Chapter 213.

I clenched my teeth and walked forward . I felt like I’d forget how to face forward if I turned back, so I only walked forward .

Was this the right method?

I didn’t know . This question itself might be a trap, so I just kept walking .

I put more strength into the hand that was holding Boss’ hand, even though I wasn’t able to confirm it due to my missing sense of touch .

Soon, the concept known as time scattered .

I walked for an unknown amount of time with only my sight intact .

“…Haa, haa . ”

I seemed to have escaped the maze before I noticed, as I started hearing my breath once again .

I then found myself covered in sweat and blood . Not long afterwards, a scorching pain struck me . It seemed I stepped on some traps while my senses were gone .

“I think we’re done . ”

“But I still can’t see~ …Ah, wait, what’s this!? Something’s wrong with my wrist!”

Jain gasped when she came out of the maze . I recollected my breath and turned around .

“Potion, I need a potion, Hajin~!”

Jain’s hand was dangling on her arm . Her wrist was almost severed .

“Haa…”

I sighed as I handed Jain a potion .

Feeling like we were missing someone, I glanced around . As I thought, someone was missing . Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan were behind me, but the most noticeable one wasn’t there .

Cheok Jungyeong… even after I warned you so much…

“Wait, Cheok Jungyeong isn’t here . ”

“Oh, you’re right~ I knew this would happen . That idiot . ”

“…I’ll go get him . Stay here . ”

I agreed with Jain’s comment inwardly and went back into the maze . Boss, who was still holding onto my hand, spoke .

“Hajin, let me go with you . ”

“No, it’s better for me to go alone . You should stay here . ”

[Warning! It is recommended that you stay still if possible . ]

[Traveling through the maze in reverse comes with a huge penalty . ]

[The administrator of the 10th floor is also hostile towards you . He is assigning harsher trials to your party . ]

I set a three-minute timer on my smartwatch and let go of Boss’ hand .

She tried to grab my hand again, but her sense of sight was still restricted .

“Hajin, where are you… grab my hand… listen to your boss…” Boss flailed about before falling down .

“I’ll be back soon . ”

I re-entered the maze . As soon as I took the first step, a strange feeling much stronger than before came over me . I moved my legs forward while I tried to keep myself from throwing up .

I continued to walk while I couldn’t feel a thing . But even after walking for a long time, I couldn’t find Cheok Jungyeong . When I finally turned around, feeling annoyed, I suddenly had a strange feeling .

Was this me?

Was I myself?

—Give me the Calamity Core, and you will be able to find your companion easily .

I snapped out of my stupor thanks to the damned administrator’s voice . I shook my head resolutely . I think I said something, but I couldn’t hear my voice .

—Fool, you will never escape this place .

The administrator then disappeared .

At that moment, a holographic window popped up from my smartwatch . It was the alarm signaling that three minutes had gone by .

No matter what the administrator did, I had a method of starting over .

[You used Time Reversal . ]

[You return to the past three minutes ago . ]

This was the first time I was using [Time Reversal] after obtaining the [Clockhand of Fate] . In an instant, the world seemed to undulate, as an odd sensation enveloped my body . Then, the world went back in time .

“Hajin, let me go with you . ”

Seeing Boss who was saying the same thing, I shook my head . Then, I entered the maze once again . I remembered the path I just took . Since Cheok Jungyeong wasn’t there, I just had to choose another way . Experiencing this senselessness thrice was enough .

I headed to where I felt like Cheok Jungyeong should be . Guided by my luck, I ended up finding him .

He was fighting some monster .

Even with all his senses isolated, his battle instinct seemed to be working just fine . I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry . I walked up to him and dragged him with me . Then, when the 15-second timer ran out, I left the maze once again .

“What?”

Cheok Jungyeong looked confused, and I slapped his chest . Thwack! Startled, Cheok Jungyeong put his arms up and covered his chest .

