The Thing Inside the Department Store

A single, expressionless eye scanned the room, as if searching for something. Had I been caught? Was I found out?

"No, I just fed her some snacks?"

"How? She wouldn't eat earlier."

"Pocky game! We played the Pocky game. You know, biting from opposite ends and waiting."

Am I actually a genius? Twisting the truth like this to dodge the question? My brilliant answer made that one eye sparkle. Why does that feel so ominous?

"Hmph, so you two played by yourselves and left me out?"

"It's not like that. Chae-i wouldn't eat if I just left her alone, so I helped her out."

Why am I even making excuses? This was the first time in my life I'd helped someone with pure intentions.

"Then play with me too."

"Huh?"

Her shocking statement froze me in place.

"I said, play with me too."

"W-well, sure. It's not that hard. Here."

I bit down on the chocolate Pocky stick and waited. I'd thought it was no big deal, but the moment it touched my lips, cold sweat broke out and heat rushed to my face. Tension crashed over me, every muscle in my body going rigid. I hadn't even been this nervous when fighting a dungeon boss.

"S-so then..."

Why are you blushing so hard? You're the one who suggested this!

Hana's reaction only made me more tense and shaky. Tap. Tap. Tap. She nibbled forward bit by bit, her lips drawing closer. I lifted my eyes to check her expression, then immediately looked down again in 0.01 seconds.

Our eyes met, damn it.

No, she probably didn't see it. But contrary to my expectations, Hana's chin and neck flushed an even deeper red. Damn your superhuman dynamic vision!

Tap. Tap. Tap. Hana, who had paused, took another bite of the snack. But how much closer was she planning to get? This was getting way too close.

Tap.

She stopped at a distance where our lips were almost touching. Was this the end? Now that it was over, I felt strangely disappointed. What was the point of this game anyway? All sorts of random thoughts swirled through my head.

"Mmmph!"

Thud. Smooch.

"Ack! Sorry."

"Eep!"

Hana flailed her arms in a panic, then suddenly kicked the door open and bolted out.

"Chae-i, why did you do that all of a sudden!"

Thank you! I lowered my voice and demanded an explanation from Chae-i.

"Mmm."

Chae-i just stared back with an innocent look that said she had no idea what was going on.

How the hell am I supposed to fix this?

Chae-i had suddenly hugged me from behind with surprising strength, causing my lips to crash into Hana's. The fleeting sensation of those soft lips lingered in my mind. Nice assist. Or rather, now I'm probably going to die...

It had been a pretty good life. Might as well leave a dying message. I pulled out a ballpoint pen and wrote on the floor.

Now what was going to happen to me?

Quite a while passed, but Hana still hadn't returned to the room. I was too scared to check the tower. She's coming. Finally, I heard footsteps. The door clicked open.

She sat down on the floor with a blank expression, as if nothing had happened.

"Pfft!"

She saw my dying message and burst out laughing. If she's laughing, does that mean I'm forgiven? No, it's not like I did anything wrong anyway.

"Since we've finished the snacks, shall we sleep?"

"S-sure."

I stuffed the remaining snacks into my inventory and spread out a blanket on the floor. This room didn't have a bed. I'd given the rooms with beds to the two of them.

The moment I lay down on the blanket, Chae-i climbed on top of me. Chae-i, this really isn't the time. I'm about to get murdered here.

"You haven't been sleeping like this the whole time, have you?"

"Absolutely not. Chae-i, could you get off me for a second?"

Maybe because it was summer? It felt a bit hot.

"Mmmph!"

"Please get off, like you usually do."

I deliberately emphasized the last part. In the darkness, I had the illusion that Hana's eyes were glowing.

"If we don't want things to get awkward once Chae-i fully recovers, we shouldn't do anything weird, right?"

"Of course."

She'd probably give me some leniency since Chae-i had initiated the contact first, right?

"Then, good night."

"Yeah, good night to you too, Hana."

The tension was so thick that even breathing felt dangerous. Sleep wouldn't come, like I was on some school trip. Even though Chae-i kept groping my body, I couldn't do anything about it. Getting caught this time would be truly dangerous.

For some reason, all my senses were locked onto Hana's breathing.

Hot damn!

My eyes opened a little earlier than usual. Chae-i was sleeping on top of me.

Whew, that was close.

I carefully moved her to the side. Beyond her, I could see Hana's sleeping face.

