[EP2. Vampire's Castle]
Jae-jun barely managed to toss Hye-seon out.
And as he tried to slip out himself, his head slammed into a suddenly appearing invisible barrier, sending him tumbling backward.
Thud!
'Urk.'
His head rang, and his vision swam.
Rubbing his head, Jae-jun staggered to his feet.
He checked the spot where he'd collided.
'What the hell?'
A red membrane sealed it off.
The red barrier was visible not just through the hole, but the windows too.
It seemed to envelop the entire department store.
Too vast and expansive to call it a simple barrier.
Thump—
He tapped it with his fist, but it bounced him back softly.
People panicked everywhere, screaming their lungs out.
"Everyone, calm down!
Calm down, I said!"
Someone stepped forward, shouting irritably at the crowd.
The man wore a suit, hair slicked back neatly, with a name tag bearing the department store logo on his chest.
"Our store has an agreement with the Hunter Association—they dispatch immediately if anything happens.
They'll come rescue us soon, so stay calm and don't panic!"
"R-Really? Hunters are coming to save us?"
A boy who looked no older than ten sniffled as he asked.
"Yes!
That's why we pour so much money into it—er, why we signed the contract.
Don't worry, stick with your mom.
Okay?"
"...I forgot where Mom is."
The boy mumbled glumly.
But the man barely paid attention.
"Then go sit over there.
So your mom can spot you easily.
Got it?"
He pointed out staff in department store uniforms and barked orders.
"You lot!
Why are you just standing around?
Get over here now!
Control the crowd and manage the stores!
There might be petty thieves trying to swipe stuff in the chaos!"
People frowned at his words but stayed put.
Right now, the promise of hunters mattered more than his nagging.
But as the panic began to subside...
A massive rumble enveloped the department store again.
Rrrrrumble—
This vibration felt different from before.
More persistent, stickier somehow.
Crack!
"Kyaaah!"
"S-Someone, help!"
One ceiling light shattered, shards flying everywhere.
People right below it were splattered with blood from the debris.
But that was just the beginning.
The department store's lights shattered in sequence, like dominoes.
As if someone were deliberately targeting only the lights.
Crack!
Crack!
"H-Help!"
Jae-jun spotted the boy from earlier.
Innocently staring up at the breaking lights, oblivious.
'Barrier!'
Barrier
[Barrier cast.]
[5000 mana consumed per second.]
Jae-jun swiftly cast the barrier, enveloping the boy.
Crack!
The light directly above shattered, debris pelting Jae-jun's body.
But it scattered harmlessly off the barrier.
"You okay?"
"...Yeah."
The boy looked up at Jae-jun with wide, clever eyes.
Jae-jun couldn't help but chuckle at how cute he was.
"What's your name?"
"My name?"
The boy hesitated, then answered.
"...Jeong Maru."
"Unique name.
Stick close to me till we find your mom.
Got it?"
Maru nodded.
In that brief moment, every light on Jae-jun's floor had shattered.
Screams and groans from the injured turned it into pandemonium.
The other floors echoed the same chaos from afar.
With all lights out, darkness blanketed the store.
Everyone whipped out phone flashlights, illuminating the area.
Enough people did it to make things somewhat bright.
"Hic... I wanna go home."
"...Ow, it hurts! Someone, please!"
Jae-jun was about to move to help when...
A system window he shouldn't see popped into his mind.
Survive the Vampire's Castle!
📍 You've been trapped in the Vampire Castle!
📍 Struggle to survive somehow.
🎁 Reward: Escape
💀 Failure: Death
⏰ Remaining Time: 360 minutes
Vampire's Castle?
Jae-jun had never even entered a dungeon.
Yet this quest appeared.
Does that mean this place is inside a dungeon?
A chill ran down his spine.
'Can this even happen?'
Dungeons spawning without gates? Unheard of.
Plus, thousands of people inside this department store.
Mostly civilians—even low-grade monsters would cause massive casualties.
But that assumed low-grade ones.
The quest said Survive the Vampire's Castle.
Vampires ranked as high demons.
One with a castle? Even worse.
Tough enough that even Jae-jun surviving was the quest.
He had to do something.
Current dungeon rank exceeds user's.
Title: One Who Transcends Rank activated — All stats +50%!
Name: Choi Jae-jun | Level: 73
HP: 500 | MP: MAX (Unmeasurable) | Fatigue: 15
Available Stat Points: 38
The One Who Transcends Rank title activated, boosting stats by 50%.
Blood surged through his body like it was boiling.
Power welled up unmistakably, yet Jae-jun felt uneasy.
Unknown enemies could strike from anywhere.
And the title triggering meant the foes were at least C-rank or higher.
His eyes scanned warily.
Maru stared up at him from below.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
Jae-jun ruffled Maru's hair.
No answers in this mess.
Just keep going as far as he could.
"Light!"
A shout rang out, and the area lit up like the lights had returned.
A spherical glow floated lazily toward the ceiling.
"From now on, Metro Guild takes control of the situation.
Trust and follow our hunters!"
About ten people stood beneath the orb.
Arrogant expressions, sweeping the crowd like they were under spotlights.
"H-Hunters!
We're saved!"
"I-Is the rescue team here?"
People sighed in relief, like saviors had arrived.
The Metro Guild members savored it.
'...Low-rank hunters, obvious at a glance.'
That's how Jae-jun saw it.
The light spell looked decent in the dark, but the mana output was pathetic.
The guy speaking up front was barely passable.
Grrrrrr.
A weird growl pierced the cheers.
Some tilted heads, flashing lights around.
And a nose-stinging stench wafted in.
"Who was it?
Who farted or something?"
"...Wait, that's not shit."
"Ugh, whatever—clean it up!"
Grrrrrr.
As the stench intensified, the growls drew closer.
"Huh?"
Finally, a phone flash caught the source.
"...W-What is that?"
It was a person.
Drenched in blood, clothes shredded.
The man trembled violently.
"You okay?"
Someone flashed a light and asked.
He looked up sobbing—people retched and backed away at his face.
Half the skin torn off.
"We're all gonna die.
Heh heh heh.
All of us gonna die."
"What the hell?!"
"Everyone's gonna die!"
The man shrieked like he was seizing.
Whoosh—crack!
Something streaked past him.
His head exploded, spraying blood and brains.
"Kyaaah!"
'Gargoyle?'
But Jae-jun identified it instantly.
Sharp claws, wings, monkey-like face, long fangs—gargoyle.
They reeked filthily and loved darkness.
'That's why they smashed all the lights.'
Screeeee!
The gargoyle mimicked the scream mockingly.
They swarmed, drawn like moths.
Not just one or two.
Jae-jun realized why.
'The light!'
"Turn off the light!"
"What?"
The Metro Guild mage gawked at Jae-jun.
Turn off the light in this dark?
Crack!
The mage's head vanished mid-retort.
That sparked it—the Metro Guild group, clustered under the brightest light, faced the gargoyle swarm.
"R-Run!"
The scene turned to slaughterhouse hell.
People and gargoyles tangled, hard to tell apart.
Jae-jun grabbed Maru and dashed into a nearby store.
He paused at the door.
People were already inside.
And one face Jae-jun recognized.
"Yoon Mi-kyung?"
^^