The apartment was silent. Too silent.
Seo Joon stood in front of his front door, his hand still resting on the metal knob. He hadn't opened it. He knew that. His muscles were stiff, finger tips hovering just millimeters away from its cold surface.
Yet the door was opening.
On its own.
The hinges made no sound. The wood didn't creak. The door simply drifted inward as if pushed by an invisible hand.
A soft breath of air touched his face.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Seo Joon's heartbeat quickened.
"…What is this…?"
Beyond the door was not his hallway.
Where his apartment corridor should've been, a stone passage extended into darkness. The walls were carved smooth, almost like marble, but threaded with thin white veins of light that pulsed faintly — like something alive breathing slowly.
A message flickered in his vision.
> [You are entering: Hidden Path — Hall of Quiet Voices]
[Origin: Unknown]
His skin prickled.
The "Unknown" part bothered him more than anything.
He stepped across the threshold.
The instant his foot crossed, the world behind him vanished.
His apartment dissolved into black.
The city.
The noise.
The air.
Gone.
Only the corridor existed now — stretching forward like the spine of an ancient beast.
●●●
Seo Joon inhaled slowly. The air in this place was heavier, tasting of dust and something metallic… like forgotten memories.
His footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor.
Each step felt delayed, like the sound had to travel through water before reaching his ears.
The walls pulsed again.
White veins of light reshaped themselves, forming wisps. Shapes. Fragments of images — hands reaching, figures kneeling, silhouettes screaming without sound.
Whispers brushed the back of his neck.
Not words.
More like the echo of a cry that happened centuries ago.
He froze.
Then, the system whispered:
> [Warning: Emotional Echoes detected]
[Maintain mental stability]
Seo Joon clenched his jaw.
So this place tries to get inside your head…
He continued walking.
●●●
The corridor opened into a vast circular chamber.
Immediately he felt it — a cold pressure pressing down on his shoulders. Not enough to crush, but enough to make breathing heavier.
The room was cathedral-like. Towering pillars encircled the chamber, carved with delicate lines glowing like moonlight. Every inch radiated a presence — old, ancient, patient.
In the center stood a pedestal.
On it lay a mask.
Plain.
White.
No eyes.
No mouth.
Nothing.
Yet he felt watched.
Seo Joon took a step forward.
The room responded.
Light-veins surged across the walls, crawling like serpents until they converged on the pedestal. The stone cracked open slightly, releasing a soft, warm glow that spread out like a heartbeat.
A system message appeared, shaking.
> [Candidate Recognized]
[Resonance Detected — Han Seo Joon]
The mask trembled.
The glow lifted it gently off the pedestal. Dust rose from its edges, dancing in the light like fragments of a dying star.
Then the mask shattered into dozens of shimmering fragments.
The pieces drifted toward Seo Joon.
"W—Wait—"
The light sank into his chest.
Cold.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Like someone placing a frozen hand directly on his heart. He staggered, gripping his shirt as he tried to breathe through the sudden weight.
Another message flickered —
> [New Skill Acquired]
Echo Sense — LV. 1
Allows perception of emotional residue, hidden memories, and spiritual traces.
The pressure faded.
He stood still, chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.
"…So this tower gives abilities through objects too…?"
He looked at the pedestal — now empty, cracked, drained of light.
Something shifted behind him.
●●●
Tap… tap… tap…
Footsteps.
Slow. Calm. Echoing like someone walking through a church at midnight.
Seo Joon spun around.
A figure stood at the corridor entrance. Tall. Wrapped in a cloak of flowing black mist, like shadows stitched into fabric.
Its head tilted.
No face could be seen under the hood.
Yet Seo Joon felt its attention — cold and direct.
"W—Who are you?"
His voice barely echoed.
The figure didn't speak at first.
It simply watched him.
Then, in a layered whisper — like multiple voices overlapping —
"You walk too early, Summoner."
Seo Joon shivered.
The walls flickered.
The lights dimmed.
Every vein of light trembled like disturbed water.
He instinctively activated his skill:
> [Threadbind — LV. 1 Activated]
Golden thread lines extended from his vision, connecting him and the figure.
But then—
The thread split.
One became two.
Two became ten.
Ten became hundreds.
Each thread connected to a different silhouette — slightly shifted, distorted, overlapping the original figure.
Seo Joon's stomach twisted.
It was like looking at a being existing in multiple realities at once.
His brain pulsed with pain.
The figure raised a hand.
All threads snapped simultaneously.
Seo Joon gasped as if punched in the chest.
The figure's voice softened.
"Do not fear.
This place shows beginnings.
Not endings."
Then the chamber shook violently.
The pillars split.
The ceiling groaned.
The walls began to twist, shifting like flesh.
The figure stepped backward into the darkness and faded.
A final message appeared rapidly in red text:
> [Hidden Path: First Trial Initiated]
[Survive.]
Seo Joon clenched his fists.
"…Of course. It was never going to be easy."
The chamber walls began closing in.
And the trial began.