Graveyard Shift at the PC Bang
Two days had passed since I bolted out of that village in a panic while working my PC bang gig. I'd decided not to think about it at all. Sure, it bummed me out that my hometown had turned into that shitshow, but mostly, I didn't want to dwell on the freaky thing I'd run into there.
It wasn't a demon, that's for sure. Demonic energy is just "corrupted mana"—pure evil vibes. Doesn't matter if you're human or demon; if you're rotten to the core, you can wield it. So, no, it wasn't a demon.
What the hell was it, then?
Whatever. It was too weak to even scratch me, so fuck it. And the screaming? Imagine a massive cockroach crawling out from under your bed. Wouldn't you scream too?
Anyway, after ditching the village, I realized what I needed most.
Money.
You need cash for food, clothes, a place to crash. My body didn't actually need food, but the rest? Essential. I couldn't keep sleeping on park benches wrapped in newspaper forever.
So, I got a part-time job. Dim lighting against a black backdrop, rainbow glows filling the space.
-Aaaah!! Bang bang! Shotgun blasts and yelling.
Yeah, a PC bang. They had a no-show, so I jumped in for a one-day gig. Pay was a whopping 300,000 won. Boss doubled it the second he saw my face. Must be the looks.
8 PM to 8 AM. It was 9 now, so eleven hours left.
Thank fuck I'm the Demon King. I could go without sleep forever if I wanted—no drowsiness here.
Table 33: Can someone tell the shotgun guy to quiet down...?
The shotgun asshole had finally pissed off another customer enough for a complaint. I was already itching to handle it myself. Perfect timing.
I headed straight to the noisiest spot. A buff dude was snarling at his screen, gaming hard.
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, fuck..."
He had headphones on—didn't hear me. I tapped his shoulder.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes?"
Only then did he turn and look.
"Your game's too loud. Can you stop with the shotgun and play quietly?"
"Got it, fuck..."
What a prick. I rolled my eyes at his monitor. What the hell was he even doing to rage like this?
Eh?
Black screen. PC was on, but pitch black. Clear enough to reflect his pissed-off face and my confusion.
What was he playing, and why the rage? Tap tap, smack!
"Ah! Fucking hell!" Bang!!
He hammered the keyboard, then shotgun again.
This bastard for real. No idea what delusions he was chasing on an empty screen, but I just told him to quiet down. And muttering at a blank monitor? Normal?
Nah.
Crazy fucks need to be bounced ASAP. Tap tap.
"Sir, please leave."
"What?"
"Please leave."
I'd made up my mind to kick him out.
"What'd you say?"
He stood, glaring down at me murderously. Killer eyes.
Swoosh. I casually placed a hand on his gut.
"Get out, asshole."
Bam!
"..."
Demonic energy hit him like a truck—he crumpled like a ragdoll. I dragged him out back and dumped him discreetly.
What a pain. Any other girl would've been screwed. Boss should thank his lucky stars he hired me.
Someone rushed in.
Back at the counter, still pissed, the PC bang owner burst in panting. Young guy, early 30s, owns his own building. Loaded.
Lucky bastard.
"Boss, you're here?"
"Huff, huff... I'm insane."
He shoved some A4 sheets at me.
"I must've lost my mind—forgot the most important thing. You have to read this. Right now."
"Th-this?"
What the hell?
"Our PC bang rules. Break 'em, and you're fucked. Read it now."
"Got it...?"
"Be careful... ugh..."
He wheezed out the door. Ran all the way from home just for this?
What's the big deal?
Hello! To keep things safe, we have rules you must follow.
They're simple—no issues if you obey. I won't be responsible if you don't.
1. Table 27 must always stay empty. Kiosk shows it as under maintenance—no one can use it. If someone's there, ignore them. They'll leave after 2-3 hours.
2. If a customer asks for XX brand ramen, ignore them. We don't have it. It doesn't exist.
3. Sometimes a seat will show infinite time. Apologize politely and fix it to 24 hours at the counter. Ex: "Sorry, sir, machine glitch messed up the time. Can I set it to 24 hours?" If you don't fix it, figure out how to handle infinite time yourself.
...
Total of ten rules. All straight out of some creepy urban legend. One in particular made me freeze.
8. Sometimes someone will rage at a monitor with no image. Ignore them. No warnings, no kicks. Leave them be, even if other customers complain. No matter what, ignore. Mandatory.
...I knocked him out and tossed him.
Fizzle crackle.
As I scratched my head, every light in the PC bang went out. Only PC towers and monitors glowed, filling the space. Customers freaked but shrugged it off—mid-game priorities.
Shit, now what?
I calmly reread the rules.
If you spoke to that customer, evacuate everyone. Doesn't matter how, just get them out. Once you're alone, the game starts. Non-human customers will fill the PC bang. Your job: serve them as usual until closing. Mess up, and no guarantees on your life.
From the village to this shit nonstop.
Irritation boiling, I scratched my head furiously and summoned demonic energy. Hand this critical shit now? Fine, going nuclear.
Bam!
Demonic energy blasted the ceiling in a fierce surge.
Whoosh.
Black flames erupted. To normal eyes, just regular fire.
"Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I screamed bloody murder, yanking power from every PC too.
-Fire?!
-Where?! Fuck, the ceiling!
"Get out now!!!!!"
Customers swarmed out in chaos. My demonic flames ignored the sprinklers.
-Don't block!
"Line up and go! Didn't you learn evacuation in school?!"
I herded them safely outside.
Whoosh... Finger snap, flames gone.
Dark PC bang, no light seeping in. Blink.
Red lights bathed everything. Black shadow-things filled seats; more queued at the kiosk.
Table 24: 2 bowls XX ramen, iced tea, XX snacks.
Table 11: 2 packs XX dumplings, XX chicken, lemon ade.
Table 3: 4 packs XX snacks, 3 XX drinks.
Table 38: 5 bowls XX ramen, 4 packs XX dumplings, 7 packs XX snacks, 5 zero XX drinks.
"..."
These piggy bastards.
This world is definitely fucked up.
Not my original world, that's clear. Otherwise, my hometown wouldn't be like that. This is the canon world I possessed into, evolved somehow. That's why it's weirder. People forgot mana; monsters overrun everything. Develop around mana and magic, fine—but science birthed a new civilization. While I hid for centuries.
The world changed strangely. So, what should I do?
Nothing.
Like when I first possessed. No reason, no duty. I'm the Demon King. The villain who ran. Me meddling in the world's flow now? Laughable.
I'll do what I always have.
Pursue survival.
I said it before: Better to live long and thin like a thread.
Thud. I raised one hand skyward. Demonic energy filled each finger.
Not like my sloppy blasts before—this was proper magic, drilled endlessly in the Demon Realm.
Swoosh. Released the taut trigger; demonic lines shot from my fingers. Invisible speed, ricocheting off walls.
But on hitting the shadow-things? Devastating.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
They exploded one by one. Some sensed danger and bolted—too late. In three seconds flat, the PC bang was cleared of monsters.
Blink.
Back to normal. Easy.
MONSTER:PC Bang Monster
GRADE:8th Grade
LOCATION:One of Korea's PC bangs (random spawn)
Infests random PC bangs. Killing it just respawns elsewhere. Currently contained at Seoul's XX PC Bang.
Owner under perception manipulation: Enforces containment via rules. Manipulations: "This is normal," "No texting rules," "Must obey rules," "Print rules from Association file only." Rules file spreads same brainwashing to staff.
Monster terminated by unknown cause. Confirmed spawn at Busan's XX PC Bang—containment restarted. Association investigating kill method.