~~~
It was a small white room with hundreds of lamps surrounding it. For just a flash, her views were blind. Not because it was dark, but because the light is too strong. Even with closed eyes, she can even feel how powerful the sensation is. When the lights disappeared, all that's remains is darkness.
Lumia Frost opened her eyes slowly.
"Ugh…"
It feels the same as waking up in the morning and someone opens the curtain so sunlight can penetrate the window.
Lumia checked around. There's nothing but a white door in front line of her.
As the girl opens it, a lively voice like celebration, surprised her.
"Huh?" Lumia was silent with a blank face.
The girl even needed time to process what was going on. Many people can be seen. They were cheerful and full of enthusiasm. Something she had never experienced before. Nothing made any sense since she woke up inside the maze.
"Lumia!"
"…?" Lumia tilted her head.
Lumia Frost can't figure out what just happened. A moment ago, she was inside a big maze. Now, it looks like she's in another world. That's how magical it is for her.
"I am glad you're safe."
It was April who approached her early with a gentle smile, followed by two other men.
"Took you long enough to get out, huh?"
Lumia stared at Jungo. Her confused face couldn't be hidden. "Where is this?"
The room is bustling with humans. There are many tables and chairs neatly arranged. On the other side, there's even a store to grab food. The place looks like a lunchroom. No, it is a cafeteria, Lumia thought.
A pillar stood in the center of the room. Four screens hung on each part of the pillar.
"It's my duty to explain a little about what happened," said a man in a neat shirt.
Lumia's ears trembled. "That voice… you're the one who speaks from the wristwatch?"
"Yes, that was me." The man answered in a calm tone. He clapped several times. "Everyone, the newcomer, just arrived. I am certain they are tired, so please calm down and do not disturb them for now."
Some people leave the room, some stay. It's like a ritual whenever a newcomer arrives.
"My name is Adrian Fulgur." He introduced himself. His gaze stuck at Lumia's hand. "I realize you've got your stuff back. That's great."
Lumia keeps saying to herself that it's not worth to angry or mad to strangers. The girl folds her hand, trying to calm her mind.
"Please follow me." Adrian walked to the corner of the area.
There is more screen attached to the wall. The size is 50x50 centimeters.
"The first point I need to explain is, even though this place looks normal, actually it's not. Everyone who survived the maze will arrive at this building. We call it the Base Camp."
"How did we ended up here, actually? I mean, this place isn't connected to the maze, right?"
Everyone experienced the same thing. White light blinded their eyes. After that what they knew, they've moved places.
"I can't explain anything about that. What I can tell you is, the room can teleport anyone to enter or get out from the maze."
"So, we're trapped in a weird building now?" Lumia with a dissatisfied face.
Adrian shook his head. "The base camp was quite large, even with a hundred people were living here. There are four building also a small garden. However, there was some kind of invisible wall that blocks us from getting out of this place."
"Invisible barrier? I guess it can't be destroyed," reply Jungo confidently.
"Well, I believe I need not answer that. Even though we can destroy it, this place is surrounded by forest and we don't know where we are." Adrian took a breath. "The only thing we can do right now is to help each other so we're able to survive in this place."
Another thing that Lumia couldn't understand. For a reason, she felt annoyed.
"How about food or water?" asked Jungo.
"This is the most important part, which I must explain."
Adrian touched his watch. It displayed a flat hologram in the air. The menu color is silvery and grey.
"If you look at the bottom-right, there are numbers. We call it points. With that, you can purchase anything you want or you need from this screen." Adrian pointed to the screen behind him. "I believed you three have at least two thousand points in your savings right now."
After Adrian stopped talking, Lumia immediately confirmed her points. Jungo and April did the same and reached for their watch.
"To make sure no one hungry, we share our points to acquire foods and other necessities. We have people that responsible for gathering everyone's points. I am one of them. You can trust me regarding this."
