Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Paradoxical Time Test
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In the ruins of a village, specifically in an area where reconstruction work hadn't yet begun, Kim Do-hyun and Park Se-jin stood.
"Permission came through?"
"Yes, they said it's fine to use."
"Whew... Get some distance first."
They had placed the clock atop a building whose walls had completely crumbled away, leaving the interior fully exposed.
"Alright, here I go—throwing it."
Kim Do-hyun picked up a nearby stone and hurled it. It flew like a fastball that could've sent him straight to the major leagues if he'd pursued baseball.
Boom—
With a deafening roar, the clock shattered, unleashing a massive shockwave.
"Whaaat the heeeell, whaaat the fuuuck is haaappeniiing?!"
At the same moment, time began to slow.
Just as Einstein's theory of relativity states that time isn't absolute, the time in that spot started decelerating and rewinding.
"!Whaaat's haaappening thiiis caaan't be riiight!"
Of course, Einstein argued that regressing to the past was impossible, but tales of terror don't bother with such trivial details.
"That fucking M—"
"Squad Leader..."
Realizing Kim Do-hyun's gaze wasn't normal, Park Se-jin turned around.
"Gasp."
A building stood tall and straight, as if it had never been attacked even once.
It was completely different from the ruins of before.
"H-Hey. Measure it quick."
"10, 13, 17, 20... The affected area's diameter is 20 meters. And the height seems unlimited..."
"20 meters? Not 8 or 15?"
"Yes..."
Twenty meters was about six to seven stories in a standard apartment building.
In other words, the range was like laying a seven-story apartment on its side and spinning it once to form a circle.
One might think it wasn't that large, but considering the cost of all the buildings within that zone, it showed just how incredible the power of Paradoxical Time was.
"We've got 12 of these left now, right?"
Kim Do-hyun didn't answer Park Se-jin's question, just stared blankly at the restored building.
Of course, he wasn't seeing such a scene for the first time, but it was his first time witnessing a mere small clock exert this kind of influence outside a tale—not even inside one.
"Sure, the Merchant's items are all uniformly powerful, but... this one's on another level."
"Yeah. Wonder how the Bureau's gonna cover this up. 'Construction tech advanced so much it finished in one second' vibe?"
"Haha..."
"Let's head back for now. Leaving the clock like this carelessly doesn't seem smart."
If it accidentally broke midway, it'd be a catastrophe, so they carefully wrapped it in sponge and loaded it into the car.
"Drive safe, seriously. Today of all days, no accidents no matter what."
Kim Do-hyun had never been in a car crash his whole life, but that didn't mean one couldn't happen just because he was a good driver. It made his palms sweat anyway.
"We're off."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In stark contrast to Kim Do-hyun's worries, the drive back was uneventful.
The car pulled up to a building that didn't look taller than five stories at most.
A small sign reading Tale Management Bureau hung by the door.
"Let's head down quick."
The building felt small and shabby compared to its grandiose name, but that was because the Bureau extended deep underground.
Building tall would've been pointless—if someone decided they hated the Bureau today and terrorized it, everything would be over. That's why it was designed this way.
Ding— Ground level 21.
Well, there was also the elevator's 'special' function before that.
"Hey! Se-jin! It's been forever! Do-hyun's here too?"
"Yoon Seo-yeon, long time no see."
"Hello."
Yoon Seo-yeon ran over and linked arms with Park Se-jin and Kim Do-hyun.
They'd been close since their early days at the Bureau, so they shared a special bond.
"You know I'm really upset, right? Last time you just sent items without showing up. You should drop by more often."
"Couldn't help it. You heard how busy we've been lately, roughly."
"I did. I heard. But you could've visited sometimes."
"Sorry. I'll come by more."
She beamed at that.
"So, what brings you busy folks down to the research division in person?"
"Do-hyun. Pull out the clock."
"Huh? What's this?"
"Item from the new Tale Merchant."
Her eyes changed in an instant at those words.
"...Come inside."
She dragged her old friends into a room labeled Chief Researcher - Yoon Seo-yeon.
"Okay. Tell me everything."
The more Park Se-jin explained, the wider her mouth fell open—a familiar sight that made his lips twitch slightly.
"No way! So what was it like in reality?"
Kim Do-hyun pulled out his phone and showed her photos.
"No freaking way! This is possible? How does it even work? No, wait—asking for principles from a tale is dumb. So, my job is checking for potential side effects, right?"
