Chapter 138

Just because his relationship with Soram had changed didn't mean he had become a completely different person inside, so he probably came up with the same strategy back then too.

"We probably won't be able to reach the origin, but we should be able to draw in the scattered ones to some extent..."

Tae-un stopped speaking and ruffled his own hair, messing it up.

"No, forget it. That was a slip of the tongue. Let's go floor by floor from the bottom as we're supposed to."

"Why?"

"It's too dangerous."

"..."

So he'd choose the safe path when together, but take the fastest route if alone. Along with that vexation, Soram felt a strange urge well up. He wanted to trace the footsteps of Tae-un from the past life.

"Ayoung-ah, Aila. Did you sleep well yesterday? How's your condition?"

"Huh? Good. I'm fine."

"Then is it okay if we go into hard mode? I'll make sure there's absolutely no chance of getting hurt."

"Ah, well. The essence of being Korean is playing games on hard mode."

"That's a good attitude. Then shall we go become the fishing hook?"

Soram and Ayoung set off bravely first. And the sound of Tae-un's footsteps reluctantly following behind was heard.

The elevator was conveniently on the first floor. They pressed the button for the 12th floor, and as the doors closed, the car rose with a whirr.

Tick, tidick―...

No sooner had they left the first floor than the interior lights flickered as if they might go out at any moment. Ayoung looked up and scratched her cheek with an "Umm."

"This is definitely the route of the extra who dies first in a horror movie..."

"We must be more appetizing bait for the mimicry dungeon."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the elevator stopped at the next floor.

Ding―

The doors opened, but there was only an empty corridor in front. However, the sound of five or six footsteps clearly entered the elevator where the three were riding.

"Ah."

There were no visible forms, but they brushed against shapes with no visible arms or legs. The three stepped back and huddled together.

"What is this? They don't seem to have any aggression..."

"Let's just watch for now."

And the elevator immediately stopped at the next floor. This time there was a flickering human form in front. It was a middle-aged man with a protruding belly.

'Oh? Ho ho. There are quite a few people riding already. No, no. Why are you trying to get off? Let's ride together.'

As the man got on, the formless shapes pushed the three back.

"Ugh, why are they pressing so close behind when there's space in front?"

Then mutterings were heard from the shapes riding the elevator together.

'Executive director...'

Huh?! Ayoung furrowed her brows.

"Why does the executive director look like that? Aren't executive directors supposed to be... tall, handsome, rude... that kind of thing?"

"I know. In books, executive directors were always stiff people wearing suits and using fountain pens. Like him."

"Right. Like Tae-un oppa."

"...No."

The executive director occupying a large space alone was a figure that completely shattered the fantasy of the male protagonist executive director that those without corporate experience had harbored.

'By the way...'

The mutant in the form of the executive director opened his mouth.

'There's not much time left until 9 o'clock, but you're all coming to work so leisurely.'

As he spoke, the executive director slowly looked around inside the elevator. There were sounds of people holding their breath or flinching and turning their heads around him. The air grew chilly. Ayoung tilted her head.

"Is this supposed to be a scary situation in a company?"

"Seems like it?"

"He just seems like an old-fashioned guy, not really scary."

When the three showed no reaction, the ascending elevator suddenly stopped with a jolt. The executive director who had been talking continuously also stopped his actions, and the small commotion disappeared.

Pak―

"Ah!"

The elevator lights went out completely, and darkness enveloped everything.

"Grr, woof!"

Aila bit one of the transparent shapes in front. Part of it turned into black smoke. But the rest melted together into one mass.

"Where did it go... Aak!"

Boom! Bang!

The elevator shook violently. Tae-un quickly supported Aila's body as it lost balance. He also had to hold onto the handrail with his other hand to steady himself.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Aila raised her head and barked upwards. As the shaking continued, there was a creaking, squeaking sound from above where the elevator was suspended.

"Damn, are they trying to make it fall?"

Keeeng―

"Uwaaaaah!"

With a sharp metallic clash, everyone's feet left the ground. A chilling sensation of floating came over them. In the midst of the chaos, Soram leaned against the wall and looked at Tae-un. When he came here alone, did he open the ceiling and fly away, or did he break through the wall to escape? He was curious which it was, but...

There was no need for that now.

Tung!

Blue mist swirled around Soram's hand as he struck the elevator door.

Keeek―...

Then the falling elevator stopped.

"An elevator is clearly a vehicle."

"...Wow, that was the thrill of an original gyro drop."

Pak!

As soon as the elevator stopped, Tae-un floated up and stabbed the gap in the ceiling with his sword.

Puk!

Black smoke scattered from there. He stuck his upper body out to survey the situation and then came back down.

"The cable is cut."

"Hmm, the threat is definitely much stronger now that the grade has changed."

"Soram oppa, can you push the elevator up one floor like this? Aila, try barking. Loudly."

