Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding…
The longest stride.
“Four! Go!” the bald man shouted, and everyone immediately moved, Lin included, opting to skip his experiments this time.
His eyes darted toward the bald man, who was, once again, running to lift the woman and move her forward. But just as the bald man was about to set her down on her safe block, Lin’s voice suddenly boomed across the cave.
“Don’t put her down! Bring her to your block!”
The bald man paused, looking confused and hesitant as he glanced back.
“W-what? Are you sure?” he called, but Lin’s only response was an urgent shout.
“Hurry!”
Without further hesitation, the bald man shifted course, bringing the woman not to her block but to his own safe block.
Shhhh!
The burning suddenly started at the same time he reached his block, lunging forward as relief washed over him, the white steam surrounding him. He prepared to set her down, but suddenly—
“Don’t put her down!” Lin shouted once more, startling the bald man, who quickly nodded, holding the woman as instructed.
“O-okay,” he said, continuing to hold the woman in a princess-carry. Although she was fully awake, her eyes darted around wildly, and she continued to mutter incomprehensible words to herself. The bald man looked down at her with concern, and it was only then that he seemed to realize the situation. Glancing toward Lin, he asked,
“What’s happening?”
Everyone’s attention turned to Lin, bewildered by what had just occurred.
“The blocks seem to be activated by direct contact. If you avoid touching the ‘illegal’ blocks, you won’t get burned,” Lin explained in one breath.
The others nodded, some recalling how they’d seen Lin testing this theory earlier, hovering his foot above various blocks to check for a reaction. What had confirmed this, however, was watching the bald man carry the woman—the fact that she never screamed despite the bald man burning the entire time.
None of them had considered how useful this ‘indirect’ contact information might be, especially after the golden-haired boy’s earlier suggestion about walking on clothing was quickly dismissed. Seeing the principle applied in this way highlighted the difference in their approaches to solving problems.
“Mmh, I see. Wait, does that mean…” the golden-haired boy muttered, glancing at Lin as if seeking permission to continue. Lin simply nodded, prompting him to go on.
“I think if those up front could carry people who are still a few blocks behind, we could move a lot faster,” the boy suggested hesitantly, and the others seemed to think it through as they glanced at Lin. He nodded in confirmation, turning to address the group.
“Right, I was thinking along the same lines. We might be able to skip a few blocks—maybe ten or so—and everyone can reach the goal at roughly the same time,” he explained.
The group began to murmur, realizing the potential of the strategy. Since some had started a few blocks ahead, they were naturally ahead of the others. By having the front runners carry those lagging behind, they could significantly speed up their overall progress.
“That’s a great idea, but…” the blue-haired man interjected, looking toward the people ahead—most of whom were women.
The front runners included three women and one man. The middle group had a mix of five women and four men, while the back row was made up entirely of seven men, completing the twenty people present in the cave.
“It won’t work if it’s the other way around, will it?” the blue-haired man asked.
What? Lin paused for a moment. He wasn’t stopping to think but rather holding himself back from saying the first, unfiltered response that crossed his mind—a response that would have been highly inappropriate.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Doubtful,” he finally muttered in a neutral tone.
The others let out heavy sighs. While it was theoretically possible to carry the back runners forward, it would likely become a question of endurance, especially since they had no idea how long it would take to reach the other side.
There might be a way, but…
“We’ll just have to follow the rules for now,” the feminine-looking man interjected, sensing the dulling atmosphere.
Everyone nodded in reluctant agreement. If they couldn’t find a shortcut, they’d have to reach the goal by playing strictly by the rules—a difficult task in itself.
“Sorry, but if we continue at our current pace, finishing this trial will be impossible,” Lin said bluntly. His tone was confident, and the weight of his words caused their faces to darken. Hearing such a grim prediction from the person who’d contributed the most so far made it hard for anyone to hold out hope.
“What do you mean?” the feminine-looking man asked. His expression showed worry, but there was a trace of optimism in his tone. Lin almost felt sorry for him as he shrugged and laid out the brutal facts for everyone.
