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The Cave of Trials (5)

“……” Seo Jun-ho had to stay awake for ten days.

At first, he didn’t feel much pressure from the ticking clock on the wall, and the first twelve hours or so passed by uneventfully. If he was bored, he’d talk to the Frost Queen. Other than that, he spent time researching his ability.

Of course, he didn’t allow himself to move much. Burning calories would make him tired, and sleep would start to threaten him.

“Looks good.” Seo Jun-ho suddenly stood up, and the Frost Queen looked up at him. He had created a pillar of ice in the middle of the cavern.

“What is that for?”

“I’m gonna sit on it.” He rolled his ankles and ran up to its side, hoisting himself onto the pillar. “Hup.”

There was some space left over after he took a seat, but the surface was too small to lean or lay down.

And it was around 22 meters high.

Humans start to get scared of heights more than around 11 meters because any higher provokes their imagination. 

At 11 meters high or less, most people could see what was below them in detail. They could estimate how much it would hurt and where it would hurt most to land.

But my sight is better than most people’s. Even without enhancement, he could see clearly from 50 meters away. But if I fall while dozing off… Any higher than 22 meters is dangerous. He could survive a fall from that height.

“This place is quite high, though the view from here is dreary.” The Frost Queen had followed him up to the pillar, but she started to feel dizzy as she looked down to the ground. “Yes, this is quite effective in keeping you awake,” she muttered. If he fell, he would be gravely injured. The idea whipped him awake.

“Are you not hungry?”

“I’m fine for now.” His stomach growled as he said this, but he refused to eat. Hunger is a good way to keep yourself awake. 

When twenty hours passed, his stomach started to grumble louder, begging for food, but the pain only helped Seo Jun-ho concentrate better. The Frost Queen couldn’t take it any longer.

“Would it not be better if you ate?” She asked carefully.

“…Just a bit, then.” Seo Jun-ho reached into his inventory and ate one Shaolin pill, along with a single sip of water.

“Is that enough to fill your stomach?”

“I can’t fill my stomach.” Being full would make him sluggish. Seo Jun-ho would stick to all the strict rules he’d set for himself.

For now.

* * *

“……”

It had been 72 hours since he’d slept, and Seo Jun-ho barely talked now. He’d occasionally chatted with the Frost Queen before, but even that had stopped on the fourth day. She didn’t try to talk to him much either because she understood the uphill battle he was fighting.

“…If you’re tired, you can sleep,” Seo Jun-ho rasped quietly. The Frost Queen shook her head.

“I am a spirit. I do not have the same desires or needs as humans.”

“Must be nice.” He smiled as he said this, but his voice was envious.

Tick, tick, tick. The hologram clock on the wall counted down by the second. Seo Jun-ho shut his eyes tightly when he saw that 188 hours remained.

This is harder than last time. After all, the human body slowly deteriorated as it aged. Even players, who maintained their bodies in other ways, could not stop it. Things were different when he was 22.

Seo Jun-ho yawned. “Wake me up.”

“Look over here.” The Frost Queen pointed her finger.

Woosh! A soft, cold snowball hit Seo Jun-ho square in the face, and the sting woke him right up. He gave her a thumbs up.

* * *

Seo Jun-ho’s shoulders hunched as he sat on the pillar. His stomach kept grumbling, and his complexion was sickly. His eyes were sunken, dark circles painted underneath them. He almost looked like a corpse.

Dizzy. Seo Jun-ho rubbed his eyes hard. If he got distracted even a little bit, he would collapse. 125 hours had passed and 115 were left, but this was the most crucial part.

…Heavy. He felt like a boulder was occupying his head. I just want to sleep for ten minutes. No more, no less. He felt like he’d fall asleep if he closed his eyes for three seconds.

“We can’t have that.” He stood up from his seat with great effort and jumped off the pillar. He landed on the ground and stumbled over to the rest room.

“……”

The plush bed and full refrigerator tempted him greatly, but he gulped and headed to the bathroom instead. He took care of his business and looked up at the shower booth.

If I take a hot shower and lay down on the bed… He would dream the sweetest dreams ever. As he raised his hand toward the shower faucet, the Frost Queen banged on the door.

“Contractor! You’re not sleeping in there, are you?”

“…Of course not.” He suddenly realized what he was doing, then washed his hands and splashed his face with cold water. It was just a little bit, but he felt more awake now.

[215:59:59]

(PR: It’s like this in raws, but idk why it says that much time when it’s supposed to count the amount of time left and not the amount of time that’s passed. Author???)

Seo Jun-ho stared at the clock, his eyes unfocused.

“Hold on for a little longer. There are only 24 hours left.”

He nodded because he didn’t have the energy to reply, but as time passed, he was starting to become more awake.

I experienced it last time.

