The Foolish Villain Failed to Recognize the Fraudulent Protagonist (5)
Engineering college building interior. Every floor. Skitter skitter skitter...
In the dead of night, while Kim Changkyung's comrades and the many people they kept as slaves all slept, a sound spread through the halls—not snoring or steady breathing, but something that instinctively stirred revulsion and chills.
One room on the twentieth floor.
"Kuhwaaah-ack. Phyu~woo~... Kuhwahaa--ack~ Phuhwooooo~"
Whether it was human snoring or a monster's wail, the sound was terrifying enough to anyone who heard it. A man lay fast asleep with his mouth wide open, producing that dreadful noise.
Because of his snoring, he always slept alone. Tonight, however, an unexpected guest had arrived.
Skitter skitter...
Each one was the size of a thumb joint, glossy pitch-black. They could easily be mistaken for large black crystals. But up close, their protruding antennae and three pairs of legs were unmistakable. These were Morion Roach hatchlings—creatures that would grow as large as a human head. Hundreds of them filled the room.
Skitter skitter skitter...
One hatchling crawled toward the sleeping man's face, completely unaware of its surroundings. It paused for a moment, as if timing its move, then—
"Kuhwaaaa-ah..."
The man opened his mouth wide to breathe, and the Morion Roach shot inside.
"Mmm...? Chomp... chomp... aah... phuhwooo~"
Still oblivious to what he had swallowed, the man resumed snoring. The remaining hatchlings slipped out of the room as if their task was done.
****
The room Lara Tiasia was using on the twentieth floor.
Kim Changkyung, still held by the scruff of his neck, kept muttering "This is a dream..." as if refusing to believe what he was seeing.
Through the wide-open door, the hallway floor outside was swarming with black roach hatchlings.
"Close that grating mouth of yours. Or would you prefer one of them in your mouth as well?"
Lara Tiasia slammed Kim Changkyung's head against the floor.
A group of hatchlings that had been moving through the hallway noticed him and surged into the room, crawling rapidly toward his face.
"Hiiik! I'm sorr—"
Thud!
Lara Tiasia smashed his head into the floor again.
"Shut your mouth. If you wake someone up by screaming, do you have any idea what will happen to you?"
"Kuhk...! S-sorry... I'm sorry..."
Despite the absurdity of her actions, Kim Changkyung could only sob and force his voice down.
"Lara, that's enough. We're not ready yet. That man still has a lot to say."
"My apologies, Master."
Besides Lara Tiasia, Kim Changkyung, and the two unconscious men, Ju Joyeon—who had come up from the fifth floor—was also present.
"So, did I say the twentieth floor earlier? Or was it the twenty-first?"
"I ordered them to deal with the police officers who founded the 'hideout' with Kim Changkyung on the twenty-third floor, as well as everyone on the nineteenth and twentieth floors."
"Ah, twentieth floor it is. Uncle, are there any other floors where non-slaves are staying?"
At Joyeon's question, Lara Tiasia lifted Kim Changkyung's head from the floor. Ignoring the burning pain in his face, Kim Changkyung answered.
"Th-the people managing the harpoon launchers on the sixth floor and the ones using the chemistry lab on the seventh floor are the only ones left...!"
The sixth floor housed the harpoons that had taken down the boar in an instant, while the seventh floor was home to the skilled craftsmen who had built those harpoons and the prison cells.
"Sixth and seventh floors, huh... Lara, is that right?"
"Yes. I've been there myself. I heard roughly ten people are staying there."
"I see. That's all, right?"
"Y-yes... That's all...!"
"Really? You know what happens if you lie, don't you?"
Kim Changkyung understood the implication and nodded frantically.
"Good. Sixth and seventh floors. Send a few over there. 'House.'"
Joyeon gave the order while looking at the egg sac near his feet.
Wriggle wriggle. Bulge bulge.
At his command, the egg sac split open like a mouth, and dozens of roaches poured out.
Follower 'House' has used 'Roach Hatchling'.
The successor's mana has been transferred to the follower.
"Ugh—stop. No more. I'm getting dizzy."
Shortly after the notification appeared, Joyeon spoke with a slightly pale face. The egg sac seemed to understand and immediately closed its mouth. The newly born roaches quickly left the room and headed for the sixth and seventh floors.
Kim Changkyung's face grew even paler at the sight, while Lara Tiasia smiled brightly and nodded.
"As expected of the first companion to receive Master's blessing. With Master's mana reserves, producing such an overwhelming quantity is truly extraordinary."
Though her words could have been taken as sarcastic, Joyeon knew Lara would never speak to him that way and simply agreed.
"Well, the efficiency is ridiculous. Honestly, I didn't expect it to turn out like this either."
This egg sac was the new follower that had evolved through Joyeon's Despair Bless.
Name: House
Race: Undead (Mutant Zombie)
Cognomen: -
Ability: Roach Hatchling (E+ rank)
Revived by Joyeon's magic, the egg sac had gained new abilities of its own—contrary to his expectation that it might simply turn into an insect.
"It's a shame it can't speak or move on its own, but thanks to this, as long as I have enough mana, I can produce an absurd number of them~"
The roaches created by House's ability were essentially extensions of House itself. In other words, they were expendable units made with Joyeon's mana, with House acting as the hive mind controlling them all to carry out his orders.
And the order Joyeon had given House was simple.
"I hope the guys on the sixth and seventh floors enjoy the 'meal' I'm sending them~"
"......"
Crunch...!
Hearing Joyeon's muttered words, Lara Tiasia suddenly bit her lip, her grip tightening involuntarily.
