Chapter 52 — Loop
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**Team 2 – Inside the Second Portal**
Jin-young, Min-young, and their squad ran forward—boots pounding crystal floor, blue glow pulsing on their faces.
They sprinted straight.
Breath sharp.
Hope rising.
Then—suddenly—they were back.
Same entrance.
Same blue ring behind them.
Jin-young skidded to a stop.
"…Again?"
Min-young panted—hands on knees.
"We just ran straight."
Soldiers looked around—wide-eyed.
One whispered.
"We're looping."
Jin-young clenched his fist.
"Let's try again. But slow. Walk by walk."
They moved—careful.
One step at a time.
Hands brushing the crystal walls—cold, humming.
Step.
Step.
Step.
They reached a certain point.
Looked at each other.
Jin-young put one foot forward.
Everyone copied.
They looked back.
And saw—
Their own feet.
Still standing at the starting point.
Half their bodies—visible behind them.
Like mirrors.
But real.
Jin-young reached forward.
His hand appeared at the entrance—halfway.
He pulled back.
The hand vanished.
Soldiers tried—same thing.
One soldier—exhausted—slumped.
"We can't just sit here. We have to get out before the masks burn out."
They turned—ran toward the exit.
But—
Same spot.
Same blue ring.
Jin-young stopped them.
"Don't try. We're stuck."
Min-young exhaled—shaky.
"It was bound to happen. That's why the caves are still a mystery. Inside… it's a maze. Or this loop."
She looked around—voice trembling despite trying to sound calm.
"If you're lucky—you get a normal cave. We can only hope the others did."
"And will save us before this Mask burn out."
Her hands shook.
Scared.
Very scared.
Jin-young looked at her—soft.
"Mina… remember what I said at my introduction?"
She met his eyes.
"Until I'm here… you don't need to worry."
He turned to the team.
"So what is this loop? How much do we know?"
Soldier—smart one—raised a hand.
"I don't know much… but I think it's Closed Timelike Curves."
Jin-young blinked.
"What concept?"
She swallowed.
"Normally time is a straight line. But Einstein proved gravity and velocity can bend it. Like a cylinder."
Jin-young looked at Min-young.
She nodded—quiet.
The soldier continued.
"If you have an infinitely long, incredibly dense cylinder spinning near light speed—it drags spacetime around it. The future end bends back and touches the past start-point."
Jin-young exhaled.
"So… we're moving straight ahead. But the road's been turned into a circle."
Soldier nodded.
"Yes."
Jin-young looked at Min-young.
"That's what we call beauty with brain. Not you."
She kicked his shin—light.
"Shut up."
Soldiers chuckled—nervous relief.
Jin-young asked.
"Okay. So how do we break it?"
Soldier shrugged.
"I don't know. Never studied this deep. But… maybe Butterfly Effect."
Jin-young tilted his head.
"Small changes?"
She nodded.
"Even tiny. Vibration. Moving one atom. Something the loop can't predict. It breaks."
Jin-young thought.
"How do we remove an atom?"
He grinned—sudden.
"Okay. Small changes mean anything. I have an idea."
He looked at everyone.
"But it's risky."
He pointed at the pocket mech's energy core.
"This will focus his all energy on one place.
It can't predict that much chaos. It breaks."
He paused.
"But… heat attracts monsters. All of them. Inside this cave."
Silence.
Then—nods.
Jin-young looked at Min-young.
"You in?"
She smiled—small, fierce.
"Always."
They turned.
Ready.
The cave waited.
Blue glow pulsed faster.
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*End*