The thudding sound grew louder and louder.
Instinctively, I took off running with everything I had.
I need to find somewhere to hide!
Judging by the presence, it was a monster.
There was no way I could take it on alone, especially not as a Guide. And since I was currently undergoing a test to prove I was a C-rank Guide, fleeing was the only logical option.
Damn it. Even just one weapon would’ve been nice.
Back in the frontlines, I’d fought with nothing but a jackknife. The lack of any weapon now felt especially frustrating.
Did they give weapons to the Espers instead?
No way they’d send them in with nothing, right? They wouldn’t just toss guys with elemental powers in there empty-handed… would they?
They need weapons so I can at least ask to borrow one!
Damn it. It sucks being a Guide sometimes.
As I sprinted forward, frantically calculating options in my head, I spotted a crevice in a boulder and quickly slipped into it to hide. From somewhere nearby, screams rang out.
“AAAGH!”
“Get away from me! Get the hell away!”
“What kind of Simulator Dungeon is this?!”
“Where’s Yeon Yu-jin?! Why the hell did the trial start before the test subject even entered the chamber?!”
…Huh?
That voice…
Peeking my head out, I saw four people running at full speed.
In order: Shin Tae-boem, Cha Si-yoon, Ra Ho-yeon, and Seo Yoon-chae—each of them drenched in sweat, running for dear life.
“Oh…”
Were they always this athletic?
Their legs moved so fast they were practically a blur. They were really running for their lives.
When I shifted my gaze slightly behind them, I saw the cause: a massive, nausea-inducing monster slithering after them at breakneck speed, drooling hungrily.
Now I got why even A-rank Espers were losing their minds and fleeing.
—Sssshhhhhik! Sssshik!
It was that thing?
My poor eyes…
The monster looked like a cockroach. I could even see the spiky hairs sticking out of its legs—just the sight of it made me want to hurl.
And I’d seen a lot of horrifying things in my time. But this? This was something else.
Who the hell designed this Simulator Dungeon monster?
Did the devs have a personal vendetta against cockroaches or something?
Who decided to make it so vivid in 4D?
Freaking bastards at the Bureau. I never expected them to make a monster that’s a full-on assault on the eyeballs.
Even the way its wings twitched was hyper-realistic and horrifying.
I knew it was an artificial monster inside a simulation, but it was so revolting I wanted to quit the test and get out right then and there.
I shut my eyes tightly, trying to ignore it for a moment.
—Ssshhhiiik?
Ah, crap.
The giant cockroach monster, which had been enthusiastically chasing down the baby-chick Espers, suddenly came to a halt.
Then, it turned its head directly toward me.
Ah… fuck.
[I think it just figured out you’re here.]
Potato peeked its head out from my inner chest pocket and muttered.
“Yeah. Seems like it.”
—SSSHHHIIIK!
Determined not to let a tasty morsel escape, the roach monster bolted toward me at full speed.
I didn’t look back. I just ran like hell.
Where to? Obviously, toward the Espers who were now my team and partners—Secreti.
Their eyes widened in shock as soon as they saw me.
“What the hell?! Where’ve you been all this time?!”
Seo Yoon-chae yelled the moment our eyes met.
“Shut up. Yelling’s just going to provoke that disgusting Mister Roach back there even more.”
“R-Really?”
“Why would I lie in this situation? Same goes for the rest of you—if you want to live, zip it.”
“Okay, got it.”
All four Espers, including Seo Yoon-chae, went quiet.
Though I didn’t mean for them to go completely mute.
Wanting to gather some intel, I directed a question to Ra Ho-yeon.
“How long have you guys been in here?”
“When you headed to Room 1, we got sent into this Room 5 Simulator Dungeon right after.”
Shin Tae-boem, panting heavily, added:
“They said once we were inside, you’d come in soon and the trial would begin. Damn it. The staffer activated the Simulator Gate the moment we stepped through.”
“What?”
Are they out of their damn minds? I’m the test subject—not these Espers who got dragged in with me like bonus items.
If a regular Bureau staff member pulled that stunt, they’d be hit with at least a disciplinary suspension.
