Jin stepped into the third-floor break room, pipe held tight in his grip.
For the first time since this nightmare began, he was met with something eerily normal.
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead. The hum of the refrigerator was still running, the microwave sat untouched, and a coffee machine remained plugged into the wall.
But there were signs of disturbance.
A few chairs were knocked over, a stack of disposable cups had fallen across the counter, and there was a half-eaten sandwich left abandoned near the sink—like someone had been here right before everything went to hell.
Jin's gaze landed on the fridge.
He stepped forward, fingers curling around the handle. It was still cold.
When he pulled it open, he saw something he hadn't expected—
Food.
Nothing fancy, but actual food.
Bottled water.
Leftover lunches in plastic containers.
Energy drinks.
Snacks shoved into the fridge door.
Jin stared for a second.
Then—he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
This was a damn goldmine.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a bottle of water and an energy drink. His hands closed around them, fingers pressing into the cool plastic.
Then—he realized the problem.
How was he supposed to carry all of this back?
He couldn't walk through the building with his arms full of food. That was just begging for something to go wrong.
His eyes flickered toward an empty duffel bag sitting on a chair nearby. He moved to grab it
Then—
A screen popped up.
[Skill Unlocked: Inventory]
You have acquired stored items. Activating Inventory.
Jin froze.
Then, cautiously, he focused on the bottled water in his hand.
A new interface appeared in his vision. A simple grid-like menu, empty except for a single slot.
He tapped the bottle.
It vanished.
Jin's breath caught. His hand was empty.
He quickly pulled up the interface again.
There it was—inside his inventory.
Jin exhaled sharply. "…This is useful as hell."
Without hesitation, he began storing everything.
Water. Food. Snacks.
Within seconds, the fridge was empty.
For the first time since this shit started, something had gone right.
Then—
He heard them.
Footsteps.
Slow. Uneven. Coming from just outside the break room.
Jin's fingers tightened around the pipe. His breath slowed.
He turned his head slightly, eyes locking onto the doorway.
The footsteps stopped.
Jin didn't move.
Did they hear him?
His pulse stayed steady, but his muscles coiled like a spring.
The silence dragged.
Then—
The footsteps started again.
Getting closer.
Jin exhaled slowly, shifting his stance.
It was time to see what he was dealing with.
The footsteps were close now.
Whoever it was, they weren't running. They were searching. Moving carefully.
Jin edged closer to the doorway, his grip on the pipe steady. His muscles coiled, ready to move.
Then—
A shadow flickered in the doorway.
A man stepped inside.
Jin's eyes narrowed.
He knew this guy.
Kang Joon-seok.
A coworker. Someone he had passed in the office hallways almost every single day.
Joon-seok, who always grumbled about projects but never turned one down. Who always had an extra stick of gum in his pocket.
Now?
He looked like he had barely made it out alive.
His dress shirt was soaked in blood—dark, dried patches smeared across the fabric. His hands trembled violently. His hair was matted with sweat.
But it was his eyes that set Jin on edge.
Wide. Unfocused.
Not just fear.
Something broken.
Jin's grip on the pipe loosened slightly.
Joon-seok took another unsteady step forward. His breathing was shallow, erratic. His eyes darted across the room, scanning every shadow like something could lunge at him at any second.
He wasn't just scared.
He was expecting to die.
Jin made a decision.
He moved carefully. No sudden motions. No threats.
He lifted a hand slightly, keeping his voice low and steady.
"Joon-seok."
Joon-seok flinched violently.
His breath hitched. His hands twitched. His entire body locked up.
Jin saw it immediately.
The way his posture shifted.
The way his fingers clenched.
The second his shoulders snapped tense, like a cornered animal.
Joon-seok's hands jerked up—
And a bright, violet streak of energy crackled to life around his fingertips.
Jin barely had a second to process it before—
Joon-seok fired.
A streaking, unstable arc of violet light tore through the air—fast, erratic, violent.
Jin's body moved before his mind did.
A sharp pivot—his feet twisted, his back arched—just enough to dodge.
The energy blast slammed into the fridge behind him, exploding on impact.
A sharp crack. A flash of sparks. The entire door caved inward, metal warping, glass shattering.
Jin didn't stop.
He closed the distance immediately.
His body launched forward, faster than thought—
Joon-seok barely had time to react—
Jin was already on him.
A burst of speed—his body low, movements sharp.
