Ch.3Warehouse (2)

I had just moved into an apartment that wasn’t exactly a normal place.

First of all, I couldn’t leave freely. Dangerous entities lurked everywhere, and the interior spaces were bizarrely twisted.

It was supposedly an 8-story building, yet here I was on the 11th floor.

This area was called the “Supply Warehouse.” According to Daju, people trapped in this apartment apparently survived by gathering necessary supplies from here.

“This is a relatively safe floor.”

“Relatively means it’s still dangerous.”

“Come on. Why are you scared already? Just be a little careful.”

Yoon Daju explained two things:

– Don’t touch anything that looks dangerous.

– Don’t touch objects that couldn’t possibly exist in reality.

“Got it?”

After finishing her explanation, Daju ripped open a box at her feet and pulled out a hiking backpack.

“I’m going to check way over there. You look around here for anything useful.”

“By myself?”

“Yes.”

“But I’m new here?”

“That’s why I told you what to be careful about.”

“Daju.”

“I’m going!”

“Hey. Wait a second. Hey!”

Daju ran down the hallway at an incredible speed.

…And I was left alone in this strange space.

[1110]

I’m currently standing in front of room 1110.

If I turn my head to the right, I can see where we came from.

But looking in the opposite direction…

1111

1112

1113

1114

1115

1116

An endless corridor stretches before me.

Identical front doors repeat endlessly with only the numbers changing, eventually converging at a vanishing point.

Ugh. I feel sick.

I bent down to check the label on a delivery box.

[Pure Water 2L * 10]

The box contains bottled water. It’s a brand I recognize, so it should be safe, right?

Wait. The volume is 2 liters. Is that the right size for the large bottles…?

She said it’s fine as long as it’s not something completely absurd, but knowing what I’ve heard makes me nervous.

– What happens if you open something that doesn’t exist in reality?

– I don’t know. No one has told me.

– Then how do you know not to open them?

– People have opened them before. There’s just no one left to tell about it.

*Gulp.*

With a ripping sound, I tear off the tape to reveal water bottles wrapped in plastic.

Considering the weight, I only put two bottles in my bag.

Next, food. I moved quickly down the corridor.

[Ottogi 3-Minute Hawaiian Pizza]

[Mint Chocolate Ice Cream 4 Pints]

I’ll pass. I’d rather choose death than survive on that.

It’s not just a matter of taste—these items fail Daju’s conditions. They’re extremely dangerous things that shouldn’t exist in reality.

[Pickled Brain Fragments of Extracted Raphus cucullatus]

Wait. Is that a real thing?

I’m curious, but there’s a saying:

“Curiosity kills.” If you can’t resist your curiosity, you’ll just go straight to heaven. No need to risk my life over momentary curiosity, so I’ll pass on this too.

Next.

[Jin Ramen Black 7 packs]

[Canned Yellow Peaches/Snow Field Tuna/Yangban Seaweed]

Approved! Absolutely approved. These go straight into my bag.

Especially Jin Ramen Black. This is something I could never bring myself to eat at home because it was too expensive. I always ate regular Jin Ramen instead. I’d promised myself I’d buy only Black once I made good money from my drawings. And now I’m finding it here. Plus, the side dishes are solid. Twice-roasted Yangban seaweed with sesame oil is legit.

As I happily gathered the items, Daju appeared, loaded down with supplies. Her bag was so full she couldn’t carry it on her back anymore and was dragging it by the strap.

“If you’re done gathering, let’s go.”

“Wow. Can you really carry all that?”

I said it out of concern, but immediately regretted it.

“What? You’re offering to switch bags? Wow… I’m touched…”

“No?? I never said that??”

“Come on! This is when a man should show his strength.”

The overstuffed bag comes my way.

Even when I was a man, carrying that would break my back.

“Wait! Just a minute!”

“What?”

“I-I’m a woman now, aren’t I?”

“Tsk. You’ve only been a woman for how long and you’re already deteriorating into a fragile little girl? I guess you weren’t much of a man to begin with.”

“…Fine. Give it to me. I’ll carry it.”

“Nah, it’s okay~ I was just kidding.”

“Give it to me.”

“Heeeey~ It was a joke from the start~ I’m not giving it to you~”

“I swear I’ll—”

“What? Are you getting angry and cursing at me?”

“Yeah, you crazy girl. I’m cursing. You keep pushing it and I’ll—!”

There’s that feeling again.

Urgh.

The sensation of having my shoulders pressed down from above by someone barely over 170cm.

“You’re so cute.”

In that moment, I realized—no matter how much I curse or get angry in this form, I’ll only seem cute…

Staying quiet is the best option. Anything I do will only amuse her more, so I should just quietly…

Once again, I feel something inside me dying…

Seeing me silent, she seems to sense something’s off.

“Are you sulking?”

“……”

“Hey. Are you sulking? Come on, why are you like this? We’re about to meet new people.”

