The corridor eventually opened into another chamber.

  This room was different from the others.

  Instead of monsters or traps scattered across the floor, a wide pit split the chamber in half.

  Three narrow stone paths stretched across the gap.

  Each path led to a door on the opposite side.

  Several players stopped at the entrance.

  "No monsters?" one of them said.

  "Maybe this is some kind of puzzle."

  The pit below them was too dark to see the bottom.

  A cold draft rose from the depths.

  Yuna stepped closer to the edge.

  She remembered this floor.

  In the previous timeline, many players had died here before anyone understood the trick.

  The paths looked identical.

  But only one of them was safe.

  The left path triggered hidden spikes.

  The right path collapsed halfway across.

  Only the middle path led safely to the exit.

  Behind her, someone spoke nervously.

  "So… which one do we take?"

  No one answered.

  Everyone's eyes slowly turned toward the same person.

  Yuna.

  She noticed immediately.

  They had already begun relying on her.

  Before she could say anything, footsteps echoed behind them.

  Jin entered the room.

  He looked around once.

  His eyes moved from the pit to the three paths.

  Then he walked closer.

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  The other players instinctively gave him space.

  Jin studied the paths for a moment.

  Then he spoke.

  "The left path."

  His voice was casual.

  As if the answer were obvious.

  Several players immediately started moving toward it.

  Yuna's heart skipped.

  The left path was a trap.

  She knew it.

  Her memories were clear.

  Spikes would erupt from the stone halfway across.

  In the previous timeline three people had died instantly.

  Yuna stepped forward.

  "Wait."

  The players paused.

  Jin glanced at her.

  Yuna walked toward the edge of the pit.

  Her eyes studied the three paths carefully.

  They looked exactly like she remembered.

  Which meant the left path should still be deadly.

  Without hesitation she stepped onto the middle path.

  Stone echoed beneath her boots.

  Nothing happened.

  The players behind her watched nervously.

  Yuna took another step forward.

  Still nothing.

  Behind her someone spoke.

  "But… he said the left path."

  Yuna didn't stop.

  Halfway across the pit, the stone beneath the left path suddenly cracked.

  A burst of sharp metal spikes shot upward.

  The trap triggered violently.

  If anyone had stepped there, they would have been impaled instantly.

  The room fell silent.

  The players stared at the spikes with pale faces.

  One man whispered.

  "We would have died."

  Another slowly turned toward Jin.

  "You said...!"

  But Jin wasn't looking at the trap.

  He was watching Yuna.

  Carefully.

  His expression was calm, but his eyes were sharp.

  Observing.

  Measuring.

  Yuna reached the far side of the pit and stepped onto solid ground.

  She turned around.

  The other players began cautiously crossing the middle path.

  One by one they reached safety.

  The trap slowly reset behind them.

  When the last player crossed, Jin stepped forward.

  He walked across the middle path without hesitation.

  His pace was relaxed.

  Almost bored.

  When he reached the other side, he stopped a short distance from Yuna.

  For a moment neither of them spoke.

  Then Jin said quietly,

  "Interesting."

  Yuna met his gaze.

  "You knew it was a trap."

  It wasn't a question.

  Jin tilted his head slightly.

  "Maybe."

  Yuna's eyes narrowed.

  "You told them to take the left path."

  Jin's faint smile returned.

  "I was curious."

  "Curious?"

  "About you."

  The words were calm.

  Matter of fact.

  Yuna felt a chill run through her chest.

  He had tested her.

  The realization settled slowly.

  Jin had deliberately given the wrong answer.

  To see what she would do.

  He had wanted to know if she already knew the solution.

  Behind them, the other players began opening the heavy door leading deeper into the floor.

  But Yuna barely noticed.

  Her focus remained on Jin.

  "You were testing me," she said quietly.

  Jin didn't deny it.

  Instead he looked back toward the pit.

  Then at the trap mechanism resetting itself.

  Finally his gaze returned to her.

  "You avoided the trap without hesitation."

  Yuna said nothing.

  Jin studied her for another moment.

  His expression didn't change.

  But something in his eyes shifted slightly.

  Interest.

  Suspicion.

  Recognition.

  Then he turned toward the door the others had opened.

  "Come on," he said casually.

  "The floor isn't finished yet."

  He walked forward.

  As if the conversation had meant nothing.

  Yuna remained still for a moment.

  Her thoughts were racing.

  Jin had known the left path was wrong.

  She was sure of it now.

  Which meant he hadn't made a mistake.

  He had wanted to see if she would correct him.

  Which meant he was suspicious of her.

  Just like she was suspicious of him.

  Yuna slowly followed the others toward the open doorway.

  The next chamber waited beyond it.

  But her attention remained on Jin's back as he walked ahead of the group.

  Two thoughts echoed quietly in her mind.

  Jin Lee had just tested her.

  And she had passed.

  Which meant the next test would be harder.