Chapter 2: The clock is Watch
1BpDC1kBang!zt92sba
gWyI grabbed the doorknob tightly and threw myself forward like a runner receiving the baton in a relay race.86Db
DLDMkLuckily, I managed to prevent the door from opening.JdwBG
KXPdClack, bang! Clack, bang!paByZF
JCWDamn it, what kind of strength is that…!jwYjMl
QmnpcDqIt’s definitely not a child.1i48vX
jRyJOc4And, of course, it doesn’t seem like a normal human either.vy6tBR
hsayS“Now. What hour. What minute.”nW9aE
y9ULXMyI can’t take the phone out of my pocket while I’m holding it back.3w8M6M
e5gQPUWhile barely restraining that thing that was trying to break in like crazy, I turned my head and looked inside the interview room.QVK
xCQtwZFAh! Ah! There’s a clock there!ywZ
G3ptqLuckily, on the wall behind the seat where I had been sitting, there was an analog clock.LF92
6UWkDqClick, clack.GNpBS
gOZKuPb“Ugh, 3! 3:57…! No, 58 minutes! 3:58!”FOcqL
3OT3I shouted urgently toward the dark figure visible through the gap of the half-open door.zGe8B
LlF“Thank you.”ywbS
Fu0fx4At the same time it said that, the doorknob that had been shaking violently stopped, and the overwhelming weight from the other side disappeared as if by magic.tJJ
JaHp1BThud…XHpqd
yacU7HThe door closed.Jg1p4CZ
sV3I0k“Now 3:58. Communication error. Reconfirm later. Sorry. Support to the interview.”3rFLWy0
hXzYSqueak, screech, squeak.u9e6sg
l7r0x0AThe unpleasant friction sound gradually moved away.A5Vj
Q1Dzlm“Ha…”SwBFOSc
ue4W2Only when the sound disappeared completely could I breathe normally again.JEDSZ
zgecEzI stayed silent because I felt that I shouldn’t respond.ysNmjUL
FFCZYeDid it only need me to tell it the time and it would leave quietly?8rCEXE
nVBcSI wasted energy for nothing.ivffQc
dowMy legs completely gave out.uA7
lkHII sat down for a moment to think.47p
IHoGfBy the way, should I leave?W2jA
6GLhQJI can’t stay here forever.yE3UB
wkZShould I go down again through the emergency exit?l9woMD
PNo0pI mentally reviewed the location of the stairs.2yz9
jy9pTvhIf that thing is still on the third floor, I have to flee by the shortest route. I can’t get the direction wrong.abMXZX
q2N4FThis time I have to be careful not to fall.0cK
wS9fYJust as I was doing that mental rehearsal carefully—8cZw
oJJRrBang!KYu
EQfThe door opened.AupF
2uk6aWithout any prior sign, without the slightest hint.oU8
bgi2uEverything happened in an instant.aXlux
roa“Time stops.”iZrOg
YJWQDarkness.vMYrp
qSw0C1kI saw darkness gathered outside the door, like a puddle.Xoana
a948It wasn’t the hallway lit by sunlight coming through the windows despite the blackout.NvlFBWS
7aJIt was total darkness, capable of leaving you blind.R6lt7
v2w0XHo“Time flows.”bEQ
jr7Wind.GFKM
lIfrI felt a wind flowing like a waterfall from outside the door.EET586
Tz8EX9It wasn’t a gentle breeze that caresses your hair and brushes your ear.ziF308
ScFOvcgIt was a wind strong enough to make your legs wobble.UPy
HcaTxT“Usage time finished. Time exists.”2Rhv
SGJH6gfFwoooosh—!Xkd
qsjThat darkness began to suck in the air like a vacuum.5zh
gY6jsUBAnd I was nothing more than dust.U6cmPoR
iIF0O“It must not exist. Time does not exist.”kVDuAB
YrrAJVAs if I were toothpaste being squeezed, my body was crushed and twisted from the feet.PgQjw6N
m5P5NfAnd just before bursting from the head—oJ2Dni0
mG0NM9iThe last thing I saw was a paper stuck under the sign of the interview room that said “Conference Room A”.YJFlR
AQs6d[Recruitment of new employees of the Yuwi GuildMNO
xqhaIu8Interview RoomeTOn
HIa1ed10:00 a. m. ~ 4:00 p. m.]Nq5v
ouQDamn.ZLq
OTfIt was 4:01.asvSCFh
XeUwMEQ**oNsjIg
ViB1Respect the usage time of the interview room.KNLR
Wi1Wp**tYI
FapeG“If it were possible to turn back time, what would you do, Mr. Seon Yuhan?”j99
Go8VThat’s what I’m saying.fbw
fA2ZPI swallowed those words and took out the phone with trembling hands.lXBYBf
xyVjeaIt felt as if my head was throbbing and my body was falling apart, but that was just an illusion.qaU
5gq0Xys[3:29｜5G｜87%]uFUT
YJMIs there still internet signal?NRwYEs
