Chapter 54
Chapter 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Subway (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Act calmly. Do not fear the monsters.
The survival rules given by the support team were simple, but putting them into practice was never easy.
I forced my expression to harden as much as possible, squared my shoulders, and walked boldly through the monsters as if this place were my own front yard.
But cold sweat trickled down my spine, and my heart was still racing wildly.
Swish.
Every time we passed, the surrounding monsters openly glanced at us.
Those gazes mixed simple curiosity with something like suspicion or wariness.
We humans in our humanoid forms must have seemed like quite an intriguing spectacle to them—or perhaps a target to be cautious of.
"Survivors wouldn't have gone far. It wouldn't be easy to move a long distance under the stares of monsters like these."
In this razor-thin situation, the one who seemed the most composed was, as expected, Park Sunja.
She truly acted as if it were no big deal, walking forward with an indifferent expression, not sparing a single glance at the surrounding monsters.
As expected of a former spy—her courage and acting skills weren't something that could be built overnight.
"...They're probably hiding somewhere good, right?"
Bora looked a bit more awkward than Park Sunja.
She was trying hard to maintain a blank expression, but she couldn't completely hide the occasional twitch at the corner of her mouth from tension or the brief furrowing of her brow at the grotesque monsters around us.
Still, this was a decent effort.
The problem was me.
"...Hup."
I just couldn't maintain a calm, blank expression like them.
Just looking at the bizarre shapes filling my vision made my facial muscles stiffen and my pupils shake involuntarily.
At this rate, I'd be the first one exposed.
So, I came up with my own method.
If a blank expression was hard, better to make a definite one instead.
And in this situation, the most plausible expression that fit the rule to act boldly.
I put strength into my eyes, sealed my mouth tight, and furrowed my brow deeply.
Yes, an angry expression.
"...Minjun?"
Bora, walking beside me, looked at my face and called out to me in a low, flustered voice.
Her eyes held both confusion—like "What are you doing?"—and worry.
Of course, I wasn't actually angry.
It was just easier to make than a clumsy blank face, and it gave off an aura of dissatisfaction that might deter half-hearted monsters from approaching.
And above all, because I remembered the instruction to act boldly.
Doesn't this look bold enough?
Flick, swish.
As I stomped along, scowling and huffing, the monsters' overt stares seemed to decrease a bit—maybe it was really working.
Of course, some still peeked, but when our eyes met, they'd snap their heads away, pretending not to look.
Maybe in their world, there was an unwritten rule like "Don't mess with the grumpy-looking ones unless you have to."
Or maybe I just looked too fierce. Either way, if it worked, that was good enough.
"...Still, thanks to you, Minjun, the stares have really died down."
"...But isn't this station way bigger than a normal one?"
The interior of Hwamoo Station was far larger and wider than expected.
The platform stretched endlessly, and the ceiling was incomparably higher than in a typical subway station.
Whether it was designed that way to accommodate house-sized monsters moving freely, or if this was originally a space built for monsters, who knew.
Overwhelmed by the scale, thoroughly searching every inch seemed nearly impossible.
"For now, let's start by checking places where survivors might hide."
Park Sunja suggested in a low voice, and we all nodded.
We couldn't just wander aimlessly in a place this vast.
We paused for a moment and began deducing the spots in this monstrous den where humans might hide and survive.
First up was, naturally, the bathroom.
A sealed space in a corner—not a bad final stronghold.
Second was the emergency stairs.
Rarely used, so monsters might not frequent it.
"What about places like that?"
And finally, an unexpected spot that caught our eye: the fire hose cabinet.
"Fire hose cabinet..."
I tilted my head at first, but as we approached, opened it, and checked, it made sense.
Big enough for an adult to crouch inside, and above all, not a place monsters would normally bother with.
In a desperate situation, it was a viable hiding spot.
"Perfect. Let's prioritize searching bathrooms, emergency stairs, and any noticeable fire hose cabinets. Scattering is dangerous, so we'll move together as much as possible and check quickly."
At Park Sunja's words, we steeled ourselves again.
I kept up my angry scowl as we set off to find survivors.
According to the info from the support team, the survivor left in Hwamoo Station was a woman.
We found the women's bathroom first. Bora and Park Sunja went in to search while I stood guard outside—just in case.
Hoping my angry glare would keep working.
Countless monsters went about their business, but fortunately, none had directly threatened us yet.
That's when it happened. A small monster toddling toward us from over there.
It was bright red all over with a little horn sprouting from its head—like a tiny goblin straight out of a fairy tale.
"Uuu."
"...Uh-hm..."
So goblins make sounds like that.
Seeing a goblin with my own eyes for the first time, it wasn't as scary as I'd thought.
More like a mischievous kid, somehow.
Still, no letting my guard down.
Just in case, I glared at the little goblin with my full angry face from before.
"Uuu..."
"Uuuu!"
It seemed to hesitate at my fierce expression, then suddenly a bigger goblin appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the little one's hand, and hurriedly dragged it away.
What was that? Like a parent quickly pulling a child away from a dangerous stranger—a bizarre scene.
Soon after, Bora and Park Sunja emerged from the bathroom.
Both shook their heads. No survivor inside, apparently.
"Next, let's check the emergency stairs."
Park Sunja pointed to the nearby emergency stair sign.
We cautiously opened the door. With a creaky squeak, it revealed stairs plunging endlessly into deep darkness.
The deeper it went, the thicker the darkness grew—no sign of humans or monsters, just a chilling silence.
"...Doesn't seem like anyone's here."
The moment I spoke cautiously and we all took one step inside—
Bang-!
A massive noise from behind as the emergency stair door slammed shut on its own.
Bora startled and tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge.
As if someone outside had locked it.
"It won't open!"
"Locked from outside? What's going on?"
The two desperately yanked and pushed the handle, but the heavy iron door didn't move an inch.
Sweat beaded on their foreheads.
The dark, damp stairs stretched down like a monster's esophagus.
"...We don't have to go all the way down this endless thing, right?"
Bora muttered in despair.
Park Sunja just stared down silently with a hardened expression.
Aimlessly descending that gloomy staircase was horrifying to even think about.
So I stepped up.
I exhaled once, approached the sealed iron door, and gripped the edge next to the handle firmly with both hands.
"Minjun, what are you—?"
Park Sunja looked at me puzzled, but instead of answering, I focused all my strength into my arms.
Grind—Crack!
With a screech like a scream, the massive iron door tore right off.
Hinges shattered, the door crumpled under the force.
I casually tossed the ripped door down the stairs.
Clang! Clang! Thud!
It vanished into the darkness with a racket.
So deep it kept echoing endlessly.
"..."
"..."
Park Sunja and Bora gaped, staring in disbelief.
I shrugged nonchalantly and said to them,
"We need to find the survivor first."
At my urging, they snapped out of it, still looking a bit dazed as they climbed over the mangled doorframe back into the corridor.
The commotion of busting the door drew glances from a few monsters.
Their grotesque faces staring daggers made me tense, but I forced my angry scowl and barked,
"...What're you looking at!"
The monsters' gazes drifted away one by one.