This Isn't a SESCO Viral
"Mommyyyyy!!!"
"Shit, fuck!!!!"
"Young master, let us go together!"
We were sprinting through a maze of abandoned buildings. You might be wondering, but this was obviously the final exam site. Even so, we had no choice but to abandon the test and run for our lives.
"Fuck! They're insanely fast!"
"Shinwoo, don't leave me behind! Stay behind me!"
"Everyone, do not leave this lady behind!"
This all happened shortly after the final exam began.
The moment we stepped through the gate, the first thing we saw were derelict buildings scattered about like the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. When we looked back, Kim Yuna and Professor Park Miran had already vanished, leaving only a single drone behind. I hadn't expected much from Kim Yuna anyway, so I didn't bother searching for her.
In the end, we naturally wandered down the paths between the abandoned buildings.
"It's kind of creepy here."
"Shinwoo, are you scared?"
"Young master, I sense something."
The moment Jung Ayeon finished speaking, a massive black shape burst from one of the buildings and charged straight at me.
A glossy black chitinous shell. Six legs lined with razor-sharp spines. Wings that snapped open with a loud flutter. A mouth stretched wide in a threatening snarl, ready to bite.
It was a cockroach. A giant cockroach the size of a person.
I reflexively drove my sword into its snout and kicked it away.
"You scared the hell out of me! Todd Howard, you bastard!!"
The cockroach flew backward, landed on its back, and began shrieking while spewing bodily fluids and foam from its mouth. While Jung Ayeon was distracted, I wiped the cockroach's fluids off my sword onto her uniform.
"What are you doing!!!"
"Ah, got caught."
But it didn't end there. There's a saying that if one cockroach comes out of a house, dozens more are already infesting it. That saying was about to be proven true.
As if the first cockroach's scream had been a signal, cockroaches began pouring out from every direction. From building entrances, walls, rooftops—cockroaches clung to every surface in swarms. There were far too many to count, and they looked ready to charge at the slightest provocation.
Since Hye-ji's abilities were restricted, relying on her wasn't an option. I turned to Jung Ayeon.
"Jung Ayeon, can you handle them?"
"There are too many. I shall try nonetheless."
Jung Ayeon closed her eyes, placed both hands on the ground, and began summoning. The moment her summons appeared, the cockroaches took it as a signal and charged all at once. I gripped my sword tightly.
"Thanks! We'll be going then!"
"Shinwoo! Wait for me!"
"Wait a moment!!!! Young master!! My lady!! Are you planning to abandon this lady?!"
We ran. Well, to be honest, there were just too many. Even if I could touch cockroaches with my hands, these were way too big. My instincts screamed rejection.
[You're really going to abandon the heroines and run?!]
'I have to survive first if I want to save the heroines.'
And so the story loops back to the beginning. Jung Ayeon stopped mid-summon and chased after us. In that order—Hye-ji and me, then Jung Ayeon, followed by a horde of cockroaches—we began our pursuit race.
The cockroaches chased us while letting out bizarre shrieks.
"No, seriously, how long are these bastards going to keep following us?"
"Shinwoo, I'm getting tired, so slow down a bit."
"Young master! My lady! Are you planning to abandon this lady?"
"Kiyaaaaaaaak!!"
"Jooji."
"...Don't tell me there's a bipedal cockroach over there."
Fortunately, there wasn't. Thank god.
Our breathing was growing ragged, but the cockroaches showed no signs of fatigue. Just how fast did you need to be to escape a swarm like that? The answer was simple: faster than the person next to you.
Unfortunately, the three of us were all roughly the same speed. Hye-ji was running at an explosive pace that didn't match her small frame, and Jung Ayeon, despite starting late, had already caught up to us. The only silver lining was that the distance between us and the cockroaches was still considerable.
Then suddenly, Jung Ayeon misstepped and stumbled.
"Oh no!!!!"
"I'll never forget your beautiful sacrifice!"
"I'll come back for you someday!"
Hye-ji and I gave Jung Ayeon our farewells and accelerated. Or at least, we tried to.
- Grab!!!
"....Huh?"
"....What?"
As Jung Ayeon fell forward, she grabbed both of our ankles in a vice grip. The result was that Hye-ji and I couldn't move forward either—we just face-planted in the most undignified way possible.
"Caught you."
