The Summoner's Room

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"Quiet down, everyone. Please be quiet." Department Manager Park Gibeom silenced the room. He carefully brushed back what little hair remained on his head and scolded me as if I were some grand traitor. He tilted his head far back in a dramatic pose and looked down at me. "Mr. Baek Suhan, you do understand the wrong you've committed, correct?"

Ha, understand what? You bald bastard.

I was furious with the entire situation. It was unfair enough being disciplined for something I hadn't done, but the real culprits stood in the back, smirking as they watched the show. And what the hell was this pathetic farce? If it was disciplinary action, fine, but this bastard Park Gibeom had clearly been binge-watching legal dramas during office hours and decided to direct his own village theater production.

Bang, bang, bang—Manager Park, in his role as judge, slammed a wooden gavel of dubious origin. Then, in a grave voice, he pressured me again. "Answer me, Mr. Baek Suhan."

"Sigh... Yes."

"Ahem. Your attitude toward this court is remarkably insolent. Are you daring to defy me, Assistant Manager Baek Suhan?"

"No, sir."

I wanted to smash Park Gibeom's face right then and there. I wanted to flip the entire table and scream that none of it was me, but it would have been pointless. Everyone present was in on it—Chief Oh, Assistant Manager Kim, Clerk Ryu. They had all testified that I had diverted company assets for personal gain.

When I spoke as if admitting guilt, the people recording curled their fingers in an OK sign. It wasn't true at all, but a little editing would fix that. Manager Park continued with a satisfied expression.

"Assistant Manager Baek Suhan's crime is very serious. However, this court wishes to give an opportunity to Assistant Manager Baek, whom we regard as family. If you sign a written apology admitting fault to the company, we will allow you to remain and work until the damages are repaid. Will you accept the company's mercy?"

Heh heh...

My hands shook with rage. I knew exactly what this was. The moment I signed that document, the false charges Park Gibeom had pinned on me would become real. If I ever stood in an actual courtroom later, that paper would shackle me and brand me a criminal. But refusing wasn't an option either. If I overturned this dogshit situation here, the company would sue me as an individual. Evidence? Of course there wasn't any. But there were plenty of trash willing to give false testimony. This ridiculous farce might even be submitted as evidence.

My stomach churned. I hated myself for being unable to do anything despite the anger boiling inside me. I gritted my teeth and raised my head. There was Park Gibeom's face, wearing a smile that said this is perfect.

That parasite who doesn't do any work and just leeches off his subordinates' efforts...! The bastard who watches dramas during office hours!

BANG— I slammed the desk violently.

BANG— BANG— BANG—

"Hehe. Mr. Baek Suhan, have you truly lost your mind?"

The others jeered. As if they'd anticipated this, the real culprits pulled out their phones and started recording. They were probably planning to tack on charges like property damage to pressure me further. Their smiles grew even wider.

Aaaargh!

I rose from my seat. Lawsuit or not, I was going to plant my fist in each of these bastards' faces at least once. If I kept enduring this, I'd die from a stress-induced illness anyway. Flipping the table might tire my body, but it would be far better for my sanity.

The moment I kicked the desk and lunged toward Park Gibeom, the world shimmered. It was dizzying. I barely kept my balance as my body threatened to collapse.

What the... Did these bastards drug me?

I struggled with everything I had, but my posture crumbled. My vision flipped upside down. The entire world bled into black.

No... you crazy... bastards.

THUD— As my vision returned to the floor, a sound like impact rang out from my own body. Then my thoughts simply stopped.

Ugh...

How much time had passed? When I opened my eyes, I was inside a completely dark room. I was tied ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to a chair.

Haah... What the hell is this now?

Whatever it was, it actually felt refreshing. If I'd signed that document, my life would have been shattered beyond repair. I might suffer endless harassment starting tomorrow, but living with dignity mattered more, didn't it?

"Phew..."

Still, restraining someone like this... Could I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sue them for it? Before that, I could probably nail them for the drugs...

It was just depressing. While I wrestled with the stress, a voice that seemed to echo directly inside my head rang out.

What... Is this another one of Park Gibeom's shitty concept games?

Whatever it was, I was sick of it. That maniac had forced the entire department into ridiculous situational plays like a malicious military senior the whole time I'd worked there. He was completely insane. After the courtroom farce, now it was the Summoner's Room?

I swear I'll never end up like you, even when I grow old.

I shouted in an irritated voice. "Stop it! This isn't fun at all. I absolutely will not sign that document. Go ahead and sue me if you want. But you'll need to explain why you've tied a person up like this, won't you? Huh?"

