The Locked Door and the Knocking from Beyond
Since when had I started thinking that I needed to earn money?
Many points had become my turning points where my will grew stronger.
My parents had borrowed money to gamble on real estate, and they had gone bankrupt.
One week later, my father had personally checked the temperature of the Han River.
My mother had lived a little longer than him.
Was it about two months?
Before my sister and me, a price tag of two hundred million won had been attached.
It had happened during the three-month winter break after high school, when I was still agonizing over my future career choices.
My only sister often had a fever and frequently collapsed.
Unfortunately, there had been no one who knew the cause.
The dean of the university hospital only knew how to pull out an MRI a few times and nudge up his glasses once. If that was all he could do, I would not have even gotten the initial tests done.
Even so, there had been medicine that showed results. I had encouraged my sister to get hospitalized.
My sister had cried, saying she did not want to be apart from me.
***
「……Kulk, kek. …Euh…」
The first thing I had moved was my fingers. Forcing my way into the strength that still would not enter, my arm had moved, and my shoulder had creaked as it rose.
「Kolo… Uuuk…」
My head felt dizzy. How much time had passed?
I had barely managed to lift my upper body.
Fortunately, the severed limbs had returned to normal.
In the worst case, I had worried that only my consciousness would regenerate while my body was folded like paper. After dying twice, I had come to believe that I would be resurrected in a complete body.
Grabbing my head, I looked around.
Unlike me, who had remained at the spot where I had died, the traces of the giant rat were nowhere to be seen. It had been dragged away by the tentacles.
「Uuuk… This is the second time, only three days after starting my job…」
If the store manager heard this, what would he say? That I held the record for the shortest two deaths? Probably.
My clothes were soaked in blood. Ignoring the disgusting sensation of the wetness, I had stood up.
I could not see where the tentacle monster had gone. It seemed there were no other living beings around me, at least not nearby.
So, I could truly leave the Backroom.
I turned my body and walked toward the sector where the main lights were on.
Even though all the injuries seemed healed, my mental strength was already at the limit of exhaustion. The blood loss had not recovered, and there was no strength left in my legs. In the end, it had taken quite a long time to reach the exit area after crossing the main sector.
Under the wall and the green panel below it that said [Backroom Exit], there was a silent iron door. Even the stock search monitor attached to the wall…
「Ha…」
This had been the most beautiful sight in the world for the past few tens of minutes.
I wanted to get out quickly. Once out, no matter what, I wanted to wash up and collapse into bed.
Remaining work and time? Who knows. Anyone would react the same way if they experienced something like this. Obviously. So, just let me out already.
I had grabbed the doorknob.
──CLANG.
「……Huh?」
The door would not open.
I turned my head.
On the left side of the iron door, there was a small panel with red letters.
【Locked】
──Ah.
Time for the regular inspection.
「When will it end?」
The position mixing between sectors had already ended.
But the light coming in was still only the main lights.
I had moved my trembling arm to pull out the manual.
Every Wednesday at 20:00 is the time for the Backroom regular inspection, right?
At that time, the entrance is locked, and since you're not the manager, you can't open it. It's best not to go in if you don't have to, and if you accidentally go in and get trapped, you'll be locked up until the inspection ends~
「……So, when exactly will it end?」
All the comments about the regular inspection were from Kim Gichan. It had not been written in the existing manual.
I had remembered the start of the regular inspection by heart.
If it did not end, I would not be able to leave.
I did not know when it would end.
Generally, it could be assumed to be one hour, but I had no certainty.
In the worst case, I might be trapped until the next logistics shipment.
Knock. Knock knock.
I had knocked on the door, thinking that someone on the other side of the window might come to help. But no customer selecting products had reacted to the knocking sound from this side. Was this sound not audible to them?
Who could help me?
Kim Gichan could not open it. Kim Gichan was not the manager.
But, maybe I should call the store manager?
I might be rescued today at the latest.
「Am I really supposed to wait…?」
I had fallen into impatience, but there was nothing I could do.
I had no choice but to wait silently next to the door for rescue.
Or, I had to find the manager-level call bell written in the manual…
To be honest, I did not want to go inside that room again anytime soon.
A giant rat monster that had mutated.
A place where an unknown monster kraken that had torn through dimensions to bring down such a monster in one hit wandered around.
This place was the CS25 Backroom.
「……Damn it.」
I wanted to quit.
Sincerely.
During the work period, six out of ten deaths? That was too much, wasn't it?