Now, Lumia understands why wristwatch is crucial to keep. Adrian explained something about sharing points, so everyone can eat. If she left her watch, she can still live, but that she can't do anything and rely solely on other people made her want to throw up.
If this is the case, points basically works the same as money.
"How do we get more points?" asked Lumia.
Adrian takes a few steps to the right. This time he pointed to a different screen. It was bigger, around 70x100 centimeters.
"You can get more points through the maze."
When Adrian touched the screen, it revealed many lists. He scrolled it to the bottom line.
"Let's say that all of this list is a mission, and if you clear a maze, you will receive points according to the level of difficulty. This is the only way we can make points."
"Eh, then… we have to enter the maze again?" April looked scared.
"If you don't want to, we won't force you. As I stated, we make sure that no one getting hungry and can support in other areas. Please don't force yourself. The maze is a dangerous place."
"We have tasks to share here. There are people in charge of collecting points, take care of food and cooking, treat people as if they received wounds and injury, and so on. For now, you three don��t need to think much about helping."
"Wait, if you don't enter the maze, you won't get any point. Is it really okay?"
"About that. If you check your wristwatch again, you can see there is countdown time. Before it reaches zero, you require to clear at least one mission to reset the time. The reset is kinda random, so usually, you have two or three days before you need to take a mission again."
Again, three of them do the same thing.
"How is the countdown for everyone? It's random, so whenever you get out of the maze, please check it and inform to those in charge. I am one of them."
"Mine is around 80 hours. So, four days for me." Jungo seems confused. "From what you tell us, I suppose it's great."
"Yes. It's only a matter of time, but we will make sure you're not alone when taking the mission. As long as it's C or B rank, I can guarantee you that everyone will come out safely." Adrian glanced at the girls, waiting an answer.
"My countdown is 70 hours," replies April with a tiny smile.
"Hmm, mine is only 20 hours tho."
"Eh?" Everyone glared at Lumia in surprise, especially Adrian. "That's weird… uh, sometimes it happens, but it was unusual since this is your second maze. This is the first time."
Adrian said not to overthink anything, but now he's the one who did it.
"Can't be helped, instead what will happen if the countdown reaches zero?"
"Your points will be deducted by two hundred thousand."
"That much? Eh, wait… We don't have that many points."
"If your points are not enough, then someone else's points will be taken. It can be anyone."
They put on an troubled face. They have two thousand points. How difficult and how often they need to clear the mission to collect that many points.
"Therefore, please don't forget to always check the time. I don't mean to apply pressure, but some people risk their lives so the others can be safe."
"We will be careful." Jungo represented April and Lumia.
"Hmm," Adrian touched chin. "I already explain points, maze, hmm… it seems that's enough for today."
"There is more?"
"Yes, however, the information I informed was at least sufficient to understand how our current condition was. Well, if you're curious or confused about something, you can ask someone here."
Everyone nodded.
"Reynald!" Adrian shouted, called someone.
Another guy appeared. He brought a board with paper and pen.
"Sup, you're done Adri? Guess it's my turn then! My name is Reynald Haldi. Everybody call me Ren except Adri! So, please call me Ren like everybody else."
From his bright grin and cheerful tone, he's the easy-going type who likes to talk a lot of useless things. One type of people Lumia hates.
"We lost one person, but glad no one was hurt."
"Reynald, Lumia only has around 20 hours before her countdown runs out."
"Seriously? What the… that's fast!"
Someone like Reynald sometime can liven up the atmosphere. That's why Lumia knew that man was influential in this condition. Still, it would be nice if Lumia could avoid him.
"All right, I will leave the rest to you."
"Sure."
Adrian leaves.
"It's my turn now. I am your guide tour, and it's my job to take all of you to your room."
~~~
I am a bit confused if I should write the point as two thousand or 2000 or 2k at this moment. Anyway, thanks for reading and following my story. I will try my best to update at least once a week.