Jung Ayeon wore a bright smile on her face, but her voice was nothing but ominous. Hye-ji and I started kicking her repeatedly to break free.
"Jung Ayeon! In times like this, you're supposed to say 'leave this to me and go ahead'!"
"Why is she so strong right now?!"
"Hehe... We shall share our fate even in death."
No matter how hard we kicked, Jung Ayeon didn't budge, like kicking a boulder. If anything, the grip on our ankles only tightened with each blow. Then, with her eyes half-closed, she summoned while still holding us.
Two large wolves appeared and bit down on our feet, stopping our kicking.
"Hey, Jung Ayeon! Your ability changed! Congrats!"
"Instead of congratulating me, how about letting me go?"
"Where do you think you're going? Both of you shall share your fate with this lady."
We looked at the cockroaches chasing us. In the distance, they had started clustering together. They piled on top of one another, their bodies twisting and bursting before regenerating. The mass grew larger and larger until it was the size of a building. Eventually, the cluster of cockroaches transformed into one massive cockroach.
'Mom, fuck. A Gigantamax cockroach is coming out, what the hell.'
[My dear? That cockroach appears to be heading this way.]
'Ah, we're seriously fucked.'
Despite its enormous size, the cockroach was crawling toward us at terrifying speed. The sight of its six legs moving frantically was incredibly threatening. Yet even in this dire situation, our ankles remained firmly trapped in Jung Ayeon's grip.
"Jung Ayeon! There's only one of them now, so how about we team up and fight?"
"Shinwoo's right, let's fight together. So could you let go?"
"I refuse. You'll just run away again."
'How the fuck did she know?'
[It is your karma.]
Jung Ayeon spat on my foot as she spoke.
"Your thoughts are obvious even without looking, young master."
"Shinwoo, you were really obvious this time."
"My lady, do not even dream of running away."
"Fuck."
Then, in a slightly distant building, we spotted Professor Park Miran and Kim Yuna. They were sitting on a windowsill, chatting away. While we were rolling around like dogs, they were laughing their heads off, and suddenly I felt my blood boil.
At that moment, Kim Yuna's eyes met mine. The number above her head increased by one, and she smirked.
You're laughing?
'That bitch is enjoying a vacation while we're filming a disaster movie?'
[She must be punished. Do not let her live.]
Hye-ji had also noticed Professor Park Miran and Kim Yuna, her expression twisting in fury.
"Shinwoo, did you see those bastards?"
"That gold-trash bitch regressed and now she's laughing her ass off."
"Fuuuuck..."
As Hye-ji ground her teeth, a brilliant plan suddenly popped into my head. A way to completely screw over both Professor Park Miran and Kim Yuna while solving this situation. They did say we could use any means necessary. I'd make them regret it.
"Jung Ayeon! Listen to me!"
"Be quiet. I won't trust you anymore, young master."
"Look at those bastards! They're just sitting there laughing while we suffer!"
Jung Ayeon, who had been on the verge of losing it, looked at Professor Park Miran and Kim Yuna. Her sanity slowly returned. The madness faded from her face, replaced by pure rage. Seizing the moment, I spoke urgently.
"Doesn't that piss you off? We're busting our asses while they're having fun."
"They dare to enjoy themselves while abandoning this lady? I absolutely cannot allow it!"
"Shinwoo, so what are you planning?"
I quickly explained my plan to Hye-ji and Jung Ayeon. After hearing it, both of them wore sinister smiles that didn't suit heroines at all.
"A most excellent plan, worthy of the young master. Hehehe... I shall slaughter them all."
"You guys are all dead. Ehehe. The only rice you'll be eating from now on is funeral rice."
"Ready? Let's go!"
The moment Jung Ayeon released us, we all sprinted in the same direction. Straight toward Professor Park Miran and Kim Yuna. They hadn't expected our charge and kept laughing—until they finally noticed us approaching. Their expressions turned to horror. We accelerated even more, laughing ominously. The two of them scrambled to escape, but being perched on the windowsill, they couldn't move properly. It was the perfect opportunity.
"What?! What?! Why are you coming this way!"
"Shinwoo, stop!"
"Hahahahaha! No one can stop me!"
"Die. Die. Die."
"Running is pointless! Give up and die quietly!"
Operation codename: SESCO. You thought you could relax, didn't you? You bastards. Go enjoy hell instead! The curtain rose on our grand operation.