{The Weight of Expectations}
The silence that followed Jin-Seok's emergence from the Nightmare Maze was the kind that preceded either thunderous applause or public executions. Given the Administrator's twitching eye and the collective dropped jaws around him, Jin-Seok suspected it might be closer to the latter.
Whispers cascaded through the trial chamber like autumn leaves—some awed, others accusatory, all tinged with disbelief. The Administrator, his composure hanging by threads thinner than his patience, raised a trembling hand for silence.
"Since all participants have... completed... the first challenge," he announced, his voice carrying the warmth of a winter funeral, "we will now proceed to the second trial out of five—the Gravity Room."
A portal shimmered to life behind him, its edges crackling with unstable energy. The Administrator gestured toward it with all the enthusiasm of a man scheduling his own root canal.
---
{Trial Chamber – Gravity Room Entrance}
The collective murmur that rippled through the crowd sounded like distant thunder. Jin-Seok caught fragments of conversation drifting his way:
"—no way he can pull that off twice—"
"—probably some kind of glitch—"
"—luck runs out eventually—"
The Administrator's gaze swept across the assembled climbers before settling on Jin-Seok with the intensity of a hawk eyeing a particularly annoying field mouse.
"The Gravity Room is a trial of endurance and physical control. Gravity fluctuates unpredictably across ten levels. Those who fail will collapse. Those who survive will pass. Choose your difficulty wisely."
He paused, savoring the moment like a fine wine aged in schadenfreude.
"Let me remind you..." His smile could have cut glass. "This Nightmare difficulty has not been cleared in decades. Not even once."
Every eye in the chamber swiveled toward Jin-Seok like synchronized spotlights. He could practically feel their collective skepticism boring holes through his skull.
"Let's see if he got lucky last time," someone whispered with the subtlety of a foghorn.
"There's no way he breezes through this one," another voice chimed in.
"He was probably carried by some glitch in the Maze. This is real now."
Jin-Seok yawned—a long, theatrical yawn that somehow managed to convey both supreme confidence and casual dismissal. He glanced around the room with the lazy interest of someone browsing produce at a grocery store.
Aris: "You feel that? All those glares could power a small city."
Jin-Seok: "The tension's thicker than my grandmother's winter stew. And twice as suffocating."
Jin-Seok's lips twitched upward. "Think that 'boost' of yours still works?"
Aris: "Of course it does. What do you think these are, actual newbie trials? You could walk into real Tower floors right now and nap through them with just the stat boost alone."
The Administrator approached Jin-Seok with the deliberate steps of a predator cornering its prey. His smile was sharp enough to perform surgery.
"Jin-Seok," he said, voice dripping with false courtesy. "Your choice this time?"
Jin-Seok tilted his head, blinking with the innocent confusion of a confused puppy. "Why are you so curious anyway? It's not even a choice." His smile could have powered solar panels. "Of course, it's Nightmare again. If it hasn't been cleared in decades, someone has to dust it off, right?"
The gasps that erupted around them sounded like a choir of deflating balloons. Several climbers actually took physical steps backward, as if Jin-Seok's confidence might be contagious.
He strolled toward the Nightmare Room with the casual gait of someone heading to their local coffee shop. Other climbers filed into their selected chambers—Low, Mid, and a brave few into High—shooting him glances that ranged from worried to outright terrified.
---
{High Difficulty Room – Observation Deck}
"Think he'll last till level 3 in that difficulty?" one climber muttered, pressing his face against the viewing window.
"I bet he flops at level 2," another replied, though his voice lacked conviction.
"Arrogant show-off won't stand a chance this time," a third added, but even he sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
---
{Nightmare Room – The Performance Begins}
[System Alert: Level 1 Initiated. Simulated Gravity: Floor 1 Standard.]
Jin-Seok stood in the center of the pristine white chamber, looking around with mild interest. The gravity settled around him like a gentle breeze. He waited exactly three seconds before... sitting down.
Cross-legged. On the floor. Like he was about to meditate.
Jin-Seok: "This... is remarkably boring. I've experienced more pressure from a gentle massage."
Aris: "Want to poke the Administrator again? He looks like he's about to develop an ulcer."
Jin-Seok glanced toward the observation window where the Administrator's face was pressed against the glass, his expression cycling through confusion, anticipation, and what looked suspiciously like the early stages of a nervous breakdown.
Jin-Seok: "What if he actually does something to me? I mean, officially something. Something on the record."
Aris: "He can't touch you. Tower rules are absolute. Even Administrators have to follow protocol."
Jin-Seok: "Fair point. Let's poke the bear."
He raised his hand with the lazy wave of someone hailing a taxi. "Administrator," he called out, his voice carrying easily through the chamber's speakers. "This is remarkably dull. How about we skip to level 2?"
The Administrator's eye twitched with the precision of a metronome. Through gritted teeth, he managed, "You want level 2? Very well."
[System Alert: Level 2 Initiated. Simulated Gravity: Floor 2 Standard.]
Jin-Seok felt the pressure increase marginally. He responded by lying down completely, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling like he was cloud-watching in a peaceful meadow.
"Level 3 when you're ready," he called out cheerfully.
Time crawled by like a wounded snail. Jin-Seok continued his casual taunting with the dedication of a performance artist. Level 3. Level 4. Level 5. Each increase met with the same infuriating nonchalance.
In the High Difficulty room, climbers were dropping like flies. Sweat poured down faces, knees buckled, and more than a few had already withdrawn, stumbling out with their dignity in tatters.
"Why is he provoking the Administrator?!" someone whispered, voice high with panic.
"He's completely insane," another replied, but there was a note of awe creeping into the terror.
---
{Nightmare Level 5 – The Administrator's Breaking Point}
The Administrator's hands hovered over the control panel like a pianist preparing for a particularly challenging piece. His subtle smirk suggested he expected this to be Jin-Seok's breaking point.
[System Alert: Level 5 Initiated.]
Jin-Seok felt the gravity increase significantly. He shifted slightly, sat upright for precisely two seconds, then... yawned. A yawn so profound it seemed to echo in the chamber's perfect acoustics.
Then he flopped back down on the floor like he was settling in for a nap.
The Administrator's eye began twitching with the frequency of a hummingbird's wing.
[System Alert: Level 6 Initiated.]
[System Alert: Level 7 Initiated.]
Still no struggle. Jin-Seok had progressed from lying down to what could generously be described as a "leisurely sprawl."
[System Alert: Level 8 Initiated.]
The Administrator leaned forward, pressing both hands against the observation window. This had to be it. This was where Jin-Seok would finally show some sign of—
Jin-Seok blinked suddenly, his expression shifting to one of mild concern. "Wait..."
Was it jin seok's imagination... or did something shift?
(We'll find out... in the next chapter)
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{An Original Series by Celestial Raven}