The Devil's Cage

When Maica got up, it was already midnight.

The welcome dinner for Theorate’s freshmen had ended a while ago, with only staff left to clean up E5 teaching building.

‘What happened?’

He shook his head, still feeling dizzy after opening his eyes.

But a few seconds later, Maica recalled something.

‘2567! The Devil!’

Maica couldn’t help but shiver again when the scene replayed in his mind.

He stood up and aimlessly walked outside the hall, but before he reached the exit, a voice made him stop.

“Maica! It’s great that you’ve woken up! If you had slept any longer, I was afraid I’d have to use some other way to wake you up.”

The clean, well-dressed Standler appeared before Maica.

“Get away from me,” Maica said angrily.

“I’d really like to but... I’m not here for myself,” Standler shrugged with a bitter smile.

“What do you mean?” Maica frowned.

“2567 became the First Seat,” Standler said.

“Em, of course,” Maica wasn’t surprised, given how powerful Kieran was. It would be odd if he did not acquire the First Seat.

Though Maica’s eyes immediately widened when Standler told him more.

“Both of us became his aide.”

“What did you just say?”

“I said, both of us just became his aide. 2567 requested us himself.”

“What? How did this happen?”

“I guess it’s because of the impression we gave him, or rather, he ‘knew’ only us among all of the freshmen,” Standler’s bitter smile got heavier.

Being the First Seat’s aide wasn’t a good thing for Standler, especially since he had already formed a detailed plan for his future.

Everyone knew the aides had to spend a large amount of time and energy helping the First Seat manage and supervise the entire student body in the same year as them.

Whenever a student was promoted to the First Seat’s aide, he or she would say goodbye to any kind of co-curricular activities. Sometimes, the aide would become a scapegoat for bad situations too.

Nevertheless, many normal students longed for the position because it represented authority over all the students, they themselves only serving under one figure.

In order to achieve power and gain positions, people were willing to endure many hardships.

“You didn’t reject?” Macai asked, Standler looking dispirited at the question.

“I really wanted to, but I didn’t dare. When he looked me in the eyes, I felt like I was a little frog about to be dissected. I felt helpless and scared,” Standler said honestly.

It was possible for a student to reject an offer to become the aide of the First Seat but he or she would have to bear the consequences of that rejection.

Obviously, Standler didn’t think he could afford the consequences, same for Maica.

From a certain aspect, Maica understood the horror of Kieran better than his new mate. Since that encounter, everytime he closed his eyes, the shadow of the devil roared at him.

“Fine. I got it,” Maica nodded.

Maican wanted to leave after the long explanation, getting a good rest, or even better, something to eat. Everything would have to wait until after he was well rested.

But before Maica could walk away, Standler smiled bitterly, holding him back.

“What is it now?”

“You didn’t think I came here just to tell you all that?”

“What do you mean?”

A bad feeling rose in Maica’s heart.

“Sir 2567, the new First Seat, has tasked us with registering all the freshmen and distributing the rooms, school uniforms, and other affairs. Everyone is waiting outside, but I can’t make the decision myself. You and I have to finish everything tonight, otherwise we will be punished for failing to carry out his orders,” Standler explained.

“What? How the hell did it get to this? I’ll complain to the Student Council,” Maica ranted loudly, knowing a thing or two about Theorate. However, he saw Standler looking at him with an even more helpless expression.

“What is it now?” Maica’s eyelid twitched, the bad feeling striking him again.

“Teacher Senile just announced that Sir 2567 will be recommended for Student Council. So if you were to make a complaint to the student council, chances are that you would be punished instead. Trust me, those on the Council would do it without a second thought.”

Maica’s jaw dropped, leaving him speechless.

He had been shocked when he found out he was to be the First Seat’s aide but it was just a flash. Now, he was spooked.

Theorate Student Council!

No one understood what that place meant more than Maica himself.

In fact, when he first arrived at Theorate, Maica had made it his goal to join the Student Council in his fourth year, even if only as a common committee member.

Why not set his goal as he entered the school?

He did not have a death wish! The place was hell!

Maica quivered heavily as thoughts rose in his mind. He then unconsciously thought of the devil’s image in his mind, relating into more things.

‘Could it be...’

As guesses began to pop up in his mind, he straightened his body and looked at Standler seriously.

“Our job is to register all the freshmen and distribute the rooms and uniforms, right?”

“Let’s start. I’m very eager to get my hands dirty,” Maica said as he walked out of the hall.

Standler wasn’t bothered or shocked by Maica’s sudden change of attitude.

Theorate Student Council.

A person like Standler would never want to step into that place. Not only was it a place of frequent death, sometimes it was worse than death!

A deep breath later, Standler discarded the scary thoughts from his mind and chased after Maica.

It wasn’t him that had to go there, so why was he scared?

Was he worried about 2567?

It wasn’t something Standler should do, but in his humble point of view, Kieran must have some worries despite not showing them.

...

‘Tastes good.’

The food that Kieran packed from the freshmen welcoming dinner did not have the effect of increasing his Origin Force but the taste itself was decent.

Kieran leaned back in a chair, shoving a strawberry cake into his mouth with his left hand and holding a memo titled ‘Obligatory Deeds of the First Seat” in his right.

