Silence followed.
"You're joking," Isaac muttered.
"I'm afraid I'm not," Catherine replied. "This place can only be used once a year, and only five people can enter at once. There's more. It puts extreme pressure on your soul. If someone with weak will enters, their soul can be crushed."
Vale's expression shifted from excitement to seriousness.
Isaac closed his eyes briefly.
Soul pressure.
That explained the faint weight he had felt since entering. It wasn't strong yet, but it was there, pressing down quietly.
Sword Empress planted her wooden sword into the dirt.
"Time inside flows differently, but the strain accumulates normally. Fatigue, mental exhaustion, and soul pressure will build. You can leave at any time, but once you do, you cannot re-enter this year."
She looked at the three of them in turn.
"I hope you can remain inside for at least three months."
"Master… isn't three months the maximum we can use it per year?" Catherine spoke up.
