Chapter 27: Bronze Corridor
“Here’s our chance!”
Dust, noise, toppled toys and scattered papers suddenly filled the room, which was already full of strange sounds.
The Pale Giant outside the door slammed it open in a hurry and impatiently squeezed his bloated body into the room.
He didn’t even have time to take a good look; he was simply rushing toward the back of the room to see those screaming dolls.
His eyesight was poor, but he was very sensitive to the reactions of those dolls.
And just as he rushed in, Han Su sprang out from behind him.
The door had been violently pushed open by the monster, tearing off most of it and rendering it unable to close.
Seizing the opportunity, Han Su swiftly approached the monster and grabbed for its waist while shouting:
“Run!”
Just moments ago, he had already explained the route to Manman: go around to the left, while he would do his best to lure the monster to the right, giving her as much space as possible to escape to the door.
It was only a dozen meters—she should be able to make it, right?
This girl, though young, had always been sensible and obedient.
Even if she didn’t understand what he said, she could always complete the task well…
But just as Han Su shouted and reached for the monster’s belt, even preparing to dive to the right, he suddenly froze.
The moment he entered the bunker, he had observed that the Brass Key was tied to the Pale Monster’s waist.
That was also why he decided to escape on the first night—the key was on it, making it easiest to grab.
But now, as he looked over, he found the monster’s waist completely bare—no key, nothing at all.
Just a few hours ago, the key had been hanging properly at the Pale Monster’s waist.
“Damn it!”
Han Su was momentarily stunned.
Was it that damned mysterious will toying with him, or had the key shifted to another monster due to some kind of rule?
“Shit!”
He barely had time to curse before pushing off the ground and nimbly dashing out of the room.
Behind him, the Pale Monster had already noticed Han Su, which made it angry.
It laboriously turned its body, trying to grab Han Su.
But behind it, Li Manman, remembering Han Su’s instructions, rose on her tiptoes with extra effort and pointed the mirror toward another doll.
Then, the second doll also broke down—despairing, screaming.
The sound made the Pale Monster hesitate for a moment before it turned around and walked toward the Glass Cabinet.
In the dolls’ cries of despair, its massive figure gradually loomed over the terrified Li Manman.
She stared blankly toward the door.
That big brother had said he would take her out.
But he… seemed to have left already…
In front of her was the huge and ferocious Pale Giant.
Beside her, inside the Glass Cabinet, the two collapsing plastic dolls were pounding the glass, cursing both the Pale Giant and Li Manman, who had let them see themselves.
Li Manman, who had just mustered her courage to help Han Su with all this, once again felt fear.
She slowly hugged her knees and crouched down.
“She will be punished…”
At the same time, Han Su, having escaped the room, felt his heart pounding uncontrollably.
He hadn’t expected the key to transfer in such a short time, rendering his carefully planned actions futile.
Manman had enraged the two dolls in the Glass Cabinet and the Pale Monster as well—what would happen to her next?
But just as that sense of guilt was about to rise from his heart, he bit his lip hard and threw all those useless emotions out of his mind:
“There’ll be another chance, there’s always a chance…”
“……”
“……”
“Fifth floor!”
Using all his strength, he ran to the end of the corridor, jumped onto the stairs, and charged up to the next level.
He remembered this rule.
After Xu Ji was rescued, the key appeared.
But every time he returned, the key would be on a different monster.
Usually, once it appeared on a certain monster, it stayed there and wouldn’t change midway.
Why had it changed so suddenly this time?
Was it because he didn’t return at the regular interval this time?
Han Su had no time to think deeper.
He simply recalled the pattern each time he saw the key and guessed that the key should now be on the floor above.
Previously, the key’s transfer had followed such a pattern: this time it was on the Withered Butler on the first floor, next time it appeared on the mysterious Lady Meat Horns, and then it appeared on the third floor’s mad and grotesque Half‑Body Woman.
From that pattern, the probability was highest that the key was now on the fifth floor.
He couldn’t be certain, and even if it was there, he hadn’t figured out how to take it, but there was no turning back—he had to go to the fifth floor first.
The fifth floor was one Han Su had never been to before, and the monsters from the fifth floor had never come down either.