"Keck...! Kuhk...!"
Kim Changkyung, still held by her, began thrashing as pain and suffocation overtook him.
"Lara."
"...My apologies."
At Joyeon's call, Lara came to her senses and bowed her head in apology. Her reaction was understandable—she had learned through Ron what had happened on the fifth floor before she arrived. If it were up to her, she would have torn apart Choi Sik, the one who had fed roaches to Joyeon, but she was holding back on Joyeon's orders.
"P-please... spare me... please spare me...!"
Perhaps realizing death was staring him in the face, Kim Changkyung begged Joyeon with tears and snot streaming down his face.
"......"
Joyeon's expression vanished at his words. It became as cold as when he had faced the Pale Rat.
"...Uncle."
Joyeon called Kim Changkyung in a flat voice.
"Y-yes!"
"Have you ever killed someone?"
"H-huh?"
"Have you ever killed a person?"
Joyeon asked with pitch-black eyes—the same look he had given the Pale Rat before killing him.
Kim Changkyung's mind raced frantically, trying to figure out what to say.
"Answer."
Crunch!
Lara applied more pressure.
"Kuaa...! I-I have! I-I've killed a few...!"
"Oh. So you have. How many?"
"H-huu... Five... I killed five...!"
"Heh~ That's quite a lot. Five times more than me."
At Joyeon's words, Kim Changkyung felt he needed to make some excuse. Staying silent would surely mean death.
"I-it couldn't be helped. If I didn't kill them, I would have died instead... I had no choice but to survive..."
"To survive... Right. I understand that well. In the end, your own life matters most."
That was the end of it. Joyeon said nothing more, and Kim Changkyung, fearing he might upset him further, kept his mouth tightly shut.
Skitter skitter...
The roaches that had been scurrying through the hallway suddenly poured back into the room. All but a few returned to House.
"What the—how are they getting in? There's no way they all fit... Are you done?"
Joyeon marveled at House's incomprehensible storage capacity and asked to confirm whether the order had been carried out.
Skitter skitter.
House seemed to understand. The remaining roaches moved in front of him, forming letters.
-Completed.
"How many woke up in the middle?"
-4.
"Handled?"
-Completed.
"Good work. Go back to your grave for now."
Having perfectly executed its mission, House sank into the ground and disappeared.
Joyeon stared at the spot where House had vanished, then walked over to the bed Lara had been using.
"Haa—I'm exhausted... I used too much mana. I'm going to rest now. Let's clean up in the morning."
"Master, what should we do with this man?"
"Leave him. He still has work to do tomorrow, so don't kill him. I'm going to sleep. That's fine, right?"
"Of course. You've worked hard today. Please rest well..."
Joyeon reached the bed and flopped onto the soft mattress. Soon, the sound of steady breathing filled the room.
****
Once Joyeon fell asleep, Lara Tiasia released Kim Changkyung as ordered and sat down on a chair beside the bed.
Is he really just going to sleep like that? Leaving me alone?
Suddenly freed, Kim Changkyung looked bewildered as he tried to assess the situation.
Should I run...? No, running is impossible... Then kill him?
Kim Changkyung still had the pistol in his possession—the one he hadn't dared to draw earlier due to the shock of seeing Lara Tiasia and the other followers.
The woman... I'm not sure if she'd die even if shot, but that man... I feel like I'd die if I shot him...
A gun. A weapon capable of killing an ordinary human with a shot to the head or heart. He stood at a crossroads.
Between gambling on shooting Joyeon to resolve the situation himself, or staying still and praying for Joyeon's mercy to spare his life.
Kim Changkyung's survival instincts, honed by everything he had endured so far, quickly calculated which option offered better odds—and the answer didn't take long.
Even if the gun hits him, he probably won't die right away. That woman would move to save her master rather than herself. Without the bugs, escaping the university wouldn't be a problem... but after that, death is certain. If I'm left alone in this world, I'll definitely die...
Rather than that, sticking to this man's side no matter what might give me a chance to survive in the long run.
Come to think of it, there were skeletons too. Those monsters were definitely strong. If they chase me, I won't be able to escape.
Yeah... staying completely still is the right move. I'll just wait like this.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how foolish running would be. Kim Changkyung chose to remain motionless, waiting for Ju Joyeon to wake up again with renewed resolve to survive no matter what.
****
He's a clever one. If he had made the foolish choice to attack Master, I would have had every reason to rip his head off right away... What a shame.
Lara Tiasia had, of course, known about the pistol in Kim Changkyung's possession. She simply hadn't taken it because there was no reason to. She had left him alone because she knew the gun couldn't penetrate Joyeon's Bone Armor anyway, and she had been hoping he would attack so she could deal with him on that pretext.
Unfortunately, he hadn't made that choice, so she couldn't touch him per Joyeon's orders.
Karl, Jack. Did Master discuss what his goal is?
Joyeon had come straight to her room after she subdued Kim Changkyung and used House to feed the roaches to the trash in this building, so Lara knew nothing about his plans going forward.
He didn't say anything to us either. He decided on this course of action after seeing House's abilities, so we don't know how he'll end it.
That makes sense... Then could you tell me what happened while I was gone? It's the first I've heard that Master committed murder. The atmosphere was a bit strange earlier when he mentioned it.
...I can't say for certain, but he'll be fine. As you said, it seems the first murder happened when he killed that man called the Pale Rat on the fifth floor.
I see... In a world like this, it's an experience one must go through at least once to survive.
Lara Tiasia listened to Karl and Jack's brief account of what had happened on the fifth floor while waiting for her master to wake up.