"-I thought I pissed my pants, but turns out I shitted instead!", one two-horned demon chuckled.

  "Oh yeah? That reminds me. Dude when I walked up to that one guy pissing his pants, he said he was going to give me some gold after I graduated if I helped him through the test.", another demon remarked.

  "And? What did you do?"

  "Left him for dead, obviously! Honestly that's probably what the instructors are looking for anyway. What kind of elite demons are they planning to train if they only accepted cowards? Hah!"

  "That's disgusting, you three."

  The four demons bickered with each other carefreely, with one stopping the other three to take advantage of the brief lighted area to create a 'spotlight' effect on himself, boasting about what he's done in the maze.

  "So I killed, tortured, stole weapons, what else haven't I done? Kekeke!"

  I recognize them. I observed them carefully. Though, not specifically the demons themselves, but the box they've fitted in.

  Inside of the notorious Endless Maze, mingling and interacting with others desperate to survive, it would be inevitable that everyone would settle into their own instincts. How much they value surviving the maze versus fulfilling the instructors' standards affected this significantly.

  And in total, there were 4 boxes that were the most common.

  The first are those that like groups, the second are those who travel alone, the third prefers to plunder from groups, while the fourth likes to kill anyone they see at first sight.

  However, the fourth type of people only appear a little bit more into the maze, since it results from going crazy. And given that the first guy said he just left that poor demon for dead...looks like we're still not too far into the maze section.

  Of course, it could just be their personalities, but most demons that have such violent impulses tend to be reckless as well, so they'd die before they get to meet others.

  And as for those that aren't reckless...those are major characters.

  It's unfortunate that demon culture is so aggressive and power-oriented. Kind people are few and far in between. However, these demons are hostile. I should probably hurry back to the camp.

  Calculating the risks and costs in my mind, I turned back, making sure my footsteps were extra quiet.

  However, just the next moment, my attention was quickly pulled back.

  Wham! A punching-like sound tore through the air.

  "Ugh!", the demon gritted his teeth, "Hey! You, how dare you hit me!"

  "What? Why are you looking at me? It's- gah!"

  Slashing sounds replaced any cries from the other two demons.

  That, a fight? I froze.

  Slash! Slice! Shing! Rather than a trivial and petty brawl, it sounded almost one-sided. Other than the first few shouts, nothing else was said. After just a few seconds, the atmosphere was plunged into deafening silence.

  "..."

  Who is here? Perhaps, I know I shouldn't be checking it out, but I was pulled between the allure of gaining more information versus returning to safety. And as a result, I lost my chance to escape.

  "Hey boss, there's still someone there. I can sense them."

  My breath hitched. If they're powerful enough to sense my presence, then I'll get pummeled if they decide I'm not worth talking to!

  A calmer voice replied, "Is that so? Must be from a different group then."

  Ugh, I should have left while I had the chance. One week was far too little time to get my decision-making skills completely adapted to this place.

  In a careful hurry, I approached the corner of the wall and showed myself, seeing directly who it was that slaughtered 4 people so effortlessly. Should I tell them I'm alone, or not?

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  There were 3 people.

  The leader looked to be a male silver-haired demon, and a pair of what looked to be blonde twins, one female and one male, were standing behind him. Only the silver-haired demon was armed.

  I hesitated for a short while before deciding to take the initiative.

  "What a competent group, having effortlessly overpowered another.", I didn't step into the light, only staying near the corner. I didn't know what to say, but flattery might do the job, right..? I held myself back from staring at the four corpses on the ground, blood pooling and staining the floor and walls.

  The silver-haired demon squinted but struggled to see me in the dark, "State your name, title, and purpose."

  Being passive won't work here.

  Hearing those words full of arrogance, I made a quick judgement.

  The corner of my face twitched, "So fast. What demands are you trying to make when you're the one lacking information?"

  "I'll kill him right now-", the blonde male demon ground his teeth.

  "Shut up.", the silver-haired demon barked, "You peasant. Are you saying that you aren't also in the same position as I am, except, outnumbered?"

  I smiled and didn't say anything. But internally, seeing the guy's face clearly in the light, something clicked in my memory. I vaguely recognized him.

  One of the only people with silver hair I designed.

  Esteine Argyros, youngest heir of a baron household.

  Personality and attitude mainly hostile, passed the maze section alone. Although, it's somewhat strange given he's clearly not alone at this moment.

