An Adult's Playground
Ju Joyeon began traveling through the changed world. (4)
"Ugh... even for me, this is a bit much..."
Joyeon wasn't particularly afraid of insects, so he hadn't taken the white beast's words too seriously. But the bugs weren't just bugs. Even if he tried to swat them with his hand, they didn't look like they'd die easily. Their jewel-like, glossy shells and long antennae might have passed for large black crystals if you weren't paying attention, but the sight of one lying dead on its back in the corner triggered an instinctive wave of disgust.
"Get inside! What if they come out?"
The white beast shoved Joyeon forward. He reluctantly stepped into the room, and the moment he was through, the iron door slammed shut behind him.
"Hiiik! B-Baeksoo-niim~! P-please let me out~!"
"Shut up! One more word and I'll really send you to the 19th floor!!"
"Hik?!"
At the white beast's threat, the woman who had been screaming just moments ago clamped her mouth shut and curled up in a corner, trembling and muttering to herself. Fortunately, she quieted down without Joyeon needing to do anything. As if reacting to the noise, the giant cockroach that had been writhing earlier also stopped moving once the woman fell silent.
Taking advantage of the momentary calm, Joyeon used his mana manipulation technique to lighten the iron ball and examined the monster from the magic world—the giant cockroach.
—It's an insect-type monster called a 'Morion Roach.' They breed rapidly, possess abnormal vitality, and are omnivorous. On top of that, they're agile and can even fly in emergencies. Quite the troublesome monster.
'...So basically, just giant cockroaches.'
—Does Master’s world also have these monsters?
'Yeah. We didn't have ones this big where I lived, but modern-world cockroaches die if you crush them with your hand or step on them.'
—Morion Roaches are the same. Their carapaces are special, so low-grade magic doesn't work on them. Even stabbing them with a sword won't kill them—you have to completely smash them with a morning star or hammer. High-grade magic works, but it's extremely inefficient.
'Okay. Got it. But why are monsters like that locked up with people here?'
—I don't know. Morion Roaches can't be used as food, and since they're omnivorous... Of course, it's fortunate they won't attack unless they're starving or provoked first...
'...Wait, what do you mean by that?'
Having caught an extremely unpleasant implication in Karl's words, Joyeon cut him off.
—Karl, that statement was inconsiderate toward Master.
—Ah, you're right. My apologies, Master. Ever since becoming a skeleton, my sense of ethics from when I was alive has faded somewhat...
Without responding to the apology, Joyeon asked Karl again to confirm what he had realized.
'They left them here on purpose? As food for the Morion Roaches?'
—There is no other reason. There is nothing else around that could serve as food, after all.
'...Why?'
—I do not know...
'...Can I kill them?'
—It's possible, but dangerous. There are too many. If they attack, they'll all swarm at once.
'...So as long as I stay quiet, I'm not in danger right now.'
—That would be correct.
After hearing Karl's explanation, Joyeon kept an eye on the roaches for a moment before approaching the woman who was still curled up with her face buried in her arms.
"Hey, ma'am."
"H-Hiiik!"
When Joyeon touched her shoulder, the woman flinched violently and scrambled backward in panic.
"Calm down. I'm just a person like you. Explain what's going on. What exactly is this place? Why are you all like this?"
Joyeon decided he needed to understand what kind of place this was.
****
The woman's name was Kim Eunhye. She was thirty years old, though she looked to be in her forties or fifties due to her haggard appearance. About two months ago, after the world fusion threw everything into chaos, she had survived by cooperating with others and fleeing from monsters. During that time, she encountered both hostile and friendly magic users. After barely enduring for a month, she arrived here—at Cheonji University. And this was the result.
A group had already taken control of the university, and Kim Eunhye's party had been enslaved and imprisoned by them. She said that among the classrooms on the fifth floor, only the one she was locked in contained Morion Roaches; the rest held nothing but slaves.
—We can't learn anything from her words.
—There are many ways to make use of slaves, but we still don't know how they were captured, why only this room has roaches, or what the 19th floor contains.
"Eunhye, what's on the 19th floor?"
"Th-the 19th floor... Ugh...!"
Her voice, hoarse and phlegmy, trembled before she clamped her mouth shut again.
'She always reacts like this when I ask about the 19th floor.'
