Chapter 193. A Rift in Time (4)
“Ugh. We’re back here again!”
Eun-Ho's group was back at the starting point of the underground fortress, the dark cavern at the bottom of the stairs.
“Well, it doesn’t seem to matter whether we pick up the weapons or not,” Eun-Ho said.
“Right? I put them straight into my inventory, but they just popped back out!” Ji-Eun replied.
Staring down at his empty hands, Jae-Hyuk muttered, “Man, I even found a part that fit my mace perfectly. How unfortunate.”
During the first attempt, they hadn’t touched anything. This time, they had deliberately tried the opposite, grabbing whatever they could. Eun-Ho had worried it would trigger some hidden trap, but even after sweeping up piles of weapons and liquor, nothing changed.
“Wow! This helmet would totally suit you, Eun-Ho! Oh, and that armor too!”
“Hyungnim! Noonim! I’ll grab some booze over here too!”
When time ran out, the cold, mechanical voice rang out without mercy.
[Allotted time has been exhausted.]
[Regression has been initiated.]
With the tick of a clock’s second hand, everything then returned to where it had been.
“So, no matter what we do, once the time limit’s up, we get sent back.”
“The time limit is one hour, right?”
“Yes.”
They had exactly one hour from the moment they left this pitch-dark cavern. After sixty minutes, every single action they’d taken rewound, as if time itself were flowing in reverse.
“Eun-Ho, this has to be related to the clock hand, right?” Ji-Eun asked.
Considering everything so far, including the hour repeating endlessly and the broken hour hand that had fallen into his grasp in that memory, that sounded like the only conclusion.
“It would be stranger if it weren’t related,” Eun-Ho replied.
“Huh? So the hour hand breaking is what’s making time rewind?”
“At the very least, there’s a connection.”
After mulling it over, Jae-Hyuk nodded firmly. Then there was only one thing left to do.
“Let’s find the clock. We have one hour,” Eun-Ho said.
“All right! Understood!”
“Let’s go!”
[60:00]
Just like that, the countdown began once more.
***
Jae-Hyuk wasn’t particularly smart. Back in school, it was always faster to count his rank from the bottom. Even the Non-Commissioned Officer qualification exam, which most people passed easily, had given him trouble.
When he was younger, he believed his mother’s words without question. “You’re smart, you just don’t study.”
However, by age twenty-five, Choi Jae-Hyuk had accepted that he simply wasn’t cut out for thinking. Perhaps that was why he had instinctively learned to run harder. If he couldn’t use his head, then he had to be able to use his physique properly, at least.
However, they came across beings that surpassed even Ultra Regeneration. The immortal knights in the truest sense of the word.
“Skeleton Knight Order... Deploy!”
“For the Commander!”
Violet energy wrapped around the Razor Beak Blade as it surged upward. A deathly aura rippled like living shadows, exuding an overwhelming presence that made it unthinkable to even cross blades with them. The shock was all the greater because the Skeletons had once been so clumsy.
How are they that strong now? What have I been doing all this time? Jae-Hyuk wondered.
Besides, Ji-Eun, too, had awakened abilities that bordered on monstrous.
“Prophetic Shooting?”
What he felt wasn’t jealousy, nor was it a sense of crisis. It was just that gnawing ache, the feeling that he alone wasn’t pulling his weight.
I have to get stronger, Jae-Hyuk thought.
He wanted to become strong enough to finally repay Eun-Ho, who had saved him again and again.
With that single thought driving him, he gathered his courage. “We’ll be faster if we advance while dismantling the traps!”
“Huh? Skeletons can’t really disarm those, though.”
“I’ll block them!”
Such a strategy only worked because Jae-Hyuk had memorized most of the traps by now. Thanks to his terrifying regeneration and human judgment, he was the only one who could propose it, too.
“I’ll tank them,” said Jae-Hyuk.
He'd properly disable the traps dangerous enough to threaten his life and simply push through the ones that couldn't kill him instantly. It was crude, but it was the most efficient course of action.
Jae-Hyuk charged forward without hesitation.
“J-Jae-Hyuk! You’re bleeding way too much!”
“It’ll heal in a second!”
By now, he had become all too familiar with fighting while taking damage. He had done it plenty against monsters, and again during the battle with the Desert Guardians.
“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“Ah, this is nothing. I’m fine.” His wounds healed immediately, but the pain felt twice as intense. Still, he was clearly helping more than ever. “And we’re definitely moving faster, aren’t we? Hahaha! Keugh!”
It didn’t matter if arrows lodged themselves into his upper arms or armpits as long as he managed to shield his head. Once he pulled the arrows out, the wounds closed right up.
“Eek!”
It didn't matter if blades sprang from the floor the instant he stepped on a plate, piercing his soles and leaving his heels and calves flapping with torn flesh. He just had to endure the brief pain until he grew new skin.
“Aagh!”
He couldn't care less either if massive boulders rolled through the narrow corridor, flattening him completely. Even if he were squashed like a squid, he’d just swell back up.