It generally listed out the authorities and duties of the First Seat.

Aside from supervising the entire student body in the same year as him and some insignificant duties, the most captivating point was an extra Bento class food, which would be provided every semester.

“Bento class, eh?”

Kieran started to arrange the limited information he’d gathered since arriving in the dungeon. He quickly finished his supper, and when the last piece of cake went down his throat, stood up and headed to the library.

Theorate’s library was open all day but a special pass was required to enter at night.

Of course, Kieran, as the new First Seat, had no need for such a hassle.

A silver badge with a tray icon appeared in his hand.

[Name: Theorate School Badge (First Seat)]

[Type: ETC]

[Rarity: Magic]

[Attribute: Digest]

[Effect: None]

[Able to bring out of dungeon: Yes]

[Remark: It is not just the proof of the First Seat, its an honor!]

...

[Digiest: Digests food faster]

...

Senile had given it to him after he was officially assigned as the First Seat.

A very ‘Theorate’ kind of Magic rank item. Kieran didn’t reject it; he would not reject any kind of benefit for himself, especially the kind with hidden conveniences.

The most direct one was as long as he had this school badge with him, he would be excused from wearing a uniform and allowed access to multiple forbidden areas.

Similar to the current scene, the guard on campus saw the badge of the First Seat in Kieran’s hand and let him through, even bowing politely.

The guard saw Kieran off as he quickly vanished into the dark.

Kieran hasn’t left E block though, because each block on Theorate’s campus had its own library.

As a matter of fact, each block had more than just its own library, teaching building, laboratory, and cafeteria. Aside from all the necessary educational facilities, some extra buildings like a mall and pestratrian street were all there; each block was like a mini city within campus.

Kieran walked in the night, his eyes glancing over the dark places, the shops all closed.

Through his Intuition, these dark places had more or less a certain presence, but not the dangerous kind. It was actually a defensive barrier!

Despite the guard on night patrol earlier, nighttime at Theorate wasn’t as safe and peaceful as it looked, but none of that had anything to do with Kieran currently.

He only wished to be at the library earlier, in order to get the information he sought.

According to the map in his mind, a turn into the street corner further ahead would bring him to his destination.

Kieran walked faster, but when he turned the corner, he frowned.

Before his eyes was a square, four story building. Other than a main gate, each floor had 25 brightly lit windows, with people hustling inside.

It looked fine at first glance, at most a little eye-catching in the dark E block, but when Kieran moved his line of sight upwards, he saw a pair of eyes!

A pair of squinted eyes! Beneath the eyes was a tall nose and the mouth under it...was the library!

The mouth was the library!

The well-lit, hustling library was the mouth of a gigantic monster in the shadow!

In other words, entering the library meant entering the monster’s mouth.

Frowning, Kieran stopped.

Tasting food was a good experience for Kieran but that didn’t mean he would enter a monster’s mouth as food.

Dak Dak Dak Dak!

Clear, distinct footsteps sounded on the street, a figure coming up from behind.

Just as the figure turned the corner, he was frightened by Kieran, who had suddenly appeared in front of him. Shortly after the little scare, the man calm down, as if he had thought of something.

“A little frightened?” the man asked, pointing at the library.

Kieran nodded.

“Trust me, you aren’t the first and you certainly won’t be the last. I was scared by the ‘administrator’ during my first night too. I almost fell on my bum! But the ‘administrator’ is much kinder than she looks. If you’re lucky, she might even explain or solve your puzzling questions,” the man laughing when he saw Kieran’s nod.

“You are saying that thing is the ‘administrator’?” Kieran asked.

“More precisely, she is the ‘administrator’ of E block library. She’s quite different than the ‘administrators’ in other blocks, but hey, I’m not very familiar with the other ‘admins. Wanna tag along?”

The man corrected Kieran, inviting him to join him.

Kieran thought for a while and shook his head.

“No thank you.”

Kieran wanted to leave after the little conversation and the man shrugged.

“What a pity,” The man said, acting as if he was about to go alone, but when Kieran walked past him, he raised his hand and tried to grab him.

Unbeknownst to him, Kieran’s palm was already around his neck as he raised his own hand up.

The man’s face turned sour.

“I think...” he wanted to explain but just as the words formed, he was thrown towards the ‘library’ like a javelin piercing the sky.

Crank!

The ‘library’ gate was smashed, followed by the outer walls, the windows and the lights. The whole scene looked like a mirror smashed by a pebble.

Lines of concentrated sharp fangs were revealed behind the ‘mirror’.

Karack!

Amid the soft crunching, the man who was thrown inside was grinded into meat paste.

The monster, which had been waiting for a whole night, finally got something in its mouth. It grunted in satisfaction and wanted to leave.

It knew eating a person who accidentally fell into its trap was forgivable and no trouble would come, but if it went after Kieran after it spotted him, trouble would follow.

However, just as it was about to turn away, it suddenly heard a series of saliva gulping.

The noise sounded like the terrifying existence that lived only in its memory.

It shook its big head and discarded the laughable thought out of its mind.

“How could the terrifying bastard be in Theorate, I must be... Aaaaaaaa!” Get off me! Get off me! It hurts!”