“……”

“Okay, let’s go. I won’t tease you anymore.”

“……”

Maximum poker face. I don’t move an inch and maintain dead eyes. Let’s see if she still acts cocky. Huh? I’m really angry.

And now she’s getting all gloomy herself.

“I’m sorry. Suddenly having someone like a little sister, no wait! I mean, at least that’s how you look to me, I got too excited and crossed a line. Everyone here is so sensitive that I get bored, and I’m also stressed from risking my life going around, so I tend to joke around too much, and people often tell me to stop because it makes them really angry…”

Daju keeps talking without pause. Her voice is completely different from when she was teasing me, and it’s actually quite cute this time.

“I’m sorry!!! I’m really sorry! Can you please say something?”

“Fine. I understand, just don’t do this.”

*Press*

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

*Release*

When I pushed away the hand pressing on my shoulder, her steps became lighter.

“Let’s go then. I’ve gathered everything I need.”

I adjusted my now-bulging bag.

An endless corridor. Railings showing the outside view at regular intervals. The sky is a murky gray.

“…Hey.”

“Yes?”

“I saw something strange. Do you know anything about it?”

“What is it?”

“Over there, behind. Something hiding behind that large box. Can you see it?”

“……”

Daju’s expression suddenly hardens.

“I don’t see anything.”

“Really?”

“Does it look like an animal?”

“Yes.”

“And it’s black?”

“…Yes.”

The air feels like it’s freezing. I don’t even know what’s dangerous or what that thing is, but my body is already tense.

“That’s dangerous, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead and hold the elevator.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t seem to have noticed us yet, so put down your bags here. Slowly. Got it?”

The black beast keeps its head low to the ground, sniffing around here and there.

It doesn’t know we’re here yet, and judging by how it keeps bumping into boxes, its eyesight seems poor, but it’s quite close.

If it notices us, we’ll be caught immediately.

“What about you?”

“Seeing how it’s sniffing around, we’ll be discovered soon. I’ll buy some time and then run like hell.”

“No! Let me do it. You’re a woman now. Your physical condition must have deteriorated. I’m better at running.”

Instead of answering, I glanced toward the corridor.

A monster the size of a car is openly in the hallway, but Yoon Daju keeps looking only at my face.

“You can’t see it, can you?”

“…!”

“I thought so. Just go get the elevator.”

It seems I’m the only one who can see this monster.

“Phew…”

The elevator is about 500 meters away. The black beast is a similar distance in the opposite direction. Plus, it must have heard the sounds we’re making, so being discovered is just a matter of time.

I need to slow it down right now.

“Go quickly. We don’t have time.”

A box I had noticed earlier is still at my feet.

[Gasoline]

No one would normally order this for delivery, but things work differently here.

I gathered cardboard boxes from around and poured gasoline on them.

A fire this size should keep it from approaching easily.

While checking the creature’s position, I felt a chill run down my spine. At some point, it had stopped sniffing and was now staring intently in our direction. As if calculating its chances of a successful hunt.

Make some noise, you bastard, my knees are shaking so bad…

I took a lighter from my bag and lit it, immediately causing smoke to rise.

Whoosh.

Right. Animals are afraid of fire. Even in the jungle, people keep predators away by lighting fires. So with a fire this size, it shouldn’t come close.

Don’t panic. Just don’t panic. Slowly back away while trying not to attract attention…

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

“Oh shit!!!”

Harsh breathing. With the sound of scraping claws, the beast charges toward me.

Without even time to look back, I ran with all my might.

“How are you going to cross this, you bastard!!! You think you’re some terrifying predator!!!”

Whoosh—

From the corner of my vision, I see the black beast leaping.

“Aaaah you crazy bastard what kind of pathetic beast are you!!!”

I thought it might flinch a little, but what kind of creature is this?

The destination is now right in front of me. Daju is frantically pressing the elevator button.

Please time this right…! Please!

– Doors closing.

I was about to say “you fucking piece of shit” but swallowed it.

I had the distinct feeling “it can’t fit through that gap,” but thanks to my smaller size, I barely managed to squeeze through the elevator doors.

“Hey!”

“Huff… huff… huff…”

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Yeah.”

I was worried the monster might break through the doors, but fortunately that didn’t happen.

It cleanly gave up the hunt. The elevator smoothly slides downward.

10th floor, 9th floor.

Down to the 7th floor where people gather.

BOOM!!!

BANG!!!

KABOOM!!!

“Wow. My old flame is really something. Even being roasted in fire, it’s still perfectly safe, damn.”

“Oh. Was this your plan all along?”

“Yeah. In my head, I was going to take down the monster and make a cool exit, but it didn’t work out.”

“Still, that was cool. If you were a man, I might have fallen for you.”

“Don’t flatter me. I’m never doing this again…”

[Butane Gas 7-pack * 10]

Seventy bombs in total. The explosions continued until the elevator reached our destination.