  I remember that he also got into some political heat after the entrance exams concluded. Unfortunately, my mind was too worn down and I couldn't use [Visualization] to create a status screen for him here.

  Esteine scoffed, "If you don't say anything, I'll kill you."

  But his precarious political situation is something I can exploit. Hope I'll gain something from this.

  "It seems that you don't know your situation right now.", I took one step forward, "I just came across another group of 5 people a while ago. And would you look at that? You seem to be heading their way right now... Moreover, you don't even know who I am, and you three are running out of energy."

  "Tired, ignorant, and outnumbered.", my tone almost came to a laugh, "Exactly who are we talking about right now?"

  They don't exactly look energized, and I saw a few of them briefly search the 4 demons' bodies... Their pockets all look empty as well, something I could discern thanks to the [Pickpocketing] trait.

  They must be hungry.

  I stopped talking so one of them could get a word in.

  "You're acting like you know everything here. Why should we believe you?", the female twin frowned.

  "I told you all to shut up.", Esteine reiterated, "You should be careful with your words, bitch. Tell us, what do you have that we don't?"

  "Haha, Esteine. why don't I tell us what's behind me instead?", my tone remained steady, "5 people. One with hot pink hair, a half-demon scout with indigo hair, one with dull green hair who's a nervous wreck, one with light pink hair that controls fire, and another swordsman who is their leader, that controls all of them."

  He frowned.

  While hair colors can vary among demons, nobles commonly identify families by common appearances. Just like humans in the Other Realm.

  Esteine only grew more cautious, "How do you know my name? Do you know my family? Why are you telling us this?"

  "Well.", I said one word without elaborating.

  The male twin nudged Esteine's arm for permission to speak.

  Esteine shot him a sharp look, but nodded, granting it.

  The male twin whispered not so quietly, "Hey, if he's talking about two people with pink hair, does that mean that that guy..?"

  "Idiot. The elder sibling is already in the academy.", Esteine scowled, "But it's true. If I.. Hm..."

  I listened quietly. Elder sibling? Why are they focusing specifically on the pink hair? Sure, pink hair isn't exactly genetically common among demons... Esteine comes from a baron household, if he's interested in other families, then there must be a political goal.

  But, frustratingly, my memory couldn't work for the life of me. Ugh! Maybe the maze is taking too much of a toll on me. I don't even have any [Resilience] traits. I need a clearer clue.

  The thing is, Esteine is quite dangerous as well...

  I tilted my head, "Of course, I've encountered that exact person you are talking about."

  Esteine's curiosity was piqued, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

  "How about this?", I proposed, "Let me ease your suspicions and end the speculation. If you hand me your weapon, I'll tell you a little clue."

  The female twin shook her head violently, signaling Esteine not to do it, that there was no reason to.

  But regardless of the others' silent protests, Esteine paused for a few seconds, and threw his iron sword at me.

  Whoosh!

  Barely catching it, I inspected it and put it in my pocket.

  "How decisive. I'll tell you this, then.", I looked at Esteine in the eyes, "The one with hot pink hair goes by the nickname 'Lully'."

  "!", immediately, Esteine's eyes went wide, and he smirked.

  Go on, tell me, tell me. My anticipation also grew alongside Esteine's obvious excitement.

  Meanwhile, the blonde twins' eyes also went wide, and they looked at each other, whispering.

  "No way, that's obviously him."

  "Yeah, boss' reaction makes sense now."

  Seeing Esteine remain silent, I tried speaking again.

  "It seems you know. That guy is..?"

  "Luliak.", his head tilted up with a smirk, "Thank you for the information."

  Immediately, my eyes widened.

  Then, Esteine turned around and walked away without another word, the other two following him frantically, with one of them looking worried about leaving me alive.

  But even after they both disappeared, and several minutes passed, I couldn't bring myself to move an inch.

  ...I see.

  Because that one name gave my memory the jumpstart it needed.

  Luliak Rosamund.

  The one I need to protect is a murderer.

  But more than that was the situation that caused his demise in the maze.

  Originally, I thought that maybe Lully failed the entrance exams from something simple that I'd already prevented, like dying from excessive mana exhaustion or choosing not to go with Millie's group, which is why the environment around him seemed so safe right now...

  But in reality, it's the opposite.

  My eyes became full of horror.

  ...I need to get back.

  IMMEDIATELY.