Chapter 8

008. Outside the Well. (3)

008.

“Cough! Huh, huh, huh!”

When I loosened the grip on Jang's neck, Kim Takgyun gasped for breath.

The stench of his breath made my face wrinkle.

Swish, thud.

“Ugh.”

“Don’t act so tough. I’ve been holding back until now.”

I threw Kim Takgyun onto one of the sofas, filled with irritation.

His face turned red from the pressure of the mana, and he couldn’t even meet my eyes, desperately avoiding my gaze.

‘Indeed, it feels good to raise my mana.’

Investing all 5 remaining ability points into mana gave me a substantial sense of power.

The skills and mana I wielded with that power were very satisfying.

Ding!

──── ◆ SKILL ◆ ────

▶ [Psychic Explosion] (Lv. 001)

──────────────

‘With this level of mana, I can use psychic power for about 10 minutes without any problem.’

The force that lifted Kim Takgyun into the air was the second reward from the awakening room.

The skill called 'Invisible Hand' was of the rare grade, and it contained two types of power.

The first power, psychic force, allowed me to exert physical force using mana alone, according to my will.

I used the skill to lift and throw a person into the air.

I was quite satisfied with the immense physical force I exerted without any visible movement.

Of course, it must have been a shocking scene for others.

“Seohu, did you just awaken?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But Seona, you’re being a bit short with me, aren’t you?”

“Oh, did I? Sorry, bro.”

Amid everyone’s shock, Kim Seona quickly adjusted her position.

She wasn’t particularly good or bad to me, but she was definitely quick-witted.

The way she naturally called me 'bro' was quite impressive.

“But are you really going to leave? There will be a lot of monsters out there.”

“Of course there will be. But I have to kill them and go home. Do you want to stay here and become a slave to those pig-like bastards? Is that your thing?”

“No way. Can I go with you, bro?”

“Hmm. We already have quite a few people.”

“Us? You already formed a team?”

“Of course. We’ll leave with the people who fought together. This place is a mess.”

Actually, the time here wasn’t entirely bad.

It was a place where we were protected, with food and rest guaranteed.

But the moment they proposed the slave contract, this place turned into hell.

Becoming a slave to survive was no different from having no choice.

“I see. You already formed a team. Can I join? I really don’t want to stay here.”

“Hmm. I can’t decide alone, but you seem okay. That’s my opinion.”

“Really? I’ll do my best. I’ll do whatever you tell me, so please let me join. Okay? Okay? Got it?”

“Let’s talk about it.”

So far, we had only secured three people.

It was enough to move quickly, but it also felt a bit lacking.

‘Once awakened, one person can do everything. If not, at least they can take care of the food.’

It wouldn’t be bad to have someone take charge of the annoying tasks like cooking and cleaning.

Kim Seona’s joining was something to consider.

“Seohu, me too. I want to go with you.”

Before Kim Seona’s joining was confirmed, another volunteer appeared.

Shin Minhee, with a pale face, approached me, unsure of what to do.

“You too? You didn’t like me. How can we go together?”

“Why would I dislike you? Who spread that lie? Absolutely not.”

“Really? I’m surprised you didn’t dislike me. But why do you want to go with me?”

“You know what will happen if you stay here. People who looked at me like a snake will become my masters. I really don’t want that.”

She was right; it would be truly terrible.

Regardless of how she treated me, Shin Minhee had top-tier looks among the regular people.

Naturally, there would be many crazy people who would sexually harass her in the company.

If she stayed here, who knows what would happen?

It might be better for her to die.

‘But what does that have to do with me?’

The problem was that Shin Minhee’s situation had nothing to do with me.

If we had built any human connection, I might have reached out first.

But now, her looks didn’t even catch my eye.

“Sure, I’ll think about it.”

“Really? Can I trust you?”

“I can’t decide alone. Think of other options too.”

“No, I trust Seohu. I’ll do my best. I’ll do anything, so please let me join.”

Shin Minhee’s face was filled with desperation.

It was quite a satisfying situation.

* * *

It was early morning, before the sun had risen.

However, the building that once housed the mid-sized company, Yeonggwang Electronics, was restless.

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Of course. I’ve been doing this for years.”

“Years? I’ve been doing it the same way.”

I was busy preparing to leave in the morning as I had promised.

We only took enough food for a few meals and spent most of our time arming ourselves.

We made shields and spears, tried on armor, and the time passed quickly.

After two years of developing equipment, both I and Lee Dongchan were quite skilled.

The preparations for leaving this place were progressing steadily.

“Seohu.”

“Ah, you’re here. Have you made up your mind?”

“Yes. I’ll do as you said. Please take care of me.”

While we were quickly preparing to leave, an important guest we had hoped for arrived.

Although Cha Soohyun had many concerns, her face wasn’t as bright as before.

She had decided to leave with us.

“You came just in time. We’re a team again. But did the security team leader let you go?”

“No. He tried to stop me until the end, saying there was no way to leave.”