Wait, no. That’s not right, is it? Jae-Hyuk thought.
Thud!
Faced with a trap he hadn’t encountered before, Jae-Hyuk blanked out. A gigantic boulder rolled toward them at terrifying speed, rapidly closing the distance. Behind them, a thick stone wall blocked any retreat.
“Hup!”
Ji-Eun pressed both index fingers to her brow, straining her psychokinesis. When it didn’t work, she shook her head, drew her gun, and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
However, it barely disrupted the boulder’s rotation.
“Then I’ll just block it head-on,” Jae-Hyuk said.
“What?! That’s insane! If I shoot a bit more—”
“We don’t have time, do we? If I’m lucky, it’ll just break my arms. Don’t worry, Noonim!” Jae-Hyuk said boldly and stepped forward.
Thud!
Eun-Ho shot out an arm and stopped him in his tracks. “I was planning to go along with your idea for the most part, but...”
“H-Hyungnim?”
It was an unyielding gesture. Eun-Ho's brow deeply furrowed, and his lips pressed into a hard, straight line. Even Jae-Hyuk could tell Eun-Ho was angry.
Why is Hyungnim like that?
Jae-Hyuk initially wondered if he’d done something wrong, but Eun-Ho was the type to explain the mistake and how to fix it; he wouldn't just lash out.
Yet at that moment, Eun-Ho shoved him aside. “Move.”
If Jae-Hyuk truly had a lapse in judgment, Eun-Ho would have said so calmly.
So he doesn’t trust me after all? Jae-Hyuk thought.
The coldness of Eun-Ho’s reaction stung more than Jae-Hyuk expected, but he swallowed it down and said even more firmly, “No, Hyungnim!”
However, the only reply he received was the sound of a black blade being drawn from a scabbard that looked ornate despite its lack of color.
Click.
“I can handle this,” Jae-Hyuk said.
Next came the wind. Something invisible swept past in a blur, leaving behind a lingering wake.
At first, Jae-Hyuk thought it was a bullet streaking to its target at the speed of light. However, the dark-blue afterimage was seared into his vision. The blue flash lit up the corridor as the boulder shattered into thousands of worthless fragments, instantly making him realize that it was no bullet.
Long shadows stretched to the far end of the corridor, which the flickering torchlight dimly lit. Stone debris crumbled like desert sand all over it.
With sharpened anger settling heavily in his tone, Eun-Ho said coldly, “Choi Jae-Hyuk, if this is how you want to do this, then listen to me.”
“I-I was just...”
“I get why you’re pushing yourself so hard.”
Frozen stiff like a fish left out in the winter cold, Jae-Hyuk could only swallow hard.
Eun-Ho let out a small sigh and said in a softer tone, “We’re a team. You don’t have to do everything yourself. As members of the same team, we should help each other and make up for each other’s weaknesses, shouldn't we?”
Jae-Hyuk hadn’t expected such simple words to comfort him this much.
“Let’s reset. Get ready.”
Deep in his gut, something molten began to boil. “Yes, sir.”
“Choi Jae-Hyuk. Throw your mace at the cannons to smash them.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll grind them into dust!”
“Skeleton Knight Corps, erase the magic circles while he's getting rid of the cannons.”
“Yes, Commander!”
“Ji-Eun, ricochet your bullets along the floor. That should trigger any traps that activate on contact.”
“Oh, like skipping stones? I’ll try!”
Everyone fulfilled their respective roles and responsibilities. Like interlocking gears, their operations meshed together, creating an overwhelming momentum.
“Eun-Ho! All clear!”
“Good. Next!”
I...
Jae-Hyuk didn’t even notice the blood welling up and disappearing from his clenched fist.
This is where I belong. By this person’s side.
[The parameters required for skill activation are being calculated.]
[Calculation speed has increased due to loyalty surpassing survival instinct.]
***
[02:15]
Two minutes remained before time rewound.
[You have entered the Time Altar.]
They stepped into a space that felt unfamiliar yet strangely familiar. Earthen walls surrounded them, with a few torches draping them in long shadows. A domed ceiling that seemed sturdy but crudely finished. The floor was covered entirely in clocks missing their hour hands.
Clearly, they were in the space from the memories. It was so identical that it felt uncanny.
“Time seems to have barely passed here,” remarked Ji-Eun.
“Not barely. It didn’t pass at all,” Eun-Ho replied.
Ji-Eun tilted her head. “What?”
Eun-Ho brushed his fingers lightly across the ticking surfaces of the minute and second hands, as if to fill the absence that the broken hour hand had left.
“There’s nothing on it—ah!” Ji-Eun exclaimed.
His fingers were clean, unnaturally so. “If time had passed, dust would’ve piled up. We probably wouldn’t even be able to breathe properly.”
“Oh! Now that you mention it, the storage rooms we passed were way too clean,” Ji-Eun commented.