“Why were you fighting, Cheok Jungyeong?”

“I was?”

“Yes!”

“…Uh, I don’t know . Did I…?”

I wanted to say something, but before I could, an intense pain struck my chest .

Koong—!

My heart thumped . Immediately afterwards, pain that seemed to squeeze all my organs spread out, and my body helplessly fell backwards .

After that, I couldn’t think about anything .

My consciousness was swept away by a wave of overwhelming pain .

I could see Jain and Boss running towards me . They hit my cheeks and yelled something, but their voices didn’t enter my head .

A system message appeared before me .

[You reached the point before time reversal . ]

[Warning! Be wary of the deterrent force!]

The side-effect of Time Reversal .

I could finally continue my thoughts .

I laughed inaudibly . Sure, the skill had charges, but using it three times in a row would probably kill me .

Thankfully, the pain in my body slowly faded away, as Aether activated the Orb of Regeneration after sensing the state of pain I was in .

“Kim Hajin!”

I regained my sense of hearing, and Boss’ voice entered my ears .

“Hajin, are you okay?”

Jain also asked . I responded with a bitter smile .

Then, I turned and faced Cheok Jungyeong .

He seemed to be sorry and embarrassed, as he was scratching the back of his head, unsure of what to say . It really did feel like he was reflecting on his mistake .

“This is all because of that son of a bitch . ”

I pointed at Cheok Jungyeong with my trembling finger . Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan all faced him with serious expressions .

**

…In the next week, we breezed through the 11th and 12th floors .

I ended up taking the rewards that should have been Suho’s, but they weren’t anything special anyways . Anyways if Suho ever needed something, I could always give it to him later .

For the record, the 11th and 12th floors were solo stages that could be repeated multiple times . A Player only had to beat it once to climb up, and they could revisit it and try the stage at a harder difficulty to advance their skills .

“Huaaam… . ”

In any case, we were now on the 13th floor .

The 13th floor was peaceful, and we stayed in a small log cabin with a living room and one bedroom .

“How high does this Tower go?”

“Who knows?”

I retorted curtly at Cheok Jungyeong’s question . He didn’t say anything because of what happened on the 10th floor .

“…Really~? I think Hajin knows everything . ”

Jain grinned and said . At that moment, Boss’ voice suddenly rang in my head . ‘Is Hajin really a Returner? The knowledge and experience he’s shown until now can only be explained by that…’

“…?”

I tilted my head and looked at Boss, who was gazing at me while stroking Spartan’s head .

“…Ah . ”

I understood easily . I was connected with Spartan, and Spartan’s senses had transcended a human’s long ago . When he was in a good condition, he could probably guess someone else’s thoughts .

As for what I just heard, it was probably Spartan reading Boss’ mind .

“I’m not a Returner . ”

“…?!”

Boss shook when she heard what I said . Technically, I did go back in time by three minutes, but that obviously didn’t count . It almost killed me too .

Boss’ thoughts rang in my head once again, ‘He can even read my mind because of all his experiences…’

“You’re wrong . ”

“…W-What am I wrong about? Explain that first . ”

“Just know that you’re wrong~”

I shook my head and lied down . A clock was ticking up above .

[13F, Area of Rest, 63:23:34]

Tick— Tick—

The goal of the 13th floor was simple .

[Enduring a mental trial . ]

For 100 hours, we were free to rest here . The only catch was that we would be struck with a horrifying nightmare if we fell asleep .

I’ve stayed awake for about 37 hours now . If I were alone, I probably would have fallen asleep a long time ago . I was grateful that I had companions to talk to .

“Ah~ I’m so bored—! I’m gonna— work— out—!”

Cheok Jungyeong roared and shot up . Jin Yohan looked up at him sharply .

“Wanna spar?”

“…Sure, follow me . ”

The two of them went away, and Jain also left to watch .

They were full of energy even after staying awake for more than 37 hours . In the first place, they were the type of people who could stay awake for 100 hours without problem .

