Under the veil of purple moonlight, the two men stared at each other in silence.

"What are you doing?"

Ace's eyes locked onto his with a stoic gaze, then trailed down to the long rope dangling from the balcony.

Edris tilted his head, his palm still outstretched.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm climbing." He shrugged, hair flying wildly from the wind. "We haven't seen each other for a whole day, and you're not worried about me one bit?"

"…"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Edris said quickly as Ace turned around to leave. The latter glimpsed over his shoulder.

"The curfew is in eight minutes and twenty-four seconds."

"Which means I have over eight minutes of free time to do whatever." He glanced up. "Are you really going to just leave me h—"

Edris almost bit his tongue as the white-haired man abruptly grabbed onto his dress shirt collar. In one sweeping motion, Ace pulled him up and over the railings, right onto the balcony floor.

Edris heaved himself back onto his feet, dusting off the dirt on his pants. He gave his sore limbs a good stretch before turning to the white-haired man.

"You're acting strange." He raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"

Even though he was accustomed to Ace's bluntness, there was something strange about how he acted just now. A foreign countenance, almost as though he was a different person.

At this thought, Edris's eyes widened.

"Hey." He turned to the man. What's my name?"

Another surge of gust swept through them, bringing about an eerie silence. Just as Edris was about to flip over the railings and make a run (slide) for it, the white-haired man spoke up.

"Edris."

"Okay..." Edris took a pause in the railing flipping. "And what's your name?"

"…004." Ace said, locking gaze with him. But you address me as Ace."

At his response, Edris lowered his arm and breathed out. Gingerly removing himself from the balcony, he shuffled back to the white-haired man.

"I thought you've assimilated already." He shivered. "Celio and Ives are here too. From what I know, all the players were given a role as an MW students. How did you manage to become a professor?"

As his time was limited, Edris had Ace give him an abridged recount of what happened. By the time the man finished his explanation, Edris had entered a trance.

"You find this place familiar, even though you've never entered the Labyrinth?" He creased his eyebrows. "No, maybe you have, but you just forgot about it. After all, all survivors are wiped of all their memories about their experiences here."

Gaze swept past the white-haired man, Edris then shook his head. He strolled from one side of the balcony to the other, letting his mind go wild with speculations.

"No. Something still doesn't add up. Even if you have lingering memories about the Labyrinth, what are the chances you will enter the exact one twice?"

The Labyrinth they were currently in was numbered 53. Edris didn't know the total count, but from how this phenomenon had been proceeding for centuries, it was definitely no small number.

Edris's head perked up at the new line of possibility.

"Perhaps you're just inherently more vulnerable to the role characteristics. Just like your mana instability." He paused. "Hold on. How did you regain your human form?"

"The mana here is contained. Frozen." Ace peered up through his lashes. "None enters, and none exits."

"Strange, but strangely convenient. At least you don't need to subsist on the Distributor, then." Edris mumbled to himself. "But in that case, I guess the hourglass really doesn’t function on mana."

Realising that time was ticking, Edris shook himself out of his trance.

"Hey, show me your profile." He looked at Ace. "Maybe you have an over-compatibility with your given role. What's your affinity level right now?"

However, Ace only stared at him as if he was blabbering nonsense.

Heaving out a sigh, Edris shook his head. e pulled out his own player interface and mentally invited Ace to view his profile. The next moment, a message popped up in his view.

INVITATION HAS FAILED TO SEND!

NOTE: [PLAYER PROFILE] can only be shared with other [PLAYERS]!

"…Huh?"

Edris blinked twice, his eyes expanding with each word. He looked up from the screen and toward Ace.

"You're not a player?"

From the looks of Ace's reaction, forget about affinity levels and quests—the man didn't even have a profile.

Any normal person would start panicking by now. A lack of profile equals a lack of main quest. Without a quest, how could they escape the Labyrinth?

However, Edris was following a completely different reasoning.

"Actually—this may actually be to our advantage," he said, and Ace looked up. "Think about it. Your role as a professor opens up a whole new information channel, probably far more useful than those trapped in the school structure.

"And even better, you're unrestrained by the main quests or the rules used to hold down students."

He nodded to himself.

"As expected from my ace card."

Edris's eyes flickered. Despite what seemed quite a dire situation, he looked visibly pleased, to the point where Ace suspected the man would start laughing on the spot, if he wasn't standing right here.

Noticing the white-haired man's unamused gaze, Edris straightened his back and suppressed his upturning lips.

"In any case, it's best if we play by the roles for now. We don't know whether your abnormal status is accidental or intentionally caused by the Labyrinth, so it's best not to overstep any boundaries just yet." Edris cleared his throat. "But again, it can be troublesome if your 'Professor 004' persona takes over again, so let's create an identity code."

Ace arched an eyebrow.

"Identity code?"

"Like a proof of identity between the two of us. A word to ensure both of us are sane," Edris explained. I have to worry about affinity, while yours is the hidden identity. If one of us is acting strange, we'll ascertain each other's status with this code."