"Get a grip. What could possibly be on the 19th floor that makes being with man-eating roaches seem better?"
Kim Eunhye's trembling body suddenly went rigid, as if turned to stone.
"M-man-eating roaches...?"
'Huh. What's with that reaction?'
"You didn't know? They're staying still because they're not hungry. If they get hungry, they'll attack us."
At Joyeon's words, Kim Eunhye's already pale face turned even paler. She scrambled toward the iron door and began pounding on it frantically.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of her bony hands striking the metal echoed loudly. The Morion Roaches reacted to the noise and began writhing again.
"B-Baeksoo-niim!! Baeksoo-niim! Th-this is different from what you said!! You said it was just a room with a lot of bugs! This is no different from the 19th floor!!"
Her unpleasant voice rang throughout the room. Joyeon frowned and covered his ears.
'Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.'
—It was the kind of thing that would easily cause panic.
'Should I tell her she won't die because you guys are here?'
—Master, we only act for your sake. As I mentioned earlier, their numbers are considerable.
'I see.'
Crash!
A loud kick sounded from outside the door.
"Shit! How the hell did she cause trouble again in less than an hour?!"
"Baeksoo-niim! I'd rather go to the 19th floor! Please send me to the 19th floor!!"
"Don't talk nonsense. Someone like you going there... Ah, wait a second."
The white beast stopped mid-sentence. A moment later, the iron door slowly opened again. Just like before, Kim Eunhye tried to rush out, only to be sent flying backward by another kick from the white beast.
"You. Come out. I just remembered someone asked for a healthy slave to be sent up to the 19th floor."
"Huh? Me?"
"Who else would it be? Get out already."
At the white beast's command, Joyeon hesitated before stepping outside. Feeling a pang of pity at Kim Eunhye's pitiful state, he leaned in and whispered to her.
"Ma'am, those cockroaches won't attack unless you provoke them first. Staying as quiet as possible is the safest option."
He wasn't sure how much she had heard while sprawled on the floor, but he didn't say anything more and left the classroom.
****
Ju Joyeon rode the elevator with the white beast. It began ascending directly toward the problematic 19th floor.
"Aah~ damn it, I wish I could work on the 19th floor too. At least then I could watch the show."
Hearing the white beast mutter, Joyeon carefully spoke up.
"Um... what exactly happens on the 19th floor?"
"...Kekeke."
The white beast looked at Joyeon and sneered.
"It's a playground. An adult's playground. The kind of playground brats like you aren't allowed into."
The white beast's words carried a sinister undertone. Ding! The elevator soon arrived at the 19th floor.
"Hurry up and get out."
The white beast pushed Joyeon out of the elevator. The lobby on the 19th floor was completely different from the one on the fifth floor.
"Huh? What's this, Baeksoo? Why'd you come up?"
"Leaving your post again, I see. Not going back down?"
Just as the white beast was in charge of the fifth floor, two men stood near the elevator on the 19th floor, guarding the level.
"Aah~ I came up for work! It's not like I come here often. Can't you see I brought a slave because someone needed one?"
While the fifth floor had hallways branching left and right from the lobby with numerous classrooms, the 19th floor seemed to have originally served a different purpose—its entire level consisted of a single large hall. Dozens of cages lined the space. Many people were locked inside them, while a smaller number of people watched from outside. Spectators and spectacles.
'What the hell is this...'
—Indeed. A playground for twisted tastes.
Karl succinctly described the scene before them.
There were cages where humans desperately fled from monsters. Cages where naked men and women rolled around. Cages where men grappled with other men. Cages where humans fought each other to the death. Cages where restrained humans were toyed with defenselessly. Scenes that Ju Joyeon struggled to comprehend unfolded before his eyes.
"If a new slave comes in, they asked to bring them here."
"Huh? Did they say that?"
The men in charge of the 19th floor glanced at each other as if they hadn't heard, then nodded, deciding it didn't matter.
"It's been pretty boring with the same old faces anyway."
"Where'd you get him? From the brothels? Oh, he's a guy. Then a male brothel? No, wait—maybe the martial arena for those without opponents lately?"
"Nah, the freak food tasting club. You know, the place with that woman who had the torn throat. They said there's no one there right now."
