"That was surprising... I suppose they were all knocked out during the test." Sylvie whispered, visibly taken aback, much like everyone else.
"Yeah... but I really wanted to kill that guy…" Wendy's anger still lingered as she glared at the spot where Jackie had been lying.
"Trust me, you aren't the only me," Fred added with a nod.
"I believe it's for the best this way. Even though we all disliked him, I don't think we should sully our hands with such acts. Besides, I'm fairly certain none of you have ever taken a human life," Sylvie said, her voice tinged with both concern and relief.
"How can you be so sure?" Fred inquired.
Rather than providing a direct answer, Sylvie posed a question of her own, "Do you know what my family's profession is?"
"Assassins…" Wendy looked at Sylvie and continued, "My father once told me about how other Noble Families operate, and among them, there was one family he warned me to be most cautious of - the Wilson Family. They're known for dealing with corrupt individuals who threaten the country and its people, discreetly eliminating their enemies."
Looking at her face, she aske, "Was it fine to tell us about your identity?"
Sylvie offered a forced smile upon hearing Wendy's words and replied, "I don't know... but who cares at this point?"
"Sylvie..."
"But trust me, taking someone's life is the easy part; it's what follows that is truly horrifying. I mention this because John and I were forced to trained as assassins from a young age, so we understand the weight of such actions."
"Have you... killed someone before?" Wendy inquired further.
"I won't deny it. Yes, we both have, a long time ago. But believe me, it doesn't bring any good to us by taking another person's life," Sylvie said with a pained smile, the memories of those difficult days reflecting in her eyes.
They were taken aback by Sylvie's revelation. It was hard for them to imagine that someone as charming and kind-hearted as Sylvie as an assassin. But seeing her pained smile made them feel sympathy for her.
"I'm sorry for bringing up your past..." Wendy and Fred both apologized sincerely.
Sylvie waved it off. "It's alright. What surprises me more is that you guys aren't wary of me, even though you now know I'm an assassin." She was genuinely shocked by their understanding.
"Who cares about that? Aren't we like sisters by now?" Wendy replied, a playful tone in her voice.
"Well, I am a male so we can't be sisters, but you get the idea, right? Besides, we've been through worse than this by now. I trust you with my whole heart!"
"W-We've fought and survived together for so long, and I don't think you're a bad person," Nicole added with a smile.
Sylvie was deeply moved by their responses. She had feared that her true identity would make the group uncomfortable or wary of her, but their acceptance meant the world to her.
"But if you ever target me, please don't kill me before I get married! I don't want to die a virgin!" Fred joked to lighten the mood.
They all laughed, and as they continued their journey, Wendy turned her attention to Fred and couldn't resist teasing him, "Seriously, though, why do you always bring trouble to us?"
Fred defended himself, saying, "I was all alone when I woke up! What else was I supposed to do?"
"Wait... Does that mean the others could be separated too?" Nicole asked with concern as she realized that.
"Damn it! There is a huge possibility!" Wendy's urgency grew.
"Then we need to hurry and regroup with the others!"
The realization that their friends could also be in the same predicament as Fred fueled their determination.
Armed and resolute, they dashed deeper into the maze, their thoughts filled with hope and worry for their friends who might be facing similar challenges.
Sylvie couldn't help but think, 'I hope you are safe and not doing anything stupid...'
******
"Argh!!"
"Please!! save us!!"
"AHH!!!!Forgive me!!"
Somewhere inside the maze, three boys were lying on the ground as they were twitching and groaning in pain. Their bodies bore countless cuts and wounds, as though they had endured a merciless torment.
Just ahead of them, a silver-haired boy stood there, holding two weapons dripping with blood and his expression was devoid of emotion as he gazed at them.
"The fault lies with all of you," he stated coldly. "You allowed greed to consume your judgment. When you saw me, you didn't view me as a fellow human, but rather as a lottery ticket, didn't you? Killing me might have propelled you to the Rank #3, but you all failed to consider the consequences properly, and that has brought you to this state."
He narrowed his eyes at them with a piercing gaze and continued, "I could have easily knocked all of you out, but that wouldn't have imparted the necessary lesson. Punishment is necessary for individuals like you. Consider yourselves fortunate that I made a promise not to take lives needlessly; otherwise, you would all be lifeless corpses by now."
The individual who had inflicted such a thorough defeat upon them was none other than John Luther, the person Sylvie had been thinking about earlier.
Like Kalsie and Fred, he had awoken in the maze completely isolated from the rest of his group. His primary objective was to reunite with his cousin and the others, but he had encountered these individuals during his search.
Initially, these individuals had been somewhat relieved that they were facing just one person. However, their relief had transformed into anxiety when they recognized John as the Ranker #3. They somewhat understood the might a Ranker possessed, but their relentless greed refused to let them give up easily.
Their desire for wealth and power had tainted their minds, compelling them to attack John with their weapons. Yet, John was far from an ordinary opponent. He had single-handedly subdued them all and administered a harsh lesson.
"Remember, if you ever have the opportunity in the future, choose to be better people--" he was speaking calmly, but soon his unconscious enemies turned into white orbs and went straight into his body.
"I still had more to lecture them...."