Dungeon (3)

The passage was packed tight with thousands of rats from the swarm. They'd been dormant just moments ago, but the moment the door opened, their eyes snapped open, flashing their signature red glow. Along with that came the chorus of squeaks echoing everywhere.

[[[ZZZAP! ZZZZZAP!!!]]]

The crackling sounds reverberating from all directions were like nails on a chalkboard, inflicting extreme stress on any human. A horrific sight paired with a horrific noise. It was a situation where a frail person might just pass out on the spot without it being strange at all.

"Looks like this is something I gotta handle, huh..."

"I can do it, but I need you to buy me some time."

"That many? Piece of cake!"

But we weren't all that fazed. I'd been through too much to get scared by something like this, and Yu-hwa was just a bit taken aback by the unexpected numbers. She nodded without hesitation at my request to buy time.

"Hold out for three minutes."

"Got it!"

I fell back, and Yu-hwa stepped up to block the passage, gripping an iron rod that seemed to come out of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nowhere. With that, the thousands-strong rat swarm surged forward. She stood tall before that black wave, wielding only her staff, facing them head-on.

"Hah! Hyah!"

[GYAAAK!!]

She swung the staff wide, scraping the ceiling and walls, then slammed it down hard to shove back the ones on the floor. Some leaped into the air now and then, but her staff work intercepted them mid-jump, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Need a hand?"

"I'm good! I think I can handle it alone!"

But there were just too many enemies before her. Knock one down, and three more came; take out three, and ten rushed in. I'd asked if she needed help, but she shook her head, stepping back a few paces and pulling out a blue talisman.

"Seal the impure spirits of heaven and earth, drive out the evils and scatter them to the mountains."

"I shall purify them with sacred flames!"

She slapped the talisman onto the staff and chanted the incantation, igniting blue spirit flames. The fire wrapped around both ends of the staff, leaving trails of flame with every swing. Any rat touched by those trails burst into flames. The burning rats spread the fire to their neighbors, and after a few chains, the entire passage was engulfed in blue spirit fire.

[KIIEEEK!]

[KYYAAAK!]

[GYAAOOK!]

The passage filled with the rats' screams. The black horde that hated life and spread plague was purified by the brilliant blue flames.

Feels warm.

I held my hand near the blazing fire, but it wasn't hot—just pleasantly warm. The walls and ceiling weren't even scorched. It burned only the rats and their ashes fiercely.

"...It's over already?"

"Ahem!"

About three minutes later, nothing was left in the corridor. It had been pitch black with thousands of rats moments ago, but now it was cleaner than before—like it truly deserved the name "purifying flames."

"Alright, let's keep going."

"Yessir~"

Anyway, we passed through the now spotless passage and emerged into the parking lot. There were a few cars and empty spots, but unlike the passage crammed with rats, the lot was mostly clear except for a handful.

"Hm?"

Then, in the distance, I spotted a single rat scurrying along. It bolted straight for the wall and slipped into a small hole. Approaching the wall, I heard strange noises from inside.

"Can you smash the wall for me?"

"I'll give it a shot. Step back a bit."

Ever since arriving here, I'd realized my magic was too destructive. If I messed up the power control, the damage would be huge.

"Hiyah!"

KWANGGACK!

She swung the iron rod skillfully, cracking the wall. A few more hits, and the concrete crumbled, revealing what lay inside.

And that sight was horrific in a slightly different way.

[[[GAGAGAK]]]

"...."

"...."

The space inside the wall was packed with rats. They were gnawing at the concrete and rebar with their sturdy front teeth, wearing it down fast. Since this was the underground parking lot, if the foundation collapsed...

The outcome was obvious.

"The building's gonna collapse."

"Touching it might be risky too."

Killing the rats would be easy, but doing so could damage the building's structure. Leaving them be would bring the whole thing down anyway.

"Let's hurry!"

"Yeah. Move fast."

We broke into a run. Before the rats could bring the building down, our only option was to take out the source as quickly as possible. We swiftly checked sections of the parking lot, dealing with any rats that lunged at us along the way.

"Lots of rats this way."

"Their master's gotta be close!"

Then, arriving at Section C, the concentration of rats spiked noticeably. Their master was nearby. The moment we made that call, we picked up the pace—and ran straight into our final target.

"I knew intruders had come... but you got here fast."

[KIIEEEK...!!!]

It was a woman who looked like a rat herself, with a massive mother rat looming behind her. But that wasn't the point. The important part was the magic circle in front of her, where dozens of people lay unconscious.

Probably some wealth-summoning ritual or whatever. Didn't care what they were doing.

"Who you are doesn't matter. The ritual has already begun..."

"Yu-hwa."

"Yes?"

The rat-woman was blabbering something up front, but I let it go in one ear and out the other, turning to Yu-hwa instead.

"Close your eyes."

"Out of nowhere, what..."

"Trust me and just close them."

Yu-hwa looked flustered, and I got why. Telling her to shut her eyes with the enemy right there? It was basically suicide. Any sane person would refuse. Unless the one asking was a "mage."

"I trust you."

"Good."

She trusted me and closed her eyes. The unconscious people wouldn't be opening theirs either. In the world of sight, only I, the rat-woman, and the mother rat remained. Nothing to interfere with my magic.

"Ugh."

SLASH!

I sliced my wrist open immediately. Fresh blood poured from the artery, tracing a sinister red magic circle under my guidance, glowing with an ominous light.

