Chapter 32
It seemed like no one had one. Dongwoo suppressed a sigh.
It was pitch black. They would be trapped here without a light source.
“Light…”
Sehyun, muttering softly, suddenly looked up as if she had remembered something.
To overcome unfavorable situations, Sehyun had memorized the locations of the buildings, their characteristics, and the locations of emergency exits, just in case.
Naturally, she had also checked for things like emergency kits.
It was a habit she had developed from her years of working as a bodyguard.
Sehyun recalled where she had been standing last.
Across from the notice board.
Remembering the location, Sehyun slowly walked forward, feeling the floor with her feet. She found the edge of the sparring ring and carefully stepped down. Normally, she would have jumped down, but every step was cautious now.
“Who’s moving?”
Dongwoo asked, recognizing the sound of footsteps.
“It’s me, mister. Just a moment.”
Sehyun replied and continued walking forward, feeling her way with her feet.
There should be an emergency kit with flashlights around here…
Sehyun tilted her head. The emergency flashlight box should have a red light on it so it would be easily visible in emergencies…
But she couldn’t see anything. The emergency exit signs were also invisible. It was as if all light sources had been swallowed by the darkness.
As Sehyun continued walking, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling, her foot stumbled on something. She cautiously reached out and touched a cold wall.
Sehyun felt around the wall. After a while, she felt a corner.
Click.
She carefully opened the box with her fingertips and felt inside. She could feel what seemed to be flashlights.
Five in total.
Click.
Sehyun turned on a flashlight and looked around. People winced at the sudden light.
“What!”
“Where did that come from?”
Sehyun ignored the C-grades’ comments and scanned her surroundings, then paused as she pointed at a spot.
“…Jieun?”
Jieun was standing awkwardly by the entrance, near the door.
“Oh… Hi.”
Jieun raised her hand awkwardly in greeting.
“What are you doing here?”
“I-I don’t know, I just ended up here… Do you know what’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out.”
Jieun looked around with a troubled expression.
“R-Really?”
“Do you know what’s happening outside?”
“N-No. It was like this as soon as I came in…”
“I see…”
“But it’s strange. It was bright just a moment ago… I-I can’t see anything outside the w-window.”
Jieun pointed at the window with a scared expression. Sehyun’s gaze also shifted to the window.
She already knew. She had checked the window as soon as it got dark. But she couldn’t see anything because it was too dark.
“I-I’m sorry. Am I b-bothering you?”
“No, you came at the right time. Come here.”
Sehyun replied quickly.
She meant it.
Jieun, with her ‘Divine Touch Upon You’ skill, was a godsend in this unpredictable situation.
And the fact that she had come all the way here meant she was willing to participate in the spar again. That was also good news.
Of course, it would have been better if the situation weren’t like this.
Jieun’s lips tightened at Sehyun’s words.
“Let’s go.”
Jieun nodded at Sehyun’s words and followed her. Sehyun climbed onto the sparring ring with Jieun and handed out the flashlights.
“One for mister Dongwoo. And the rest of you can share one flashlight between two people.”
“Okay.”
“Hey! What about us!”
Someone suddenly shouted. Sehyun turned her head and saw the C-grades glaring at them. They looked ready to jump at them any moment.
“The emergency flashlights are for everyone, are you trying to hoard them?”
Sehyun tilted her head with an indifferent expression.
“You didn’t even know there were emergency flashlights. Go find another one if you’re so upset.”
The C-grades’ faces crumpled at Sehyun’s words.
“You know you can’t beat us… Especially since your main force is unconscious, right?”
Sehyun shone her flashlight on Do Sung, who was lying unconscious.
The remaining C-grades’ faces darkened.
They had seen how quickly Sehyun had knocked Do Sung out.
She wasn’t an F-grade. Even if they all attacked her together, they were afraid of being trapped by Dongwoo, Hyeryeon, and especially Mi Young’s ‘Cocoon’ skill.
The guy who was trapped by the ‘Cocoon’ skill still hadn’t escaped.
He was not only trapped but also gagged.
If that happened to them… They shuddered at the thought.
“But what a shame. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there’s one flashlight left.”
Sehyun took out the remaining flashlight and twirled it in her hand. The C-grades’ eyes gleamed with greed.
