Chapter 12
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Invisible Wall
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An Invisible Wall
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Seeing my reaction, Dayeon leaned in close.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“...As if you don't know.”
I brought up the message for Key 1 again.
[Key 1]
【A small key. The number 1 is engraved on its surface. There is a small gap, as if it can be combined with something.】
Key 1 had a new line of text that Key 2 lacked.
So, the secret was in this key after all.
I almost missed it and walked right past.
This, too, was part of Dayeon’s plan.
“Stop frowning.”
Dayeon used her fingers to pull the corners of my mouth up, forcing a smile onto my face.
Of course, no real laughter came out. If anything, I was fuming.
“You planned all of this, didn’t you?”
“Planned what?”
Dayeon tilted her head from side to side, feigning ignorance.
Her expression remained blank.
Her shameless acting made my blood boil.
“You said you checked all the locked doors in the school.”
“Yes. And?”
“That had nothing to do with this key.”
“Yes. And?”
“...”
Ugh.
Those large, sharp eyes looked as if they couldn’t see anything wrong.
My head throbbed.
Was this what she meant by a test?
The locked secret archives were nothing more than a trap to make me misunderstand the key's purpose.
‘She must mean I need to approach it differently.’
I took out both Key 1 and Key 2.
A new message appeared.
[Combine the two items?]
...I knew it.
I had finally found the solution for these keys.
When I inserted Key 2 into the gap in Key 1, it was a perfect fit.
-Click!
[You have obtained Secret Archives Key 1.]
‘I did it...’
[Secret Archives Key 1]
【A key made by combining two smaller keys. Used to open the first secret archives.】
It was just as I thought.
At long last, I had found the key to the archives.
Dayeon gave a round of soulless applause.
“Congratulations. You passed the test.”
Then, she pulled a key from her pocket.
It was about the same size as the one I had just acquired. Dayeon dangled it, twirling it around.
“What key do you think this is?”
Looking closely, I saw the number 2 engraved on its surface. It didn't take long to figure out what it was.
“Secret Archives Key 2.”
“Correct. You’re smarter than I thought.”
“Who do you take me for?”
“Should I give you a prize?”
Dayeon took out a ballpoint pen.
She scribbled something in a notebook.
Then, she tore out the page and handed it to me.
“Here.”
“What is this?”
“A prize.”
Wondering what it could be, I took the page.
[You have received Jin Dayeon’s Prize.]
The contents of the page were utterly simple.
All it had was a drawing of a ‘You did a great job!’ stamp in red.
Why is this crap showing up as an item?
I held the prize, feeling empty.
“Don’t you like your prize?”
Dayeon stared intently at my face.
As if I’d be happy with a scrap of paper like this.
For a moment, I considered tearing it to shreds, but out of respect for her effort, I put it in my pocket.
“Looks like that’s not enough for you.”
“Would it be enough for you?”
“I do have another prize.”
Dayeon rested her right arm on the desk and leaned forward. She peeked her head out, looking at me.
“I’ll grant you one wish.”
The offer was nothing short of extraordinary.
Her somewhat random proposal made me ask immediately.
“...What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s a prize, I said. If you pass the test, you should receive a fitting reward.”
Dayeon continued speaking, her face expressionless.
She was always like this, so I couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious.
‘A wish, though...’
A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. But this, too, could be one of Dayeon’s tricks.
Now was the time to remain calm and composed. I pushed aside all impure thoughts and spoke firmly.
“My wish is to escape this damn school. If you get it, then follow me without another word.”
“Oh?”
Dayeon let out a sound of admiration, as if she found it fascinating.
“That’s unexpected. The complete opposite of what I was thinking.”
“...Shut up.”
Finally, Dayeon rose from her seat.
She casually dangled the key.
“Let’s go. Time to escape school.”
I grabbed my book and headed straight for the secret archives.
“Why are you suddenly being so cooperative?”
“A promise is a promise. What, you don’t like it?”
“No, just hurry up and let’s go.”
I trotted along behind Dayeon as she led the way to the secret archives.
When we reached the door, she spun around to face me.
“There’s still one last puzzle left.”
“Again?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a test.”
Dayeon pointed to the warning sign next to the door.
I’d read it so many times I had it memorized.
[When two hearts become one, the door shall open.]
“Do you know what it means?”
Dayeon asked with a meaningful look in her eyes.
Based on my recent deduction, the answer came quickly.
“It means...”
I was about to speak.
Dayeon suddenly scowled.
“Wrong. Pervert.”
“...What did I even say?”
“The correct answer is ‘Turn the keys at the same time.’ Not your filthy thoughts.”
“No, I was going to say—”
Dayeon condemned me without reason.
Feeling wronged, I tried to explain myself, but she wouldn’t listen to a word I said.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and put the key in.”
“...Fine.”
I inserted Secret Archives Key 1 into the keyhole.
Dayeon had already done the same with hers.
“Turn it on my signal. One, two, three.”
-Click.
[Secret Archives Key 1 has been used.]
At last, the door to the secret archives opened.
Dayeon’s eyes widened as if she were seeing something amazing.
“It opened.”
“Yeah, it opened.”
To me, it was simply ‘a door opening,’ but for Dayeon, it must have been a profound moment.
The secret archives was a puzzle that could never be solved by one person.
Because of that, Dayeon had been stuck in this library for ten years, unable to progress.
