By Zephyria A scream mixed with the static, and Honeybee’s face changed. Eui-jae shot up from his seat. Clatter, the chair he had been sitting on fell over, but no one cared. He approached the door and grabbed Honeybee’s arm.
“You’re going there now. Take me with you!”
“What…?”
Honeybee’s eyes widened as if she was flustered. But that was only for a moment. She nodded firmly and wrapped her arms around Eui-jae’s neck, pulling him close.
“Everyone heard that, right? I’m taking this person.”
“Yes? But he’s still in custody…!”
“Someone’s about to die, does that matter? This person is fine. I’ll take responsibility! Let’s go! Are you not moving? Do you want to get hit with a walkie-talkie?”
“H-hitting a public official is obstruction of justice!”
“That’s why I’m keeping my distance! If the Director says anything, tell him I threatened you!”
Honeybee threatened the Hunters blocking her path with the walkie-talkie, creating a path. Eui-jae was dragged along in a position that was somewhere between a friendly arm around the shoulder and a headlock. He was the one in custody, but somehow he felt like the hostage in a hostage situation.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
“B-be careful!”
Eui-jae thought as he was dragged away. This person….
‘Is a veteran of threats?’
Honeybee skillfully broke through the hallway full of Hunters and headed for the emergency stairs. From the threatening attitude to the judgment of finding the shortest distance to the exit. She’s done this more than once or twice. Eui-jae was slightly impressed.
‘I should ask about this later.’
I should ask and learn from her. Thud, the emergency stairs door closed behind him. She stopped the rattling door with her body and released her arm from Eui-jae’s neck. A suspicious gaze scanned Eui-jae up and down.
“It’s funny to ask after bringing you all the way here… Are you really in your right mind?”
“I’m in my right mind.”
Eui-jae massaged his stiff neck.
“I also know that Jung-bin died in the Memorial Dungeon. That’s why you’re in such a hurry.”
Honeybee opened her mouth slightly.
“How do you know that? It happened when you weren’t there.”
“I get information from Nam Woo-jin’s notebook in the Memorial Dungeon… Ah, it’s a long story to explain now. Let’s go up first!”
Jung-bin must have exhausted his strength trying to stop Eui-jae. He didn’t know how many Monsters there were, or how strong they were, but he couldn’t leave him to face them alone. Eui-jae muttered anxiously.
“I asked Gyu-Gyu for help, but…”
“You asked Gyu-Gyu for help?”
Thump, thump, thump, Honeybee, who had been running up the stairs two steps at a time, asked seriously.
“Did you deposit the money?”
“Deposit? No, just verbally.”
“Ah, just a verbal promise?”
Honeybee increased her speed without a word. She was now climbing three steps at a time. Eui-jae also sped up and asked.
“Is there a problem?”
“I was thinking about it. There are so many problems that it’s a problem.”
Honeybee replied irritably.
“That crazy brat’s attitude changes before and after the deposit. He’s crazy about money, you know?”
…Is that so? He was quite friendly for someone like that. But it was hard to ask more because Honeybee was so disgusted. Eui-jae checked the number indicating the floor above the green flashing emergency light. 14F. From beyond the emergency door, the roar of a Monster could be heard. Eui-jae and Honeybee exchanged glances. And, At the same time, they kicked the door open.
Bang-!!
The emergency door, crushed in the shape of a foot, flew away. For a moment, everything in the world seemed to slow down. The flying, crushed steel door, the white Monster hit in the head by the flying door, the staggering Monster crashed into the wall. Bang! The spot where the Monster hit was dented.
“Hmm~ …What’s this, vandalism? Quite brave.”
A sly voice was heard. The owner of the voice, Gyu-Gyu, stood crookedly in the middle of the hallway with his hands in his field jacket pockets. He turned to the two and shrugged.
“A declaration of war against the Awakened Management Bureau? Something like that~?”
“What? Where’s Jung-bin and why are you the only one here?”
“Where else would he be? He’s resting behind me.”
Gyu-Gyu turned around to show his back. Jung-bin was standing behind a transparent wall, tapping on the wall and mouthing something. It looked like he was doing a mime. Honeybee frowned.
“Hey, you locked him up! Whose ability did you steal again?”
“Steal? There’s a good word called ‘rent’~”
Gyu-Gyu tossed a die into the air and caught it, sneering.
“Well~ I can’t just throw someone who got beat up into a fight, can I? His cheek was all swollen. Like someone who had their wisdom tooth pulled.”
“……”
Eui-jae, who unintentionally pulled Jung-bin’s wisdom tooth, quietly avoided his gaze. Gyu-Gyu scratched his cheek and gestured.