"Mine will be 'limberry scones, extra glazed.' How about yours?"

"…"

Ace stared at him stoically, as if judging his childish proposal. After a whole three seconds, he gave his response.

"War."

This time, it was Edris's turn to fall silent.

"…Ominous as usual," he muttered with a shake of his head. Not waiting for a response, he continued. "In any case, tomorrow marks the beginning of classes. I suspect the role restrictions will officially be put in place then.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Since I probably can't attend any classes due to my role restriction, the children will be gathering information there instead. I'll go around campus during class to see what I can find, and I'll leave the professors' side to you."

Ace looked away, Edris took his unresponsiveness as affirmation. He smiled.

"I knew I could count on you."

At that moment, a squeaky, high-pitched voice sounded from the seventh-floor lobby.

"Less than two minutes left, so I'm heading downnnn!" The voice, sounding like it belonged to a little girl, reverberated in the air in a sing-sang. "Professor 004, are you sure you won't tag along? You'll be missing a super secretive and attractive side of me!"

Ace held no response to her prompting, but someone did.

"Aureolin, shut the fuck up." A lower but equally loud voice boomed throughout, effectively throwing the entire floor into silence.

Perking his head toward the inside of Ace's room, Edris drew back with a look of amusement.

"Popular now, are you?" he said, eyeing Ace's expression, which was as flat as one could get. He chuckled under his breath.

"Well, I suppose I shall get going." He twirled around, wrapping the ends of the black rope around his left hand.

Before he dropped down, Edris glanced toward Ace with an innocent smile, and the latter knew he was plotting no good.

"I'll be counting on you, Professor 004."

***

The following day, at 9 AM sharp, Edris met up with the children in front of the dorm building to review their plans for the day.

"Master!" Celio came running down the stairs, a piece of toast in his mouth. "Morning! Did you sleep well?"

Strangely enough, the dark-haired man took a slight pause before responding.

"More or less." He shrugged.

When Edris had parted with Ace and lowered himself back down to the sixth floor, he'd found his “unrequited love” staring straight at him from the window, a cleaning towel in hand.

“…”

“…”

The two pairs of eyes locked onto each other, and Edris waved with a smile.

Thirty seconds left until curfew.

Owein only continued to gaze at him quietly, on the other side of the glass. Just as Edris thought he’d be spending the night back on Ace’s balcony, the window slid open.

Gaze still locked onto him, Owein took a small step back.

In a sweeping motion, Edris looped the rope upwards, using the momentum to catch the falling hook. He slid in the room, leaping sideways and landing right on his end of the room.

Almost simultaneously, a click sounded from outside their dorm room.

Edris glanced toward the direction of the door, just in time to see the little rectangle on top of the door frame turn green.

They passed the curfew check.

Throwing the rope onto the bed, Edris spun around, every aspect of his face in a gentle smile.

“Thanks.”

Owein didn’t respond. He carefully closed the window with the towel, then tossed it in the laundry bin.

Outside their dorm room, footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. Edris approached the door, attempting to get a better sense of the outside situation.

At first, the footsteps were light and quick, accompanied by a joyous hum. They circled around the different hallways one round after another. Waiting, anticipating.

However, the students seemed to be more obedient than imagined. After a few minutes, the speed and volume of each step increased, aggravating through an impatient crescendo.

Eventually, the footsteps came to a halt altogether, followed by a frustrated grunt as the lift sounded.

Edris thought back to the female voice on the seventh floor, who apparently was the one on duty.

Guess she didn’t get to complete the performance she wanted.

Drawing back to the present, he then shared with the two children Ace's situation, to which the beast tamer responded with parted lips.

"Ace's not a player?" He leaned back, flabbergasted. "Then how would he survive the Labyrinth?"

"Why wouldn't he? He's got a higher chance than all of us here," Edris said. "The three top obstacles in this Labyrinth: initial quest, main quest, and affinity level. It is through these three that get rid of most players.

"On the other hand, Ace doesn't have to complete them in the first place. That already lowers the dangers significantly."

"But..." Ives furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "How would he pass the Labyrinth if he doesn't have a main quest?"

"Information."

At Edris's answer, both Ives and Celio lifted their heads.

"I'm not saying we must acquire information before we act. Information is our way to act."

The beast tamer's youthful features scrunched together as he tried to wrap his head around what Edris was saying. The latter, paying no mind to his efforts, shook his head with a smile.

The Labyrinth and the players. Currently, they stood on uneven playing grounds.

One rule after another, the Labyrinth was trying very hard to keep them controlled, priming their thought process, trapping them in the box.

Habitual thinking was only the beginning.

If the players went along with the rules, the only true ending awaiting them would be mental domestication—on a conscious and subconscious level.

Edris glanced up toward the sky, as if looking past the Labyrinth itself.

Control?

He'd like to see it try.

However, Edris didn't state any of his thoughts aloud. Instead, he turned to the two children with a gentle smile.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" Celio replied immediately, and Ives nodded along.

