Chapter 54


After petting my arm a few times, Yu Da On began to stretch and loosen her body.

“I really didn’t expect you, Kim Jae Heon, to come rescue me.”

“Really?”

“Wanting something and it actually happening are two different things.”

A question arose as I observed her smiling face while stretching.

“But how did you get here so quickly?”

“The Team Leader drove me here.”

“If we make it back safely, we should definitely have a company dinner.”

“Sounds good.”

The Team Leader was not someone who would refuse a company dinner.

Once she seemed done stretching, Yu Da On stretched her arms wide and looked at me.

“Shall we go?”

“Sure. What do the others think?”

“I’m ready.”

“I’m good to go too.”

“…?”

Yu Da On stared at me with a puzzled expression.

“Just go with the flow.”

“Yes!”

With that, she lost even a hint of interest and continued to loosen her body again.

“Should I lead the way?”

“Are you okay with that?”

“I’m fine!”

Yu Da On beamed with a bright smile, raising her arm high.

Looking at her, who seemed unusually cheerful today, I opened the door.

Fortunately, the road continued.

“We’re going to run from now on. You all understand, right?”

All three nodded their heads.

“Then I’ll go?”

As usual, Yu Da On stood in front and got ready, and the four of us began to run simultaneously.

The hospital walls passed by us like a panorama.

Soon, I heard a sound coming from behind.

– Swoosh, swoosh

– Thud! Thud!

With the sound of something being dragged, a massive noise started coming from behind us.

Yu Da On casually glanced back and clicked her tongue.

“Oh no, they’re chasing us!”

What’s going on?

Following Yu Da On’s words, I turned back.

“This is insane.”

It was a massive human.

A hulking figure swung its arms wildly as it chased after us.

Suddenly, a transparent window popped up in my vision.

[Name: Jellyfish]

[Age: Manufactured 10 years ago]

[Characteristics: Superhuman Strength]

[Talent: Superhuman Strength]

[Background: The first patient of Gangseo University Hospital underwent long-term treatment, lost their ego, and successfully gained a new body. However, only they can know whether they truly succeeded in their treatment or not.]

[Weakness: The essence of this being is relatively weak. If you can attack its soul, you can easily defeat it.]

“Run!”

A soul attack? At the moment, none of us could pull that off.

“Jang Chae Yeon, can you buy us some time?”

Without answering my plea, Jang Chae Yeon turned around and reached out her hand.

– Crash!

The ground shattered as Jang Chae Yeon was pushed backward from the impact, but she hesitated for only a moment before charging back toward us.

“Song Ah Rin!”

“I got it!”

This time, Song Ah Rin turned and reached out her hand.

A sharp pain struck my temple, and I staggered back a few steps before falling.

But it was only a moment; I quickly got back up and started running after them again.

“Don’t you dare fall behind!”

“When exactly will Song Ah Rin be of any help?!”

“Do you want to die, huh?! Have you forgotten all the times I helped you?!”

As Song Ah Rin snapped at me with bared teeth, suddenly—

– Thud!

Yu Da On’s body was unnaturally bent as she rolled on the ground.

“Da On!”

A massive rock was embedded in her waist.

Jang Chae Yeon quickly waved her hands to remove the stone, and Yu Da On groaned as she got up and started to run again.

“I’m… okay! I’m alive!”

– Crash!

Another rock flew at us, but this time Jang Chae Yeon barely managed to flick it away.

“It’s too strong…!”

“Can you block it?”

“No way!”

We dashed madly down the corridor.

Rocks rained down around us.

Jang Chae Yeon was desperately trying to deflect the rocks, but it seemed she was running low on stamina too, her nose bleeding as she barely managed to knock them away.

Of course, we were the first ones to run out of energy.

All four of us began to huff and puff, and Jang Chae Yeon was, as usual, the first to be gasping for breath.

The thudding sounds grew closer.

At this rate, we’d get caught.

If we could just ride something and fly away—

In that instant, what had happened in the Cube flashed through my mind.

“Chae Yeon!”

“Yeah?”

“Just like that time when we broke through the monsters in the Cube!”

“Right!”

“Just like you did for Yu Da On!”

“Got it!”

“Good! Huh? Huh?”

Just as Yu Da On nodded and grabbed Jang Chae Yeon’s left arm, she seemed to finally realize what we were trying to do and shouted.

“Is that really the plan?!”

“Da On, I’m sorry! Song Ah Rin!”

“You crazy moron!”

Completely synced with my thoughts, Song Ah Rin cursed and grabbed Yu Da On’s right arm, while I clung to Yu Da On’s waist, making her shake with a sound.

Jang Chae Yeon reached back with her arms, and at that moment, a massive shockwave erupted, launching us forward.

An incredible acceleration enveloped us.

It felt as if we were falling from a roller coaster.

With an impact so strong I could hardly breathe, we flew through the air, and only then did the other three start to scream.

“Aaah!”

“This is crazy!”

“-!”

With screams, the four of us soared through the sky.

We quickly distanced ourselves from the monster.

Before we hit the ground, Jang Chae Yeon quickly reached out, slowing our descent, and we landed simultaneously.

– Thud!

“Yah!”

“Augh!”

“…!”

I think I’m gonna die.

Quickly releasing my arm from Yu Da On’s waist, I looked back.

