In a Civilized Manner

On the day of the ranking test, Ives woke up to the sound of the [BELL].

Precisely a month had passed since she'd arrived in the Labyrinth, and during this time, the [BELL] had only sounded once. The day after their first ranking test.

Peering across the room, the seven-year-old found her roommate kneeling on her bed with hands clasped together. Like her, Alicia was also a player. The woman had almost joined Alton's group back in the auditorium, but decided against it because she—using her own words—did not like silver-tongued men.

She probably won't like Mister Edris then, she thought.

After "praying," Ives and Alicia made their way toward the test room, located in the academic building in the same hall as their previous tests.

"Oh dear, I am so nervous." Alicia rubbed the side of her arms. She turned to Ives with glassy eyes and pointed to the number on her head. "You think I'd be able to keep this? Even though it was pure luck, I don't think I've ever scored this high on a test in my entire life."

As roommates, Ives had naturally come to spend more time together with her, their most common activity being none other than "studying."

And by studying, she meant memorising hundreds of pages about Weisha's life.

Alicia was in a higher rank and happened to be strangely fond of her. As a result, Ives got a share of newly accessible pages from her book.

Eyeing the glowing "39," the seven-year-old shrugged her shoulders.

"Perhaps if you're lucky again."

Alicia sighed. "You're the most un-optimistic seven-year-old I know. If only my daughter is half as mature as you."

They arrived at the academic building half an hour before the commencement of the test.

Glancing up at the towering maroon walls, Alicia tapped her chin, face scrunched as though she was performing some strenuous task. The next moment, she dug into her blazer pocket and yanked out a leather notebook.

"I need to read our notes one more time." She gave Ives an impressed look. "I don't know how you do it. Memorising things after just reading them once. You're some special seven-year-old."

Ives stared at her, then calmly turned her head. At her reaction, the woman let out a soft giggle.

"Your ears are growing red," she mused.

"They're not," Ives stated.

"And so are your cheeks."

"You're imagining it."

"Whatever you say."

Ives spun around to the building entrance, only to crash her head against another student. Almost falling as she toppled back, she lifted her head to see a buff-looking student staring down at her. The number "43" rested on top of his head.

"Watch your steps, shortie." The man sneered. "A mere mid-rank dares to walk in my path?"

Ives gave him a side glance.

Was he a player? Native?

Not that it mattered. If there ever came a situation where her "detests-everyone-equally" persona came into use, this was it.

Before Ives could open her mouth, she was yanked back by a pair of arms as a figure slid in front of her.

"Watch your words, brat."

Shoving the leather notebook into the seven-year-old's arms, Alicia arched an eyebrow at the man before them.

"What's this? We're doing ranking discrimination now?" Her palms pressed to her hips as the woman tilted her body forward. "A mere 43rd ranked is acting all high and mighty?"

No. 43's face flushed at Alicia's words, but he could not refute them due to her higher rank. The man glared at both of them before stomping off into the building.

"Ranking this, ranking that. These people are so immature. Did everyone forget that all of this is just an act?" Shaking her head, Alicia turned to the girl standing behind her. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Ives shook her head. She glanced at the woman, then lowered her gaze.

"Thanks," she muttered.

Alicia blinked twice. A wide grin spread across her face as Alicia bent down to ruffle her hair.

"You're such a cutie!" Reaching into her pocket, the woman handed her a chocolate bar. "We didn't have time to get breakfast today, so I prepared this! Eat up and fuel that clever brain of yours."

Ives stared at the thick bar of chocolate the length of her entire hand.

"I'm not hungry."

"Seven-year-olds like you need to keep up your nutritional intake, or else you won't grow tall!" Alicia crossed her arms with a huff.

Seeing that she wasn't planning to yield, Ives took the chocolate bar with a sigh. She wasn't a fan of sweets, but she forced the entire thing down her stomach under the woman's piercing gaze.

"Good girl." Alicia patted her head, ruffling it in the process. "Come on. We should get going! The test's gonna start soon."

"Why do you keep doing that?" Ives frowned, reorganising her messy strands as she followed after Alicia into the academic building.

Despite the hallway being packed with students, it was eerily quiet. Low mumbles echoed throughout the waiting space as the students' faces were buried in their books, eyes glued onto the words on the pages.

Positioned across the hallway were Celio and No. 12. The former was pacing back and forth, probably recalling the book content, while the latter looked like he was about to hurl.

"Weisha's favourite fruit is apples; she likes posing the number 'two' with her right hand; her dream is to become a storyteller..." The freckled boy wobbled back and forth, gaze aloof and grumbling.

Before Ives even opened her mouth, he whirled around and dashed down the hallway, leaving behind a gust of wind.

"…"

"He's going to the bathroom to throw up." Sensing the seven-year-old's confusion, Celio laid both hands out. "Test anxiety."

