Among the select few, the golden-haired boy, seemingly understanding Lin’s intentions, stayed silent, his expression a mix of pity and sadness. None of them wanted to die—that was the reality—but if their survival depended on someone else’s death, some were visibly uncomfortable with it.

One of them, who had seemed the least likely to speak out, glared at Lin and asked,

“She’s going to die. What makes you think you can decide her fate?” the blue-haired man said, voicing everyone’s thoughts. But Lin, as though the question was trivial, merely shrugged, glancing forward—toward the dark-haired woman, seemingly unbothered by her screeching as he continued,

“I’m not sure exactly how this works, but… she won’t die,” he replied in a firm tone, showing no doubt in his words. She’ll be fine, he thought to himself, recalling the rules from before.

The penalty for not completing the trial was death, and so, looking at the supernatural healing factor of the steam, he could more or less conclude that the burning wouldn’t persist to the point of killing them off. Rather, it was meant to deter them from stepping outside their safe blocks.

“Huh? And how do you know that?” the blue-haired man shot back in a much more threatening tone, moving to the edge of his block, ready to step out at any moment. Seeing this, Lin’s expression remained calm as he glanced at him.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something,” he said, his voice becoming louder as he addressed everyone present. “No, all of you don’t understand. That woman is not suffering because of me. Everything I’m doing is to help you, not myself.”

His words left them puzzled, and their expressions became more complicated. Rather than coldness, his calm confidence made him seem almost delusional.

I guess this is enough, Lin thought as he mentally prepared himself, and instead of proving his words with more words, he did something completely unexpected. Calmly, without a hint of hesitation, Lin took a few steps forward until, finally, he completely stepped out of his block. The sizzling sound of burning flesh echoed through the cave as smoke rose from his skin, but his reaction wasn’t what they expected.

“W-wh—how!?” someone gasped, breaking the silence as they all stared in awe.

Having experienced it themselves, they were well aware of the pain, and yet, Lin stood there, his expression completely blank, as though he felt nothing at all. The blue-haired man, who, despite his high physical abilities, had struggled with enduring the same pain, widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Who the hell are you?” the words left his mouth without thinking.

“As you can see, I can make a run for the goal if I wanted to,” Lin said simply, not bothering to answer the man’s question as he stepped back onto his block, white steam rising around him and healing his burns. Watching the scene, it was questionable if he even needed the steam, but as if to disperse such thoughts, Lin continued out loud.

“It’s painful, yes, but I think I can handle it. The big guy is already ahead, and maybe a few others can make it—but more than half of you won’t make it.”

His words cast a grim shadow over their faces, though at the same time, his words were very deliberate. Even if the majority could probably reach the other side, he had essentially forced them into doubting themselves.

Believing you had a chance to reach the other side required looking around and trusting that you could endure the pain better than half of everyone present—an action that would fundamentally lead to self-doubt. He could read their expressions, noting the few who still seemed confident.

“So, before you take out your anger on me, remember why we’re here. Remember why we had to resort to this. Every single one of you is responsible for what’s happening. I don’t blame the first person who suggested waiting; everyone else who agreed is just as responsible. The instructions we were given are to reach the goal, and that’s exactly what we’ll do. I have no idea what will happen if one of us doesn’t make it, so I’ll make sure everyone reaches the other side.”

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His words seemed to touch them slightly, though the woman’s continuous, tortured screams in the background cast a chilling contrast over their expressions. Sensing the growing tension, Lin added,

“Even if it means dragging all of you to the goal, that’s exactly what I’ll do,” he concluded, and the sound of a bell echoed immediately afterward. The entire time, he hadn’t even looked back at the hologram behind him, and yet, for what felt like the umpteenth time, he’d timed his words perfectly with the end of the mini timer, giving them no room to question—only to act.

Ding.

A second chime echoed across the cave, pulling everyone’s attention as they scanned their surroundings. As the sound of the bells faded, they all advanced two blocks forward—everyone except Lin.