45GfHow strange.QrRJQLf
QFbDIAnyway, first…5NP9jK1
iBL“I have to get out. Alive.”CA7CZ
zpMI“Huh?”D22
roia“I’m sorry. Excuse me.”1AK
yAX0I stood up and took the interviewer by the arm to help him stand.pGb7xW
5ogC“Ah.”xS7W5
RiuUhfnOn his somewhat absent-minded face, an innocent smile appeared.wDskaB
3SQArs“Is this a dramatization? It’s been a while since I’ve seen a candidate who shows their answer with actions.”8VQB0
lBLmxI ignored that nonsense and went out with him from the room.sVA3
CYjThe interviewer followed me without resisting.6UT
9tpX4KHe seemed to think this was my answer to the question of “what would you do if you could turn back time,” and was observing me with a look full of interest.L3OwfC
3yWTIf they hire me, this person will be my superior.U8yuyc
bfRO“Is it normal that there’s no one in the hallway?”fL1HK
4GBAV“Yes, more or less. On the third floor there’s only the auditorium and conference rooms, and today there are no events apart from the interviews.”byPH
b3949HyNow that I think about it, it was already quiet before entering.t9O8CsZ
FIBpa30“Ah. There it is.”zBn
0qoshcNI found a fire extinguisher on the hallway wall, near the restrooms.ONIrJAz
CgQGSIn a few minutes there will be another blackout, and the internet will also be cut off.ZlX
kPMFcI extended my hand toward the red alarm button.H4qO
7RuaYIf I activate the fire alarm now, at least everyone in the building will be alert and prepared.wFnecfK
X6CAWith luck, I might even prevent someone from getting into an elevator.uOuPb
E7WoGX“Mr. Seon Yuhan.”UK6N
VLZQClack.1Rj8iF
vwluJust as I was about to press the button, the interviewer grabbed my arm.AOc
67eBwHe had more strength than he appeared to have.UX2E6
jIPBcWith a professional smile, he began to speak without stopping.26j
xplZ“We promised that there would be no disadvantages in the interview, but doing something like this is already debatable. Showing your answer through actions is within expectations, of course, but for those actions to affect the entire building is already problematic. We are not alone in the company; there are also executives. You understand, right? Besides, triggering a false alarm… even the firefighters might come, and that wouldn’t be appropriate, don’t you think?”rvA
g00kyIt made sense.hxo
IYVsSNot because of the executives or the false alarm.sj3vRjK
3FsmThe problem was that more people would enter the building.3hAMR
IEgWGAccording to my intuition, this place is…y4fBMI
jDUWSZZIt may be that the part about having died and returned is not real, and everything is happening in my head.wfd
sFeBBut to me this feels real.s3Ux
lncpqUUSo I must assume that it is and act accordingly.qnn
ebDR8LIn the end, there is only one place where something like this can happen.Lg9Z
RZMIBA maze.74pyoTm
5bWPYQ“Mr. interviewer, this building… has turned into a maze.”DVnng4w
B8u49V7“Are you still with the dramatization…?”tLNvp1i
3Zg8ePThe interviewer, who was looking at me, closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes.9sd
eOTLk“Are you serious? It’s not that a maze appeared, but that it has already turned into one?”wqk
M8H0As expected, being someone who works with difficult clients, he had a great capacity for perception.yMYxX
8HLYNPNAlthough grasping the situation is one thing, believing me without hesitation is something entirely different.Wve
2ENPerhaps, by nature, he is a kind-hearted person.oMfq
PV6S“Yes. It is an invasive-type maze.”51WkD
oSgz7WCommon mazes exist in a space different from that of Earth.aPt6
MTzThey appear as “rifts” that connect with another space-time, absorbing those who are nearby.IqLDj
0CBSpCZThose are called “contact mazes,” and most are like that.Vtpc
CsPKn2But there are always exceptions.X5n
44IRmu3In very rare cases, a space on Earth itself turns into a maze.D1e
CnXKThat is called a “labyrinthization phenomenon,” and those places are called “invasive mazes.”4j9Qh
bxq“Huff… this is serious.”EK6GWy
7CSyoThe interviewer ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.kNv2jsi
