Arvani stared blankly at the young girl, a half-human beast-type monster.
"How old are you?" asked the red-masked Rabbit, trying to ease the tension.
"Ten years old."
Now Arvani regretted asking.
"Turn around."
The little girl obeyed. She turned her back to Arvani and closed her eyes, ready for her death.
Swish!
With a single swipe of her dagger, Arvani effortlessly severed the child's head from her body. She then calmly wiped the blood off the blade using a tissue she had brought.
'Unexpectedly, you're quite good at killing without pain.'
That was both a compliment and a jab from Kensei.
From the large box at the center of the floor, a holographic message appeared.
Arvani stared blankly at the hologram.
'Idiot.' muttered Kensei, realizing Arvani had used her real name during registration.
The girl simply scratched her head. "Well, it's too late now."
Maybe using her real name would make people think she was just a fake Red Rabbit—at least that was Arvani's thought.
The black-haired girl then walked toward the exit, another one-ton door. It opened to reveal what seemed like a waiting room for the next floor.
Buzz! Buzz!
A service robot approached Arvani. It had tank-like treads and a food cart attached to its back.
The robot's voice was monotone.
"Black Orb?" Arvani raised a brow in confusion.
"Why is it called a Black Orb? It's clearly gray."
The robot paused.
"..."
<...>
"..."
<...Would you like me to escort you to the lodging area?>
Arvani nodded. On the way, the service robot explained more about the tower. Each floor consisted of three areas: the challenge area, the lodging area, and the disposal area.
To stay at the lodging, Hunters had to pay using points earned from completing challenges. If they failed to proceed to the next floor and had no points left, they would be sent to the disposal area.
The robot didn't explain further about the disposal area, leaving Arvani to find out on her own.
Upon arriving at the lodging, Arvani again felt multiple eyes on her.
"Being famous is such a hassle," she muttered.
She headed toward the reception desk. She booked a cheap room—with a shared bathroom and no balcony. It cost 5 points per night.
Meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—ranged from 5 to 30 points.
"W-would you like our service robot to deliver your lunch?"
"Huh? No. That's the perfect chance to poison my food."
"Ah! M-my apologies, Master Arvani!"
Arvani shrugged casually. She grabbed her room key, glanced at the number, and headed to her room.
Most candidates who passed the first-floor challenge went straight to the second floor—to save points and become official Hunters as quickly as possible.
But Arvani? She just wanted a nap. That was all.
.
.
.
That night, Arvani still wearing the red rabbit mask stood before the door to the second floor at Kensei's urging.
The long-haired white-haired man now stood well, floated beside her. His feet didn't touch the ground, and his body was slightly transparent, fitting for a soul without a body.
Arvani had summoned Kensei for a reason. She needed more eyes to watch her surroundings.
'There aren't many Hunters nearby who pose a threat. Just move on to the next floor.'
Arvani didn't argue and followed his advice. She opened the door and entered the challenge area on the second floor.
The place was similar to the first floor's challenge area: tall grass, several hills, and a black box in the center. The difference this time was a black orb that followed Arvani around like a surveillance camera.
Bzzt! Bzzzt!
A deep, slightly raspy voice came from the black orb. Though it sounded different, Arvani felt she had heard it somewhere before.
Arvani's eyes widened at the name Sean Faraday. But recalling how Daniel had told her to meet him on Floor 20 and hadn't instructed her to kill Sean, Arvani decided to stay silent.
"Well, Guildmaster must have a plan," she thought, adjusting her mask.
As Sean's voice faded, a countdown appeared, showing how long Arvani needed to survive in the challenge area.
"Ten days, huh. That's long."
Rustle!
The sound of grass being stepped on heightened Arvani's awareness. When she turned, her black eyes met a young woman about her age.
"Hello~ You must be Master Arvani the Red Rabbit, right?"
As the young woman walked closer, Arvani tightened her grip on her dagger.
Sensing the hostility, the young woman introduced herself.
"My name is Lena. I'm a huge fan of yours!"
Arvani sensed a deeply hidden killing intent—one only a trained killer could mask. But it wasn't coming from the girl in front of her.
"Oh, um, can we take a picture together? I really want to show off to my friends. If you're still wary, we can take it from this distance."
The distance between Arvani and Lena was about three meters.
Arvani nodded slightly. There was no harm in taking a photo with a fan. Lena struck a pose, the phone clicked, and the flash lit up. Nothing seemed out of place.
"By the way, Master Arvani, would you like to team up? From my observations, some candidates are forming groups. We don't know what the supervising Hunter might be planning."
Arvani paused in thought and then gave a small nod as a gentle breeze blew. It rustled her black hair and the sheer red cloth covering her mouth.
Lena noticed that Arvani was faintly smiling.
"Well, a little help couldn't hurt."
Lena beamed with joy, the kind of happiness only a true fan could display. The young woman quickly closed the gap and grasped Arvani's left hand in delight.
"I'm so happy to meet you. But—" her sweet smile twisted into a sly grin, "my twin really wants to kill you~"
Slash!
Fresh blood flowed from where the black knife had stabbed.
"Ugh." Arvani coughed, crimson spilling from her lips.
A searing pain spread from the wound throughout her entire body. Arvani's black eyes glanced behind her—there stood a man identical to Lena, with a cold, murderous gaze.
Her body froze, and she collapsed onto the hard ground.
Lena looked at her twin with a mocking smile.
"Rian, you ruined my fun. I wanted to get his autograph first," she said, gently kicking Arvani's body.
"Don't waste time, Lena. We need to finish this floor and go back." The man, Rian, twirled his knife to clean off the thick blood.
Lena shrugged nonchalantly. The blonde-haired woman took Arvani's dagger, and the two walked away, leaving Arvani alone.
"What a shame. So the famous Red Rabbit turned out to be this weak," Lena thought in disappointment.
Unbeknownst to the twins, Arvani slowly rose. She swiftly drew the sword Daniel had given her and launched a strike.
"[Kensei Igarashi's Sword Technique: First Form.]"
Her first strike landed squarely on Lena's back. Warm blood splattered across Arvani's red mask.
As Lena fell, Arvani immediately launched a second attack at Rian. Just as she expected, Rian dodged by leaping back.
'Just finish him.' Kensei's voice rang out.
Arvani obeyed. She charged toward Rian with incredible speed, performing the third movement—a horizontal slash.
Just as Rian was about to dodge again, Kensei secretly grabbed him by the neck from behind and released a burst of killing intent that paralyzed him, forcing him to take the full brunt of Arvani's attack.
As Rian fell backward, Arvani collapsed too.
Kensei looked puzzled. 'What are you doing? The poison that guy used should've worn off.'
In the silence, Arvani replied in a weak voice.
"Getting stabbed in the back hurts, damn it… Aaagh~ I'm dying… Why did you tell me to stay still when he stabbed me? Ugh…"
Kensei sighed deeply. 'Ugh, stop being dramatic and take care of these two.'
"…"
"…"
"I just got stabbed, you know!"
'So?'