How had Kim Gichan been so calm? Did he not meet such biological disasters? But he knew about the dark sector, so how could he?
… Actually, isn't that kid not a human?
──DOLONG
「Hiiik?!」
While all kinds of thoughts were swirling in my head, I had heard a sound from the main sector.
I had turned my head like lightning. And I had witnessed it.
In the exact spot where I had just died, the warehouse items had been sequentially sorted.
… By the long tentacles that had pierced through me.
──CLANG.
A wave of nausea had surged up.
Clang clang clang.
── I want to go out.
Please let me out. Quickly.
──Clang clang clang clang──
But the door would not open. Please let me out from here before they notice. When does the regular inspection end? I no longer want to die. Please, please open the door. I do not want to be pierced through. I do not want to be crushed and smashed. It hurts. I want to escape. Open the door──
Geudae.
From beyond the door.
──Why are you inside?
A very familiar voice had been heard.
***
Hilde Bryant had not been in a good mood.
It had been yesterday that I had heard more scolding from Yuria than she deserved. Yuria had complained that a human customer had pushed in front of her, claiming that the only reason she had special skills was because of her unusual constitution.
Thank goodness I had sworn not to kill the store manager. Otherwise, I would have done it to that rude person.
Hearing Hilde's complaints, Yuria had silently adjusted her horns. Yuria had opened her mouth only after finishing the adjustment and organizing the tools.
「Your Majesty the Demon King. It is true that this human is rude and weak and does not know their place, but they have not lied or told false words.」
「Eit… I also know that.」
Of course, the actions the person had shown at first had been extreme rudeness.
Daring to steal her snacks. And even offering to explain the convenience store rules here as if it did not matter.
Was it not justified to get angry?
「Hmm…」
But I was the Demon King. As the Demon King, I had to maintain my dignity and make all other beings feel awe and submission.
Otherwise, it was the world of Hilde Bryant to be killed.
Of course, I acknowledged that breaking the convenience store rules and using the final judgment sentence was justified. Taking the card from Yuria's wallet had also been to conduct a legitimate transaction under the rules.
But I could not say thank you. Since I was busy, the words to go away… Could only mean that the person had enormous courage or had lost their fear.
「Hmph… What a fool.」
Hilde Bryant had stood up from her seat. The mirror in front reflected her appearance.
The only Demon King existing in the dimension she had revealed as Nefriheserd. The enemy of humanity.
How could such a Demon King not suppress emotions in private matters?
If there were too many customers and I was busy, I would visit the convenience store during a calm time. That much grace would be enough. Because I was the Demon King.
I had been interested in that kind of human as well.
「Will you still be going to the convenience store today?」
「Lead the way.」
After that, as Yuria led her, Hilde Bryant had arrived at the convenience store, but the one who had welcomed her was not Yu Jinho or Kim Gichan, but an empty counter.
Several customers had lined up in front of it, waiting for the worker.
「Hey, you. Where did the two humans here go?」
「T-that, I don't know either. Since earlier when I arrived, there was no one…」
The being resembling a mountain goat had frowned at the condescending tone and looked back, but soon feeling suppressed by her aura, had answered hesitantly.
「I see.」
「Your Majesty the Demon King.」
Yuria had crouched down and whispered into Hilde's ear.
「The iron door on the other side is a restricted area for non-relationship personnel, but there are signs of some kind of presence.」
Hilde Bryant had walked toward the entrance where the sound was coming from according to Yuria's words. There had been a white iron door next to the beverage cans in the convenience store.
「What an interesting space.」
From the sensation she had detected, the space beyond the door seemed intentionally torn and twisted to accommodate many products. From there, the soul of the human she had been searching for had been felt.
Just then, the door had moved slightly with a CLANG. But it would not open.
While Hilde was carefully considering how to start her first words, the iron door had continued to make the CLANG sound without rest.
「As expected. How noisy.」
Hilde had spread both arms wide.
「Yuria.」
「Yes. Your Majesty the Demon King.」
Reaching her hand into Hilde's armpit, she had lifted her.
With her vision higher, the human she was looking for had come into view beyond the window. Hilde had spoken with the weak magic she had gathered so that her voice would be transmitted.
「Geudae.」
The human beyond the door had paused.
「Why are you inside?」
At that, the one who had been searching had turned their head and looked at themselves beyond the window.
An empty expression as if they had seen an unexpected encounter. A feeling as if they had been hit with a direct blow.
「That face is quite amusing,」 I had muttered unconsciously.
---