Time ticked away, second by second.
The group had begun to notice something was off, and murmurs of confusion spread among them.
"Hasn't the Sky Ladder test already ended?"
"Could the Secret Area be malfunctioning?"
"Maybe this is a good thing. We might get to survive."
"Don't get your hopes up. The final rules of the Secret Area are irreversible."
…
As the final prompt from the Secret Area continued to be delayed, many of the challengers ranked below 33rd started to feel a sliver of hope.
At first, everyone was restless, anxious even. But as time dragged on, the atmosphere grew quiet.
Time passed, and before anyone realized it, three months had gone by.
John had still not appeared.
Tony and the others were growing increasingly worried.