"She really is pretty."

Very much so. So pretty girls stay pretty even when they're sleeping, huh?

Suddenly, the sensation of those lips from yesterday flashed through my mind. Thanks, Chae-i! You've got talent.

I quietly slipped out of the room. As I came out of the bathroom, I saw Hana emerging as well.

"Hana, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Did you sleep well too, Suhyuk?"

"I did."

To be honest, I hadn't slept properly. Chae-i kept trying to climb on top of me, and I'd spent the night fending her off. If Hana had woken up and seen that, who knows what would've happened. Had she woken up the moment I left?

"Squad leaders, wake your members and assemble in front of the apartment in fifteen minutes. We'll move out after breakfast."

"Yes!"

I gave the order over the radio, then headed out with Hana and Chae-i. The second-class residents would stay here. We'd come back for them after clearing out the department store.

"Good morning, Captain!"

"Yeah, good morning."

The squad members in charge of serving breakfast had everything set up. The delicious smell immediately stirred my appetite.

Before eating, I inspected the towers.

I upgraded them into Reinforced Warbow Towers and Siege Ballista Towers. Four more Tier 4 towers, perfect for clearing the department store.

Man, this feels reassuring.

During the meal, the survivors who'd been hiding in the apartment began peeking out one by one. One of the group huddled together watching us stepped forward as their representative.

"What?"

"Um, excuse me... If you have any leftover food..."

"We don't. Get lost."

Who the hell do they think they are, eyeing food we earned with blood and sweat?

"We've been starving for a while now. Could you spare just a little?"

"What have you been doing while you were starving?"

I'd already finished eating, so I turned my body as if inviting them to explain.

"We were hiding quietly so the zombies wouldn't find us."

"If we hadn't shown up, how long were you planning to stay hidden?"

"Until the military or special forces came to rescue us."

They really had just been hiding without knowing anything about the outside world.

"That's not happening. The government collapsed ages ago."

"That can't be!"

"Protect your own safety. Don't rely on anyone else. If you fight and kill zombies, you'll level up."

I gave them a brief explanation about the status window and skills. They could think of it as paying for their lodging. Finally, I handed out one pack of ramen per survivor, matching their numbers.

"It's not too late. Fight. Take what you need."

Now was the perfect time. We'd cleared out most of the nearby zombies, so only a few should remain. But most of them focused more on the ramen packs than my words. The only one whose eyes lit up was a guy around my age.

"Want to come with us? I'll use you as a combatant."

"Yes, I'll come!"

Then others stepped forward too.

"Um, can I come too?"

"Me too."

"If you're willing to smash zombie heads with a bat, I'll take you."

Silence. Just as I thought.

"Let's move out."

"Yes!"

Leaving them behind, I signaled the squad to depart. We reached the department store quickly. The distance wasn't far.

Since it had been such a crowded place, the number of zombies was enormous. It took quite a while just to clear the surroundings. The mutants were just a bonus; no items dropped from them either.

"Hold position for a moment."

"Yes!"

I summoned towers inside the department store. Unlike the mart, the center was open all the way to the upper floors, giving me enough space to place them. The squad members waited while dealing with the zombies drawn by the noise.

Is this going to be a dungeon again?

Food and luxury goods were important, but the dungeon was the real prize. Hunting a dungeon boss guaranteed item drops. With good luck, we might hit the jackpot.

"Suhyuk, doesn't this make the department store easier?"

"To be precise, it's become easier. Thanks to upgrading to Tier 4 towers."

If they'd still been Tier 3, just getting here would've been dangerous. I'd have been fine, but the squad members would've had to engage in close combat. Zombie swarms and mutants. Dealing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with enemies swarming from all directions wasn't just dangerous—it was extremely stressful.

The Tier 4 towers had cleared out both the mutants and the swarms, so it only felt easy. Otherwise, it would've taken three or four days just to arrive, and clearing the area around the department store would've taken forever. This was the area with the highest foot traffic, after all, so the number of zombies had been insane.

I've already gained enough stat points for it to show.

Even now, the squad members were throwing zombie corpses onto the altar.

"What?!"

The message suddenly appeared before my eyes. I turned my gaze toward the department store.

"Suhyuk, look over there!"