They knew this darkness was ominous. They had to find the exit to escape.
And they needed that flashlight to do so.
“Who should I give it to?”
Sehyun asked calmly, looking at them. Then, she turned the remaining flashlights towards the C-grades. Their faces, illuminated by the light, hardened.
Sehyun spoke.
“I’ll give it to whoever wins a fight.”
“…!”
“Hurry up. We don’t have time.”
“You’re telling us to fight each other…?”
“Your comprehension skills are lacking. Disqualified.”
The man who had asked the question flushed red at Sehyun’s words. But he couldn’t just attack Sehyun.
They were completely exposed in the light, while the F-grades were hidden in the darkness. They would be at a disadvantage if they moved.
And getting injured would be even worse.
As they were gritting their teeth,
“Sehyun, what if they get provoked and attack us…?”
Dongwoo whispered to Sehyun, lowering his voice.
Sehyun shook her head slightly.
“Just watch.”
There were people who could band together, and there were people who were like grains of sand, unable to unite.
They were the latter.
“I’m out of here! Damn it!”
Suddenly, someone punched the guy standing next to him in the face.
As expected.
“You bastard!”
“You ungrateful piece of shit!”
“Are you filming a martial arts movie or something? You son of a bitch!”
As soon as one person threw a punch, it turned into a free-for-all. There was no mercy in the punches they threw at their former comrades.
It was complete chaos.
Dongwoo’s jaw dropped at the sudden turn of events. He looked at Sehyun in surprise.
Sehyun looked back at him with a calm expression, as if she had expected this.
“Hey, I’m sorry to interrupt… but do we really have to do this? The situation is serious. You’re quick-witted, so you must have noticed. Something’s strange outside. Causing a commotion like this could be dangerous.”
“You’re right. It would be, if this were an ordinary building.”
“What?”
“This building is designed for sparring. It’s designed to contain loud noises, lights, and other things. It would be troublesome if someone passing by got hit by a stray skill.”
“…What?”
Dongwoo stared at Sehyun in surprise.
How did she know this?
“So, even if there are monsters outside, they won’t be able to hear this commotion. Unless someone opens the door.”
Sehyun’s gaze shifted to the door.
The door was specially designed to block not only sound but also skills, even during intense sparring.
But the moment the door opened, all the noise would escape.
“But we might need their help to escape.”
Dongwoo whispered to Sehyun. Sehyun shook her head slightly.
“You’re right. We might. But not in their current state.”
They would all be wiped out if they went out like this.
“But if they get injured too badly, they’ll become a liability.”
“I’ll stop them at the right time. I don’t know what’s happening outside, but we need to stick together. And to do that, we need to get those idiots in line.”
They were C-grades, after all. They would be valuable assets in a difficult fight.
But not in their current state.
“It’s too risky to take them with us like this. Look at their personalities. They’re not the type to give up the flashlight. They might even attack us to get it. We need to take care of them beforehand.”
“Then why not just kick them out…?”
“That could lead to a fight with us. With their personalities, they might ambush us and steal the flashlights. If they only steal the flashlights, it wouldn’t be so bad. They could also injure us and use us as bait for the monsters. They could use us like that.”
“No, they wouldn’t go that far…”
“The problem is that they could.”
“…”
“This is a world where even blood relatives are locked up and abused. What about strangers?”
Sehyun replied firmly.
Sehyun had a good eye for people. Moreover, she had experienced a lot in her childhood.
She knew what kind of words people who had flattered her parents when they were famous scientists had uttered at their funeral.
How coldly her relatives, who had been affectionate towards her parents, had turned their backs on her.
How quickly people who had smiled at her had turned cold.
Misfortune had taught her the true nature of people.
Moreover, she had met countless people while working part-time jobs and as a bodyguard.
She had been ignored, betrayed, backstabbed, and she had also received kindness and help.
She knew people.
Especially people like them.
“There’s no need to give those idiots a chance to backstab us.”
“…”
“Now that we’ve bought ourselves some time by preventing those idiots from leaving, let’s think about how we’re going to escape.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“No, that’s why we need to discuss it. First, if even one of us gets a chance, we have to escape. We need someone to get out and ask for help.”
Sehyun finished speaking and looked towards the dark window with a gloomy expression.