If their luck’s bad, they’d get stuck running dungeon gates on rotation.
I had no idea what kind of guts it took to pull something like this. Surely, they didn’t go this far just to mess with me? That’d be some next-level narcissism.
While I was still trying to figure it out, Seo Yoon-chae clenched his teeth and swore he wouldn’t let the staffer who activated the dungeon off easy once we got out.
“I’ll kill that bastard. Making me go through this hell? I don’t care—I’ll use my family’s connections if I have to. I won’t let it slide.”
Honestly? That kind of vengeful attitude was good to see. Better that than cowering and fleeing.
“But why are you just saying you won’t let it slide? Why not team up and take the damn thing down already?”
Seo Yoon-chae, who had been brimming with rage, suddenly deflated. Pitiful.
“We tried… but it didn’t even flinch.”
“What?”
“Ra Ho-yeon hit it with lightning. I threw a pillar of fire. Shin Tae-boem stabbed it with an ice spike, and Cha Si-yoon unleashed a tornado. It just swatted it all away with one hard swing of those freaky wings.”
“…That’s not right.”
“What isn’t?”
“The staffer who dropped me off said this was the green gate—C-rank.”
If this really was a C-rank monster, the Secreti members should’ve been able to take care of it no problem.
But in reality…
—SSSSHHHHHHHHHIK!
The massive cockroach monster (Rank: Unknown) was still chasing after us with terrifying speed.
Seo Yoon-chae looked shocked when I mentioned the gate’s rank.
I figured he’d focus on the part where a monster this ferocious clearly couldn’t be C-rank. But no.
“That’s what you’re shocked about?”
“Of course! Leader hyung, Tae-boem, and Si-yoon all thought you’d rank at least A!”
So they did have eyes.
I almost complimented their good judgment—but decided against it. We were running for our lives, after all.
What matters now is dealing with that monster.
Its rank was pretty easy to guess. If four A-rank Espers couldn’t bring it down, the only thing left was S-rank.
That staffer… if I see them again, I’m going to wreck them.
They rigged a test meant to prevent people from lying about their stats? A Bureau staffer pulling that kind of crap?
This needed to be officially reported to the Bureau.
Just wait and see.
[You sound like a proper villain right now.]
Potato’s muttering from my shoulder made me snap.
Shut it.
Dodging a rock mid-sprint so I didn’t bite my tongue, I asked the Secreti members:
“Any weapons?”
“What?”
“Did that bastard staffer give you anything when you came in?”
“Hell no, hyung.”
Cha Si-yoon gasped between breaths.
“…Given that we’re still here, I figured that was the case. Did you try asking them to let you out? The gate setting’s clearly messed up.”
Shin Tae-boem frowned deeply.
“Of course we tried. You think we wouldn’t? But there was no response. Nothing. Not a damn word.”
“Unbelievable…”
This was nuts.
What kind of grudge did they have against Secreti? That bastard… if we get out of this alive, I will kill them.
The test was supposed to be supervised. But if they got no reply at all…
They’re ignoring us on purpose. Bastard.
That meant unless we somehow cleared this gate ourselves, there was no plan to get us out. Fucking son of a bitch.
What should I do…
We’re up against an S-rank monster.
Our side? Four A-rank Espers, and one SSS-rank Guide pretending to be a C-rank.
If we want out, I’ll have to Guide them—inject energy into these rookie Espers.
But if I do what I did last time, I’ll blow my cover. Pretending to be C-rank while performing a proper Guiding session is impossible. Dumping bathtub loads of energy through a teaspoon won’t change the fact.
Shit. Should I switch strategies and pose as an A-rank instead?
…Too late for that.
I’d already made sure all the earlier trials matched the profile of a C-rank. If I suddenly spiked to A-rank now, the Bureau would definitely get suspicious.
As I kept running, still agonizing over the decision, Potato suddenly shouted:
[Terrain! Use the terrain!]
What terrain? There’s nothing here to use!
The whole place was a desert. A few worn-down rocks were the only features around.
Despite my protests, Potato doubled down.
[No, there is! There’s more than one monster in this place!]
