Chapter 55
Mephistopheles' golden mask reflected chaotic crimson glints. The corridor's scenery shimmered distortedly across its surface.
《……!!》
Crimson patterns bloomed across the mask like the afterglow of flames, spreading like teenage acne.
Kwaaaah!
The corridor was a blazing inferno.
And the zombies' screams tore through the air like ripping fabric.
In response, the fire demon danced as if shedding its skin.
The zombies—already dead, so technically incorrect, but anyway—melted alive. Purple-decayed bones emerged as their flesh liquefied, and the playful blur effects scratched across their faces dissolved into particles.
They vanished all at once, en masse.
Torched by the flames of the living.
The stars are furious.
Only visible to the Ruler Mephistopheles, the chat window overflowed with outrage.
The stars seemed thoroughly pissed off.
However.
'H-ha. Oh stars, please... don't be so angry...!'
The target of their wrath wasn't Seo Wonseok—it was Mephistopheles.
Even with guaranteed autonomy, changing the rules without consulting the stars was the root of the problem.
It might've been forgivable if the change had been flashy, but this was hot in a different way(?). The chat burned with complaints.
To Mephistopheles, the stars' fury felt far more suffocating than the flames before him.
The stars
demand
Seo Wonseok's downfall.
'P-please...! Just you wait—on the next floor, I'll deliver exactly the outcome you'll love! J-just trust me one more time...!!'
[…….]
Meanwhile, outside the instance, Mephistopheles endured the stars' cold shoulder.
In reality.
【2F: 2nd Model House Open Run】
Success List
Seo**
Choi**
Namgung**
Kim**
……(abridged).
The living's names scrolled across the corridor ceiling like chalk on a blackboard.
They had cleared the 2nd floor mission.
All thirty of them.
'Interference.'
Seo Wonseok zeroed in on that word.
'If it'd demanded direct slaughter, casualties would've been inevitable.'
Civilians brawling with zombies would've gotten injured no matter what.
Then zombie factors would spread, turning more into the same fate.
'That's what Mephistopheles wanted.'
The Ruler had slyly twisted intent while relaying info.
It urged infighting among humans.
It hadn't expected everyone from the 1st floor to survive.
On the 2nd, it varied things to turn a few into zombies.
'Not on my watch.'
Seo Wonseok opened his eyes wide.
The masked ones' gazes clashed hotly across the flames.
Huuuuh...
The zombies writhed in agony, then slumped their heads.
“……”
“……”
The standoff settled in.
Those who spotted their names on the ceiling felt relief turn to sorrow before they could savor it.
They curled up, foreheads to knees.
They were Awakeners in name only—essentially civilians.
Even if zombies were monsters, participating in the killing gnawed at their hearts.
Not that it mattered; even hitting a roe deer while night-driving left you tossing in bed.
But this moment.
Whoosh!
They'd witch-hunted zombies that looked eerily human, save the expressions, and burned them at the stake.
“I-I can't watch.”
People averted their eyes.
Mephistopheles sweated coldly but kept smirking to the end.
Tremble in guilt, you Homo sapiens.
I'll exploit those heart gaps to fuel the stars' entertainment...
Huh?
Then someone pointed.
“……Th-that's……”
Wasn't hazy steam rising from the zombies' bodies?
Over the flames, it writhed then solidified into torso-only humans.
Like spirits.
Born from zombie flesh, but not zombies.
They had faint features and expressions.
Zombies felt chillingly eerie despite their bulk.
These were the opposite.
Warm, even as mere smoke.
No—precisely because they lacked form, they felt gentler.
Thank you.
Just before, zombie voices had sounded garbled with noise.
Not now.
'Group telepathy?'
It registered crystal-clear, directly in their minds.
...You've probably guessed, but we were once like you.
《Haha! Sudden melodrama! Everyone, just stop—!》
The Ruler frantically rubbed thumb and forefinger, visibly panicked.
Spirits near him started fading first.
The one facing Seo Wonseok ignored it and continued.
One thing before we go.
As much as the reason we'd forgotten.
Divine resolve gleamed in the spirit's eyes.
This Ruler contracted with... a human group. We were their test subjects.
……What?
Mephistopheles' face slackened beyond the translucent spirit. The mask tilted in shock.
The hardhat spirit smiled at him.
We won't burden you with our grudges or guilt.
“Sorry we had to send you off like this...”
Seo Wonseok's chest ached.