However…

“…I’m so sleepy . ”

I was different . Not only was I used to getting ample sleep, because I used [Time Reversal] once on the 10th floor and once on the 12th floor, my body was in terrible shape . Because Aileen’s party and Kim Suho’s party were both catching up, we had to focus on climbing the Tower without a moment of rest .

“…Haam . ”

I yawned .

Boss, who was looking at me intently, asked .

“Are you sleepy?”

“…Yes . ”

“You’re the one who said we shouldn’t sleep . ”

“I know . ”

I already explained that sleeping here would result in a nightmare, dragging out the most painful and sad memories .

Rustle—

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was bored, as Boss crawled to a drawer in the corner of the log cabin . She took out a deck of playing cards from inside .

“…Want to play a game?”

“No, I can’t lose, so it’ll only make me sleepier . ”

“… . ”

I thought about sparring with one of the members but quickly put the idea away . I might be awake during the spar, but I was sure to faint afterwards .

“Auu… . ”

I spent the next three hours in a daze .

At this point, I wasn’t sure whether staying awake or sleeping was a challenge .

I yawned and looked up at the ceiling . I forced my slowly closing eyelids open . ‘Don’t sleep . Don’t sleep… . ’

“…!”

I opened my eyes .

A white ceiling was above me . I immediately thought, ‘I have to write the next chapter . ’

“What time is it… . ”

I picked up my smartphone that was next to my pillow . It was 6 p . m . There were only 5 hours until the deadline . I should have more than enough time to finish the chapter .

“Auu, I slept for 8 hours?”

I groaned and raised my body . Although I was in a hurry, there was a wake-up routine I never forgot to do – browsing the internet on my phone .

—Hajin~ Are you still asleep?

I voice rang out from outside the door .

I tilted my head, then looked around . It was indeed my one-bedroom, apartment room . The bed was comfier than usual . So who was outside?

Drrk—

While I was thinking, the door opened, and a familiar silhouette appeared with the smell of cigarettes .

My eyes opened wide at the sudden guest .

“Dad?”

“Stop sleeping during the day and get up . I brought food . ”

Dad’s face looked a bit blurry . I didn’t hear anything about him visiting, but I wasn’t too surprised since this wasn’t the first surprise-visit from Mom or Dad .

Suddenly, my vision turned blurry .

‘What’s wrong with me…?’

I rubbed my eyes .

Tears . I was crying .

Why was I crying?

And why did my heart hurt so much?

“…jin . ”

At that moment, a soft voice entered my ears . It was the kind of buzzing sound a mosquito made .

“What?”

I frowned and pounded my ears .

“What do you mean, ‘what’? Get out here . ”

“…Ah, yes, Dad . Anyways, you said you brought beef~?”

I asked in a cutesy tone as I jumped out of bed . Mom was sitting in the living room, cooking beef .

“Mom~”

I ran up and hugged her . ‘You smell gross, go take a shower . ’ Even as she said that, she had a smile on her face .

“What are you guys doing here? Dad’s here too . ”

“We just had time . You always order delivery, right? We thought we’d give you a home meal . We also brought some side-dishes . …Go wash your face first . ”

“Okay~”

I ran to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink .

I was about to turn the faucet on… when I paused .

Although Mom and Dad were here, today shouldn’t be all that different from any other day . But still… for some reason, something felt wrong .

I slowly raised my head and looked at the mirror .

“…?”

I was crying in the mirror . My tears seemed to have spread to my body as my hands were also shaking .

I couldn’t understand .

Why was I crying?

What was wrong with me?

…Hajin .

At that moment, I began to hear things .

“…What?”

—How long are you going to stay in there? The meat’s done!

“Ah, yes, I’m going . ”

Hearing Dad, I finished washing up and left the bathroom .