A hard step forward. His left hand hooked around Joon-seok's wrist, twisting it aside—
Then—his right arm slammed into his chest, driving him back.
Joon-seok stumbled, off-balance—
Jin didn't let him recover.
A sudden shift of weight—then he swept Joon-seok's legs out from under him.
Joon-seok hit the floor hard.
The breath ripped from his lungs in a choked gasp.
Jin pinned him instantly, knee pressing into his chest, pipe hovering inches from his throat.
His pulse pounded.
His grip on the pipe tightened.
And for a split second—he felt it.
That same, sharp pulse of bloodlust.
The same instinct that had taken over before.
Jin's breathing slowed.
He could end this in a single strike.
He knew it.
His muscles tensed—
Then—
"…Jin?"
The voice was weak. Confused.
Jin's jaw clenched.
He blinked.
Then—he exhaled.
The tension in his grip eased.
He let go.
Joon-seok gasped sharply, blinking rapidly like he had just realized what had happened.
Jin pushed himself back, running a hand through his hair, forcing himself to breathe.
Joon-seok coughed, struggling to sit up. His voice was hoarse, raw.
"Shit," he muttered. "I thought—I thought you were one of those things."
Jin let out a slow breath. "Yeah. I got that."
Joon-seok wiped his face with a shaking hand, trying to steady his breathing.
Then—he swallowed hard.
"Sorry," he muttered.
Jin glanced at him. "...Me too."
Neither of them spoke after that.
For now—they were both still alive.
Jin let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as the last of the tension bled out of his muscles.
Joon-seok sat on the floor, still catching his breath, hands gripping his knees like they were the only thing keeping him steady.
Outside, the hallway was silent. No growls. No screams. Just the distant hum of flickering emergency lights.
Jin adjusted his grip on the pipe and turned toward Joon-seok. "Can you walk?"
Joon-seok let out a sharp exhale, then gave a slow nod. "Yeah." He pushed himself up, stumbling slightly before finding his balance.
Jin watched him for a second, then gestured to the door. "Come on. We're heading back."
Joon-seok nodded, but as they stepped into the hallway, he hesitated.
Jin noticed immediately. "…What?"
Joon-seok exhaled sharply. "…They're all dead."
Jin didn't say anything.
Joon-seok swallowed hard, his voice tight.
"Everyone on my floor. They didn't make it."
Jin kept walking, letting him talk.
Joon-seok's fingers twitched at his sides. He wasn't looking at Jin anymore—his eyes were far away, locked on something only he could see.
"When the system announcement happened… I was on the second floor. Near my desk."
Jin didn't interrupt.
"At first, we thought it was some kind of joke. Then the sky split open."
Jin's jaw tightened.
Joon-seok let out a bitter laugh. "One second, everyone was standing. The next…" His voice faltered. "…They weren't."
Jin's grip on the pipe tightened.
He already knew how this story ended.
"I ran," Joon-seok admitted, his voice hoarse. "Didn't think. Didn't fight. Just ran. Didn't try to save anyone."
Jin shot him a look. "You think you could've?"
Joon-seok went quiet.
Jin didn't press. He just kept walking.
After a moment, Joon-seok exhaled. "I thought if I got higher in the building, I'd be safer. That was fucking stupid."
Jin shook his head. "Not stupid. Just wrong."
Joon-seok snorted, but there was no humor in it.
"The second floor turned into a slaughterhouse. The stairwell was my only shot."
Jin frowned slightly. "How the hell did you last this long, though? The monsters have been tearing through people since this shit started."
Joon-seok hesitated. Then, slowly, he lifted his hand.
A faint, unstable flicker of violet light crackled around his fingertips.
"This."
Jin's eyes flickered to the glow. "What's it called?"
Joon-seok exhaled. "[Arc Discharge.]"
Jin arched a brow. "And?"
Joon-seok scratched the back of his head. "It lets me fire off energy blasts. But I don't—" He flexed his fingers, frowning. "I don't control it well yet. Sometimes it just… happens."
Jin thought back to their fight.
Yeah. No shit.
Joon-seok sighed. "The only reason I'm alive is because I panicked. The first time it triggered, I blasted a monster into a wall. Didn't even see it coming."
Jin exhaled slowly.
That wasn't an attack.
That was a reflex.
Joon-seok ran a hand down his face. "I got lucky. After that, I just hid."
