Dungeon (2): Rat Yokai Rampage
There was trouble inside the company. An anomaly had occurred, and it clearly wasn't good news for the people trapped in there. We had two options: hide on the rooftop until everything blew over, or head inside and resolve the anomaly ourselves.
If it had been anywhere else, I'd have chosen the former. But this was my other workplace, and more importantly, my acquaintances were stuck inside. Not just Department Head Nam and Manager Kim—there were plenty of folks I knew and had shared drinks with.
"What about Yu-hwa?"
"We have to go down there, obviously."
Yu-hwa seemed to be thinking the same thing. Her expression had hardened, and she was already pulling a talisman from inside her suit jacket.
"You could stay up here."
"Cut the nonsense and open the door already."
I tried persuading her just in case, but as expected, it didn't budge her an inch. Given her personality, she wouldn't abandon her colleagues in danger. Back during the elevator incident, she'd charged ahead to protect me, after all.
"Opening it."
"Yep."
Once she'd made her decision, I wasn't going to stop her. She was an adult who understood the weight of her choices. I opened the door and stepped into the office, with Yu-hwa following close behind.
At that moment, a strange sensation washed over me—like the distance between me and the real world was growing. It was a familiar feeling, the kind you get when entering a gyeol-gye.
"It's a gyeol-gye."
"You knew?"
"Sealing is a shaman's specialty."
Yu-hwa had sensed it too. As gyeol-gye typically went, once you were inside, escape was impossible, and all contact with the outside was cut off. There was only one way out: take down whoever had deployed it.
"Let's head down."
"Right."
The elevator and stairs were visible, but riding a sealed-up elevator didn't seem wise. The stairs weren't safe either, but they were more open, making it easier to respond in an emergency.
For example, like right now.
As we descended the stairs, something lunged from my blind spot. It didn't work on me, though. Even if it had aimed for my blind side, it couldn't hide its foul mana.
"Deep Sea Tentacles, pierce!"
⟨ Piercing Tentacle ⟩
[Kieeeek?!]
A magic circle appeared in midair, and tentacles shot out from it. The attacker couldn't dodge and was impaled, dangling limply in the air. I reeled in the corpse with the tentacles for a closer look.
"It's a rat yokai."
"You know it?"
"I've seen it in books a few times."
Yu-hwa knew what it was. Its name was [Guk-seo]—a creature that sneaks into people's homes, gnaws on grain, and spreads disease.
[Guk-seo]
"It usually shows up in rural areas..."
"But this is the city."
Not exactly Incheon's heart, but still a decent urban area. No grain for it to chew, and too clean for spreading germs. That left only one conclusion.
"Someone released it on purpose."
"Looks that way."
I didn't know the motive, but someone had deliberately unleashed the Guk-seo and even set up this gyeol-gye. Our goal was to stop it and take down the culprit.
"Let's keep going down."
"Yep."
With that settled—and not knowing the situation below—we needed to hurry. Lingering around risked someone getting hurt, and that wouldn't sit well with me. Yu-hwa and I skipped floors entirely as we descended the stairs.
When we reached the sixth floor, chittering echoed from all directions.
"A lot of them."
"Kinda gross, huh?"
Looking down, I saw a swarm of rats. Dozens of Guk-seo jostling up the stairs. Beyond the open stairwell door, I heard crashing sounds and what seemed like human shouts.
"You wanna handle it, or should I?"
"You do it."
She was specialized in one-on-one, so dealing with a horde would be more efficient for a mage like me. I stepped in front of Yu-hwa and began chanting.
"Beasts of the legion, drive away your enemies!"
⟨ Insect Legion Summon ⟩
As the spell activated, black eggs materialized in the air. They hatched quickly, devouring my mana to grow into combat-ready adult soldier ants.
Not the most efficient method.
This spell wasn't meant for on-the-spot use. Ideally, you'd raise insects in advance or at least carry eggs. But...