Without hesitation, Lin, who had just finished speaking, kicked off the ground, sprinting straight ahead and covering multiple blocks at an incredible speed.

Although the bald man had performed a similar feat, even while carrying the woman, Lin’s speed was on a whole other level, comparable to that of professional athletes.

Shh!

The sound of burning flesh reached their ears, and their faces creased with worry as Lin came to an abrupt stop. He turned around, took a shaky step back, and suddenly collapsed to the floor.

"Haah… Haah," he panted, his breathing heavy as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Sweat trickled down his entire body. Rather than appearing like someone suffering from the agony of his flesh burning, he seemed utterly exhausted from running, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

This is harder than I thought.

Drowsiness began to overtake him, and he marveled once again at the bald man’s extraordinary pain tolerance. The experience also reinforced his previous fears—running to the other side was not a viable option for the rest of the group.

Ding.

The sound of the bell echoed in his ears as white steam surrounded him, whisking away the pain. Snapping back to reality, he wasted no time. He shot up from the ground and shouted toward the rest of the group.

“From here on out, follow my instructions if you don’t want to die!” he demanded, his tone leaving no room for argument, and although no one openly agreed, not a single voice rose in opposition.

He then quickly turned around again, glancing at the bald man, who had just finished moving the dark-haired woman to her safe block just ahead before returning to his own.

The alignment is good, he thought for a moment, jumping into his next block before speaking up.

“Match my pace. We’ll grab any stragglers and help them move. Understand?” he instructed the bald man, who, despite his earlier hesitation, nodded in agreement. He seemed to be quick on the uptake, taking Lin’s actions as a necessary evil for the eventual survival of everyone present.

“Right, I’ll try my best,” he replied sternly, his eyes showing a burning conviction. Even with the distance between them, Lin could see his expression, giving a nod of acknowledgment. Satisfied with the response, Lin turned back to the others.

“How many of you think you can reach me in a single sprint?” he asked, this time using his natural tone, but the cave’s echoes seemed to carry it just fine.

From his question, a tense silence followed as they all exchanged glances, reluctant to answer—likely because of the doubt he’d put in their heads. Finally, as if fighting the edge, the blue-haired man spoke up.

“I can do it,” he said simply, and Lin nodded, scanning the others to see if anyone else would volunteer. Some seemed more afraid of the pain they could potentially experience rather than the sprint itself, but eventually, another man raised his hand. The man had a neatly trimmed buzz cut, wore a pair of glasses, and, similar to Lin, appeared as though he’d just come from the office—dressed in business attire.

“Same here,” he said out loud. Satisfied with the two volunteers, Lin immediately gave instructions.

“When you hear the first bell, I want the two of you to sprint to me,” he explained, not elaborating further. As if already accustomed to his vague directions, both of them reluctantly nodded, not asking any questions. Lin added,

“The rest of you should discuss and compare your speeds. I want two more people to come forward in the following round.”

The group nodded at his words, their eyes now turning to the mini timer, slowly ticking down until finally reaching its final moments, a familiar chime signaling the start.

Ding.

The two volunteers dashed forward, their sights set on Lin. Although not as fast as him, they sprinted at incredible speeds, with the man in glasses slightly in the lead. Watching them, Lin sidestepped to a block on his left, still facing their direction, showing no intention of running toward the goal.

Shhh!

The searing sound of burning filled the air just as the two barely reached him. Instinctively, both men leaped toward Lin, each stepping on one of his feet for support and balancing themselves by gripping onto him. Despite the added weight, coupled with their momentum, Lin steadied his body, killing their momentum. A sharp pain ran through his feet, but he didn’t complain—considering the alternative would have been getting rammed to the ground and sat on.

The rest of the group watched in silence, worry etched on their faces as they considered how they, likely slower than these two, would manage the same challenge.

This should do, Lin thought to himself, the path to victory finally taking shape in his mind.