Before I knew it, we were at the end of the corridor.

No footsteps could be heard.

After letting out a sigh of relief, I checked on Yu Da On.

“Are you okay?”

“…You didn’t come to rescue me just to end up like this, right…?”

“If we hadn’t come to rescue you, we wouldn’t have been in this mess in the first place.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say it like that…”

Yu Da On glared at me, then slowly got up.

“It’s just a bruise on my arm. It’s all healed now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“…It’s fine. Kim Jae Heon always has a plan, right?”

As Yu Da On puffed out her cheeks and sulked, Jang Chae Yeon spoke to her with a straight face.

“But moving four people at once can only lead to injuries.”

“I’m saying I’m getting hurt too!”

“You heal too quickly.”

“Kim Jae Heon! This person is bothering me!”

“Can we please stop fighting?”

I felt like we’d had this conversation before.

Shoving aside useless thoughts, I looked ahead.

The jellyfish still hovered in the air, emitting a sinister light.

I pulled out the manual from my pocket.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[3-1. The morgue is the place with the lowest chance of survival. However, do not lose hope. If your judgment and skills are sharp, you may still survive.]

[3-2. The dangers in the morgue have increased compared to before. Beware of the jellyfish floating in the air. Afterwards, what you need to be cautious of are the ‘corpses.’]

[3-3. True to its name, a corpse refers to those who have perished without adapting to various treatments, or bodies with their heads severed by jellyfish.]

[Corpses can be easily dealt with. If you’ve brought a weapon, feel free to use it from now on.]

[However, the most careful thing to note is not the corpse but the doctors. If you’ve taken a patient out, you need to be even more cautious. All doctors will be searching for the patient and you, and if caught, unimaginable pain awaits you.]

Looks like it’s a real mess.

We didn’t just steal a patient; we took one that was tightly hidden away.

[3-4. Currently, there is only one exit to the morgue discovered by the Management Agency. If you miss that exit, you’ll have to find another one on your own, and remember that no one has ever found a new exit so far.]

[Wherever you are, there is a morgue generated just one floor below. You must find an empty spot in the morgue’s freezer, enter it, and close the door to escape.]

“…What a life, now we have to get into the morgue freezer to survive.”

Sighing beside me, Song Ah Rin grumbled softly.

“I think I know this area pretty well.”

“You do, Da On?”

“Of course! I’m a local here.”

Trying to make a joke that wasn’t funny, Yu Da On started walking in front.

She moved confidently, as if she had memorized all the paths, turning corners with slow yet steady steps, guiding us along the way.

“The morgue is a bit of a peculiar place.”

“A peculiar place?”

“It’s like a dump.”

As she walked, Yu Da On continued explaining.

“But it’s also where the greatest number of doctors gather.”

“That’s not good.”

“Indeed.”

Nodding, Yu Da On stopped.

“That’s a corpse.”

She pointed straight ahead, speaking plainly.

People without heads were standing there as if they were dead.

A transparent window popped up before my eyes.

[Name: Stem]

[Age: Created a day ago]

[Characteristics: X]

[Talent: X]

[Background: A stem left behind after the flowers bloomed and took off, now swaying in the wind without even roots.]

[Weakness: Aim for the heart.]

These beings were no different from regular people.

They just happened to be headless.

“They can’t hear or see anything. So they’re not too dangerous. I fought and barely died back then, so now we can probably slip by easily.”

Still in a calm voice, Yu Da On continued walking backward.

“If we fight here, it’ll create too much noise… Let’s take another route.”

Then she began walking confidently again.

Thanks to her, we arrived not long after at a rusty door.

“…Here.”

With a cheerful voice, Yu Da On announced as she stopped in front of the door.

– Creak…

When she opened the door, a loud noise echoed as a dark staircase appeared.

We slowly followed her down the stairs.

Halfway down, Yu Da On suddenly stopped.

“…Wait.”

Her voice was filled with tension as she stood in front.

– Thump, thump, thump…

From below came the sound of something bouncing.

Yu Da On’s face turned pale.

“Everyone, get up! Quickly!”

As she shouted in a panic, suddenly—

– Boom!

A loud explosion resonated, and something began to pour down from above.

“Watch out!”

As Jang Chae Yeon swung her hands widely, everything that poured down was scattered away by the wind.

– Sizzle…

The things scattered into the air made a melting sound as they hit the wall.

“…Acid?”

Before I could even question it,

– Thump, thump, thump…

The sound grew closer.

Soon, someone appeared at the stair landing.

“…Found you, my precious one?”

It was a woman’s voice, beautiful but eerie.

The only difference was—

– Thump, thump, thump…

She didn’t have a head.

To be precise, she was just bouncing her head on the floor like a basketball.

Her head, bouncing, turned to look at the four of us.

Simultaneously, information appeared in my eyes.

[Name: Neuro Surgeon]

[Age: 29]

[Characteristics: Acid]

[Talent: Neurosurgery]

[Background: Out of overwhelming love for her sister, she attempted to transplant her own head to bring her deceased sister back to life. No one knows how the surgery turned out.]

[Weakness: Burst her head.]

– Thump, thump, thump…

As her head bounced, she smiled brightly.

“Four patients!”

Her gaze fixed on me.

“And one of them has incredibly beautiful eyes!”

She grinned widely.