Ch.108End Puzzle

The researcher’s name was Ichinose Riko.

She was one of the helpers scheduled to join as a researcher affiliated with the Foundation.

That’s all I could know with my Librarian abilities.

I couldn’t figure out much else. Time was short, and information was deeply hidden.

“……”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Robin from the Foundation’s Council.”

“The Council? Really?”

Riko stares at Robin with surprised eyes for a moment.

The Council is the body responsible for major decision-making within the Foundation. In other words, they’re essentially the leadership.

Riko seems quite shocked that someone in such a high position came personally.

“Yes. Things have gotten serious. You seem to be a Foundation researcher too, so you probably already know to some extent?”

“Yes.”

Riko nods her head almost excessively.

Her ponytail swings with the movement of her head.

“That Professor guy seems to be planning to end the world!”

“So that’s what was happening.”

“Yeah! He claims he wants to prevent disaster, but he was actually researching how to release it into the world. That person really gives me the creeps.”

Despite the heavy subject, Riko answers in a lively voice.

Clear eyes with a childlike innocent impression. By the end, she seems scared herself, crossing her arms and shrinking her body.

“I… I almost died trying to report this. Trapped in this elevator where no one would know.”

“Yes. That certainly happened.”

“And you saved me, Robin?”

Robin shakes her head and extends her arms toward where the rest of the people are.

“I wasn’t the only one who struggled. These people here helped treat your injured body.”

“Ah! Thank you! Thanks so much!”

Flap-

The blood-stained researcher coat floated up in the air.

Riko turns with precision and bows deeply in our direction.

She doesn’t just do it once but continues doing it, changing the person each time.

Something about her actions seems a bit clumsy.

Yet with her lively voice and gestures.

Thanks to Riko waking up, the dark atmosphere of the elevator has brightened considerably.

Serim whispers beside me.

“She’s similar to Dabin, isn’t she?”

“What? To me?”

“Yeah. Cute and innocent. Totally pure-hearted.”

I’m not sure about that.

Does she just mean we have a similar vibe?

I don’t think I’m that cute or affectionate.

After expressing her gratitude for a while, Riko suddenly waves her hand.

“And Yoon Daju. It’s been so long.”

Daju, who had been quiet, jumps in surprise and hides in the corner.

What? She knew Yoon Daju?

“Do you know her?”

“You know Daju?”

Jung Haewon and Heo Yoon follow and ask, but Daju continues to hide in the corner, refusing to answer.

“I… I don’t know. Really.”

So Haewon changes his target to Riko.

“Um, Ichinose?”

Being the anime fan he is, he’s clearly excited to see a Japanese person.

“You can just call me Riko.”

“Yes. What kind of relationship did you have with Daju?”

“Hmm…”

Riko ponders for a moment.

“I’m not sure!”

She stretches widely with a bright smile.

“Just workplace colleagues? But Daju has changed a lot. She used to be a complete psycho. Hehehe…”

“Ah. Stop.”

“Want me to tell you more?”

Riko tilts her head toward Yoon Daju with a spinning smile.

Yoon Daju is somehow fidgeting uncomfortably.

“Hey. Stop it. Don’t…”

Riko just keeps laughing with that innocent face from before.

I’ve actually seen Daju do this to others many times. Seeing Daju getting a taste of her own medicine feels really refreshing.

I didn’t know there was someone who could push Daju this far.

“I used to work with Yoon Daju in a lab. The research we did then was—”

“Aaaah!”

Daju couldn’t stand it anymore and rushed at Riko.

Whatever she doesn’t want revealed must be serious because she completely covers Riko’s mouth with her hand.

“Mmph! Mmmmph!”

With things having gone this far, people’s reactions are clearly divided.

About Daju’s past.

I’ve known all along. Choi Serim can read people’s thoughts, so she probably knew vaguely. Heo Yoon seems to have heard about it too.

Jung Haewon and Seok Hyunmin are surprised to hear this for the first time. Coincidentally, they’re the only two men.

“Noona, you were a researcher before? Really?”

“What does working in a lab mean? Were you possibly at the Foundation—”

“That’s really not it!”

