Chapter 7: Into the Breach
"I'm not letting you go alone."
Jin blinked at Ayla, helmet halfway on. "You're not even a field agent."
"I've fought before."
"You're an evaluation officer. Not a frontliner."
Ayla crossed her arms. "And you're an unranked Hunter who just got slapped with an A-Rank tag and a death threat. Neither of us are playing by the rules anymore."
Jin sighed and looked at the flickering gate in front of them. Blue light twisted unnaturally, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[Chrono System Alert: Unknown interference detected. Observer dungeon confirmed.]
The gate looked like a normal C-Rank at a glance, but everything about it felt… wrong.
Jin rubbed his temples. "You realize you could die, right?"
"I realize you will die without someone watching your back."
He hesitated… then nodded.
---
The moment they stepped through, time bent.
Jin stumbled.
It was like walking through molasses—no, like reality skipped a beat. One second his foot touched ground, the next it was already mid-stride.
Ayla gasped beside him. "Did we… just time jump?"
Jin scanned the area. "We're in… a village?"
The dungeon wasn't the usual cave or ruin. It was a twisted medieval town, buildings half-collapsed, clocks frozen mid-tick.
Children stood in the road—motionless. Not breathing. Not even blinking.
Mannequins.
Ayla whispered, "This isn't a regular dungeon."
> [New Quest Objective: Survive for 30 Minutes.]
Begin.
Suddenly, the still air shattered.
From behind the houses came the sound of shuffling.
Not monsters—versions of Jin.
One wore his current gear. Another looked bloodied and exhausted. A third… was missing an arm.
They stepped forward, eyes glowing red.
"Phantoms," Ayla said. "They're you."
Jin narrowed his gaze. "From different timelines?"
"Exactly. They're echoes. Twisted."
The first Phantom lunged—Jin dodged instinctively.
> [Time Slow: Activated – 4 Seconds Remaining]
The world stretched. Jin sidestepped, sliding behind the first echo and landing a clean elbow to the neck.
But the second appeared immediately after—this one faster.
Ayla shouted, launching a bolt of violet mana. The echo blinked—dodged—and slashed toward her throat.
Jin blinked.
> [Chrono Blink – Cooldown: 30s]
He reappeared between them, sword raised. Metal met phantom steel. Sparks.
"Thanks," Ayla said breathlessly.
"Don't thank me yet."
Three more echoes emerged from the shadows, all snarling with hate.
"They're copies of what I could've been," Jin muttered. "If I died… if I gave up…"
Ayla backed closer to him. "Then don't give them the satisfaction."
---
The next fifteen minutes were chaos.
Phantom after phantom came, each one more warped than the last.
One wept blood.
Another screamed as it fought, yelling names Jin didn't recognize.
He slashed, dodged, blinked—until his breath came ragged and the time counter read:
> [00:10:43 Remaining]
"You alright?" Ayla called out, shielding him with a bubble of suspended time.
He collapsed beside her. "I think I just fought myself… dying."
Ayla looked at him. "I saw them too. Different versions. Ones that made different choices. It's like this dungeon is trying to break you. Show you the worst version of yourself."
Jin closed his eyes. "Then we can't let it win."
---
Final minute.
They stood back to back in the town square.
Everything was silent—no more echoes. No more sound at all.
Jin gripped his blade. "Too quiet."
Ayla nodded. "Something's coming."
Then… the air tore open.
A figure stepped out.
Tall. Wearing a black suit. Face obscured by a cracked clock mask.
Time shimmered around him like heat.
> [Observer Manifested]
Endurance Trial Complete. Final Judgment Imminent.
The masked man raised a hand.
Time stopped.
Jin couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
But his mind was clear.
The figure approached, tilting its head. "You bend time, but do not understand it. You steal seconds but cannot command hours."
Jin gritted his teeth.
The Observer placed a hand on his chest. "You are not yet the Monarch. But you could be."
And then—snap.
Time returned.
The figure vanished.
A system message appeared:
> [Trial Passed.]
[Title Earned: The One Who Escaped Time]
[Time Domain Skill Unlocked – Level 1]
Ayla clutched her side, breathing hard. "Is it over?"
Jin looked at his hands.
No wounds.
No blood.
Just… power.
"I think," he said slowly, "it just started."
---
End of Chapter 7