Surprisingly, there were no bloodcurdling screams of despair from anyone during the night. Perhaps no one had expected the very first night to pass so peacefully.

Of course, that was what they thought before stepping out of their rooms...

"Mia has disappeared! I’ve searched the entire castle, but I can’t find her anywhere!"

A girl’s voice rang out, speaking quickly yet without the slightest hint of panic.

She wore a pair of round black-framed glasses that resembled oversized cat eyes. Her bob hair was groomed so meticulously that not a single strand was out of place.

She stood at only around 150 centimeters tall, a rather modest height, but her bright, piercing eyes were truly striking. Throughout the entire previous day, she had not uttered a single word. She had kept herself withdrawn and inconspicuous, making it difficult for anyone to notice her. Yet today, her state seemed completely different.

[What’s with this girl? I didn’t even notice her yesterday, hahaha.]

[She suddenly became so articulate.]

[Something definitely happened. I need to go over and take a look.]

Silvanus glanced at the comments continuously scrolling before his eyes. Then, as if entirely unconcerned, his gaze drifted toward Elya—the petite girl speaking on the other side.

It seemed like nothing more than a casual glance before he looked away again, but no one knew how turbulent his thoughts had become.

Because within his field of vision, a strange energy was enveloping Elya. The center of that energy was her heart, where a small yet unmistakable vortex of power now resided.

The energy radiating from her was so faint that it was almost impossible to see, yet it undeniably existed. And it was... repelling Silvanus. Merely standing near her was enough for him to feel a peculiar discomfort spreading through his body.

Silvanus lowered his eyes, a trace of contemplation flickering within them.

Elya clearly hadn’t possessed this energy yesterday. Could this be what had caused such a drastic change in her mental state?

Without a doubt.

And this thing...

It would certainly stand in his way.

"The only thing in the room is a broken computer. There are no signs of a struggle whatsoever..."

Daniel walked around the room, his investigative gaze settling on the shattered computer lying on the floor.

Fragments of the screen were scattered everywhere, reflecting countless distorted images of him in a strangely twisted manner.

It was clearly daytime, yet the windows remained steeped in an unshakable gloom, casting a dreary hue over the room now devoid of light. It felt as though their rooms and the brilliantly illuminated castle outside belonged to two entirely different worlds.

Nick glanced around the somewhat messy room. Based on these clues alone, his limited analytical abilities were genuinely unable to determine why Mia had disappeared. His gaze eventually landed on Silvanus, who had just arrived.

He walked straight over and asked, "Silvanus, what do you think? Do you think Mia left this place of her own accord, or was she taken by something?"

After a brief pause, he added, "Last night, I heard something really strange. You heard it too, didn’t you?"

[Here he comes, our diplomatic battle god.]

[I knew this guy had been paying attention to Silvanus all along. Right now he’s talking to him like they’ve known each other for ten years, hahaha.]

[This level of initiative is seriously suspicious.]

[I feel like they might end up becoming a team in the future.]

[That’s ridiculous. They might all die here in this never-released script.]

Silvanus remained cautious toward this "first believer."

He was certain that he had never met this young man before, so what exactly made Nick trust him so much?

It was almost as if this were some kind of scheme orchestrated by that mysterious entity.

Yet when facing Nick, Silvanus revealed none of his thoughts. Taking a step back, he gave a slight nod.

"That’s right. Last night, the power suddenly went out. I heard knocking at the door, but neither Neo nor I dared make a sound."

Silvanus raised his eyes to look at Nick.

Nick was still staring at him with those clear light-brown eyes. Anticipation shone within them as he waited for Silvanus to offer his judgment.

Silvanus: "..."

"I..."

"I really don’t understand why that thing didn’t knock on my door. Maybe it could smell how cowardly you all are."

At that moment, a lazy, arrogant voice suddenly rang out.

Jax strode over from the other side of the room. His hair was still styled into sharp, gelled spikes resembling the tip of a drill. After an entire night, the gel had not weakened in the slightest, remaining just as rigid as before.

[This guy really doesn’t know how to make use of his good looks.]

[Even looking like that, he’s still not too bad-looking. That just proves his appearance is naturally exceptional.]

[I only like normal things.]

[Is no one going to talk about his pink room? I feel like he’s not as simple as he seems...]

"Your words are just as unpleasant as your appearance," Nick said with a shrug.

To his surprise, Jax immediately sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Are you calling me ugly?! Do you even know what style is? Fashion! Individuality! Get it?! You people will be forgotten, but me—with this appearance—I’ll be remembered at first glance!"

His expression suddenly became exaggerated and theatrical.

Silvanus could tell that Jax’s earlier insults had stemmed from his abrasive personality, but right now, he was genuinely serious as he explained to others just how attractive his appearance was.

An overly confident guy with an obsession with being remembered?

The thought crossed Silvanus’s mind as he surveyed Mia’s room.

As Daniel had said earlier, aside from the broken computer, there were no signs of a struggle whatsoever.

Yet Silvanus still vividly remembered Daisy’s fury and how she had nearly drained him dry of blood.

If Mia’s disappearance had been caused by Daisy, then this place should have become a nauseatingly bloody crime scene—one too horrific to look at directly.

In the end, Silvanus’s gaze settled on the shattered computer screen lying on the floor.

It was obvious that someone had knocked it off the desk, and the only person who had been here was Mia.

What exactly had Mia seen?

There was a high chance that it was connected to her disappearance.

A glimmer flashed through Silvanus’s eyes before he turned his innocent yet somewhat melancholic gaze toward Nick.

"Nick, I remember seeing a lot of comics in your room. Could you lend me some? Neo seems a little too tense."

The moment he heard that, Nick replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Of course! Take whatever you like. Everything I own is yours!"

Silvanus paused for a moment before offering a somewhat embarrassed smile.

[He really said that without even a second of hesitation.]

[If Silvanus truly has abilities, then he’s definitely already gained a loyal subordinate.]

[Look at the way Neo is staring at Nick, hahaha.]

[I have a feeling Nick might become Neo’s first prey]