"Aah~ I'd kick that woman out too if I were them. Couldn't stand listening to that voice for even a minute."
The men snickered among themselves and allowed Baeksoo and Joyeon to pass. Baeksoo kept pushing Joyeon forward.
'...If it's a woman with a strange voice...'
—There's a high probability it's the woman named Kim Eunhye who was with Master.
'......'
"Stop spacing out and walk faster... Augh! Which idiot put two of these damn iron balls on him? So annoying."
Unable to use his mana manipulation technique, Joyeon had to endure the full weight and moved very slowly toward the so-called freak food tasting club, taking in the cages around him. Each one contained something different. But the sounds coming from them were all the same—nothing but screams.
"......"
The bright expression Joyeon had worn just an hour ago, expecting something novel and entertaining, had completely vanished. Karl and Ron watched their master's face with concern, worried about how he would handle the shock.
—'...This isn't good. Master is still too young to accept something like this.'
—'But there are too many enemies around. We don't know what abilities they possess, and we can't guarantee we can protect Master completely.'
Since they didn't know what abilities their opponents had, they couldn't act recklessly.
"Hey, Choishik! I'm here!"
Before long, Joyeon and Baeksoo arrived in front of a cage with a crudely made sign reading "Freak Food Tasting Club." A man who had been lounging beside the empty cage reacted to the name Choishik.
"Huh? What's this, Baeksoo? Why are you here?"
"Why else? Look at this."
Baeksoo gave Joyeon's head a couple of taps.
"The healthy slave you wanted. I brought him."
"Oh?!"
Choishik's eyes widened at Baeksoo's words. He looked Joyeon over and broke into a wide grin.
"Nice! Kids like this have good stomachs—they'll eat anything. Hehehe. Get inside."
Joyeon was pushed into the cage without resistance. It was a cage made entirely of iron bars, visible from every direction.
"The Freak Food Tasting Club is open!! Anyone who wants to watch, come over~!"
Choishik immediately began shouting to gather people. "Kek! Let's see how good his stomach really is."
Baeksoo laughed in amusement as he watched Joyeon enter the cage.
"...Why are you doing this?"
Joyeon spoke up after a long silence.
"Huh? Why what?"
"This. There's no benefit to doing something like this."
"What do you mean, no benefit? It's fun."
"Fun?"
"Yeah, fun! If not now, when else would I get to try this?"
"After the world fusion, laws disappeared. With just this pistol, I can make anyone my slave. I can do all the fun things I've only dreamed about until now."
Choishik genuinely believed what he was saying.
"I can hold pretty women, watch battle royales that I've only seen in movies, pit monsters against humans, and enjoy freak food eating shows like this. And we laugh while watching it all."
The sense of superiority from being in a position of dominance. The relief of living in a safe place. The pleasure of being able to do whatever one wanted.
"In this world, we're kings."
He gestured dramatically, swinging the pistol in his hand and pointing it at Joyeon's head.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Huh. I was just explaining the current state of the world to a slave who still doesn't get it!"
Choishik lowered the gun and began preparing something else.
—They're trash.
—Master, let's escape. That small pistol can't break our bones.
"...Did Eunhye come here too?"
Ignoring Ron's suggestion to escape, Joyeon asked Choishik.
"Eunhye? Who's that?"
"The woman with the strange voice who was supposedly here."
"Voice? Aah, you mean that woman."
Choishik grinned lecherously, as if recalling something amusing.
"She was the woman who was 'eating' here before you arrived. Her table manners were worse than expected, so I kicked her out pretty quickly."
Clatter. Clatter.
Choishik began preparing plates in front of the cage.
"She was spouting nonsense about hurting her throat because of my cooking... but it didn't even sound believable."
Whoosh.
He grabbed a small sack nearby and poured its black contents onto the plate.
Skitter skitter skitter.
It was a sound similar to what he'd heard on the fifth floor. The noise came from the plate.
"She hurt her throat because she swallowed without chewing properly. Isn't that ridiculous?"
Clatter.
Skitter skitter.
A plate was pushed through the bars and placed in front of Joyeon. Live black cockroaches squirmed atop it.
"Try some. It'll be delicious."
The plate was filled with writhing black roaches, presented as a meal.
"......"
Ju Joyeon stared at it with a blank expression.