Chapter 17

The hallway of the research lab, illuminated by flashing red emergency lights, split into two paths.

The left path led to a rough corridor where rusted pipes and broken walls were sporadically exposed, while the right path, though relatively tidy, was shrouded in deeper shadows.

Both paths stretched so far that their ends were out of sight.

“Everyone, you’ve memorized the internal layout of the lab, right?”

Wi Seoyeon spoke, standing in front of a broken panel.

Her expression still showed traces of fear, yet she carried on resolutely, doing her part as best as she could—a characteristic trait of hers.

“According to the blueprint, the two pathways originating from the briefing room are circular and eventually reconnect. No matter which direction we take, we’ll end up meeting in the panic room. So the real question isn’t which path to take, but what we’ll encounter when we reach our destination—the panic room.”

As Wi Seoyeon explained, we all held our breaths, our gazes fixed on a screen tucked in the corner of the briefing room, showing live feeds from the lab’s CCTV.

The camera network was still functional, giving us a vivid view of the lab’s interior.

Among the feeds was one focused on the panic room.

[CH-00: Panic Room – live feed]

[Warning: Biological threat detected – access restricted]

At the center of the spacious room sat a naked man, crouched and alone with nothing else around him.

His head was deeply bowed, hiding his face, and his emaciated body resembled that of someone who had starved for years.

His skin was so dry and thin that the outline of his bones was plainly visible beneath.

Overall, the scene was eerie and hollow, almost surreal.

Oddly enough, we would’ve felt more at ease if the panic room’s CCTV had been broken.

But the inexplicable sight on the screen only amplified our dread.

“What… is that?”

Kim Jinsu muttered softly while staring at the screen. No one could answer him.

At that moment, a familiar woman’s voice emerged from the speakers, accompanied by static noise.

[-I’ll guide you safely through the lab until you reach the panic room. Follow my instructions. Trust me.]

Her voice was calm, yet a trace of desperation lingered within it, sticking in our ears.

Nevertheless, the voice itself was already an object of suspicion.

A warning engraved in our minds came from a note left behind by the lab’s last survivor on a broken terminal:

“Trusting the voice = death.”

A short but stark warning.

If that message was true, trusting her could lead to our demise.

“What do we do now?”

Jin Mugyeol asked impatiently.

Everyone exchanged glances. Tension filled the air.

Even Kim Lara, usually quick with a joke, was silent.

Then, Kang Han finally broke the heavy silence.

“Ultimately, we’re heading to the panic room, right? We either move forward or leave this place—it’s one or the other.”

Wi Seoyeon coldly countered his words.

“We can’t leave. Once we step into this ‘dungeon,’ the way out doesn’t open until we clear it. That’s the rule of phenomena like this.”

She gestured at the iron door of the briefing room where we had entered.

It was firmly sealed, as if it had never been open.

Jin Mugyeol sighed at the sight.

“Damn it…”

The answer was already decided.

Whether the doubts were resolved or not, it didn’t matter.

In the end, we had to reach the panic room.

Stepping into this domain had sealed our fate.

We spent time thoroughly searching the briefing room.

Eventually, we discovered a way to communicate with the “voice in the speaker.”

The method was simple: activating the operator’s microphone and speaking into it.

“Ah, ah…”

Wi Seoyeon spoke with a hint of nervousness, and immediately the voice of the woman from the speaker replied.

[Ah, so my voice reached you!]

Wi Seoyeon frowned slightly but continued speaking with the “woman in the speaker” resolutely.

The rare sight of her fear of terrifying things clashing with her commander-like need to control the situation was striking.

“Who… who are you?”

[I was the director of this research lab. Not that it matters anymore.]

“That’s—”

[More importantly, there’s no time. If you don’t open the panic room quickly, you’ll be trapped here forever.]

The “woman in the speaker” interrupted Wi Seoyeon, speaking urgently.

Listening to their conversation, Gwak Dohyeong typed on the broken terminal, voicing his thoughts.

[Hypothesis 1:]

[The “woman in the speaker” has neither sight nor hearing?]

So far, she only seemed aware that someone had infiltrated the lab but didn’t know who they were, how many there were, or their purpose.

Until we activated the operator’s microphone, the voice beyond the speaker had been muttering empty monologues to herself.

