Arrowroot

Lin Xiaolu initially thought the suddenly appearing black and red magical girl was up to no good, and had even drawn her wand, ready to unleash her Magic Armament. However, she hadn't expected that the newcomer wouldn't attack immediately, but instead openly greeted Mint, as if they knew each other?

However, although the other party did not seem to show any hostility, Lin Xiaolu always felt that there was a faint sense of crisis in the atmosphere.

"... Long time no see, Arrowroot."

Mint had become the center of attention, gave a somewhat forced smile. With her back to Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, she kept making a gesture behind her back, indicating that she was "remaining still," and then casually greeted the people opposite her, saying, "Thank you for your kind words. I am indeed trying to get along well with my two teammates and want to become friends with each other."

"Let's not dwell on such trivial matters. What I'm more curious about now is whether you were the one who caused the commotion earlier."

Mint appeared curious, but her hands, which were behind her back, clenched slightly, indicating that she was not at peace. "Why are you in a place like this?"

"Of course I'm taking an exam. Just like you guys, I'm also looking for Maze Node."

The black and red magical girl, nicknamed "Arrowroot," looked at Mint with interest, seemingly observing Mint reaction. "I happened to run into a few clueless idiots trying to block my way, so I chased them away."

"Drive them away? By eliminating them?" Mint asked sarcastically.

The magical fluctuations she had sensed earlier clearly had several sources, but after a certain moment, only the magical fluctuations belonging to the Arrowroot remained; the other fluctuations all became some kind of remnant. In this trial, the only way to achieve this effect was to eliminate the opponent.

"Of course? What a stupid question! Is there any other way?"

Mint's question was quite pointed, but Arrowroot remained calm, even composed. "We're all well aware of each other's methods, aren't we? Or are you trying to play the good boy in front of your new teammates?"

Mint didn't answer her.

On the contrary, Lin Xiaolu suddenly spoke up at this moment, "If you eliminate others directly, aren't you worried that all your points will be taken by them?"

It's no wonder she chose this moment to interrupt the conversation, because she was genuinely concerned about this issue. Furthermore, it was practically obvious that the other party was "not a good person." Not only did she have a persistent sense of foreboding, Bai Jingxuan also unusually acted like a provoked little animal, maintaining a combative stance from the moment the other party appeared, as if she were ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

Lin Xiaolu felt that such a formidable opponent hadn't approached them just for a chat. Rather than letting them slowly develop their possible schemes, it would be better to directly ask questions she didn't understand, perhaps regaining some of the initiative?

Is it even necessary to ask such a stupid question?

Arrowroot chuckled lightly, "Why not just eliminate them all before they confirm my identity?"

At any other time, if the other party had given this answer, it would have seemed absurdly fabricated. But at this moment, when it reached everyone's ears, it sounded remarkably believable.

There is no other reason than that there is no other explanation for the other party's behavior.

A sane magical girl who wants to get good grades would never attack other test takers while showing her face. And Arrowroot doesn't seem crazy; she's following the exam procedures. So, her only explanation is that she's "not showing her face."

Even so, this explanation is still hard to believe. How could Arrowroot, seemingly alone at this point, claim to have eliminated an entire squad without their knowledge?

"Aren't you worried about endangering your teammates by engaging in such risky operations?"

Lin Xiaolu subconsciously swallowed, but she still didn't think the other person could do such a thing, so she tried to bring the issue back to the realm of common sense and consider the possibility that "the other person's teammates are just cleaning up the mess": "Even if you are confident that you won't reveal your identity, what if your teammates are identified?"

"This is really... I thought Mint had found an interesting teammate, but judging from these two questions you asked, you're such a tacky little girl."

Arrowroot sighed, glancing at Lin Xiaolu with some disappointment. "It seems you still don't understand the true Rule of this assessment? Identity is the foundation of trust and cooperation among the weak. 'As long as you know the other person's identity, you don't have to worry about being betrayed'—this is certainly a survival rule for the weak. But for the absolutely strong, this Rule has another interpretation: as long as their identity isn't exposed, they can plunder however they want."

"I am the strong one, the hunter. How could a hunter act alongside his prey? They want to play boring puzzle games? Let them play. I have my own Rule."

Arrowroot continued, "Just like now, this Maze Node is already mine, so I need to confirm your identities before officially taking the spoils..."

"If it weren't for the fact that you know Mint, were you planning to eliminate us all?" Lin Xiaolu asked, blinking her eyes.

"Hehe."

Arrowroot laughed out loud, but quickly composed himself, raising his chin slightly. "You really are an idiot? Isn't that obvious?"

"However, after actually meeting you all, I was still pleasantly surprised. I never expected that my best friend would find such a special teammate."

As she spoke, her gaze slowly focused on Bai Jingxuan's face. "Perhaps this younger sister, who hasn't spoken yet, could introduce herself?"

In fact, in the short time since she appeared and said those few words, this wasn't the first time she had cast her gaze on Bai Jingxuan.

In fact, compared to Lin Xiaolu, who took the initiative to speak, and even Mint, who was clearly an "old acquaintance," her attention was focused more on Bai Jingxuan, indicating that she had noticed something that mattered to her. Her invitation at this moment was also the result of a long-planned gesture.

"I don't want to." But Bai Jingxuan looked at her with disgust, her words firm and decisive, as if she could write "I hate you" all over her face.

The smile on Arrowroot's face immediately cooled down.

She kept her eyes fixed on Bai Jingxuan, her blood-red eyes sharpening considerably, her gaze seemingly piercing through Bai Jingxuan's head. "Truly unlovable."

"In my opinion, you possess a wondrous aura that is unmatched by ordinary people."

She parted her lips slightly, her tongue barely grazing between them. "No, not just more than ordinary people, but more than the prey I've devoured in the past... more tempting."

Bai Jingxuan's body tensed up even more.

Lin Xiaolu also showed a somewhat wary expression after the other party finished speaking, looking at Arrowroot with the eyes of someone looking at a pervert, while taking the initiative to half-block Bai Jingxuan behind her.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and after a long silence, Mint spoke again:

"So, you've found us and said hello, what's your next move? To persuade us to back down? To persuade us to surrender? Now that your identity has been exposed, do you still have the leverage to fight us?"

This is clearly why Lin Xiaolu and the other two haven't made a move yet.

The limitation of identity is two-way. The fact that the other party did not take action directly at the beginning, but chose to take the initiative to show up and talk, indicates that things will not develop to the worst possible point.

"Oh, you mean this?"

Arrowroot, hands on hips, expression returned to normal:

"It's too mana-intensive for one person to fight the Aberrant Beast at the nodes. I don't want to waste too much mana on this big oaf. You guys come and help me out, and we'll split the points."

Ha!