Chapter: 3
Time limit –
Current personnel –
“Uh… Huh??”
The unidentified flame that had helped the rabbit appear and disappear earlier began to flicker menacingly.
A flame that slowly began to increase in size.
Before anyone knew it, a flame that was so blue it almost looked purple started to burn as if it would devour everything in its surroundings.
If hellfire existed, perhaps it would look like this.
“Everyone, please calm down!!”
The panicked crowd was busy trying to distance themselves from the fire, while Chief Park Dong-cheol’s voice, shouting from the platform, grew louder.
He must have realized that things were spiraling out of control, as he pointed at one of the employees next to him and shouted.
“Oh, Deputy Oh! Grab the fire extinguisher and put out that flame!”
“Me? Manager, that’s….”
“Now, hurry up!”
It seemed he felt the need to eliminate the source of the chaos.
And moments later, Deputy Oh Geum-seok, who had been shoved forward by Manager Park, stepped down from the stage. Then he looked at the fire extinguisher that was resting dangerously close to the fire and began to curse under his breath.
“… Damn it, it should just turn off by itself!”
While everyone else was moving away, he alone was left in the unfortunate position of needing to approach the fire.
People merely looked at Oh Geum-seok with pity, but no one seemed willing to lend a hand.
“Ugh…”
As he picked up the fire extinguisher, perhaps from the heat radiating off the flames, his face started to glow red.
Finally, while crouching as low as possible to advance, he managed to grab the fire extinguisher when suddenly…
“Got it—”
A massive fireball engulfed him.
Fwhoosh!
No, it looked like it had simply swallowed him whole.
Crash!!
With a dull, bone-crushing sound, Oh Geum-seok was hurled through the air.
And the following chaos that erupted from where he landed.
BAM!!
“…… Huh?”
The people that had witnessed his flight felt a jarring disconnect from reality as they stared blankly at him.
His arms and legs twisted unnaturally, like a broken doll.
His neck was bent in a way that should never happen, as if it had struck something hard on the way down.
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
“Ugh, NOO!!”
The screams of those who had witnessed his death sent a fresh wave of terror through the crowd.
Then, as if on cue, a grotesque creature began to crawl out from the flames, as if it had been waiting for the right moment.
A withered body.
Dozens of sharp fangs and rotten, peeling skin.
The quadrupedal skeleton that emerged from the fire emitted a foul odor, towering over an average adult male.
Krrreeeek.
A short, eerie cry from the monster echoed through the auditorium.
Those who heard it froze in place, their faces drained of color.
But that was only for a fleeting moment.
The creature’s single leap packed enough power to turn this place into absolute chaos.
BAAAM!!
The second victim was thrown by the monster’s hand.
What transpired afterward was the very definition of hell.
“AAAAAAAAAH!!”
“W-wait for me…!”
In our entire lives, how many times do we witness someone die?
What if the next death is my own?
I turned around and ran for the exit.
Even those who had finally grasped the situation made a mad dash for the auditorium doors, but the pathways that usually allowed normal entry were far too small to accommodate everyone desperate to escape.
“Move, MOVE…! AAHHH!!”
The desperate scream of a man echoed from behind.
IIIIIIIIIK!!!
The monster’s shrill roar sliced through the air.
In the grip of pure terror,
All that filled everyone’s minds was the instinct to survive.
*
I hustled straight to the ground floor via the emergency exit.
However, the chaos wasn’t limited to just the 20th floor; a throng of people had already gathered in the lobby.
“What’s the plan here?”
A remark from Park Jo-cheol, staring at the mayhem we had just witnessed.
“Open the door!”
“Please, someone save me! Let me out!”
“Mom…!”
When I first entered, it felt so spacious, but as more people crammed into the building like a herd of panicking livestock, the first floor became so jammed that there was hardly a place to stand.
“The door won’t open!”
“What do you mean it won’t open! Get out of the way!”
