Creepers in the Lockdown
“Get up.”
Jo Beom-gu grabbed Yoon Cheolhui by the scruff of the neck and yanked him back, spotting the Magic Creeper slinking closer.
“Shoot it.”
“It hurts too much, Sergeant.”
Yoon Cheolhui wasn’t in his right mind.
Jo Beom-gu hurled his knife into the spider-like Magic Creeper, then snatched the pistol from Yoon Cheolhui’s grip and pulled the trigger.
Ping ping ping.
The creatures recoiled, clearly in pain.
“Sergeant… what the hell is that thing?”
Yoon Cheolhui’s voice was dazed and slurry.
Jo Beom-gu couldn’t believe his eyes.
The guard who’d been hit by the Magic Creeper—and whom he’d just shot to ease the pain—began writhing on the ground. Then, like something out of a zombie flick, he slowly rose to his feet.
Brown vines writhed inside his gaping mouth.
Those vines hadn’t just burrowed under the skin—they’d invaded his body completely, puppeteering him like a living marionette.
…Angry Root.
Among Magic Creepers, Angry Roots were infamous for their viciousness. They didn’t just drain a host’s life force; they hijacked the corpse afterward, controlling it like an extension of themselves to get what they wanted.
He had to run. Now.
But the problem was Yoon Cheolhui, who’d started giggling creepily.
Leaving him behind would boost his own survival odds. The creatures would fixate on Yoon Cheolhui as prey, slowing their pursuit.
Dying in a blaze of glory fighting side by side was one thing—but surviving like a coward? No. Then he thought of his little daughter waiting at home for Daddy.
If he cut just a little more corners, he could see her tonight. Or by dawn tomorrow at the latest. Maybe even walk her down the aisle at her wedding someday.
And hold his grandkids.
As if sensing his wavering resolve, Yoon Cheolhui clutched Jo Beom-gu’s arm tight.
Jo Beom-gu checked the pistol. One bullet left.
He pressed the barrel to his temple. Better to end it himself than let an Angry Root puppet him.
But he lacked the guts to pull the trigger.
“Damn it all.”
Jo Beom-gu fired at the Magic Creeper lunging for Yoon Cheolhui.
The horde surged forward at once.
One latched onto his leg, wrapping around his thigh and burrowing in. He clawed at it, but the crimson tendril had already pierced his skin and dug deep into the muscle.
“Move!”
A shout exploded from behind him.
Jo Beom-gu instinctively dropped into a turtle-like crouch. Kim Jun blew past like a gale, vaulting over him mid-air and slashing down with the Cheonroegeom.
Flash!
The lightning-like spark incinerated the Magic Creeper. It even burrowed into the zombie guard’s body, igniting him from the inside.
Sensing the overwhelming power gap, the Magic Creepers scattered in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
Lee Taeseop sliced the creeper off Jo Beom-gu’s leg and jammed his dagger in to pry out the roots. Jo Beom-gu knew why it had to be done, but he couldn’t hold back the curses.
“Aaaagh! Fuuuck!”
Kim Jun, who’d dropped the Cheonroegeom, collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath.
Lee Taeseop tore his shirt to bandage Jo Beom-gu’s leg, then stepped in front of Kim Jun.
“That sword… it’s seriously insane.”
“Yeah, but… it’s kicking my ass.”
“At least you’re not actually dead.”
Lee Taeseop grinned and glanced at Jo Beom-gu.
“You okay?”
“I-I’m… fine.”
Jo Beom-gu barely registered his own words. He glanced aside—Yoon Cheolhui was out cold.
Kim Jun approached.
“Beom-gu hyung.”
“…Hyung?”
Lee Taeseop looked back and forth between Kim Jun and the guard.
“He’s your hyung?”
Ignoring the question, Jo Beom-gu stared at Kim Jun.
“Someone unleashed those Magic Creepers.”
“So who the hell was it?”
“No idea.”
“Villain? Or the villain’s buddy?”
Kim Jun flashed a playful grin.
“Doesn’t seem like the villain’s around anymore. And not their buddy either… So whaddya think? Who could it be?”
“……”
Jo Beom-gu fell silent. He thought of the command center that wasn’t responding to radio calls. It hit him then—what was really going down.
“This place is too dangerous. We’re moving out. Can you walk?”
“Gotta.”
Jo Beom-gu eyed the unconscious Yoon Cheolhui. He started to say they couldn’t leave him, but Lee Taeseop hoisted the man effortlessly onto his back.
“Let’s go.”
Kim Jun took point.
* * *
“Kim Jun!”
Yeom Sang-taek called his friend’s name as he walked the empty hallway.
His voice echoed.
The place was so deathly quiet it was terrifying.
A noise came from ahead.
Yeom Sang-taek prayed it was Kim Jun.
But to be safe, he ducked into the nearest room. The sharp smell of antiseptic hit him—he realized it was the medical office.
The figure rounding the corner… wasn’t Kim Jun.
It was a guard.
Is he hurt? Why’s he walking like that?
The closer he got, the stranger it seemed.
When the guard passed the medical office door, Yeom Sang-taek glimpsed his face and recoiled in shock.
Brown tendrils like snakes writhed inside a hole in his throat. On closer look, not snakes—vine-like roots.
And not just a couple.