I twisted my body in every direction. The restraints were so tight that my butt wouldn't lift from the chair at all.

"Ah! I said it's not fun!"

Working under this psychopath, I'd been through every kind of ridiculous scenario imaginable. One day he played doctor, another day soldier. There was even a day I got turned into an alien.

What genre has he been mainlining lately!

Irritation surged again. I lowered my voice. "This is clearly a crime. Let me go."

No answer came. Only the sound of dice rolling somewhere continued.

Clack—roll—rattle rattle—

Suddenly a creepy feeling washed over me. Thinking about it, I couldn't understand how the sound was reaching me. There was nothing resembling a speaker anywhere in this small space.

"I said... it's not fun..."

Rattle—

I bent forward deeply, trying to look between my butt and the chair. Nothing. It was stuck as if glued in place.

Something... is wrong here...

Vrrrr—the phone in my pocket vibrated. I instinctively pulled it out. The moment I saw it, I froze. The device was definitely mine. The tiny scratches, even the case I'd received as a birthday gift, were identical. But the screen had changed completely. All my apps were gone. Only one button remained.

Nothing else worked—not volume, not brightness. Only the screen-lock button responded. This had clearly gone far beyond any concept play.

Am I dreaming?

The more I tried to reason through it, the stranger the situation became and the more questions piled up. After a long sigh, I realized that no matter how shitty this was, it still beat being falsely accused in that courtroom farce.

Life really is fucking shit.

I pressed the [Summon Zombie] button. There hadn't been any other choice anyway. With my ass literally glued to the chair, what else could I do? Concept play or dream, I had to move forward.

Rumble—the moment I pressed it, the sound of something massive shifting came from beyond the door. It was like a giant machine activating.

Thud—on the screen were two attached squares. A suspicious thought occurred to me. When I tapped the screen, noise had occurred in the actual space I occupied. Maybe it was coincidence.

No way...?

I touched one of the squares. The box enlarged, revealing its interior in low-quality footage like a cheap CCTV. In the darkness, I saw the back of a man sitting in a chair. I tilted my head. The man on screen tilted his head too.

"..."

I raised my right hand. The man on screen raised his right hand.

"This is me, isn't it? Wait, hold on..."

I went back and touched the other square. A similarly low-quality CCTV view appeared, showing the neighboring room. A small humanoid creature was shambling around inside.

"According to the information... is that a zombie?"

The quality was too poor to be sure. But since it had appeared after pressing the zombie summon button, it was probably safe to assume. I looked up at the door in front of me.

So the zombie is beyond that door?

As if waiting for that exact thought, a new alert appeared on the screen.

At the same time, control of my body returned. My butt finally lifted from the chair.

I stared blankly at the door ahead.

Do I have to fight that zombie?

The thought was rejected the instant it formed. Logically, it made no sense for a Zombie Summoner to fight zombies. Then I looked back at the screen and understood. Where the previous notification had been, a new button now read [Start Battle].

In other words, this was the situation:

I had no idea if I'd been kidnapped or if this was a dream, but I'd been dragged into a bizarre space. Looking at how things were unfolding, this was absolutely not something Park Gibeom could pull off as a prank. If it was a dream, it was one hell of a dream. If it was real... well, if I had truly become a Zombie Summoner, there were at least a truckload of bastards across Korea that I wanted to customize using zombies.

I swung my arms in circles to loosen up. The zombie I'd seen through the CCTV was, to put it bluntly, complete trash. Its muscles looked pathetic, and its height seemed just over a meter. On the other hand, my specs? One hundred and eighty-five centimeters tall, ninety kilograms. A dedicated fitness enthusiast who properly destroyed upper body, lower body, and core with an optimal routine every single day after work.

I ran through a full cycle of light bodyweight exercises to prime my muscles. The presence of a [Start Battle] button suggested that until I pressed it, this was preparation time. In most turn-based games, preparation time was unlimited.

A moment later, when I lightly pressed my biceps and thighs, I felt the muscles had warmed perfectly. With all preparations complete, I shouted loudly into the empty space.

"Look, I don't know whose prank this is, but if I give you one good sword dance, will you fuck over all the shitty humans in this world for me? Huh? You understand give and take, right?"

I'd had enough of plays and bullshit. I gladly pressed the [Start Battle] button. I honestly couldn't guess what future awaited me. But whatever it was, so what? I'd chew through everything and keep advancing to the end.