"Woof! Grrrr, woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Soram pushed the elevator up one floor as suggested. Although it felt like something was blocking it, it could continue to rise with a rattling sound.

"Woof! Woof! Woof woof! Woof!"

Thump, thump, pitter-patter! Tap, tap tap tap!

Dozens of urgent footsteps were clearly heard outside the elevator. Stroking Aila's neck, Ayoung said,

"They're being lured in better now that we've made a commotion. They're coming up the stairs too."

"Aha. I guess we're starting to seem threatening."

Soram, who had been slowly pulling the elevator up, looked up.

"Ah... it's completely blocked."

"Should I check above the ceiling?"

"No. Let's start going down now. It's too narrow here, there are too many variables. Can you force the doors open?"

"Yeah."

"Ayoung, prepare to attack from behind. Something might rush in as soon as the doors open."

"Got it."

Tae-un grabbed the doors with both hands. The closed doors were forced open by his strength. And the outside scene appeared. The elevator had stopped at an abnormal point, not aligning exactly with a floor but protruding upwards. The three didn't immediately exit but first raised their weapons.

"...Phew, now it really begins."

Black shapes were writhing and swarming on the floor.

Ayoung flew out first, riding Aila into the empty space of the corridor. Tae-un followed, and Soram exited the elevator last.

Keeng―

As soon as the blue mist he had enveloped disappeared, the elevator plummeted. Perhaps because the mutants' interference was gone and the emergency stop device activated, the collision sound wasn't too loud. Instead, the things densely gathered on the floor began to change shape, rippling blackly.

Ssssk―

The next moment, what appeared before the three was the scene of an office. In the midst of darkness all around, only the monitors were lit.

It was the typical scene of overtime work.

Kuduk, dududuk―

Dududududuk―...

The machines left alone without owners moved by themselves. Keyboards were pressed, mice moved, and the multifunction printer in one corner of the office spat out paper with a zing sound.

"It's not a haunted house but an escape room..."

Parak―!

At that moment, screens that seemed to spread out from the monitors lunged at all three people simultaneously.

"I'll handle this."

After speaking in a low voice, Tae-un stepped forward and swung the long sword in his extended arm, cutting down the approaching mutants in one stroke.

Chaeng―!

The mutants, sliced as if crushed in one direction, turned into black smoke without resistance.

"Wow, Tae-un oppa has gotten stronger."

Ziiing―

Before there was time to answer, this time the paper shredder and multifunction printer lunged at them with their mouths wide open as if to devour people. Chukchuk, chukchuk, chukchuk! The sound of plastic blades clashing rang out threateningly.

Kang!

This time, Soram's sword was raised in front of the two machines.

"Ugh..."

Kakak―!

With that sound, the mutants were pushed back. Perhaps because it was a 2nd-grade dungeon, they didn't disappear easily with just a light scratch. But Soram immediately pursued and thrust his sword, and Aila's large paw, which had flown up, pressed down on the multifunction printer.

Kwaduk!

Kung!

The two machines disappeared into smoke.

While the commotion was occurring, various office equipment and floating shapes that had become screens appeared around them. At the forefront was a blue screen. Among the eerie sounds all around, there was also a voice mixed in saying, "I didn't save it..."

Hmm. Soram turned his wrist to gauge the intensity of the attack he had just made and looked back at his team members.

"Flight Team. Since this isn't a battle that will be too much for us, from here on we'll go with Plan H."

"What? Did we ever come up with such a thing? All the way to H?"

"H isn't the order, it's an abbreviation."

"Abbreviation for what?"

"Plan 'Hadeondaero' (As we've been doing). Now, let's start individual combat, the three of us!"

"That's more like it...!"

The three, each gripping their weapons, kicked off the floor.

One of the common fears of office workers was a situation that multiplied work stress several times over. There were various contents on the screens. Approvals rejected five times, clients who read but didn't reply, sudden schedule shortenings, and so on.

And in front of the three people's weapons, each mutant disappeared into smoke in droves. Although it was a 2nd-grade dungeon and there was some impact when hitting, if they didn't get intimidated, there was no dungeon easier to clear than a mimicry dungeon.

"Hehe. Not scary at all."

Ayoung laughed confidently.

"You big companies! Today you've met your natural enemies: a fresh college student who hasn't even done an internship, a rural youth who came up to the city from the countryside, and a lazy bum who's never done any work!"

"Was it perhaps Seo Min-ki who taught our Ayoung such harsh fact-bombing?"

As the three advanced relentlessly, mutants gathered in front of them, and frightening sounds were added, just like in the school.

'Sorry 30 minutes before quitting time~ But I'm giving it to you today, right?'

'...'

"Then can't we just do it tomorrow when we come in?"

"Right?"

Soram and Ayoung couldn't empathize with that pain, and Tae-un wasn't greatly affected either.