How long had he walked under the persistent black rain?

The place Yohan arrived at was the front of the closed portal that had appeared at Exit 3 of Cheonho Station.

‘Luckily, I’m not too late.’

Closed portals are known for not spawning monsters even as time passes.

In other words, even if not cleared in time, monsters wouldn’t overflow into the real world.

Additionally:

– Once you enter, you can’t exit until you complete the mission.

– The rewards are much greater compared to the difficulty.

– The amount of magic crystals is more than triple that of others of the same level.

It had all those added benefits.

In a way, it was a kind of treasure dungeon, which made them quite popular.

Normally, big guilds would be fiercely competing to claim territory.

But now, with the apocalypse just a week away, no one would waste power just to earn money.

‘Although thanks to that… a good crowd has gathered. With no tigers around, foxes and rabbits came in droves.’

Treasure hunters — a few who gambled on quick fortune.
Among them, some looked quite shady. More like criminals than hunters.

He’d probably have to compete with them inside. Or maybe… he’d see something even more unpleasant.

At that moment.

“The level is ‘D’. Due to the nature of this closed portal, the Association won’t intervene, and everything that happens inside is each individual’s responsibility.”

An Association employee, having completed the measurement, shouted this out.

In short: no overflow means you’re on your own.

The main reason, of course, was the lack of personnel due to simultaneous portal appearances across Seoul.

‘Finally, I get to go in here.’

In the early chapters of the forbidden book, there was a phrase the protagonist constantly repeated — that if he ever got a second chance, he would start with the portal that appeared in Cheonho right after the black rain.

He said that although it was dangerous, if things went well, he could obtain one of the greatest early-game opportunities.
He repeated it endlessly.

It was also called a chaotic battlefield filled with key characters and major events of the episode.
For the original protagonist, it was an impossible wish.

But Yohan, now at the starting line, could do what that protagonist couldn’t.

Thinking about it — if the book wasn’t just forbidden fiction, but an actual prophecy, did that mean that guy was also a real person living in this world?

Just imagining that he’d soon meet him brought a strange feeling.

Seo Changhee (Spirituality: 0 steps). The protagonist of this world, obsessed with saving humanity — and a disaster troll who ruins everything he touches.

How should he handle Seo Changhee to get the most benefit?

‘His personality is trash and his main-character complex is off the charts, but that’s something I’ll have to tolerate.’

Either way, the skill that guy has is real — the real deal. The best strategy was to manipulate him gradually, leash him, and train him.

Or do him a favor that makes him feel indebted and unable to resist.
Then, polish him like a rough gem and use him wisely.nHe’d definitely be useful for conquering episodes.

While thinking this—

The first group entered the portal, and Yohan started moving in with the others.

Vwoooom!

His vision went black.

[You have entered the ‘Mysterious Room’!]

When the light returned, a huge and dazzling hall appeared.
It looked like a luxuriously decorated section of a medieval palace.

Inside were all kinds of things: wall clocks, TVs, pens, toilet paper, coat racks, flashlights, etc.
There were enough items that even with hundreds of people entering, plenty remained unchosen.

“W-what is this place?”

“What a weird site. Are all closed portals like this?”

“It’s not a five-star hotel, but look — it even has a bidet! Hahaha. Should I treat myself before we start?”

“Ugh. That’s seriously gross.”

“Oh, this statue looks super expensive.”

People murmured curiously as they touched various things.

But these weren’t just decorations.
They were closer to special items with unique abilities.

If you chose wisely, they could be a huge help in clearing the dungeon.

In other words—

What you picked here would be the key to surviving the portal.

Ding!

A new window appeared.

[Only one item may be selected per person.]

[However, there is no limit on the number of items one can possess inside the portal.]

At a glance, this looked like an advantage for those in groups.
They could secure multiple items from the start and steal more with strength in numbers.

But—

‘Numbers alone aren’t everything.’

What mattered was being able to identify jewels among the junk.

“We’ll have to check them one by one.”

“Yeah. It’s obvious some of these are useful for the dungeon. Let’s be careful. We’ll take this zone.”

“Alright. But from that candelabra over there — that’s our section.”

Groups began dividing up zones and claiming territory.
But that was insane.

Because—

[Time remaining: 00H : 09M : 59S]

The time to choose was far too short.

Picking something useful from this many objects wasn’t easy.
Many had properties far different from their obvious appearance.

“Q-quick, pick something!”

“Damn it! Which one’s actually good?”

“Come on, there’s stuff that looks helpful!”

“Does this… work like this?”

Fwoosh!

Someone turned on a flashlight, and a beam of white light shot out.

