from the initial chaos and reverted to their student-like behaviour.
Edris stood in the back of the auditorium, silently observing the situation. Tugging by his blazer was Ives, and standing beside him was Celio, who'd come to find him immediately after the ceremony ended.
The rest that remained were players. They gathered in front of the stage, still barely recovering from the earlier madness. Just over an hour had passed, but their numbers had already been reduced considerably.
Edris took in the crowd size, gauging its number.
"Seventy? Seventy-five? But again, not all of the remaining players are here."
For example, his unrequited love.
"Already? It's been only an hour…We started with 108…" Celio gulped.
"108? What 108?"
At the voice, the group turned over their shoulders, making eye contact with the freckled boy. At the sudden attention, the latter scratched his nose. "What? Is there something on my face?"
"Not exactly. But if I must say…" Edris paused, taking in the boy's dumbfounded expression. "Naivety?"
"Master." Celio pulled him aside, lowering his voice to a whisper. "This guy's not a player, right? Why isn't he leaving to explore the campus like the rest of the students?"
Edris shrugged. He glanced at the freckled boy, who beamed at him in response, and turned back to the beast tamer with a shake of the head.
"An anomaly, I suppose."
He'd met quite a few of those.
Deciding to ignore the freckled boy for now, he turned to Ives and Celio. "Have you two received your role descriptions?"
Both gave him a nod.
"But mine is really strange… I started off in the Principal's office!" Celio furrowed his brows. "Hm… Is there a way to show you my profile?"
At that moment, Edris received a pop up on his screen.
Player [CELIO] would like to share his profile with you.
[ACCEPT] [DECLINE]
He blinked twice, looking towards the beast tamer.
"How did you just do that?"
"Huh? Do what?" Celio looked just as confused. "I just thought it'd be great if you could see what I'm seeing—"
His eyes bulged.
"Woah! Ives just sent me an invitation to see her profile?" His head swerved toward the seven-year-old. "How did you do that?"
"The same way you did," Ives replied. "Conscious thought."
Accepting both invites, Edris watched as two additional profiles appeared on his glowing interface.
PLAYER ID
Celio
ROLE DESCRIPTION
You are an incoming student who got into MW Academy through exceptional grades and a Scholarship of Excellence! Congratulations on your admittance!
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.
PLAYER ID
Ives
ROLE DESCRIPTION
You are a student attending MW Academy in place of your twin sister! Congratulations on your admittance!
You are a child prodigy who, despite having a great talent for learning, has been neglected by your parents. Due to your sister's illness, your parents have sent you here through connections with your uncle, who works here as a [PROFESSOR], to hold her place while she recovers.
Your sister has always been the favourite child, so with this opportunity, you decide to take revenge by deliberately flunking every test and displaying animosity towards other students to sabotage your sister's reputation.
As he read their roles one by one, the dark-haired man gradually fell silent. It was then he felt a light tap on the side.
"How about your role, Mister Edris?" Ives asked, her eyes glimmered in curiosity.
"That's right! I'm curious to know too!" Celio chimed in.
Edris parted his lips, as though he had something to say. However, he ended up just shaking his head and sending out the invitation.
After seeing his profile, the two fell silent as well.
"Master's a delinquent…? Master's in love…?" Celio took a step back, gaze aloof.
Witnessing the beast tamer's mumblings, Ives calmly withdrew her gaze.
"Bribing the Principal…" She peeked at the dark-haired man, then closed the profile screen with a professionally neutral face. "I have noted what is necessary."
"No, you didn't have to note anything…"
Just as Edris was about to explain (defend) himself, a masculine voice boomed throughout the auditorium, causing heads to turn.
"Everyone, may I have your attention?"
Standing in the centre of the stage, the man tucked on the rims of his coat and cleared his throat. He was tall and muscular, looking to be in his mid-thirties. He had rough facial features, with bladed eyes and a long scar stretching across his left cheek.
As he lifted his arm to get their attention, the maroon blazer strained from his muscular build, sleeves threatening to burst with every movement of his biceps.
A hunter in a school uniform.
Edris grimaced.