"Yeah. Sorry, but could you handle this one too?"
Transactions with the Tale Merchant were classified, but research was still necessary, so Yoon Seo-yeon—with her skills and trust from everyone—took on the role.
"If there are no side effects... it could save billions in funds. And that's not even all!"
"Huh?"
"I'm a scientist, so I don't know much, but rewinding exactly one week? Military applications are endless!"
"Uh? Y-Yeah, true."
Kim Do-hyun broke the suddenly chilly atmosphere.
"Squad Leader, time's up—we should get going."
He pointed at the Paradoxical Time.
"Uh... isn't that clock running backward?"
"Yes. Sorry, but we really have to head out."
"Hm. New joke? Was I supposed to laugh?"
"..."
"Uh. Haha!"
"..."
"Alright, see ya! I'll call once research progresses!"
Ding— Going down.
In the cramped elevator, Park Se-jin spoke up.
"So, that thing with Yoon Seo-yeon earlier—was that really a joke?"
"..."
"Got it. Won't ask anymore."
Park Se-jin checked the schedule while pondering how to tease Kim Do-hyun.
"Ugh, back to the grind after so long. Fatigue's no joke since dealing with the Merchant not long ago—can't we take a break?"
"We've been backed up from recent incidents. Gotta clear it fast."
"I know. Just kidding. It was a joke."
"Squad Leader..."
"Agh, sorry for real. Won't do it again."
Park Se-jin reviewed the records on the new tale.
'Victims: two students. Claim whole bodies were slashed, but actually just minor bruises—no other traces. Building cordoned off and left as-is.'
"Hm. Hospital? Feels kinda cliché."
"Yes, suspected mental manipulation type, so grab gear."
"Right."
Ding— Ground level 3.
The elevator doors opened to a vast warehouse stretching endlessly.
"Hate coming here every time."
"It's a creepy spot."
"Dealing with the Merchant lately makes places like this even worse."
Despite hating it, they had no choice but to come.
Kim Do-hyun headed to the box labeled Mental Protection Pill.
Next to it: [Take only one per day].
"Grab two?"
"Yeah. Eating more than that kills you anyway—no point carrying extras."
"Got it."
"Makes you realize Tale Merchant items blow these away."
"Eyeball Candy's great for mental protection too, as it turns out."
"Yeah. Visuals are a bit off-putting."
Park Se-jin filled out the item usage log by the elevator.
Needed to track who used what, and restock if low.
"Once time passes, Merchant items might stock here too?"
"Dunno. Hope it's okay to use 'em so openly."
Imagining that day, Park Se-jin boarded the elevator.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Whoa, check out the vibe. Screaming 'tale's here' loud and clear."
As Park Se-jin said, the abandoned hospital oozed an ominous aura.
"Kids went in for a guts test? If I quit this job, I'd never step foot in a place like that."
"Doesn't seem worth entering."
"School needs better education."
Park Se-jin entered the hospital flashlight in hand.
Inside, it was just as chilly as it looked from outside—eerie, but nothing more.
"Pediatrics this way?"
Kim Do-hyun followed silently behind.
He finally spoke when the pediatrician's office came into view.
"...Squad Leader."
"Yeah, take the Mental Protection Pill."
They both chewed and swallowed their pills at once.
A sensation like something snapped in their brains, and their vision tinted yellow.
"Opening it then."
The door creaked open slowly, releasing a horrific stench from within.
The smell of rotting corpses—familiar to any Bureau staff.
Someone had to be dead in there.
"...?"
"What is this? Looks dead."
It was definitely dead.
Just... a tale.
"Uh... let's check it out first."
After twenty minutes of sampling and inspecting, they were convinced there was nothing more to investigate.
"Send samples to research, we head back. No way to figure out what happened right now."
"First time with something like this—kinda thrown off."
"Yeah. Research team's gotta pull through. Yoon Seo-yeon's gonna be swamped."
"Let's get out."
Five more minutes, and the exit came into view.
As fresh outdoor grass scent wafted in on the wind, washing away the stench clinging to them, a phone rang.
"Huh? Yoon Seo-yeon? Timing's perfect."
Park Se-jin held the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Yoon Seo-yeon, perfect timi—"
"Se-jin! I don't know what you were gonna say, but mine's probably more important!"
"Huh?"
"That Paradoxical Time."
"Yeah."
"Seems like it has some pretty fatal side effects?"
"What?"