"Then you will do as I say," he said. "Remember, stick to your roles only to the extent needed to prevent your affinity t from dropping. Do not attempt anything that will draw unnecessary attention to yourselves, especially when professors are in sight."

"Mister Edris, you're not coming?" Ives asked.

"More like my affinity level doesn't allow me." Edris laid out his hands with a sigh.

Although lights-out was at eleven, the dark-haired hadn't sleep for the whole night. For one, he didn't need much rest thanks to the effects of the Sacrificial Hourglass, but more importantly, he needed to know when the curfew would end.

At exactly six in the morning, he'd received his answer.

"I went out to test my role restriction this morning," Edris explained. "Forget about attending classes. My affinity drops when I'm even near a classroom building."

The moment he got close to the classroom buildings, the number on his affinity section began to drop. Although only by fractions, the reduction started when he was around twenty meters away. He figured if he got any closer, the rate would increase exponentially.

"They really did get stricter with the rules…" Celio frowned. "I'll help you, Master! Even though my role requires me to get to every class fifteen minutes earlier, it didn't specify that I have to stay for the entirety. I can just go, then leave when class starts!"

Edris was about to respond when he sensed someone approaching from behind. With a pivot of the foot, he slid to the side, evading the arm swinging his way.

"Ah, I wanted to scare you."

The freckled boy poked his head into view, also chewing on a piece of toast. "It's been a night! Did you miss me?"

"It's only been a night. Quit acting like a child." Celio stepped in between them, and Edris raised an eyebrow.

For some reason, the beast tamer didn't seem too fond of the boy.

"Master." Ignoring the freckled boy's dumbfounded expression, Celio turned back to Edris. "I think it's worth a try. As long as I complete the requirements in the role description, maybe they won't care if I skip class."

At his words, the freckled boy's toast plopped onto the ground. He stared at the two of them with crumbs on his lips.

"Did you say you're skipping class? You? The top in our year?" His eyes bulged, shifting from Celio to Edris. "What have you done, Edris? Leading promising youths down the wrong path!"

Edris mentally shook his head, ignoring the nonsensical words splurting out of his mouth. Celio was about to do the same, only to flinch the next second.

He gazed at Edris, not daring to move.

"Master, my affinity dropped. By three percent.

"It's at 97% now."

Edris's expression turned grave.

Up until now, their discussion about roles was all tolerated by the Labyrinth. Only when Celio mentioned "skipping" in front of the freckled boy did he experience an affinity drop.

In other words, discussion about the Labyrinth content in front of nonplayers since it seems to be censored and normalised to native students, but for the player to say or act in any ways that were "out-of-role" in front of them would result in a lowering in affinity.

"Hey, go to class without us," he said to the freckled boy. "We need to pick something up from the dorms."

The most important thing right now was to push the native student out of the scene before his suspicions grow and sabotage them all.

Upon hearing Edris's words, the freckled boy stepped back to protest, only to bump into another student.

"Ah, sorry!" He turned around to apologise, but froze the next second.

And so did Edris.

It was because the student the boy bumped into was none other than his so-called "unrequited love."

Edris's role persona was quite convenient; he didn't have to go to class and was affluent enough not to give a crap about its aftermaths. Although not wholly free, he was laidback and wealthy, quite correspondent to Edris's own ideal life.

Indeed, all of his traits could be turned to an advantage—except his obsession with his "unrequited love."

For the first time since he entered the Labyrinth, Edris felt a sense of urgency.

What did his role description say?

That the only reason why he'd entered MW Academy was for love.

And freckled boy's words back at the opening ceremony?

"Love is all you ever talk about," he'd said.

The boy's only encounter with Edris's "unrequited love" was through the painting. Up until this point, his unrequited love was still an abstract figure, existing only through word of mouth. It was thanks to this ambiguity that Edris could still act with broader degree of leniency.

But what would happen if the freckled boy linked an actual person to the conceptual being?

Forget about being in constant danger of acting out-of-role, but Edris's entire identity would also be exposed to Owein, who'd realise he'd somehow became a helpless romantic's secret crush.

Owein did not respond to the freckled boy's apology. Passing shoulders with the group, he gave the dark-haired man a sidelong glance before disappearing into the dorm building.

Dressed in an MW maroon tracksuit, Owein looked like any other male student in the academy. He wasn't wearing the wig from yesterday, and perhaps coming from a morning jog, his cheeks were flushed like an apple and his brown curls messily dangled across his forehead, obscuring half of his face.

Edris took an indiscernible breath, then exhaled.

It's fine.

Any normal human being wouldn't have been able to recognise him, let alone connect him to the beautiful woman in yesterday's painting.

"Hm…"

Eyes narrowing to a slit, the freckled boy stretched his neck sideways, eyes glued to Owein's back even after the man entered the building.

At his reaction, Edris immediately sensed an ominous foreboding.

"How strange," he muttered to himself, then turned toward Edris. That guy's vibe just now. Don't you think it's kinda familiar? I swear I recognise it from somewhere…"

"…Vibe?"

Vibe?!

Edris wanted to swear.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten.

The people around him were everything but normal.