'To save the living, but still.'
Using zombies as kindling. Guilt weighed a thousand tons.
The hardhat spirit shook its head with a smile.
You let us cold ones feel the world's warmth one last time—we thank you. Even those words were sincere.
“Aigoo... so young, how'd it happen at that age... Your clothes say rough work...”
The residents' rep parted trembling lips.
“When we get out, we'll hold a rite on moving day. Pig heads from Majeongdong Meat House, one per spirit here.”
Words alone are thanks enough.
She dropped her gaze, ashamed.
“……Sorry. We gained, but Abyss Gates spawning in our apartments crushed us... Seeing you shames me.”
《Th-that's not...!》
“Sorry, and please pass on peacefully.”
The spirit pulled its hardhat low like a gentleman bowing.
More dignified than any white-collar salute seen in life.
May you all escape safely...
Snap!
Sprinklers dangling from the ceiling sprayed water everywhere.
The flames subsided like a lie.
They'd gone from roasting to drowned rats in seconds.
Yet amid drenched, disheveled hair, eyes burned with fervor.
《Haha, bit of a commotion. On to the next floor!》
Mephistopheles strode ahead coolly, as if nothing happened.
“Shall we go?”
Seo Wonseok gauged moods.
No hesitation—they nodded.
“Yes, let's.”
“Going.”
Seo Wonseok smiled and stepped first.
Amazing.
Just minutes ago on 1F, these people cowered in terror.
'How people change on 2F.'
Of course, Seo Wonseok knew this shift was temporary.
But still.
Even so, he was satisfied.
In his past life, Awakeners and Hunters never even mouthed off lightly.
Fleeting hypocrisy might still nudge someone, however slightly.
That sufficed.
Seo Wonseok grinned warmly.
He led through the charred corridor. People fixed eyes ahead, deliberately.
“……”
Namgung Hyuni stared at Seo Wonseok's nape with his one eye.
His original, Namgung Hyunil, would've stabbed at the slightest glance back.
Namgung Hyuni held no doubts.
He was a doppelganger.
Having subjectivity as a clone was overstepping...
'Damn it.'
Namgung Hyuni seethed to the brink of madness. Like maggots crawling brain folds—chilling.
He glanced down diagonally. Zombie corpses were mostly ash.
Throb.
He clutched his solar plexus.
Why.
'Why do I feel lesser than those zombies.'
Being puppeted by the original was a doppelganger's duty!
But why.
Why the hell.
Namgung Hyuni gnashed his lower lip savagely, feet still moving.
'I'm a clone.'
Just a tool for Bukgeukhae Corp's revival.
The 3rd floor was a corridor-style apartment.
Lobby, hotel corridor, now a corridor apartment overlooking Bukhansan...
① ② ③
④
⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩
Even room numbers in Chinese numerals.
Including the red 4.
Just add red masks for perfection.
“Hey, this...! That's it—Gangbuk's priciest apartments!”
The residents' rep piped up; others chimed in a beat late.
“Yeah, it is!”
“No wonder this old build feels premium, ugh.”
“Prime view. Mountains behind, Han River from the balcony.”
“Living here'd be heaven...”
…….
《Sharp eyes! Clear this final floor, and who knows—you might live here~?!》
“Ooooooh!”
Mouths rounded in awe.
Watching quietly, Seo Wonseok felt dissonance.
The resolve he'd hardened just before melted like ice cream in blazing sun? Over a hallway stroll?
Humans are desire-driven beasts, but this turnaround was too quick.
These folks endured hell below. Fatigue was normal.
Yet.
《Abyss always pairs trials with rewards! Fantasy! Romance! That's why it differs from gritty reality, right?!》
A few white lies from Mephistopheles, and they regressed to childish glee... awkward.
'Look closer...'
Eyes glazed over.
Seo Wonseok licked his lips.
'Sparkle.'
Sparkle, under stealth magic, huffed poutily.
"Calling me again, are you~?"
'Feels like magic's laid out in the air right now—right?'
“Deduct one chore, and I'll spill~.”
This punk.
Kindness turns to entitlement.
'No toilet duty then.'
“It's there. Hypnosis powder sprinkled everywhere~.”
Couldn't flip a palm faster. Thanks, buddy.
Seo Wonseok masked his expression with the Surprise Texture Mask and asked.
'Can you dispel it?'
Sparkle replied.
"Of course I can~!"