It was often called ‘a state of nirvana’. Besides his heavy body and dim vision, he didn’t feel very tired. His stomach had also quieted down at some point, and it felt like the whole world had fallen asleep. Within the heavy silence, Seo Jun-ho continued his battle.

…It’s actually motivating. He smiled. While Korean men pledged to live a different life after coming back from their military service, players pledged to live a different life after they came back from the Cave of Trials. Those who cleared the Cave, especially those who cleared the Insomnia Trial, returned with a different mindset.

Nothing is impossible… is what we say. The same had happened to Seo Jun-ho. He thought about the first time he’d cleared the Cave of Trials up to the 9th level. I had nothing to be afraid of after that. 

He’d felt unstoppable—not just because of arrogance. He’d been diligent even before he entered the Cave of Trials, but he became even more tenacious after he returned from it.

It’s the same this time as well. The Cave of Trials pressured the players to quit every step of the way, but it rewarded those who persevered.

What were the rewards I got for clearing the 9th level…? Because he hadn’t slept, his mind had slowed. He kept forgetting what he wanted to remember.

Oh, right. I got the ‘Hero’s Mind’ skill… 

It was an A-grade skill, but that wasn’t all; his stats had all increased by 10.

I’ll reach at least the 9th level again. The rewards would be invaluable if he wanted to save his friends as fast as possible.

“I’ll definitely… save you… It won’t be long…” He sounded like he was possessed. A faint voice kept echoing in his ears.

“…tor, Contra… Contractor!”

His eyes shot open as if he was struck by lightning. Seo Jun-ho quickly looked around, worried. “D-did I fall asleep?” The Frost Queen let out a heavy sigh.

“No. Look over there.” He looked to where she was pointing.

[00:00:00]

He hadn’t slept in ten days, but he’d dreamed about those numbers countless times. Only then did he realize he’d cleared the Trial.

“…Oh.” His husky voice sounded unfamiliar, but he laughed. “I won.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Staying up like that was no big deal.”

“Yes, yes, you are right.” The Frost Queen spoke to him like she was humoring a child. “Come down now.”

“Right.” Seo Jun-ho leapt down from the ice pillar. Normally, he’d be able to do it easily, but he was too fatigued and huffed as he landed. “Phew.”

A System message appeared.

[You have cleared the Insomnia Trial.] [If you wish to continue, please say ‘Go’. If you wish to stop, please say ‘Stop’.] [The next level is the Taste Trial.]

Seo Jun-ho squeezed his eyes shut when he read it. Things would only get harder from here on out.

“I didn’t even get to eat yet.”

* * *

After the Insomnia Trial, Seo Jun-ho slept for four days like a hibernating bear, but he finally recovered.

“I’ve decided. Even if I regress or reincarnate, I’m never coming to the Cave of Trials again.”

“…It must have been considerably difficult.”

“It drives people crazy. You try staying up for… Well, I guess you wouldn’t understand since you’re a spirit.” He shrugged as he spread strawberry jam and butter onto warm bread.

“So, what is the next Trial?”

“…Dammit, why did you bring that up while I’m eating?” Seo Jun-ho’s face darkened as he chewed on his bread. He grabbed a memopad on the table and wrote something down. The Frost Queen hovered over it and tilted her head.

“…Taste, scent, sound, silence, darkness, void?”

“The Sense Trials are waiting for me. That’s what I call them.”

The five human senses were sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. But the Cave of Trials doesn’t have a Trial for the sense of touch. 

That was because it wouldn’t be a Trial. The rest of them were akin to torture.

“The Sense Trials stack too. That’s the hardest part.”

“They stack? Then, will you have to experience all these Trials together in the final one?”

“Yes. I’ll be deaf, blind, and unable to smell or taste… It’s enough to ruin a person.”

“Hm…” She held her chin in her hands. “Can you tell me about these things?”

“It doesn’t matter. You can talk about the Trials inside the Cave, but not outside of it.” They were still in the middle of the Trials. However, there would be no one to talk to if you didn’t have a contracted spirit.

“It must be hard. But what is the Taste Trial? Does it simply prevent you from tasting?”

“…If it were that simple, I wouldn’t be this worried.” Seo Jun-ho looked teary-eyed as he took a final bite of his toast as if it were his last meal. “Phew, that was good.”

Seo Jun-ho finished his meal and pressed his hands together over his empty plate. He prayed that the fullness in his stomach would last for a long time.

“Once the Taste Trial begins, you can’t eat anything. If you do, it tastes like shit.” ‘Shit’ was putting it lightly. You would taste all the disgusting things in the universe at once—things that would hurt your dignity as a human.

“Then can you not simply starve?”

“…I told you. All the Trials from now on will stack.” He wrinkled his nose and suddenly looked up as if he’d realized something. “Oh, I looked disgusted just now, didn’t I?”

“And what of it?”

“You’ll see the real thing soon.”

The Frost Queen felt a new pity for him.