> There’s a thin line between cunningness and cruelty; one is a means to an end, and the other, an end in itself. However, for the victim, the two are one and the same.

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Lin watched the dissociated woman lying on the block beside his, staring blankly at the ceiling while mumbling to herself. In just a few rounds, he had exploited the rules as much as possible, and finally, a less risky plan had presented itself.

“Oh, I get it! Then let’s try it this next round, yeah?” someone suggested optimistically. The newfound hope spread quickly, and everyone nodded, eager to do anything that might help them reach the goal.

“We will,” the feminine-looking man said, cutting through their enthusiasm, “but I think we need to plan it out first. Right?” He directed their attention to the screen behind them, which now displayed the mini timer at just 3 seconds.

Reluctantly, the group agreed to focus on normal movement for the current round and plan properly afterward. Chaos would have erupted if everyone had jumped off their blocks at once and demanded to be carried by the same person.

2 seconds.

“I have a plan,” Lin suddenly muttered.

Panic flashed across their faces as they looked between him and the screen, where the timer hit zero.

“The rest of you, keep moving; big guy, come to me now—quick!” he shouted as the sound of bells’ drowned his voice.

The others turned back to focus on their blocks, while the bald man, sensing Lin’s urgency, braced himself and stepped out without waiting for the bell’s rings to finish. His face suddenly flickered with confusion, as did everyone else’s—why wasn’t he burning? But the subsequent sound of the bells redirected their focus as they counted the number of rings.

“Count exactly 110 blocks and drop her there; I’ll guide you,” Lin instructed as the bald man arrived.

The bald man picked up the woman, lifting her into his arms. He hesitated, his confusion evident, but meeting Lin’s calm, unwavering gaze seemed to steel his resolve. He slung the woman onto his back and launched into a sprint toward the goal.

“F-four!” someone shouted, confirming the number of rings, and everyone began moving forward. As they settled on their safe blocks, the bald man continued charging ahead at an impressive speed.

However...

As expected...

Shhhhhh!

The sound of burning flesh reverberated through the cave. The bald man’s skin seared as he tried to push onward at a steady pace. Though he was fast, just as Lin had anticipated, the distance was simply too great for a single sprint—especially while carrying the added weight of the woman on his back, which slowed him from reaching his full speed.

Everyone watched in silence, the constant sound of burning flesh reverberating through the cave. He’s too slow, Lin thought as he watched him, a bit surprised that the added weight of the woman was slowing him down that much. His pace had dropped far below average, almost to the level of jogging.

Ding.

“Huh?”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The bell’s chime echoed, catching everyone’s attention. They looked back, realizing more than 20 seconds had passed. At the same time, the sizzling sound up ahead abruptly stopped, and as if gaining newfound energy, the bald man suddenly pushed forward with a much quicker pace.

Two more bells rang, prompting the group to move forward, concentrating back on themselves. Lin continued to watch the bald man closely. After a few seconds, the sizzling resumed as his speed slowed slightly.

He staggered for a second as if caught off guard before pushing forward, fighting through the pain. He crossed multiple blocks, having long surpassed the 110-block milestone, as though determined to reach the goal.

It’s possible for him, Lin thought to himself.

Running to the other side was indeed possible. However, the primary challenge wasn’t just endurance—it was pain tolerance.

Though unconfirmed, Lin suspected that even the blue-haired man, who seemed to be the second most physically capable among them, would struggle to reach the goal.

You can build endurance by training your muscles and stamina, but pain tolerance is a bit different.

To develop it, one had to endure pain intentionally—something incorporated into martial arts training, perhaps, but not a skill a normal person would have much use for.

That should be fine, Lin concluded.

He had watched when the man passed the mark he’d specified, refraining from calling out and waiting a few more seconds. Once the bald man reached a ‘suitable’ distance, Lin finally shouted.

“Right there!” his voice reverberated across the cave.

The bald man stopped abruptly, surprisingly quick on the uptake despite his burning skin, placing the woman on the block he was standing on before turning to sprint back. However, as he did, the woman’s face twisted, darkening with an unsettling expression.

“Uhh!!”

An ear-piercing scream tore from her throat, freezing the man mid-step. He turned back to her in alarm before glancing toward Lin, shouting,

“Are you sure!?”

“Yeah! Come back, quick!” Lin called back without hesitation, his eyes darting to the mini-timer, which still showed 12 seconds remaining.

The bald man hesitated, his gaze flicking back to the woman. Finally, the searing pain of his burning flesh forced his decision. He clenched his teeth, steeling himself, and sprinted back toward the others.

But just a few seconds later, Lin’s voice cut through the tension once again.

“Stop!” he shouted.

The bald man slid to a halt, confusion flashing across his face. As he stood there, the realization suddenly dawned. Glancing down, he saw his body was no longer burning. Instead, a strange white steam enveloped him, soothing and healing his wounds.

Before he could process what had happened, another agonized scream pierced the air.

“Uhhh!!”

The woman’s wails filled the cave, drawing his attention back to her. She was curled up on the block he’d left her on, her body trembling violently. Yet, despite her torment, nothing seemed to change.

“I-it’s not working! Should I pull her out?” the bald man shouted, panic evident in his voice.

All eyes turned to Lin, who shook his head calmly, offering no reply. Even from across the cave, the bald man could see the gesture. His face darkened, frustration brewing as he seemed to battle the urge to run back and pull her out.

As for everyone else, the silence was palpable as they all watched Lin—the Lin who observed the scene with a mostly calm expression, one they hadn’t expected to see in this situation. The sight spiked their anxiety as they glanced at each other, silently asking themselves the same question.

Finally, someone broke the silence.

“Sorry, but…” The feminine-looking man’s voice wavered, his displeasure evident. He grimaced as another of the woman’s tortured screams echoed. “What exactly is this going to achieve?” he asked, his question filled with a hint of anger – an emotion he hadn’t shown even as he burned and suffered through pain.

At his question, Lin slowly turned toward them, his crimson-red eyes showing an unnatural dullness that gave him an eerie air, more lifeless than the dark-haired woman with a broken mind. Coldly, and in the same tone he’d used over and over since waking up, he muttered an incomprehensible statement.

“Victory,” he said simply, their eyes widening as he continued right afterward. “This will achieve victory,” he said again, solidifying his statement. The words were enough to send chills down their spines. For many, the fear stayed in their hearts for as long as they lived.

But for a select few, a different emotion emerged from this.

Hate. Resentment. Envy. Disgust. Inferiority. And, perhaps most strangely, love.

But above all, motivation.

Motivation to surpass the monster that stood before them.

Motivation to surpass Lin Gollin.

~the end of no one.