The next chamber was larger than the others.

  Broken pillars leaned against the walls, and the floor was scattered with the remains of monsters the group had already fought through.

  When the last creature fell, the chamber suddenly grew quiet.

  For a moment no one moved.

  Then a faint blue light appeared in the air.

  A window formed in front of every player.

  Floor 2 Cleared

  First Clear Bonus Activated

  Murmurs spread through the group.

  "First clear?"

  "What does that mean?"

  Another message followed.

  Reward Distributed

  Small crystals began appearing on the ground where the monsters had fallen.

  They glowed faintly with pale light.

  One of the players picked one up carefully.

  "It's warm."

  Yuna recognized them instantly.

  Monster cores.

  In the previous timeline players eventually discovered they could be used for crafting, trading, and upgrading equipment.

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  But that knowledge had taken weeks to spread.

  Now the Tower had given them as a reward immediately.

  The players began collecting the crystals with excitement.

  Jin crouched near one of the fallen monsters.

  The body dissolved slowly into particles of light.

  Another core dropped onto the stone floor.

  He picked it up and studied it briefly.

  Then he spoke casually.

  "The first clear bonus usually appears after the second floor."

  The chamber fell silent.

  Several players looked up.

  "Usually?" someone repeated.

  "The Tower only appeared yesterday."

  Jin glanced up.

  For a moment he looked almost surprised.

  Then he gave a small shrug.

  "Bad choice of words."

  He stood and tossed the crystal lightly in his hand before slipping it into his pocket.

  The others slowly returned to collecting the rewards, but the atmosphere had changed.

  Yuna had gone still.

  Usually.

  That word echoed in her mind.

  She knew exactly why he had said it.

  Because for him…

  It had happened before.

  Her gaze drifted toward Jin.

  He was already watching her.

  Not openly.

  But carefully.

  Measuring her reaction.

  Testing it.

  Yuna turned away first.

  If he was trying to read her, she wouldn't make it easy.

  Another system message appeared.

  Gate to Floor 3 Unlocked

  A heavy stone door at the far end of the chamber slowly began to rise.

  Dust fell from the ancient mechanism as the path forward revealed itself.

  Some of the players cheered quietly.

  "We're actually doing it."

  "We cleared a floor."

  But Yuna's attention remained on Jin.

  He had already started walking toward the gate.

  Calm.

  Unhurried.

  Like this was all familiar to him.

  When he passed by her, he slowed slightly.

  Just enough to speak quietly.

  "You noticed."

  It wasn't a question.

  Yuna's chest tightened.

  She didn't look at him.

  "I don't know what you mean."

  Jin gave a faint laugh.

  Soft.

  Almost amused.

  "Of course you don't."

  He continued walking toward the open gate.

  The others followed him quickly.

  But Yuna remained where she was for a moment longer.

  Her eyes moved to the system message still floating in the air.

  First Clear Bonus Activated

  In the previous timeline…

  Jin had not reached this floor until much later.

  Which meant the timeline had already shifted before she even arrived.

  Slowly she lifted her head.

  Jin stood near the open gate, waiting for the others.

  For a brief moment his eyes met hers again.

  And this time he didn't look away.

  A thought surfaced in Yuna's mind.

  Not a question.

  A realization.

  Jin Lee wasn't just suspicious of her.

  He already knew.