As Wi Seoyeon engaged with the “woman in the speaker,” Gwak Dohyeong continued typing silently.

[Hypothesis 2:]

[The “woman in the speaker” is currently trapped somewhere?]

She wants the panic room opened but doesn’t have the ability to do so herself.

This is evident from her reliance on us, outsiders, to open the panic room.

[Final Hypothesis:]

[Is the “woman in the speaker” really the villain?]

The possibilities narrow to two scenarios:

1. The “woman in the speaker” is truly the villain and is driving us into the panic room to dispose of us.
2. She is innocent, falsely accused by her former colleagues, and opening the panic room is the only way to end this nightmare.

Tap, tap, tap. Gwak Dohyeong emphasized his point.

[For now, everything remains uncertain. We need to explore the lab and gather clues.]

[If the hypothesis holds that the “woman in the speaker” can only recognize voices through the operator’s microphone, then even if we discover she’s the villain, she won’t be able to harm us directly.]

[The point is simple:]

[Find out whether she’s the villain or not before opening the panic room.]

Gwak Dohyeong succinctly summarized our situation.

As the plan became clear, a bit of the fear in everyone’s eyes subsided.

After all, we were hunters-in-training, and those gathered here were among the top ranks of the academy.

Jin Mugyeol twirled his spear confidently and spoke with determination.

“Ghost or whatever that guy in the panic room is, we’ll just beat him to a pulp, right? If a ghost can hit us, that means we can hit it back!”

“I’m not scared at all!”

Kim Lara flicked sparks from her fingertips, smiling brightly.

With that, the conclusion was set.

Before we moved forward, I glanced at the message left by the last survivor on the broken terminal.

[Panic Room]

[Do not open it.]

[There are pathogens inside.]

“Pathogens… what could that mean?”

The ominous final message lingered in my mind, but as Gwak Dohyeong said, the priority was uncovering whether the “woman in the speaker” was the villain before opening the panic room.

As always, a solution would reveal itself.

And so, we began our advance toward the panic room.

“I’m staying behind.”

An unexpected turn of events occurred.

Wi Seoyeon decided to stay behind in the briefing room by herself.

“You’ll split into two teams at the fork. To keep track of how far each team progresses, having an operator is absolutely essential. I might also need to operate controls from the briefing room to open closed gates along the way. Lastly, I’m the best at briefing and giving orders among us. Any objections?”

“No objections, but…”

Jin Mugyeol spoke with an unusually worried expression, one mirrored by the other cadets.

“Are you really okay with staying behind alone?”

“I’m fine. I’m used to it. I can’t just keep falling apart forever, right?”

Despite her words, Wi Seoyeon’s arms were trembling.

She crossed them tightly in an attempt to steady the shaking, but it was impossible to hide entirely.

Still, she spoke resolutely once more.

“I’ll give the orders. All you have to do is trust me and break through the lab. Got it?”

“Tsk, fine, do whatever you want.”

Jin Mugyeol, realizing there was no point in further persuasion, was the first to head toward the fork.

“Seoyeon, see you later~”

“Take care.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

Kim Lara, Kim Jinsu, and Kang Han each said their parting words as they followed.

“Pretty cool this time, Commander.”

Gwak Dohyeong gave his usual cheeky smile before joining the others.

Now it was my turn.

As our friends departed, Wi Seoyeon’s trembling grew worse.

Watching her, I spoke softly, something I hadn’t planned to say.

“Seoyeon.”

“What is it?”

“There’s one thing I’m absolutely sure about.”

I smiled confidently, hoping to ease her anxiety.

It was the kind of assured demeanor only a seasoned veteran could have.

“This dungeon? We’ll clear it, no doubt. This is my specialty. If you’re really worried, just trust me.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

She stared at me blankly for a moment before snapping out of it and turning away.

Seated in front of the operator’s microphone used to communicate with the “woman in the speaker,” Wi Seoyeon spoke coldly.

“Go. I want to clear this place and get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Got it.”

“And be prepared. Since you got me into this, you owe me big time when it’s over.”

“…Yeah, I’ll take responsibility for that.”

And with that, all preparations for exploring the dungeon were complete.

Now, the only thing left was to delve into the lab, uncover the truth, and face whatever awaited us.