Chapter 19
Silence.
Shin steps forward.
The moment he crosses the threshold
the darkness disappears.
Light floods the room.
His eyes widen.
"…A library…?"
Endless shelves stretch in every direction.
Books.
Thousands.
No millions.
Some float in the air.
Slowly drifting.
As if gravity has no meaning here.
The air feels… wrong.
Too still.
Too quiet.
Shin tightens his grip on Mina.
"…So this is the second trial…"
His eyes move through the room.
Carefully.
"Find the key…"
His voice echoes slightly.
"…Where am I even supposed to start?"
No answer.
Only silence.
Shin begins searching.
Step by step.
Shelf by shelf.
He checks everything.
Between books.
Behind them.
Under tables.
Inside gaps.
Nothing.
Minutes pass.
Then
a sound.
A faint tick.
Shin freezes.
A glowing number appears in the air.
03:00:00 hours
A timer.
Shin's eyes narrow.
"…Three hours…?"
His jaw tightens.
"Something this difficult… and they give me this much time…?"
He grits his teeth.
"…This isn't normal…"
He moves faster.
Searching deeper.
More desperate.
Places no one would normally check.
Corners.
Ceilings.
Hidden spaces.
Still nothing.
Time passes.
Two hours.
Gone.
Sweat runs down his face.
His breathing becomes uneven.
"…Where is it…?"
His voice cracks slightly.
"I checked everything…"
His thoughts begin to spiral.
Then A voice.
Cold.
Empty.
"Do you want a hint?"
Shin freezes.
"…Who's there?"
No answer to that.
Only the voice again.
"Trade something… and I will help you."
A pause.
"The more valuable… the better the hint."
Silence.
Shin's eyes darken.
"…What do you want?"
A whisper echoes through the room.
"A body part."
The air grows heavier.
Shin looks down.
At Mina.
His grip tightens.
"…Fine."
A pause.
"…Take my eye."
For a moment nothing happens.
Then pain.
A sharp, tearing sensation explodes through his head.
"GH!!"
Blood runs down his face.
His vision shifts
one side goes dark.
His breathing becomes unstable.
But he doesn't scream.
"…Now talk…"
The voice returns.
"You have come far… so I will be generous."
A pause.
"The key… is hidden where you would never expect it."
Silence.
Shin's body trembles.
"…What…?"
His expression twists.
"…I already checked EVERYTHING!"
His voice echoes violently through the library.
"…EVERYTHING!"
But the voice is gone.
No response.
Only silence again.
Shin breathes heavily.
Anger.
Frustration.
Despair.
Time continues.
00:40:00
He searches again.
Faster.
More desperate.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
His movements slow.
"…I can't…"
His voice breaks.
He falls to his knees.
"…I can't find it…"
Tears mix with blood on his face.
His chest hurts.
My promise…
I won't be able to keep it…
He lowers his head.
Silence surrounds him.
The timer ticks.
00:02:00
Shin looks up.
"…Only two minutes…?"
His eyes shake.
"…Did I really waste that much time…?"
His mind goes blank.
He stops moving.
Accepting it.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Then A thought.
A single thought.
His eyes widen.
"…Wait…"
He turns.
The entrance.
The door he came from.
"…No way…"
He runs.
Fast.
Desperate.
He reaches the door.
His hand grabs the handle.
"…Please…"
He pulls.
The handle comes off.
And
A key falls into his hand.
Silence.
Shin stares at it.
Then he laughs.
"…I knew it…"
His voice trembles.
He runs.
Toward the second door.
His body screams in pain.
But he doesn't stop.
He reaches it.
His hand shakes as he inserts the key.
Click.
The door unlocks.
Light bursts forward.
"…Trial 2… cleared…"
00:00:10
Ten seconds left.
Shin breathes heavily.
Then looks back.
At the library.
"…It was never impossible…"
A faint smile appears.
"…You just had to stop thinking normally…"
He turns.
Mina still in his arms.
"…I'm not done yet."
And he steps forward.
Next Chapter will be important!!!!!!