He knows which blocks are safe.
Earlier, the bald man had already saved two people before helping Lin, but since he didn’t know which blocks were safe, he’d dragged them through multiple blocks until their screams stopped, indicating their safe block. This led to the consensus that no more than one person could share a “safe” block.
A few more.
Moments later, Lin suddenly collapsed right in front of the dark-haired woman as he finally reached her block. As he paused briefly to recover, his skin still searing, a huge man towered next to him, scooping the woman up before turning to Lin with a rushed tone.
“Which one!?” he shouted, his flesh searing as he gritted his teeth, a contorted expression on his face.
“Kkuu… Th-that one,” Lin rasped, barely able to form words as a wave of drowsiness began to overtake him. Thankfully, the message was clear. The man rushed forward, hopping across a few blocks in quick succession. Despite his pain, he carefully laid the woman down on a safe block before returning to Lin and picking him up.
That was reckless.
Lin thought this as the mysterious white steam began to heal him upon reaching his block. The sensation was almost ecstatic, the excruciating pain and injuries vanishing completely, making the ordeal feel like it was all in his head.
“I-is this even real?” someone asked shakily, their voice trembling as their eyes darted nervously around the group.
“We’ll talk about that later,” the feminine-looking man interrupted, quickly turning to Lin with a pleading expression.
“Did you figure something out about the blocks? Can you please share it? Quickly, if you may...” he asked in one breath, focusing on clearing the trial first, determined not to repeat his earlier mistake.
Lin nodded silently, glancing at the mini timer as it ticked down to 4 seconds.
“R-right,” he began, noticing his rapid heartbeat and taking a deep breath. “It’s the bells. Move one block for each ring you hear. This time, it was three,” he explained briefly.
The others looked confused, glancing down and trying to recall their previous blocks. But as Lin had experienced, the pain of navigating to a new block made it difficult to remember the exact location of your old one.
“Shit, is that really all?” one of them snapped, their fear and frustration evident. Lin simply shrugged, choosing to remain silent—it was clear their anger wasn’t really directed at him. Staying quiet was the best way to allow them to introspect and regain control of their emotions.
Do whatever you want.
----------------------------------------
Time Limit:
25 minutes 34 seconds
REACH THE GOAL!
"A stride for a strike, let the deaf burn except for those with heroes."
Make sure you’re in your block when this mini-timer runs out:
6 seconds.
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"A stride for a strike, let the deaf burn except for those with heroes."
* ‘Stride’ = one block.
* ‘Strike’ = a ring of the bell.
Move one block for each ring of the bell...
* ‘Deaf burn’ = those who don’t listen to the bell will burn?
* ‘Except for those with heroes’ = receiving help or being carried??
Suspecting that their starting positions might influence the trial’s progression, Lin had memorized everyone’s placements. This made it easier for him to notice changes in the blocks and understand why certain ones were now “safe.”
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As the thought raced through his mind, the mini timer hit zero, and the now-familiar sound of bells echoed through the cave.
Ding.
“O-one!? Is it one?” a frantic voice cried. Everyone turned to Lin, waiting for his decision. Without overthinking it, Lin stepped forward onto the next block. One by one, the others followed his lead, putting their trust in his judgment.
However, not everyone moved.
“H-hey, get moving!” a voice called, drawing the group’s attention. They turned toward a particular block, their faces darkening as they realized the situation.
“D-does she not hear us!? Shit!” someone shouted in panic, fighting the instinct to step out and help, as if haunted by the memory of the pain they had endured.
“Maybe she’s deaf!? You saw the rules?” another suggested, and for a brief moment, they all seemed to consider it.
Let the deaf burn…
The person in question was the dark-haired woman. She hadn’t moved during the previous round and now sat curled up on her new block, hugging her knees and mumbling something incomprehensible—a psychotic scene straight out of a horror movie.
Panic is a very bizarre state of being, Lin thought. The same people wondering if she was deaf had been talking to her just minutes ago. Yet fear had twisted their logic, making an absurd idea seem plausible.
“Tsk.” Lin clicked his tongue, shaking himself free of the same thought process and preparing to step out to help her.
Shhhh!
“Uhhh!!”
Her piercing scream echoed through the cave, causing those around to grimace as they relived their own pain. Despite their shared understanding, none of them moved to help. Lin could see it in their faces—the relief that it wasn’t them.
It’s a completely normal reaction… but it’s still scummy, he thought, taking a step forward. His entire body trembled as if something invisible were holding him back. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
It’ll be a problem if I pass out before building tolerance.
A self-deprecating smile crossed his face as a low voice escaped his lips.
“Is this really worth it…”
Shhh!!
The sound of burning flesh snapped his focus. Lin turned to see the bald man rushing toward the woman, pushing through the pain without hesitation. In seconds, he reached her, lifted her up, and carried her to the next block. The moment she was safe, the man kicked off the ground and dashed back to his block, three spaces away from Lin.
He’s trying to build tolerance through brute force, Lin noted with a small frown. It was a method he was trying to avoid since it brought the risk of passing out from overexertion.
“Are you okay?” Lin asked, his voice tinged with frustration, though he couldn’t hide the trace of amazement in his expression.
“Y-yeah, I’ll manage,” the man replied, forcing a small smile as white steam rose around him, healing his injuries.
He’s not fine, Lin thought, sensing the man’s true state of mind. However, the others, taking the response at face value, seemed impressed, watching him with a mix of awe and envy.
As an active soldier, the bald man’s physical abilities were clearly superior to most of them, making his durability and mental fortitude unmatched among the group.
----------------------------------------
Time Limit:
24 minutes 53 seconds
REACH THE GOAL!
"A stride for a strike, let the deaf burn except for those with heroes."
Make sure you’re in your block when this mini-timer runs out:
10 seconds.
----------------------------------------
Twenty seconds, huh?
Lin noted that the mini-timer always reset to 20 seconds after the bells rang—barely enough time to mentally prepare for the next stride. It seemed the initial 100 seconds given were only for the first round, further supporting his theory that the first mini timer was meant to wake everyone up.
It’s impractical, he concluded after some few seconds of thought, glancing toward the goal looming on the other side of the cave. There were approximately 200 blocks to cross, yet they had only managed to move four blocks so far—three in the first stride and one in the second. Worse, the chaos of the first round had caused some of them to move sideways, wasting the round entirely.
Is there a way to get there without waiting?
He briefly considered sprinting to the goal, but memories of his previous runs sent a chill down his spine. It would take roughly 25 seconds to run the 200 meters to the other side. However, running that distance while his entire body felt like it was on fire wasn’t a practical solution.
If he failed to make it, he’d have to turn back midway, enduring more pain just to reach a safe block.
It’s possible, but…
“This might take a long time to finish, so make sure you jump into blocks that take you closer to the goal,” the feminine-looking man interrupted Lin’s thoughts, reminding everyone of their ultimate objective – beyond just avoiding pain.
Right… the others might not make it.
The rules were too vague on the condition of not reaching the other side, meaning that, in the worst-case scenario, a collective punishment might apply even to those who made it across if others failed to reach the same goal. It was a punishment he wasn’t eager to find out after enduring the pain of the invisible flames—a phenomenon beyond human comprehension.
I should help out as much as possible.