"My name is Alton," the man said. "In Adalan, I am the vice president of the Blade Hunter's Association. I am also an Awakened. Swordsmen pathway, preparing for the swordmaster rising."
His name instigated a wave of murmurs among the other players. The man’d obviously held a reputation in the real world.
"I've heard of his team, Master," Celio whispered. "The Moon's combat troupe sparred with them before. They're pretty good."
He paused.
"Not as good as me, though. And definitely not as good as you."
Edris calmly avoided his gaze.
"Since our time is limited, I'll cut straight to the chase." Alton skimmed the people below the stage. "I think we've all witnessed just now how dangerous this Labyrinth is. Everyone entered with no knowledge of what to expect, and it doesn't help that we're left on our own to prepare for the unknown tomorrow."
He stepped forward, expression grave as he attempted to make eye contact with everyone present. Under the tension, other players’ faces also grew grim.
"It's all about survival," Alton declared. "The structure of this Labyrinth is strange. Very strange. Aside from this academic setting, the quests and roles as well? I do not doubt that more danger awaits us in the near future.
"Don't you all want to survive this and return to the real world? Don't you want to go back with the rewards and reunite with your family?"
His words instigated a surge of emotions from the other players. Some gave nods in response while others stared down, fists clenched in determination.
"What's he on about?" The freckled boy scrunched his nose, turning toward Edris. "Hey, do you know what he's saying?"
Edris lightly tapped his lips, thinking.
From the boy's reaction toward Alton's speech, no restrictions seemed to be in place to prevent players from discussing the Labyrinth interfaces in front of its natives. The discussion content seemed to be filtered out or made socially acceptable by the Labyrinth to the natives.
At least, that was the impression Edris was getting from observing the boy.
'You can just head out if you want," he said. "These two are my acquaintances, we'll just be discussing something, and I don't want to bore you."
In other words: take the hint and leave.
"Ah, you made new friends? Never thought the day would come…" The boy looked dazed for a moment but quickly pulled himself together. "No worries though, Edris's friends are my friends. I hope we all get along!"
Edris gave a flat smile.
He did not take the hint.
"In this foreign environment, we must collaborate. As long as we gather information and share our insights with one another, it won't be long until we find out the key to surviving this place."
Alton smacked his fist to his chest.
"The Archivist once said that two heads are better than one, and rightfully so. At times like this, we must work together under a collective leader. We must stay steady." He scanned the crowd. "I've accumulated past organisational experience as the vice president of my association. But if anyone else wants to take up the role, I gladly comply."
"I think you should do it," one of the players said. "No one here’s more qualified than you."
A few expressed their agreement, and Alton responded with a deep bow. Lifting his head, the man inhaled sharply. Under the spotlight, his amber eyes seemed to be glowing blaze with resolve.
"Thank you for all your support! I will be sure to live up to your trust!" He bowed again, this time with double the enthusiasm. "In this case, I will share what I know so far. The Labyrinth setting is like a theatre performance, where each of us is given a role and missions to complete, which I equate to the 'climax' of a performance.”
"So we're all students here?" A short, burly man huffed in exasperation. "I'm almost forty. I should be retiring by now."
"Yes, we are all students, but students with assigned personalities," Alton said. "I assume you have all seen the 'affinity level' section of our profiles?"
At his prompting, several players focused on the interface display. A new row had appeared below the [ROLE DESCRIPTION]. What used to be blank had been updated with a more elaborate description.
AFFINITY LEVEL
100%
WARNING: If [AFFINITY] drops below 50, the player may experience spontaneous mute intervals, which may hinder performance during crucial situations; if [AFFINITY] drops below 20, the player will undergo various hallucinations.
Once [AFFINITY] reaches zero, the player will merge with their [ROLE] and become a permanent member of Labyrinth 53.
"Merge?" Ives stared at the sentences on her screen, then turned to gaze at Edris. The latter nodded.
"Just think of yourself as playing pretend," Edris said, smiling gently as if he was explaining the rules of some game. "You get a chance to experience someone else's life, except—
"—if you don't do it well, they'll take yours."