“Come this way first. We have to deal with that guy first.”
Honeybee and Eui-jae cautiously headed behind Gyu-Gyu. Honeybee stretched her neck and asked.
“Is that the Mutant?”
“That’s right. He’s one of Team Leader Jung-bin’s team members, he suddenly Mutated without any warning, what a surprise~”
It was then.
Crackle…. Fragments of the broken wall fell to the floor, and dust rose. The Monster, buried in the wall, wriggled and stood up. Sturdy legs, arms with sharp blades, a thick torso, and….
A mouth full of jagged teeth, and a head covered in white fur. Through the fur, pure white eyes moved back and forth. Eventually, the eyes stared straight at Eui-jae.
Their eyes met.
Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt!
“…Kugh!”
An intense sensation struck his entire body. It hurts. That sensation and word filled his head. His vision spun, and a splitting headache came. Eui-jae grabbed his head. A small groan escaped through his clenched teeth. A sturdy hand grabbed his staggering body.
“Are you okay? Why all of a sudden? Does it hurt somewhere?”
“Ah~ that’s right, Wasp, you barely managed to subdue the crazy J in a 3-on-1 fight, right?”
“Shut up!”
“I’m asking because I’m worried~…. Is J really in his right mind right now? He doesn’t look too good.”
“I checked that he was in his right mind before I brought him.”
“I hope that’s true. I don’t have the confidence to fight today. I already rolled the dice for today….”
The voices of the two were heard faintly, as if mumbling. Eui-jae bit his tongue as hard as he could, but it was in vain. Instead of hearing people’s voices properly, he began to hear the Monster’s voice more clearly.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
Where is Team Leader?
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
I have to report.
It hurts….
In fact, the Monster’s voice was similar to a human’s voice. Even with his Mutated body, he was looking for his Team Leader, Jung-bin. The Monster staggered to its feet and looked around. And, he found Jung-bin standing behind Gyu-Gyu.
Found him. Found him.
Found Team Leader.
Report. Report.
“Ugh…!”
Creak, creak, creak, the Monster began to move forward, scraping its arm, which had turned into a blade, on the floor. Eui-jae grabbed his head and shouted.
“Gyu-Gyu, stop the Monster from getting to Jung-bin!”
“Ah~ that’s easy enough.”
Gyu-Gyu flicked his index and middle fingers from bottom to top. At the same time, a transparent wall rose up, blocking the Monster’s path. Bang! The Monster hit its head against the wall. And, Bang! Bang! Bang!
It started hitting its head against the wall repeatedly. The entire hallway echoed every time the Monster hit its head. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling flickered ominously. Honeybee supported Eui-jae and asked.
“How strong is this wall? Is it okay to leave it like this?”
“Hmm…. I’ll be honest.”
Thump!
Crack, crack, crack, cracks began to appear on the transparent wall. Gyu-Gyu smiled brightly.
“I don’t know either~!”
Smash! The wall shattered into pieces. Honeybee screamed with all her heart.
“You idiot!”
Gyu-Gyu stepped back a little and flicked his fingers again. A new wall rose up in an instant. However, the Monster, who had already broken a wall once, did not hesitate. Bang! Bang! Bang! The Monster began to hit its head even harder than before. Gyu-Gyu grumbled.
“What else can I do~? It’s my first time using it directly. I haven’t had a chance to study it because it doesn’t come out.”
Eui-jae grabbed his throbbing head and asked with difficulty.
“What… What kind of ability is it that makes it like this? Are you kidding me?”
“Kidding? I don’t joke in life-or-death situations.”
Honeybee sighed deeply.
“Gyu-Gyu, that crazy brat… can steal other people’s abilities. And multiple ones at that.”
“Call it renting~”
“Anyway!”
Eui-jae frowned. Hearing only this much….
“…Isn’t that a good ability? It’s an amazing ability.”
“That’s right. The problem is….”
Something rolled out of Gyu-Gyu’s field jacket pocket. Honeybee sighed and picked up the fallen object. It was a small ceramic die.
“He can only use one ability that comes up when he rolls the dice.”
“……”
“There’s no guarantee that the necessary ability will come out. It’s completely random.”
What kind of rigged ability is that? Eui-jae momentarily forgot his pain and alternately stared at the die and Gyu-Gyu’s back. In the meantime, the second wall was also shattered. The three stepped back two steps again. Gyu-Gyu, who quickly built a third wall, joked.
“Well~ I forgot to pray these days, so I got an ability I’ve never seen before.”
“So, are you just going to keep retreating like this? We’ll be trapped between the walls.”
“Huh? Of course we have to kill it~”
Gyu-Gyu turned around and winked.
“Not me, the two of you!”