“From the outside, there’s got to be a floor with the main entrance. We just need to head there.”
That’s… quite the idea.
“I see.”
If this cursed mansion didn’t have seven thousand underground floors, it might have sounded tempting.
And if I didn’t already have an easier escape item in my satchel, it might have been worth considering.
‘I could just use this to get out.’
Thinking about the candle, which should be solidifying nicely, I raised my hand.
“Please wait a moment.”
If I showed it to them and explained, I might be able to convince them.
I just needed to stall a bit more time until it was ready—and perhaps rescue some others while I was at it.
“I was with two fellow new hires earlier, but we got separated. They should still be nearby. If you could give me a moment, I’ll go and find them…”
“……”
“……”
Ah.
“Roe.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje spoke bluntly.
“There are exactly three new hires in this mission, including you.”
“……”
“They said they picked a few high-performing rookies and dropped them in here. But we all know—they just needed to fill the numbers.”
“Sunbae—”
“Let me speak.”
Supervisor Park, silenced by Eun Haje, stayed quiet as the assistant manager continued.
“Remember lunch earlier? The higher-ups in the meeting room—they’re hoping this might be an A-grade zone.”
It came back to me.
– Look, it’s confirmed to be a high-grade Darkness, but there are civilian survivors. This could be a revolutionary case for sourcing high-quality materials.
“They were so thrilled, talking about how it might be the most survivor-friendly A-grade resource site in history. A-grade Dream Essence is always out of stock, after all.”
“……”
“New hires? From the beginning, they were considered expendable, written off as company expenses.”
Extracting high-quality materials from an A-grade site was far more valuable.
It was true that the longer members of the Field Exploration Team survived, the more their lives were valued, but ultimately, consumables were still consumables—disposable compared to more valuable resources.
“Remember this: the further up top people go, the less they value human lives. To them, people are just flies.”
Eun Haje sighed and put his cigarette back in its case.
“So, focus on saving yourself.”
“……”
“We don’t have time, so let’s move. If you start feeling sympathy, it’ll only make things harder for you.”
I barely managed to open my mouth.
“That’s not it.”
“Ah, a kind soul. Fine, if we’re lucky, maybe they’ll get out too—”
“One of my fellow rookies is holding the escape item!”
“……?!”
Of course, it was a lie.
“We don’t even know what’s outside. There’s no need to recklessly climb down with a rope.”
But one thing was true.
“With that item, we can escape safely.”
* * *
I’m back underground.
Though my legs wobbled from walking around alone, the clarity of my goal seemed to dull the fear.
Find my fellow new recruits.
– You have 20 minutes. If you don’t find them by then, we’re heading back.
My lie about the universe-gasping, world-amazing escape item had somewhat worked.
The time they gave me was short, but manageable.
‘They couldn’t have gone far.’
Shock reduces mobility. They’re probably hiding nearby right now, trying to collect themselves.
Besides, I had given them a hint earlier—about good hiding spots.
‘The vents.’
At the 7-minute mark of my search, I finally found someone crammed into the outer corridor vent on the basement floor.
It was Baek Saheon.
“……”
“……”
“Hey.”
Baek Saheon avoided my gaze.
“Do you want to get out of here?”
Baek Saheon looked at me suspiciously, then slowly nodded.
“Then tell me where Ms. Goral is.”
Uh, this felt oddly like threatening someone for their comrade’s location…
“She went into the left exhibition hall. Probably hiding behind a sofa or something!”
“……”
Without hesitation, he gave up her location. What a spineless guy.
In any case, I soon managed to find Go Yeongeun as well.
By then, 14 minutes had passed.
“Mr. Roe Deer…! Thank goodness, truly…!”
I briefly explained to the teary-eyed Go Yeongeun that a superior had come to help us and urged her to keep moving.
I also gave her a specific instruction.
“I told them one of you’s holding the key escape item, so please back up my story.”
“……!”
I handed her the paper in my satchel with the candle outline drawn on it.
Carefully, she slipped it into the front pocket of her suit and nodded.
“So I just have to keep quiet and play along?”
Yes!
Baek Saheon, who had been effectively ignored during this process, looked like he had a lot to say but kept his mouth shut.
He must have realized we were getting closer to escaping.
When we reached the terrace door and stepped outside together, 19 minutes had passed.
We had made it within the 20-minute window. Phew.
“I found them.”
“Wow.”
“I had a feeling this would happen because it’s Roe.”
Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park threw in their remarks as the two rookies nervously looked around. It wasn’t exactly a warm welcome.
Meanwhile, Chief Lizard was already tying a rope to the terrace railing.
“Uh, um…”
“No need for introductions.”
Supervisor Lee Jaheon spoke in a flat tone as he tied a secure knot.
“Explain your item within 200 seconds.”
The two rookies gulped audibly.
I immediately stepped in.
“May I explain on their behalf?”
“Go ahead.”
Now it was time to make a proper case.
Based on the keywords I had combined, this candle…
“This item can deceive the usher machines.”
Section Chief Lee Jaheon stopped what he was doing.