Everything that enters the inventory stops in time.
Then, what happens if only half of it goes in?
The answer unfolded before my eyes.
Beyond the rippling space, the box that was halfway in remained fixed in midair.
The level of defiance against the laws of physics would make Newton and Einstein, hand in hand, rise from their graves in shock.
"..."
I reached out. The moment my fingertips touched the box, which I had thought would never move, it popped out of the inventory with a soft thud and fell to the floor.
Does it start moving again when touched?
I tried again, leaving the box halfway in the inventory and letting go.
"Of course."
Just like before, the box stayed fixed in midair. I brought my foot up and pushed it with all my strength.
"Hah."
It wouldn't budge. Not just resistant—it didn't move at all. I stared at the box suspended in midair for a moment, then pushed it again with everything I had.
"Ugh… hng…"
Still nothing. Items only partially in the inventory seem to be treated the same as items fully inside it.
Does a stopped-in-time object not break? I needed to check more precisely.
I pulled out a sheet of aluminum foil, put half of it into the inventory, and let go.
Watching the foil frozen in midair, I immediately threw a chopstick at it.
With a piercing thud, the chopstick struck the foil. Not only did it not pierce it—it didn't even crumple. And it was aluminum foil.
Finally, I stared at the suspended foil and tried to put another item into the inventory. Could I keep using the inventory like this?
"…It won't open."
It wouldn't. Using two inventories at once seemed impossible.
But that didn't feel like a serious problem.
"It's an unbreakable shield, after all."
The chopstick I had thrown with full force couldn't even pierce a single sheet of foil.
Even shooting a gun at it probably wouldn't change the result. I pondered for a moment, then grabbed the foil with my gloved hand.
"Huh, that works too."
Does a gloved hand count as hitting it manually? If so… I thrust a kitchen knife at the foil fixed in the inventory with all my strength.
The knife bent immediately.
"This isn't it either. What's the standard, anyway?"
A gloved hand counts as manual contact, but a knife held in hand doesn't.
After pondering all this, I scratched my head.
"I'm just playing at being a high school-level scientist. Focus."
Figuring out a law that explains this kind of situation is what well-educated geniuses do.
People like me can only figure out "this works" through experience and use it accordingly.
So, here's what I learned:
Time stops for anything that enters the inventory, even slightly. For time to flow again, it must be touched by my hand.
I can use this as an unbreakable shield.
"Time flies."
The clock hands were already heading toward 11 PM. That must mean today was busy.
I glanced at the clock and headed to the bedroom.
"Ah, the catalog."
The terminal sat squarely beside the bed. I could use it to order meals, request room cleaning, or browse government-issued equipment via the catalog menu.
"Long-range should be enough."
What I needed wasn't additional long-range firepower. I already had a rifle and a pistol, so no reason to buy a bow. Special clothes made from various high-tech fabrics? Same deal. I also had a force-field generator powered by a coin-sized magic battery that lasted three hours.
"..."
Among the items offered in this catalog, what did I need?
Something that would alert me to nearby threats. I chose a vibration-detecting radar.
It would display a hologram showing the location whenever it detected vibrations above a certain threshold.
"This should be enough."
I glanced at the catalog a little longer, then fell asleep right there.
The next morning, while eating instant ramen, I received the items I had requested from Woo Gil-yeong, along with storage containers for samples and the vibration-detecting radar I had ordered yesterday.
"Good."
I put items into the inventory and immediately equipped what I needed.
I loaded the rifle and pistol with magazines, put them into the inventory, and filled all the remaining magazines.
Then we headed to Seoul Station to join up.
"Here we are!"
Upon arriving at Seoul Station, I immediately heard Han Se-hee's shout from afar. Yu Sang-chul stood beside her. While we were exchanging brief greetings, Oh Min-hyeok also joined us.
"Alright, let's move."
Yu Sang-chul handed each of us a train ticket. As we walked toward the station, Oh Min-hyeok glanced around and asked,
"I heard other sanitation workers use exclusive trains too."
"That's true. Many of them do."
Yu Sang-chul nodded in agreement. There were trains running along dedicated tracks, operated with just one carriage, unlike regular trains.
"No reason to use them if it's not an emergency."
So even taking the regular train at the scheduled time was fine; no need to make a fuss.
"Right, that makes sense. I was just curious because I heard the facilities are amazing."
Oh Min-hyeok nodded in agreement.
"This tiny plot of land has a train with hot water, beds, and shelves stocked with condoms."
It sounded more like a motel on rails than a train.
"They probably don't use it for its intended purpose."
"Yeah. Unless you pay for it yourself while resting."
We waited for the train on the platform. Soon it arrived, and we headed to our assigned seats. Once all four of us were seated, Oh Min-hyeok spoke.
