"Thirty… minutes?"
The number slammed into his mind like a stone falling from above.
For a moment, Lam Huy Trường's mind went blank.
Then—
A violent surge rose inside his chest.
His heart pounded.
Cold sweat burst out along the back of his neck and ran down his spine.
The air inside the stone chamber suddenly felt heavy.
Beep—
From the watch on his wrist, a familiar mechanical voice sounded.
"Professor, your body temperature has dropped again."
A brief pause.
"What is making you this anxious?"
Lam Huy Trường clenched his jaw.
Inside his head, a string of curses exploded.
Interference factor, my ass.
This damn game…
No ethics. No conscience.
And now this too?
He ground his teeth.
It really wants to kill me.
Frustration surged up so violently that he felt the urge to smash something.
Why…
Why did I have to pick the most miserable character in this entire game?!
"Ahhhh…"
The sound squeezed out through clenched teeth.
But even that complaint quickly died away.
Because he knew—
Complaining was useless.
Lam Huy Trường took a deep breath.
He forced himself to calm down.
Then he stepped forward.
Three stone steps lay directly ahead of him.
Each step echoed sharply through the chamber.
Clack… clack…
The sound bounced off the cold stone walls.
He climbed the final step.
His view immediately widened.
Four chests.
They rested at the four corners surrounding the offering altar, arranged as if part of an ancient ritual.
Dim light from the cave ceiling fell onto them, causing the metal surfaces to reflect different colors.
Gold.
Red.
Blue.
Purple.
Lam Huy Trường slowly turned his head.
Behind him—
Four ancient reliefs were carved directly into the stone wall.
The carvings were still intact, only dulled slightly by time.
The images were still recognizable.
Each one depicted a scene from a long story.
He studied them for several seconds.
Then he looked down at the watch.
"Mrs. AI."
His voice lowered.
"I know telling you to stay quiet is a little rude."
He rubbed his forehead, trying to gather his scattered focus.
"But right now I really need to concentrate."
A short pause.
"So… please."
The watch emitted a soft beep.
The AI's voice responded immediately, calm and precise as always.
"I do not know what is troubling you, Professor."
"In truth, I have many questions."
A very small pause.
"But I will follow your command."
"If you require me, please call."
Lam Huy Trường nodded slightly.
"Thank you."
After that—
The chamber fell silent again.
No voices.
No mechanical sounds.
Only his breathing remained, and the four chests resting quietly around the offering altar.
As if waiting.
Wind whispered faintly through the cracks in the stone.
Lam Huy Trường stood still for a moment.
His gaze slowly swept across the four chests surrounding the offering altar.
Then it shifted to the reliefs behind him.
Memories of the game gradually surfaced in his mind.
If he remembered correctly…
The four chests contained items meant to be placed on the offering altar.
A familiar puzzle.
One that had once sparked quite a heated debate on the game's forums.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He still remembered that discussion clearly.
For new players, the solution was extremely simple.
Just look at the four reliefs behind the altar.
There was no need to understand the story.
All they had to do was place the offerings in the same order as the scenes shown in the carvings.
And that was it.
Lam Huy Trường exhaled softly.
A blunt solution.
Fast. Straightforward.
Almost no thinking required.
But he knew very well—
Veteran players chose a completely different approach.
They ignored the altar.
They did not open the chests.
They did not place any offerings.
They did not touch the puzzle at all.
At least—not yet.
Instead, they memorized the location of this room.
Then they continued playing.
All the way until the end of the game.
Right before facing the final boss—
Only then would they return here.
Because by that point, the player would have collected other offerings.
Four special items scattered across the map.
Four offerings tied to the story of the prince.
Lam Huy Trường stared at the offering altar for a long time.
His thoughts slowly turned.
Those items…
Normally, players had to defeat monsters, complete quests, or rely on various other conditions to gather them all.
But—
His eyes narrowed slightly.
If he had arrived here…
Before this place was destroyed…
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Then…
There was a very high possibility—
Those items were still here.
Inside these four chests.
Lam Huy Trường slowly clenched his hand.
Because he remembered one thing very clearly.
This offering altar—
Could only accept offerings once.
His fingers tightened.
If his guess was correct…
Then the item he wanted most in this place could only be one thing.
An SSR item.
One of the items that had once sparked endless arguments on the forum.
The description of that item immediately surfaced in his mind.
A short warning line.
A sentence that sounded more like a threat than a guide.
One day…
Time will no longer be your greatest ally.
It will become your most powerful enemy.
Lam Huy Trường frowned slightly.
The effect of that item was extremely simple.
But also terrifying.
For five seconds—
The user would enter a state of invulnerability.
No damage.
All negative effects removed.
The body instantly restored to peak condition.
Lam Huy Trường slowly exhaled.
An item that could easily be described as overpowered.
Just five seconds—
But enough to completely reverse the outcome of a battle.
Then the next thought appeared.
And his expression stiffened immediately.
"…But."
He muttered under his breath.
"The character I reincarnated into is that crazy professor."
He frowned.
"Whether that guy even has the setting to wear armor… who knows."
"…What if this item only works for the story's main protagonist?"
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Wouldn't that mean I just made a wedding dress for someone else?"
A brief silence.
"…Damn."
He cursed quietly.
The feeling of seeing treasure but possibly being unable to use it was extremely irritating.
But time did not allow him to stand there and complain.
Every second was still passing.
Lam Huy Trường glanced down at his watch.
The countdown continued running coldly.
There was not much time left.
Right now—
About twenty minutes remained.
He gritted his teeth.
"…I'll have to give up that item."
At least for now.
His gaze immediately shifted toward another possibility.
A second option.
Changing the order of the offerings.
Lam Huy Trường raised his head and examined the chamber again.
The offering altar stood at the center.
Four chests were positioned around it in the four directions.
He quickly identified their locations.
The gold chest was to the northwest.
The red chest to the southeast.
The remaining two—
blue and purple—sat opposite each other.
In his mind, the layout of the room immediately formed.
(Offering Altar)
[Statue] [Statue]
[Gold Chest] [Red Chest]
[Blue Chest] [Purple Chest]
Lam Huy Trường's gaze settled on the gold chest.
He walked over and crouched down.
The lid creaked softly as he opened it.
Inside—
A heart-shaped yellow crystal lay quietly within the chest, glowing faintly.
He picked it up.
Golden light reflected in his eyes.
"Golden love…"
Lam Huy Trường murmured.
Within the ancient chamber, the golden crystal emitted a gentle glow.
This was the first heart.