The Carrot

Mia was struggling to wrap her head around what had just happened. This man was able to disappear at will. Something like this could only happen if you obtained a "technique"; the requirement for that was steep: you had to kill something of the second rank, a Sentinel Monster.

These were known to be ruthless creatures, smarter than the normal creatures of the first rank, Veiled.

The hardest part was that even if you killed one, the odds of it giving you a technique were very low—roughly one in ten thousand. Of course, you could also kill someone else with a technique and hope to obtain one from them, but that came with its own problems, and the odds then were one in one hundred.

So, either this man was a mass murderer, slaying everyone he saw, or he was a demon who could take down Sentinel Monsters with ease.

Mia did not like either answer.

***

Atlas looked down at the girl, considering which questions to ask her. Other people being in the trail was a surprise, and he wanted to know more.

"How did you end up here in this maze?" he asked coldly.

Mia was taken aback by the man asking such a simple question.

"We confronted a Door Trial," she replied, terrified to speak under the man's still, ever-lasting piercing gaze.

Still maintaining his demeanor, Atlas uttered softly, "How many of you are there, and how did you confront a Door Trial?"

Mia thought about how the question was worded. "How many of you are there?" That was a simple question: you had to have at least two people to confront a Door Trial, but it was normal to have well over ten. This man was in the trial himself, so he had to have come with a group.

He should have quickly realized that the maze hated having any more than six people gathered in one area—unless he came with a smaller group, which meant he was part of an elite batch of people who had never had to deal with the sudden separation from the maze.

The latter half of his question implied that this man didn't know how to confront a Door Trial, which was odd considering he had to have at least unlocked his Aether Core to use his technique. This meant he had already beaten a Door Trial once or killed a Sentinel creature, which, of course, was impossible for a mundane human.

After a brief period, Mia said, "There were twelve of us in the original group, but the maze split us into two groups of six. After we were separated, our group was attacked by another group that challenged this maze. Nira and I were the only survivors after the dust settled. As for how to confront a Door Trial, it's simple: you put in a request with the government, they find a DoorNode, and you challenge it normally. Or you can find a DoorNode in nature, but every time you do, it's guarded by some type of creature."

Atlas was surprised to hear her answer. This meant that other people were in this maze with him, which was both a blessing and a curse. He now had people he could form a group with, but at the same time, it meant he had to be wary of being in said group.

Unfortunately, since he didn't know anyone, joining one would be virtually impossible unless he found a solo traveler, which brought its own set of problems.

Turning his attention to the rest of what she said, the mention of the DoorNode changed his perspective on how the world worked. He knew that you could challenge multiple doors, but he didn't know how to get to them.

"So, the government can help you, or you can find one on your own," he thought.

He got a satisfactory answer from her, but he wanted to know something crucial.

"Do you have a spinning sphere on the spot opposite to where your heart should be?"

Mia was confused. This question was ridiculous. Of course she had one—everyone here in the maze had to have one, especially if they were to survive even an encounter with a monster of the first rank.

"Yes, I do."

Atlas thought about her answer. So she also could experience what it's like to have that energy come out of the spinning sphere. He felt like he could take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the sphere.

"Tell me more about how your sphere works," Atlas said. This time, he got closer to her, leaning in as if he didn't want to mishear a single word she was saying.

Mia was startled by the man's sudden action but tried to keep up a normal act on the outside.

"You may call it a sphere, but I know it as an Aether Core. This is the main element in being able to unlock techniques as well as use the aether that comes out of it."

Atlas felt a wealth of knowledge flood his brain.

"So this power is called Aether, and this sphere is actually an Aether Core," he thought internally.

He wanted to ask more questions, but at that moment, more voices rang out from around the opposite corner he had come from.

"Everyone, this way, we have to find the rest of our group!"

The sounds of multiple footsteps echoed, ringing in Atlas's ears. He could tell this group was much larger—at least four people. He had to act quickly. He could blink away, but who knew if these people could somehow catch up? The maze from where he came had already changed, so he could run into a creature he wasn't expecting. Of course, staying here wasn't an option either.

He peered around the corner from where he had come and was met with utter disappointment. The maze had not only changed, but it had changed to a dead end. The only way out was the direction from where the people were coming.

Atlas had 10 seconds to make a move before he was seen.

***

Mia, after answering the questions the man had asked, heard the footsteps approaching. "Yes!" she thought.

"Once these people get here, they can fight this man and hopefully save me. I'll tell them about how he attacked us without warning."

After she saw the man peer around the corner and not leave, she knew he saw a dead end. She wanted to scream out, but the people were still far enough away that, even if they heard the sound, the man could kill her before they got there.

She assumed she had 10 seconds left before they were seen. She started to mentally prepare herself to sprint towards the group. She placed her hands on the ground and started to move her legs ever so slightly.

Mia got this weird feeling all of a sudden. The next moment, she felt as if she were seeing the world from such a low angle. Her eyes, instead of being raised in the air, were touching the ground. She wanted to grab at her face, but she could not feel the connection to her hands. Horrified, she realized this man had just cut her head off without any warning.

Without being able to think another thought, she died.

***

"You have slain Veiled Mia."