A massive transportation hub that had always been packed with people, with wide sidewalks designed to prevent congestion no matter the crowd. A vast plaza centered around the department store. From the countless zombie corpses filling that enormous space, an ominous, dark-red light began flowing toward the building.

Thump. Thump. The heartbeat sounded so close it was like wearing headphones. The glass walls made the interior completely visible. In the place where the dark-red light had gathered, something horrific and bizarre was writhing.

A long, elongated thing with skin like raw flesh twitched and crawled forward. Shlorp— The zombie corpses that had been lying around left bloody trails as they were dragged toward the grotesque creature.

The squad members stared at the scene in stunned silence. Terror filled their eyes. Even though they were terrified, they couldn't look away from the creature. No matter what happened, they remained frozen like specimens, merely watching.

The dismembered corpses were sucked into the disgusting mass of flesh, swelling its body. One by one they were absorbed, then faster and faster. More and more. An unstoppable flood.

Crash! Shatter!

Even the corpses outside the department store smashed through the first-floor glass walls and were sucked inside. Every corpse that had filled the vast area around the building was drawn in.

A shuddering wave of fear and despair. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠squad members collapsed, crawling across the ground.

We're fucked. Did I poke something I shouldn't have?

It felt like I'd disturbed something that should never have been touched.

"Suhyuk, we have to run!"

"Hana, take the residents and the squad members back to our apartment."

I made the decision quickly. Against something like that, the squad members would only get in the way. I radioed the squad leaders to gather their members and retreat.

"What about you!"

"If we leave that thing alone, we'll all die."

If left like this, there was no telling how big it would grow. Since I'd pulled the trigger, I had to finish it.

"Then I'll stay too."

"Hana, even if you stay, it won't change anything. Please go."

"What are you saying! How can I leave you behind alone!"

I could feel Hana's composure shattering. The fear consuming her mind poured out her emotions without filter.

"Someone needs to take care of Chae-i."

The squad members were quite far from us. Moreover, most of them except the leaders seemed to have lost their minds and were crawling on the ground. Right now, Hana was the only one who could take care of Chae-i.

"Please take her. I'm begging you. Only when you and Chae-i are safe can I fight without worry."

The situation wasn't relaxed enough for me to leave towers behind for support. Hana's eyes grew moist, tears welling up as if they might spill over any second.

"If you die, we'll all be in danger anyway. You know that, right?"

"I won't die. I told you, I've survived for three years. I also know how to deal with that thing."

I calmly persuaded the half-crazed Hana. In truth, I'd never seen anything like it. Not even anything similar. Still, I'd figure something out. Just like I always had.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Hana suddenly threw her arms around me.

"Even if you can't kill it, you have to come back alive."

Wiping her tears, Hana picked up Chae-i and ran back. She must have realized it too. Staying here wouldn't help. And that attacking that massive thing's weakness was impossible. It wasn't even a creature with identifiable weak points—just a lump of flesh with limbs sticking out like decorations.

Before that thing grew any bigger...

"Fire!"

A full-powered volley. Bang bang bang! Fwoosh— The bundle of arrows dug deep into the mass of flesh. Click. Boom— The bolts exploded within it. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was definitely having an effect.

Fuck, seriously!

But the thing had grown too large for any meaningful damage. Crunch. Groan. Crash! The pillars supporting the department store were bending.

I have to stop it.

The Spike Maul Tower tore into the mass of flesh, and the Warspear Tower skewered it with its long spikes. But...

Is this even possible? This thing is a dungeon boss?

For the first time, I felt helpless. I needed to buy time at least. The squad members were still retreating.

Might as well target the zombie corpses.

I repeatedly resummoned the altar beneath the pile of corpses and burned them. But no matter how many I burned, there was no end in sight.

Crash! The creature smashed through the entire front glass wall of the department store as it burst out. The department store was now too cramped to serve as its nest. The thing didn't even pay attention to us. It simply crawled around, gathering more corpses.

Fuck! Why is a dungeon boss wandering around?!

To stop it, I persistently targeted its rear. I thought if I kept digging in, I'd eventually reach its core. But the lumps of flesh surged like waves, filling in the gaps.

This is insane!

Even the Tier 4 towers were barely effective. Why the hell did something like this even appear?!

If this doesn't work either...

Five fragmentation arrowheads in my hand. I immediately equipped them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on five towers. Dragging this out would only make the thing bigger. I had to end it now. Whether it worked or not.