A loud, potbellied man bellowed as he grabbed a fire extinguisher from somewhere and smashed it against the glass door.
BANG! BANG! CRASH—!!
“Ow!”
“Are you okay?!”
The man, in a frenzy, accidentally shot his own finger with the fire extinguisher, groaning in pain.
But that was all there was to it. The glass door didn’t even get a scratch.
Despair swiftly followed.
“Why! Why isn’t it breaking?! WHY!!!”
As the fleeting hope crashed down, people began to go mad.
They started kicking and throwing their bodies in a desperate attempt to shatter the glass wall.
Their eyes, devoid of reason, were now fully consumed by fear.
KIAAAAAAA
CRAAAAA!
The cries of the distant monsters echoed through the first-floor lobby.
As the specter of death approached, the screams of the panicked crowd intertwined with growing frenzy.
“They’re HERE! They’re HERE!!”
“AAAAAAAAAH!!!”
“Please, STOP! For the love of—!”
Countless despaired screams permeated the air.
“Damn it!”
I couldn’t figure out what I could do at that moment.
Even the exit I thought was my only way out was blocked for reasons unknown.
Furthermore, it seemed perilous to retrace my steps up the staircase with so many people racing toward the emergency exit due to the monster’s cries.
“Whew…”
I took a deep breath.
Stay calm. I have to keep my cool.
If I can’t escape this place, then my options are limited.
Taking the staircase where I didn’t know if a monster awaited was simply too risky.
If possible, I should find another way out…
“Above…! UP!”
But my planning didn’t last long.
Someone’s exclamation snapped everyone’s attention, and suddenly, all eyes were drawn to the upper floors of the building.
CRRRRRRR…
Already, a dozen monsters were perched on the upper railing, gazing down at the first floor like they were about to feast.
An uncanny silence settled in.
The prey instinct to remain silent and avoid becoming targets for predators took over everyone’s thoughts.
But—
KIAAAAAK!!
In stark contrast to their efforts to remain quiet, a monster unleashed a deafening roar, shattering the silence and sending shockwaves through the lobby.
People frantically sought escape routes, but by then, one monster had already launched itself toward the first floor.
“I, I’ve got to run…!”
SQUETCH! BANG!!
A sharp clattering sound erupted, followed by the noise of something absolutely crashing down in the lobby.
The man who had been staring upward in confusion couldn’t dodge the monster’s landing spot, getting crushed underfoot.
But the monster’s move wasn’t a proper landing; it was more of a catastrophic plunge.
It seemed to have sustained some damage, as I caught sight of it wobbling as it rose unsteadily.
“I have to get out, now.”
But where?!
I fixed my gaze on the entrance on the first floor.
The doors still wouldn’t budge, and people were growing increasingly unhinged.
When I turned again, the situation at the emergency exit didn’t seem much better than that at the entrance.
But just then—
“Everyone, run for your lives!”
A sharp voice belonging to someone who had managed to keep their wits about them reverberated through the room.
“Run, RUN!”
“AHHH!”
The voice belonged to Seo Se-young, an employee at the information desk.
At her shout, several people who had been frozen in shock began to spring into action, leaping from their seats to make their escape.
Crunch?
But naturally, it wasn’t just the people who responded to her voice.
At her shout, the monster that had just fallen to the ground slowly turned its head toward her.
“Oh no…”
A mumbled frustration slipped from her lips.
There was too much distance to cover to just run straight out through the stairwell.
But the time to think was short-lived.
The monster crouched low, almost as if ready to pounce at any moment.
“Ugh! …Ugh…”
In matters of life and death, the value of conscience fades to nothing.
Even those who had snapped back to reality upon hearing her voice couldn’t help but light up when they realized she’d become the target of the monster.
She was the bait.
Even if they were stripped of humanity, it was hard to fault them.
But I bet everyone here rationalized that surrendering their humanity was preferable to being shredded alive by that monster.
No, did they even have the presence of mind to judge?
KIAAAAAA!!!