“It takes 20 seconds for each new ‘stride’ to start. If we assume the minimum number of strides allowed is one, that’s one second just for the ring of the bell. Add the five seconds they give us to move between blocks, and that’s 20 plus 1 plus 5, giving us 26 seconds minimum per round,” he explained in one breath.
As they followed his reasoning, doing the mental calculations in their heads, a few faces turned grim, quickly grasping the implications. Seeing that confusion still lingered in the majority, Lin continued,
“The first stride took 28 seconds (20+3+5), and this previous one was even longer at 29 seconds (20+4+5). If it takes at least 26 seconds minimum to move one block and we still have almost 200 blocks to go, that’s roughly 1hour 30minutes to reach the goal,” he concluded, bringing up the familiar ‘1hour 30min’ they’d seen in the first hologram.
To drive the point home, Lin gestured to the hologram behind him, where the timer ticked down mercilessly, showing barely 20% of the estimated time needed to reach the other side.
----------------------------------------
Time Limit:
21 minutes 41 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.
----------------------------------------
“...”
They all stared at the timer, the harsh reality sinking in.
It’s a bit ironic, Lin thought, glancing at the screen. If we pray for four bells so we can move further with each stride, it also means we’re losing three more seconds on the clock.
If the maximum time was 29 seconds per round and they could move four blocks each time, they might make it in about 24 minutes. A hopeless outcome either way. There didn’t seem to be any obvious pattern in the number of chimes they heard in each round. Unless they could find a way to artificially push for four rings in the remaining rounds, clearing it wouldn’t be possible.
“I hadn’t considered that,” the golden-haired student muttered, as if he’d just done the math in his head. His expression was serious but surprisingly composed. He then turned to Lin, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.
“So… what do we do now?” he asked, and everyone’s attention immediately shifted to Lin.
Why are you asking me?
Lin noted their expectant gazes, then shook his head. Watching their faces quickly darken, he finally spoke.
“I’m still thinking. For now, just follow the rules,” he replied calmly. They all nodded, feeling slightly reassured. As long as Lin hadn’t given up, they felt they shouldn’t either.
Would they really follow my lead?
Lin wondered briefly as he scanned their faces, but the thought was quickly overpowered by his more logical side.
No… Everything is going more or less as expected.
From the start, Lin had been subtly proving his worth, creating strategy after strategy to establish his superior mental resilience – calmness in the face of chaos. By putting himself on the line, enduring burns and pain to save others, he had also solidified his image—much like the bald man—as a selfless and reliable individual.
Because of this, many had already overlooked his riskier actions, including how he had used some of them as unwitting test subjects to confirm his theories.
They trust my judgment more than their own.
By giving them a glimmer of hope with practical strategies, only to cruelly tear it away at the most crucial time, he had forced them to confront the dire reality of their situation – that time was never on their side.
What’s more, Lin had made himself the bearer of the bad news. In doing so, he secured his position within the group, becoming not just someone they counted on, but someone to whom they were willing to yield.
‘So… what do we do now?’
‘I’m still thinking. For now, follow the rules.’
Conditioning.
Lin knew that from this point on, while they navigated the trial, they would subconsciously wait for his guidance. They wouldn’t bother formulating their own plans, believing that whatever Lin devised would ultimately save them.
The reason he had given an ear to the golden-haired boy’s earlier suggestion wasn’t due to kindness or curiosity but to shut it down as bluntly as possible, discouraging the others from trying to come up with ideas of their own.
Lin probably knows this plan already, they might think. If he’s not bringing it up, there must be a flaw that only he can see. I’ll just remain quiet for now…
Lin found no enjoyment in manipulating them like this, nor did he think himself superior to anyone present. However, the reality of the situation demanded it. To defeat the perpetrator of this trial, he first needed to command the trust—and control—of his fellow captives.
No more suggestions, Lin thought as he glanced at the mini-timer, calculating his next move.
From now on, my word is law.