But what exactly was on this floor, Han Su no longer had time to ponder.
He swiftly bounded up thirteen steps and arrived at the landing.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the Pale Monster had already chased up.
Seeing Han Su’s figure turning the stairs and stepping into the fifth-floor corridor, the monster let out an angry yet disappointed roar and pounded its fist heavily against the nearby wall.
The moment he charged into the corridor, Han Su quickly looked to both sides of the fifth floor and saw only a strange deathly stillness.
It was silent here—no wandering monsters, not even a shadow of any living being!
Then… where was the key?
Han Su pressed against his chest, forcibly calming his pounding heart.
He slowed his steps and walked forward, bit by bit, treading over the heavy and damp carpet.
Meanwhile, from the fourth floor below, roars still echoed faintly.
The Pale Giant on the fourth floor was enraged.
Unable to climb to the fifth floor, it pounded at something in frustration, and the huge ruckus made it feel as if the entire Ancient Castle was shaking.
With a fluttering sound, the smell of rot and dust surged into his nostrils, and cracks appeared on the walls on both sides.
From the depths of the cracks, something began to emerge, lunging stiffly outward.
Tense and alert, Han Su’s eyes scanned vigilantly and he finally made out the forms—what appeared were bronze-colored statues.
They wore strange and tightly-fitted armor.
Each one had a long, scale-covered neck, a flat and sinister head, and eyes embedded on both sides that flickered with a dim red glow.
They were unmistakably bronze statues.
What made them particularly bizarre was their design—the armor didn’t seem made for humans, but for snake-headed, humanoid monsters.
They were embedded in the walls on either side of the corridor.
At a glance, they appeared part of the wall, but now, as the castle shook, they had loosened slightly, with one statue lunging out slightly and blocking Han Su’s path.
“What the hell?”
Han Su didn’t have the kind of startle reflex others might—no jumping or panic.
Instead, he stood still and stared hard at the bronze armor, confirming it was inanimate.
Only then did he slowly circle around it, step by step.
His gaze swept to both sides.
Bronze doors were embedded in the walls, looking incredibly solid.
Next to each door stood a bronze-armored statue, its arm stretched out and clutching the door, as if they were some ancient but intricate mechanical constructs.
Han Su had no interest in admiring this mysterious craftsmanship.
He continued slowly toward the end of the corridor, where light and shadow filtered in.
His heart had already leapt to his throat.
Reaching the patch of light, he saw a room with a half-open large door.
Holding his breath, he peered inside.
The room was decorated as lavishly as an ancient imperial palace, except everything inside appeared unnaturally old.
In the center of the room stood a coffin.
Two giant white candles burned quietly beside it.
By the candlelight, Han Su’s eyes narrowed—he saw the Brass Key hanging right next to the coffin.
“Found it!”
His heart skipped slightly.
Steeling himself, he tiptoed into the room.
His gaze swept silently—no other living thing was visible.
The entire room contained only that black coffin, its surface inlaid with intricate and eerie copper patterns.
He continued to approach.
Every step felt like a gamble with death, but Han Su moved forward slowly until he stood beside the coffin.
Slowly, he took the key hanging next to the coffin into his hand.
Nothing happened.
‘Thanks…’
Han Su said silently in his heart and began backing out of the room.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, the coffin lid suddenly creaked open a crack, and a pale, withered hand grabbed his left hand.
The cold and rigid touch was like solid iron, making Han Su’s left hand feel as if it were clamped in a vise.
A chilling aura spread through his body, freezing him in place, utterly unable to move.
The withered hand slowly turned, as if caressing something.
Its thumb, shining with an eerie bronze gleam, slowly slid across the back of Han Su’s hand.
Invisibly, it had sliced open the back of his left hand.
Blood immediately flowed from the split skin.
As the blood spilled, Han Su’s body suddenly felt slightly relaxed.
His previously frozen body seemed to gain a moment of freedom.
“Goddamn it…”
Han Su’s whole body broke into goosebumps, cursing in a low voice.
Seizing that fleeting chance, he bit down on the key with his teeth.
Then, with his right hand, he violently raised the weapon given to him by the short-tempered kid.
And brought it down hard on his own left wrist.