The monster charged at Seo Se-young, unveiling its rotting teeth.
“NOOOOOO!!”
Her scream rang out.
And as if that scream signaled the start of a race, everyone who had been silently observing this situation suddenly began to scramble toward the emergency stairs like a swarming colony of roaches.
Except for me.
“Get DOWN!”
FLING!
In a rush, I yanked off the outer layer of my suit and hurled it at the advancing monster.
The only way out of this place took shape in my mind.
Seo Se-young was an escort, guiding visitors to the company.
“What are you doing! I said dodge!”
So she possessed a half-master key that would allow access through the high-security doors of the company.
My heartbeat raced. It felt like a life-or-death gamble.
My clothing flew through the air in a slow-motion ballet as the creature’s massive paw approached my face.
The garment was merely a temporary ploy to block the monster’s vision.
But that fleeting moment crafted a golden opportunity that could literally mean life or death for us all.
GAAH?!
BAM!
Out of sheer luck, the abandoned jacket smacked the leaping monster square in the face.
In that single moment, with its vision obscured, the monster flailed its limbs and tumbled awkwardly across the solid marble floor.
“Seo In-sung! Come on!”
At that moment, Park Jo-cheol seized the fire extinguisher dropped by the frantic man and unleashed a torrent of extinguishing powder at the monster.
SPLASH-!!
KIAAAAAA!!!
I would never have guessed that a mere powder fire extinguisher could inflict harm on such a beast.
But right now, our priority was to obstruct the creature’s line of sight.
As it roared in frustration from missing its previous target, I rushed to support Seo Se-young, who appeared to be faltering.
“Thank you…,” she gasped.
“Where’s your security key card?!”
“Huh?”
I pointed toward the small door behind the information desk with urgency.
“That door! Can you open it, Se-young?!”
“Um, maybe…!”
My best shot at survival involved escaping through the company’s emergency security stairs typically reserved for VIPs.
I turned my gaze back to where we had descended, surveying the throng of people crowding the staircase.
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, EVERYONE!”
“Just wait a moment!”
KIAAAAAH!!
“AHH! NOOO!”
Could we even pass through that narrow gap to access the stairs we had just descended?
I ran a quick mental simulation but the output was a resounding no.
“Lead the way!”
“Yes, yes! Whew!”
Seo Se-young, momentarily pulling herself together at my command, suddenly stumbled, her legs shaking as if betrayed by her again.
But I quickly supported her, and Park Jo-cheol’s concerned voice broke through.
“Are you sure you can open it?!”
“Here! If you wave this card near it, it should unlock!”
Seo Se-young swallowed her uncertainty as she picked herself up and said, “Maybe….”
Yeah… it’s likely she hasn’t had much chance to open that specific door during her employment.
Not only did VIPs seldom visit the company, but in my entire year of working here, I’d never once encountered a real emergency.
But if nothing is ventured, nothing gained.
There were simply no other choices left.
Staring at the door, Park Jo-cheol seemed to make a decision and brandished the fire extinguisher like a shield against the monster.
WHOOSH,
KRRR…
WHIRK?!
As our vision dimmed, we heard the jagged cries echoing through the powdery mist.
We took tentative steps back, keeping our eyes trained in the direction of the noise.
And as Park Jo-cheol’s extinguisher nearly ran dry…
BEEP.
We finally reached the door when the mechanical sound of a card reader chimed right behind us.
This card is unregistered. Please check again.
“Ah…!”
“What the heck…!”
When I glanced back, I saw Seo Se-young’s face blanching in fear.
It was pure panic.
The turmoil of losing her composure collided with the guilt of leading her saviors to the brink of death.
The shadows of people scrambling through the haze started to collapse one by one, and the atmosphere gradually thickened with dread.
The echoing screams that had once filled the lobby.
The thundering roars of the monsters that had been relentless.
THUD…! THUD…!
But as the cacophony faded, our heartbeats began to resonate even louder.
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