"… He's not just bluffing about getting into the top 10, right?"

The beast tamer sighed, and so did Ives.

"This atmosphere… It's really spiking some nerves." Alicia gulped. "I think I'm going to go to the bathroom too. Don't wanna piss myself in the middle of the test."

She handed Ives her notebook and ran off to the bathroom. Watching her back disappear into the distance, Ives sighed again. She peered at the beast tamer, who chewed on his fingers with a stiff expression.

"I didn't think you'd be nervous for the test as well."

Her words brought Celio out of his trance as he turned towards her.

"The test? I've memorised the entire book." His voice lowered into a whisper. "It's something else."

Sneaking a few glimpses around them, he pulled the seven-year-old aside to a secluded area of the hallway.

Ives narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Master is planning to infiltrate the seventh floor," Celio said.

Ives’s eyes widened. "The professors' floor?"

The beast tamer nodded with a gulp.

"Alone?"

He nodded again.

"Ace provided him with the shift schedule. It stated that all four professors are proctoring today, so he was planning to sneak in during the test. I gave him my [SNEAKERS] card just in case something unforeseen happens, but I'm still worried." Celio ran his hand through his hair. "What should we do?"

At that moment, the elevator doors slid open. Five silhouettes emerged from the end of the hallway, causing the already quiet waiting space to fall completely silent.

"Ace was right," Celio said. "They're all here."

Footsteps echoed through the air like foreboding bells of doom. Ives cast her gaze on the group of five and took a step back. Aside from Ace, the other four maintained neutral smiles as they greeted the students.

Naturally, their nonchalance wasn't mirrored by those around them. Despite the professors' outward friendliness, there was an indescribable pressure from their presence.

"Ah."

Sky, the one obsessed with his appearance, halted in his steps. He turned to the woman beside him with the magenta bun. "I forgot my second pair of shades."

"Second pair?" Aureolin, the petite girl with the yellow fedora, rolled her eyes. "You only have one pair of eyes. You don't need two pairs of shades."

"They're my proctoring shades. An uncultured brat like you won't understand." Sky clicked his tongue. "I need to look extra my best during the test, especially when catching all those little mice trying to do things under my nose."

At his words, the atmosphere in the hallway noticeably tensed.

"Hey, Moss. They're just sitting on the counter in my room." Sky pouted. "I'll go get it really quickly. Please?"

Grimacing at the man's glossy gaze, Moss pushed up his glasses with a sigh.

"Hurry up. The test starts in twenty minutes."

Wait—in his room?

Ives's stomach dropped. Her lips pursed into a thin line as she and Celio exchanged a glance.

If the plan was proceeding as expected, Edris was currently on the seventh floor.

As her frantic eyes swept across the hallway, they locked with Professor Magenta's cold gaze. Ives felt goosebumps climbing her back.

Since when had she been observing her?

"Yes sir--" Responding to Moss's words with a sing-song tone, Sky spun around towards the elevator.

Just as he was about to take the first stride, Ace stepped in front of him.

"I will retrieve it for you," he said with his usual stoicism.

Sky blinked. He scrutinised the white-haired man from head to toe, suspicion brewing in his eyes.

"004? Since when were you so nice?"

Ace responded to his question with a flat gaze. Aureolin snickered from behind.

"Professor 004 is doing you a favour!" She stacked her hands on her waist. "Or else you'll end up so absorbed by yourself in the mirror that you'll miss the entire test!"

Aureolin stuck out her tongue, and an irked tick appeared on Sky's forehead.

"What'd you say, shortie?"

"It's happened before!"

"Aureolin holds a valid point." Moss stepped between them. His emerald eyes trailed from the two to the white-haired man, narrowing with a peculiar smile. "In that case, I will go as well."

Ace looked at him. "I don't need help holding a pair of shades."

"I like your sense of humour, Professor 004." Moss chuckled. "It's just that I also need to check whether I left the fire on for the kitchen stove."

"You what?"

Aureolin and Sky spun to him simultaneously. The latter smacked a hand over his face.

"This is why we never let you cook! What if you end up setting the place on fire?"

Despite their banter, the air in the room had dropped to an all-time low. The students around them eyed the five with wariness. After all the instances of students they've thrown in [DETENTION], no one could relax around the presence of these people.

"Quit it, you three." Magenta sighed, cutting the discourse short. She regarded Ace, then Moss.

"You two, go ahead. The rest of you, start preparing for the test."

"Well, you heard her."

Dismissing Ace's stare with a chivalrous smile, he stepped sideways, laying out one arm toward the elevator.

"Shall we go quickly, then?"

***

"There we go."

On the other side of campus, Edris dusted himself as he landed on the seventh-floor balcony.