To finally open a door she couldn't open alone for a decade.
Though her expression was as bland as ever, she might have been secretly happy on the inside.
“I’m going in.”
“Okay.”
We stepped into the secret archives.
It was larger than I expected.
I thought the two doors meant the archives were split into separate rooms, but it was actually a single space.
A single room with two doors—an inefficient design.
I silently looked around the interior of the secret archives.
It had a very strange layout.
To the right of a decorative cabinet in the middle, everything was neat and tidy.
But the left side was a complete mess, a total disaster zone.
“If you’re going to clean, you should do it properly.”
As luck would have it, the messy side was my side.
The floor was so cluttered with books and trash there was no place to step.
In contrast, Dayeon's side was spotless, without a speck of dust.
This misfortune was because Door 1 was on the left and Door 2 was on the right.
I chose the wrong door.
My luck is just terrible.
‘First, I should get to the other side.’
It was difficult to search in this state.
It would be better to cross over to the clean side and assess the situation.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come in.”
Dayeon was already inside the archives.
She had found a chair from somewhere and was settled comfortably in a plush cushion seat.
She beckoned for me to come over quickly.
She closed her eyes cozily, as if the soft chair was just that comfortable.
It was a blatant act of provocation.
“Is she trying to mock me...?”
I examined the floor of the archives.
It was packed tight with scattered books and garbage. There wasn't even room to put my foot down.
I carefully took a step.
I moved forward little by little, finding gaps just big enough for one foot.
“Almost there.”
I was now more than halfway across.
I was close enough to jump over.
I leaped high to cross to the other side.
Thud!
I was blocked by something invisible.
I slammed my forehead into it at the same time.
Writhing in pain, I tumbled backward.
“Ugh...”
Was it misfortune or a stroke of luck?
The piles of books on the floor cushioned my fall, so I wasn't seriously injured.
It just stung and throbbed intensely.
The pain was so bad I couldn't even scream.
I clutched my forehead and rolled around on the floor.
“Are you okay?”
Dayeon asked about my condition.
Her indifferent expression remained, making it sound more like an empty platitude than genuine concern.
Besides, she was still leaning back in her cushion chair.
It seemed her own comfort was more important than my well-being. But that was just how she was, so I let it go.
“Ugh... what was that?”
I clutched my throbbing head.
A proper bump was forming on my forehead.
“...What just happened?”
Dayeon shrugged as if she didn't know either.
“I don’t know. You jumped, crashed into something with a thud, and then tumbled over.”
“...Is that so.”
What a fantastic commentary. I was a fool to think she’d be of any help.
“It’s like there’s some kind of invisible wall.”
An invisible wall.
Those words snapped me to attention.
I cautiously approached the center of the archives.
Thud!
Sure enough.
I couldn't cross over.
Just as Dayeon had said, an invisible wall was truly blocking my path.
“What is this?”
I ran my hands over the transparent wall. Dayeon, on the other side, showered me with praise as she watched my antics.
“You’re good at miming.”
I ignored her and checked the transparent wall again.
“It’s glass.”
On closer inspection, it was a glass wall.
And a sturdy, bulletproof one at that.
This archive wasn’t a single space.
It was clearly divided into two rooms.
I had only mistaken it for one space because a glass wall was blocking the middle.
“It was two separate rooms from the start.”
“So that’s why they’re called Secret Archives 1 and Secret Archives 2.”
Dayeon closed her eyes gently while sitting in her chair. She seemed to have no interest in escaping or anything else.
“You said you’d help me escape. Is this any time to be relaxing so peacefully?”
“Well, it doesn’t look like there are any clues here.”
“At least pretend to look.”
“If you insist...”
Dayeon reluctantly got up.
She opened a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper.
“Found something.”
“Already?”
Dayeon passed the paper through a hole in the glass wall.
It was possible because there was a hole in the middle of the wall just big enough for a single book to pass through.
The paper read as follows:
[Face each other.]
“...What do you think it means?”
“It says to face each other.”
Dayeon began to stare at me intently.
“What are you doing?”
“Hurry up and do it too.”
“...”
Reluctantly, I met Dayeon’s gaze.
She was definitely looking at me, but her focus was ambiguous. They were truly strange eyes.
“...”
“...”
How much time had passed?
We continued to stare into each other’s eyes.
But nothing happened.
“...I guess this isn’t the way.”
“You think so?”
Dayeon leaped onto the chair.
“I’ll sit here and think of another way.”
“...Right. Make sure you find one.”
With little expectation, I averted my gaze.
I was the only hope.
I carefully scanned the area around the archives.
‘Anything shiny?’
Even though it was a mess, there had to be at least one item here.
I rummaged through the haphazardly piled books, sweeping the area.
Suddenly, I spotted a familiar item.
[You have obtained Ink.]
‘Oh.’
Some good news for a change.
I quickly took out my diary and used the ink.
[Your journey so far has been recorded.]
‘Phew.’
That was a relief. As long as my save was updated to the present, there was nothing to fear.
“There’s an item here.”
Just then, Dayeon seemed to have found something as well.
She was holding a book.
“There are plenty of books here too.”
“Really? I think this one’s a bit different.”
Dayeon passed the book through the glass wall.
There was no title on the cover.
And the cover itself was adorned with a bizarre symbol.
It was an ominous-looking book at a glance.
[You have obtained the Book That Kills You When Read.]