“Yet he made such a proposal.”

“That... He showed me a different proposal. It wasn’t as malicious and had been revised a lot. I think the team leader signed that one.”

The fact that there were different proposals was quite a shock.

‘Of course, important people wouldn’t sign such a dog-like proposal.’

Yeonggwang Company, which used people’s despair to act like a cult, also offered different conditions to truly important people.

Disgust rose within me.

“Yet you came? It seemed like a good offer.”

“Yes. It was like becoming a noble. But I saw things I shouldn’t have.”

“What did you see?”

“Those people have already given up on being human. They are people I can’t be with.”

Although Cha Soohyun didn’t elaborate, I could guess.

I hoped it wouldn’t happen, but it felt like reality.

The disgust grew even more, considering it had only been a few days.

“Forget it. We’re leaving.”

“Yes. Thank you for offering me this opportunity.”

“Then be nice to me. Hehe.”

“Haha, I will. Take care, Seohu.”

She tried to lighten the serious atmosphere with a joke.

“Is there anyone else going with us? Are we just four?”

We planned to leave at dawn.

But the four of us who originally used this room were still here.

Thinking it was too few, Cha Soohyun asked a reasonable question.

“There’s one more person I’m considering, but I’m not sure. I’ve only worked with people who are either bad at their jobs or just unlucky.”

“Hey, you’re at least considering. I didn’t even think about it. I just laughed at their fighting and bickering.”

The person I was considering was Kim Seona.

With Cha Soohyun joining, we had enough people to fight, and someone to handle minor tasks and be a companion for Cha Soohyun.

Kim Seona was a good fit for that role.

In contrast, Lee Dongchan said he didn’t want to go with any of his colleagues.

His close senior had quit a month ago, so he was really lonely, as expected.

Surprisingly, Tack Jinho also tried to go with a few people, but they all refused.

With Cha Soohyun joining, our preparations sped up.

We had a variety of weapons and almost all the items we needed.

We spent the remaining time practicing and waiting for the sun to rise.

“Suhu! Me too! Me too! Take me! I’ve been bad! Please don’t leave me behind!”

The only annoyance was Kim Takgyun shouting at the door.

He was a person I had no affection for, and he kept bothering me.

“Should we get rid of him?”

“No, he’ll leave soon anyway.”

“Man, he has a good voice. He should have been better in normal times.”

No one felt sorry for Kim Takgyun’s appearance.

We spent our time with his desperate cries in the background.

Finally, the sun rose, and it was time to leave.

Kim Seona joined our group as the last member.

* * *

“About 10% have already left. Many people escaped at night. I think more will leave after we do.”

Lee Dongchan’s final assessment before we left the building.

According to him, nearly half the people were planning to leave like us.

It was a bit amusing to see them evaluating and learning from our well-prepared state.

“It’s dangerous outside. Soohyun, you don’t need to go through this.”

Waiting at the emergency stairs was the security team leader, Lee Chanwook.

His gaze was fixed on Cha Soohyun.

He seemed to genuinely care for her, as he had personally brought her from the special forces.

“I’m sorry.”

“Soohyun.”

“Thank you for everything. Sergeant Lee.”

She called him sergeant, indicating she had already severed ties with the company.

Seeing this, Lee Chanwook had no choice but to let her go.

“I’ll lead the way. Follow me slowly.”

Passing Lee Chanwook, I stepped out onto the emergency stairs, holding a shield.

The ‘Flame Dagger’ in my hand was ready to be moved by psychic power.

The creaking and closing of the fire door made my hands sweat.

But the emergency stairs were clean, thanks to the thorough cleaning during my rest.

There were no goblins, and we could descend without any problems.

Of course, I didn’t expect everything to go smoothly.

‘What is this?’

But this was not what I had expected.

On the 8th floor emergency stairs, a group of people stood.

There were no goblins to hinder us, but a group of humans drenched in red blood.

“Cha Soohyun, come this way quickly! You’ll die if you stay there!”

“Ah, this must be the Cha Soohyun the team leader mentioned. She looks capable. Come this way. This is your last chance.”

Our group felt the tension.

It was a scene that anyone could understand.

“Do you mean you won’t let us go peacefully?”

“We have no intention of letting you go, peacefully or otherwise. You know why we are drenched in blood.”

I was surprised by their backstabbing, even though they pretended to give us a choice.

“Do you really have to do this? Letting us go won’t harm you.”

“What nonsense. How can a CEO watch the company’s assets leave? If we can’t have them, we’ll destroy them. Choose. Work hard or be destroyed.”

The person speaking with such confidence was an executive I only knew by face.

His mana was considerable, indicating he had done a lot of hunting.

The same went for the security team members and others present.

It would be difficult to win in a fight.

“Since you said you would go to the end, don’t regret it.”

Attacking humans.

Killing humans.

I thought it would happen later, but there was no choice.

My hand swirled in the air, entering the inventory.

And a piece of paper brushed against my fingertips.

Ding!

There was no need to hide my power anymore.