A hearty meal was prepared on the living room table . I just woke up, but any time was a good time to eat beef . I couldn’t be happier as I stuffed rice and beef into my mouth .

Eating with Mom and Dad made me happy . So happy that tears were coming out of my eyes .

“…Hajin . ”

“Yes?”

After I finished a bowl of rice, Dad suddenly said my name seriously .

It was the tone he had when he wanted to discuss life with me . I sat up straight, preparing myself for a long lecture . If I wanted to escape, I could always use my deadline as an excuse .

However, Dad said something I didn’t expect .

“It’s time to go back . ”

I tilted my head . Go back? This was my home, and Dad and Mom were here too .

…Kim Hajin!

A shout entered my ears .

“Go back where? Oh, you mean work? Don’t worry, my deadline is in 4 hours . ”

“He’s right . He can stay a bit more . You’re the one who wanted to see him the most anyways . ”

Mom nudged Dad’s shoulder as she said that . She seemed to want to talk with me more, as she nudged my shoulder too, asking me if I wanted another bowl of rice .

I was all too used to her habits by now .

“Yeah, I’ll take seconds . ”

“Oh right, Hajin, you should come home at least once a week . You’re not that busy anyways . ”

That was something she said every time she came over . I normally would have said I was too busy with my novel serialization to go, or complain that she was nagging me, but today…

“…I will, starting from next week . ”

That’s what I wanted to say .

At that moment, Dad cut in .

“That’s great, but you should still go now . ”

“…The deadline’s approaching, but I still have—”

“No, not that . ”

Dad cut me off . ‘I can just tell my readers I was busy and delay the chapter too…’ When I glared at Dad with that thought, I was startled .

“Not that, Hajin . ”

He was making a smile that was too lonely and bitter .

—Kim Hajin!

A clear shout rang out .

This time, it filled the entire room .

“It’s time to go back to where you are . ”

“Kim Hajin! Wake up!”

In that instant, my eyes suddenly shot open . My apartment room and everything inside it were sucked into my eyes . My senses and breath all stopped .

I quickly drew a rough breath .

I couldn’t see anything because everything in front of me was hazy . My eyes were wet with tears that burst out unknowingly .

“…Haa . ”

But soon, with someone’s sigh of relief, a rough hand softly touched my eyes . The hand wiped away the tears in my place .

“You’re up . ”

Only then did I see the woman who protected me .

“Was it painful?”

“… . ”

“You can give up if you want . ”

I looked at her in a daze .

I couldn’t think .

It seemed I had a grave misunderstanding . That if I fell asleep in this place, the most painful or sad memory would resurface .

“…Ah . ’

Tears surged up from the bottom of my heart . The small yet happy living room I was in and the people I loved but couldn’t express my love to appeared in my head .

Happy dreams were sad precisely because they couldn’t come true .

Unable to endure this sadness, I cried .

I covered my eyes with my hand and cried .

I cried out loud for the first time since becoming Kim Hajin in this world .

Sounds that even I couldn’t understand came out of my mouth . It sounded like I was moaning . The sounds made both my body and heart shake .

…After an unknown amount of time passed, my crying turned to weeping, and unknown more time passed before my tears stopped altogether .

After coming to my senses, I made an awkward smile .

Boss was still looking down at me .

“Are you… okay now?”

I nodded with a light sigh .

“…Ah, how embarrassing… don’t fall asleep like me, Boss . ”

Boss looked down at me silently . Her calm eyes were flickering with a complicated light .

“That was more painful than I thought . ”

I raised my hand and put it on my chest . My heartbeats seemed to reverberate through my entire body .

“…Hajin . ”

Boss whispered my name and held my hand . Her warmth enveloped my hand .

Boss looked at me and said .

“I’m sorry . ”

Her voice was trembling and choked up .

What was she sorry about? I looked into her eyes, confused .

Boss then put on a bitter smile and spoke with a low-spirit .

“…Don’t be hurt . ”

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