Nick and the Hero were both very experienced people, and they could convey a lot of information with just a few words.
Talking for a long period was dangerous since there were other Heroes present as well, and it was important that they remained as inconspicuous as possible.
After just exchanging these couple of words, the two of them stopped talking.
They didn't need to talk more for now.
Both sides had a solid reason for cooperation.
Nick couldn't kill any human since that would just make the Maw kill him, and the Hero couldn't afford to kill Nick since his death would have no benefit but a lot of risk.
Because of that, a unique team between a human and a Specter was created.
Nick had several more questions, but gaining the answers wasn't worth the risk of being exposed.
Sadly, that meant that Nick couldn't find an answer to these questions immediately.
However, Nick didn't need to ask all of the questions to find some of the answers.
Sometimes, a little time to ponder was enough to solve some riddles.
'The Maw offered me its Zephyx, which means that this is not just a casual competition but a competition between Extractors with the Maw's ability. The woman and the Sniper also used abilities that showed a strong influence from the Maw.'
'I am an Initial Specialist… or Fanatic… and they are Initial Heroes.'
'So, logically, the Maw must think that I am just like them, a Peak Specialist who has advanced to become an Initial Hero.'
'But why?'
Nick thought back to the tongues.
Thinking about them still made Nick's skin crawl.
Then, he realized something.
'I had about three times the Zephyx of a normal Peak Expert. Additionally, my body was very athletic and powerful. My Zephyx regeneration was also unmatched.'
'My raw power was on the level of an Early Specialist already.'
'But the Maw knew that I was ready for ability advancement, which meant that I had to be at the Peak of a level.'
'The two closest levels are Peak Expert and Peak Specialist.'
'Judging by my powers, I was either the strongest Peak Expert it has ever seen or the weakest Peak Specialist.'
'I guess, in the end, it decided that I was the weakest Peak Specialist and sent me here.'
'Maybe that also explains why I had to wait for so long.'
'There should be several times more Peak Experts than Peak Specialists.'
Finally, Nick could somewhat paint a picture of his current situation.
However, there was still something that was muddy and hard to grasp.
'This is how I got here, but what about my actual situation right now?'
'I'm not sure if there ever was a Specter inside one of the Maw's competitions.'
'How am I supposed to act?'
'What will happen to me?'
Nick was a definite irregularity here, and he had no idea how the Maw would take his presence.
The Maw was not very intelligent. So much was clear.
It was more of an organism of instinct.
It was like an insect.
The Maw was currently digesting its prey, and it had swallowed something that it couldn't digest.
It was obviously trying to digest this indigestible thing by using the same methods it used to digest the other things.
What would an organism do if it realized that it couldn't digest something?
That depended on what the indigestible thing did.
'If I do absolutely nothing and leave when the first opportunity presents itself, the Maw should ignore me. I have not done any damage. I will just be pooped out.'
'But if I start damaging things or interrupting its digestion, I will be seen as a poison or a parasite. It would then attack and kill me.'
'I might have a shot at escaping if only one human remains and they get transported out.'
'I just have to follow them to the outside, and things will be fine.'
By now, the two of them could see each other, and they were slowly and stealthily traveling along some columns.
Nick threw a quick glance at the Hero.
'She's my ticket out. She knows me, and she has no reason to kill me while we are inside. She also wouldn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble while she's leaving the Maw.'
'Of course, things might change after we leave the Maw, but that's a different issue altogether.'
'For now, I'm stuck with her.'
Naturally, the Hero also tried to analyze the situation.
She had never heard of the Maw consuming Specters.
Was this Specter some kind of parasite?
Was something like that even possible? Could Specters feed on other Specters?
The Hero had no idea why Nick was here, but she knew that Nick couldn't kill her.
Ironically, the Hero was being protected from a Specter by a stronger Specter.
The two of them slowly crept forward, searching for their enemy.
Crrrrrk!
At that point, the columns started to make noise, and they were pulling together.
The two of them rapidly moved towards a direction that was not being compressed by the columns.
It was clear what was happening.
The Maw was compressing the fighting arena.
It didn't want to wait forever for its food to be digested.
The two of them kept moving away from the compressing walls until the walls no longer started to close in on each other.
They did not know by how much the fighting arena had been shrunk, but it had to be a lot.
Nick looked away from the compressed walls before traveling alongside it for a bit.
The angle of the compressed walls made a circle, and Nick could quickly calculate the sphere's dimensions with some math.
'It's about 300 meters in diameter,' Nick thought.
The fighting arena was a sphere with a diameter of 300 meters, filled with columns and pillars.
This made the fighting arena almost claustrophobic for such powerful fighters.
An Initial Hero could travel several kilometers per second.
Such a small arena was similar to putting two adult men into a small closet as a fighting arena.
The senses of the Heroes were also fine enough that they could feel other Heroes from around 150 meters away, unless the other Hero was outstanding in staying hidden.
There was no doubt that they would meet the remaining contestants soon.
'In total, there should be eight contestants.'
'I was one, but don't count anymore, making it seven.'
'My ally is not my enemy, making it six.'
'We have killed one already, making it five.'
'Five is the maximum possible number of enemies left, but that's assuming that nobody else has battled within the last minutes.'
'Anything from one to five enemies are left.'
Nick furrowed his brows.
"Take advantage of your nature," the female Hero transmitted to Nick.
That was not the first time she had done this.
The ability to transmit one's voice was not easy to learn. Even for Heroes.
'I wonder what her background is.'
Nick nodded.
He knew what she meant.
It was risky, but battles like this were always risky.
Nick jumped forward and landed on a column.
He was not loudly announcing himself with the jump, but he also wasn't trying to stay hidden.
Any Hero close to Nick must have heard him.
Naturally, that was the plan.
Nick had to take advantage of the fact that he was a Specter and that nobody knew that he was one.
Then, he just waited.
Nothing.
Silence.
Nick had even lost track of his ally.
His senses were extraordinary, but these were Heroes.
There was probably not a single Hero younger than 100 years old.
These were the most talented 0.0001% or something like that, and they had over a century of experience.
It was not easy for Nick to compete with these kinds of people without access to his main abilities.
Even Heroes who did not count as Runners, Assassins, or Snipers were amazing at staying hidden.
Nick waited.
Nothing.
Yet, he was certain that at least one enemy must have heard him.
Seconds passed.
Nick still waited.
Nick became more nervous, but the nervousness was accompanied by bewilderment, confusion, and dissociation.
'Do I really feel nervous?'
'Is this real?'
Nick knew that he was a Specter now, but he still felt emotions.
Specters were supposed to be emotionless.
'Am I feeling this, or am I just deluding myself into thinking that I'm feeling this?'
'Are these emotions real or not?'
Nick felt like he was looking at himself from an external perspective.
He just saw himself standing on a column.
Waiting.
Except for the squelching noise of the pulsing walls, everything was silent.
He waited.
Then, Nick jumped to another column.
He did not land quietly.
It was impossible that no one noticed him.
He waited again.
He jumped another time.
Those had been three long jumps, and Nick believed that he was very close to the center of the arena now.
Every single Hero in the arena must have noticed him by now.
But nothing was happening.
Nick did not find anyone.
He didn't even find his ally.
It was like he was alone.
So, he waited.
And waited.