Although the balconies were interconnected, Edris found the door into the rooms of the four other professors all locked as he leapt from platform to platform.

"How unfortunate."

Letting out a sigh, the dark-haired man decided to follow the alternative plan: infiltrate the rooms from within.

He flipped back to Ace's balcony and opened the doors to his room. Confronted with the glistening glass adornments and floors so clean he could make out his own reflection, Edris clicked his tongue.

Eyeing the pearly statue and glowing fireplace, Edris arrived at a conclusion:

The was no such thing as the richest—only richer.

He strolled through the luxurious space and into the seventh-floor lounge. The doors to the professors' rooms circled the edges. Edris tried pressing down one of the handles, only to realise the inside doors were also locked.

"Only makes it more suspicious…" He muttered to himself.

Having expected this to be the case, Edris strode toward the front entrance that connected the lobby to the elevator hallway. A mini shelf stood beside the doormat, and on each shelf sat various jewelry and other intricate items.

Grabbing onto one of the empty wine bottles, Edris turned the glass container upside down, and a black key landed in his palm.

He smiled.

"Bingo."

The master key to the seventh-floor rooms was inside the bottle, just as Ace had told him. According to the white-haired man, one master key was prepared for all professors in case they lost their keys and got locked out.

Despite the Labyrinth's sketchy setting and dangerous rules, the treatment toward professors was unsettlingly humane.

Pushing aside his various speculations for now, Edris put the bottle back to its original position and walked toward the rooms. He shoved the key into one of the doors and rotated it clockwise. When a clear click came from the door, he pressed down on the handle.

A particular theme characterised each professor's room, and the one he'd just entered belonged to no other than Sky, the man with blue hair.

Rows of mirrors hung on the light blue walls, reflecting off each other like an endless maze. Photos of Sky glued on random parts of the room, and a life-size portrait of the blue-haired man stuck out in centred on the wall. Edris found himself actively cringing as he locked gazes with the man in the painting.

A true narcissist.

There was a reason why Edris decided to search this room first.

Ace had told him that Sky was the most naive of all our professors, which meant he was also the easiest to manipulate by others.

The Archivist had once said: the most dangerous places are often the safest.

Even if the man was unaware of it himself, it was fully possible that other professors would use his room as a storage location rather than their own.

For the next five minutes, Edris dug around his desk, searched under his bed, and even inside the fireplace. Much to his disappointment, despite the extravagance of the room, he found barely any personal belongings or suspicious items. Rather than a place to live, the room felt more like an exhibition museum.

"Was I thinking too deeply into this?"

Amidst his contemplations, Edris's gaze landed on the enormous painting across from him. In the picture, Sky looked straight ahead with his azure pupils, as though penetrating Edris's soul.

"Could it be…?"

Just as Edris was about to reach for the painting, the sound of shattering glass reverberated throughout the room.

The dark-haired man flinched on the spot, then whipped his head toward the direction of the commotion:

Ace's room.

An ominous feeling arose within him, and Edris dashed into the lounge. To his surprise, aside from the door to Ace's room, the one to Moss's had also opened up.

He couldn't stay any longer. Edris quickly shoved the key back into the wine bottle and headed back to the white-haired man's room, only to be faced with a mess of a scene.

Papers scattered everywhere across the floor, mixed in with the glass shards from the fallen chandelier. The balcony doors, closed merely minutes ago, were wide open, allowing a light breeze to carry the curtains into the living space.

He stepped onto the balcony and peered downward.

The rope he'd used to climb up from his room was gone.

"… I've been had."

He should've considered that others might also lay their eyes on the seventh floor.

Like him, someone had also snuck into the professors' rooms with an intention. He wasn't sure of their exact intentions, but regardless, it looked like they were set on throwing Edris into the fire.

This person had arrived earlier than him and was physically here when he infiltrated the room. And perhaps knowing there was a chance they'd get caught, the person decided to create creak a ruckus, then push all his actions onto the second intruder.

Edris's expression fell grave.

Unlike the seventh floor, the rest of the student dorms had no balcony. Almost four meters fell between each level. Unless Edris could climb walls, there was no way his physiques allowed him to go from the seventh floor to his room without entering the afterlife.

It'd be risky, but his only option right now was to head back down using the seventh-floor elevator. While people were required to scan their bracelets to go up to particular floors, it wasn't necessary on the way down.

Just as he was about to head back into the lounge, a sonorous chime rang out behind him.

Edris froze.

The sound belonged to the elevator.

Someone had entered the seventh floor.

Only six people in the entire Labyrinth could ride the elevator to the top floor: the five professors and the Principal.

Edris stood as still as the statue in Ace's room, ears perked at the slightest noise in his direction.

The elevator doors closed shut, and footsteps followed.

Multiple footsteps, and they were growing louder by the second.