Yeah, right. Where was I supposed to keep insect eggs? Tucked in my clothes? Swallow them like an insect mage? I didn't mind, but Shin-nim freaked out, calling it creepy.
She even banned body transformations.
Last fight, I'd morphed parts of my body into insects mid-battle, and she growled all night about bugs contaminating my precious flesh.
[Kill]
[Clack! Clack-clack!]
Anyway, enough distractions. I sent five soldier ants ahead to engage the Guk-seo. They were outnumbered, but their size and power overwhelmed the rats.
[Kieeeek?!]
[Clack! Clack-clack!]
Sliced by pincers, crushed on impact—blood and guts flew in a brutal scene.
I wonder if Yeon Dae-ri's okay with this.
She was tough, but still a woman—might find it repulsive. My assumption was way off.
"Whoa... that's so cool!"
"Not gross?"
"Not at all? I'm from the countryside."
...Was that the same thing? Rural areas didn't have man-sized ants dismembering dog-sized rats.
Whatever—not important. If she wasn't squeamish, great.
"Let's keep going!"
"Yeah."
The soldier ants pushed back the Guk-seo, clearing a path inside. We slipped through the door into the office.
It was a total mess. Guk-seo rampaging everywhere, furniture toppled and shattered. In the corner, people were fighting back.
"You crazy rat bastards!"
"When are the cops coming!?"
"They're not picking up!"
They wielded long sticks, swinging wildly to fend them off. The size difference kept the rats at bay. A few brave ones lunged, only to get clubbed and sent flying.
It didn't look dire, but if we were saving them, we'd do it right.
"Can't really use magic here."
"I'll handle it!"
The situation was too iffy for spells—might hit the civilians. Time for Yu-hwa's help.
She charged out at my signal.
"Wait, you're not hiding your face?"
I panicked. I'd meant to cast an illusion, but she bolted straight in. Her cover would be blown to everyone in the office. No choice—I traced a spell on my palm.
"Feel the deep sea's waves—permit nothing but breath!"
⟨ Deep Sea Manifestation ⟩
Black mist rose from the magic circle, enveloping the civilians in an instant.
"W-what?! I can't see!"
"Manager, where are you!?"
"Where is everyone?!"
Deprived of sight and sound, they panicked. Meanwhile, Yu-hwa methodically crushed the Guk-seo.
"Haaah! Hiyat! Kyaaah!"
[Kieeeek!?]
[Gyagyak!]
One exploded under her fist; three flew from a single kick. The rats charged madly despite the gap, but it was hopeless. Like kids ganging up on a pro fighter—you might overwhelm a regular adult, but not a champion.
"All done!"
"On to the next."
In five minutes, the sixth floor was clear. We headed down immediately.
We repeated the process: Yu-hwa up front battling Guk-seo, me clearing paths and blinding witnesses. Like a warrior-mage combo in a game, syncing perfectly floor by floor.
"This is getting bad."
"Yeah. Feels dangerous."
Despite the smooth progress, we grew uneasy. The deeper we went, the more Guk-seo multiplied—exponentially.
"Nearly triple now."
"Even I might struggle."
Upper floors had dozens; now hundreds swarmed each level. And worse—no sign of the people who should have been there.
"They didn't die, right?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
I worried they'd been killed, but careful checks said no. No bloodstains, no stench. Even dissecting Guk-seo on the third floor confirmed none had eaten humans.
"What's going on?"
Suspicious. More Guk-seo below, people vanishing. Not dead, so... moved somewhere?
Why?
We reached the first floor—no people, no culprit. Only the basement parking lot left.
"Let's go save them."
"Hurry."
Everything was a mystery, but we'd accepted the risk coming in. And we still hadn't found Department Head Nam or Manager Kim.
"The passage is dark."
"I see it differently."
Descending to the basement revealed a black corridor linking to the parking lot. Yu-hwa thought the lights were out, but...
"That's a Guk-seo swarm."
"Fuck."
Not darkness. Thousands of Guk-seo packed the passage, staring hungrily, licking their chops.