While everyone’s attention is focused on the spectacle of Daju being flustered, Serim nudges my arm and whispers beside me.

“Now that I look closer, she’s very different from Dabin.”

“I’m not that cute.”

“No, that’s not it. Dabin is extremely cute too.”

“Ah.”

After smiling at me briefly.

Choi Serim, checking the surroundings, taps her forehead with her finger.

“The feeling inside here is really different.”

***

While the elevator is relatively safe, staying too long risks incurring a “penalty.”

We need to keep moving by pressing buttons.

Riko looks up at the ceiling and mutters.

“It’s been a while since I rode an elevator. I’ve only been staying at the Foundation research facility until now.”

I didn’t take Riko’s words lightly and asked again.

“Foundation research facility? Is it inside this apartment?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you perhaps know the floor number?”

“Yes.”

We need to decide on our next destination quickly.

Riko just stares at me quietly.

Behind us, people are having a heated discussion about which floor to explore next.

“You’re Dabin, right?”

I nodded.

Without hesitation, Riko suddenly closes the distance between us.

“Huh?”

“Hold still.”

She brushes her hair aside and brings both hands to my ear.

Warm breath flows across my sensitive skin, along with the most important information that will penetrate the conclusion of this story.

After delivering her message, Riko steps back to her original position.

“But we can’t go there right now.”

“Why not?”

“Why? Because it’s scary!”

I feel somewhat deflated.

“Yes. We won’t go there right away.”

A Foundation research facility built inside the apartment. There will be a time to go there.

That’s how the story is set.

“Ah. I really don’t know.”

Unable to bear the heated discussion about our next destination, Seok Hyunmin bounced to the center of the elevator.

“Hey, Dabin. Can’t you decide with that Librarian authority thing?”

“I don’t really know either.”

“You said you could search. Can’t you search by floor name?”

“It doesn’t work like that. There’s too much information to specify.”

“Huh?”

“To search, you need to know what you’re looking for in advance. If the search scope is too broad, you’ll never find the information you want. That’s how it feels. Floor names are quite broad, so I can’t find meaningful results with just that.”

“Huh?”

“It’s like knowing the face and scene but not the actor’s name or video code.”

“……”

“……”

I blurted out something strange out of frustration because he kept not understanding.

I have too much to think about, and he keeps asking questions…

Seok Hyunmin seems quite shocked.

“Okay. Sorry.”

I wish he would at least say something in response.

My face flushes hot. I hope no one else heard that?

Ah, I really shouldn’t have said that.

The more I think about it, the more anxious I get, so I grabbed Seok Hyunmin as he was turning away with a snicker.

“Don’t tell anyone else. It was just a slip of the tongue.”

“Okay.”

Judging by his reaction, he’s definitely going to tell everyone.

This is driving me crazy.

Beep-

I press 1, 2, 5, followed by the letter L and number 4.

According to our arbitrary method, the floor name becomes 125-L4.

“Another floor we don’t know.”

“Everyone must be tired, so let’s conserve our energy.”

Heo Yoon and Robin lead the survivors side by side.

Countless people have died during exploration, but quite a few have gathered again in the elevator.

Clunk.

Clunk.

As the elevator starts moving, the alphabet button flips back and disappears into the wall.

Only ordinary number buttons remain on the wall.

“This one will take a long time.”

“Dabin, you know that too?”

“Yes. I’ve noticed that when there’s noise, it takes longer to arrive. Just something I figured out from experience.”

Choi Serim stays by my side constantly.

She’s always like that, but I’ve been feeling it more recently.

She sticks right next to me and responds to even my casual remarks without dismissing them.

“By the way, Serim noona.”

“Yes?”

“You’re anxious right now, aren’t you?”

It’s best to ask directly in these situations.

Unlike Choi Serim, I can’t read other people’s thoughts.

“……”

She looks at me with slightly surprised eyes before quietly speaking.

“Yes.”

“Because I almost died?”

“Yes.”

“It must be harder now that you can read the Foundation people’s thoughts better. They’re people who have seen many cruel and terrible things.”

“…Yes.”

Choi Serim can’t just read and manipulate the thoughts of people she wants to.

Even strangers she has no interest in. Even people in completely different times and spaces. Their thoughts flow into her mind regardless of her will.