Jin gave him a sideways glance. "Where?"
Joon-seok gestured vaguely behind them. "Storage room. Some supply closet. Didn't even look, just barricaded myself in and waited for this shit to end."
Jin nodded slowly. "And then it didn't."
Joon-seok's laugh was empty. "Nope."
He kicked at a loose piece of debris as they walked. "I kept waiting for someone to stop it. A rescue team. The military. Hell, even the cops."
He shook his head. "No one came."
Jin didn't say anything.
Because he knew no one was coming.
Joon-seok exhaled sharply. "Then the system message popped up. One hour passed."
Jin nodded. "And you realized you couldn't hide forever."
Joon-seok let out a slow breath. "Yeah."
He laughed weakly. "I heard moving upstairs and thought maybe I could find some more people who might know what's going on."
Jin sighed. "And instead, you almost fried me."
Joon-seok groaned. "Yeah, my bad."
They walked in tense silence.
Then—Joon-seok glanced at him. "What about you?"
Jin sighed. "Office floor. Started the same. People panicked. Most of them didn't make it."
Joon-seok stayed quiet.
Jin continued. "My skill activated when I grabbed a weapon. A pocket knife."
Joon-seok arched a brow. "What is it?"
Jin hesitated for a split second.
Then—he decided it didn't matter.
"[Limitless Weapon Potential.]"
Joon-seok blinked. "…Huh?"
Jin sighed. "It means I'm good with weapons."
Joon-seok frowned. "That's… vague as hell."
Jin shrugged. "Yeah. But it works."
Joon-seok studied him for a second, then sighed. "…Guess it's better than [Accidental Energy Blasts That Almost Kill Your Coworkers.]"
Jin snorted.
Joon-seok let out a weak laugh. "God. What the hell even is today?"
Jin didn't have an answer for that.
Jin led the way down the hall, navigating through the wreckage until they reached the makeshift barricade his group had put up earlier.
Jin knocked against the barricade. Three solid taps.
Then—"It's me."
A long silence.
Then, a voice from inside. "Jin?"
"Yeah."
The barricade shifted. A few chairs scraped against the floor, and the door cracked open just enough for someone inside to peek through.
Jin pushed it the rest of the way and stepped inside, Joon-seok following behind.
The air inside was stale, heavy. The survivors were huddled in their spots, drained, barely holding on. Even though they had water and food now, they still looked like shit.
At first, no one reacted.
Then—someone squinted at Joon-seok.
A man sitting near the back—early thirties, glasses smudged with dust. He frowned slightly. "Wait… Joon-seok?"
Joon-seok's expression twitched slightly before settling into something exhausted. "…Hey, Min-jae."
The man—Min-jae—stared at him for a second longer, then let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Hah… well, shit. You survived?"
Joon-seok's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Barely."
No one else reacted much. They were too tired to care. A few people gave half-hearted nods, then went back to staring at the floor, lost in thought.
Jin scanned the room. Echo was still sitting up, awake.
The healer was slumped against the wall, completely drained, her eyes flickering open and shut.
Jin exhaled. At least everyone was still here.
He turned back to Joon-seok. "Come on. Sit down."
Joon-seok nodded, stepping further inside. He stopped near a collapsed section of cubicles and slowly lowered himself onto the ground.
Then, finally—someone asked the question Jin had been expecting.
"Did anyone else from your floor make it?"
Joon-seok froze.
The exhaustion in his face hardened into something else.
For a second, he didn't say anything.
Then—he let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"No."
The room went still.
Joon-seok's fingers curled into fists on his lap. His throat worked like he was swallowing glass.
"They're all fucking dead."
His voice cracked—not from tears, but from sheer, raw exhaustion.
"I watched them die. I ran like a fucking coward, and now they're all gone."
The words hit the room like a dull, heavy weight.
No one interrupted.
No one knew what to say.
Joon-seok let out a shaky breath, running a hand down his face. His laugh was weak, empty.
"I should've died with them."
His voice was barely a whisper.
Jin didn't look away.
Joon-seok's shoulders shook slightly. His breathing was uneven, unsteady.
Someone shifted like they were about to say something—but stopped.
Jin waited.
Joon-seok needed this.
A long, stretched-out silence.
Then—Joon-seok exhaled sharply. His voice was tired, hollow.
"Sorry. I just… I don't know what the fuck to do anymore."
Jin closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.
"Then let's figure it out."