They burst from his shoulders, arms, chest, flanks—wrapping his body completely.
Yeom Sang-taek couldn’t breathe.
M-Magic Creeper!
Backing away, he bumped a chair. It scraped loudly.
He froze, ears straining toward the hallway.
Tap tap.
Something was scratching at the medical office door.
He scanned around and slipped into a sturdy-looking door—the operating room.
It was small but equipped for emergencies. Yeom Sang-taek pressed against the wall by the door and peeked out.
The door creaked open. A long-legged, starfish-like Magic Creeper slunk inside. It rummaged under the front counter, then climbed the wall toward the opposite side.
It had followed the noise he’d made.
He couldn’t just wait. He needed a plan…
His eyes landed on a heavy cabinet. Topple that, and it’d crush the creeper flat.
But the noise…
Killing one would draw the rest from the hall. Pointless.
Yeom Sang-taek scanned the OR.
Pre-lockdown surgery prep? Scalpels, scissors, tools laid out.
He grabbed a scalpel and scissors.
He breathed slow on purpose. His heart hammered like it’d burst.
Calm down. One-shot kill.
The creeper, having checked elsewhere, shoved a tendril into a narrow gap and pried the OR door open, slipping inside.
Yeom Sang-taek tracked its path and tossed the scissors opposite. Clang. It lunged for the sound.
That instant, he pounced.
The scalpel plunged into its center. It thrashed, tendrils flailing. One speared his forearm in a flash.
Grimacing through the pain, Yeom Sang-taek stabbed repeatedly.
The Magic Creeper went still.
Staring at the mangled pieces, he tore his sleeve off. Three tendrils embedded, wriggling deeper.
Shit, this is gonna hurt. But if I leave ’em, I’m dead too.
Out in the office, he found disinfectant on a shelf and doused his arm. It reacted—the tendrils squirmed wildly, burrowing slower.
Back in the OR, he grabbed a fresh scalpel.
“Hoo, hoo…”
Panting, he stabbed his forearm. The pain was so intense he couldn’t even scream. Vision blurring, he gritted his teeth and carved out the flesh.
Two tendrils out—then pounding at the door. The commotion had drawn a pack.
His strength failed.
“Am I really gonna die here?”
Yeom Sang-taek bared his teeth at the charging horde, raising the scalpel high. Then—a brilliant flash erupted behind him.
The medical office door exploded.
Eyes squeezed shut on reflex, Yeom Sang-taek heard a familiar pop pop pop. Sparks from the Cheonroegeom.
He looked up slowly. Kim Jun danced with his blade.
Every slash split the air, sparks blasting Magic Creepers to bits or setting them ablaze. Even those clinging to his shoulder or thigh got repelled or exploded by the Cheonroe Heart Technique flowing through him, their fluids igniting.
Kim Jun, chest heaving, turned toward the OR. His eyes bulged like saucers.
“Ah—shit! Why didn’t you call sooner!”
Yeom Sang-taek burst out laughing.
Pain lanced his elbow. He used the scalpel to extract the last tendril.
“How’d you get here…”
Kim Jun entered the OR and finally noticed his state. He caught the slumping Yeom Sang-taek, laid him on the table, and checked his wounds.
“You okay? Damn, you’re one tough bastard.”
“Takes one to know one.”
Yeom Sang-taek pouted.
“But seriously, how? It’s lockdown.”
“Master cleared a path. Pink Team’s all inside too.”
“Whoa! You ignored lockdown? You guys are hopeless.”
Kim Jun laughed in disbelief.
“Who’s calling who hopeless right now?”
Yeom Sang-taek shot him an incredulous look. That’s when he spotted Lee Taeseop behind him.
“Fine, rest up. You’ve lost too much blood.”
Yeom Sang-taek’s eyelids already drooped heavy. Kim Jun’s voice faded.
Then an unfamiliar voice from behind Kim Jun.
“Who’s that guy?”
“Friend.”
“Examinee? Don’t think I’ve seen him.”
“Our team buffer.”
“What?”
“Teammate. Broke lockdown for me, apparently.”
Lee Taeseop was speechless. He’d thought no one was as reckless as Kim Jun—but now it felt like the whole Uramata Guild was full of Kims.
“You get it?”
“More or less.”
Lee Taeseop hadn’t forgotten their mission: meds for the injured guards.
“I’ll take it.”
He handed the bag to Kim Jun, sighed, and hoisted Yeom Sang-taek onto his back.
* * *
Leaning against the cafeteria kitchen fridge, Jo Beom-gu stared down at his leg.
The rag was soaked in blood.
Training footage flashed in his mind—the horrors of incomplete removal.
If even a fragment remained, it’d root into the bone, feast on blood and flesh, then burst out, killing the host.
Had they gotten it all?
What if a tiny root lingered?
Forcing the anxiety down, he dragged himself to Yoon Cheolhui’s side.
The rag on his palm was red, but the bleeding had stopped; the surface was clean.
He held a hand to his nose. Breathing… steady. Checked his neck. Pulse normal-ish.
Did this even make sense?
How could Magic Creepers infest the Dungeon Association HQ? The safest place in Korea?
Was he dreaming?
Jo Beom-gu teetered on the edge of denial, retreating into his own world.
“Aaaah!”
A scream nearby snapped him back.
He staggered toward the cafeteria proper.