“Then just keep reading my thoughts.”

“Huh?”

Serim answers with a choked voice, perhaps upset by what I said earlier.

It’s cute how she bows her head and tries to hide her expression while still trying to listen to me.

“I… I can’t read Dabin’s thoughts anymore. Your resistance has gotten too strong.”

I closed my eyes briefly and calmed my mind.

More comfortably. I lowered the mental barrier blocking my thoughts a little.

“How about now?”

“…I can hear them again. But why?”

I gave a slight smile to Choi Serim, who tilted her head in confusion.

“Tell me if it gets hard. I’ll only think good thoughts.”

Realizing my intention belatedly, Choi Serim hastily inhales.

Her shoulders tremble as tears flow down from her bowed head.

For Choi Serim, other people’s thoughts constantly flow into her mind.

It’s been that way since she was very young, to the point where she couldn’t even properly know who she was.

A rare ability. An ability everyone envies, but for Choi Serim, it was nothing short of a curse.

After patting her gently, I returned to where everyone was gathered when she seemed a bit better.

Time is what we have in abundance. Everyone was trying to complete the puzzle by organizing the newly discovered information.

“Let’s start with this. Riko mentioned a disaster earlier. What kind of disaster?”

Heo Yoon summarized the conversation first.

Her naturally loud voice makes her perfect for the role of moderator.

“It was a plan the Professor was plotting. The Professor intended to overturn the world by releasing something called the ‘Fifth Apostle.'”

“Professor?”

“What’s this Fifth Apostle thing?”

This time Robin explains instead.

“Professor is not his real name, but an alias used within the Foundation. He’s a Foundation figure like Riko and me.”

“So what happened? Is it internal division?”

“Yes. It seems that way.”

Robin continues in a heavy voice.

“And the Fifth Apostle that the Professor wants to release. Think of it as a monster that brings disaster just by existing. If it’s released, natural disasters, war, hunger, and famine will follow.”

“Sounds like something out of the Biblical apocalypse.”

Seok Hyunmin unnecessarily lifted his glasses to clean them.

Though usually calm, this time his movements betrayed his anxiety.

“Then I guess that Fifth whatever is in this apartment.”

“The device to release the Fifth is here. If it’s completely released, it’s only a matter of time before human civilization is wiped out.”

“Oh my head hurts.”

It seems hard to organize all this information.

Dan has already given up on understanding and is slumped against the elevator wall.

Seok Hyunmin keeps sighing, Jung Haewon is holding his head, and even Robin scratches her cheek in frustration.

“When I came in, the disaster had already begun. The volcanic eruption was the effect of the Fifth Apostle starting its activity.”

“Wow, it would have been nice if you’d told us this earlier, Robin.”

Robin ignored Dan’s comment and waited for the others’ responses.

Starting with Seok Hyunmin.

“We’re just accidentally trapped here, that’s all.”

“Ah! But we did find something out. That there’s nothing outside. We also learned at the library that the world has already ended.”

Heo Yoon points at me as she speaks.

Robin listens to each answer carefully, as if memorizing them.

“So the timeline is twisted.”

A massive disaster that destroyed the world. And the phenomenon of time distortion centered on the apartment.

This is information I already know.

I could explain it directly here, but I wanted to let people put their heads together and deduce it.

Not just because of a feeling.

The only way this almost completely destroyed worldline can survive.

The single story leading to the conclusion is very fragile and can break with the slightest shock.

If possible, it’s best to solve the case logically and plausibly, without random elements or external intervention.

“I need to hear everyone’s story. What about you, Dabin?”

I pretended not to know anything when Robin asked.

“I moved into an old apartment, and on the first day, everything around me had changed.”

Next is Jung Haewon’s turn.

“I don’t know anything. I was just doing an internet broadcast exploring a haunted house.”

Next is Yoon Daju.

“I don’t remember. I just opened my eyes and I was here.”

“Then, is there anyone who came here after the disaster?”

Dan came in with Robin, and Riko entered the apartment long before the Professor revealed his true colors.

Only one person remains who hasn’t answered.

The key to this puzzle is Choi Serim’s memory.