[Grade B Radiation-Emitting Flashlight activated.]

Sizzleee!

With a terrifying sound—

“Gyaaah!”

The body of someone caught in the light started to burn.

***

“Ugh… aaaaagh! My body… my body!”

The scream dragged on for a long while.

The man, his whole body covered in blisters, twisted in agony until he collapsed.

“This is insane.”

“Turn it off! Turn that damn thing off now! You think you’re the only one who can use something like that?”

“Shit! Is that how you want to play?”

Losing just one companion was enough to throw the place into total chaos.

People began testing the items’ abilities using other humans as targets.

[D-grade ancient quill activated.]

As the quill moved, massive letters began etching themselves like tattoos onto a muscular man’s body.

“Hahahahaa!”

The man started laughing maniacally. He even foamed at the mouth while trembling. It was a disturbing sight.

“Take cover! We don’t know what abilities these items have—don’t let them hit you!”

“Yes, sir!”

Those from guilds moved differently. Unlike the criminals and treasure hunters going wild, they calmly analyzed the situation.

[C-grade charcoal brazier activated.]

The flame that emerged touched one of the people present, and their fatigue eased.

Small wounds on their body began to heal. A healing item?

Indeed, it was hard to know what an object did before using it.

“Say cheese.”

A short-haired girl pressed the shutter of a camera aimed at a paladin in priestly robes.

[A-grade broken camera activated.]

Click!

With a sharp sound, the paladin disappeared. No one knew where he went.

It was as if he had been ripped from space itself—his figure vanished completely.

“Oh, he disappeared. I’m really sorry, it wasn’t on purpose, hehe.”
The girl bowed politely.

“……!?”

“What a wicked ability.”

“Kill her! She attacked a servant of God!”

The paladins and priests of the Sun cult charged at the short-haired girl.

Crash! Boom!

Desks were overturned, bookshelves used as barricades.
Some items were lethal, most were not—but the mass use of so many abilities inevitably caused casualties.

Only ten minutes had passed, but that brief time already felt eternal.

“Aaaaaagh!”

“D-damn… aaaaagh!”

With all sorts of abilities going off, dozens died or disappeared even before the actual portal had begun.

‘This probably happened because there are so few professional hunters here.’

Yohan crouched low and carefully advanced through the Mystery Room. He hadn’t mentioned it earlier, but closed portals had a third important trait:

– The mortality rate is quite high.

But not because of monsters or traps—because of humans attacking each other.

There’s a saying about portals: What happens in the portal, stays in the portal.

No evidence remains, so the law of the jungle reigns.

Yohan, his expression cold, calmly summed up this harsh reality.
But his eyes were scanning quickly.

There were only about five truly useful items here. Any one of them would be a great help for clearing the portal and uncovering hidden secrets—but there was one that suited him perfectly.

BOOM!

Another explosion rang out. Whoever it was had grabbed a seriously powerful item.

[Time remaining: 00H : 03M : 52S]

He had to hurry.

Leaping like a flying squirrel over three display cases, Yohan landed near a luxurious circular sofa.

Just a little further… and he’d be at “it.”

It was one of the most remote areas of the Mystery Room, so hardly anyone was nearby now.

“P-please, get me down! You, down there! Uwaaah!”

A man, inflated like a balloon, was bouncing off the ceiling.
Yohan was curious what item had done that, but deliberately ignored his pleas. It looked like the only way to help would be to pierce him with something sharp.

‘This week is going to be something new. There’s so much I still don’t know.’

Even for someone as experienced with the forbidden book, this was highly stimulating content.

Of course, in theory, he knew it all.
He’d never been here in person, but over countless loops he’d gathered information about the Mystery Room and the Withered Garden.

Tap.

Jumping onto the sofa, Yohan’s eyes lit up.

…He found it.

On a timeworn wooden table lay a green-covered book, a decorated lighter, a feathered pen, and a coat rack.

But just as he reached out, a white hand suddenly appeared from the opposite side.

Both hands touched the book at the same time.

“This is mine.”

Towering over 188 cm, with a sculpted face and serious eyes full of conviction— his very presence was overwhelming.

It couldn’t be.

Yohan’s mouth slowly opened.

After surviving the 999th cycle, he thought he had seen everything.
Wasn’t it logical? He had lived through endless absurd situations in that vast span of time.

But upon seeing the man before him, Yohan realized this world still held countless variables and anomalies.

It was none other than Seo Changhee (Spirituality: superficial level).

The protagonist famous for flushing all his opportunities down the drain.
Someone who, in all cycles, had never once set foot in this portal.

____

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