"We spent a few hours investigating, but found nothing significant."
"Diligent, aren't you?"
Han Se-hee lightly praised him.
"All the sanitation workers who went in before were killed."
Yu Sang-chul mentioned this as casually as weather talk, though it was extremely serious.
"As of now, there's no way to know the situation inside Gapsuni's Place."
He rubbed his eyes briefly and continued.
"That makes it even more dangerous. Not all contaminated areas show their hazards openly."
Even extraordinary strength and special abilities aren't enough for cleaning in many cases. Death often comes from absurd causes or bizarre circumstances.
No matter how strong you are, you can never let your guard down once you enter a contaminated zone.
"You can see it just by looking at the Gapsuni's Place we're heading to now."
Even a veteran sanitation worker who was widely recognized for skill couldn't survive the area when entering with a trainee.
"So it's likely very different from the places we cleaned before?"
"Not a standard type, no."
The scenery outside the train window passed endlessly. Towering buildings reached as if to pierce the sky, proof of Korea's prosperity.
― Ladies and gentlemen, our train will soon…
The train slowed down, and an announcement confirmed our arrival in Daegu. We got off and headed straight for the location of Gapsuni's Place.
"Identity confirmed."
Soldiers guarding the area verified our identities. Once again, we stood in front of the pitch-black wall.
I put on my in-ear and checked the communication.
"Alright, let's go in."
Following Yu Sang-chul's lead, we stepped toward the ominous black wall we were reluctant to enter.
[ Gapsuni's Place. 1:15 PM ]
Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was an old butcher shop with a flickering sign.
Han Se-hee shook her head briefly, then smirked in disbelief at the neon sign of the butcher shop.
"A neon sign on a butcher shop? And the place is called Gapsuni's Place?"
Indeed, before us flickered a neon sign that didn't match the name at all, buzzing faintly.
"Be careful."
I said this and immediately drew my rifle.
"Are we trying it on our own again?"
Yu Sang-chul shook his head at my question.
"No. This time, we go together."
This was a contaminated area that had already claimed several sanitation workers. Yu Sang-chul wasn't planning to stick to the same approach as last time.
"I'll lead. Follow in after me."
We nodded tensely.
The creaking door of what looked like the butcher shop opened, and we stepped inside.
The bell tinkled, announcing our arrival.
"Spacious… and clean."
The first thing that greeted us was ear-piercing music. The violin screamed sharply, the drums thundered unpleasantly, and the piano clashed as if struck with fists.
Dizzy for a moment, I shook my head lightly.
White floors and walls. Chunks of meat displayed under bright red lights.
"Welcome."
Standing behind the meat display was someone greeting us: a massive, muscular figure over three meters tall wearing a reindeer mask.
All it wore was a rubber apron.
"Looking for something?"
As they spoke, the massive cleaver on the cutting board came down with a thud on the meat.
The red eyes embedded in the reindeer mask stared at us. Dull, unfocused.
"Just looking around."
Not knowing how to react, Yu Sang-chul spoke calmly.
The reindeer-masked figure nodded and resumed cutting the meat on the board.
"Feels like stepping on a landmine."
Yu Sang-chul muttered briefly. Hearing that from an experienced sanitation worker made me tense instantly.
"Serious?"
He nodded.
"There are rules in these types of contaminated zones. Break them, and nothing good happens."
Bomb switches were hidden inside. Our first task was to locate them.
What would we need to find inside the butcher shop? Time passed.
I checked the items in the display case just in case. Some were ordinary meats like dog, pig, or chicken.
But others were unsettling.
Rump 350g (Korea, castrated male)
Heart 75g (UK, young female)
And the price tags were strange.
One span of breathing, two ounces of life's value—prices to pay just to purchase meat.
The units were weird, and the cost terrifying. I didn't dare buy anything.
"How long are you going to stand there?"
The reindeer-masked giant spoke to us.
Entering the store without buying, just snooping around. If this reindeer-masked figure were the owner, how would they take it?
"Can't you hear me?"
When.
The figure was now standing right in front of us. I hadn't sensed any warning. Its breathing grew rough, and every hair on my body stood on end.
A danger sensed at the instinctual level. There was no way we could win this fight.
"Damn."
Everyone here thought the same. Even Yu Sang-chul couldn't bring himself to strike first.
Time was running out. Searching desperately, I recalled the poster I had glanced at earlier, which I had thought irrelevant.
"Tu… tour!"
At my shout, the reindeer-masked figure paused.
"You… you just—"
Yu Sang-chul looked surprised at my sudden action. But what choice did I have? There was no other way.
I was certain from its reaction—fight it, and we'd die.
"Five-course tasting… still ongoing?"
The poster I pointed to read:
[Enjoy a five-course tasting with Gapsuni's Place! Tasting in progress]