"Wait. You're a mage?"

"Took you long enough."

She finally went on alert, but too late. The spell was cast—nothing she did now could dodge it. She should've run before I started or stopped me from casting altogether.

The moment I invoked the spell, the air rippled like water. Everything distorted continuously, as if submerged. The rat-woman panicked and backed away from the altar. The mother rat roared to overcome its fear and charged at me.

Too late.

But neither dared close their eyes before the unknown magic. Their senses must have screamed warnings, but rage and instinct overrode them.

Shine.

A black shadow reflected in the rippling air. It distorted endlessly, flickering in and out of form, but its shape and color remained crystal clear.

"Ah."

[KEEK?!]

At that instant, both froze. The rat-woman halted mid-step, the mother rat's swinging forepaw locked in mid-air. Their pupils dilated to the limit, blood trickling down as they turned red. They let out groans.

"No, no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no no..."

[KIKIGIK? KIGIK?]

They clutched their heads, staggering wildly. Too late—they tried shutting their eyes, but the imprinted memory wouldn't fade easily. The presence sharpened in their minds, their brains swelling to the breaking point... and then—

BOOM!

"Whoa."

The rat-woman's and mother ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rat's heads exploded into pieces. Red chunks splattered everywhere, creating a gruesomely grotesque scene. Honestly... the result was beyond what I'd imagined.

What I'd reflected was just a remnant image of Shin-nim. To think facing her infinitely warped afterimage didn't just knock them out but blew their heads clean off.

'That scares me, Shin-nim.'

No, why was she blushing like that? Reacting like we'd been caught taking a lovers' selfie. It was kinda cute, but also made my brain feel a little off.

"All done?"

"Hold on."

Lost in thought for a moment, Yu-hwa's voice came from behind. I urgently stopped her from opening her eyes and surveyed the mess: headless corpses and a blood-soaked parking lot. Showing this to a girl might be...

I was pondering whether to at least clean up the bodies when Yu-hwa opened her eyes on her own and beamed brightly.

"You took 'em out clean! Nice work!"

"What."

"This was magic too, right? Amazing spell!"

Hmm... maybe I'd misjudged Yu-hwa. She was good-hearted and a reliable ally, sure. But did she have a normal mindset? Probably not. More like a clear-eyed maniac?

"Definitely not normal."

"What were you muttering about?"

"Nothing important."

Anyway, if Yu-hwa wasn't freaked by the bodies, that was great for me. No time wasted calming her down—I could jump straight into action.

"Lie down for now."

"Pardon?"

I told Yeon Dae-ri that, then headed straight for the ritual altar. Dozens of people lay in a row on the floor. I slipped in among them, lay down, closed my eyes, and held my breath. I heard Yeon Dae-ri's flustered noise beside me, then she knelt by my head and whispered carefully, worried about waking the others.

'This right? No cleanup needed?'

'What can we do about it?'

She looked puzzled, but in this situation, we needed practical judgment. Think about it: the office was a total wreck, and over a hundred people had encountered yokai. Could we handle the aftermath ourselves? No way—it was impossible.

'We could... if we stretch it.'

Sure, stepping outside normal means, there was a way. Shove tentacles in their ears, mash their brains, and use memory erasure magic. But on civilians? Go-seo's book mentioned potential side effects.

'People will come to handle the cleanup soon.'

'Ah~'

'Don't wanna get caught and interrogated, right?'

'Yes! Got it!'

This blew up right in the middle of the city. The barrier had hidden it until now, but the moment it broke, unusual mana waves spread out. They'd react in ten minutes at latest.

'Wonder who's coming.'

The famous Management Bureau, the Holy See that pops up for monster hunts, or state agencies like the NIS. That Daehan Mu-dang Association I'd seen recently? Maybe them too.

'Scoot over a bit.'

'Like this?'

'Perfect, now there's room to lie down.'

So that's how we ended up sprawled on the altar, playing dead. About ten minutes later, I sensed multiple presences on the first floor. Mana signatures too—they were from our world.

'I'm a civilian.'

I chanted it inwardly, suppressing my mana. Controlled my breathing. Nailed the coma patient act perfectly. Soon after, people arrived underground. Sensory check: agents in suits and sunglasses.

"All anomaly victims located."

"Dead mage on site."

"Heavy yokai energy. You should check it out..."

The agents quickly secured the area. They used strange devices to repair the building and collected the mage's body. They gathered the fallen people too, but first fed them suspicious pills, then handed them off to medics.

"Get 'em to the hospital fast."

"How we spinning this one?"

"Gas leak."

The agents said that as they fed me a pill. I swallowed half, then spat the rest out when they looked away. I was carted upstairs and transferred to medics, loaded into an ambulance.

'They're here.'

Cracking my eyes, I saw Yu-hwa next to me, eyes closed, perfectly still. No way she actually took the pill...? As I stared, she cracked one eye and looked my way.

"Bleh."

"...Haha."

She stuck out her tongue, showing the pill on top. Joking around even now. What an incorrigible kid.

'Handle the pill yourself.'

'Yessir!'

The ambulance was empty otherwise. Yu-hwa burned hers with a talisman; I fed mine to a mini anglerfish as bait. And just like that, we pulled off the perfect crime.

'It's over.'

Feeling the ambulance pull away, I finally realized the whole incident was done. Sudden chaos, sure, but somehow we'd protected everyday life. Success.