qJg70Ur“Then it’s already too late to get out, right?”39BKaa
Vvs4“Yes, it seems so.”WP0
aIfJKRfThe start of the labyrinthization is set at 3:29, when my return occurred.591kYk1
P2UjC3dNow it’s 3:32.hXJJpJI
vysHRSoon there will be a blackout, and the elevators will fall.K07
AAhJ0“I’m sorry, Mr. Seon Yuhan. It seems we lost time because of me.”Vpr
pjDnu“No.”Ebft
8nO2K4I didn’t want to see his face while he apologized, so I turned around.HbXG9
wSh“If it’s invasive, then the firefighters won’t come. I was naive.”NMpb
5DUiVktInvasive mazes usually end with the total annihilation of those inside.qJo
b2XXBecause that is their resolution condition.BUD
Jgb779That all humans inside must die.N6YoOG
6EX4zOf course, there are other conditions.QDrSe5
PaLThe problem is that they are not known, or that they are difficult to fulfill.XDo
cUOtJuContact mazes, even though they are in another world, still follow known patterns.KlJH
HWYThanks to years of experience, explorers can resolve them.VvpKf
EEhY2But the invasive ones are different.zacc
rgHQtRMThey are extremely rare, and they directly convert a real space into a maze.JmKcS
iIzLAoMA completely new environment.EraNT
6Hl1FzAnd since everyone dies, there are almost never survivors who can provide information.2U8EB5z
3gKU04Collecting data is practically impossible.Qvl6Tu
44PULThat is to say, an unknown space where anything can happen.nvWsJB
lAlgFThat is an invasive maze.AaOgpGq
1wrf“For now, let’s go down to the first floor. The lobby should be the exit. The elevator is out of the question.”wzUU
OphFDThe interviewer nodded and took the lead toward the emergency exit.0yOC
OFb“Mr. interviewer, what is the fastest way to alert everyone that this place is a maze?”DKfSxRQ
U3EIn an invasive maze, external rescue cannot be expected.ANxzi
A5A“At the very least, we must prevent more people from entering. And in any case, explorers won’t come.”z3a
24vknNo one would risk their life entering an unknown maze.B6UYT
LWjfAnd even if someone wanted to, their agency or guild would stop them.Ltp
IWfR2b9“Ah, right. We should report it to the Maze Management Department…”xEHjzp
Kr2naBang!ifCP1g
NpnAs the emergency door opened, all sounds echoed.UtqS
rmPXoE“No. Not the department. They follow procedures before acting. By then, civilians won’t know anything. We need everyone to know right now.”PzoVQmX
vVbxGZI went down the stairs carefully.YUg
xAzMTUhThis time without tripping.s5qe1
KgvVTWw“Then… ah!”TMYFdiM
F4qTFThe interviewer’s face lit up.onP6UnO
Eb6“There is a very easy and safe way—”E3A
3XT4I stopped in my tracks.q72b
jqCrCvHis voice bounced off the walls like an echo and disappeared.VplUO26
e7eD3SWhy?z53
HATM6rRWhy does this person disappear again and again?y2MF
UbRtxBmWhere does he go?4xIzHsD
DC7doBang!fh8
BWkWThe sound shook the entire building.amu8Jo
rzCRBoom! Crash! Bang!XK5v3t
a1BImdThen I remembered the man from the elevator.7EyfckA
RLf9aHCrash! Thud!lEmq
MJprsyOHe didn’t disappear like the interviewer.l9f
c0pu8If it was him…69sF7i
VnrD7Maybe I could have saved him.CMAls
lNv9g1dMy breath caught and I grabbed onto the handrail.am9oJtS
03r2PJyWhy am I like this?T74FP
YbfIdiot. Selfish. Regretting too late.XZCEP
sYE05DWhy am I still like this?xWybtri
YCatNkFI…cbA
HLjPlop.CRpGCP
25g“Huh?”e3G
IlwqDqSuddenly, the ground disappeared beneath my feet.pvUWc
SxrLike when you think you’ve already finished going down the stairs but there’s one more step.Wrj2Z8
lXLIGE“Aaah!”i92Lg
SD1PkoI fell.6fE
RrAIInto a cold and deep void, like a well.ku7ipz
IfncCu2Further and further down.NoYr
D9vtiaI reached upward uselessly.dj0RN
k14LqVToward the only faint light filtering through the darkness.E5lMxE
gloVKIt was rectangular.KgU29n2
wRDh6QThe landing where I had stopped had collapsed.S3kdYl
IXdA…Anyway.iPs
XP5kpWFIt seems I will have another chance to save the man from the elevator sooner than I thought.2DZLQ
NwtBERDamn it.wxTo5QX
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