Eun-Ho nodded as he grasped the key that would end this trial.
[01:02]
With one minute remaining, he inserted the Broken Hour Hand.
Click!
On what appeared to be an altar or a dais, he fitted the child-sized chunk of metal into the massive clock. It slid perfectly into the broken slot. Just as he was starting to wonder if adhesive would be required, the underground space resonated.
[The loop has been deactivated.]
Thud!
It felt like an inaudibly low-frequency wave was spreading outward. Dust trickled down from the ceiling, clouding the air around their heads. A golden message appeared.
[The axis of time rejoins the order of the world.]
A brilliant light simultaneously poured down. The clock hands spun wildly like propeller blades, so fast it felt like one’s hand would be shredded if they reached inside. After some time, they finally stopped.
Wooong—!
Just as the compass tucked in his pocket began to vibrate, he heard a series of messages.
[Congratulations!]
[You have overcome the Second Trial.]
[The Trial Compass records your second victory.]
Eun-Ho opened the compass lid, which had begun to rattle and shake on its own. A blinding light would usually pour out next. He looked away in anticipation, then back again.
The second image engraved on the compass was the desert. It was the driest place in the world, yet ironically, it resembled the sea the most.
Jae-Hyuk and Ji-Eun smiled brightly.
“We cleared two in just two days, Hyungnim!”
“So, is it over now?”
We haven’t restored spring to the entire forest yet, but at least one chapter can be considered finished, Eun-Ho thought.
[Congratulations!]
[The Underground Fortress acknowledges you, who restored the axis of time, as its new master.]
To his surprise, Eun-Ho had even gained a fortress.
[You have acquired authority to set entry permissions for the Underground Fortress.]
[You have acquired control over the traps of the Underground Fortress.]
[All accumulated assets within the fortress may be used, removed, or sold.]
Isn’t this better than just a forest? Eun-Ho thought.
They had suffered for it, sure, but the payoff was absurdly large. Feeling like he had somehow caught a mouse while stumbling backward, he checked the status window. “Office information.”
[Wailing Forest]
- Affiliation: Labor-Management Cooperation Team
- Area: 1,000 x 1,000
- Facilities/Furniture: [Underground Fortress(Lv. 99)], [Log Cabin(Lv. 3)], [Watchtower(Lv. 1)], [Castle Wall(Lv. 2)]
- Special Effects: [Prayer of the Oasis], [How to Avoid the Sun], [Sand Shower]
Eun-Ho was surprised. Huh? A level 99 Underground Fortress?!
Considering the desolate sight at the beginning, where there’d been nothing but a single collapsing log cabin, the change was staggering. As he carefully examined the newly gained effects, his lips unknowingly curved into a smile.
“We seriously made out like bandits this time, didn’t we?” Ji-Eun asked.
“Ah, yes. Did you already check the info window?” Eun-Ho replied.
“I haven’t, but I can already tell. Eun-Ho, you look like you've just won the lottery.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Eun-Ho laughed awkwardly before laying out the revised plan for the day. “Let’s call everyone over.”
“Everyone? Here?”
He’d planned to do it a bit later, but it should be fine.
It's free anyway, Eun-Ho thought.
A window slightly larger than two palms pressed together appeared before his eyes.
[A Team Shared Messenger for the Labor-Management Cooperation Team has been created.]
[Please leave your first greeting!]
Myung Tae-Pyeong: Huh? What’s this?
Min Yeo-Jin: Wow!
Min Yeo-Jin: We finally have a group chat!
The messages poured in so fast that it made Eun-Ho wonder if no one had been working at all. Still, he decided to just question them about it later.
Yoon Sol-Ah: If anyone’s hurt, let me know
Yeon Bo-Ra: Oppa, when are you coming back? Don’t tell me you’re staying out?
Lee Eun-Ho: Please come over.
Lee Ye-Ji: Huh? To the desert?
Lee Eun-Ho: Yes. We’re having a team dinner.
[The Labor-Management Cooperation Team’s total Benefit Points have exceeded six hundred Points during the Job Market!]
[Team Dinner for Camaraderie event has been unlocked.]
Since the fortress was stacked with free food and alcohol, they could finally have the team dinner that everyone had been hoping for.
Lee Eun-Ho: Attendance isn’t mandatory.
Lee Eun-Ho: Only come if you want. Everyone else can head straight home. Rest up.
Based on countless experiences, he knew morale was boosted not by dinners but by early dismissal.
“Ji-Eun, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Got it! I’ll bring them over.”
Only around ten would probably attend, Eun-Ho thought. Fortunately, Ji-Eun could move about fifteen at once.
At that moment, the team's excitement practically spilled out of the chat window.
Lee Ye-Ji: Team dinner!! Hooray!!
Myung Tae-Pyeong: Fuck. Where is it and how do we get there?
Kim Ji-Woong: Hyung! Are we finally having a drink together?!
Lee Eun-Ho: Let’s party until we pass out!